D&D 5E For Players: What makes an encounter "scary"?

[Stalker0]

So having talked a lot recently about the "difficulty" of encounters, you could argue the "feel" of those encounters is actually more important to the game experience. I've also found DMs underestimate the impact of encounter threat on their players because they are dealing with more perfect information. A DM might go "man this encounter is boring no one is being threatened" while the players think "holy crap I might die!".

So for players, generally what about a 5e encounter makes it scary to you....even if once all said and done the party handles it "easily".

 

[Vaalingrade]

Scale or number of opponents, bad positioning and seperating the party.

Though I might add I don't care for being 'scared' in my entertainment.

 

[Lyxen]

Scale or number of opponents, bad positioning and seperating the party.

For us, it's mostly about realising that our assumptions for the fight were completely wrong, like finding that the Prince of Hell has returned unexpectedly to his command tent whereas the PCs thought that they only had to deal with a few guards...

This is where confusion happens, the plan goes out of the window very fast and people do really uncoordinated things, between those wanting to fight and others to escape...

Though I might add I don't care for being 'scared' in my entertainment.

This is a good point, the player should not be scared, it's not the point of the game, it's just supposed to be fun. Now, having the characters panic and flee is great as well, but it should be the characters being scared, not the player.

 

[payn]

Mechanically, its those fights that catch you off guard. Either the characters missed the signposting about a challenging encounter, or they completely misread the challenge before them. Unexpected abilities, resistances, etc.. also play a part. I enjoy it in 5E because often you can regroup and rise to the challenge which isn't something many games do well. One criticism of 5E is that its too easy to overcome even challenging encounters, so its likely a taste thing.

Additionally is the stakes of failure/retreat in the narrative. If you get run out of a monster dungeon its usually no big deal. If you fail to fend off an army that threatens the local village, it's much more pressing.

 

[prabe]

The possibility of losing something they care about, whether that be PCs, NPCs, stuff or place/s.

AND/OR

Dealing with something that they can't predict, whether it's just that they don't know it or that it's not playing by the same rules the PCs are

AND/OR

Something that actually jangles the players' nerves.

 

[Lyxen]

Mechanically, its those fights that catch you off guard. Either the characters missed the signposting about a challenging encounter, or they completely misread the challenge before them. Unexpected abilities, resistances, etc.. also play a part. I enjoy it in 5E because often you can regroup and rise to the challenge which isn't something many games do well. One criticism of 5E is that its too easy to overcome even challenging encounters, so its likely a taste thing.

This is a good point, possibility of regrouping/fleeing is something good with the system, because once more it's absolutely part of the genre and it makes for great scenes both in movies/books/shows and in a D&D game.

Additionally is the stakes of failure/retreat in the narrative. If you get run out of a monster dungeon its usually no big deal. If you fail to fend off an army that threatens the local village, it's much more pressing.

Yes, the pressure to succeed is a good thing as well.

 

[Dave Goff]

Tension and build up. The story can drive the fear (the fun kind) better than the mechanics and combat in my experience.

Also, use the environment- chasms, blocked exits, rope bridges, echos... all sorts of fun options that have nothing to do with monster stats.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

For me, it's the menace of the unknown. A monster that I've no knowledge of (even trying not to metagame, there's still that rolodex of monsters that exists in the back of my head), especially paired with plenty of build-up, a good description, and powerful abilities.

One of the scariest monsters I faced, we spent the whole session running away from it. The DM did that good of a job instilling fear by reputation and description that we never even encountered it, and to this day I'm not even sure it really existed.

 

[Oofta]

For me, it's the menace of the unknown. A monster that I've no knowledge of (even trying not to metagame, there's still that rolodex of monsters that exists in the back of my head), especially paired with plenty of build-up, a good description, and powerful abilities.

One of the scariest monsters I faced, we spent the whole session running away from it. The DM did that good of a job instilling fear by reputation and description that we never even encountered it, and to this day I'm not even sure it really existed.

There are some terrors that should never be seen because if you are close enough to see it, it's too late.

Spoiler: Example hidden by spoiler, not for the faint of heart!

 

[Lyxen]

There are some terrors that should never be seen because if you are close enough to see it, it's too late.

Spoiler: Example hidden by spoiler, not for the faint of heart!

View attachment 145135

That was very nasty of you, my good sir !