![]() ![]() There’s just something truly vile about someone who would violate sacred memories. When your family is dead, and you are made to believe that you are their accidental slayer instead of the demon that actually killed them, it will shake you forever as the demon observes you laughing from afar. Many mind-control spells will end and allow the controlled person to know they were controlled, but Modify Memory can create a false memory in your mind. When you can’t trust your own mind, you’ll be plagued by confusion and suspicion. The despair is compounded if a player has nowhere to run due to a confined environment, or if the Enervation caster has wings to fly above until all life has been drained, leaving the character as a husk on the ground while the life draining caster is invigorated. If a PC becomes the target of Enervation, it may horrify them that the enemy spellcaster is healing himself faster than the PC can deal damage. Horror is often accompanied by nihilism and a sense of despair. #7 – Enervation ( Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) Alternatively, a home haunted by a spirit can just toss players and old furniture around, creating a whirlwind of junk and people being thrown around by unseen forces. The party can’t fight their own ally, and they can’t banish the spirit without causing their friend to drop from far above. After possessed, the ghost lifts the victim’s body into the air with what is technically Telekinesis, but the players will merely perceive it as an effect of the possession. I particularly enjoy this spell as a tool of a ghost that possesses a character. If the players don’t realize the telekinetic effects are the results of a spell, they won’t try to break a caster’s concentration. It’s especially unsettling to feel powerless against Telekinesis. When an enemy can drop a boulder on your head, or lift you so high into the air that you’ll die when you fall, it can create a sense of dread. This spell is wonderful in the hands of a skilled horror-loving DM. No hero likes to see fallen foes rise to take up arms again, but if the risen bodies are those of loved ones and allies, all the better for a necromancer’s terrible trap. I visualize this spell as a necromancer acting as a puppeteer pulling arcane strings for up to one hour after merely one action investment. The reason I chose this spell over other spells like Animate Dead is that Danse Macabre can take effect quickly with surprising timing to turn the tides of battle in a necromancer’s favor. Probably the most predictable inclusion from this list, spells like Danse Macabre that wake the dead are classically terrorizing. #9 – Danse Macabre ( Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) Anytime a monster seems omnipresent, a situation becomes unnerving for players to deal with. If the forest is dark and dank, full of dead trees that seem to scratch at passersby, the scarier Tree Stride becomes. I usually think of this spell as something to be used by friendly forest fey creatures, but I can also picture sinister shadows that giggle as they jump from tree to gnarled tree and rain attacks on a party of heroes. This spell doesn’t last long, but in a forest full of trees it can make a skulker seem omnipresent. The players assumed the rich tyrant wouldn’t be a threat since she always has others do his dirty work, but when she picks up an ancient amulet from a tribe of berserkers, she becomes a force of unrelenting rage and reckless violence. It’s not an inherently wicked spell, but a DM can yeet players’ expectations by casting this spell on an opponent. Even the weakest of political villains can suddenly become a rampaging monster. I like to imagine an item that casts this spell on its user, giving them unholy strength and stamina. Here are the elevated eleven spells in order (because “top eleven” doesn’t sound spicy)! #11 – Tenser’s Transformation ( Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) I’ll also include categories of spells that can be used for different horror flavors. Appealing (my personal taste □ of course)Ĭheck out my list and let me know if I surprised you, and definitely tell me if you’re going to use these spells on your players for an upcoming adventure that needs an unsettling element.Impactful (effects are impressive, irresistible, and potentially game changing). ![]() Far-reaching (effects beyond merely instantaneous effects).My list is based on several spell qualities, thus the following qualities are what I referenced to build the list: Allow my list to enrich your Halloween D&D game! But I’ve identified eleven spells that can be incredibly creepy when described and used for that purpose. More than likely, you’re already thinking of spells that you believe are creepy and well-suited to a Halloween or Gothic adventure. “Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.” Arthur Conan Doyleĭ&D is full of unsettling magic.
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