rythm_rampage
First Post
Hi folks,
I'm looking for a Horror supplement/sourcebook for D20 modern, any ideas ?
yours rampage
I'm looking for a Horror supplement/sourcebook for D20 modern, any ideas ?
yours rampage
Looking for Horror supplement/sourcebook
- Thread starter rythm_rampage
- Start date
HeapThaumaturgist
First Post
Depends on what you want to do with it.
I mean, if you want to make horror adventures, the Menace Manual contains everything from "The Thing" (Star Doppleganger) to Michael Myers ("Maniac") to some new demons and the like.
As for a supplement ... mmm, not for d20Modern. There's OGL Horror, which is a d20 GAME but not d20Modern. There's Heroes of Horror, but that's a supplement for D&D. Etc etc. Those talk about creating horror themes in games and whatnot.
There may be something out there I'm unaware of, however.
--fje
I mean, if you want to make horror adventures, the Menace Manual contains everything from "The Thing" (Star Doppleganger) to Michael Myers ("Maniac") to some new demons and the like.
As for a supplement ... mmm, not for d20Modern. There's OGL Horror, which is a d20 GAME but not d20Modern. There's Heroes of Horror, but that's a supplement for D&D. Etc etc. Those talk about creating horror themes in games and whatnot.
There may be something out there I'm unaware of, however.
--fje
rythm_rampage
First Post
What I'm looking for is some kind of guidebook to create atmosphere and scary locations.
I'm a D&D player myself and I thought about picking up the HoH soon.
If it's a good supplement which got DMing advice then I'll get it. The Menace manual is liying around here somewhere, I'm gonna use it in my campaign.
I'm a D&D player myself and I thought about picking up the HoH soon.
If it's a good supplement which got DMing advice then I'll get it. The Menace manual is liying around here somewhere, I'm gonna use it in my campaign.
Stormborn
Explorer
Several of the books in the Blood and.... series have horror elements. In Cajun Arcana, the Katrina relief book from Dog Soul, I have a short section of somewhat tongue in cheek Horror idea called "M'oht" which may come out in its full form later. Heaps' own Diabolism (see above sig block) can work in a horror campaign.
The following aren't even d20 but they are excellent sources for running modern horror games:
Unknown Armies (can't recommend that highly enough)
GURPS Horror (and you might also check out GURPS Cabal or anything else by Ken Hite)
The New World of Darkness (and mortal supplements like Ghost Stories and Mysterious Places.)
(EDIT: I see you want a discussion of mood and atmosphere. Any of these three is the way to go, I would favored them in the order listed)
But really, horror comes in all forms. Call of Cthulhu can be truly horrific when facing the unimaginable vastness of reality and our own insignificance. Unknown Armies turns that on its head and see just how far someone will go to be significant, as does nWoD. Sometimes just mood and gore can be horrific, as in zombie movies. It all depends on what you want.
The following aren't even d20 but they are excellent sources for running modern horror games:
Unknown Armies (can't recommend that highly enough)
GURPS Horror (and you might also check out GURPS Cabal or anything else by Ken Hite)
The New World of Darkness (and mortal supplements like Ghost Stories and Mysterious Places.)
(EDIT: I see you want a discussion of mood and atmosphere. Any of these three is the way to go, I would favored them in the order listed)
But really, horror comes in all forms. Call of Cthulhu can be truly horrific when facing the unimaginable vastness of reality and our own insignificance. Unknown Armies turns that on its head and see just how far someone will go to be significant, as does nWoD. Sometimes just mood and gore can be horrific, as in zombie movies. It all depends on what you want.
rythm_rampage
First Post
The kind of Horror I'm looking for is a subtle kind of horror including weird rituals, gore and very few magic sources.
HeapThaumaturgist
First Post
Didn't think about the later Blood and ______ stuff from RPGObjects. I've been a little out of the buying field, since I don't have regular work yet.
(Which reminds me, anybody in the Birmingham area know of a company that needs a copywriter, editor, content administrator, or other writing/multimedia professional ... or really anything at all a guy with a B.A. or M.A. in English could do ... give me a call. There's a kiss full on the mouth, or a nice gift basket, to anybody who helps me get a job.)
I think the biggest problem is, for Modern, there's no Unified Horror Theory. There's the H.P. Lovecraft style stuff, conspiracy theory stuff, aliens, vampires and werewolves, slasher flicks, etc.
HoH is supposed to have information on setting tone and encounters and the like. If you're buying it anyway, it might work as well as you need it to.
--fje
(Which reminds me, anybody in the Birmingham area know of a company that needs a copywriter, editor, content administrator, or other writing/multimedia professional ... or really anything at all a guy with a B.A. or M.A. in English could do ... give me a call. There's a kiss full on the mouth, or a nice gift basket, to anybody who helps me get a job.)
I think the biggest problem is, for Modern, there's no Unified Horror Theory. There's the H.P. Lovecraft style stuff, conspiracy theory stuff, aliens, vampires and werewolves, slasher flicks, etc.
HoH is supposed to have information on setting tone and encounters and the like. If you're buying it anyway, it might work as well as you need it to.
--fje
Stormborn
Explorer
rythm_rampage said:
Unknown Armies, Street Level Campaign would fit.
Or pick up Ghost Stories for nWoD and adapt the adventures there to d20M. I really think its exactly what you are looking for.
You asked for books, but perhaps a little free advice woudl serve just as well?
- One of the keys to creating a feeling of subtle (or really any) horror is to introduce the abnormal into the normal. Start slow at first and build. Making the PCs, and players to a degree, at first uncomfortable and then frightened and then truly terrified.
- Key the sense of somethign odd happening with repeated themes such as colors, words, numbers, smells, etc Find one or two simple triggers that you can easilly remember and are common enough that they wouldn't normally be note worthy and insert them whenever possible. Horror movies make use of lighting or angles, this is the GM version.
- Have the players create detailed backgrounds and use them against the PCs, a rich and detailed reality can help highlight the darkness of your horric elements. It doesn't have to be overt, but something as simple as having a serial killer always hum a PCs mother's favorite song can add an element of horror to the game. Not to mention the possiblity of actual threats to the PCs normal world.
- Use this sparringly, but find out what scares your players and use it. A player is always worried about ID theft? Use it. Afraid of personal violence, home invasion, guns? Use it. Spiders, snakes, amputation? Use it. But carefully.
- Also use the hammer sparingly. The hammer being the overtly obvious horror -whether it be an inhuman creature or violence or gore. The more careful and precise you are in using it the mor effective it will be.
(Example: In game describe a normal day to one of the PCs. Allow the PC to notice that he seems to frequently see the same strange figure out of the corner of his eye in several places. The figure doesn't seem to be following him, but by some astronomical coincidence he seems to be seeing the same image over and over again in ordinary places where he lives and works. In conjunction with that he also notices the number 3, on a sign, in an overheard conversation, etc. One night, around 3:33 AM he thinks someone is in his house. He goes to investigate or calls the police or whatever but there is no sign of a break in. However, in the middle of the floor in the living room is a childs toy. Upon inspection it is beloved toy that the PC lost as a child. The next day there is envelope taped in a public place at work with his name on it, or this could be for a different PC, and no one saw who put it there. It contains a picture of the PC as an infant in his mother's arms. The next day one is under his door mat. In this one he is a toddler. After a few days he notices a strange smell in his house. Its a shoe box containing a dead cat under his bed. The cat is identical to one he owned as a child. Why? Strange ritual? Ghostly unborn twin wants the life of its living sibling? PC going crazy, possessed, or something worse? All depends on your PC, and your player.)
- Thats all in the game. While running the game control your enviroment at the game as best you can. Table talk, breaks, other activities, lighting, background noise, all of it can have an impact on the mind set of the players. If possible, you may want to choose who you invite to this kind of game, and tell them what kind of game you plan on running and how you plan on running it a head of time.
Hmmm...I am sure there is more advice that I or others could give. Maybe later.
(Oh, and Heap - I have mentioned your name to a few people I know who are in publishing in B'ham. I don't know of anything right now, but I will let you know if/when I do.)
trancejeremy
Adventurer
If you aren't in a hurry, you might wait for the Bureau 13 sourcebook.
OGL Horror is basically 70% a rehash of d20 Modern, but it does have a pretty decent advice section. You can get it cheap on ebay (and someone was selling it cheap in the marketplace section here, I think).
You might also consider the Fright Night modules from Hogshead. They are regular d20, sorta, but work okay with d20 Modern and are each sort of an individual location/scenario.
OGL Horror is basically 70% a rehash of d20 Modern, but it does have a pretty decent advice section. You can get it cheap on ebay (and someone was selling it cheap in the marketplace section here, I think).
You might also consider the Fright Night modules from Hogshead. They are regular d20, sorta, but work okay with d20 Modern and are each sort of an individual location/scenario.
Committed Hero
Hero
And Nightmares of Mine from Rolemaster, from which a lot of things are reprinted in the GURPS book.Stormborn said:
For a d20 book, look at 12 to Midnight products.
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