Been DMing for years, but I still get the occasional flash of inspiration that I feel improves my skill in the craft. Recently, while reading through some of the spells that cause the frightened condition, I got to pondering the often repeated line about the effect manifesting the target's worst fears. A lot of these effects don't necessarily inform the PC what that fear is, and my narrative of the effect has typically consisted of nothing more than a terrified scream (if it can), followed by running away.
It occured to me this is a great opportunity to add depth to NPC enemies, and provide clues or insight for the PCs, if the target is able to communicate what it believes to be happening. A minion might reveal something about the terrifying BBEG he works for ("Aaaah! Please not the acid again!" informs the party to prepare acid protection), or even provide an adventure hook (the swamp bandits have a legend about a murderous hag in the vicinity, the feared target screams "Run away, it's the Diremuck Witch!").
Just a tiny tip for those browsing the forums. If anyone cares to share some of their own narrative nuances, I would be happy to hear them!
Nice. Thanks!
Nevvur wrote:
nice tip, thxz 
iserith wrote:
In the theme of tiny tips: When introducing people, places, or things, I sometimes start the ball rolling and then throw it to the players, and let them tell me the story.
The PCs had a favorite hang-out called the Four Winds, a tavern 'shared' among several worlds. Our setting was a fantasy equivalent of SG-1, called Runegate (many 'worlds' to visit). Supposedly, the Four Winds was founded by gods of travel: Fharlanghn, Avandra, Celestian, and Hermes (Mercury) (the titular 'four').
I described a deva and a tiefling who were keeping bar. An 'unlikely' couple, that they'd been together for decades. All of the sudden, my buddy was telling me how they met, what they had in common, and the secret to their longevity as a couple. Wonder if he was chanelling his own married life 
?
This encouraged me to ask the players more often, rather than trying to provide every little detail myself. Our Runegate homebrew was a collaborative setting anyway; every player got to develop a 'world' (a mini-settiing). This really brought it out though.