Hey everyone I have a couple things that I would like to talk about today.
First of all have any of you heard of the SCP foundation and the monsters/artifacts stored within?
Second I would like some advice on how to use some of these monsters in a pathfinder game that I am running (Specifically SCP 173/ the concrete monster and SCP 372/ the peripheral monster)?
thanks Rednal. I think I should've been more specific. I wanna ramp up the horror factor that these monsters bring. The concrete monster is completely impervious to injuries of any kind (Assumed as high caliber gunfire was useless) and the Peripheral monster usually does nothing more than simply freak people out with an occasional sighting on their peripheral vision.
Again sorry I'm still new to these boards.
Concrete monster is defeated by the beholders!
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Uhm, look Classic Horror Revisited, in Chapter 3 is mentioned "The Blind Angels". The characteristics of these particular gargoyle are related to this villains of Doctor Who... and SCP 173 ;)
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Well, keep in mind that most skips are threatening level 1 to 5 experts.
A high level PC would be a skip in a SCP universe. Hell, look at SCP-076 for an example of that.
Stopping SCP-173 just requires having two people, but you could resolve the effect as an immediate coup de grace if the PCs botch somehow (possibly allowing a tough or lucky PC to actually withstand the neck snap attempt - PCs are insanely tough compared to real world humans, after all).
I don't think SCP-173 is invincible; I don't recall anything about that in the entry. Rather, the Foundation normally doesn't try to "kill" objects, and will often go to extreme ends to keep an object alive (and in containment).
682 is really the only one I've put any thought or effort toward converting into Pathfinder stats, myself, and it's actually pretty simple to stat: Large or Huge aberration, high move speed (possibly with a climb and/or burrow), absolutely devastating claw and bite attacks with some nasty critical feats tacked on, Swallow Whole, insane Regeneration with no yet-known bypass similar to the Tarrasque.
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"Skip-682, stop being a total psychotic a-hole or we'll Imprison your butt and you'll get to enjoy Rovangag sitting on your head."
... do you really want to attempt a touch attack against that thing? >_> Especially knowing it'll get a Will save to negate?
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The best way to scare or weird-out PCs is to present them with items/creatures/events that blatantly DON'T follow the rules of the game. They don't have to be immediately deadly, and you need to use them with a very light touch, but they need to behave in ways that telegraph instantly to the players "You have no idea what I am or how to deal with me".
SCPs are good inspirations for stuff like this, but even if I was going to use one I wouldn't bother statting it up. I'd just make some notes about how it behaves and interacts and then let the PCs stumble into it.
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Rules Stuff:
Haunts are a good way to ratchet up the fear and are rather difficult to interact with, except through their story.
Hell Unleashed recently introduced manifestations, which are basically haunts created by divine rituals.
Speaking of rituals, the ritual section in Occult Adventures isn't strictly about horror, but provides a framework to explain a lot of weird stuff... and provide the necessary tools to seal things away.
Talking the Talk:
It's old advice, but only because it's right: the difference between a an XP pinata and a terrifying monster comes in on the description.
Bugbears are a great example. Most adventures use them as bosses in goblin tribes or servants of greater evils. But they're also basically serial killers who delight in the fear of the young and the weak. Blur the line between primal fear of something hunting you and the very modern fear of serial killers and you've got a heady cocktail.
There's even a variant of bugbears (the slate-stalkers) that hunt in urban areas and can only be seen by their victims. There's probably already an SCP for that somewhere.
But read a lot and dwell on the individual words and mental images that hook into you and provoke a visceral reaction. Use those words and images with the monsters and locations you have. Your players won't always have the same reactions, but it's a good place to start.
In Session:
There are two basic problems you'll run into: distraction and frustration.
Distraction is everywhere. Keep an eye on what your players are paying attention to, whether its you or their phones. Players will always be distracted, but you'll find pretty quickly what keeps their attention on the horrors you're laying out for them.
Frustration is a little less obvious. Players are sitting down to play a game. Unlike the characters in stories, the players can get up and walk away (or just disengage) if the story stymies them. Be sure that there's always something they can do to move the story forward.
One Last Thing:
Running any sort of horror game requires a special sort of buy-in from the players. If you have a group that just wants to have a fun dungeon romp, it's like them going to the theater expecting a summer blockbuster and getting a horror movie. It might be a good movie, but it isn't what they asked for.
So talk to people about it first. Both in general, whether people are interested in the campaign being a little harder/scarier, and any specific things in horror that bother people. Going all slasher/gore on a squeamish person, for example, is just a cheap shot.
Cheers!
Landon
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Be sure to take into account that there are a number of SCPs that are just ridiculous powerful. Many people want to make their own Keter class and throw on ultra abilities(The Caine Threshhold as it is known at SCP)
Use Keter class very sparingly