How to I scare my group?

Hmmm...another one

Have the computer system go buggy when one of the players is messing with it, and have a black screen appear. Then three words get typed on it as they watch... "you are next"

Have a survivor call on the ship's comm system and tell the party he's trapped in a storage compartment and needs help. The party runs to save him, thinking he'll have answers and when they get there the door's locked. But there's a window, and through that window they see the guy blow his own brains out while looking directly at them.

Kinda cheesy, but they're ideas.
 

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No matter what you do, make sure that 2/3rds of the way through the adventure, you have a moment where "Everything changes". Nothing seems the same anymore; all players see everything that happened in a new light. An example in a movie might be "The Sixth Sense" or "Fight Club".

This is a hard thing to pull off, but even if you try to have a small twist it will pay off.
 


This stuff just makes me smile thinking about it! If I ever find a game again, I'm going to want to DM a regular D&D game a little like this.
 

Is it 'legal' to apply both the ghost and Shadow Creature (from Manual of the Planes) templates to the same creature?
 

The legality of Shadow Ghosts

Well, there's nothing that says you can't. And since he's using Manual of the Planes in a sci-fi setting, I think a little more rules breaking could be allowed anyways ;)
 

Instead of having a strength drain, the creature can have a wisdom drain. That way, as they come in contact with the creature more, they're more likely to fail whatever Will saves against fear you might want them to make. As an added bonus, when the Wis score reaches 0, you can have them become insane.

Since it's an incorporeal creature, let it attack them through walls, then put them into narrow tubelike tunnels.

The easiest way to scare them, though, is to have people die. Start with an NPC. Then start making rolls in front of the players when they're on the edge of dying. That should get them shaking in their boots.

I also think you might be better off doing an Aliens type thing with multiple shadow creatures, but that's up to you. If you think that they won't have problems dealing with the one creature when they confront it, you'll need something to draw the adventure out.
 

(Ok I know this dosn't follow the rules exactly to the letter, but its damn nasty... What do people think?)

Ghost Shadow Wight
Hit Dice: 6d12 (38 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 45ft, 30ft Fly
AC: 20(+1 dex, +4 nat, +5 deflection)
Attacks: Slam +3 melee(Only when manifested)
Damage: 1d4 + Energy drain
Special Attacks: Energy Drain, Create Spawn, Corrupting touch, Horrific apperance, Manifestation, Malevolence
Special Qualities: Undead, cold resistece 9, darkvision 60ft, low-light vision, shadow bend, regenerate,
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 12, Con -, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 19
Skills: Climb +5, Hide +20, Listen +16, Move Silently +16, Search +15, Spot +16
Feats: Blind Fight
CR: 8 (maybe more)
Alignment: CE

Combat:
Energy Drain(Su): Living creatures struck recieve one negative level. The fort save to remove is DC14.
Create Spawn(Su): Any humanois slain becaome a Wight in 1d4 rounds. Spawn are under the command of the Wight and enslaved until its death.
Shadow Blend(Su): In any condition better than full daylight, a shadow wight can disappear into the shadows, giving 9/10ths concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell however, will.
Regeneration(Su): Will regenerate 2 hp per round.
Manifestation(Su): As ethereal creatures, they cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When they manifest, ghosts become visible but remain incorporeal. However, a manifested ghost can strike with its touch attack or a ghost touch weapon. A manifested ghost remains on the Ethereal Plane but can be attacked by opponents on both the Material and Ethereal planes.
Corrupting Touch(Su): A ghost that hits a living target deals 1d4 damage.
Horrific appearance(Su): (Note this is differnet to a normal ghosts) The look of torture, revenge and madness on the creatures face and body reaches out. Anyone in 60 foot looking at the creature suffers 1d4 points of wisdom damage. If this ever reaches 0 by this manner, the subject has gone mad, and acts randomly, without purpose, its only point to get away from the creature.
Malevolence(Su):Once per round, an ethereal ghost can merge its body with a creature on the Material Plane. This ability is similar to magic jar as cast by a 10th-level sorcerer (or the ghost’s character level, whichever is higher), except that it does not require a receptacle. If the attack succeeds, the ghost’s body vanishes into the opponent’s body. The target can resist the attack with a successful Will save (DC 15 + ghost’s Charisma modifier). A creature that successfully saves is immune to that ghost’s malevolence for one day.

Special Qualities:
Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, paralysis, stunning, and disease. Not subject to crits, subdual, ability, energy drain, or death from massive damage.
Rejuvenation(Su): In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a ghost through simple combat: The "destroyed" spirit will often restore itself in 2d4 days. Even the most powerful spells are often only temporary solutions. A ghost that would otherwise be destroyed returns to its old haunts with a successful level check (1d20 + ghost’s level or HD) against DC 16. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a ghost for sure is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents it from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each spirit and may require a good deal of research.
Turn Resistance (Ex): A ghost has +4 turn resistance.

Skills; Recieve a +8 bonus to Move Silently, Hide, Listen, Search and Spot checks.
 

I assume the characters are not meant to engage it in combat - energy weapons cannot fire magical shot, and so are unable to harm it at all.
 

Start playing "Bodies" by drowning pool....LOL THAT will certainly freak them out.

DM: You enter a large room with dark shadows flitting about
(Music) "Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the..." LOL
 

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