1. Small town is being Haunted and Newly arrived PC's are accused of being/asked to discover what is going on and how to get rid of it. As they get deeper into the investigation all sorts of townsfolks secrets turn up which many will be unhappy with, not to mention ghostie/whoever is hauntingthe placewill try to discourage them with threats and violence.
My small contribution more to come hopefully.:D
2. the pcs get to a prosperous merchant town. They've been there a few days when suddenly one of the top merchants is found murdered in his bed. Another merchant is murdered the next night. Wash rinse repeat for a few nights. Murderer could be some supernatural thing or some older merchant who is disgruntled and gifted by the dark powers in some way.
3. The PCs stumble into some victorian style, picture perfect house. How they get there's irrelevant, you can make that up on your own. It turns out the BBEG is a little girl animating corpses/wooden marionettes (medium sized) to dance, "play with." She won't take too nicely to anyone interupting her play(think this came from the Kargatane boards).
4. an old woodcutter lost his wife and child to a plague. In his shock at the loss, he removed his daughter's face and put it on a wooden doll he made. He then takes it upon himself to make sure that other local family doesn't "Suffer" by losing their children to the plague by making them dolls. Drop little clues as the PCs are trying to help (maybe one of them has a little girl or boy). Eventually they track down who it is and go to the guy's house. Unfortunately, making dollies in this manner is rather not nice so he's prolly failed several power checks mean time. They get to his house, find his work bench and there's one more doll on it. a doll with his face. No real big fight, but ends with nice effect. And there's always his apprentice. (Adapted from one I saw on Kargatane boards)
5. The PCs come across an inn, "The Rest of the Traveller" owned by a nice, jovial man and his wife. They're kind of in the middle of no where, but the innkeeper tells of a town perhaps 3 days travel from here and comments that his 2 brothers own inns on the path there each about a day's travel away. The innkeeper's wife serves the adventurers some of her nice homemade stew ("Family recipe") and then they go to sleep and travel on their way. The second in "The Headless Man" is owned by a solitary man, he's rather withdrawn and kind of not too friendly. However, he seems to have a hobby. The inn has hundreds of little bone carvings, assumably animal bones as it's a heavily wooded area. He doesn't really offer them much hospitality, just a place to stay. The third in "The Traveller's Head" is owned by a large, intimidating man (think executioneresque). Upon exploring the land surrounding the inn, the PCs chance upon a field with pikes all around. On the pikes are heads. The executioner comes along trying to kill the PCs. Of course, he's a commoner, they're adventurers, he'll be easy prey, but then make an intelligence check (dc depending, you decide). Success means that it clicks: at the traveller's head...there were heads.... at the headless man...there were bone carvings, but no muscle or organs or anything... and at the rest of the traveller...there was stew....
Horror or Madness check depending (from WotC board, originally from a book of short stories editted by hitchcock). 6. Moreover, most hitchcock stuff can be adapted nicely to ravenloft.
9. A travelling theatre troupe enters town. A couple of days later there is a murder and witnesses say that they saw a vampire stalk the streets. In reality it is one of the actors dressing up as supernatural monsters to go on his murder binges. Investigating may reveal similiar murders in other town that the troupe has been in.
Good topic, keep 'em coming. I'll try and add more later.
What can I say? It was a nice ideas. I love the creepy scariness of dolls ^.^ that and scarecrows... and carnivals...clowns are scary.
10. Zombies, but more in a resident evil slant. chemical zombies, not really undead created by either a poison or a virus. (MY DM did something like this to a first level part, resulted in a TPK through failed horror checks and such, but he's never really been one for paying attention to CR and such ^.^)
edit: I don't like clowns.
However, a wolfwere isnt too pleased with the fakes for raising suspiscion.
Prereq: A town with a clocktower or something similar.
When the clock passes each hour, it chimes/rings, echoing through the city streets.
The PCs are somehow in this town (I'll leave that up to you).
The town guard is completely perplexed by recent murders, two of which have happened prior to the PCs arrival in town.
The victims of these murders have both been marked with a circular design upon their foreheads, each bearing two lines originating from the center of the circle. These lines are both different sizes, and are in different locations on each victim. Aside from that, the victims appear badly burned.
One investigator has determined roughly the time of death for each victim, and has noted that the designs on the deceased bear a mysterious resemblance to a clock marked with the time of their death. (A PC investigating may make this connection on his/her own, rather than the NPC doing so).
The first design and time of death appeared to be at precisely 9 in the evening.
The second at 10 in the evening. The murders were spaced apart by one day.
From that point on, the murders proceed with a day in between them up until seven people have been killed (and the hour of 3am has been reached). (Mark the victims with the time accordingly).
Some of the victims are burned so badly that they are scarcely recognizable, though eventually they should all be noted as being members of the city watch who all share one thing in common (how you reveal this, I leave up to you): they were all somehow involved in investigating, capturing, slaying/arresting, and subsequently executing 8 witches, almost a year ago.
These witches were burned at the stake, though one passed with a wretched curse upon her lips; that within a year of their passing, their foul fate would be revisited upon those deserving.
In truth, these witches were victims of suspicious townsfolk, and had done nothing evil to cause their fate. They were humble alchemists perhaps. Innocent of evil at any rate. (gotta love the ignorance of a suspicious mob)
One of the eight guardsmen involved in capturing and executing the eight witches has since gone mad with regret for his actions. Whether he is completing the curse of his own accord, or being prompted by supernatural means is up to you. At any rate, he intends to complete the curse by killing himself upon the hour of 4am after he has slain the last of the others involved. With that, the curse should be at an end (or the malevolent spirits could decide to visit more retribution on the suspicious townsfolk).
(The time of the first death correlates to the hour in which the first witch was slain resisting arrest. The last hour correlates to the time of execution. The hasty arrest, trial, and execution were carried out within one night)
13. I'm always a fan of crying wolf. Drain victims of blood for one reason or another and watch the PCs run with their big sticks of vampire ouchiness after a normal shopkeeper. Do this a few times, they'll grow lax. THEN throw the real thing at them "Oh, it's just another shopkeeper"
14. A jealous wife kills her husband and smears his blood across his mistress' lips. You take it from there.
15. a werewolf/vampire comes to work at the local house of ill repute, infecting several of the other employees.
16. framing of an innocent for some crime. I had a brilliant idea, but forgot it.
17. more a little aspect (mature boards Interior decorating...OF DOOM), but have a building with kinda fun house mirrors. The mirrors reflect each character's dark secret that he doesn't want anyone to know. You can make this so only that character sees HIS or HER own secrets, or so that everyone can see everyone elses. Or everyone's BUT theirs.
Get a hold of Grimm's fairy tales, the complete works of poe, and hell, works of Lewis Carroll while you're at it. fun times. Anderson's fairy tales are decent too.
The adventurers come across an old mannor house in the country. It appears to be deserted. There are three main physical encounters and one good pyschological revelation.
First, in the dining room they are set upon by three or four spectres, wraiths, some sort of incorporeal undead. This can vary depending on the strength of your party.
Second, in one of the upstairs bedrooms they find a bed soaked with dark, coagulated blood. Upon investigation they discover it is a blood golem (or some similar creature) that attacks them. Good opportunity for horror or fear checks depending on how they discover its true nature.
Third, in the attic is the lair of a Mohrg. (I did find the Mohrg to be under strength and no match for a group of four comparable level PCs. I would suggest changing the final encounter or boosting its abilities some.
While all of this is going on, the party finds pages from a diary, torn and tattered and sometimes singed, throughout the house. They slowly start to put the story together. There was a family living at the house (mother, father, and four children). A stranger showed up one day looking for shelter for the night. The family took him in and cared for him. The next day he didn't leave, but needed to stay and regain his strength. The wife and children had taken a liking to him, but the father was very suspicious. He allowed for one day more. The next day the man still did not want to leave and the rest of the family enjoyed his company. The father was very upset, but couldn't decide how best to convince his wife of his distrust of the stranger. On the third day the mother takes ill and is confined to her bed. The father suspects the stranger has something to do with it. The following day she dies, but he can't break it to his children. He knows the stranger was involved and seeks to protect them from him. He eventually poisons his children during dinner and kills the stranger.
The whole diary is written from the point of view of the father. Of course the stranger is innocent, and it is the father's madness that is the true killer. However, the diary entries should not lead the party to that conclusion until the very end. The father ends up cutting up the stranger and buring his body in the fireplace in the kitchen. Perhaps a pyre elemental or some other such creature could be encountered there. He murdered his wife when she wouldn't believe his rantings (blood golem upstairs), and he poisoned his own children (wraiths). The Mohrg in the attic is what was left of his decrepit soul.
It works best if they can somehow discover the truth just before the final conflict. Have them make horror checks just as the Mohrg attacks.
This adventure worked very well and then gave the PCs a manor house out in the middle of nowhere to act as a base of operations (well, once the cleric consecrated it). ;)
One of my favorite Gothic Adventure was one where the PC where chasing after a Rogue that stolen off with one of there magic items. The PC thought he was hideing out in a farm house out side of town. As the PC approach the house were they are confronted with some children that wanted to play. (Of course it's night time, but the PC don't thinks its odd that the children are out late in the night.) The PC ask the children about the man their after but the children don't pay any attention to the questions, they just insist on playing. So the friendly mage in the group keeps the children entertained with Cantrips as the PC search the house. They find no one in the house and gather clues that the house is an orphanage but it is not till they find a secret stairway to the attic where they find out that a horrible fire destroyed the house years ago, and that the children are really ghost. As the PC enter the attic they find it filled with children of all ages. There are old clothes thrown about as a woman is sowing an outfit. One of the children accidently tips over an oil lamp and the attic is instantly an ablazing inferno, there are childern screaming and crying the woman is panicked crying for help. The PC (the heros they are agree to help, good thing too because if they don't they will never find the door to stairs leading down.) form a line down stairs and hand off the children till the think that all the children are safe. The last PC is struck with horror as every single kid turns to ash in his hands the rest of the PC give a collective whoo *#%@ as when they get to the bottom of the stairway and see the pile of ash and the horror stricken face of there friend. They run out of the house as fast as the can, this is when the mage that was playing with children feels a tug on his robes and when he looks down he sees a sad looking face of child that says I'm sorry in her most innocent voice before turning ash and being blown away in the wind. As the PC look back at the house it is nothing but a burnt fondation, chimney and a few support poles.
The idea came from Haunted Sites a netbook from the kargatane (I think) or one of the Book of S's Series.
Originally posted by Tzalice Minoladir
Jagermeister, you're ingenious.
Thank you. :D
Originally posted by Tzalice Minoladir
17. more a little aspect (mature boards Interior decorating...OF DOOM), but have a building with kinda fun house mirrors. The mirrors reflect each character's dark secret that he doesn't want anyone to know. You can make this so only that character sees HIS or HER own secrets, or so that everyone can see everyone elses. Or everyone's BUT theirs. [/b]
This is a really cool idea. The "everyone's BUT theirs" would certainly prove interesting.
I don't have my books on hand, so I'm not certain.
Here's an idea built off that.
A formerly very healthy tree is found thoroughly rotted and decayed on the outskirts of a town. The decay apparently happened during the night. A villager is found dead that morning as well, rotted overnight as the tree. The process continues until the mystery is solved.
I've been going through the MM and coming up with ideas for different monsters. When I finish, I'll post some more ravenloft appropriate ones. I thought of something interesting the other day.
21 (I believe). a family with two human parents has a half-elven child. The reason can be of your choosing, but it could turn out rather interesting in a xenophobic community.
edit: seemingly human at least by all outward appearances.
Originally posted by Tzalice Minoladir
wow, all the let's kill off commoners. I wonder how towns populate.
The proletariat always get the short end of the stick, sad huh?
"As blood leaks from the wrapped wound of the PC in question, it seeps into the bandages in the form of words. These words describe a horrendous injury that has not (yet) befallen the PC."
(adapted slightly from Dragon 240, Vol. XXII, No. 3)
Paranoia and fear nearly consumed the character, and to a lesser degree, the rest of the party. Eventually, this fear caused the character to suffer from terrible nightmares regarding the injury.
Whether they were foreshadowing, or merely a psychological reaction to the character's fear...was never established.
To this day, the injury has not yet befallen the poor PC, though whenever tensions rise, the character immediately draws on his fear of the uncertainty of his fate.
The PC's enter a rather large town most likely in a domain where high culturel level like dementliu(sp?).
They stay at a tavern called "the last cut". The tavern shares a stockroom with it's neighboor who happens to be one of the towns two doctors. (reneseance surgoens). His name is Doctor Filthow.
The second night they stay at the inn, the torso and head of a farmers body is found hanging from a pole in the stockroom.
The farmers name was Walter Creiss
his arms, legs and abdomen was removed with high precision, with small blades. His eyes were cut out and replaced with cheap pearls. His mouth sown tight (lips sown/sewed together) and filled with dirt, earth and worms.
He has been killed severel days before the hanging.
His wife died 16 years ago, and the only family he has got is two sons.
1. Christian Creiss (farmer is a nearby town, unmarried)
2. Robert Creiss (farmer is the same town, retarted, unmarried, the village idiot.)
Robert Creiss has been treated with experimental medicin and surgury at the neighboorig doctor Filthow.
After the murder Christian begins to visit Robert much more frenquintly, well much more.
the investigation of the murder:
The doctor has an aliby
Christian has a weak aliby, no confirmation
Robert has an aliby.
The pc's discorver that Walter Creiss owned a lot of land at the egde of town, where a lot of powerful people wants to build a new tavern.
the land is inheireted by a woman named Patricia Venholtz, who turns out to be Walter's oldest daughter. The reason why no one has heard about her is that she has a different mother than Robert and Christian. She has an aliby, she have been in the other end of the country the last couple of weeks.
If they scearch the suspects houses and they will at some point, they discorver that christian has some small blades lying in some drawers, he also has a number of disected(sp?) animal corpses lying out back.
He also has a couple of pictures of dwarves hanging around.
Christian has a little cottage of the egde of "his" town. In it, the PC's find a lot of small blades on a long table and the remains of a guarduniform, and the legbones, the bones of the rightarm, and the skull of a man. All the bones are in the fireplace.
Two months ago a guard disappeared in a nearby town.
Not something everybody knows.
Robert has a sort of repressed memory, remember that he is retarted. He has a vision of a white HOUSE by the sea, where a woman/girl (mostly woman) cut Walter with a knife.
-
Christians cottage is white and there is a large LAKE (not sea) nearby.
At the same time they are out there, dr. Filthow gets murdered, back in the town.
Christian also has papers regard the creation of the perfect race (see plot section).
The rest of the investigation I leave in the hands of the DM, now to the plot.
The plot:
Christian has a dwarf fetish, so he is trying to construct a "frankenstein" dwarf, the new supreme speciment of the master race.
He will construct it after a philosofical principal much likes plato's state theory.
He needs the legs of a farmer --> the come from Walter, the body was the remains, the part he didn't need.
He needs the torso and right hand/arm of a soldier --> the guard in the cottage.
He needs the left arm and head of a scholar/doctor --> dr. Filthow
Then he would insert the eyes, the brain and the heart of his retarted brother, making him the first of the new master race.
In addition each of the three victims/ body part providers have to die in a special way.
The farmer must return to earth --> must suffucat in dirt
the soldier must be cleansed --> must be burned
the doctors soul must be outdriven --> he must be drowned.
Final comments:
Put clues and lose ends in the story as you like.
add people and change names as you like
As I have told your I have played this story, I have rewritten it so now it is more simply and I think it fits a little better to conventionel prg now.
But I can tell you that I was pretty scary to play the full story in a LARP.