The Last-Minute Spooky-Time Session

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

1. 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.

2. 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

1. 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).

2. 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.

1. The possessed magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

Crafting Homebrew Horrors for Your Heroes

Create monsters that'll turn those characters into heroes.

Some of the best moments in a game come from when a brave party of adventurers stares the worst conjurings of your imagination in the eyes and says "Not today, death!" Especially when the monster feels unique, like it's come into the world just to face down these heroes, and even manages to shock and delight the players. In this episode, we show by example how we go about achieving exactly this.

It's a simple process that's taken time, and learning lessons the hard way, to develop. We've discarded techniques like scouring through thousands of monsters trying to find that *perfect* fit, or spending way too much time learning the math behind rulesets in the hopes that it will unlock some kind of magic shortcut. Eventually, we realized the best, and fastest, way to make those horrifying moments pop is to create a simple monster that fits the story, rather than finding a complex one that doesn't.

In the Sanctum of Scholars, we get some inspiration for this season's main monster. We're cooking up a predatory creature that has evolutionary stages, yet seems eternal. To find ingredients, we turn to the terrors of the ocean waves. We cover the way a tiny blue dragon harvests venom, the life cycle of a glowing jellyfish, and the daring culinary adventures of a simple fish.

In Lamashtu's Breeding Pit we take our monster through the stages of horror, detailing its horrific evolutions and unique abilities. All the ideas are derived from the player characters we know it'll be fighting, as well as the many inspirations we've collected up to this point. We come away with something that we couldn't be more excited to run.

Horror Roleplaying Guide

As always, huge thanks to our patrons for making this episode a reality.

Inigo the Brave, David P., Adam F., Alex R., Steve A., Sigma, Kuraidoscope, Skyler E., Deadman, Ninja Duckie, PseuArt, Blackthorne, First Law, Peacockdreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Timewarp, Dangerous Marmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Adlerious, Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., DM Natske, Heavyarms, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Beware the Basilisk

Unleash terror at your table by harnessing the petrifying potential of this legendary beast.

The Basilisk. A violent, monstrous lizard that can turn you to stone with a glare. While fun at first glance, this monster betrayed us. The first time using it turned into a panic, when we realized how immediately and irreversibly deadly they can be against a fledgling party of adventurers. “Wait, petrified? Like, for good?” Not only that, but they come across like a beast to just plop in front of the party for slaying. But wait! Turns out there’s plenty of lore and real-world inspiration we can use to turn these scaly brutes into battles to remember.

In this episode, we run through inspiration and frameworks to create a compact horror adventure around the Basilisk.

In Archives of the Ancients, we discuss what could inspire our adventure. First, we turn to the animal kingdom. Since a lot of legends claimed that the basilisk was snake-like, we dive into cobras to see what they can offer. Then we check out some of the absolutely ridiculous legends about basilisks, involving the capital punishment of roosters, mirror suits, and more. We finish off by briefly discussing Stoneman Disease to see if that can inform our adventure at all.

Then we roll along to Lamashtu’s Breeding Pit. Here we fold all of the previously discussed inspirations into our simple story structure to lay out a concept, followed by our horror guide to layer it with tension and details, both downloadable at Resources — Hook & Chance. In the end, we have an adventure outline we’d be excited to run, where the party has to contend with superstitions, con artists, basilisk broods, and unexpected abilities.

As always, huge thanks to the support of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

Alex R., Steve A., Sigma, Kuraidoscope, Skyler E., Deadman, Ninja Duckie, PseuArt, Blackthorne, First Law, Peacockdreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Timewarp, Dangerous Marmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Adlerious, Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., DM Natske, Heavyarms, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Planning a World-Ending Monster

Bring the shock, awe, and depth to gargantuan beasts that they command.

We all desperately crave the boss monster moment. When we pull out the miniature bigger than our heads and slam it down on the table. The players go wild. One of them is screaming while ripping out chunks of hair. One is vomiting in their dice bag in the corner. One is lighting the map on fire. You sit back and cross your arms, a satisfied grin creeping across your face as the chaos grows.

Okay, maybe that’s a little much.

But in order to get this kind of grand reaction, there’s a little leg work we have to do. If we don’t, people will get a little excited. Then they’ll run up and start swinging. Then 4 hours later, they strike it down. Or, maybe you made it real tough, in which case they can’t hurt it, get frustrated, and die. Also not fun. In this episode, we cover some planning you can do to ensure your boss-monster fight lives on forever as an epic moment.

In Moradin’s Forge, we start with why. There are three main scenarios of incredibly large monster fights that identify why we would include them in our games in the first place. They can exist on their own, or in succession if you use the monster as an entire adventure or campaign. With each, we discuss themes, approaches, and key moments.

Scenario 1: It’s a force of nature - “Don’t fight, just survive”

Scenario 2: It’s impossible odds - “Your attacks aren’t effective… but there might be a way”

Scenario 3: It’s a terrifying obstacle - “It’s powerful, but with your powers combined”

Then we get into a checklist of elements to include in your prep for maximum impact.

1. Create a ticking clock

2. Identify the party goal

3. Define the collateral

4. Define the devices for success

5. Define the alternatives and choices

6. Intro your scale

7. Plan for approach

8. Define the tactics, environment, and stakes of combat stages

With that, you should be pretty well equipped. If not, join us for our next episode where we drill down into the story beats and combat stages of each scenario, so you have no shortage of inspiration for your own nasty giants.

As always, huge thanks to the kaiju-sized support of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

Steve A., Sigma, Kuraidoscope, Skyler E., Deadman, Ninja Duckie, PseuArt, Blackthorne, First Law, Peacockdreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Timewarp, Dangerous Marmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Adlerious, Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., DM Natske, Heavyarms, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

The Revenant Revival

Relentlessly pursue revenge against the party in the most delightful way with this dreadful undead.

Revenants capture a particular genre of monster, and we love it. They have been represented in the great slashers in the form of characters like Jason and Michael Meyers. No matter how many times you think you got 'em, they're back and angrier than ever. And as a GM, nothing sounds more fun than chasing the party with an undead foe that, no matter how many times you blast to bits or behead, will just keep coming.

But to use them in a satisfying way, as always, we need to do more than plop them into a session. They risk being a boring fight that just turns into a chore every time they come back from the dead. That's why we go through three stages of a revenant adventure that will hit all the right beats to terrify and delight your table.

In The Strategy Stateroom we create a loose adventure using three stages. The first is building up The Horror, creating tension and suspense until the revenant directly confronts the party. Then we go through The Haunting, during which the revenant changes tactics and causes mayhem and destruction from a distance. Finally we get to The Mystery, where the party has to figure out how to kill it for good and face it for a final showdown.

Check out the old radio horror story we referenced in this episode, He Who Follows Me

And as always, huge thanks to the support of all of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

Pseu Art, Blackthorne, Firstlaw, Peacockdreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Garr the Pirate, Timewarp, Dangerous Marmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Felix R., Chris F., Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W, Ty N, Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Rust Monsters: The Biggest Rustholes

Evolve these bugs from wrecking characters' things to giving your story wings.

It's always tempting to use monsters like the rust monster because they seem iconic. Classics. Gotta try 'em at least once. The problem comes when we mix the original punishing design principles of D&D with the modern character and story first playstyle that we love so much. Now they just feel like an annoying trap that steals from me. In this episode, we adapt the Rust monster to the way we like to play games. In Kinship Camp, we break down three categories of improvement for the rust monster: as a tool, an environment, and a dynamic threat. As a tool, the rust monster as a pet works on both sides of the table. You've got a lockpick, hinge destroyer, hidden weapon detector, and more in your trusty companion. They can also be used as a narrative tool as written to heighten a moment of defeat. Our caveat here is to allow for a moment of great victory afterward, perhaps with new, or better equipment. As an environment, we can theorize about how a habitat could be made much more interactive and thematically "rusted", and as a dynamic threat, there are plenty of simple additions we can make to this beast that makes them much more interesting to tangle with.

Thank you to the patrons that joined us on our monthly episode writing hangout that helped with the content in this episode:

Leprecan and Lucas D.

And as always, huge thanks to the support of all of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

FirstLaw, Blackthorne, Victoria O., PeacockDreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Garr the Pirate, Timewarp, DangerousMarmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Alan E., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R., Aldrost, Leprecan, Will H-P.

The Modron Mathematical Mayhem

Run Modron combat that challenges and delights.

So we've got dimension-surfing cyborgs with cultural values, motivations, and personalities. Now we have to plan for inevitability that some frantic adventurer is gonna wanna throw down. But as they're currently presented, we're a little underwhelmed by their combat dynamism. Advanced beings from a plane of law, and they're throwing javelins at us? In this episode, we aim to create encounters with Modrons that engage, confound, and allow for triumphant victories.

In Kinship Camp we start with a recap of what Modrons are currently capable of. Then we discuss all the elements we want to consider before we get to fighting. We talk about their motivation to fight, we reflavor and add abilities to better capture the themes they represent, talk about methodical tactics they might use, and even how their home plane, Mechanus, might offer useful elements for a dynamic fight. Then we put it all together in three stages of an encounter designed to be creatively and logically solved, not beaten over the head with a hammer.

Speaking of logic puzzles, here's a link we promised in the episode to give an idea for how Modrons might test a creatures capacity for law and order. Game: Tchuka Ruma – Do It And How

Thank you to the patrons that joined us on our monthly episode writing hangout that helped with the content in this episode:

DangerousMarmalade, Lyla G., and Leprecan.

And as always, huge thanks to the support of all of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

FirstLaw, Blackthorne, Victoria O., PeacockDreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Garr the Pirate, Timewarp, DangerousMarmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Alan E., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R., Aldrost, Leprecan, Will H-P.

The Modron Metaphysical Motivation

Roleplay Modrons that make more sense.

Modrons capture attention and imagination—bio-mechanical beings from an alien plane, with reality-bending inspirations. But when we start unpacking the lore, we can't figure out how or why to use them, how to roleplay a modron, how they behave, or what they really want. So in this episode, we answer these questions by tweaking the concept while staying true to its roots.

In Kinship Camp we go over the inspiration for these bizarre creatures while adding a bit of our own. This includes Flatland, a short story about god, and ants. Y'know, arguably the strangest creature in our reality. Then we start loading ideas into our culture creator, available here. By the end, we've got a creature with motivations, goals, quirks, how their language could work, and even what they might say.

The Modron voice tool we used can be found here: https://voicegenerator.io/

The online tone generator can be found here: https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

Thank you to the patrons that joined us on our monthly episode writing hangout that helped with the content in this episode:

DangerousMarmalade, Lyla G., and Leprecan.

And as always, huge thanks to the support of all of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

FirstLaw, Blackthorne, Victoria O., PeacockDreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Garr the Pirate, Timewarp, DangerousMarmalade, Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Alan E., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R., Aldrost, Leprecan, Will H-P.

A Chimera of Chaos

Create Chimera encounters that present new heights of tension, creativity, and tactics.

Chimeras are legendary creatures that have invaded folk's imagination since the ancient Greeks cooked them up. An epic three-headed beast conquered by the son of a god. Juicy. But have you ever been a part of an uninspired Chimera fight? Yes, they're deadly, but after a couple flyby triple head attacks things get stale. In this episode we talk about building up to a Chimera reveal, and spicing up combat to engage every player at your table.

In Kinship Camp, we discuss what bits of the Chimera we love, including bits from the Greek legend, their potential nature of pure chaos, and how much of a monster they really are. Then we flesh out a mini adventure, focusing on the tension-building beats of horror to make it a moment.

In Lamashtu's Breeding Pit we push the concept of the chimera to its limits. Combine three creatures, you say? Can do. We each take a crack at a triple threat monster cobbled together from fearsome beasts of D&D. Which would win? You tell us.

As always, huge thanks to the support of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

PeacockDreams, DM Thunderbum, Marley R., Garr the Pirate, Timewarp, DangerousMarmalade, Nico Y., Zach G., NoMaam, Michelle T., Alan E., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R., Aldrost, Leprecan, Will H-P.

A More Brutal Bulette

Even more dangerous than a Bulette is running them as a surprise monster. The better build-up to a Bulette must be unearthed.

The Bulette is such a cool monster. A deadly tunneling, armored hunter, a leaping surprise attacker, a vicious apex predator. So then why does running one exactly as they allude to feel so lackluster? It turns out the answer may all be in the build-up.

We look to the original inspiration for this monster to build a more engaging lead-up to it's reveal in the Strategy Stateroom and use old approaches from our horror episodes to hype the Bulette for our players and whip them into a frenzy.

Kuo-Toa - The Deep Ones Rise

Disturb your friends with grotesque, abomination worshipping fishy folk.

Kuo-Toa seem like just another throw-away low-level mook at first glance. But with a little attention paid to their strengths, they can become a powerhouse of creepy, unsettling, off-putting, and downright nasty gameplay. Bring their god-conjuring freakiness in full force to your party.

in Kinship Camp, we start by looking at where these nasty fish folk come from, and how their cosmic horror roots can inform how to get the most out of them in your games. Then we get into some cultural details that help flesh them out a bit and discuss ways to have all of their strange behavior make sense within the fiction while keeping their essence of unhinged creatures from the deep.

Then we head to Grandma B's Schoolhouse, where we take inspiration from the real world horrors of the deep to make Kua Toa even more terrifying and disturbing. From shark senses to frog babies to barracuda defenses, we layer a lotta weird in there. Be warned, it gets a little gross, but, y'know, in a fun kinda way!

As always, huge thanks to the support of our patrons for making this episode a reality.

Time Warp, Nico Y., Zach G., No Ma'am, Michelle T., Hentenius, Alan E., Matthew T., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Make Menacing Goblins

Goblins can be incredible mooks, but don't forget that they can also be terrifying monsters that lurk in the shadows.

Goblins get plenty of attention, and we love the classic chaotic little beasts. A lot of the time, they end up wherever a game master needs something to fight. But this episode is all about getting into a goblins head and figuring out what they're really up to. Next time you use goblins in a game your players will learn to fear the relentlessly clever survivability the goblin brings to every encounter.

In Kinship Camp we explore what goblin culture looks like. We start with their values and beliefs, and figure out how that molds the way they interact with the world. They wanna keep these adventurers far from their doorstep, and what better way to do that than to freak them out.

Then we go to the Strategy Stateroom to discuss solid tactics that goblins use in every situation where survival is at stake. They torture and test, hit hard and fast, take prisoners, and escape. These steps encompass all the ways in which they try to trap, overwhelm, frighten and destroy their enemies. Goblins make up for their lack of raw power with the instincts of a cockroach and the mind of an engineer, and they want you to fear them. Be careful on the roads at night.

As always, huge thanks to the support for making this episode a reality.

Steven Van C., Alan E., Matthew T., Felix R., Chris F., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

The Secrets of the Allip

Make your mysteries come to life with these cursed undead.  

Halloween is creeping up like an Allip creeps through walls, and we are bringing you another monster episode that really fits the tone for your Halloween games. The Allip is an underused undead, and that's fair. They have so much potential, it would be a damn shame to just slap an encounter in willy-nilly. These spirits can be plot movers, mystery creators, mind-melters and more.

In the Strategy Stateroom we catch ourselves up on what an Allip can do, and then break down what they can and can't be in your games. Playing them as a main antagonist could be a mistake. Instead, we think they work best as part secondary villian, part mentor, part mystery with a splash of body horror thrown in. Then we get into the details that can support a really strong horror focused adventure featuring the Allip. There's more to it than most monsters, but we think you'll come away with a few new thoughts on how to torment your table.

As always, huge thanks to the support for making this episode a reality.

Alan E., Matthew T., Felix R., Chris F., ISeeSpidersWhereThereAreNone, The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

The Oblex of Players Nightmares

Let the most mind melting ooze of them all make a massive impact on your next creepy quest.

Some monsters are meant to merely distract a party of adventurers, and some are meant for the spotlight. This monster is the latter. It combines elements of some of the greatest horror classics like The Thing and Body Snatchers. Its abilities are well considered for horrific tension building, and it can mess with peoples minds to no end. That's why we are super excited for this episode, where we get to dissect and put together the Oblex into a haunting adventure.

In the Strategy Stateroom we look at a few elements of the Oblex that we think deserve a little consideration. It plays with some really deep rooted human fears of losing our grip on reality, by making us suspect those around us of being imposters. It does this with its sulfurous impersonation ability. Based on the Capgras Delusion, this is a truly unsettling feeling. Then, since it can eat your memories, we talk about the different types of memories and how we can play up the horror by mixing and matching them. Finally we touch on some motivations for an ooze that enjoys the flavour of memories.

Then we head to a new segment called The Oracles Tower, where we create a horror themed adventure based on the monster and everything that's on the table. The party finds themselves trapped underground with a crew of dwarven miners, where it becomes more and more clear that there's something down here with them. We go from pitching ideas on how to throw the party off the scent, to how it would design its hunting grounds for maximum terror, to the extent of its reality bending nature.

As always, huge thanks to the support for making this episode a reality.

Alan E., Matthew T., Felix R., Chris F., ISeeSpidersWhereThereAreNone, The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Mind Flayer Horror

Give Mind Flayers their true power by investigating how they really think.

These creatures have so much potential as villainous foes. Almost too much! Evil entities from alien realms, hyper intelligent and terrifying in every way. All the detail and lore is great but it can be challenging to portray at the table, and the biggest crime would be to throw these brain suckers at the party like any other stat block. So we're looking at the things we like the most, and considering how we can use that to inform our portrayal of Mind Flayers in our games. This episode will focus more on the culture that defines Mind Flayers as a whole, then our next episode will focus in on how to make them as horrifying as possible.

In Kinship Camp, we start with what we love about Mind Flayers, and a couple general concepts for how we think about their mindset. We get into what their values could be and create some cultural details in the attempt to portray them better.

Then, in Lamashtu's Breeding Pit, we take a look at a creature that they use as an extension of their nefarious schemes, and make it fit our concepts of Mind Flayers a little better. The Intellect Devourer is a really neat minion for Mind Flayers, we just think there's a couple elements that don't make a ton of sense for us. We introduce some ideas that make the Devourer a creepier monster, and have real use for the Mind Flayer.

As always, huge thanks to the support these folks give us on our Patreon.

Felix R., Chris F., ISeeSpidersWhereThereAreNone, The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Menacing Mind Flayer Culture

Give Mind Flayers their true power by investigating how they really think.

These creatures have so much potential as villainous foes. Almost too much! Evil entities from alien realms, hyper intelligent and terrifying in every way. All the detail and lore is great but it can be challenging to portray at the table, and the biggest crime would be to throw these brain suckers at the party like any other stat block. So we're looking at the things we like the most, and considering how we can use that to inform our portrayal of Mind Flayers in our games. This episode will focus more on the culture that defines Mind Flayers as a whole, then our next episode will focus in on how to make them as horrifying as possible.

In Kinship Camp, we start with what we love about Mind Flayers, and a couple general concepts for how we think about their mindset. We get into what their values could be and create some cultural details in the attempt to portray them better.

Then, in Lamashtu's Breeding Pit, we take a look at a creature that they use as an extension of their nefarious schemes, and make it fit our concepts of Mind Flayers a little better. The Intellect Devourer is a really neat minion for Mind Flayers, we just think there's a couple elements that don't make a ton of sense for us. We introduce some ideas that make the Devourer a creepier monster, and have real use for the Mind Flayer.

As always, huge thanks to the support these folks give us on our Patreon.

Felix R., Chris F., ISeeSpidersWhereThereAreNone, The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Tyler G., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Horrify with Malicious Trolls

Embrace the vitriol of the Troll and make them into a foe your players will have a great time destroying.

Trolls have the potential to be some of the most disturbing monsters out there, yet are unfortunately the easiest monster to let sit as a never-ending bag of hit points. A monster whacking slog to end all monster whacking slogs. If we examine them a little closer, and look at how their unique abilities can be used to greater effect, then we can avoid that sloggy fate, and create monsters that horrify in new and terrible ways.

This episode is just one big Kinship Camp to explore how to roleplay the troll. We start with a grand recap of what the Troll is in 5th edition. Wild Con and strength, low intelligence, some furious bite and claw attacks, and of course, that famous ability to regenerate. Then we consider how a Trolls mind works, so we can roleplay them that much better. Their exclusion from Giant culture, which we discussed in Episode 83. Roleplay Giants with Culture and humanoid cultures alike, mixed with its chaotic evil alignment, likely make them hate filled outcasts. This is followed by a dive into their physical attributes and how we can flavor those for maximum effect, in a way that makes describing their abilities visually a little easier.

Finally, we mold it all into a horror framework, which you can download for free on our website. It always helps to structure all of our ideas into a playable horror based adventure, which is the whole point of this thing, right? The one we come up with for trolls is gruesome, nasty, and shouldn't be enjoyed by those looking for a wholesome time.

As always, huge thanks to the support these folks give us on our Patreon. ISeeSpidersWhereThereAreNone, Sean J., The Senate, Lucas D., Lyla G., The GM Tim, Nevermour, Thomas W., Ty N., Heavyarms, Erik R, Aldrost, Leprecan, and Will H-P.

Owlbears are Horrific Monsters and Adorable Pets

Layer all the wonders of nature into your Owlbear, for maximum terror and delight!

Owlbears can be a fun threat, a D&D roadside encounter classic, but as new DM's we had no idea how to effectively use them. Our encounters were barely a step up from Winnie the Pooh stumbling onto the road with a beak taped to his face, yelling for the party to treat him like a pincushion. In this episode we want to explore all kinds of ways to use owlbears, from a tool to menace your party with, to a dangerous part of nature, even as a friendly pet. Join us, and hopefully by the end you'll have all the fuel you need for your next Owlbear.

In The Strategy Stateroom, we consider the two sides of an owlbear. If they are stronger than your party, then you can use them as a terrifying natural treat. As such we build out a horror themed encounter inspired by the natural aspects of owls and bears. If the party could easily slap an owlbear around, however, they simply represent a part of the natural world. That's why we talk about different ways to incorporate them into your stories rather than simply as a monster.

Then we head to Griffon Street Market, where we talk about a new tool that makes your life as a DM much easier! Do you have more campaign ideas than prep time? Of course you do! Does your party have a peculiar knack for going that one place you’d least expect? Of course they do! Want over 1400 box texts, from places, monsters, items and spells to drop into your games? dScryb has seasoned writers creating this for your table. One of our favorite bits is that dScryb is a proud community partner of Safer Spaces, a 2S-LGBTQ+ Workplace Training & Inclusion organization. Safer Spaces played a foundational role in forming dScryb’s writing policy.

Check it out at dscryb.com and use the coupon code "hook" to save 10%.

We wrap things up with Grandma B's Schoolhouse, where we talk about the universal law of owlbears. Which is, of course, that somebody wants one as a pet. We discuss the taming of wild animals, and behavioral quirks to blend into these terrible, yet wonderful party pals.

Make Mimics Monstrous

The Mimic can be so much more than a tricky way to say "take damage" by a DM.

Mimics are the classic monster that's fun in concept, horrendous on execution. They are designed to be a trap that cannot be detected, and this drives us up a wall. So join us as we talk about what elements we would add that make them a lot more useful and fun for us to include in our games. We start off in the Strategy Stateroom to analyze what they can do, and what we can do to make them great. We think there absolutely needs to be some form of foreshadowing, and they've gotta have a reason to exist. Without those elements, we feel so deeply cheated when one of these little bitey critters latches onto our characters.

Then we go to Lamashtu's Breeding Pit, to see how we can add onto this classic beast to make it even more sinister. We consider its intelligence, it's ability for self control, and what other senses it could fool. By the end, we've got a monster that will be a compelling challenge for any trusty band of adventurers.

Building Frightening Fire Giant Culture

Refresh ideas about the giants that live in furious warfare.

Hey, look, we still love Giants. So join us as we explore the culture of Fire Giants! Go past their angry exterior and discover what really motivates them, how they treat humanoids, what they do when they are not fighting, how they talk to each other, and plenty more fiery fun. By the end, we hope you know exactly what to do when you pull a Fire Giant out of the ol' creature stash. Our favorite part of monsters is what lives beyond the stat block. To get into what makes Fire Giants unique, we went to Kinship Camp, and turned to our Culture Creator. You'll hear great additions that you can use to roleplay fire giants to their fullest in your games. We go from broad strokes, like talking about their cultural values and beliefs, all the way down to suggesting that they yell "Rust!" when frustrated, or give away forge hammers as a thank you.

The next step, then, is creating specific NPC's from the culture. So we head to The Extradimensional Gateway to pull a badass from history into D&D as a Fire Giant. We won't give it all away, but expect an unstoppable warrior/restauranteur. She's awesome and will add a lot to your party's next pit stop. Gotta give credit to badassoftheweek.com for inspiring this one.