One Thousand Ways to Freak Out Your Players
- Thread starter HalfElfSorcerer
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Have the main artifact in the center of the large, monster-infested, trap-riddled dungeon be on a pedestal in a very large unguarded room that radiates no magic at all. No PC will dare just go in and take it.
My old GM used this one on my party, and it stopped us for half a session.
My old GM used this one on my party, and it stopped us for half a session.
#81. Put the PCs in a long corridor that they have to go through. Then line the corridor with Leomunds traps. However every once in a while put in a really nasty real trap. After they've gotten tired of finding false traps, they'll most likely ignore it thinking its fake. Then the real fun begins. 
Oracular Vision
First Post
82. Incorporeal treasure
83. Evil Wizard's Guild as a customer that always screws the party out of some of the treasure. What are they going to do, steal it back?
84. This is from another thread, don't remember the author...give a bad guy elemental resistance from fire/15, and a necklace of fireballs...he throws one down at his own feet after running in among the party, and keeps doing it over and over....
85. Use murder holes for ambushes, the party can't even fire back until they get around them...
86. Always trap the slippery bridge across the bottomless chasm...
87. Wall of Force is always a nasty surprise if the bad guy had time to put it up before the party arrives...no arrows, no spells through it...no running through it....
83. Evil Wizard's Guild as a customer that always screws the party out of some of the treasure. What are they going to do, steal it back?
84. This is from another thread, don't remember the author...give a bad guy elemental resistance from fire/15, and a necklace of fireballs...he throws one down at his own feet after running in among the party, and keeps doing it over and over....
85. Use murder holes for ambushes, the party can't even fire back until they get around them...
86. Always trap the slippery bridge across the bottomless chasm...
87. Wall of Force is always a nasty surprise if the bad guy had time to put it up before the party arrives...no arrows, no spells through it...no running through it....
die_kluge said:77. Randomly rip off small sheets of paper out of your notebook, and write "" or "this note doesn't say anything" and give them to random players.
heh. i always do this. if i need to send an actual relevant plot-related note to a player, i'll give stupid non sequitur notes to everyone else, like "You are distracted by a nearby leaf." or "Your nose itches. You REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to scratch it. Now. Really."
that way, only the player that gets the plot-related note will actually know his character knows something important. everyone else can keep guessing...
here's another one:
88. if the players write up detailed backgrounds for their PCs that include old enemies from before the campaign started, make sure these enemies all know each other and are working together to destroy the party... works best in a system like GURPS or HERO that has a "Hunted" or "Enemy" disadvantage that players can take. instant conspiracy!
89. every once in a while, when a player makes an exceptionally BAD roll, like a 1 or 2 for a Move Silently or Open Lock check, a Search, whatever -- let them succeed anyways. "It appears the guard didn't really hear you." "The lock pops open." "Hey! You managed to find something!" they'll be totally paranoid about the event. players can handle a 20 failing better than they can a 1 succeeding.
Lela
First Post
90. When the Sorceror or Wizard in the group dies, bring them back as a ghost who is completely under DM control. Have him pop in and out screaming BOO or alerting enemys. If a party finds a potion or scroll and can't identify it, have him show up, do Alchamy or Spellcraft and laugh histarically. He then fades out. This got so annoying that our cleric actually Turned him. The cleric is played by the same guy.
I currently have this going on right now. The party found a potion of love and couldn't figure out what it was. The ghost knew though, and thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. I roll a d30, every time it's 20 or above he can appear. If it's a 30 he can attack for one or two rounds.
I currently have this going on right now. The party found a potion of love and couldn't figure out what it was. The ghost knew though, and thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. I roll a d30, every time it's 20 or above he can appear. If it's a 30 he can attack for one or two rounds.
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Magic Rub
First Post
91. Have the party find a (or more then one) naked & dead body(ies) face down in the mud (or where ever) when they flip it over they'll find that it's an existing party member(s). (that same person/people should be there as well) When they try to find anything out about the body(ies), all that they get is that the "body" die's in a few days time. Oh & It can't be Res'd. So that means the body(ies) is/are from a future that is yet to come, but may never come depending on thier actions.
Oh the fear... This was so much fun!
Oh the fear... This was so much fun!
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92) have them wander into a forgotten lair/ castle/ whatnot of an ubermage. He sits atop his throne with a pet red-dragon
behind the scenes- the mage is just a lvl 1 gnome with cantrips. the pet dragon is just a gift from a friend that is actually a polymorphed sheep.
93) just keep rolling randomly behind you screen and look up every once ina while and say, "keep going..."
94) have a psion and his cohort (ogre) confront them. teh psion will have polymorphed intoa toad and pretend to be the ogre's animal companion- and buff him up with spells... the players will never suspect the toad.... MWAHAHAHAHAHAH
behind the scenes- the mage is just a lvl 1 gnome with cantrips. the pet dragon is just a gift from a friend that is actually a polymorphed sheep.
93) just keep rolling randomly behind you screen and look up every once ina while and say, "keep going..."
94) have a psion and his cohort (ogre) confront them. teh psion will have polymorphed intoa toad and pretend to be the ogre's animal companion- and buff him up with spells... the players will never suspect the toad.... MWAHAHAHAHAHAH
HalfElfSorcerer
First Post
95. Bring a party popper, party hat and party horn with you to the session and hide them behind the screen. As you describe a climactic scene involving an important NPC (apparently) in a dark room, build tension slowly. Say this: "The shadowy figure mutters a few words and the room fills with light." Put on the hat, blow the horn, pop the popper. Have it be a surprise 
party for one of the characters. Make sure the characters have fought a bunch of tough monsters to get here.
party for one of the characters. Make sure the characters have fought a bunch of tough monsters to get here.
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Psychotic Jim
First Post
96. This one only works if you have one player playing a minotaur or other beastofburden/man hybrid. Have all the other players gang up on the minotaur (or whatever) character and carve him up into jerky and eat him. Then serve steak for dinner for your role-playing guests.
This actually happened once (a long time ago back in the early years of high school). Basically one player was playing an annoying half-cow/half-man who was always singing "Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo" constantly. The other players quickly got tired of this adn ambushed the character and ate him. Then the host's mom served steak quite unexpectecly the same night. All the player of the half-man/half-cow could say was, "You planned this, didn't you!"
This actually happened once (a long time ago back in the early years of high school). Basically one player was playing an annoying half-cow/half-man who was always singing "Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo" constantly. The other players quickly got tired of this adn ambushed the character and ate him. Then the host's mom served steak quite unexpectecly the same night. All the player of the half-man/half-cow could say was, "You planned this, didn't you!"
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