HMM questions

[Grimsh]

I will be running this soon, and would like to make the Graul family as creepy as possible. I have not seen any of the movies listed to watch, and don't have the time to do so.

I was wondering if anyone could give me a few ideas.

Thanks.

[Entropi]

You mean they're not creepy enough as written?

Players and weak hearts, don't read on

Spoiler:

One of the things I did was to play them more like rats: Avoiding light and open spaces (which means moving the encounter outside their house to some creepy indoor location), thriving in their own filth (plenty of that already), eating each other, and avoiding fair fights. Of course, rats don't rape for fun, and the ones that have fallen from Mammys grace might try to abduct some small female character to a secret place for some of that ol' procreation.

Sexuality of the Grauls, in general, is a great subject to take the grossness over the top, if your players can take it. The combination between decay, feces, murder, torture, canibalism, necromancy, deformities, hilbilly half-humans and a dysfunctional family just gets better with a healthy dose of sex to spice it all up. Oh, and maybe it's a shame to let all those dead, unwanted girl-children get wasted in the latrine. You'll think of something.

Perhaps some underground tunnels from the basement to the forest would be in place, so they can throw axes from a distance, perhaps grab an uncareful halfling, and return to the house. The tunnels should of course be rigged with old rusty traps, and be well hidden.

In the fight with Mammy, make her Dimension Door away to the spider-room in the barn with one of the male players, preferably one with a poor will, as forced teleportation allows for a will save. If the spider manages to paralyze the player, Mammy can have her way with him while the spider eats his face. It all too rare that males get raped in roleplaying games.

Gross enough?

[Grimsh]

Excellent ideas! Thank you very much!

[Fraust]

I just want to tell you...that if it were possible for whatever twisted little wretch that presumes to set in place of a heart to show the slightest hint of love...it would be towards you...for the spider room idea. That was...thrilling.

I really like the idea of making them like rats. As someone who has owned several pet rats...and bore witness to some of the more interesting things rats do to eachother...that's a great way to look at things.

[Grimsh]

Oh, that spider room idea made me smile in sooooooooooooo many ways...especially after the party was creeped out by the Skinsaw Man...just wait for the horror of the Graul family.

Richard Pett and Nicolas Logue are my heroes.

[Fraust]

Have you seen the sinister adventures sight yet? Nick and Rich working hand in hand on some pirate goodness...complete with nude fire goddess...

[Grimsh]

I have checked it out and I love it. Their work is superb! I will probably be ordering some.

[Philip Keister]

Ok, folks. I need some help.

movie plot spoiler:

My group has managed to save the remaining members of the Black Arrows and picked Vale's brain clean of ideas. They burned down the new barracks, gathered and burned the bitterbark to herd the 14 shocker lizards out the secret door and into the area outside. According to the MM, shocker lizards are unlikely to attack anything larger than they are...I'm inclined to say that they kill off the 3 ogres and climb the walls to flee, leaving the leader at the gates staring at an open secret door...

Did anyone else have a party use the shocker lizards against the ogres? Other ideas would be appreciated.

[Blue_Hill]

^
My group smoked lizards to the fort using thick smoke from herbs that Black Arrows have used to lzard in the past. They also burned down new barracks and crushed the watchtower. These combined made normal ogres to lose their cool so I cut some fights. Chaotic situation was what my PCs wanted {at last] to do. Arson was their favorite part [mainly because they tried to burn Thistletop AND Foxglove manor down before..]