D&D General How do you do horror when running D&D?

[Imaculata]

I think you can use pretty much any system for horror campaigns, including D&D. I think the trick is to simply remove a lot of combat from the campaign as a DM, or to make the monsters really strong.

Of course some rules systems are better suited for horror than others. Call of Cthulhu is a popular system for horror for example, and there's the recently released Alien roleplaying game I believe.

In the past I've used D20 Modern for a horror campaign, which is basically 3rd edition, but with a modern setting, which works just fine. Just keep combat and weapons to a minimum, and focus on atmosphere and feelings of dread. The downside is that with this sort of campaign, it is the story that needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting. So it helps if you're a good storyteller.

 

[Nebulous]

Let me ask this a different way: if finding players was easy and they didn't care what system or genre you used, what would you play?

 

[Rechan]

The rules aren't really a problem, because the rules largely cover combat, and a straight fight is something that doesn't happen in a horror adventure.

The rules call an encounter of CR = level + 4 a "deadly" encounter. So long as you make every encounter CR level +5 or more you are good to go.

So your PCs have lots of special abilities? Systematically nullify each of them in turn.

I think you can use pretty much any system for horror campaigns, including D&D. I think the trick is to simply remove a lot of combat from the campaign as a DM, or to make the monsters really strong.

In the past I've used D20 Modern for a horror campaign, which is basically 3rd edition, but with a modern setting, which works just fine. Just keep combat and weapons to a minimum, and focus on atmosphere and feelings of dread. The downside is that with this sort of campaign, it is the story that needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting. So it helps if you're a good storyteller.

In the past I've used D20 Modern for a horror campaign, which is basically 3rd edition, but with a modern setting, which works just fine. Just keep combat and weapons to a minimum, and focus on atmosphere and feelings of dread. The downside is that with this sort of campaign, it is the story that needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting. So it helps if you're a good storyteller.

This is what I want to do. But I feel that this will upset and frustrate anyone who shows up.

I want players to feel powerless. But I don’t think anyone willing to play D&D will accept feeling powerless. I’m afraid it will alienate players because D&D is about being g powerful.

I don’t know how to advertise a D&D game where they don’t get to use anything but skills. I don’t think anyone will show up to that.

 

[Oofta]

Guys.

I don't need tips on running horror. I know how to DM it.

My problem is that the rules get in my way. I don't want the players thinking about hit points and attack bonuses.

Then don't play D&D. I know, I know, you can't find players unless you play D&D. But then you're just dishonestly marketing something you aren't planning on doing anyway. What's the point?

If I came to your game expecting to play D&D, even a D&D game with heavy horror aspects, and then someone threw this home brewed horror system that they built on a chassis they hate it would not end well. Well, for me it would simply end because it wouldn't be the game I want to play and I would walk away.

I think D&D rules are just a chassis to tell whatever story I need to tell and I like 5E because the rules support play while otherwise getting out of the way. But I still like the base assumptions. You don't, that will show, I don't see how it will ever work.

 

[Rechan]

Let me ask this a different way: if finding players was easy and they didn't care what system or genre you used, what would you play?

For horror? Dread, hands down. Maybe a game of Final Girls now and then.

For anything else? Fate Accelerated.

 

[Nebulous]

For horror? Dread, hands down. Maybe a game of Final Girls now and then.

For anything else? Fate Accelerated.

Ok. Just curious. I haven't played either of those.

 

[Nebulous]

This is what I want to do. But I feel that this will upset and frustrate anyone who shows up.

I want players to feel powerless. But I don’t think anyone willing to play D&D will accept feeling powerless. I’m afraid it will alienate players because D&D is about being g powerful.

I don’t know how to advertise a D&D game where they don’t get to use anything but skills. I don’t think anyone will show up to that.

Have you tried Meetup.com for posting groups on community message boards? That can be the easiest way to find people. Of course, you'll get people flocking to D&D easiest, but you can still find other people willing to cater to the game you want rather than trying to shoehorn D&D into something that is not an ideal fit.

In my area we have had RPG game night and like 20+ people show up, just wanting to play something. From the pool you can pick people who WANT to play the game you want, and narrow it down to small selection. Again, this is easier with D&D (most popular rpg in the world blah blah) but it can be done with others. Especially if you live in a larger metropolitan area.

 

[Rechan]

Ok. Just curious. I haven't played either of those.

Dread’s sole mechanic is a Jenga tower. Want to succeed at a thing? Pull x blocks. The player to tip over the tower dies. That’s it. It makes every action incredibly tense.

Unfortunately you can’t play this online.

 

[Rechan]

Have you tried Meetup.com for posting groups on community message boards?

Wednesday I put posts on both the local RPG and Board game meetups. If I get no response there I don’t see any other option but playing online.

Online increases the chances of finding players willing to buy into what I’m doing, but introduces other issues.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

This isn’t how to run a spooky game but how to do so with the D20 system itself.

Edit: I do not need tips on how to run a horror game, I am struggling with the rules getting in the way.

I want to run a horror campaign, and I feel like D&D is my only Real option because finding players for any other system is Tough. And horror is a small genre so I need all the chances I can.

But I feel that D&D is a poor system for horror because characters are so powerful. Even 1st level PCs have a lot of strength on their side, with spells and damage that can put a hurt on what they’re dealing with. Part of horror is feeling like you are at incredible risk, that you don’t have much of a chance of survival, but characters are hard to kill, and I think I’d be. To kill someone to demonstrate that fighting is risky as hell. It is the difference between dropping Joe Schmo into a horror movie vs trained soldiers. And then there s magic. Undead are just no as scary if you have a cleric, etc.

Also some mechanics feel clunky. The grapple rules for instance.

My first tip for getting thw rules out of your way:

Throw. CR. Out. The. Window.

2. Make talking take real time (meanwhile the creature or what have you aint slowing down or pausing)

3. Have creatures that ignore certain rules. You manipulate them. Totally not cheesy.

4. Attack ability scores. Even if you arent playing 3.x use the 3.x rukes on ability scores. It can be brutal.

5. Do negative levels. Do them how i do them though. Randomize what abolities that a character got at a certain level are lost (makes people not immediately way less powerful but also gives a more real feel to something as unpredictable as sapping ones soul)

6. Take advantage of the dark and use cu de gra rules.

7. Curse the cleric's holy symbol.

8. Make the rules your bitch. At the right time. Tastfully. Then the rukes wont get in your way.

9. There are lots of monsters that you can use which exist, can be modified, or can be created which would reasonably ignore certain rukes players rely on.

Horror is best in d&d when your players realize that they cant reliably count on normal tendancies of rules.they get paranoid. Thats good. They panic. Thats good. Got rules that are slowing down the horror so that it doesnt keep players on the edge of their seat? Like taking damage and hp rolls are slowing the rush of fear? Experiment with monsters that have specific damage instead of a roll. Roll a ton of rolls (50) before the game day even happens. Keep them in order on a sheet. For certain things you wanna go fast (like a jump scare or a hurried sequence of events) put that sheet of paper under a piece of cardboard with a cut out hole to show the score (so you dont know what the next roll is. Try to forget.) And move it down the list as needed crossing out the scores as you go so you dont accidentilly back track to earlier rolls. Then you need only decide or roll for whom that premade roll is for. Much quicker. Have characters roll saves you think they are going to need later 10 minutes ahead so they really have no clue what itll be for. Do this sometimes knowing in your head ahead of time you are throwing that one away before you even see it so that they dont have the ability to know if something is gonna happen soon. Try to make these roll ahead rolls be taken somewhat steadily and often so you get the ones you need and no ine knows if you were recording a certain time or not. The unpredictibility will make them unable to use the fact you asked fir a roll to tell if something big is about to happen.

I hope some of this was helpful.