We’re in the heart of spooky season now that October is here. There’s nothing like the snap of fall, the giant skeletons popping up all over the neighborhood and the appearance of hours and hours of horror classics appearing on streamers across the board. Now is the perfect time to sit with your friends and tell scary stories together.
Wizards of the Coast has released some classic campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition that have thrilled players for years. Curse of Strahd, Ghosts of Saltmarsh and The Wild Beyond The Witchlight all have some great heart pounding moments. I’ve collected a few more options from the review copies on my desk because Dungeon Masters can never have too many options or inspiration
The End of Everything
Call of Cthulhu is to horror roleplaying games as Dungeons & Dragons is to fantasy. It pits normal people against the terrifying power of the beings of the Cthulhu Mythos. At best the main characters can battle these forces to a standstill and eke out one more day for the rest of the world to live in blissful oblivion.
Would D&D characters with their spells, magic items and class benefits fare any better? The End of Everything from Frog God Games drops such heroes into a world that’s slowly being warped by the corrupting forces of the Mythos. They might save the day but the magic they use might become unrecognizable as they are forever marked by The Great Old Ones.
Seven Sinners
Demons and devils are great antagonists for a horror themed campaign. Even though their power has often been downplayed in D&D thanks in part to the Satanic Panic, they are always lurking in the background. They plot and scheme, moving through henchman and agents rather than presenting a clear target.
Seven Sinners looks at seven demon lords with each one in charge of a specifc sin. The book discusses adventure ideas around each sin as well as monsters that work as a thematic fit to challenge the players. Mana Project Studio provides both Fifth Edition and OSR compantible write ups for the material in this for groups that want to do a little old school demon slaying.
Tales Of The Shadows
While Halloween often conjures up images of ghosts, vampires and other undead creatures, the darker aspects of the fey can also be quite terrifying. Tales of the Shadow from Kobold Press offers 14 tales of dark bargins, goblin mischief and other stories that can be dropped in to any campaign for a night of frights. Dungeon Masters can also use the campaign frame around a mysterious book called The Shadow Grimoire to flesh this out into full campaign.
For players who want their characters to begin with a little bit of darkness inside, Kobold Press offers a Book of Ebon Tides featuring several shdowy player options. This book details the courts of the shadow fey, allowing players access to new races, subclasses, magic items and other player options. It also can be used with Kobold Press’s 5e adaptation Tales Of The Valiant.
Grim Hollow
Transformation is at the heart of many horror stories. Ghostfire Gaming’s Grim Hollow offers not just a compelling dark fantasy world but a hance for players to use that dark power against the worst monsters. Players can seek to turn into liches, werewolves and vampires over the course of the campaign to gain the powers of those monsters while also dealing with their weaknesses.
The publishers also have a crowdfunding effort for Grim Hollow: Transformed running through October 2024. The game will be updated to better serve the 2024 Players Handbook and upcoming core books. It will also reintegrate feedback and lore from the current line to make everything easier to find.
Heckna!
With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice the his of this horror season, a lot of folks are in the mood for something that’s scary and funny at the same time. Heckna! from Hit Point Press offers a campaign set in a classic setting full of chills and chuckles. Players are trapped in a dark carnival and have to figure out a way to outwit, outfight or outlast the things in charge to escape.
Though written for levels 1-10, this campaign is also a great spin-off or follow up to Curse of Strahd or The Wild Beyond The Witchlight. Dungeon Masters should also check out the deluxe boxed set with dditional resources to help present the campign. It includes my favorite props out of all the campaigns in this article: the tickets used in the realm of Heckna as currency.
