When it comes to planning a Halloween holiday session there is so much procrastination and so little time.
All Hollows Eve is upon us, and like many, we often find ourselves scrambling to create a memorable Halloween gaming experience. Costume panic and game prep panic, it all feels the same. Can we muster up a session that we can run with minimal prep that feels unique and fun?
As GMs, we frequently find ourselves facing the challenge of insufficient time to plan a Halloween session. We often resort to using scary monsters from the Monster Manual in hopes of creating a terrifying atmosphere. And the fear of inadvertently derailing our main campaign with a Halloween plot thread looms over us.
We'll borrow mechanics from popular spooky party games to inject fun and tension into our game, ensuring a swift return to normalcy in the following session.
Then, thanks to Patrons Lyla, Leprecan, and DangerousMarmalade, we've collaboratively created a spine-chilling Halloween story for a last-minute session. The story centers around an old ghostly legend of a musician who lures victims to their doom with haunting melodies. The townspeople once confronted this malevolent musician, sealing them in a cursed tomb to prevent further harm. However, the magical seal is now weakening, leading to eerie happenings and disappearances in town. We've also got some rules to layer on to this story, leading to player possession, special abilities and a horrifying showdown.
The hosts outline the rules for the session, where possession, mystery, and teamwork play a pivotal role. The possessed players must use their special abilities to make their way to the musician's coffin, while the rest of the party tries to thwart them. The game mechanic includes special abilities, possession detection goggles, and optional complexities like additional goals within the dungeon.
Special thanks to Patrons Lyla, Leprecan, and DangerousMarmalade for their creative contributions to this spine-tingling Halloween adventure. And of course to all of you who made this episode possible with your continued support. Inigo the Brave!, Adam F., Alex R., Steve A., Kuraidoscope, Skyler E, PseuArt, Blackthorne, FirstLaw, PeakcockDreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Timewarp, DangerousMarmalade, No Ma'am, Michelle T, Adlerious, Chris F, The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, DM Natske, Heavyarms, Leprecan, and Will HP.
Halloween Session Rules and Guide
Session Rules for Players:
If you are winked at, you are possessed by the spirit. When the musical cue hits, you must use your ability, and try to get to the coffin as best you can to open it and release what resides inside. If you are winked at, keep it secret until the musical cue sounds or the GM directs you. You are only able to use your player character stats, movement, and special spirit possession ability to achieve your goal.
GM Steps:
The GM secretly chooses a number on a die (appropriate to the number of players), and the players roll until someone hits it.
When the haunt begins, the GM secretly winks at the player who will become possessed.
Everyone rolls initiative. The possessed always goes first or last (if you wish to add additional tension in the first possession) in the initiative order.
The GM provides a horrifying description as they play a musical queue for the possessed.
The player then can look at their special ability, and can immediately use it in an attempt to get to the coffin in the dungeon, to open it. They must simply use their stats and movement, no magic or weapons, and no special abilities other than what the spirit has given them.
If the possessed is unsuccessful at getting to the coffin, they can attempt to wink at another player to pass on the possession and the cycle starts again. The original player is no longer possessed.
If the spirit is not making much progress after 2-3 possessions, the GM can wink at another player as the spirit learns to inhabit multiple creatures at the same time.
When or if the players open the coffin, the spirit is reunited with its physical form. It ceases to possess anyone and gains all of its abilities on top of the creature stat block the GM has chosen.
Optional Complexities:
Player Special Ability
Someone from the town provides the party with one or two magically imbued goggles, that enable them to see when the spirit is passing from one body to another. In gameplay, this means that only one or two designated people can stop the possession from passing on. Meaning if they see a possessed player wink at another player, they can stop it from happening. They cannot stop it from happening to them. This functions like the detective in some versions of the game Wink Murder.
A one-time-use possession-detecting wand or item, used to prove the location of the spirit within a player. Once used and confirmed, it becomes inert.
Alternate Goals
The dungeon can have subgoals that the possessed can pursue on their way to their body. things like opening a grate or iron gate that allows some lesser monsters or minions to enter the fray. (a swarm, ooze, rats, or something in that vein).
There could be a physical interaction that increases/decreases the amount of fog in the dungeon. (Doors to sealed tombs, the environment inside causing fog to roll out) This way the possessed can decrease visibility, and the party can increase it.
Special Possessed Player Abilities for D&D 5e:
The special abilities are all based on concepts like extra mobility for the possessed, and restrictions on the movement and actions of the party. Things like frightening, stunning, etc. Special mentions are turning into fog and a sonic blast pushback.
Each use of an ability costs 2 actions.
The possessed magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
The possessed utters a blasphemous word. Each non-undead target within 10 feet of the possessed that can hear the magical utterance must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the possessed next turn.
The possessed fixes its gaze on one creature it can see within 10 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the creature’s gaze for the next 24 hours.
The possessed uses its Paralyzing Touch: Melee Spell Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
The possessed magically transforms into a whirlwind of fog, moves up to 60 feet, and reverts to its normal form. While in whirlwind form, the creature is immune to all damage, and it can’t be grappled, petrified, knocked prone, restrained, or stunned. Equipment worn or carried by the creature remains in its possession.
The creature blasts all backward with a musical toot. Each creature within 10 feet of the possessed must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or take 13 (2d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The possessed can then hovers up to half its movement speed.