How do you scare your PCs?

[EvilGM]

Dreams are definitely a good way to go. You can really setup some bizarre scenarios. And there is always the dream/vision of their own death (much better if setup a long time before it happens).

Graphic detail of most dungeon experiences is enough to frighten anyone.

Rot grubs!

Random d20 rolls for no reason - regardless of the result cringe and fumble around behind your DM screen a bit.

Any kind of nasty egg or pupa that starts to hatch - best used in dim light so they don't see there are bunches surrounding them until they set ablaze the one they can see.

Attacks from all directions: each side, above and below... heck throw in ethereal attackers as well.

During a particularly nasty encounter at night or in a dungeon (hags are always good for this), trip the lights in the room you're playing in and let out a high pitch scream. Best to secure beverages and the like first however.

Screw with the players: Warrior charges the BB and draws a weapon only to realize its not there. Spells fizzle or have an entirely different effect. A party member disappears.

While on watch, the night suddenly goes dead silent. The watchman, looking around, sees a shadowy cloaked figure on top of a sleeping party member. It appears to be "sucking" energy from the character. It looks at the watchman, roll a save vs. Paralysis!

 

[Romnipotent]

three simple words "The Pit Fiend..." just when you start your recap of a game from last week when they were talking to an old man by the road side, who has no eyes.
IT absolutely spooked them, they started metagaming and everything, was real fun. Especially when I said "And they dont detect as evil" to each encounter, forcing the Paladin to check every time, otherwise he wouldn't have then either. It also meant he broke a few laws.

 

[palleomortis]

HA! Good stuff all! Thanx.

 

[was]

There was one aboute a tital wave. What else is there that would scare them like that. Somthing they can't outrun, or fight with?

Natural disasters (i.e. floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, avalanches, blizzards..etc..) are usually pretty good at scaring players. They can also help move a plot line along in a pinch. Forcing them to take shelter in the haunted ruins (for example) instead of harassing forest wildlife for weeks:\

 

[Wraith Form]

Man, All we would ever get to do is say "you hear the beating of african drumming."

That'd be especially freaky if you heard that while in the Forgotten Realms or something.

 

[palleomortis]

I never understood Erebon. What exactly is it? My understanding is that it is a pre-created world for you to play in. Is that all there is to it? And what makes it so great?

 

[palleomortis]

that goes for Forgotten Realms too.

 

[takyris]

I've done a few things that worked well.

1) Had a long-time nemesis show up unarmed at the PCs' camp. When they had him at swordpoint, he begged for the chance to tell his story. The story involved a powerful mutual enemy who the nemesis wanted to help the PCs destroy, as the nemesis wanted to rule the world while the enemy wanted to destroy it. The nemesis also held the PCs off by saying that he had an amulet that magically send his lifesigns to a small gemstone in a safe in the lair of the local assassin's guild (a high-powered guild with magical communication all over the country). The head assassin was going to check the gemstone at midnight tonight, and if the gemstone said that the PCs' nemesis was dead, the head assassin was going to carry out murder-by-torture hits on friends and family members of each of the PCs.

The PCs were mightily enraged but swallowed their pride and agreed to hear out the nemesis as he told them about their mutual enemy. The nemesis got out three sentences, then began to choke. A moment later, he fell to the ground, stone-dead, and then exploded in a 10d6 fireball that completely destroyed his body. The mutual enemy had apparently put wards in place to prevent anyone from talking about them.

I then held up a clock and said, "The current time is 7:35 PM, real-world-time. When this clock hits 11:00 PM, the head assassin is going to open that safe."

2) On the "Crap, who is this guy" front, I've never had cause to do it, but the notion of having an encounter go like this was always fun to imagine:

Round 1:
Players see evil spellcaster of unknown power. They cast buffs and fire ranged weapons.

Enemy spellcaster casts Dimensional Anchor on one party member and a quickened Dimensional Anchor on another.

Round 2:
Players charge, alternating damage spells and buffs.

Enemy spellcaster casts Dimensional Anchor on one party member and a quickened Dimensional Anchor on another.

Round 3:
Players launch full-round attacks on the evil spellcaster and unload the heavy spell artillery.

Enemy spellcaster casts Dimensional Anchor on one party member and a quickened Dimensional Anchor on another.

3) I did a good enough job at creating a culture for my big bad monsters, complete with a language, that all I had to do was unload something in the language -- the creatures had been hiding in secret for eons, and many famous names were actually derivations of the monster language. The party would hear about a magical fountain that was supposed to grant immortality and then realize that the name translated to "Soul Death" in the enemy language, which was always good for a laugh.

 

[sniffles]

I never understood Erebon. What exactly is it? My understanding is that it is a pre-created world for you to play in. Is that all there is to it? And what makes it so great?

Well, just briefly, both Forgotten Realms and Eberron have maps, historic timelines, their own pantheons of deities, numerous cities and other locations, and some setting-specific races and creatures, spells, and feats. So if you don't enjoy being responsible for making all that stuff up yourself, using these campaign settings can be very helpful.

 

[palleomortis]

Ok that clears it up. Thanx.