1000 Creepy Adventure Ideas!
- Thread starter Gothmog
- Start date
Draxus the Tainted
First Post
1. Whever the PC's are running from the Villain, have them always make balance checks to keep from falling down. The Villain always walks to them, and eventually catches them. (Very cliche!)
2. Have the Villain keep reapearing in continuous campaigns. (Even more cleche!)
2. Have the Villain keep reapearing in continuous campaigns. (Even more cleche!)
Last edited:
boothbey
First Post
3) Party is hired to fulfill the last request of a deceases noble. His ashes are to be tossed to the wind from the top of a tower amid some ruins. Of course the ruins are haunted and full of undead...and I pity the party that can't complete the mission. The ghost of the dead noble won't be happy.
Gothmog
First Post
Ok, here is a fleshed out adventure idea I used recently with my group:
4. Background- Jorac has been trying to run a small slaving operation for a few years out of Tharban, but without much success. More often than not, he would abduct poor or destitute individuals from the slums and sell them on the black market. After several run-ins with the authorities (particularly a paladin named Conrad Herwitz), Jorac was badly wounded in a battle, and attempted to flee by jumping off a pier near the docks. However, Jorac was more badly wounded than he realized, and soon he found himself in danger of drowning in the lake. By some chance, he managed to wash up a short distance away from the docks, and too refuge in one of the sewer tunnels that empties into Lake Geizen. He slipped in and out of consciousness for several days in the tunnel before he felt himself being lifted and taken deeper into the sewers. When he awoke, his wounds were closed, although ugly blackish-purple welts covered his body. Vothis had heard of Jorac's reputation, and when he found him near death in the sewers, he brought him back to his sanctuary, healed him, and struck a deal with him. Vothis would aid Jorac in gaining the power and wealth he wanted in return for loyal service to Vothis- or he would be killed. Vothis agreed, but terrified of the beast Vothis. For the past two months, Jorac has worked for Vothis, abducting people from the slums and bringing them to a site of Vothis' choosing- and the poor kidnapped unfortunates are never seen again.
Vothis is what remains of a young nobleman named Kirk Wallachan. Kirk was fascinated with esoteric and occult studies, and came across information that described a place called "the Well of Faceless Reflections" Intrigued, Kirk and two of his friends set out to find this mystical site, only to discover it was in fact located on the site of an ancient shrine of Anhur. When Kirk and his friends looked into the pit, a wormlike creature emerged from the pit and forced a tendril down each of their throats, injecting its spoor into them. The three men's flesh melted away from their bodies at they were devoured from the inside by swarms of insects, spiders, and other vermin, then battled to the death to prove themselves to the Wyrm of Halogroz. The being known as Vothis won the conflict, and has served the Wyrm faithfully for the last four years. Three months ago, Vothis came to Tharban to plants the initial seeds of decay in this corrupt den of humanity. In order to advance his plans, he needs to make more verminites, which requires him to acquire human bodies for his spoor to devour, and skins for the new verminites to inhabit. Jorac has been bringing Vothis one or two people a week for the last two months, and there are currently five mature verminites under Vothis' control. However, one unfortunate side effect of Vothis' verminite spawn is that their skins begin to decay and be consumed after just a few weeks of use, easily revealing them to casual observers. Vothis, in the guise of Mord, a student at Helmholtz University, approached Janeth asking for a potion made from arsenic, fermented oak bark, wax, and rose extract to preserve the skins of the other verminites. Janeth made the necessary potions for Vothis, and gave him the formula to make the potion.
Setup- Having no further use for Janeth and worried she might realize what the potion was for, Vothis ordered Jorac to abduct Janeth and bring her to his holding area to await "conversion". In the meantime, Jorac has been busy- he found 2 young children (Dimil, and Kiram) in the slums whose mother had been murdered the night before. He took them back to the safehouse to awat further orders from Vothis. From the time the adventure starts, the PCs has two days to find and rescue her aunt before Vothis returns and claims his prize.
Possible leads/Information- 1.The night Janeth was abducted from her home, the neighbor next door (Jarvis) spotted a man milling around outside the apothecary. He seemed tense, and toward dusk, he went down an alley towards the back of the house. The man was Toram (early 20's stocky build, short brown hair and beard, broken nose, scar over left eye).
2. Examination of the apothecary indicates the back door was forced open, and a scuffly did break out in bedroom upstairs. A tooth is lying under the bed that belongs to Holt. There is also some blood spattered on the wall of the room.
3. Golin, owner of the Grumbling Goat Inn and a long-time friend of Janeth saw two men in his tavern the other night who were well into their cups. He remembers one of them mentioning Janeth, as well as a man named Luz, a local tanner. (Luz is also in league with Vothis- he is the one who makes the skinsuits). Something to the effect of "Old Luz is sure going to have a time with that bitch Janeth, she's a feisty one she is!" He saw the two men (Holt and Toram) leave the Inn and head towards the docks. Holt is about 30, shoulder-length blonde hair, and a dark tan. If he learns of the tooth found in the house, he will suggest for the PCs to visit Madam Chavala- an eccentric but respected medium living in the slums. She might be able to offer more insight.
4. Janeth's ledger mentions making a large quantity of potions for a man named Mord- a physican's student at the local university. No one at the university has ever heard of a man named Mord, but if shown the ingredients of the potion, they could speculate that it could be used to preserve dead bodies, or to tan hides.
5. If Madam Chavala is sought out- she can look at the tooth and tell the PCs where the owner is- in a wooden building by the docks near an old stone building that is falling down, and that there is also a crippled dog near the building.
6. If the PCs talked to Golin, Grimnir will notice (he is staying at the inn). One of his clansmen disappeared about a week ago (Grimnir was supposed to meet him at the Grumbling Goat two days ago). Golin will remember Fafnir being at the inn up until 5 days ago, but has not seen him since then. Golin does know that Fafnir got into a brawl with Toram and Holt, but he hasn't seen him since 2 days after that. Grimnir is waiting for Toram and Holt to show up again so he can "question" them. He will overhear Golin speaking to the PCs, and approach them asking to join forces. Even if they refuse, he will follow them, hoping they might lead him to his lost clansman.
7. Beggars and homeless in the docks and slum areas are terrified of a being they call the "whispering man" (Vothis). He is only seen at night, and while he ignores almost everyone he meets, a sense of dread follows him around, and a constant low noise comes from him, like many voices whispering softly. He is seen most often in the slums, but occasionally along the waterfront as well. All attempts by the town guard to find or question him have a failed- it is sometimes reported he vanishes into this air.
4. Background- Jorac has been trying to run a small slaving operation for a few years out of Tharban, but without much success. More often than not, he would abduct poor or destitute individuals from the slums and sell them on the black market. After several run-ins with the authorities (particularly a paladin named Conrad Herwitz), Jorac was badly wounded in a battle, and attempted to flee by jumping off a pier near the docks. However, Jorac was more badly wounded than he realized, and soon he found himself in danger of drowning in the lake. By some chance, he managed to wash up a short distance away from the docks, and too refuge in one of the sewer tunnels that empties into Lake Geizen. He slipped in and out of consciousness for several days in the tunnel before he felt himself being lifted and taken deeper into the sewers. When he awoke, his wounds were closed, although ugly blackish-purple welts covered his body. Vothis had heard of Jorac's reputation, and when he found him near death in the sewers, he brought him back to his sanctuary, healed him, and struck a deal with him. Vothis would aid Jorac in gaining the power and wealth he wanted in return for loyal service to Vothis- or he would be killed. Vothis agreed, but terrified of the beast Vothis. For the past two months, Jorac has worked for Vothis, abducting people from the slums and bringing them to a site of Vothis' choosing- and the poor kidnapped unfortunates are never seen again.
Vothis is what remains of a young nobleman named Kirk Wallachan. Kirk was fascinated with esoteric and occult studies, and came across information that described a place called "the Well of Faceless Reflections" Intrigued, Kirk and two of his friends set out to find this mystical site, only to discover it was in fact located on the site of an ancient shrine of Anhur. When Kirk and his friends looked into the pit, a wormlike creature emerged from the pit and forced a tendril down each of their throats, injecting its spoor into them. The three men's flesh melted away from their bodies at they were devoured from the inside by swarms of insects, spiders, and other vermin, then battled to the death to prove themselves to the Wyrm of Halogroz. The being known as Vothis won the conflict, and has served the Wyrm faithfully for the last four years. Three months ago, Vothis came to Tharban to plants the initial seeds of decay in this corrupt den of humanity. In order to advance his plans, he needs to make more verminites, which requires him to acquire human bodies for his spoor to devour, and skins for the new verminites to inhabit. Jorac has been bringing Vothis one or two people a week for the last two months, and there are currently five mature verminites under Vothis' control. However, one unfortunate side effect of Vothis' verminite spawn is that their skins begin to decay and be consumed after just a few weeks of use, easily revealing them to casual observers. Vothis, in the guise of Mord, a student at Helmholtz University, approached Janeth asking for a potion made from arsenic, fermented oak bark, wax, and rose extract to preserve the skins of the other verminites. Janeth made the necessary potions for Vothis, and gave him the formula to make the potion.
Setup- Having no further use for Janeth and worried she might realize what the potion was for, Vothis ordered Jorac to abduct Janeth and bring her to his holding area to await "conversion". In the meantime, Jorac has been busy- he found 2 young children (Dimil, and Kiram) in the slums whose mother had been murdered the night before. He took them back to the safehouse to awat further orders from Vothis. From the time the adventure starts, the PCs has two days to find and rescue her aunt before Vothis returns and claims his prize.
Possible leads/Information- 1.The night Janeth was abducted from her home, the neighbor next door (Jarvis) spotted a man milling around outside the apothecary. He seemed tense, and toward dusk, he went down an alley towards the back of the house. The man was Toram (early 20's stocky build, short brown hair and beard, broken nose, scar over left eye).
2. Examination of the apothecary indicates the back door was forced open, and a scuffly did break out in bedroom upstairs. A tooth is lying under the bed that belongs to Holt. There is also some blood spattered on the wall of the room.
3. Golin, owner of the Grumbling Goat Inn and a long-time friend of Janeth saw two men in his tavern the other night who were well into their cups. He remembers one of them mentioning Janeth, as well as a man named Luz, a local tanner. (Luz is also in league with Vothis- he is the one who makes the skinsuits). Something to the effect of "Old Luz is sure going to have a time with that bitch Janeth, she's a feisty one she is!" He saw the two men (Holt and Toram) leave the Inn and head towards the docks. Holt is about 30, shoulder-length blonde hair, and a dark tan. If he learns of the tooth found in the house, he will suggest for the PCs to visit Madam Chavala- an eccentric but respected medium living in the slums. She might be able to offer more insight.
4. Janeth's ledger mentions making a large quantity of potions for a man named Mord- a physican's student at the local university. No one at the university has ever heard of a man named Mord, but if shown the ingredients of the potion, they could speculate that it could be used to preserve dead bodies, or to tan hides.
5. If Madam Chavala is sought out- she can look at the tooth and tell the PCs where the owner is- in a wooden building by the docks near an old stone building that is falling down, and that there is also a crippled dog near the building.
6. If the PCs talked to Golin, Grimnir will notice (he is staying at the inn). One of his clansmen disappeared about a week ago (Grimnir was supposed to meet him at the Grumbling Goat two days ago). Golin will remember Fafnir being at the inn up until 5 days ago, but has not seen him since then. Golin does know that Fafnir got into a brawl with Toram and Holt, but he hasn't seen him since 2 days after that. Grimnir is waiting for Toram and Holt to show up again so he can "question" them. He will overhear Golin speaking to the PCs, and approach them asking to join forces. Even if they refuse, he will follow them, hoping they might lead him to his lost clansman.
7. Beggars and homeless in the docks and slum areas are terrified of a being they call the "whispering man" (Vothis). He is only seen at night, and while he ignores almost everyone he meets, a sense of dread follows him around, and a constant low noise comes from him, like many voices whispering softly. He is seen most often in the slums, but occasionally along the waterfront as well. All attempts by the town guard to find or question him have a failed- it is sometimes reported he vanishes into this air.
I haunted a party with the ghost of a sculptor.
One of the party-members was into weird art. So when he found a lifesize statue of some skeletons intertwined, made out of marble, he couldn't resist. The salesman told him the sculptor was a bit of a madman...thought to have used real skeletons to base his statue on. The guy was incarcerated in a madhouse.
The party drags the statue back to their hideout and give it a prominent place in their livingroom.
A few weeks later they hear the salesman is looking for them to buy back the statue. With some pushing, they find out the sculptor just died, and the statue has gone up in value.
From then on, the weird things started to happen. Sounds of chiselling at night. Suddenly a marble skeleton arm was sticking out from their marble table. Sculpted faces appeared on wooden doors.
It was when they broke off the marble skeleton arm on the table, that things got nasty.
The ghost of the sculptor invaded one of the bedrooms of the players, casting hold person on them, and then using a spectral chissel to "work" the statuelike player.
The player lived though.
Then they went after the statue...and the ghost of the sculptor tried to protect it, animating the skeletons and making them attack the players.
It was a good fight, and the players won, destroying the statue and banishing the ghost to the afterlife.
One of the party-members was into weird art. So when he found a lifesize statue of some skeletons intertwined, made out of marble, he couldn't resist. The salesman told him the sculptor was a bit of a madman...thought to have used real skeletons to base his statue on. The guy was incarcerated in a madhouse.
The party drags the statue back to their hideout and give it a prominent place in their livingroom.
A few weeks later they hear the salesman is looking for them to buy back the statue. With some pushing, they find out the sculptor just died, and the statue has gone up in value.
From then on, the weird things started to happen. Sounds of chiselling at night. Suddenly a marble skeleton arm was sticking out from their marble table. Sculpted faces appeared on wooden doors.
It was when they broke off the marble skeleton arm on the table, that things got nasty.
The ghost of the sculptor invaded one of the bedrooms of the players, casting hold person on them, and then using a spectral chissel to "work" the statuelike player.
The player lived though.
Then they went after the statue...and the ghost of the sculptor tried to protect it, animating the skeletons and making them attack the players.
It was a good fight, and the players won, destroying the statue and banishing the ghost to the afterlife.
Anabstercorian
First Post
The Undying
This is really just a single encounter. Take a Wirebound Berserker from Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie. See the Wirebound special ability? Tack it on another creature - A human barbarian or fighter, or even a monk.
===
DM: You kick in the door leading to the inner sanctum of the cult, and before you sits a single man, holding a simple longsword in his lap. He does not appear to be preparing to attack you, but he is naked except for a long wire winding all along his body.
Ftr: What the heck is this? Draw weapons!
Sor: Draw components!
Cleric: Diplomacy check to demand he explain who he is! "You there! What are you doing here, knave?"
DM: The man looks up at you and grins horribly. "You shall not pass. My master commands it. All of us will die here today." He stands and lifts the weapons, screaming as the wire starts to crackle with power as it cuts in to his flesh! Sorcerer, make a spellcraft check.
Sor: Um, okay... Yes, 29!
DM: You recognize that the entire area has come under the effect of a dimensional lock! Teleportation out of the area is impossible at the moment. Roll initiative.
Much later...
Ftr: Dammit! How much damage have we DONE to this guy?
Clr: At least 70 points!
Sor: I'm running low on magic missiles!
DM: His ring flashes again! Cleric, all of his wounds were just healed.
Clr: Son of a bitch! Harm spell!
Ftr: Power Attack!
DM: You finally drop him! The wire cuts him in to neatly sliced sections, and the one with his jaw is frozen in a sickly smile.
Sor: Burn the bodies! God, burn the bodies!
This is really just a single encounter. Take a Wirebound Berserker from Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie. See the Wirebound special ability? Tack it on another creature - A human barbarian or fighter, or even a monk.
===
DM: You kick in the door leading to the inner sanctum of the cult, and before you sits a single man, holding a simple longsword in his lap. He does not appear to be preparing to attack you, but he is naked except for a long wire winding all along his body.
Ftr: What the heck is this? Draw weapons!
Sor: Draw components!
Cleric: Diplomacy check to demand he explain who he is! "You there! What are you doing here, knave?"
DM: The man looks up at you and grins horribly. "You shall not pass. My master commands it. All of us will die here today." He stands and lifts the weapons, screaming as the wire starts to crackle with power as it cuts in to his flesh! Sorcerer, make a spellcraft check.
Sor: Um, okay... Yes, 29!
DM: You recognize that the entire area has come under the effect of a dimensional lock! Teleportation out of the area is impossible at the moment. Roll initiative.
Much later...
Ftr: Dammit! How much damage have we DONE to this guy?
Clr: At least 70 points!
Sor: I'm running low on magic missiles!
DM: His ring flashes again! Cleric, all of his wounds were just healed.
Clr: Son of a bitch! Harm spell!
Ftr: Power Attack!
DM: You finally drop him! The wire cuts him in to neatly sliced sections, and the one with his jaw is frozen in a sickly smile.
Sor: Burn the bodies! God, burn the bodies!
Azure Trance
First Post
Creepy Adventures...
Creepy ideas fashioned after creepy places or movies?
Perhaps some helpful techniques to screw with the players heads:
Visual / Audio Hallucinations
Flashbacks
Nightmares
Deja Vu
A sense of 'something is wrong'
PS: I really like that sculpture idea, genius.
Creepy ideas fashioned after creepy places or movies?
- Large Cemetary Estates (Miles surrounded by woods outside the City)
- A remote locale where all the locals act in an odd fashion (The Wicker Man)
- A Haunted Prison
- A Haunted Mansion (The Shining)
- An abanonded mental Asylum
- An abandoned museum with funky art pieces
- Discovering that a close friend of yours isn't what he seems after completing an adventure (The Others, 6th Sense)
- Stranded in a dungeon or maze with something hunting you (Aliens, The Thing)
Perhaps some helpful techniques to screw with the players heads:
Visual / Audio Hallucinations
Flashbacks
Nightmares
Deja Vu
A sense of 'something is wrong'
PS: I really like that sculpture idea, genius.
Gothmog
First Post
Wow, I love the sculpture idea- very cool. And it lets the DM screw with the party a little in the process. 
Anyway, here are a few more I came up with in lab today:
* The PCs come into an isolated town, seeing several caskets being interred into the ground with heavy chains locked tightly around them. Asking the townspeople about it gets nothing but wary, frightened looks. Perhaps one of the townsfolk even accosts the PCs, shoving him around and telling him to mind his own business. It turns out the town has been cursed for an ancient sin where the original founders of the town allowed a group of refugees from a war to starve to death in the middle of winter. The refugees cursed the town, forcing the townspeople to revert to near-mindless condition and consume their dead a few times a year (stat-wise similar to ghouls, without being undead). As a precaution, the townspeople have taken to chaining the coffins shut so they can't despoil their dead. As it turns out, the PCs are just in time for the town to revert to their bestial state, and may have to fight off an attack by the whole town. Its not as simple as just slaying every townsperson though- since the descendants of the original people who were cursed have done nothing wrong- they simply wish to hide their shame. Maybe the PCs could help end the curse.
* Legend states that the ghosts of two infants haunt an ancient manor house/keep/etc, and that any who see them are cursed to die in a horrible fashion within two months. The infants only are seen at night, and only in one wing of the keep. The current baron of the keep knows of the haunted rooms, and avoids them, telling his guests to avoid them as well. The PCs are tasked to deliver a message to the baron of the keep for whatever reason, and are asked to stay several days as guests. The baron warns them not to go into the haunted area at night, but what PC wouldn't be too curious and head there anyway? If the PCs see the infants, they seem to be crying, tottering around the room as if searching for something, and scream more loudly when they are near a painting of the current baron's great-great grandfather. They ignore the PCs, possible even passing through them, but the PCs feel an overwhelming sense of doom, and know their days are numbered unless they can end the curse. Perhaps the infants were slain by a greedy uncle when their father died- the uncle hoping to kill the legal heirs so he would inherit his brother's lands. Somehow, the PCs need to appease the spirits of the children before the curse claims them, and help the children into the afterlife.
* A close ally or NPC follower of the PCs dies/is killed, and has arranged to be raised in the event of his death. When the NPC is raised, he seems sullenly different, and avoids the PCs, his family, and everything about his former life. Later, the PCs hear about vile acts and crimes committed by some unknown person in town. When they try to track down who is responsible, divination spells reveal nothing, but clues point to their dead friend. Perhaps the raised friend encountered something on the other side while he was deceased which attached itself to his soul and corrupted him. The PCs could simply kill their friend and be done with it, but it doesn't answer the question of what happened. Maybe even all further resurrections in that locale end up going the same way- and it falls to the PCs to find out what supernatural force is twisting the souls of the dead.
Anyway, here are a few more I came up with in lab today:
* The PCs come into an isolated town, seeing several caskets being interred into the ground with heavy chains locked tightly around them. Asking the townspeople about it gets nothing but wary, frightened looks. Perhaps one of the townsfolk even accosts the PCs, shoving him around and telling him to mind his own business. It turns out the town has been cursed for an ancient sin where the original founders of the town allowed a group of refugees from a war to starve to death in the middle of winter. The refugees cursed the town, forcing the townspeople to revert to near-mindless condition and consume their dead a few times a year (stat-wise similar to ghouls, without being undead). As a precaution, the townspeople have taken to chaining the coffins shut so they can't despoil their dead. As it turns out, the PCs are just in time for the town to revert to their bestial state, and may have to fight off an attack by the whole town. Its not as simple as just slaying every townsperson though- since the descendants of the original people who were cursed have done nothing wrong- they simply wish to hide their shame. Maybe the PCs could help end the curse.
* Legend states that the ghosts of two infants haunt an ancient manor house/keep/etc, and that any who see them are cursed to die in a horrible fashion within two months. The infants only are seen at night, and only in one wing of the keep. The current baron of the keep knows of the haunted rooms, and avoids them, telling his guests to avoid them as well. The PCs are tasked to deliver a message to the baron of the keep for whatever reason, and are asked to stay several days as guests. The baron warns them not to go into the haunted area at night, but what PC wouldn't be too curious and head there anyway? If the PCs see the infants, they seem to be crying, tottering around the room as if searching for something, and scream more loudly when they are near a painting of the current baron's great-great grandfather. They ignore the PCs, possible even passing through them, but the PCs feel an overwhelming sense of doom, and know their days are numbered unless they can end the curse. Perhaps the infants were slain by a greedy uncle when their father died- the uncle hoping to kill the legal heirs so he would inherit his brother's lands. Somehow, the PCs need to appease the spirits of the children before the curse claims them, and help the children into the afterlife.
* A close ally or NPC follower of the PCs dies/is killed, and has arranged to be raised in the event of his death. When the NPC is raised, he seems sullenly different, and avoids the PCs, his family, and everything about his former life. Later, the PCs hear about vile acts and crimes committed by some unknown person in town. When they try to track down who is responsible, divination spells reveal nothing, but clues point to their dead friend. Perhaps the raised friend encountered something on the other side while he was deceased which attached itself to his soul and corrupted him. The PCs could simply kill their friend and be done with it, but it doesn't answer the question of what happened. Maybe even all further resurrections in that locale end up going the same way- and it falls to the PCs to find out what supernatural force is twisting the souls of the dead.
Angelsboi
First Post
A family of 6 members (Father, Son, Daughter, Mother Grandfather, Grandmother) all share a secret except one of them. All of them are some type of Lycanthrope except the son, who, has visions.
He runs away to a town on a lonely dark, cold, winter night. The villagers start dying one by one. Who is hunting the young boy and why?
He runs away to a town on a lonely dark, cold, winter night. The villagers start dying one by one. Who is hunting the young boy and why?
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