Varieties of Fear
By now, you’ve probably gotten the idea that there’s not just one way to make D&D scary, and that’s mostly true. Another way of answering the question “How do you make D&D scary?” is “variety.”
Fear can’t have just one predictable place in D&D adventures. As soon as rolling to overcome fear is referenced with the familiarity of saying “make a skill check,” the suspense is lost. So, for Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, we didn’t try to provide one solution for inspiring fear in your adventures. Rather, we worked to make all the options we presented encourage horror in their own distinct ways.
Beyond what I’ve already mentioned, here’s a rapid-fire list of just some of the other distinctive ways you might evoke horror in your adventures:
Atmospheric Horror. Easily my favorite route to creating moody game experiences, atmospheric techniques explore how to make everything beyond the game fade away and immerse players in a terror tale using theatrics, music, props (like the spirit board you can download here), and more.
Doomed Destiny. I know I said D&D is a game where characters are destined for great things. But sometimes it’s fun to experience a tragedy that doesn’t involve losing years of character development. The “Survivors” section provides less-than-heroic substitutes players can use to experience nightmares, one-shot tragedies, or the grim freedom of knowing their days are numbered.
Mini-Horror Stories. Every monster in the bestiary of Van Richten’s Guide is a micro horror story. The wicked priest that won’t die, the annoyance that explodes into a lethal swarm, the skin that tears free from its own bones, the graveyard that stands up—they’re all there to shock characters in their own unique ways.
All Together Now. Want an example of how to put all these terror techniques together? The adventure “’The House of Lament” not only serves as an introduction to the Domains of Dread but also highlights how to put what you’ve learned throughout the book into action. Use it as your first foray into the Mists or tear it apart to see how a variety of frightening techniques can create a compelling horror adventure.
Above: Concept art of Alcio Metus, just one of Ravenloft’s notorious vampires, by Shawn Wood
Source: Dungeons & Dragons
