Mathew_Freeman
Adventurer
790. Tell your players about this thread, and keep reminding them about all the fantastic ideas you've had since starting to read it.
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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
One Thousand Ways to Freak Out Your Players
- Thread starter HalfElfSorcerer
- Start date
hammymchamham
First Post
792. At the start of the adventure, as the PCs are traveling from City A to City B, have the PC's make CON checks every hour. Set the DC to 5 (so that most SHOULD make the first couple). This will work really well if all the PCs make their saves the first few times. Increase the DC by 1 after each check, so Hour 1 DC 5, Hour 2 DC 6, Hour 3 DC 7, etc. When one (or more PC's) fail, tell them 'You feel very uncofortable, like your bladder is going to explode at any moment.' Don't reveal that this is because, well, the PC had too much Ale and now needs to pee. This just may freak the Player out, thinking they have some disease which may kill them. The next hour, have the PC's who passed their save make CON checks. If they pass, rinse and repeat. If they fail, tell them the same info. For those that failed the previous hour, make another CON check, if they pass, tell them the pain is receeding and is bearable, but your bladder still feels like it might explode. If they fail the CON check, have them make a Will Save (same DC as the CON check). If they pass, all is good (heck, pass them a note that says 'Act normal for now' as mentioned above to really drive up the fear). If they fail their will save, say to the failed PC (who may think he is about to die), 'You feel a slight tickle of water run down your leg, when you realize its not water, but urine.'
793. Use ability checks/saving throws in other interesting ways, like above. Mix in a few that truely have dire consequences. Your PCs will never know if their checks are a matter of life or death, or wether they need to use the outhouse.
793. Use ability checks/saving throws in other interesting ways, like above. Mix in a few that truely have dire consequences. Your PCs will never know if their checks are a matter of life or death, or wether they need to use the outhouse.
MeepoTheMighty
First Post
Al said:
822. Have said archlich be dressed in a bright yellow jumpsuit, floppy red shoes, white makeup and red wig.
823. Have the archlich hire the party to retrieve stolen valuables from the Hamburglar.
824. When they succeed in the quest, have them get a reward from Mayor McCheese.
s/LaSH
First Post
825: Bone
Human bone is scary if you're in the right mood. Here's two uses:
Give a villain a suit made entirely out of human bone. Skulls for pauldrons, jawbones in unexpected places, femurs and scapulae making up splints and plates. The more detail the better. If you want, make it entirely out of fingerbones... or teeth. I'd treat it as splint or chainmail, depending on how heavy the armour is. (Bonus points for not revealing that inside all that bone is a living creature... watch as the cleric wastes their turns on something that just laughs.)
Put skulls on spikes. Sure, we've all seen this. But if you put the spikes out of reach, and then allow the skulls to turn and look at the PCs, you've got an eerie sentinel that they can't very easily do anything about.
Both of these are from my webcomic, incidentally (I decided that, since they were already up, I could breach the veil of silence).
Human bone is scary if you're in the right mood. Here's two uses:
Give a villain a suit made entirely out of human bone. Skulls for pauldrons, jawbones in unexpected places, femurs and scapulae making up splints and plates. The more detail the better. If you want, make it entirely out of fingerbones... or teeth. I'd treat it as splint or chainmail, depending on how heavy the armour is. (Bonus points for not revealing that inside all that bone is a living creature... watch as the cleric wastes their turns on something that just laughs.)
Put skulls on spikes. Sure, we've all seen this. But if you put the spikes out of reach, and then allow the skulls to turn and look at the PCs, you've got an eerie sentinel that they can't very easily do anything about.
Both of these are from my webcomic, incidentally (I decided that, since they were already up, I could breach the veil of silence).
DM with a vengence
First Post
827. The party enters a 10*10'. In this room is a dead orc and an empty pie tin. In the pie tin are a few crumbs of crust and some fruit filling.
828. In the middle of an adventure the party stumbles on a room filled with dead orcs. Scattered around this room are assorted items of cookware, such as pots, baking sheets, and rolling pins. The room is covered in flour and sugar and fruit rolls under foot in the blood of orcs.
829. Someone shoots an arrow at the party from long range and runs away. When they find his position, they find an empty pie tin as 827.
828. In the middle of an adventure the party stumbles on a room filled with dead orcs. Scattered around this room are assorted items of cookware, such as pots, baking sheets, and rolling pins. The room is covered in flour and sugar and fruit rolls under foot in the blood of orcs.
829. Someone shoots an arrow at the party from long range and runs away. When they find his position, they find an empty pie tin as 827.
hammymchamham
First Post
830. When the party is at high levels (ie 17+) and they are in some duengon, have the party open a door and behind the door:
'You see a naked Goblin sitting in a tub full of soapy water. Roll initiative.' Have the goblin be a normal Goblin. Sure, in the long run it won't freak them out, but for a few seconds they'll be trying to figure out what is special about the goblin.
'You see a naked Goblin sitting in a tub full of soapy water. Roll initiative.' Have the goblin be a normal Goblin. Sure, in the long run it won't freak them out, but for a few seconds they'll be trying to figure out what is special about the goblin.
s/LaSH
First Post
832: Overwhelming Odds
This one works best against players who don't yet know how lethal they can be at high levels: Throw them into a room with a hundred-plus zombies all around them.
I did this once to a 7th level party. I think the point man took one hit. Then they went into the next room... which was identical to the first, much to their delight. They finished the dungeon and immediately complained that they'd forgotten to clean out the other areas filled in such a fashion (they couldn't go back for reasons I cannot divulge).
It doesn't freak out the players for long. The primary reason for this is to give them an incredible rush at overcoming such odds. Consider it pop-culture karma: for every low, there will be a high.
This one works best against players who don't yet know how lethal they can be at high levels: Throw them into a room with a hundred-plus zombies all around them.
I did this once to a 7th level party. I think the point man took one hit. Then they went into the next room... which was identical to the first, much to their delight. They finished the dungeon and immediately complained that they'd forgotten to clean out the other areas filled in such a fashion (they couldn't go back for reasons I cannot divulge).
It doesn't freak out the players for long. The primary reason for this is to give them an incredible rush at overcoming such odds. Consider it pop-culture karma: for every low, there will be a high.
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