This is Halloween!


Not counting Groundhog's Day, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have made quite a few Halloween-themed posts over the years and thought I would compile them in one place for DMs who might want to mine ideas for a Halloween-inspired session.


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Sithelnost - What Comes Next and the Spoils of War

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08 Newkolt 349 AC With the last of the civilians evacuated, Shadow packs away his spellbooks. He take s note of the condition of them, some are his original tomes dated back to his time in Sorcere, the wizard school of Mennzoberranzan, others were claimed from various dungeons or as loot taken from fallen foes. Each had a history and while some had indeed seen better days, but all were perfectly serviceable arcanabulae - even if they bore the stains left behind by spilled drinks or dinners. Still... perhaps a trip to the Tower of Wayreth was in order. He was no longer an apprentice, after all. "Maybe I could have these bound into a set more befitting Spewer's high opinion of what a wizard's spellbooks should look like. He shrugged, "May not look like much on the outside but it has got it where it counts.” With his books packed, the drow headed downstairs. - - - - - Most of Grotto's companions had passed through Lady Nihriome's great hall. The refugees had...
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Greta the Climate Goblin - Episode Two: The Beast in the Barn (The Barn)

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Sunday Morning, 06 October 1985 The Josephson Property Fairhaven, Illinois      The sun had barely cleared the eastern horizon when Greta Whittaker pedaled her ten-speed bicycle along County Road 6.      She hadn't gotten much sleep.      Between finishing her show, helping Elliot put away the props, and thinking about Harold's mysterious telephone call, she'd finally gotten home well after midnight. But the possibility of an actual monster? That was worth getting up early for.      The morning air was chilly. Mist hung over the low fields, and the roadside ditches were filled with fallen leaves. Greta wore her usual black denim jacket over a faded T-shirt, black shorts, green fishnet stockings, and a pair of battered sneakers. Her bright green hair was tied back in a ponytail. She had a backpack containing a flashlight, a notebook, a disposable camera, and a couple of granola bars.    ...
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Greta the Climate Goblin - Episode Two: The Beast in the Barn (Just a Normal Weekend)

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Saturday Morning, 05 October 1985 KMEL-13 Public Television Station      Harold Jenkins walked into the break room, coffee in one hand, doughnut in the other, with a newspaper tucked under one arm. He put the coffee down and with his now free hand, tossed the paper onto the table.      "Congratulations, Bob. You made the front page again."      Bob Mercer, a local insurance salesman and president of the Fairhaven Historical Society looked up and smiled. "Oh, um, yeah. We bought the old barn on the Josephson property. We're going to restore it as an example of early pioneering history. It should be an interesting project."      Harold nodded, "Good for you. Will the barn be part of your show this week?"      Bob shook his head, "Oh, um, no. Not this week. We're going to have to do quite a bit of work on it before it can be presented as part of ' Fairhaven's Historical Corner .'"      "Well, l...
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Monster Truckers - Episode Two: The Devil Went Down to Georgia (Omaha to Deepwater)

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EPISODE TWO: JOHNNY (PART ONE) Depending on your point of view, it was either late at night or early in the morning at the Waffle House. The grill still sizzled, coffee still poured, jacks still flapped. The old jukebox crackled and hissed like it was thinking about working again. Mirrie moved between tables with practiced ease, a coffee pot in each hand. An old werewolf couple were seated in one corner, sharing a slice of pie. A family of Goblins sat in a booth. Mommy Goblin, Daddy Goblin, three Goblin kids. The children were perfectly behaved. They said "please", "thank you", and referred to Mirrie as "Ma'am". Ralph, the werewolf security guard from the warehouse, sat at the bar with a mummy mechanic. Both were drinking coffee. Dragula, Xaden and Mac had already ordered and were most of the way through their meals. Drags was wearing headphones and singing along, badly, to music no one else could hear. 🎶 🎵  “Last Night I met a dancer. She came ...
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Beldam (Other Mother from Coraline)

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I watched the movie “ Coraline ” for the first time this weekend.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen snippets of the film here and there over the years and I recognized the character when the movie started but I have never sat down and Watched the movie (or read the book).   By the time the show was over, I have to admit that I was fascinated by the entire thing.   The animation and pacing were incredibly well done and the main antagonist was delightfully wicked.   This is who I want to focus on today – Beldam, a.k.a. the Other Mother.   Some viewers may think that she was some sort of demon, offering children their heart’s desire in exchange for their souls, much like a crossroads demon but I feel like she more closely resembles a faerie, a member of the Unseelie Court who is allowed a great deal of independence in her operations.   I also think that since the protagonist, Coraline, was just a child that Beldam wouldn’t necessarily have been overly power...
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Law & Order: The City Watch

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“In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups; the city watch who investigates crimes and the magistrates who determine innocence or guilt.   These are their stories.”   A campaign like this would work best if based in a large fantasy city like Waterdeep, Greyhawk, or Palanthas.   The player characters, all serving as members of the City Watch, investigate robberies, burglaries, murders, and so on.   In the days before forensic testing, most of the scientific aspects would be handled by wizards or priests using divination magic or psions using psychometry (object reading).   Most of the actual “on the street” legwork would be handled by Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues, and even Bards using a combination of skills like Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Search, and Sense Motive. Early adventures would revolve around walking a beat, breaking up fights, catching pickpockets, or ...
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