Horror in D&D 5e (Updated for 2024)

How to Make D&D Scary

As a forever DM who also loves Halloween and horror movies, I love incorporating horror into my D&D games. Whether I’m preparing for a Halloween-themed session or simply aiming to break the mold of traditional D&D gameplay, tapping into horror can really provide a fresh experience for my players.

The essence of horror lies in atmosphere, pacing, and payoff, whether your party is fleeing through shadowy woods from a headless horseman or unearthing dark secrets in a town that feels off-kilter.

Here are my tips to capture those feelings in your D&D session.

Atmosphere

There’s an unmistakable nostalgia that comes with Halloween—a holiday that many of us in North America grew up loving. Even as we age, that excitement lingers. As summer gives way to autumn and the leaves transform, the air becomes thick with anticipation.

This anticipation intensifies as pumpkins dot the store aisles and neighborhoods begin to drape themselves in tombstones and spider webs. Whether you’ve witnessed this seasonal transformation firsthand or only through the lens of film, the atmosphere is simply magical.

In crafting an effective atmosphere for my campaign, I focus not just on gore and fright, but on creating an unsettling feeling that all is not as it seems.

The atmosphere should feel darker, slower, and colder—shrouded in ambiguity and deception.

Sure, if you want blood and dismemberment in your adventure, that’s perfectly fine. But remember, a well-crafted atmosphere can build tension and suspense without relying solely on shock value to keep your players on edge.

Pacing

Managing horror in D&D can be quite the challenge; there’s no denying that. As DMs, we’re already tasked with weaving engaging storylines, developing NPCs, and captivating our players’ interest.

When it comes to horror, however, we also need to plant seeds of mystery and foreshadowing, hint at the lurking threat without fully revealing it too soon, and expertly build suspense before delivering a satisfying payoff.

To optimize pacing in a horror adventure, I utilize two strategies: macro and micro pacing.

Macro-Pacing for Horror in D&D

Macro-pacing governs the overall story arc of the adventure, mapping out the events and their sequence. To help structure my horror narratives, I follow this quick macro-pacing guideline:

Establish Normalcy – Begin by introducing the setting and depicting a “day in the life” of the characters.

Create Unease – Drop subtle hints that all is not well in this seemingly normal world.

Build Suspense – Introduce an event that solidifies the party’s sense that something is amiss.

Ease Off the Gas – Provide a logical explanation for the earlier event, leading the party to believe the danger has passed.

Lay the Trap – With the perceived threat neutralized, the party becomes unsuspecting.

Create Unease – Plant another clue that hints at lingering danger.

Build Suspense – Allow the party a chance to escape the trap (even if the chance is illusory).

The Trap Closes – This is the climax, where terror reaches its peak, yet the true nature of the threat remains largely unknown.

The Threat Revealed – The party finally confronts the source of their fear, curiously often marking a transition to a less intense moment.

The Threat is Dealt With – Once the party overcomes the threat, the tension begins to dissipate.

The Threat Isn’t Dead (optional) – Embrace the classic slasher trope if it fits your narrative; if not, feel free to skip this step.

Resolution – Dawn breaks, the terror recedes, and life returns to normal.

Cliffhanger (optional) – But does it really…?

While the structure I laid out works well for short horror adventures, it doesn’t always hold true for a full-length horror campaign. When my players embark on longer quests, they’ll likely encounter multiple variations of this outline, as the heroes dispatch one threat only to face another.

That said, the lessons we’ve gleaned from shorter adventures remain valid. At its core, horror is about suspense. To cultivate that suspense, you need to allow the story to breathe.

If I keep the horror dialed up to eleven throughout the entire session, I lose the chance to build tension—the very essence of terror.

Micro-Pacing for Horror in D&D

While establishing tension in the overarching adventure is vital, it’s equally crucial to create tension in each individual scene. When I craft descriptions for my players, I pay close attention to pacing, manipulating sentence length to build that necessary tension.

For instance, if my players step into a dark hallway, I might describe it like this:

This paragraph introduces the scene slowly. The longer sentences allow my players to relax and visualize the setting. Then, when I want to ramp up the tension, I shift to a quicker rhythm:

While the outline of your story serves as the skeletal framework of the adventure, creating tension through narration is the flesh and blood of effective horror.

As I write my scenes, I reflect on:

• How can I slow things down to let the tension breathe?
• How can I describe the setting to introduce uneasiness?
• How can I shift the pacing from slow to fast to amplify the tension?

Payoff

Many believe horror stories resonate with us because they evoke intense emotions and offer a cathartic release. If my players don’t reach a satisfying conclusion, they might miss out on the full spectrum of emotions that effective horror can deliver. Crafting that satisfying conclusion often hinges on foreshadowing and mystery.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is one of the most potent tools in a DM’s arsenal for crafting horror. Tension arises from cultivating unease, and nothing evokes that feeling quite like an ominous symbol.

I don’t stress about foreshadowing while drafting my initial adventure or campaign outline. Instead, once the framework is established, I read through it again to identify unique or particularly chilling elements and weave those symbols throughout the story.

For example, having a villager accidentally fall into a lake and need to be saved is a perfect bit of foreshadowing to a horror story that involves drowned zombies attacking a quaint fishery village. To ensure my players notice these symbols and feel a growing sense of unease, I weave foreshadowing into scenes where the tension isn’t too high. The “Establish Normalcy,” “Create Unease,” and “Lay the Trap” moments are prime opportunities for these ominous hints.

Mystery

Horror without mystery is like wading through water instead of actually swimming. In order to get fully submerged in the tension of the situation, there needs to be suspense. The best way to create suspense is by creating a sense of the unknown. As soon as the mystery of the situation has been revealed, the tension begins to leak out of the story.

Running mystery scenarios in D&D requires finesse. There’s always the risk that I, as the DM, might be on a different wavelength than my players, which can result in the mystery never being solved. Conversely, if they feel railroaded into discovering the solution, it can undermine their sense of accomplishment.

To run an effective horror adventure, I carefully manage what information I keep hidden and how players can uncover it. Here are some handy guidelines for planning mysteries:

• Don’t lock any information behind a roll. For example, if the players fail their Persuasion check on a grieving widow, she might not divulge details about her husband’s death, but perhaps she has kept a journal that they can sneak in and pilfer.
• Provide modular answers. It’s very unlikely that the players will solve all of the mysteries in your adventure. Don’t make it impossible to succeed without all of the information that you’ve locked away. Instead, make each piece of information the players have gathered grant them a small advantage over their situation.
• Be fair to your players. While I don’t want to hand them the solution on a silver platter, I also shouldn’t expect them to leap to impossible conclusions. When in doubt, I keep the mysteries and their resolutions simpler than I think. After all, I’m the one who devised the mystery, so it might seem obvious to me but not to anyone else.

Create Your Atmosphere

Trying to spook your players will be much harder when the room is brightly light with the sun streaming in through the windows and the birds chirping outside.

Crafting a spooky atmosphere requires engaging all the senses:

• Sight: If I’m running a session during the day, I block out as much sunlight as possible. Nothing eases anxiety like bright light! Once that’s settled (or if I’m playing at night), I create uneven lighting. Dimming the lights and using candles or flashlights for flickering, directional illumination can be particularly effective. Adding props like spiderwebs and old books can further enhance the ambiance.
• Sound: As always, it’s important to play D&D in a distraction-free environment. Try to limit outdoor sounds as much as possible, make sure all phones are on silent, and make use of a spooky ambient soundtrack to set the mood.
• Touch: This might not be feasible for everyone, but lowering the room’s temperature can add to the eeriness. A fan that creates spooky drafts can also enhance the atmosphere.
• Smell: Burning candles or incense works wonders for ambiance. I’m particularly fond of Firelight Fables for mood-setting candles. If I want a genuinely spooky vibe, I recommend the Haunted Tales candle.
• Taste: Break out the pumpkin spice lattes! I’m only half-joking here. Snacks are a staple for any tabletop session, so why not elevate the experience with some seasonal treats?

What’s That Behind You!?

Thanks for reading! I love Halloween and spooky D&D, so I take any chance I can get to spread the word about how fun it can be. I hope this article has provided you with some guidance for running horror in D&D.

What kind of horror adventures do you plan to run? I’d love to hear about your ideas in the comments below!