One Thousand Ways to Freak Out Your Players

[Al]

34) Have the book open at the page with the Tarrasque on.
35) Ask the PCs what their saves are...constantly. Then make some rolls and say 'interesting'.
36) Announce that the new Netbook you found has some very 'interesting' spells...before introducing the new evil archmage.
37) Tell them you think the latest convesion of Demogorgon was particularly well done.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

37) A whole session full of corny jokes, and NPCs based on various celebrities. (A court Jester called Jaraesahnfeld (based on Jerry Seinfield) or a neurotic carpenter called Allen (Woody Allen) for example) if your players have a non-idiotic sense of humor, and/or like a serious campaign, this should really annoy them.
38) NPCs with 18 intelligence who's don't got grammar good. (I suppose this could be Yoda...)
39) Plots painfully obviously based on bad movies (the party encounters two young rogues trying to save their thief parents from a flamboyant Bard ala spy kids)

 

[Anabstercorian]

40) Use disguise to make otherwise straightforward encounters appear nigh impossible to overcome - A troll in full plate looks like any other giant, especially if it wields a flaming or acidic sword.

41) Introduce annoyingly sexual, perverted, or just plain nasty NPC villains.

42) Introduce annoyingly sexual, perverted, or just plain nasty NPC allies.

43) Send demon paladins at your party for some trumped up reason or another and fine your players experience for killing a good creature afterwards. This works best if your characters are hip deep in the lower levels of the abyss in the inner chambers of Demogorgon or some such.

44) Have angels follow your characters around all the time. They never speak and flit away when confronted with anger, only to return later. Never explain why. This works best if the angels giggle at the players misfortune before healing them and tsk-tsk them when they do something ethically shifty.

45) Whenever a player hires NPC's, they turn out to be a demon in disguise. Always. No matter what.

 

[Draxus the Tainted]

46. When one of your players spends almost all of their money on a powerful magic item, have it stolen from them before they can use it.

 

[HalfElfSorcerer]

47. End a session with a cliffhanger like, "the door opens and a mysterious figure steps through." Next session, as combat starts, announce that "since the Epic Level Handbook hasn't come out yet, I had to make a few guesses here."
48. Make constant, archaic refrences to Monty Python. If someone mentions John Cleese, mutter some inconprehensible prayer.

 

[Craer]

49: Have the enemies strap babies to their chests on top of their armor and engage in melee fighting.

A privateer feline? What?

-Craer

 

[arwink]

50) After killing a major NPC the party has spent months tracking, who has already come back at least once in a state of undeath, throw out the idea "Gee, it'd suck if that was just some vampiric doppleganger."

Run like hell for the exits

 

[Chimera]

"You see a rather nice looking young girl, approximately seven or eight years old. She is wearing a little frilly dress and holding a floppy cloth doll. She looks in your direction and smiles sweetly."

"Ervin (npc) and his boys scream in terror and run off in random directions. Orgol the cleric is on his knees, muttering prayers under his breath while staring at the little girl in stark, raving terror. Redgar has passed out cold."

"Roll Initiative"

 

[Arravis]

Ask the players to roll initiative for normal conversations with NPC's. This really throws them off, lol.

 

[Black Omega]

51. During a nightime ambush, only ask the two PC's on guard to roll init. Comment that unless one of the two live long enough to wake the others up, they won't be needing init anyway.