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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rechan" data-source="post: 4869138" data-attributes="member: 54846"><a href="http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=130133" target="_blank">This is The</a> horror thread.Also, I agree with Oni about the Unknown. Nothing is scarier than not knowing what you just encountered. Especially when you're playing an RPG where most people understand the rules, and suddenly something just violates that sense of knowledge and control.I'll echo the sentiments about Save or Die/drains. Those, to me, are more frustrating and annoying than they are enducing fear; namely because I'm more concerned with 1) The math and having to go backwards, and 2) annoyed I lost something I worked for. But mainly #1. The response is generally "Son of a *@#(!" and a pound on the table, not "Oh no!" Of all the systems I can think of, the one that instilled the most fear, to me, was ones with death spiral. Your health is measured in boxes, and as you get lower down in the boxes, you get penalties which effect ALL of your rolls, and as you get wounded, they get worse. That really lead to a sense of dread. Dread is another example; you know someone's going to get it, and it might be you, but you still take the chance. It's a game of russian roulette with Jenga. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Additionally, like movies like Alien, the trick is that no one can just go toe-to-toe with the threat and win. Either they have no weapons, or no weapon that can kill it. So the protagonist has to find a set piece (air lock, gas filled room, giant shredder) to use against the monster.Ultimately though, I don't think that mechanics will drive fear. It's the atmosphere, it's making the player feel tense. Because you're not trying to scare the character - you're trying to scare the player. Let's set aside threat to the actual PC for a second - anything mechanical done to them. What can you do to them that would scare them? Create something they care about, and then threaten that. Or, give the impression of threat. Perhaps, for instance, the PCs are escorting a group of NPCs, and the NPCs are being picked off one by one. The refugees are important to the PCs, so they want to protect them. Another example is the PCs getting lost, and I mean Lost in somewhere they can't get out. Heighten a sense of claustrophobia. A good example of this is "Here There Be Monsters" in the Savage Tide adventure path. There's a sequence during the adventure where the party are being stalked by a balgura as they treck across jungle; the balgura uses its various spell-like abilities to just mess with the party. Snatch NPCs, put ground up human flesh in their rations, steal their equipment with Telekinesis, etc etc. Doing it at different times during the day, so the players are on constant alert.</blockquote>

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