help me creep my players out, want shivers up the spine Options

[Raptor1033]

my players often end up in high speed chases and i'm planning on a chance encounter with a little girl playing in the street, if they don't notice her in the heat of the moment and run her down i want a few ideas from you guys on how to haunt them with it. i already plan on having the npc in the group bring up the image of the little girl staring shocked at the van as it's about to run her over and brood over it while they're around. i also plan on having a shedim enhabit her body a few months later (we're playing in oct 2060 right now, a few months before hailey's mania starts up) and start haunting them, or maybe just a free spirit sympathizing with her poor luck. stuff like them seeing a pale girl standing in an otherwise very dark area or doorway. scaring them with her appearing in an area they thought secure, etc. maybe in another chase have her in the middle of the road the exact way they ran her over but all the sudden all the electronics in the van fail, any other ideas? or is it a bit too weird for implementation?

edit: and if they figure it all out maybe they can go on a quest to the metaplanes using a spirit's gateway power to put her spirit to rest

[Frag-o Delux]

It could end up on the news with a large community out cry. If they watch the news it could freak them out, that someone, a large community could possibly be out to get them. It has happened here in Baltimore, they even renamed the street after the little girl. I guess if the street close to their hide out they might have to go down it often, and every time they do remind them that is where it happened. Have meeting take place where they would have to go down that street. Communities in my area make makeshift shrines at places like that. I can't seem to drive down certain streches of road with out seeing wooden crosses with flowers and dolls sitting there where someone was killed in a drive by or a drunk driving accident.

[Herald of Verjig...]

Check MitS. There's rules that permit ghosts. They can have "chains" which prevent them from being permanently banished unless the chain is broken. A chained specter would be able to do many of the creepy things you want. You could either break the normal rules for chains, or find some way that makes the PCs unable to identify/find the chain for some time.

There is no explicit rule for pacifying a ghost, but the "haunted" housing flaw in SSG implies that it is a way to deal with them.

(after re-reading the flaw)It also implies that a chained specter may not have a physic'al chain but a conditional chain, which would fit your purpose perfectly.

[Frag-o Delux]

Sometmes the mind is better to use then an actual spirit. I know a guy who hit a guy on the highway, completely an accident, not doing anything wrong. He told me he still sees the guys eyes everytime he closes his. That was the last thing he saw before the impact and the guy went under the truck. All it takes is a little reminder, and it being all over the newspaper the next morning.

[Herald of Verjig...]

Give everyone who saw the girl (before, during or after) a flashback flaw? That's probably the closest in game rule for what your truck driving friend faces.

Secret flashback flaws are interesting, the PCs don't know or roll, just see the results.

[Frag-o Delux]

He couldn't drive for weeks after the accident.

[kevyn668]

Though not entirely inline w/ this thread, the most horrible thing I've ever heard of is Chantrel's Horror

Ask Herald about it....and may the Great Maker have mercy on your soul.

[Morgannah]

Something I might suggest if you have the time:

Make a recording of your standard running music and keep ambient during the session. Find a few soundbites; a little girl's laughing, crying, screaming, or even just talking but have it so low that it'll be something passively heard and then lost before any of your PCs can pick up on it. A lot of effort, maybe, but I can almost guarantee that a couple of sessions of that will begin to mess with them royally. Have the PCs find dolls/ribbons/wilted flower chains in the oddest places when the music is at it's softest and maybe find her face where their reflection should be....

Not sure if any of this helps but I hope your concept works out for you, whatever you decide. ;)

[Herald of Verjig...]

Another option just occurred to me. A mage saw the incident. The mage was disturbed by the event and decided that if he couldn't forget it, neither should anyone else who was there. He immediately begins a process to (with the aid of a strong Influence spell) insure that the girl is remembered by all who were there.

Whenever they try to find evidence, there is nothing to support what it was they saw, but they all keep seeing the same girl. Never recorded, but always showing up.

If you want any solid effects (like the ribbons and such), it fits better with a harmless unbanishable spirit. If you just want sights, sounds, and PCs questioning if you are implementing sanity rules, flashbacks (real or spell assisted) would be a clean mechanism.

[Joker9125]

[Morgannah]

I've always found that my PCs are far better at freaking themselves out than I could ever be. Give them a few things to work with but don't force it on them if you can help it ... they'll do all the work on their own if you let them. The little girl doesn't even have to be a ghost and no one else has to know it was the characters that killed her; their personal feelings of remorse (paired with a few subtle reminders on your part) may be all that's needed. Remember, you want to give them chills, not bash them over the head with parawhatchamacallit.

[Arethusa]

While I wholeheartedly agree, it is worth pointing out that that is the sort of thing that works with a mature group of players and not with a bunch of out of touch, over the top kids.

[Anymage]

Well, if the group is a bunch of drama queens, all they need is the slightest provocation to reminisce about the poor little girl. (Although the players might not feel creeped at all... but making the players feel creeped is its whole own issue.) "Over the top kids", or for that matter most players, probably won't feel as bad, and for that matter probably shouldn't. (After all, if the choice what happens to the little girl is taken out of their hands [be it by luck of the dice or GM fiat], they'll feel more railroaded than responsible for it.) Besides, on the whole, isn't it a little silly for hardened criminals who kill regularly to get all weepy over one little tyke?

If you want the players to have a reason to get creeped out and be involved, make them the only people who see her get pointlessly killed, and the only ones who can bring justice for her. That way, you can have more fun with "telltale heart" style ghost things, and give her ghost a good reason to play on their consciences, while giving them a clear way to "make right". But in any case, be very, very careful not to overdo anything. Lack of information is the scariest thing to players, and the more you bring her out, the less creepy she is and the more she's just annoying.

[toturi]

Watch the The Ring series for freak out ideas. Korean horror movies, gotta love em...

[TinkerGnome]

To generate true fear, make it subtle and long-term. The rigger notices a small red stain on the front of his van. He cleans it off. The next day it's back (it migrates to whatever he's driving for extra creep factor). PCs keep hearing a child laughing (or crying) nearby, but they never see anyone. Strange dreams, things only half seen in mirrors.

Darkness which seems darker than it should, barely seen movement when nothing is there. This kind of stuff can drive a character nuts. I had a Fading Suns priest character who had a psychotic break because of this one time (I almost followed suit, I was kind of creeped out). Note to players, when the priest starts ranting about evil being everywhere and you doubt him, if he then says, "Well, this'll show yah!. This should piss 'em off." uncorks a vial of holy water and begins sanctifying something that could be a dark altar... then is a good time to run. Man, I loved that character.

[Lindt]

This is one of those rare chances to use paranoia rolls. For your players, not your PCs. :vegm:

[BitBasher]

Juts remember this: subtlety works best. What the players don't see will frighten them more than what they do. Their imagination will always come up with something worse than you can, because theyir imagination is based on their own fears. Let them know something is happening but never let them know exactly what. The devil is in the details.

[Smiley]

A little understatement is creepy. Like finding a blood-splattered teddybear where one shouldn't be. Maybe a hair ribbon with a red smear on it. Something like that. I know that would creep ME out. I'd immediately assume i was being hunted my all manner of nasty, horrible spirits and other supernatural beasts. But that's just me. (And my GM... that bastard.)

[Phaeton]

[Nikoli]

Also, whenever they have some static on the team radios, have the faint laughter of a little girl. Nightmares work wonders, as do fiated visions from the team shaman's totem to make a wake up call.

[Arethusa]

I should point out that subtlety within the medium is your friend. If my GM tells me that I hear faint laughter every time I talk to someone over my radio, it's going to feel very cheesy and heavy handed. A cloddish narrative will get you nowhere. If you are in the practice of desribing background noise every single time you describe a situation, and do so in great detail, that's one thing, but to simply insert it where no such descriptions were before will simply fall flat.

Keep your narrative style consistent.

[Shockwave_IIc]

Change the way you discribe things, instead of them waking up to the sound of the telecom beeping , once or twice when you think the've forgot (or you think they think you've forgotten) have them wake up to the sound of kids playing in the street (or hall..). Also so asnot to make it so you've railroaded them, give the driver an option, either an easy manouver roll (going through the girl) or an very difficult one (going around the girl) Cause if your pretty spitefull, have the bad guys just hit her themselfs (though i wouldn't recomend it mie self). Or if the bad guys are in front, have them go round the girl, Then the option becomes gain anadvantage (go through the girl) keep a clean concious (go round the girl. Loads of why of playing it. Just if they hit her, make sure it looks like they chose to, then play with the flashbacks/ hauntings etc...

[LaughingTiger]

Subtlety, subtlety, subtlety.

The idea here is to draw a picture by NOT drawing a picture. The empty spaces are what should draw the eye, the colour on the canvas is just to frame that empty infinity so the mind can shape it to whatever it is most afraid off.

The scariest monsters are the monsters we never see. Your players should never really encounter exactly what's haunting them unless they decide to take action about it. We can scare them by not revealing what it is that haunts them.

For starters: The characters stop dreaming. This is especially helpful if you have any awakened characters. You dont' have to give it a numerical effect. Just, when their characters wake up, mention something about them being tired, not really rested... a "dreamless" sleep. When they roll for actions, fidget slightly with the results. When I say fidget, I mean make them believe something is wrong, they might have a negative modifier they don't know about. They don't, and you know that, but they don't, and they will begin to wander. "I need to search the room.. " .. "Roland rubs his eyes, the room distorting slightly, as a feel of exhaustion haunts him".. subtlety, all in the mood. The Not Seeing comes when they decide to take action. They'll be unable to divine their own dreams and anyone they ask looks HORRIFIED and refuses to speak of what they saw, or can only give bits and pieces.. "I see small hands wet with blood reaching for you.. Oh god.. I can't..."

Other children around them should just feel.. wrong.. Like have a kid across a hall, happily jumping rope one minute. The next, the pc turns around to see kid staring at them, with no smile. A blink, rub of the eyes, kid is back to jumping rope like nothing ever happened.

Slip things into NPC conversation. Subtle things. Refuse to repeat them when a player asks.... "so, that's 5 grand for the work. Good job guys, too bad about the accident..."

Figure out a set of imagery that you want associated with the girl/ghost/thing. use that. Dont' make it obvious.. looking above, the jump rope works... Character watching the Trid, western comes on, man is hung, with a jump rope.. quick flash. Character has rope in their backpack? Flash of it looking like jump rope..

The subtle things are meant to encourage your characters to investigate what's going on. If you play up the subtlety, the encounters with the spirit will be spooky enough, because the players will have spooked themselves.

And for a last bit of advice, I'd say the most imporatant thing to determine is what the spirit wants from the characters. A reason, justification for the killing? A last request? Revenge? That main desire will determine the tone of the other encounters.

[Lilt]

If you want to get to the players then you could try making it personal. If any of the players have little sisters, daughters, or cousins then you could try mentioning that she looks like the girl killed. A variant is saying that she looks like a younger version of XYZ girl that people in the group find attractive.

If you don't want to be quite as evil to the players then shift the recognization in-character.

Subtlety is good too, don't say that they see ZYX girl in the road, leave the description until later, and add it as an afterthought.

[snowRaven]

Yeah, i'd say you should go for the subtletly approach already mentioned. If you want to, make all those effects the subtle use of a ghost's powers.

Make her haunt and her chain the PCs car; that way she can follow them around for a long long time. Never, or rarely, let them see her. Describe some details when (if) they hit her - like a doll in a blue dress hitting the windshield, a smear of blood on it's face. Let them find a ribbon or bracelet stuck to the car afterwards. Make those appear now and again. Watch the movie 'Dark Waters' and note the use of the red bag in that movie. The ribbon or bracelet can appear back on the car, or somewhere else where it shouldn't be. The doll can be found on the floor of the car, or in one of the character's apartments - or maybe even in a corp installation they are making a run in.

A mysterious girl can make appearances on security cameras the runners are watching during a run. They see a small figure in their car when they are approaching it, only to find the car empty. Other people ask about the kid they brought with them.

Maybe give the ghost the accident power and have her use it on the most inopportune moments during other runs or chases, without telling them it's her. Their car just starts acting up on them now and again.

Make the events seem unrelated to begin with, but as the characters start investigating and trying to figure it all out, slowly let them realize the truth. Once they figure everything out and get rid of the car (demolishing it, preferrably - otherwise give the ghost compulsuon power and have the new owners return it all the time) things stop. For awhile... see, the ghose had Hidden Life fixed on the girl's doll, and she starts haunting them again. Make the doll appear often, and once they make the connection somehow, they have to track down the doll and destroy it, to banish the ghost. Or bury it on holy ground to release her spirit.

Maybe the doll was found by some squatter or bum close to the accident, and they took it home and gave it to their child, or their favorite street kid. The kid has been playing with the doll, and talking to their new 'friend' - the ghost of the little girl. The kid will be very reluctant to part with the doll, and the characters will ultimately have to choose between being haunted or steal from a child.

Important powers to give the ghost (if you want to stick to the rules or all this): Aura Masking (so that all the materlialized objects (doll, ribbon/bracelet, girl) can appear mundane to an astral viewer), Hidden Life (to make it even harder to get rid of the ghost), Compulsion (used on the PCs to make them 'think' they saw things, otherwise used on NPCs to make them act weird or return the car if the PCs try to gt rid of it), Accident (to make the car haunt the PCs as well), Fear (never actually used, but all these subtle things are part of the fear power - maybe use it on an NPC the PCs have to kidnap to make him refuse to get into the car 'the car is evil, I see death - get away from me!!!" - works even better on a willing extraction), Psychokinesis (to move objects, cause subtle effects, 'operate' parts of the car, and maybe even break it - "you walk out to the car to find the right headlight smashed in again" of course, that headlight was smashed in the accident...)

Have fun! All this has given me excellent ideas for my campaign... Time to put the horror back in the sixth world :vegm: