As before, I’m looking at Rime of the Frostmaiden chapter by chapter with an eye towards building a horror campaign.Whether this is a worthwhile goal, I leave to you to decide.
Let me start with something I should have put in the last post.If you want to get an idea of the icy, frozen visual scene you want to build overall, you should take notes from Fargo, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Whiteout, Wind River etc.For help with descriptive language try Jack London’s To Build a Fire, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter, and Peter Høeg’s Smilia’s Sense of Snow.I also highly recommend “Frozen Alive” by Peter Stark, which is a quick read:https://www.outsideonline.com/2152131/freezing-death
Chapter 2 is a challenge for the horror campaign.Like Chapter 1, it’s written as a sandbox, but while it has even more sites of interest, many of them are underwritten.Travel times begin to really count here as players will have to either plan their stops carefully, make camp on the tundra or risk getting lost in the dark after the four hour day ends.I think the Wilderness Encounter Table presented here doesn’t reflect the four hours of sunlight, so you’re going to have to be careful and plan ahead.Players will only be carrying so much food and fuel, so staying on course will become important.Time wasted on random encounters means either more resources burned along the way than intended, or players have to take the risk of traveling in the dark and increasing their chance of getting lost.
We also need, at this point, to start thinking backwards from the end of the campaign.What I propose involves some railroading, but, on the other hand, so does the entire rest of the book, chapters 3-7.If we want to give players a coherent experience, that’s going to require some planning.We know we have another few big dungeon crawls in chapters 3,6, and 7.We know they fight a dragon in chapter 4.Let’s decide how much of that we want them to do in chapter 2.
As always, I think the first rule of horror is to keep things pacey.There are three levels to get in Icewind, one for spending three sessions on this level, one for exploring three of the locations, and one for doing something awesome.Unfortunately, they only give two examples of a sufficiently extraordinary feat: the Goliath feud and the dragon.We’re fighting a dragon in chapter 4, and, in my opinion, there’s not much potential for horror in the Goliaths.We’ll just have to decide for ourselves when that threshold is met.
Again, I’ll start planning by rating the locations and associated quests for what I feel is their potential for horror.If anyone sees a horror hook I’m missing, I’d love to hear about it.
Icewind Dale:Places of Interest:
Angajuk’s Bell - 0/8 Creepy Twin Girls. This is whimsical and delightful. “Whale Oil Acquisition” - Black comedy, I’ll grant.But not horror; “Whale Hunt” -One might feel horrified on behalf of the hunters’ victims, but that’s not the kind of dread we’re talking about trying to create.That’s your usual high fantasy spur to right a wrong.We might have a use for Angajuk later, but not now.
Black Cabin - 6/8 Creepy Twin Girls - This one needs some thinking about.It’s essentially a horror-comedy episode with a horror episode tacked on to the end.I like the Coldlight Walkers.I’d love to have a recognizable NPC become one.I like the cabin siege.I like that it establishes Auril’s response to anyone who tries to undo her magic.For the first bit, think The Frighteners, or Ghost even.For the second, Night of the Living Dead, The Fog.“Provisions for Macreadus” - Who are you, Peapod?I’d honestly rather have the players find the cabin by accident.
Cackling Chasm - 4/8 Creepy Twin Girls - We’ve already seen animal horror episodes before, but gnolls are well-established punching bags, so I don’t think this quite counts as that.The problem, in my opinion, is that there are quite a few straight-up brawls to be found in Icewind Dale, and gnolls don’t have any very interesting horror traits.Think The Grey, Wolfen, Dog Soldiers.“Gnoll Heads” - Perfectly serviceable.
Cave of the Berzerkers - 8/8 Creepy Twin Girls - The berserkers aren’t smart, but they’re not animals either, so I don’t think they’re fast zombies.Also, they’re listed as fiends.I think the hook here could be that they actually try to take prisoners, and then infect those prisoners with their own madness, using a combination of torture and chardalyn.If the players are at the low end of the level range, this will be wayyy too hard for them.If “Black Swords” was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then think The Hills Have Eyes or Green Inferno.
Dark Duchess - 4/8 Creepy Twin Girls - I dunno.This is a great location.But there’s gonna be a dragon in Chapter 4.Id rather wait until then. Not crazy about the convenient helpful passerby either.Maybe think The Host (the parts with Hyun-seo in the sewers), Don’t Breathe, but with a dragon.
Id Ascendant - 6/8 Creepy Twin Girls - Oh, god, even the drawing of the ceremorph is cute.Never mind.Needs some rewriting, but ignore everything that smacks of Steven Spielberg and we can make a perfectly serviceable sci-fi horror out of this.The Thing From Another Word, It Came From Outer Space, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Alien. “Distress Signal” - We can do better than this for a hook.
Jarlmoot - 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls- Just a fight scene and a puzzle.Nothing wrong with that, but not horror.“Yselm’s Way” - Doesn’t add anything as far as I can tell.
Kahrkolohk- 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls - I think the story of Spellix Romwod is super scary and it fits in perfectly with RotFM’s themes of isolation, secrets, and paranoia.Unfortunately, Spellix Romwod is not one of your players.Your players are pretty much going to do a dungeon crawl and fight goblins.“Peace Out” - I like that your players are going to decide whether they’re on a diplomatic mission or an assassination mission.That adds tension.And of course, if you decide that Yarb-Gnock is also practicing diplomacy in good faith, the players can come all the way out there, get a peace treaty and then just go back, lowering the horror rating to 0/8.
Lost Spire of Netheril - 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls - I actually like Dzaan’s simulacrum and his quest, but there’s not much here besides a basilisk attack and all of Chapter 7 is exploring Netherese ruins. “Hunt for the Red Yeti” - I guess that’s as good a way as any of taking 300 gp from your players by fiat.
Reghed Tribe Camp - varies - This goes in a few different directions, depending on which tribe the players stumble across.Bear Tribe would be harsh but not hostile, and would be a good way in to the “ Cave of the Berzerkers” quest.Elk tribe would essentially be a safe square for players to land on, and a good place to rest and heal their wounds.Tiger Tribe are fanatical Auril worshippers and completely hostile.This could be yet another brawl, or it could be a stealth mission to replenish dwindling supplies.If they lose an NPC or PC to Tiger tribe, that person is certain to show up chasing the party in Coldlight Walker form.Wolf Tribe is controlled by a madman, but one who respects strength and needs new soldiers.He’d probably force characters into some kind of grueling test and then let them stay if they were found worthy.Letting them LEAVE might be another question.“Wolf Tribe Cannibals” - This kind of pins you down to a certain type of mission, but it also raises some unanswered questions:If your informant is a werewolf, is this particular group of Wolf nomads all werewolves?There’s potential here, though your players will hate you for letting them hunt werewolves without warning them to silver up.
Revel’s End - Are you kidding me!?There has been a forbidding supermax prison here this whole time?Why didn’t we start the campaign trying to escape this place?AND THEY TAKE THE PLAYERS’ WEAPONS?!?!SOLD!!!Oh, wait.They didn’t actually write anything happening here.Oof.- “Behind Bars” - Well, if you’re literally Sir Anthony Hopkins recreating your career-defining role, you can get 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls out of players interviewing Vaelish Gant and then going home.Think Silence of the Lambs, The Usual Suspects.If you take the information they give and do all the work to write an actual story of your own, you might get as high as 8/8, this is a fantastic setup.But you paid 50 bucks to not have to do that.
Skytower Shelter - 0/8 Creepy Twin Girls - These may be inevitable if there are Goliath players, but any horror factor at all is going have to be created by the DM.
Wyrmdoom Crag - 0/8 Creepy Twin Girls - See above.
Summary:
So I’m looking at the map and what I’d probably do is give them the “Behind Bars” quest the next time they’re in Bryn Shander.From Bryn Shander to Revel’s End would take two full four hour days of travel, but luckily for them, there’s an old cabin in the woods they can stop at.Maybe they even ask Copper about it and he gives the “Provisions for Macreadus.”I think its a dumb mission, but they can use the extra provisions.So first they get “Black Cabin,” then potentially a random encounter, then they get to “Revel’s End.”Here, I either write something myself, or I don’t and try to find a use for Vaelish Gant later.If things hit the fan at the prison, they’d have to get away without many supplies and I might have the “Reghed Elk Tribe Camp” be in the area to help out.If things had been going too easy for them, maybe it’s the “Wolf Tribe Cannibals.”Maybe I even follow through on making one or two of them werewolves and chasing the players through Lonelywood.Then maybe give them a day or two to rest up and tell them there are strange doings afoot in Dougan’s Hole.I really liked that location last time, but I skipped it for the sake of economy in chapter 1.Now let’s say the druid stones are acting as a signal booster for the mind flayers’ distress signal and half of the town’s inhabitants are standing trancelike in the circle repeating the distress signal in Deep Speech.Some of them have already frozen to death standing out there.(ETA:I realize now that I said to wipe out all the Spielberg stuff in “Id Ascendant” and then I added a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.You get what you pay for).A player with the Escaped Prisoner secret would understand what was going on.Players can see the weird glow on the horizon.And, because I’m evil, if a player had Slaad Host and stood inside the circle, I’d consider having the tadpole explode out of their chest and start flopping its way instinctively towards the nautiloid.Then run “Id Ascendant.”That should get them to level 7 and on to chapter 3. If I thought they needed something else, maybe “Cave of the Berzerkers” once they were tough enough.
Id Ascendant - 6/8 Creepy Twin Girls - Oh, god, even the drawing of the ceremorph is cute.Never mind.Needs some rewriting, but ignore everything that smacks of Steven Spielberg and we can make a perfectly serviceable sci-fi horror out of this.The Thing From Another Word, It Came From Outer Space, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Alien. “Distress Signal” - We can do better than this for a hook.
I like your ideas. I am planning to run this game next month. I think four hour day is very good to create horror mood and isolation feeling but , in my DM experience, my players tend to pick a race with darkvision so it will totally ruin it and they can continue traveling after dark.
However, if they have to stop travel after four hour, It won’t be much concerned since the whole adventure does not set time limit for any quest unless I have to improvise the story. Not to mention that what should be occurred during the long night time unless I give them any interesting encounters, it will be boring to just skip to the next day.
E.T. is one of the inspirations for this segment in my forthcoming series on running RotFM as a G-rated Disney movie.
I joke, but as someone who DMs for small kids pretty often, I genuinely appreciate the adaptability. Still, the fact that one can solo chapters 1 and 2 and get to level 7 without rolling initiative is...remarkable.
E.T. is one of the inspirations for this segment in my forthcoming series on running RotFM as a G-rated Disney movie.
I joke, but as someone who DMs for small kids pretty often, I genuinely appreciate the adaptability. Still, the fact that one can solo chapters 1 and 2 and get to level 7 without rolling initiative is...remarkable.
Yeah, The Id ascendant quest doesn't really dial up on the horror but It has some fun ideas that I could move around to suit the horror element.
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"Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced"- Soren Kierkgaard
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As before, I’m looking at Rime of the Frostmaiden chapter by chapter with an eye towards building a horror campaign. Whether this is a worthwhile goal, I leave to you to decide.
Let me start with something I should have put in the last post. If you want to get an idea of the icy, frozen visual scene you want to build overall, you should take notes from Fargo, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Whiteout, Wind River etc. For help with descriptive language try Jack London’s To Build a Fire, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter, and Peter Høeg’s Smilia’s Sense of Snow. I also highly recommend “Frozen Alive” by Peter Stark, which is a quick read: https://www.outsideonline.com/2152131/freezing-death
Chapter 2 is a challenge for the horror campaign. Like Chapter 1, it’s written as a sandbox, but while it has even more sites of interest, many of them are underwritten. Travel times begin to really count here as players will have to either plan their stops carefully, make camp on the tundra or risk getting lost in the dark after the four hour day ends. I think the Wilderness Encounter Table presented here doesn’t reflect the four hours of sunlight, so you’re going to have to be careful and plan ahead. Players will only be carrying so much food and fuel, so staying on course will become important. Time wasted on random encounters means either more resources burned along the way than intended, or players have to take the risk of traveling in the dark and increasing their chance of getting lost.
We also need, at this point, to start thinking backwards from the end of the campaign. What I propose involves some railroading, but, on the other hand, so does the entire rest of the book, chapters 3-7. If we want to give players a coherent experience, that’s going to require some planning. We know we have another few big dungeon crawls in chapters 3,6, and 7. We know they fight a dragon in chapter 4. Let’s decide how much of that we want them to do in chapter 2.
As always, I think the first rule of horror is to keep things pacey. There are three levels to get in Icewind, one for spending three sessions on this level, one for exploring three of the locations, and one for doing something awesome. Unfortunately, they only give two examples of a sufficiently extraordinary feat: the Goliath feud and the dragon. We’re fighting a dragon in chapter 4, and, in my opinion, there’s not much potential for horror in the Goliaths. We’ll just have to decide for ourselves when that threshold is met.
Again, I’ll start planning by rating the locations and associated quests for what I feel is their potential for horror. If anyone sees a horror hook I’m missing, I’d love to hear about it.
Icewind Dale: Places of Interest:
Angajuk’s Bell - 0/8 Creepy Twin Girls. This is whimsical and delightful. “Whale Oil Acquisition” - Black comedy, I’ll grant. But not horror; “Whale Hunt” - One might feel horrified on behalf of the hunters’ victims, but that’s not the kind of dread we’re talking about trying to create. That’s your usual high fantasy spur to right a wrong. We might have a use for Angajuk later, but not now.
Black Cabin - 6/8 Creepy Twin Girls - This one needs some thinking about. It’s essentially a horror-comedy episode with a horror episode tacked on to the end. I like the Coldlight Walkers. I’d love to have a recognizable NPC become one. I like the cabin siege. I like that it establishes Auril’s response to anyone who tries to undo her magic. For the first bit, think The Frighteners, or Ghost even. For the second, Night of the Living Dead, The Fog. “Provisions for Macreadus” - Who are you, Peapod? I’d honestly rather have the players find the cabin by accident.
Cackling Chasm - 4/8 Creepy Twin Girls - We’ve already seen animal horror episodes before, but gnolls are well-established punching bags, so I don’t think this quite counts as that. The problem, in my opinion, is that there are quite a few straight-up brawls to be found in Icewind Dale, and gnolls don’t have any very interesting horror traits. Think The Grey, Wolfen, Dog Soldiers. “Gnoll Heads” - Perfectly serviceable.
Cave of the Berzerkers - 8/8 Creepy Twin Girls - The berserkers aren’t smart, but they’re not animals either, so I don’t think they’re fast zombies. Also, they’re listed as fiends. I think the hook here could be that they actually try to take prisoners, and then infect those prisoners with their own madness, using a combination of torture and chardalyn. If the players are at the low end of the level range, this will be wayyy too hard for them. If “Black Swords” was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then think The Hills Have Eyes or Green Inferno.
Dark Duchess - 4/8 Creepy Twin Girls - I dunno. This is a great location. But there’s gonna be a dragon in Chapter 4. Id rather wait until then. Not crazy about the convenient helpful passerby either. Maybe think The Host (the parts with Hyun-seo in the sewers), Don’t Breathe, but with a dragon.
Id Ascendant - 6/8 Creepy Twin Girls - Oh, god, even the drawing of the ceremorph is cute. Never mind. Needs some rewriting, but ignore everything that smacks of Steven Spielberg and we can make a perfectly serviceable sci-fi horror out of this. The Thing From Another Word, It Came From Outer Space, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Alien. “Distress Signal” - We can do better than this for a hook.
Jarlmoot - 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls - Just a fight scene and a puzzle. Nothing wrong with that, but not horror. “Yselm’s Way” - Doesn’t add anything as far as I can tell.
Kahrkolohk- 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls - I think the story of Spellix Romwod is super scary and it fits in perfectly with RotFM’s themes of isolation, secrets, and paranoia. Unfortunately, Spellix Romwod is not one of your players. Your players are pretty much going to do a dungeon crawl and fight goblins. “Peace Out” - I like that your players are going to decide whether they’re on a diplomatic mission or an assassination mission. That adds tension. And of course, if you decide that Yarb-Gnock is also practicing diplomacy in good faith, the players can come all the way out there, get a peace treaty and then just go back, lowering the horror rating to 0/8.
Lost Spire of Netheril - 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls - I actually like Dzaan’s simulacrum and his quest, but there’s not much here besides a basilisk attack and all of Chapter 7 is exploring Netherese ruins. “Hunt for the Red Yeti” - I guess that’s as good a way as any of taking 300 gp from your players by fiat.
Reghed Tribe Camp - varies - This goes in a few different directions, depending on which tribe the players stumble across. Bear Tribe would be harsh but not hostile, and would be a good way in to the “ Cave of the Berzerkers” quest. Elk tribe would essentially be a safe square for players to land on, and a good place to rest and heal their wounds. Tiger Tribe are fanatical Auril worshippers and completely hostile. This could be yet another brawl, or it could be a stealth mission to replenish dwindling supplies. If they lose an NPC or PC to Tiger tribe, that person is certain to show up chasing the party in Coldlight Walker form. Wolf Tribe is controlled by a madman, but one who respects strength and needs new soldiers. He’d probably force characters into some kind of grueling test and then let them stay if they were found worthy. Letting them LEAVE might be another question. “Wolf Tribe Cannibals” - This kind of pins you down to a certain type of mission, but it also raises some unanswered questions: If your informant is a werewolf, is this particular group of Wolf nomads all werewolves? There’s potential here, though your players will hate you for letting them hunt werewolves without warning them to silver up.
Revel’s End - Are you kidding me!? There has been a forbidding supermax prison here this whole time? Why didn’t we start the campaign trying to escape this place? AND THEY TAKE THE PLAYERS’ WEAPONS?!?! SOLD!!! Oh, wait. They didn’t actually write anything happening here. Oof. - “Behind Bars” - Well, if you’re literally Sir Anthony Hopkins recreating your career-defining role, you can get 2/8 Creepy Twin Girls out of players interviewing Vaelish Gant and then going home. Think Silence of the Lambs, The Usual Suspects. If you take the information they give and do all the work to write an actual story of your own, you might get as high as 8/8, this is a fantastic setup. But you paid 50 bucks to not have to do that.
Skytower Shelter - 0/8 Creepy Twin Girls - These may be inevitable if there are Goliath players, but any horror factor at all is going have to be created by the DM.
Wyrmdoom Crag - 0/8 Creepy Twin Girls - See above.
Summary:
So I’m looking at the map and what I’d probably do is give them the “Behind Bars” quest the next time they’re in Bryn Shander. From Bryn Shander to Revel’s End would take two full four hour days of travel, but luckily for them, there’s an old cabin in the woods they can stop at. Maybe they even ask Copper about it and he gives the “Provisions for Macreadus.” I think its a dumb mission, but they can use the extra provisions. So first they get “Black Cabin,” then potentially a random encounter, then they get to “Revel’s End.” Here, I either write something myself, or I don’t and try to find a use for Vaelish Gant later. If things hit the fan at the prison, they’d have to get away without many supplies and I might have the “Reghed Elk Tribe Camp” be in the area to help out. If things had been going too easy for them, maybe it’s the “Wolf Tribe Cannibals.” Maybe I even follow through on making one or two of them werewolves and chasing the players through Lonelywood. Then maybe give them a day or two to rest up and tell them there are strange doings afoot in Dougan’s Hole. I really liked that location last time, but I skipped it for the sake of economy in chapter 1. Now let’s say the druid stones are acting as a signal booster for the mind flayers’ distress signal and half of the town’s inhabitants are standing trancelike in the circle repeating the distress signal in Deep Speech. Some of them have already frozen to death standing out there. (ETA: I realize now that I said to wipe out all the Spielberg stuff in “Id Ascendant” and then I added a scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. You get what you pay for). A player with the Escaped Prisoner secret would understand what was going on. Players can see the weird glow on the horizon. And, because I’m evil, if a player had Slaad Host and stood inside the circle, I’d consider having the tadpole explode out of their chest and start flopping its way instinctively towards the nautiloid. Then run “Id Ascendant.” That should get them to level 7 and on to chapter 3. If I thought they needed something else, maybe “Cave of the Berzerkers” once they were tough enough.
You forgot to add E.T.
"Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced"- Soren Kierkgaard
I like your ideas. I am planning to run this game next month. I think four hour day is very good to create horror mood and isolation feeling but , in my DM experience, my players tend to pick a race with darkvision so it will totally ruin it and they can continue traveling after dark.
However, if they have to stop travel after four hour, It won’t be much concerned since the whole adventure does not set time limit for any quest unless I have to improvise the story. Not to mention that what should be occurred during the long night time unless I give them any interesting encounters, it will be boring to just skip to the next day.
E.T. is one of the inspirations for this segment in my forthcoming series on running RotFM as a G-rated Disney movie.
I joke, but as someone who DMs for small kids pretty often, I genuinely appreciate the adaptability. Still, the fact that one can solo chapters 1 and 2 and get to level 7 without rolling initiative is...remarkable.
Yeah, The Id ascendant quest doesn't really dial up on the horror but It has some fun ideas that I could move around to suit the horror element.
"Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced"- Soren Kierkgaard