How do I make Haunts fun?

[Lucy_Valentine]

I'm running my own material in 1e, and my PCs are probably going to a Spooky Crypt to deal with a ghost problem. Fine and dandy, but as I was prepping the first encounter outside the crypt I noticed the Haunted template for constructs (the crypt is guarded by constructs), which got me thinking. Since the ghost problem is supposed to be causing some localised metaphysical havoc, we could reasonably expect Haunts, Haunted Constructs, and random undead. Haunts fit the scenario conceptually.

My problem is, how do I make them fun? If the haunt manifests and zaps the PCs, that's not really fun. It's just a "gotcha" type trap. If it throws up an obstacle, they can just back off and wait for it to go away. So I think I need the haunt to manifest and throw up some sort of tactical obstacle into an already extant combat, like for example some mobs and then a manifestation of Haunting Mists or similar. Has anyone done this, was it fun, and am I at least on the right track? Or is there a better way?

[deuxhero]

Haunts are basically traps with their own flavor. Advice for making traps interesting applies equally well to haunts.

[Tim Emrick]

The best haunt encounters give information about their origins, which gives the PCs clues about what happened at the site in the past. They might provide clues for how to end the haunt, or clues about the nature of the being(s) responsible for the haunt (who may still linger nearby in some form). Sometimes the haunt is the ONLY clue to how to complete the mission successfully, so the PCs might need to be open to the idea of experiencing a haunt's effects in order to get that knowledge. (It need not be the whole party taking that risk, obviously.)

I realize that you're running your own material, but here are a couple of examples of PFS scenarios that make good use of haunts that provide more context for the adventure they appear in:

Spoiler:

Psychic Phenomena (1st-level quest) and The Haunting of Hinojai (tier 5-9 adventure).

They should spark some ideas for how to make your own haunts more interesting than just a nasty "gotcha."

[DungeonmasterCal]

I agree. Haunts can add flavor to an encounter or even be the seed for an adventure in itself.

[gnoams]

1: actually read the haunt rules. There's a number of parts that get glossed over or are simply not known by most GMs. Like the part about communicating with them (using linguistics) to figure out how to put them to rest, or the part where they are fear effects so paladins are immune and fighters get their bravery bonus against them, etc.

2: If they make the perception and beat initiative 10, give them a creepy description of something to react to, make it really obviously supernatural horror. Players feel frustrated when they feel they have to metagame because the GM doesn't give them enough description to figure out what is going on.

3: A haunt should be a mini-quest if not a full blown adventure. There should be a story behind why the place is haunted, it can be straightforward like someone stole the ancestral idols from the grave so the spirits are restless, return the idols to put them to rest. Or it could be a long convoluted mystery. Haunts are designed to be part of the story. When used as plot devices they are fun, when abused as throwaway traps they are just frustrating.

4: Don't overuse them.

[McDaygo]

I ran a 13 haunt game. Players were locked in a building with magically no escape unless they freed the 13 haunts. So they had to deal with not only the haunts themselves and random undead but supply management. No one was a cleric or divine caster so food was limited.

Then I threw in the food they existed in the house was from the first world. In my games fey food when eaten on the material plan has weird effects (temporary to longterm pending save but never permanent). The players actually never had to eat the food as they had enough rations to last the week in game it took them but all had fun.

At the end when the 13th spirit was freed a door that was locked (couldn’t be picked or forced open) opened up for a bbeg fight with treasure.

[Davor Firetusk]

Depending on your party one way to help emphasize the story can be to tone down their power level. You usually need for the haunt to manifest to get the story aspect, but the general instinct is to try and nuke it first. Being worried adds to the tension of course, but too much and it leads to the kill it quick before it kills you.