What's the scariest thing that has happened to your characters?

[Narfellus]

I want to get an idea of the most horrifying situations in DnD where you (the player) have been either mortified about what happened or is about to happen, or you have unfathomable apprehension concerning the fate of your beloved character. What were the circumstances? What led to them? How'd they resolve? Did the DM handle it well, or was it a fluke of the dice or bad management (like accidentally throwing the tarrasque in there...woops). I don't get to be a player much, but i know i've scared the hell out of them before. I wanted to see how it felt from the player's perspective.

 

[Kashell]

The Gnome out of our group (illusionist/rogue) decided to steal (out of curiousity) from some patrons at a bar.

One of the commoners there had a purse full of 10 gold...quite a lot for a commoner to be carrying.


He steals it.





Cut to 4 months later, we're in a hideout of a cult of Vecna, in the bottom of Graveyard.

On the wall is written something to the extent of "Enter and receive knowledge."

When the gnome enters, he has a flashback.


First he sees the man he stole the 10 gold from, talking in the same inn where he stole it, sitting across from a man at a table.

Man in black: "So, you brought the gold correct?"
Commoner: "Yeah, I've got it...right...right..."
Man in black: "...."
Commoner: "NO! You have to believe me, I had it, all 10 gold, I SWEAR!"
Man in black: "Today was the last day. You have failed, and shall reap your reward."
Commoner, sobbing: "No..."


Cut to a completly black room. The commoner is on his knees. In front of him is his daughter, with the Man in black's dagger against her throat.




He slits her throat.







Commoner: "NNNNNNNOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"





(Just a note, the DM here did some great acting...He just about woke up the entire neighborhood with the last scream )

 

[Voadam]

horrifying but not terrifying

Man, I can't top that, but here was one.

I was playing a merchant prince and visiting this island kingdom of the drowesti elves (a mix of drow and melniboneans). I get invited by a top diplomat to his estate where he throws a party in my honor with exotic food (which my pc was into) and hugely extravagant gifts. One of the delicacies he offered my good pc was fried flumph. I knew what a flumph was but the character did not. So I had some and enjoyed it.

Resolution, the DM never brought it up again in game and the character never learned what flumphs are.

 

[BOZ]

hmm. the paladin destroyed an artifact of lolth, causing her to appear and exact vengance. we managed to use another artifact to escape - but she promptly sent an avatar to dispatch us. fortunately, while lolth was too powerful to be beaten by us, we had much better luck with the avatar. that was a pretty scary situation though.

then, just this past wednesday, another PC who had attached the Hand of Vecna to himself actually became Vecna. i thought, uh oh this is it this time, but the god just left with his new body.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Regarding Kashell's post... THAT RAWKS!!!!! My hat is off to you!

I once ran a game where the players had to rescue a kidnapped girl from a temple dedicated to pain and suffering. Entering the sanctum, they hear the gentle chiming of chains and the murmers of prayers, then look up to see dozens of the faithful suspended from hooks in their flesh, with blank eyes and expressions of ecstacy on their faces. After giving them the full description of the scene, someone knocked on the door and one my players squealed and nearly jumped out of her chair.

 

[DragonLancer]

Thats brilliant! I love it! Thats one of the best stories I've heard.

The Gnome out of our group (illusionist/rogue) decided to steal (out of curiousity) from some patrons at a bar.

One of the commoners there had a purse full of 10 gold...quite a lot for a commoner to be carrying.

He steals it.

Cut to 4 months later, we're in a hideout of a cult of Vecna, in the bottom of Graveyard.

On the wall is written something to the extent of "Enter and receive knowledge."

When the gnome enters, he has a flashback.


First he sees the man he stole the 10 gold from, talking in the same inn where he stole it, sitting across from a man at a table.

Man in black: "So, you brought the gold correct?"
Commoner: "Yeah, I've got it...right...right..."
Man in black: "...."
Commoner: "NO! You have to believe me, I had it, all 10 gold, I SWEAR!"
Man in black: "Today was the last day. You have failed, and shall reap your reward."
Commoner, sobbing: "No..."


Cut to a completly black room. The commoner is on his knees. In front of him is his daughter, with the Man in black's dagger against her throat.


He slits her throat.


Commoner: "NNNNNNNOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"


(Just a note, the DM here did some great acting...He just about woke up the entire neighborhood with the last scream )

 

[jonesy]

First a little backstory:
One of our regular players (Nils) moved to Sweden with his family, so in his last game here we had his character do a grand exit (didn't happen the way I had had it planned, and the character ended up dead, but it was a very good heroic death and the player was quite happy with the result). (We still sometimes set up games over the net just so we can play with him.)

So two weeks ago we were continuing the same campaign (5th Age Dragonlance if you're curious), and the party has arrived to a temple dedicated to the god of death. They've just gone through a couple of really nasty vampires and the characters are totally freaked out. They come to a shrine of death and notice that someone or something is standing behind it. The party paladin steps forward and as the light from his torch hits the thing he realizes it's Nils' character as a vampire, and then...

Nils, who was visiting us and wanted to do something special (only I knew he was in Finland at the time), comes up behind the paladins player and taps him on the shoulder. He has a flashlight to his face and a wicked grin. Every player in the room jumps six feet in the air and starts shouting.

 

[Narfellus]

Man in black: "So, you brought the gold correct?"
Commoner: "Yeah, I've got it...right...right..."
Man in black: "...."
Commoner: "NO! You have to believe me, I had it, all 10 gold, I SWEAR!"
Man in black: "Today was the last day. You have failed, and shall reap your reward."
Commoner, sobbing: "No..."
Cut to a completly black room. The commoner is on his knees. In front of him is his daughter, with the Man in black's dagger against her throat.
He slits her throat.
Commoner: "NNNNNNNOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOOOoOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
(Just a note, the DM here did some great acting...He just about woke up the entire neighborhood with the last scream )

Man, that was great. I'll have to steal that idea.

First a little backstory:
One of our regular players (Nils) moved to Sweden with his family, so in his last game here we had his character do a grand exit (didn't happen the way I had had it planned, and the character ended up dead, but it was a very good heroic death and the player was quite happy with the result). (We still sometimes set up games over the net just so we can play with him.)

So two weeks ago we were continuing the same campaign (5th Age Dragonlance if you're curious), and the party has arrived to a temple dedicated to the god of death. They've just gone through a couple of really nasty vampires and the characters are totally freaked out. They come to a shrine of death and notice that someone or something is standing behind it. The party paladin steps forward and as the light from his torch hits the thing he realizes it's Nils' character as a vampire, and then...

Nils, who was visiting us and wanted to do something special (only I knew he was in Finland at the time), comes up behind the paladins player and taps him on the shoulder. He has a flashlight to his face and a wicked grin. Every player in the room jumps six feet in the air and starts shouting.

Now THAT's what i'm talking about! Well done. I'm sure that is something no one will ever forget from that gaming group. Actually, a lot of ideas shared here are great to borrow and use, a side effect i hadn't really considered.

 

[Zappo]

Kashell, my congratulations. I swear to all that is holy and good in the world that I am going to spring that on the first player who makes another bloody freakin' chaotic neutral kleptomaniac character.

Jonesy's is just as good though in a different way. I wish I had tales of this caliber.

 

[Narfellus]

I am going to spring that on the first player who makes another bloody freakin' chaotic neutral kleptomaniac character.

(laughs) yeah, that's got to be a pretty popular DnDism...all the glory, none of the regret...