One Thousand Ways to Freak Out Your Players

[takyris]

596) The party enters combat with a villain they've only got sketchy information about. They're thinking that it's gonna be a tough but not deadly fight...

Say, "Okay, round one, he casts a Quickened haste, then Dimensional Anchor on Player1, then with his extra partial action, Dimensional Anchor on Player2."

The party snickers at him for wasting spells, charges in, does their first round stuff.

NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO...

"Okay, next round, he's casting Quickened Dimensional Anchor on Player3, Dimensional Anchor on Player4, and as his extra partial action, Dimensional Anchor on Player5."

Maybe it's just my group... the idea of someone who would burn that many spell slots, including an 8th level slot for quickening, just to make sure that no one teleported away, would freak my players out quite a bit.


-Tacky

 

[333 Dave]

I must say that 596 is PURE EVIL (TM). Thats great!

597: (continued from 596) After he's done DA'ing everyone, have him Dimension Door away then start pelting them with arrows and weak ass spells (he wasted all his good slots on DA). Repeat. If the players find him later, he has Boots of Dimension Door and a Ring of Dimensional Anchor.

 

[Altin]

598. This to be used only after an extended dungeoncrawl of some description, or at least at the end of a particuarly long section of the adventure that has ostensibly just been completed, leaving the party almost totally exhausted. Describe the party walking back outside the dungeon/to their hangout. Remark on the weather, describe the local ambient noise (I'm sure extensive and detailed description of insignificant details was noted earlier as another way to freak out your players). Then, in the same tone of voice, describe a known NPC (or their steeds or whatever else is at hand) lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Finally, say "And then all hell breaks loose." Then begin to pack up your books and notes, thank the players for the session and say you hope to see them all there next week.

Fairly standard cliffhanger but the players won't be expecting it and, if delivered properly, it will have them bombarding you with nervous e-mails between sessions.

Yours,
Altin

 

[HalfElfSorcerer]

599. In a large, empty cavern, have the players make spot checks. No matter what the result, don't allow them to see anything. Then, have them take breath weapon damage from some dragon every round. Still allow them to see nothing. See invisibility fails to work. After a while, have them suddenly see the dragon. If questioned later, tell them the dragon was just "hiding very well."

 

[Creamsteak]

600: Tell everyone about the dreaded Night Trolls, the creatures that killed the Emporer's sons, the creatures that slaughtered the order of the Knights of the Temple of the Moon of the Sun. Don't forget to explain that Night Trolls fight from as far away as possible, that they are all 17th level spellcasters, and use long range attack spells at the best possible range, and can teleport and heal at will.

Later have the characters encounter a dark skinned troll at night, don't edit it's stats at all, but give it a greatsword and a few levels in illusionist. Use the illusions to make the encounter seem like the real thing, trying to get the party to do it again. Have the same troll track them down repeatedly till it backs the party into a corner.

Smile wickedly when it says, "Hello, my name is (Insert), and I need your help with (Insert plot hook here)."

Don't ever tell them that it isn't a night troll. If they kill it, let them encounter the real thing sometime later.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

601) Before starting a new adventure, mention to the players that you've been experimenting to see just how many templates could be added to one creature.

 

[Deedlit]

602:Have every enemy the PCs have encountered in the past come up to them together, and offer them help, saying that they will need it.

 

[Privateer]

603. Describe the town's bakery in deep detail; the tastes of the rolls, the sweet smell of the sticky-buns. Offer no explaination for your intense description. Never use the bakery again.

604. As an alternative to 603, use the bakery again, but in an orcish cavern. Have the bakery be exactly the same, but carry orcish baked goods. For instance...

pie.

605. When you comment on "all hell breaks loose," start looking in the MM under "demons." What's wrong with saying it like it is?

Edit to 605 --- or devils, whichever it is. Could have sworn devils were abyssal.

606. Hand a player money under the table. Constantly. If discovered, say it was for helping paint your house, and then continue passing money and winking slightly. Best used if player has no idea what you are doing.

607. Keep RttoEE on hand. Make it obvious that you are running it; then use a different module or one of your own creations.

 

[Oogar]

608. Recently I had a Yuan-Ti Ranger with a Gauntlet of Rust and riding a Large Sized Rust Monster, encounter my party. I am pretty sure they hate me, and I do believe that one or two were a bit freaked out. The rust monster only managed to eat a +1 rapier and a +1 breastplate though *sigh*. If you do this, remember to take the feat "Mounted Combat" for the Rider.


Edit, corrected Number

 

[gamecat]

609. Replace the hit points system with aim-n-flame blasts at character sheets.

610. Have a one-way conversation with your DMG: "Should we throw 'em a curveball?" *put your ear to the book* "Yeah, I guess we should."