100+ Terrifying Encounters

[Ryze Kuja]

1) A Thrallherd Mind Flayer who favors using Mind Control on the PC's rather than a direct assault-- one by one, causing the PC's to succumb to his will and fight against the remaining uncontrolled PC's.

2) You're in a dimly-lit narrow hallway and see a skeleton floating towards you, with seemingly erratic, uncontrolled movement, almost like a puppet being controlled by a lazy puppet master. Once the PC's charge the skeleton, they find themselves stuck inside of a clear Gelatinous Cube, and the skeleton is still being digested.

3) A Banshee who is released from her haunt because the PC's stole an heirloom of her family. She will stop at nothing and allow the PC's no rest until it's returned. She's even gone to a nearby spirit harrow to "recruit".

[VoodistMonk]

Iathavos Qlippoth...

[Yqatuba]

Red dragon with a bunch of iron golems. Every time she breathes she tries to get as many of the golems in the cone as possible so they will be healed in addition to damaging the PCs.

[Cevah]

6) Entering a room with 100 baby goblins, just as the feeding bell arrives. Especially if there is a Paladin in the party.

/cevah

[Mark Hoover 330]

@ #2 above: Perception.

Gelatinous Cube/Transparent wrote:

Transparent (Ex)

Due to its lack of coloration, a gelatinous cube is difficult to discern. A DC 15 Perception check is required to notice a motionless gelatinous cube. Any creature that fails to notice a gelatinous cube and walks into it is automatically engulfed.

At level 1 a 1/2 elf Druid in my game began the campaign with a Perception +14 skill. If the Gelatinous Cube had been moving, the cube-like outer shell around the skeleton would've been noted instantly even if they failed the DC 13 Knowledge: Dungeoneering check to ID it. If the GC had stood still, this PC would've had to have rolled a 1, modified by distance, to note the ooze.

I'm all about atmosphere and cool encounters, don't get me wrong. In fact I'm a big fan of spending XP on low-level undead encounters to put something like an ooze, mold or some other template ON the undead to change it up and make it more horrifying. Just remember that for the players this is a game with mechanics they rely on for survival and they can use those skills to break the 4th wall of our terror.

[Brolof]

7) The players enter into a laboratory, giant vats of slightly glowing blue liquid sitting along the outside edges with stools to reach the top of them. As the party explores, one of the vats rocks and shatters as the crossbreed between a Howler and an Akata breaks loose, followed shortly by the ones in the other vats.

[Dasrak]

8) The party is exploring a graveyard on a foggy but moonlit night. As they step there's a subtle rumbling under the ground. A clawed hand reaches out of the soft earth and grabs at the ankles of one of the party members, forcing a save versus paralysis. The earth shudders as the rest of the ghouls emerge from the ground.

[DungeonmasterCal]

9) The PCs have been nearly beaten and are surrounded by Dwarven vampires when their leader, a Drider Vampire Cleric, descends on them from above.

[DungeonmasterCal]

Dasrak wrote:

8) The party is exploring a graveyard on a foggy but moonlit night. As they step there's a subtle rumbling under the ground. A clawed hand reaches out of the soft earth and grabs at the ankles of one of the party members, forcing a save versus paralysis. The earth shudders as the rest of the ghouls emerge from the ground.

A classic!

[Mark Hoover 330]

Speaking of Akatas I present a five room dungeon: Night of the Void

Setup: the PCs (APL 1) have been hired to guard the corpse of a ranger who'd stalked "horribly mutated panthers" through a salt marsh before his death. Said ranger's body is in a mausoleum for holding until the Pharasmin priestess can arrive. It is dreary night draped in fog and dread.

10a) as the PCs stand guard they hear a dread sighing and whispering fluttering down out of the trees; three Gravesworn Pixies (Pixie reskinned with Ghost Sound and minor necromancy cantrips/spells) demand that the "unnatural" corpse be delivered to them for proper rights. They approach in Stealth and use Ghost Sound to confuse their audience to their whereabouts (I ran this as a social encounter but it could turn to combat).

10b) while dealing with the pixies there is a sudden smash as the mossy tiled roof of the mausoleum bursts open. Clawing their way free is the risen corpse of the ranger, tearing into the graveyard unbidden and hungry. (Chase scene; one of the obstacles is a "fairy grave", a modified Pit Trap that deals no damage but inflicts Staggered on foes and mollifies undead. Note; any who inspect the Mausoleum find the ranger's gear including 4 vials of Salt Water to use as Splash Weapons later)

10c) the trail of the shambling creature tears over headstones and through scraggly willow branches. Finally ahead you hear a terrified female scream; through the gloom you spy an elder woman beside a grave cowering while a man lays sprawled upon the turf, the grotesque tongue and distended jaws of the undead thing savaging his helpless prey (fight scene with Void Zombie)

10d) the danger is finally past; the creature that was the corpse you were sworn to guard is no longer a ravaging undead. You all breathe a collective sigh of relief... but your elation is short lived. A sickening, rending sound issues from the carcass which is mutilated from the inside out. Bursting from the chest and abdomen comes a loping feline form, cobalt and hairless, slick with the gore of its birth, flailing a dozen tentacles from its earless muzzle even as its feral eyes narrow on all of you at once (fight scene with 1 Akata)

10e) having destroyed the unnatural beast the final threat has been removed. The grave digger arrives with the priestess of Pharasma and in short order the scene is cleansed and blessed, your wounds are healed and your pay is delivered. However as you make your way from the graveyard towards the inn rooms you will call home tonight there is a familiar, haunting whisper that descends from the eaves of the row houses ahead. (Epilogue that delivers info about an Akata den on the edge of a salt marsh where the aberrant creatures have awoken from hibernation)

[MidsouthGuy]

11) You walk into the inn after a long dungeon crawl wanting nothing more than a meal, a drink, and maybe a wench. Then a matronly female voice calls your name. IT'S YOUR MOTHER.

[Dasrak]

MidsouthGuy wrote:

11) You walk into the inn after a long dungeon crawl wanting nothing more than a meal, a drink, and maybe a wench. Then a matronly female voice calls your name. IT'S YOUR MOTHER.

Bonus points if the PC in question is half-dragon.

[Meirril]

12) Having entered the Labrynth of Kazahm and past many traps, trials and guardians you have entered an ancient and dusty laboratory. Instead of the Lich Kazahm that legends report, all you find is a crumbling skeleton in rich robes draped over a table. Rings adorn each finger, a heavy necklace lays on the table. An ornate crown has rolled a short distance from the Skull. The skull itself has had its teeth replaced with finely cut diamonds. You notice the body lays over an open book.

Then the skull suddenly floats up...