Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Norseman 04-03-05, 05:57 PM	I've found that when I worry my players with grim prophecies of doom, they tend to get a lot more involved in the game. Especially when they don't end up dying after all. It kind of falls along the lines of making sure people don't have high expectations of you so that a mediocre job seems top-notch. Anyway, whether or not you need a little help getting your players to be more involved, these will always spice your game up a little bit, and give it that extra intense flare. 1. Idly roll your dice and laugh maniacally. 2. "That's no ordinary door.. oh nevermind, it is. Wrong door, sorry." 3. "Are you sure about that?" 4. "Uh oh, this doesn't look good for you guys." 5. "Hey uh, none of you are immune to poison, right?" 6. "I'd keep my fortitude save high if I were you." 7. "Oh come on, I don't try to kill your characters every game. 8. "Well this is Dungeons and Dragons. Emphasis on the Dragons." 9. "The orc glances up, his face shows sheer terror. He turns and runs." Followed by a good dragon or something like that. 10. Look over their character sheets and make *tsk tsk* noises. 11. "Where's an evil deity when you need one? Oh, wait, I think I have an idea..."
General_Ridley 04-03-05, 06:11 PM	12. And the little creature who has just been hit fully with Ray of enfeeblement four times in a row now goes. *rolls d20* 2. That hits.
AramilWindwalker 04-03-05, 06:52 PM	13. Not telling your players they made a save... After being hit by a vargouille DM"Make a fortitude save" PC"Does an 18 make it?" DM"We'll see..." And every once in a while say"Doesn't your hair seem thinner" or "Are you feeling a breeze up there" and "your ears, do they seem longer?" The rest of the session we had a bag prepared to catch his head and crush it if it flew off, which never happened.
Ryoshi 04-03-05, 06:56 PM	14. Keep looking at your notes, then at the players' character sheets, then your notes again. Repeat several times. Finally, just sigh and mutter, "Well...maybe you'll have good rolls."
pkrerc 04-03-05, 07:46 PM	How to scare the PCs? Grab a knife and chase them around the room. You may want to nick them once or twice so they know you aren't kidding-- what? Oh I see... 15: When the PCs open a door to some random room in a dungeon, tell them that they see *insert incredibly powerful demon here* then start laughing and say "oops, wrong room, I meant for that monster to be an encounter later in this dungeon." Needless to say, that demon should not be really in the dungeon. 16: When they ask a cleric to ressurect their fallen comrade, then have the cleric tell the PCs that he will ressurect him... but for a terrible price! Make it so that the cleric pickpockets a gold piece from the PCs for his troubles, but don't tell the PCs, they'll be left to wonder what in the world the priest meant and whether their friend is now cursed or something. 17: Start rolling dice for no reason in the middle of a dungeon, occasionally muttering things like "200 damage to the cleric... 20 strength damage to the paladin... " just loud enough for them to hear it. You should probably do this just before, during or after they fall into a trap or enter combat with a monster. 18: refer to one player (and only on player) as the doomed one, and at the beginning of each session ask him if he brought an extra couple of character sheets.
Winter Fallout 04-03-05, 10:20 PM	19: Roll some dice, and then smile.
Fixxxer 04-03-05, 11:37 PM	20: Take out an axe and chop one of the players into little bits. Trust me, that scares the rest of the players every time.
Talanall 04-03-05, 11:55 PM	21. Ask them what they want to do next, during your next dungeon crawl. And then, very calmly and politely, ask them if they're sure they want to do that. Sort of like Regis Philbin, except not so hyperactive. It always unnerves my players, anyway.
artman 04-03-05, 11:56 PM	Ask for Initiative rolls whenever you feel things are getting slow. :D
speeblefreak 04-04-05, 12:00 AM	Go through your materials in front of your players. "Let's see...DMG, paper shredder, replacement sheets, more replacement sheets..."
Nived 04-04-05, 12:22 AM	24. All I have to do is after a PC makes any action just say "Alright," with a slight edge of menace and smile. "Oh god he's smiling!" 25. Before the encounter starts ask the player with way too many dice (in my expirience there's always at least one in any group) to borrow some, knowing you wont need the extras. "Hrm I'm going to need more D10s" is especially effective if you also play White Wolf games... because they all already know you have a butt load of d10s. 26. While rolling innititive glance at the monster description open your eyes wide and say "Whoa didn't notice THAT... oh well."
FenixNightShade 04-04-05, 12:23 AM	27. Set aside a chair next to you, keep it empty and if anyone asks, say you are expecting Skip or Monte to drop by and guest DM... (hopefully your player know who you are referring to) 28. start asking to borrow players D6's (or 8's, 10's etc) when you need to roll damage for a spell or ability from your creatures... if you can't get the amount you want... turn and go "hmm, what if i just roll one of them and multiply the rest" EDIT: Damn.. took mine...
SneakyPetey 04-04-05, 09:25 AM	I told my players that I recently discovered they wouldn't be powerful enough with just the adventures I had already planned for the campaign... They're already 9th through 12th level, with no end to the campaign in sight! I told them I had to add an entire series of pre-fab adventures so they could get enough XPs to level up high enough to take on the big bad guy at the end of the campaign. The general response was, "Holy carp! What are you planning on throwing at us?" :OMG! Is it wrong for me to mess with their heads like that? ;)
Alluvian 04-04-05, 11:38 AM	You enter a circular room, directly in the center of the room, on the floor is a single...'copper piece'. I suppose it helps if your DM is WAY too well versed in creatures and likes to throw REALLY REALLY weird stuff at you that you never heard of before. We all thought it was some kind of vile doppleganger that looks like penny. We all kept our distance and moved one. It was not worth the risk for a copper piece.
tackleberry 04-04-05, 12:56 PM	31. simply rolling dice behind the screen is a most time honoured tradition 32. asking to see a players character sheet - making some secret notes at the same time 33. i regulary pass secret notes to players - sometimes the note simply says 'hi!' the others get so paranoid, keeps the atmosphere intriguing. 34. one step up from this is taking a player aside for a secret meeting 35. flipping through the monster manual 36. browsing through your miniatures and selecting fistfuls of em
Eliza_Stormwhisper 04-04-05, 01:18 PM	37. Along the lines of randomly rolling dice behind the screen, every once in a while, ask your players to roll some random die (usually a d20) and not tell them what it's for (often for no reason). It keeps 'em guessing. 38. Roll their knowledge checks for them. If they fail, instead of telling them that, make up something that's wrong. When I played a bard once as a player, I would roll my own bardic lore checks and if I failed I would make something up, because I knew almost all there was to know about the game. It was fun.
Alcari Ambaron 04-04-05, 02:14 PM	38. Roll their knowledge checks for them. If they fail, instead of telling them that, make up something that's wrong. indeed, that's what i do as a dm, it doesn't scare the players at all. 39) keep asking one player in particular: "isn't there something you want to do tonight, during your watch? are you sure? not even that one thing??" 40) when a pleyer get bitten by a werewolf, make sure he knows about lycantropy . even if he makes his save (which you won't tell of course :devil: ) he'll persist on being tied down every night 41) mention that you need to get more miniatures/pawns etc... 42) bring your EXTRA EXTRA large dice bag to the game
smaugchow 04-04-05, 02:52 PM	If they are experienced players, drop some hints/monster descriptions of stuff that is WAY more powerful than they can handle. For instance, if your players known darn good and well what a Marrilith (type 5) demon is, describe the glyphs on the walls as showing somthing that lookes like a many-armed woman with a snake's body, and there are large snake-like tracks in the sand. If they are low level they'll freak. Bait and switch - the real critter is just a giant snake (or whatever is appropriate.) A variant: leave the Monster Manual obviously open to a page full of serious bad guys - dragons or golems or devils - whatever. One that always scared my players is when I ask for EXACT placement (we used miniatures), direction of sight, whats in your hands, etc. I often did in capricously, but sometimes it was for real (gaze weapons, spot checks, etc.)
High Octane 04-04-05, 03:37 PM	40) when a pleyer get bitten by a werewolf, make sure he knows about lycantropy . even if he makes his save (which you won't tell of course :devil: ) he'll persist on being tied down every night Something like that happened in one of my games. I sometimes look at the monster manual mid-fight and out loud say "Oh ****!" The players always look up at me saying "What??" The funny thing is Im quite serious sometimes. Also the classic "Okay, whose sleeping shift was when?" Roll a die, say "Whats your spot?" and when they answe just say "Oh." and shake your head a bit. If they ask why say ".......Nothing."
Evil Wizard 04-04-05, 03:50 PM	46. At random intervals, ask for Spot and Listen checks for no reason. 47. In older editions, there was a monster called a Gas Spore. They looked identical to beholders, but exploded when hit for 1 HP of damage. Use lots of them. Eventually your players will be sweating bricks because they'll know that sooner or later one of them will be an actual beholder. Never actually have them meet a real beholder, no matter what level they are. 48. Flip through Savage Species, the Book of Vile Darkness, or the Epic Level Handbook periodically during the game. 49. Ask for Fortitude saves for no reason. 50. Put cursed items in with every single treasure hoard. 51. Have an entire dungeon made up of completely empty, featureless rooms. They'll be going nuts, trying to figure out what the secret is. 52. When describing rooms to the players, go into excessive detail about some innocuous feature of the room, and watch the players get extremely nervous about the dusty old chair in the corner. 53. Put your high level party up against regular kobolds. Players remembering the old Dragon Mountain module or even newer players expecting kobolds with class levels will be scared to death of the little buggers. 54. Bring miniatures of things like mind flayers, greater fiends, and the tarrasque to the game, and leave them sitting on the table in plain view. 55. Make a point of mentioning how much you like the film Labyrinth.
Delfedd 04-04-05, 05:04 PM	56) After they "fail" a "will save" ask if you can see there character sheet for "Just a second" 57) if you're playing with minatures make the torch go out, and then remove one player from the mat when the lights come back up. Of course he's reall still there, you're "Just looking at the minature" 58) If you're playing at a store and are looking for a good excuse to by the Epic Level handbook, say "Excuse me" and go buy one. :)
pseudoidiot 04-04-05, 05:17 PM	59) at any point during the session, no matter what's going on, just look at your notes, open your eyes wide and exclain "oooooohhh!!!" that simple drawn out syllable causes such wonderful reactions from players.
JFargo 04-04-05, 08:04 PM	60. Right before the Evil Wizard casts his spell, look at the "weakest" (HP-wise) member of the group, and ask "Exactly how many hitpoints do you have again? I hope that's enough..." Then have the wizard cast Teleport without Error.
Skaught 04-04-05, 08:09 PM	61) Single out one of your PCs. Sometimes when he rests or goes unconscious describe nightmares that he has; have dead relatives whisper cryptic warnings, have evil gods appear and tell him "Your day with me will soon come." When the player askes about them, just shrug and say "Maybe field rations don't agree with you very much. You couldn't try watching what you eat before you go to bed."
Lord Dracos 04-04-05, 08:31 PM	Hehehe... -Roll your dice whenever they walk through a corridor -Ask them if they are SURE about all of their actions :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh -When describing something creepy, start to fall asleep -Yell HOLY CRAP everytime a monster appears I feel that there could be no better occasion for the above smilies.
Xaos_Bob 04-04-05, 08:33 PM	Surprised nobody has mentioned this time-honored (if a bit indelicate) tactic. 62. Kill an NPC. In front of the party. Horribly.
Darkstealth 04-04-05, 09:24 PM	63. Describe an obvious object that is in several walls. For instance: the rock is jagged and fits well in the palm. It is brown, and blah blah blah. It really freaks my PC's out. 64. When talking, stay casual and light-hearted. It freaks people out when you "casually" talk about blood and guts. 65. Give them magical items that have all of their benefits completely lopsided the other way. For instance: (Killerkniv3s cannot read this(Still you can't(if you do you die(Magical items that if you roll a nat 20 they do +1d6 damage and a nat 1 -1d6 damage, or a vial that if put on armor gives it protection to earth 5 and wind deals 5 xtra damage, or perhaps a ring where if they push a jewel in it (you really can NOT read this, killerkniv3s) it can knock down anything, and then about an hour after that they cannot even break a toothpick.
Delfedd 04-04-05, 09:32 PM	Hehehe... -Roll your dice whenever they walk through a corridor -Ask them if they are SURE about all of their actions PC Ok, we continue down the hallway DM are you sure you want to take that course of action? PCs NO NO NO!!!
Deflare 04-05-05, 01:26 AM	:plotting: 66) "As you step into the vast cavern, a sudden chill passes over you. There is a sense of all-pervading evil to the room, as if the most vile of devils that the Nine Hells has to offer has resided here for millenia. Chained to the wall are the twisted and broken skeletons of what were once men. The skeletons have been warped and mutilated; extra arms grow off of hips, faces have been flipped while still on the head, and legs grow out of spines. As your gaze turns back to the center ofthe room, a wheezing sound like the gasp of a thousand billows can be heard. A great, scaly tree trunk blocks your vision. As your eyes flow slowly upwards, the huge black form slowly, and to your horror, reveals itself to be... Who wants a soda?" 67) Have your dungeons littered with skeletons embedded several feet into the walls, with great big scorch marks around them and a look of horror frozen on their skeletal features. 68) If you have multiple Monster Manuals and other supplements with monsters (Fiend Folio, for example), bring them. All of them. Thumb through them occasionally, chuckling softly. 69) When the players walk into a room and ask what they see, just smile. No maliciousness, just a friendly smile. :) Keep this expression for a few minutes, and watch them squirm. 70) When a character puts on a ring, state that a great flash of light, a wave of heat, and the anguished screams of the players can be seen/felt/heard. When everyone recovers their sight, the player is gone. The ring, of course, is a ring of invisibility, and the invisible one is wondering what everyone else was freaking out about. 71) In the middle of a dungeon crawl, ask your players what they think a zombie, half-dragon, half-fiend tarrasque would look like (yes, I know there're too many halves). When they inquire as to why you asked, just say, "No reason." :) Ideally the :) smile should begin to strike fear into their hearts and urine out of their bladders. :evillaugh
Eliza_Stormwhisper 04-05-05, 01:38 AM	(...) and urine out of their bladders. :evillaugh That happened to me once as a player, but it was because I was too afraid to ask the DM to use his bathroom (all the while drinking lots of coffee). 72. Send a single kobold after them. They'll freak, thinking it's a high-level sorcerer.
Paladin2004 04-05-05, 05:05 AM	80. Just before a character opens a door say "your cleric does have raise dead, doesn't he?" 79. Just before a non religious character opens a door , say to them "Whats your deity again?" then when they reply with none, say "oh, oh well...." 78. Describe 1 kobald/orc more than you describe the rest. 77. Have a wind blow down a dark passage thats blow out there torches...then just pause. 76. Leave made up the stats for a fuison demi-lich lieing around, heeh CR 200+ 75. Allow them to find a jack in the box , every player i have come across will never wind it fully the way round. 74. Make sure they've faced a roper before, then later on, have them enter an empty cave full of staligmites, at the end of which they can see a large treature chest. 73. Have an empty room with just a single white/red line drawn across it. Just want to say, i love the copper piece idea :evillaugh
Nived 04-05-05, 10:41 AM	74 Leave a stack of videogames, movies, and books, all horror themes, think Silent Hill,Fatal Frame, The Thing, The Mouth of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft, etc etc etc in plain sight on the coffee table leading to your gaming table, sit down take out the Book of Vile Darkness, smile, :) it's all about the smile, and say "Guys, I have some great ideas." 75 Use an Illusionist as an BBEG, and use their metagaming against them. Make them think you're using level 5 demons, beholders, and the like when they're level 6, especially effective if you're a very descriptive DM. Maybe they'll figure it out... that's when you have one easily avoided 'illusion' not be. 76 Creepy children. Nothing is creepier than a little girl in a white dress with a sing-song voice on the lowest level of the Lord of Pain's dungeon. *shudder* creepy children.
Christman 04-05-05, 11:47 AM	77: "You see someone in the shadows. He is holding a large lyre and smirking. This individual begins to sing in a language that makes you want to turn and beat your friend into a wall... Roll Will saves." Description of an encounter with a Neutral Evil bard using Dark Speech and Bardic Music
sandgriffin 04-05-05, 11:51 AM	i did somthing similer to the copper peice idea, it was a platnuim peice though, u gotta tempt them or its no fun. :D one of the PCs was a NE dwarf fighter, when he got close i asked him to roll a knowlege check, when he made it i weived a long tale about the face on the coin, who was a famous dwarf king of unsurmountable greed. when he still tried to grab it, half the party grappled him :devil: *) have an ordinary house cat follow the party around town, watching, always watching, then running away when they get close, but only to come back later...watching... *+1) have the group roll fortitude saves, then single out the lowest roll and say, "for some reason you back feels itchy, you dont know why", he will teer off his shirt like its on fire, and scream at the cleric like he needs him to breath :D
Twisted Puppy 04-05-05, 12:14 PM	I think we are on 87) At the beginning of the encounter ask, "Okay, who has the most hit points?" 88) If the PC has a tendency to hit on tavern wenches, you only need one word: "marriage."
Child Of Winter 04-05-05, 12:37 PM	89) I may have underestimated the abilities of these monsters...whoops. 90) *Roll some dice behind DM screen* 91) Did you bring the spare character sheets with you? 92) You can see the artifact on the stone pedestal. All you have to do is take it *Ruffle some paper* 93) You see a dragon flying away from your destination...it slows it's flight and falls with a thunderous boom to the ground. It is now you notice the river leading from the mountain is running red with ... some viscous substance. 94) Everybody roll d20s. *looks at them* Okay...okay....alright. *Leave them in suspense.*
Evil Wizard 04-05-05, 02:12 PM	Posted by Paladin 2004 73. Have an empty room with just a single white/red line drawn across it. Haha, I like this one. Reminds me of "Support Your Local Sherrif", where the sherrif was trying to keep a guy in jail when the bars for the new jail hadn't arrived yet. He painted a white line across the door where the bars were supposed to be... then dribbled red paint next to it.
Drake Dragonslayer 04-05-05, 02:16 PM	95) Leave a printout of this http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=274509 on the gaming table. -Drake out (FEAR the eye of drake)
PurdueDave 04-05-05, 02:20 PM	48. Flip through Savage Species, the Book of Vile Darkness, or the Epic Level Handbook periodically during the game. For Savage Species, all you have to do is leave it in plain sight. Make sure and describe humanoids as "feral-looking" every now and again.
Herald@Large 04-05-05, 03:36 PM	96. When they announce that they are entering a room, rub your hands together and chortle "Oh, BOY!" with a maniacal gleam in your eye. 97. As they leave town, have a black cat cross their paths. 98. When they return to town, have the townsfolk run away screaming. 99. Someone else posted this (I wish I could remember who!) on a different thread: the PCs enter a room via the only door. Once all are in the room, the door closes and cannot be opened by any means. The only thing in the room is a button. As they're trying in vain to open the door, a voice comes out of nowhere: "TEN -- NINE -- EIGHT -- " etc. If someone pushes the button, the countdown stops. Two minutes later it starts again. If the countdown continues to one, all that happens is: (pause for drumroll) -- the door opens! :evillaugh
Vecna, lord of secrets 04-05-05, 03:53 PM	100. make villians have increadibly long and pointless monolouges i did this with an old guy who had a memory problem kept asking the same thing and talking to himself went on for fifteen minutes thought the players would wet themselves
High Octane 04-05-05, 06:57 PM	Actual quote from one group Im in. Me: I swim across. DM: *rolls* Hm okay when you get about halfway to the other side....*dramatic pause* Me (Sweating HARD. This DM has killed more than one character in water.): NO! *hits head on table* DM: .......You realize..... Me: >.< *wince* DM: That you are about halfway there. You make it to the other side. He could pull this off. Hes a HAAAAAAAARSH DM.
General_Ridley 04-05-05, 07:05 PM	99. Someone else posted this (I wish I could remember who!) on a different thread: the PCs enter a room via the only door. Once all are in the room, the door closes and cannot be opened by any means. The only thing in the room is a button. As they're trying in vain to open the door, a voice comes out of nowhere: "TEN -- NINE -- EIGHT -- " etc. If someone pushes the button, the countdown stops. Two minutes later it starts again. If the countdown continues to one, all that happens is: (pause for drumroll) -- the door opens! :evillaugh I love it! 101. The PC's (around 5th level preferably for this one encounter) have just slain the manticore and are now scouring the lair, which is filled with dead gnome skeletons. Anywho, the Players find an altar dedicated to the most evil of the gods. On the Altar are two items: A sword and a book. Describe the book as some nondescript book, and the sword as radiating power. Then ask the players what they want to loot from the dungeon. My players debated thinking that the items are clearly cursed and evil. Make the items a Book of Exalted deeds and a +1 Holy (insert sword type here)
Darkstealth 04-05-05, 09:34 PM	102. Have a normal book on an alter that looks like a white spellbook. When they open it... roll insanity checks, baby! 103. Have the enemies have items that *look like* the extremely powerful items in the dungeon then have a group of Kobolds with the items who actually have the items. The PCs will be so scared when the Kobolds start killin' them, and they won't run early because they'll think its another fake weapon. 104. When they enter the bar have the bartender say in a really graty voice: "we're not servin' today." 105. Have a horrible demon become a pit fiend (doppleganger). They will run.
MasterRookie 04-06-05, 09:52 AM	20: Take out an axe and chop one of the players into little bits. Trust me, that scares the rest of the players every time. I should totally do that when my players are making those anoying "Duuuh Neer Duuh" sounds when I'm trying to describe something.
Gurthoron 04-06-05, 10:38 AM	106. Label it as having to deal with Olidammara, Loki, or any other trickster god. PC "I read Olidammara's book of Sexy." DM "Okay, take 4 charisma damage." PC "WTF? Fine, i read Olidammara's book of Pretty." DM "Okay, take 4 charisma damage" PC "Dammit! Fine, I read Olidammara's book of Ugly" DM "Your charisma damage is healed" 107. "Good job, the last foe has fallen. Now, for those listen checks from upstairs and downstairs . . ." 108. Throw in stereotypes. Old guy beggars, lost princesses, etc. The players will be expecting all sorts of weird things coming from these people.
pkrerc 04-12-05, 02:54 PM	109: Tell them before a session starts that you will be testing a new prestige class that you created by giving it to the BBEG. Tell them that the name of the class is "Ultimate Killmaster" or "TPKbot" or something. And tell them that if the prestige class proves overpowered then they shouldn't bother running because one of the bonuses of that class is that it grants the user the ability to cast haste at will.
Herald@Large 04-12-05, 08:48 PM	110: When your players arrive, you are studying Call of Cthulu intently, making notes and rolling dice from time to time. 111. Play Ravenloft . On Halloween.
gwydion 04-12-05, 10:06 PM	72. Send a single kobold after them. They'll freak, thinking it's a high-level sorcerer. enter kobold with a lute. *Ahh not a kobold bard!!!!* *No we are not taking him with us.* *How do you know its a him did you lift its kilt?* *But he's so cute* *Hey elfie can i keep 'im* *Do i have to kill this PC too?* OK, maybe it didn't scare the PC's but their reaction scared the pi$$ out of me.
Lennart 06-17-05, 10:57 AM	Let theme encounter my Great Giant Dire Sabre-toothed Hamster’s. …I really should do the stats on those two…but the PC’s never stick around long enough to find out anyway…maybe cuz I describe them so vividly? :evillaugh
colonelthread 06-17-05, 11:34 AM	I use a lot of printed handouts (monsters, npcs, maps) during play. Last week I did this one: 112) At the beginning of a session thumb through your notebook and mumble to yourself 'Now where did I put that picture of the ancient red dragon..." Next week I may try: 113) At the beginning of a session open the Monster Manual to a particularly nasty creature, and set it down on the table for everyone to see. PS. Love the copper piece trick, too. Gotta try that one soon. :)
jazzman831 06-17-05, 03:15 PM	114) the best thing to do is just to never get excited. When ever I start to smile or get excited my players start to freak out, because they know something is coming. It's especially fun when I think of someting funny, they all get worried even though nothing is going to happen to them.
SwitchUK 06-17-05, 09:37 PM	- randomly say "hmm..." and check the DMG for about twenty-seven seconds then put it down, and say "okay, so, uh, what are you guys going to do next?" - If your party relies heavily on NPCs for healing purposes, see if you can get them to move into an area where the only healing available comes from the local druid - who dies at a VERY inconvenient moment. - four words: cursed returning throwing axe.
Rim-Soulfang 06-18-05, 08:49 AM	Let theme encounter my Great Giant Dire Sabre-toothed Hamster’s. …I really should do the stats on those two…but the PC’s never stick around long enough to find out anyway…maybe cuz I describe them so vividly? :evillaugh Really horrible monsters with horribly long and horrible descriptions always work. Having the party arrive to a town they haven't visited before, after sunset, noticing that not even the inns are open. Then they notice that the shadows are moving. Scared my players.
Pippa 06-18-05, 11:20 AM	72. Send a single kobold after them. They'll freak, thinking it's a high-level sorcerer. Perhaps I should do that. The one currently DMing our game constantly freaks us out in-game by not letting us know a thing, or else -even worse- too late. I hated to see the man (who at first was slain by us for being an evil mage but then afterwards apparently was brought back to life and actually a quite nice guy - warning us and such for *WHACK* arrow in his ear) get killed by a sniper. Who at her turn broke her neck falling. My character even got this well-timed allegorical visions, in which the trusted captain of the Royal Guard that we only met the other day and yup: even a party-member were obviously two of the bad guys, shouting out loud their triumph surrounded by flames. The off-screen voice in those dreams was by the way that "of a large beast or monster or demon of some kind". Shivered my guts out, it did.
PHDrillSergeant 06-18-05, 11:57 AM	119) Ask: "Anybody got a calculator? I can't add up 12d20 in my head." 120) At random intervals, especially in a particularly scary dungeon, go "MUAHAHAHAHA!!!" and then go back to the game as if nothing had happened. 121) say: "Vash (or whoever your weakest player is), Make a fortitude, balance, reflex, and strength check." and my all-time favorite: 122.) Have whispered conversations to an invisible person next to you. example: (to invisible person) "Should I tell them about it?....no? Okay....you're right, she needs to get an 18 or higher...no, I wouldn't throw THAT at them...yet..."
Quarsian 06-18-05, 12:14 PM	123) Make a character roll a random reflex save to save against being hit by a drop of water. Not my own, but it was done to our group and it scared us pretty good. 124) Have the players pass a circus leaving town, then start rolling as many d6's as you can find. Make it turn out that the ringmaster cast an illusion spell that simulated Meteor Swarm, and explain that the dice were to make it appear more realistic. Again, not my own, but it had us all worried since it would have killed everyone in the party. 125) Randomly have one or more of the characters roll a d20 and pass you their character sheets. Seems to scare the crap out of some of my players.
sooperspook 06-18-05, 12:25 PM	126) Upon trying to read the holy writings of the 'Good' church that has been sponsoring the PCs for the past few adventures. DM: You can't really translate it but you sound it out as "Phnglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!"
Neo_Leviathan 06-18-05, 03:14 PM	Well, this is more a.. terrorise/worry/make paranoid.. Have the PCs encounter a small, furry, incredibly cute, utterly harmless looking creature... THAT ACTUALLY IS!!
Valgaav 06-18-05, 03:33 PM	the Evil DM's Bible: Old Testament (http://boards.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=166882) New Testament (http://boards.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=407341)
theif lord 06-18-05, 04:08 PM	127: DM "well thats not good.... for you"
Alynn 06-18-05, 04:47 PM	128) After searching a tomb, and finding a recently bricked over wall, and removing a brick, casting light on the stone and throwing it through the opening describe the following. "The walls are all carved and painted with murals of vicious killings. Demons doing unspeakable things to humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, orcs, and all sorts of other creatures. There doesn't seem to be any race immune form the despicable things shown on the walls." Then as all their eyes widen and jaws drop, state, "This seems like a good stopping point, see you all in 6 weeks after I return from school." The look on the Palidin players face is still danged funny to me.
shadowfox628 06-19-05, 01:35 AM	Two words: Cheese poisoning. More words: Send the group's overpowered barbarian after them. Not 2 words: Send a group of Bosmer (made up race) rogues and/or assassins after them. Not so much: Just plain Bosmer.
Jacilla 06-19-05, 03:07 AM	129(?) Ask them to roll initiative and then begin humming something like "It's the end of the world as we know it."
erendor the True 06-19-05, 04:16 AM	130) I did this to my players, using it as an introduction for a character (since we couldn't think of anything, I came up with this on the spot, and later expanded it.) I play online on OpenRPG, so I had to use italics and things to create mood, but it would play out much better in a personal table setting. PC's come across a lone halfling warlock in a forest clearing, as he fights viciously against...a cat. After the party druid watches him Eldritch Blast it (eventually driving him insane or thereabouts) into a fine mist (it's just a normal cat), the rest of the party enters the clearing and engages in a "what the hell?" conversation with the warlock. ((Here is how it played out. Aku is the warlock, Garo (who I was dming for he was away) is the druid, and Cara and Aurelia are a fighter and a paladin respectively. I(DM) appear as (251) or Garo or DM throughout.:)) It's rather long, so I'm going to do that spoiler thing. (251) Garo: *After about an hour of travel, and two miles of distance, you can spot a clearing in the distance, through the trees.* whispering to Aku, You're fighting a cat in there. (251)Garo: ((Listen Checks!)) (280)Aurelia: [1d20+2] -> [18,2] = (20) (269)Cara: [1d20+2] -> [2,2] = (4) whispering to Aurelia, You hear a hissing, as well as blasting noises coming from the clearing. ** Garo continues blissfully towards the clearing. ** (280) Aurelia: - Aurelia blinks once or twice, and looks left to right, wondering where that sound is coming from, "Anyone hear that?" she whispered over the sound of their movement. - ** (269) Cara speaks softly, looking about in confusion .. "hear what..?" ** (251) Garo: "Eh?" ** Garo stops. ** (280) Aurelia: There's some... - thinks for a moment of how to explain. - like a hissing... blasting, maybe? -shrugs- (251) Garo: "Huh?" (251) Garo: "Snakes?" ** Garo goes into a crouch and peers ahead. ** (280) Aurelia: "I don't think it's a snake." whispering to Aku, *the cat yowls and attacks you!* [1d20+4] -> [1,4] = (5) (251) Garo: *You all hear a high-pitched yowl coming from the clearing.* ** (252) Aku laughs and begins saying a few words ** (251) Garo: *You hear a voice from ahead* (((252) Aku: Attacks with: Eldritch Blast:[1d20+(((18+0)/2)-5)+0+1] -> [17,4,0,1] = (22))) (251) Garo: "Uh...I'm going to go look." *tromps off towards the clearing* ** Garo stumbles into the clearing. ** (251) Garo: "WHAT THE?!" (269) Cara: *follows* whispering to Aku, *the cat takes the blast full on, and bursts into fragments* 251) Garo: *you all hear Garo gasp* (269) Cara: * tries to see what Garo is gasping at * ** (252) Aku exclaims"well, there goes breakfast", as he looks at the new intruders, great, orc pawns now? ** (251) Garo: *You both enter into a clearing. A short halfling is standing defiantly facing a mound of flesh.* (251) Garo: "Cat?" (251) Garo: "Breakfast!?!" (252) Aku: "if ya think the orcs'll have me alive, you're sorely midtaken pawns!" (251) Garo: "The cat!" (251) Garo: "Breakfast." (251) Garo: "Orcs?!" (251) Garo: "we have taken no mids!" (280) Aurelia: "Garo, what in the nine hells are you blabbering about?" (252) Aku: 'Yes, the cat was to be breakfast, and i won't succumb to you slave hunters of the orcs" (251) Garo: *mumbles* "Breakfastcat." (280) Aurelia: - sits on her horse, totally confused and perplexed. (269) Cara: * watches, her eyes wide * (280) Aurelia: "Err... he's eating a cat?" (252) Aku: "yes, breakfast. If it wasn't these woods'd be full of 'em" (251) DM: *the time for confusion is past. The trees around you fill with a low hissing noise. Eyes glint from several branches, and crackling twigs break the monotonous hisses.* (251) DM: *A small cat falls from a nearby tree and you hear a sharp /snap!/ as it hits the ground. It lies motionless on its back* (252) Aku: "oh great, you couldn't capture me yourselves, and now i've got all of you and the orcs to deal with?!" (251) Garo: "We're not orc pawn!" ** Garo blinks at the new cat. ** (251) Garo: O_o ((<-- Intended to be the look on his face)) (252) Aku: "now ya tell me... well, how bout we clear out whats in this forest then together" (280) Aurelia: - blinks when the cat oddly falls from the tree and is... killed? She looks towards the halfling, "Errr... we're not with the orcs. Uhm, just what the hell is going on? Who are you?" - (251) DM: *Hisssssss....* ** (252) Aku slowly begins moving towards the middle of the clearing as he continues to speak ** (252) Aku: "i'm merely an poor halfling, violently removed from his home (251) DM: *a cat leaps from a nearby tree, it's mouth frothing and eyes wild* (252) Aku: "seeking knowledge, and what have you" (251) DM: ((And I just remembered Garo has a wolf.)) (251) DM: *The wolf growls at the cat* (280) Aurelia: - Aurelia quirks one of her slender brows as she watched the halfling approach, not paying any real attention to the cats, "Ah... I see. Well, who are you, exactly? Such as a name...?" - (251) DM: *another cat falls from a tree near to Cara* (252) Aku: "do names, really matter, for now, i think, that which is in the woods would be more of a concern than a name" (269) Cara: "yes, about that ... can you explain this?" *indicates the cats* ** (252) Aku shakes his head ** (251) DM: *several more drop softly to the ground* (252) Aku: "i can only explain the one, slightly overdone one (251) DM: *the cats intently watch Aku* (280) Aurelia: - Began to notice all the poor kitties coming around. She was quite confused, especially the sounds coming from the forest, "I don't think they like you." - (252) Aku: "well, anyways, since you all seem worried about my name, and these cats, I am Aku, a wanderer." ** (252) Aku prepares to blast if another cat falls from the sky ** (252) Aku: "no, i'm not a nature man much, but i would say, thie foaming and frothing, isn't a natural occurence (251) DM: *The cat to his north west stalks towards, Aku, spitting all over the ground* ** (252) Aku turns to it, points, chanting a few syllables... ** (251) DM: *it pauses to sniff briefly at the cat bits* (280) Aurelia: - "Perhaps perhaps... but I think it would be best if we... DONT KILL THE CAT!" she yells out - (251) Garo: "eee!" (269) Cara: * watches in shock at the goings-on * ** (252) Aku tosses a loose rock towards it as he finishes his chanting with a "FLUUUUUUUUU plucnk" ** (251) DM: *the cat hisses at Aku* (252) Aku: "so we don't kill the cats, what do we do? (280) Aurelia: - Aurelia sighed and shook her head, "If you're after the orcs, too... lets stop badgering these poor kitties." - (251) DM: *the other cats stalk towards aku* (251) Garo: "Kitties?" (252) Aku: "very well, lets move on (251) Garo: *two of the closest kittens claw at aku* What followed that was a brief combat round, where Garo's wolf killed a cat or two, a few more popped up, and I believe that Aku killed one as well, before they all fled. ((And on something a little off topic - I found this one particular line pretty funny: (280) Aurelia: - "Ack!" she cried out when she watched the cats beginning to claw and bite at Aku, "Don't hurt them! Come over here!" - (252) Aku: "You expect me to run past 4 cats to get to you?" (251) DM: ((xD That sounds so wussy.)) (251) DM: ((Damn crazy AoO rules :P )) (280) Aurelia: "... they're just frick'n cats! What are you afraid of? It's not like they're going to rip your guts out." - )) But ahem. Let it be known that I was coming up with this whole cat thing on the fly, since Aku had absently suggested being attacked by cats while we were coming up with a way to introduce him. After the group cowardly(ly) fled from the kitties, they succesfully beat down the Orcs they were after, etc. Next session, I'd decided to expand on this whole cat thing, and decided that the cats they had been attacked by were 'feral', and driven crazy by fiendish cats (cats with the fiendish template, which actually were hardly as dangerous), and these fiendish cats were in thrall to a fiendish cheetah. I utilized this in a little mini-game with Aku (in order to get him a bit of extra experience, since he was behind, having joined late), and had a bunch of fiendish cats stalk them to the Orc encampment (recently ridded of Orcs): (785) erendor: *Shortly after your loud yell, you hear a rustling coming from the trees to the west* ** (793) Aku walks closer to see if anything comes out ** (793) Aku: "Hello, something over there?! haha! (785) erendor: *A yowl echoes around the clearing, but you see nothing* ** (793) Aku continues moving, trying to see whats there ** (785) erendor: *You notice a few branches moving about 10 ft to the northwest.* (785) erendor: "Meeeeooow." ** (793) Aku exclaims, "Die evil cat!" ** (785) erendor: "Meeow. Meeeow. Meeeeow." three seperate feline voices call through the trees. ** (793) Aku grumbles ** (785) erendor: "Hisssssssssssssss." (793) Aku: "do you cats understand me? (785) erendor: *A small cat drops from the branches, followed by two more. These look like no ordinary felines, however. Their eyes are a glowing red, and they have jet black fur that spikes up in odd places.* This was followed by him blasting apart the cats, which vanished into flame when destroyed. Then, the real session started a while later, and to introduce two new players, I had them chased by a large (six) group of fiendish cats :P. They ran into the main hall of the orc encampment, and hurriedly said 'hello' to the party, when: (785) Garo: *all, save Aurelia, hear a familar hissing and yowling noise, growing louder.* (817) Wix: "I'm still new in this region." (817) Wix: "And we were chased by a bunch of devilish abominations." (793) Aku: "not more of these damnable cats, i though i..removed them" (817) Wix: "They're right at our heels." (820) Arget: "oh yeah thats why we were running" ((Desciptions and intiatiatives here)) (793) Aku: "can you two fight?" ** (820) Arget draws this blade ** (817) Wix: "Yes we can." ((Then there is combat, with the cats continuing to explode in flames when destroyed. Zar, the wolf of Garo (who has decided to leave the group now) is eventually slain by three of the six cats, and Garo just gapes for the rest of the encounter. The cats were losing, and due to the recent acqusition of level two by them all, I brought out the cheetah.)) DM: "YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!" DM: *You all hear a loud piercing cry, and from the roof of the hall leaps an enormous feline. It's eyes glow a dark red, it's skin is black and hard, and wisps of flame protude from its mouth as it breathes.* (785) DM: *The newly arrived demonic Cheetah stalks towards Wix, and slashes viciously at him* ((It didn't prove nearly as vicious as I hoped, though, since it only hurt Wix, and him only a bit. Aku, who had given me leave to NPC him briefly ( his mother was quickly using the computer) managed to get maximum damage, a critical, and a sickening blast on the cheetah though, which was helpful to them.)) DM: "YOOOOWWWWW!!" DM: *The cheetah lets out a last long yowl, and then erupts in a tower of flame for a few seconds.* DM: *The two cats let out a plaintative "meow" and then evaporate.* (819) Cara: o_O 820) Arget: "i thought i saw a putty tat" (817) Wix: Wix walks over to the fallen Wolf (819) Cara: "So ....... what was all of that?" ** Garo gives out a long cry, and then runs off. ** (785) Garo: *You lose sight of him amongst the trees* ((And that was how I got rid of the (now insane) druid, who had left the party.)) I was, however, hoping this could have been a little less short, and I'll be working on that. It could definetly have worked better in a table situation though, where you could really get the creepy qualities in the cats coming out, through the use of a deep scary voice ;) . Ah, but that was a fun time. --------------------------------------- 131) Have a lone man constantly stalk them. Have PC's wake up in the middle of the night in the inns, and see him looking in the window. If they question him, he runs into the nearest alleyway/dark space and disappears (warlock with spider climb and dimension door invocations). Animals he passes hiss/bark/become agitated. He has a constant blank expression on his face, and he never talks, but appears on the fringes of battles or during long encounters ( of any type) to watch the PC's. For further effect, have him concentrate his attentions on a sole PC, and have them sometimes wake up to him standing over them staring at them, or going through their belongings.
Doklahar 07-07-05, 02:31 PM	:bump: 132. Put a mini on the battle mat that is Collousal size *Its actually a Major Image spell cast by a Gnome Illusionist*
Siduakal 07-07-05, 02:47 PM	Number 1 Way to Scare your PCs: Introduce them to Lava Wights
Always-Late 07-07-05, 03:12 PM	Roll a d20 behind the screen. Pale, visibly. Roll it again. Go even whiter. Roll it again. Mutter under your breath, "...crap." Roll it again. Roll it three more times. Put it away and pull a different colored one. Roll it again. Roll it two more times. Pull out the epic handbook, and roll twice again. Frantically write down stuff, like you're doing mathematical calculations. Roll it again for good measure. "Guys, would you rather be railroaded, deus ex machina'd, and have the rolls badly fudged, or suffer from a TPK with no chance of any sort of resurrection?"
Silais 07-07-05, 03:14 PM	133. Fiendish, Half-dragon, Vampiric, Ghost Cats with 10 Fighter levels. 134. While fighting said cats play the Zelda Orcarena of Time windmill theme off a CD (My friends and I use much stolen video game music to "enhance" or game) 135. Every morning when the after the Cleric wakes up describe some horrific Dream she had. She'll be convinced its a profficy or some monster messing with her mind 136. When you buy a new book don't tell your players. Then Half way through the game pull it out and start paging through it and put on your best "I have an evil grin that I'm tring to hide but not doing very well at it" face.
dongol 07-07-05, 07:31 PM	137. Tell your players who look at the boards about this forum. Then tell them you got some good ideas... :evillaugh
Karota 07-07-05, 08:18 PM	138.- If you play music, shuffle alittle in your cds ant then choose one of black metal, anc play the more brutal and noisy track; when it starts, say "sorry, wrong track, and just play the intro or the acustic track or whatever calmy and soft song it contains. 139.- You see a pond, its waters are a little deep and a little muddy; no perils in sight. When they gou out it, say; nothing attacked you. Johnny, make a DC 15 Survival check; the rest make DC 12 Spot chacks. If Johnny fails tell "you are all covered with horrible black leeches" 140.- Everyone in the city looks at you with suspicion. Make DC 18 Wisdom (or sense motive, or listen, or whatever you think appropiate) checks; you all are followed by an old and weak Horned Felldrake.
Lao, Ninja of the Dragon 07-07-05, 11:41 PM	141:Take the draconimicon of the shelf 142:Have a black robed figure come up to them and start whispering. As they run, have the robed guy chase them saying(high listen check needed to hear) "Wait! don't leave! Don't you want these half price magic items?" 143:Scream "Illithid!" at random intervals 144:Have a morbid looking girl hit on a male character, put in things that make her seem like a succubus, and she ends up as a celestial. 145:Have players roll sense motive checks everytime someone in the government district talks 146: Have a doorway with demonic statues and moniifs on it and have it lead to a demiplane full tiny marsupials, flowers; and frolicing and giggling, little girl,.........tieflings
Shadowmancer985 07-23-05, 03:32 PM	147: as the PC's are going to the dungeon, make it so that the last building they see is a church with a sign on it that says "RESSURECTIONS 70% off" and/or "BURIAL SERVICES 60% off" with a seemingly endless graveyard next to it :evillaugh :devil: :schemes:
Kuronue 07-23-05, 04:00 PM	148. Introduce the Temple of Automatic Resssuretction with the assurance that "This way when you die yo ucan come back, so don't worry tooo much about my lack of experience...." 149. ...Then throw a nest of Kythons at them. 150. Wipe out the party. 151. ...Twice. 152. ...Including the only char capable of defeating the BBEG due to the right skills and the magic item. 153. Announce the following in a forum or chat room where your players go: * Kor is giggling over a thread entitled "1001 ways to scare your players"
da beast 07-23-05, 05:19 PM	76 Creepy children. Nothing is creepier than a little girl in a white dress with a sing-song voice on the lowest level of the Lord of Pain's dungeon. *shudder* creepy children. Lol I've been planning on doing that to my PC's when they get a bit higher level Girl: "Hello mister =)" PC: "UHH hello?" PC2: "How did you get down here?" Girl: "I climbed silly" PC2: "But there were way to many monsters for a little girl to get past by herself!" PC3: "Ok guys I think we should get out of here" lol
FriendoftheDork 07-23-05, 11:52 PM	20: Take out an axe and chop one of the players into little bits. Trust me, that scares the rest of the players every time. LOL! I don't doubt it for a second. Say you must lose players on a regular basis!
Silais 07-24-05, 12:38 AM	76 Creepy children. Nothing is creepier than a little girl in a white dress with a sing-song voice on the lowest level of the Lord of Pain's dungeon. *shudder* creepy children. Trust me it works realy well. I ran a campain centered around a creepy little girl, she didn't wear a white dress, but her dress color would slowly change based on the alignment of the people around her. It creeped them right out, especial if you make her sweet, happy, innocent, and powerless when she's wearing white. And then totaly distructive, and nuke powered when she's been around evil. Just incase you care, she was the daughter of a god of death, and a solar... 154. For multiple adventures have every thing they meet be not what it seems; if it's a honorable fighter, it betrays them. The princess the're "rescueing" is an assassin sent to kill them. The evil villan spellcaster is simply a helpless commoner possesed by a demon. Then finaly after repeted encounters like this... Send a happy, elf cleric, that is afraid of combat to help them. Make sure she is the sterotype of weak and defenceless. The players will be convinced she is another evil thing to betray them, even though she is only what she appears. 155. When you see a player out side of the game, ask him this "I was preparing an adventure the other night, and couldn't find my notes on your character. What was your will (or what ever his weakest save is) save again???"
SilverSabre25 07-24-05, 01:05 AM	155. Right after they've started out on a long trek through the wilderness, make a big deal over what their marching order is. A short while later, after double checking that their marching order is still the same and asking repetedly "Are you sure you want the ________(weakest character/most crucial character) there?", have them make listen checks. Whoever passes hears rustling in the bushes nearest the character you're picking on. They don't find anything when they search. Have it happen again once or twice. Finally, have a bunny rabbit hop onto the path in front of them. 156. If your players are already super paranoid and like to search the rooms in the inns they stay in, have the rogue make a search check. No matter how high or good it is, say "Oops. Um, make a Disable Device check." They'll freak out, assuming that they somehow managed to trigger a trap. The character manages to dislodge a copper piece that was lodged between the floor boards.
da beast 07-24-05, 04:03 AM	Trust me it works realy well. I ran a campain centered around a creepy little girl, she didn't wear a white dress, but her dress color would slowly change based on the alignment of the people around her. It creeped them right out, especial if you make her sweet, happy, innocent, and powerless when she's wearing white. And then totaly distructive, and nuke powered when she's been around evil. Just incase you care, she was the daughter of a god of death, and a solar... 157) Hehe yeah. How about metioning that the BBEG was last seen in the mournlands... (To adapt this to a non ebron campaign say to your PCs I've been thinking about making a place like the mournlands, only scarier what do you guys think?)
Lyinginbedmon 08-15-05, 09:28 AM	158. Insert a little girl sealed away in a Temple for over a century, with long black hair covering her face, and only 8 years on her dial...
Nurgan_the_drunked 08-15-05, 09:48 AM	159) The party meet a lawyer who asks if they've prepared themselves a Will, and that they really should think about it... 160) Monster hits for d6 + a bit. Roll 4d6, ignore all except the red one.
tharivol266 08-15-05, 04:15 PM	161) "u enter the room as u hear the rocks fall behind you sealing of the path way. the room is a 40' square with torches every ten feet around the outside burning with an eiry green flame. on the other side of the room there is a door with a cat sitting at the base of it staring at you. (ask for actions) as you move about the room the cat turns its head and stares at each of you in turn.(when someone makes for the door) when u approach the door the cat leaps up at you....make a reflex save.....make a grapple check....make a strength check....the cat lands on ur shoulder and proceed to nuzzle ur cheek" 162) ur followed in by a kobold dragging a greatsword and holding a can of spinach.
katkov 08-18-05, 06:10 PM	163. Illusions 164. After doing the above alot send the real thing.
Nobuddy 08-18-05, 07:47 PM	165: Have a werid little girl wonder up to one of your PCs in town and say " Your going to die tomorrow!" When the character looks away for whatever reason have the little girl vanish... Oh man, this happened to me and I was so paraniod that entire game. Well it took my character a couple of days to realize that he was alright... yeah, I was a Half-Orc Barbarain with a int of 3, but me as a player was scared for that day... oh man was I freaken' out about every little thing
PinkVishnu 08-18-05, 09:19 PM	60. Right before the Evil Wizard casts his spell, look at the "weakest" (HP-wise) member of the group, and ask "Exactly how many hitpoints do you have again? I hope that's enough..." My DM does that. Whenever we're in combat (especially when the enemy wizard can cast Power Word: Kill), he asks us how many hit points we have.
Furious D 18 08-19-05, 12:09 AM	When the monk moves in and says "I'm doing stunning fist" say, "wait, you're going to touch the creature? Ok... I mean, I just wanted to be sure that you're actually going to touch it."
Greyseed 08-19-05, 04:27 AM	Non-intentional, true story. 167. Reach for a book with no prompting, just look something up and put it back down. One of my players said last session, "Get ready guys!" when I reached for My Campaign setting. I asked him why. He said "You only reach for a book when we ask you something you don't know or you're going to hit us with something." (I guess in a roundabout way, that was kinda a compliment.)
hollow_ghost 08-24-05, 07:35 PM	This stuff is really funny. Gonna use em ASAP. A lil comment tough, don't use the ones like leaving a monster manual opened on a big beast to much because they encourage metagame. That one with the platinum coin really rocks! 167. DM to party: ''You enter a dark room where you can distinguish hundreds, maybe thousands, of grey shapes surrounding you, expressing an opressing aura. Roll initiative.'' The shapes are bricks :D. For more flavor, add the countdown-button-emptyroom-closeddoor idea.
anarco_rata 08-24-05, 07:58 PM	168:when they encounter the BBEG, look for your book of vile darkness 169: say something like: Hu-ho...i though you where level (current level+5)...o well, too late to change it now!
hollow_ghost 08-24-05, 08:26 PM	1“And another thing: I’m sick of everyone calling me a liar and a thief, and putting me down, just because I’m a Kender! Being tall doesn’t make you right, and it sure doesn’t make you smart!” There is something majorly un-Kender-ly with this signature. A Kender would deny being a thief, and probably a liar too, and would probably jump at such a name-caller's throat.
hollow_ghost 08-29-05, 12:08 AM	170. Asking a player about his long dead master's description. Ok, nothing scary there. Add in the fact that the player read R.A. Salvatore's Exile from Forgotten Realms. DM: ''Can you describe how your master was? player: ''Yes... Oh no! Please don't Zincarla him on me!'' DM: ''Umm... Never tought of that...'' player: ''Aww f***'' I wanted to know more about my character's background.
Amene 08-29-05, 02:54 AM	Looks like dms like to scare players :) this is one of the longest 1001 threads heh x(got lost on the numbers): Poisonous Bunnies (after that they will be afraid of touching anything) x.2: Barney, pink dragons ain't good (I know he is a dinosaur, but who can resist an arsenic breath weapon? arsenic tastes just like sugar :))
Lyinginbedmon 10-08-05, 07:13 AM	173. When using demonic possession, randomly contort your face into an evil smile and laugh deeply. Then go back to normal as if nothing happened...
DragonDeadite 10-08-05, 01:40 PM	174) Get one of those bumper stickers that says "Never trust a smiling Game Master" and tack it up on the wall behind where you sit. Ever so often, look over your shoulder at it and grin. 175) "Accidentaly" leave your Lords of Madness book out on the gaming table, open to the Ulitharid page... that's gotten my players a couple times. :D 176) from time to time use small gems as monsters when you don't have enough figures. Then, one day go buy a large bin of the same tokens and leave them out on the table. Once everyone is there go looking for them, then put them all behind your screen, saying something like "Need those for later!" Going to try this one out tomarrow! Edit: 177) Okay, this only works if someone in the group knows the old characters you've used in the past. Randomly name some non-important NPC the same thing you named an old BBEG. My sister played in a game of mine where one of the evils creatures was named Kuroi and he hunted them all the time. It was a demon/vampire twisted hybrid thing that was just VERY nasty. When I introduced another character in a new game as Kuroi her eyes got big and she yelled out "WHAT?" and jumped out of her chair, it was just so perfect!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
monkofpassion 10-09-05, 10:06 PM	178: every time they find a chest have it trapped with a expoding rune. :smirk: 179:put mid-level PC's in a dungeon with lots of teleporters to different rooms, all with programed images of pit fiends and balors. ate the very end(make it at least 20 rooms) make them fight a realy balor in a 20 by 20 room. :evillaugh their opion when they fight, :confused: :eek: :censored: :OMG! :help:
Lyinginbedmon 12-05-05, 07:12 AM	179. Keep bringing up Pun-Pun in conversations regarding upcoming adventures, even if you don't ever say he will actually be in them :cool:
Silais 12-05-05, 07:46 AM	181. Have a folder labeled 'the heavy guns', with everything you have designed specificaly for killing the PCs with. Note: they don't know I have this... I'm saving it for when they annoy me...
shadowmimiiru 12-05-05, 07:59 AM	182) At the beginning of the session you play a soundclip of the creepy little girl from the first Resident Evil movie saying "you're all going to die down here." 183) Impenatable darkness is a standard feature. 184) Look up from your DM screen directly at a player, shake your head and look back down and continue to play (been doing this one to my group's fighter for a month he's afraid to ever be the first one in any room now).
Rolof 12-05-05, 08:20 AM	185) Ask a player to roll a die, make a skill or ability check, or saving throw, to build suspense-then pleasantly surprise them by having it be some commonplace thing. It builds anticipation of having to do it for real. I once did this to the party rogue, who was breaking into a local tavern after hours to try to find out some information about what was really going on there. He successfully got into the building by picking the lock, then started exploring while moving silently, etc. Then I told him to roll a save, he failed, and I told him that because he failed, he'd made an involuntary gasp when the owner's cat jumped off the top of the pantry shelves he'd been investigating, meowed, and ran away. He was so put off by this that he left without any more attempts to find out anything. A real movie moment, it was great.
Lyinginbedmon 09-19-06, 07:07 PM	186. Give minor hints about something, like a number or part of a name, but don't reveal anything except the grave importance of that tidbit either in the immediate situation or in a much later one. Works perfectly for my players, they have so much info now they could write a book, and they're absolutely terrified about what it could all mean when put together at last.
AlphaSquirell 09-19-06, 07:34 PM	187. During the player's turn, as they describe what they are about to do, pick up a d20 and roll it in your fingers. Whenver they get done, (IF they aren't weirded out by your preperations to roll a d20) put the d20 down and say "Dang, better luck next time..." (works just as well with percent die)
DMK69 09-20-06, 01:35 PM	188. Tell the party... As you are walking back to town for much needed supplies and healing, you notice the town is on fire. As you get closer to town, a group on horseback passes you in a hurry. <ask for a spot check> You notice that this group of riders are dressed and look just like your party. Aren't doppelgangers great! :D
Trailstalker 09-20-06, 08:14 PM	Describe a long, narrow hallway with arrow slits along the walls. Toss in the mandatory spiderwebs, broken arrowheads/shafts, and skeletal bodies. Have them make a knowledge check, then describe the damage of burning pitch splattered on the walls from a long ago battle. Then describe the floor as being multiple individual stones (like the opening scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", going for the golden idol). Watch as your PC's attempt EVERYTHING to get through that hallway, absolutely positive that a certain & gruesome death awaits them. And have the aforementioned & devilishly described long, narrow hallway be just that - a simple long, narrow hallway where a battle once took place. I did this to my group; it literally took them over 2 hours to get through a hallway where there was nothing there to hurt them - except their own paranoia. :plotting: :devil:
TheAlmightyJ 09-20-06, 10:28 PM	Wow! I've been way too nice to my PCs... Think I'll try some of these on them, just for fun. I'm already known for having a really sick sense of humor... 190:Find a really insanely tough monster's stats and print them out. Then, just sort of "accidentally" leave the sheet in front of a particularly nosy player. If you catch them, smile kindly and tell them it's ok, you weren't going to use it anyway. As you walk off just say "At least not while it's this weak..."
speeblefreak 09-20-06, 10:40 PM	When the players enter the dungeon, have them hear a child singing "Jesus Loves Me," but with an appropriate good deity's name replacing Jesus. Have the song continue throughout a rather uneventful dungeon, then at the center have the PCs come across a (insert uber-demon) sitting on the floor, completely engrossed in methodically skinning a child singing "(Pelor) Loves Me." Let the PCs enter a massive, very dark labyrinth. Once the PCs have gotten in far enough that they have lost sight of the entrance, describe the walls suddenly beginning to warp and shift. While the walls continue to shift, describe a child off in the distance counting in a singsong voice, "One...Two...Three...Four...Five...Six... Seven...Eight...Nine...Ten...Ready?" A thousand terrible voices repond, "Ready!" Pause. Finally, have the child, in the same singsong voice, but slightly...hungrier...say, "Here I come!" Also, continually bring up clocks and ticking.
Fritz_Langue 09-20-06, 11:38 PM	191:Create a creatue that has powers to rival the gods, and have the party watch on as he easily slays an oncoming army of pit feinds and balors. If one of the party members acts foolish enough to approach it, a flash occurs, blinding everybody, and pulling the party back in time to witness the creature slay the army again. After about 5 times of this occuring, have the creature get ****** with the party and shout "Thats it!!! Go to your room!!!" and it follws the party from then on, thinking itself to be their mother.
Hydryh 09-21-06, 05:02 AM	182) At the beginning of the session you play a soundclip of the creepy little girl from the first Resident Evil movie saying "you're all going to die down here." Love it! x+1) When starting up a campaign with first-level characters, pull one player aside and show him your MM, opened to the Demons section. Point to the DR entry for the Vrock and ask him, "How does that work again?" Then you just wait to see who cracks first: the player, in fear that his Level-1 character will be fighting a Vrock, or the rest of the party, wondering what the heck made the guy go pale when he looked in your MM. x+2) In a Dragonlance game I ran, I used the nigh-unkillable Dreadwolves from The Legend of Huma. After the first few encounters turned into mad sprints to safety, the party was reay to wet themselves at the thought of a Dreadwolf. Then: DM: As you approach the entrance to the evil wizard's study, you see a pair of Dreadwolves, one one each side of the door. Party::eek: :uh-huh: :bigeyes: :mymy: Wizard: What do they do? DM: Nothing. Ranger: I approach to within ten feet of one. What does it do? DM: Nothing; it sits perfectly still. Figther: I gently poke the other one with the butt end of my spear. Does it attack? DM: Nope! Rogue: Oh, okay. You could've just said they were statues! Party::bounce: Party: We head on through to the door. DM: *rolls* The Dreadwolves attack! Party::OMG! :OMG! :OMG! :OMG! DM: -but fall short, seeing as how they are bound to the wall with chains around their necks. (To Rogue) That's why I never said they were statues. Party::hoppingma
Kraleck 09-21-06, 09:34 AM	This works well with Trekkies: 193. Have the people working with the PCs wearing blue, yellow, or red shirts. The PCs are assigned to have red shirts on. Smile wickedly saying that they will be part of the scouting party. Because, as Trekkies will assure you, every time you send a landing party to advance the plot, the writers kill a red shirt (or as I like to call them Ensign Expendable).
DragonOfTheDawn 09-21-06, 12:50 PM	194. Just get the Monster's Manual and jump to the Balor's page while letting them see it as well, pretending you don't see them^^ I did it once, and it really worked. The PCs where not so active and i decided to do sth about it. So that's how did it go: DM(me):OK, guys roll d20 PCs: What for? DM: Wait to see the stats... oh ok! PCs: So? *One of the other PCs sees the page* Human archer: WTF?? What are you planning to do?? Trying to kill us or what?? Druid/Cleric/Alienist(wizard PrC): What is it? DM: Well, you see a balor approaching so roll initiative... Blackguard: *rolls* ok i got 17+7... so 24... wait what did you say attacked us?!?!!? well it went very nice with an around lvl 10 group of 6 people and noone died^^ The Frenzied Berserker used Inspire Frenzy and the Blackguard AND the wizard(who had used tensher's transformation) accepted it. Well, they are still alive thanks to that because when they killed the balor they had very few hp and the delayed blast fireball was enough to kill them. So Deathless frenzy saved the day^^
TwiddleStootch 09-21-06, 03:11 PM	After reading all these great ideas, I have ben inspired to do a whole adventure built around them and other ones, it would be something like this: 195) Have the players hear about a large underground dungeon, legended to hold a great treasure, but also legended to be filled with deadly traps of every kind. so, naturally the players will go in, Rouge ready to disarm the traps. now have every room with stuff like in this thread, IE. the hall-way with the arrow slits, the room with a line of the floor. others I might use are an empty room with nothing but a very elaboritly carved door, one with a think stone bridge across a bottomless casem(SP) and, my personal favorite idea i ahve had, a room with a VERY high roof, as in they can't see the ceiling high, with a smooth stone floor...smooth save for several large dents in the floor,as if hugh rocks had fallen there. now the twist, NOTHING is trapped, not a thing! they will spend all day searching every inch of the rooms. and if, after a few rooms, they begin to think that nothing is trapped, throw a trap at them, jsut to keep them guessing :D
Pi_Person 09-21-06, 04:56 PM	196. Tell your players to roll any save then when they do smile at them:D
Necrosis 09-21-06, 11:18 PM	197. Roll a d100 dice , say "Well Thats intresting", pick up a random book such as the DMG or MM and roll again, say "oh" quietly to your self leave the book open on your knees and continue gaming. 198. Give all the players a nightmare about been trapped in a cage with some flesh eating ooze, aberation or chaos beast. when they wake up, the real version is on one of their chests makign a meal of one of it.
Krusk 09-22-06, 01:28 AM	199- have a checkerboard tile floor down a few hallways. oops, no idea how to delete double posts. ***edit
Krusk 09-22-06, 01:34 AM	199- have a checkerboard tile floor down a few hallways. I had a player refuse to walk down one for 15 min while the rest of the party jumped around on them he was so afraid to walk them. 200-have them descend down an narrow old mine shaft, then when they reach the bottom they find a big door with a keyhole, they have been given the key before hand. when they turn the key the floor drops out from under them letting them fall about 60 or so feet-if your nice- where upon landing they find another door. this one is real. upon examination the other door is a stone carving. the next 4 or so doors will be amazing when they try to open them. 201-i leave my lords of madness open to mind flayers every once in a while, best part is they fought mind flayers a few times. so i always see them eyeing the book. 202-mention this new template that would go amazing on umberhulks 203-throw in disease on most of the monsters they fight. then stop all of a sudden. 204-the monk gelatenous cube! http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20060922a
Bahamut_the_Gold 09-22-06, 02:04 AM	205 After they land the killing blow on the main monster or "boss". Simply say, "The illusion has disappeared." By this time they have used all their spells and single use items. The looks are priceless! 206 They discover Dragon clawprints just outside of their camp when they leave in the morning. 207 (Higher level group) Have a powerful NPC attack the group out of nowhere. When the NPC has been brought to half of his hit points have him stop and scream "Enough of this!" and he grabs his chest and rips it apart as a ****** off (Insert favorite demon, devil, etc here.) steps out of the NPCs torn body. 208 Look at a PC at random and say roll a Fortitude save. When the dice stops rolling just say "oh" and keep on gaming.
Kraleck 09-22-06, 07:49 AM	209. Throw a programmed log entry in a mad alchemist's lab that shows his new potion turning him into a beefed up hulk then disintegrating him or causing his head to implode/explode (just be as graphic as possible with his demise). Then introduce them to his finished potion closet (which is stocked with hundreds of maximized beneficial effect potions with no negative side effects, just make sure the log entry scares the bejeezus out of them). 210. One of the potions that seems safe to use is actually sovereign glue (make sure the bard/primarily verbal caster grabs this one). Then throw a powerful, weak vs magic monster at them and watch them scream through sealed lips. 211. Have them meet unkillable debt/tax collectors every time they leave a dungeon loaded down with valuables.
LordHawkeye 09-22-06, 08:42 AM	212: Planning this one. Statue tells the PC's that there's a deadly trap in the next room (mucho damage), in front of it is a potion that will protect the drinker but it's missing one ingrediant before it's ready. There's four vials with ingrediants to be found but the PC's have to use the clues provided to figure out which one is the right one. Let the agonizing over which is the right one and the arguments over who gets to find out if the group was right or not commence. ^^