10 Spooky D&D Creatures for Your Heroes to Face
It’s October and we are fully immersed in the spooky time of the year! In celebration, I am dedicating the rest of the blog posts in October to everything that is ooky, cooky, or downright spooky. Legend says that All Hallows’ Eve is when the barriers between the realms are the thinnest, or when the dead walk the earth once more. I am not sure if I believe either of these are true, but I am certain that this time of year is a great opportunity to pit your players against the spooky scary types of creatures in theme with the season. Before you run these creatures, be sure to have safety tools in place to help navigate scary situations. Check out my blog about why consent in horror is important. With that said, Content Warning: I will be covering content that includes common phobias and fears as we cover some unique monsters you can throw at your party this October.
10. Insect Swarms - Is that a hair that just brushed your arm, or the legs of a small insect? Do you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end? Feel your skin crawl? Few people like bugs. And swarms of them can be terrifying for players both in and out of character. Having a bucket full of creepy crawlies dumped on anyone would be cause enough for a jump scare. Unsuspecting insect swarms are a great addition to a spooky session.
9. Giant Insects - Picture a tarantula the size of a dinner plate. Terrifying right? Now picture a spider the size of a horse. . .with a taste for human flesh. . . . Spiders are a whole lot scarier when the prey they are hunting is you! If that isn't enough to give you the willies, do I need to remind you of how spiders “drink” their prey? Gross!
8. Skeletons - There is something primal and scary about a skeleton. Logically, we know that we all have bones within us. But is that all that will remain after we shuffle off this mortal coil? Bones? There is something deeply disturbing about a creature stripped down to the base of its being and reanimated with hollow eye sockets, a jerky gait, and murderous intent. Perhaps it is that we see in a skeleton our own mortality.
7. Specter - Is there anything scarier than a malicious spirit? Invisible, untouchable, able to walk through walls, filled with anger, and impossible to reason with. Unlike the skeleton, these creatures are stripped of more than their bodies. They are stripped of the very thing that made them human. Compassion. Instead they are twisted by hatred and trapped by their own rage.
6. Mummies - There is something disturbing about the dead, isn't there? Think of the desiccated corpses whose time has long since passed rising from the dead for some malevolent purpose or to enact some horrible curse on those who have awakened them. These shuffling, moaning creatures are a horror classic and will serve you well when the party delves too deep into a temple of a long lost god or king.
5. Zombies - I can't stand zombies; they terrify me. There is something about the loss of self, loss of free will, and the fear of infection. Fortunately, D&D zombies are not contagious (unless you make them that way >:D). They are still a terrifying sight to behold though–a corpse shambling, slack-jawed and bleary-eyed, in search of a cannibalistic meal. *Shivers* Still can’t stand them. NEXT!
4. Devils - Many cultures are filled with stories of malevolent creatures that exist beyond the veil of this world. These creatures take many forms and often tempt mortals into selling their very souls in exchange for wealth or power. These beings from other dimensions seem to delight in suffering and misery and ultimately are rather fear-inducing. If you saw a three-foot-spiked-bat with a pitchfork, you would run too.
3. Werewolves - There is something primal about the werewolf. Man returned to his most savage roots. Returned to nature. Returned to the hunt. They know neither friend nor foe, there is only blind savagery and a need to feed on those weaker than themselves. Werewolves present a unique opportunity for the players to face the savagery within themselves if they become cursed by lycanthropy.
2. Cultists - In my mind the most terrifying monsters are real. Those that revel in sowing discord and death. While the reach of a lone maniac is fortunately short, the concentrated efforts of a delusional group can be far-reaching indeed. That is why cultists are a great monster for your group to face. So prevalent in D&D are cultists, that they can be found in nearly every module in D&D 5e. These cultists are also zealous in their dark beliefs and callus in their execution of their duties. Looking purely at their stats, they are not too far off from a commoner. Regular people turned into monsters = truly terrifying.
1. Monsters in Disguise - After some dark topics, it is time for something light! I really like the idea of monsters dressing up Scooby Doo style to scare villagers. Goblins dressing up as ghouls, Duregar pretending to be ghosts to scare away miners, and kobolds trying to pass off as a dragon born. Sometimes that scary npc you have been talking to is just three kobolds in a trench coat!
There you have it, folks. 10 spooky creatures to introduce to your campaign this month. Which are you most excited to use? Join us next week as we tackle another spooky topic!
Take Heart!
Karington Hess
Game Master and Founder of Open Heart Games
