Roleplaying Ideas Publication #1133
I used to be chatting with new subscriber Ric Miller this week, and he impressed right this moment’s tip that’ll allow you to prep and run an superior Halloween journey this weekend when you have not discovered one but.
The tip is straightforward, but full of wonderful potential: Simply add Cthulhu.
Flash Sale Alert
Earlier than I soar into right this moment’s tip, in case you do nonetheless quest for a scary journey this weekend, look no additional than my simply launched 5 Room Dungeon Zine #1:The Tower of Drowned Shadows for D&D 5E.
Obtainable in PDF and print, with full-scale printable and VTT png maps, this scary crawl will problem even veteran gamers.
Think about being trapped inside a submerged tower.
A darkish secret with promise of nice treasure lies on the very backside. You will need to swim by means of lightless corridors and ugly chambers full of horrors and traps.
However the nightmare has solely begun on your PCs who should additionally take care of two undead factions warring in the dead of night and hostile stone dungeon.
Shadows of loyal guards defending the tower’s household, and specters of assassins questing for the disturbing cellar secret, battle within the soundless depths.
As this can be a 5 Room Dungeon written by yours actually, will probably be fast so that you can learn and prep for a recreation this weekend.
It contains designer notes the place I clarify my ideas behind this journey’s design, new monsters with directions for scaling to 4th, eighth, and twelfth stage PCs, customized NPCs, and a brand new magic merchandise – Frostfinger, a socketed blue blade.
The journey helps homicide hobos and roleplayers. Let your gamers determine how they’ll cope with the undeadly factions. Will they select pike or parley?
You should buy my journey in digital and print format from DriveThruRPG.
However in case you purchase it straight from me this weekend, thus saving me in charges, I’ll go alongside financial savings to you.
Flash Sale:
Get the PDF version of The Tower of Drowned Shadows right here for simply $5, together with the VTT maps and tokens.
“I DM Ghosts of Saltmarsh with a homebrew twist incorporating much more Lovecraftian parts,” Ric shared with me.
That’s when the sunshine bulb went off.
If caught for a Halloween one-shot, why not take an journey you’re run earlier than and simply add Cthulhu?
Or Stranger Issues.
Or the Headless Horseman.
Or the Nice Pumpkin.
You don’t even must reskin the journey.
As a substitute, change the tone by way of your GMing, and add a couple of substances.
5 Fast Methods to Cthulhu-ify an Journey
Add an Unspeakable Evil
Two decisions right here.
First is to interchange the journey’s villain with an historic and darkish evil that would destroy the world.
You should utilize the present villain and easily make them corrupted, or you can swap in a brand new Massive Dangerous Cthulhu monster completely.
Second alternative is to go away your villain as-is and add a Cthulhu creature within the background.
This creature might be the ultimate impediment after the villain.
Or you can run it as ambient terror, the place it manifests in several encounters to problem and frighten our poor heroes.
Add a Diabolical Ritual
Many adventures culminate in a confrontation with a villain.
For our horrific one-shot, we add an evil ritual to the scene.
This appends a deadline clock to your recreation, as properly.
Search for particular encounters main as much as the journey finale. Make a few of them clock ticks for the ritual’s countdown.
For instance, in my journey 5RDZ #1: The Tower of Drowned Shadows, you can have the specter assassins plotting a ritual within the cellar to lastly reveal the traditional secret buried below the submerged dungeon and to defeat their hated enemies above, as soon as and forever.
The specters is likely to be combing the tower on the lookout for ritual substances – a easy Story Overlay to their actions.
Slay the specters. Cease the ritual. Save the world.
And get the treasure!
Add Darkness
Horror haunts more durable at night time.
Change encounters to moonlit settings the place doable.
Synthetic darkness provides problem to encounters, as properly.
Even a complete eclipse lasting a couple of minutes may kind an epic finale in darkness through the battle with our Cthulhu villain.
Past bodily darkness, add themes of religious darkness and corruption to your NPCs and scenes to additional solid your journey into chilly and mind-numbing shadows.
Add Madness
Give NPCs fears and flaws. And have them act accordingly to unsettle your gamers.
Twist environments into unnatural contortions.
Make the villain and their minions brokers of madness.
Add a Terrifying Dimension
A darkish portal lets something enter your journey. With out a bouncer to maintain the riffraff at bay, you’ll be able to throw in all types of unusual results and terrifying monsters.
Forged the sky the color of a darkish bruise.
Sew the scent of a thousand graveyards into a chilly wind that blows straight up the characters’ legs.
Rain down ash as silent signal one thing’s damaged and struggling.
What’s Your Favorite Journey?
When you’re panicking since you’ve bought a Halloween one-shot this weekend and do not know about what to do, pull a beloved journey off your shelf.
You already know the journey’s particulars.
And even when gamers know the main points too, the twists you’ll add will hold them guessing – and terrified. Simply add Cthulhu.
