Wednesday, October 5, 2016

D&D and Horror


Try these hacks for a horror-inspired D&D game:

  • Who Will Survive and What Will be Left of Them? Pay no attention whatsoever to the encounter building guidelines. Throw whatever you want at the characters. 
  • Fear is a Place. Make liberal use of the fear, horror, and madness option rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
  • Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid. Run your horror D&D game as a one-shot for first level characters. Most horror movies are ideally one-shots anyway.
  • Sometimes Dead is Better. If you want the characters to have mechanical incentives for acting according to the genre rules of horror movies, roll on this table for their flaws instead of using the flaw tables from their backgrounds:

d10
Flaw
1
It always seems like a good idea to split up the party and go off exploring on my own.
2
I investigate every strange noise I hear.
3
I respond to danger by hiding in tight spaces that only have one entrance and exit.
4
I believe that running up stairs is the best way to escape something that threatens me.
5
There is always a rational explanation, even if the supernatural is staring me in the face.
6
I can definitely outrun any monster, no matter its size or speed.
7
Having sex during a crisis is my natural inclination.
8
I am drawn toward basements, crypts, and other subterranean spaces and I never bring a light source.
9
I ignore warnings about potential danger, especially when they are given by old coots, weird children, and scared animals.
10
When I run out of ammunition for my bow or crossbow, I take the time to throw it at my assailant.