Are you looking for a spooky/eerie one-shot, to run this Halloween? Well. I have something interesting for you. This is not your usual one shot, and is designed to push your players into experiencing a story in ways they (hopefully) won’t have done previously. The techniques employed in this adventure are actually straight from the repertoire of magicians, mentalists, and séance workers...
A Little Background
Outside of being a DM, I have a few other interests. Until The Event™, I was working as a full time, professional magician (and magic teacher). Unfortunately, the virus put that career path on hold (don’t feel bad for me though, I’m now working in a great place, and really enjoying myself). That doesn’t mean I don’t still perform, and it certainly doesn’t mean I’m not still thinking of new ways to put my skills to use. For a long while, I have wanted to combine my love of D&D and my love of performing magic together in a meaningful way (card tricks don’t really fit in the setting, I find).
In this adventure, I will be teaching you (fellow DM) a couple of techniques to create a truly magical atmosphere at your sessions, as well as giving you a fully written horror/Halloween themed adventure to employ them in. The techniques taught here have been around for a long time, with one dating back to séance workers in the 1800’s, and should bring an incredible element of mystery/unease to the table.
The Techniques
The first technique I will be teaching you is a very old idea. It is believed that ‘mediums’ in the 1800’s used it in seances to trick their audiences into believing they were possessing of some otherworldly power. Simply put, it is a way of producing a scent for your players to smell, without your hands ever leaving their sight. Mediums would often produce the scent of lavender (or other similar flower) whilst sat around with hands linked, when trying to communicate with the spirit of an elderly female relative. Most of the time, the audience would associate the scent with their dearly deceased grandmother, and immediately believe her “presence” to be in the room with them.