Horror GM's.pdf

Horror Gm’s

Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams

ToolkiT

Horror

ToolkiT

By:

Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams

Editing: Jodi Black

Proofreading: Simon Lucas, Piotr Korys, Dave Blewer

Layout: Sarah Robinson

Art: Leanne Buckley, Chris Malidore, Daniel Rudnicki

Savage Worlds Rules by Shane Lacy Hensley

Requires the Savage Worlds rules, available at

www.peginc.com.

Savage Worlds, Smiling Jack, Great White Games, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and all associated marks and logos are

Gm’s

inTroducTion

Virtually every Savage Setting has some element of horror in it.

Okay, we’ve given you enough horror to make your hair go gray, but what if you want to create your own

setting? What steps do you need to take to make your world setting come to life? What gear should you use,

and are the existing spells dark enough?

Created with this in mind, the Horror GM’s Toolkit is a handy resource for cutting corners. It contains

advice, example rules, and gear both magical and mundane, suitable for any style of horror game.

We begin our walk down the path of darkness with a look at some styles of horror. This is primarily

intended for those of you who wish to create your own setting, and it explains what decisions you need to make

to lay the foundation. Then we take a brief look at creating atmosphere at the table.

The next chapter introduces new equipment suitable for a range of horror settings, including weapons

and ghost hunting equipment. Whether you want to kill vampires or just bust ghosts, there’s something

here for you.

Then we enter the darker realms, taking a look at sanity, insanity, and fear, and how you can use them

in your game. Following that we present a quick way to create grimoires (magic tomes), including books that

supply the Power Points and arcane skill.

Next we present a look at dark magic, including a system for summoning, binding, and banishing demons

and other extradimensional entities, and some new powers suitable for the vilest of villains. Related to this are

sections on curses and demonic pacts.

There’s also a sample of magic items suitable for horror games, ranging from anti-demon swords to

vampire’s cofins. Finally, we end up presenting a system on how you can introduce fortune telling into your

horror setting.

None of the new rules are written in stone. Instead, think of them as guidelines and examples to help

you design the setting you’ve always wanted. If you want to use the material as it stands, then that’s going to

save you some time. However, if you want to use it as a model for your own rules and creations, then that’s

just as cool.

Boo!

Did I scare you, cowards? No, well, we’ll see if we can’t change that attitude once

yu start reading.

What you have in your sweaty hands, in case you missed it on the cover, is a toolkit

designed to help the GM create a cool horror setting.

What’s a toolkit do? Let me tell you what it doesn’t do—it doesn’t give you another rulebook.

Sure, it’s got rules in, but they’re optional with a capital “O.” The aim of these toolkits is to

make your life easier as a GM by giving you tools—remember that word, kiddies—to making your

own setting as unique and exciting as anything my deformed minions produce.

They explore every aspect of a setting, and I mean every aspect. From designing a cool

world to populating it with interesting cultures; from designing new weapons to cool artifacts,

like magic and starships.

A lot of what’s in these toolkits is advice rather than gospel. You get to pick and choose the

bits you want for your setting and discard the rest.

And if you don’t like what Jack has to say, change it!

We’ve giving you the tools to make kick-ass settings—if your game falls lat after reading

this, then it’s your own fault for not following my advice.

Now, get reading and go make Jack proud!

TaBle oF conTenTs

introduction 3

draWing Board 5

style of Horror 5

action

losing it 20

edges & Hindrances 21

douBting tHomas 21

(major Hindrance)

Hardened (Weird edge) 21

sound mind (social edge) 21

magic 21

fear 21

knoW tHe rules 21

frequency of cHecks 21

modifiers

Bargaining 33

Bargaining modifiers 33

samPle summoning

sPells 34

summon Black judge 34

summon gluttony demon 34

summon jjrikillimsg 34

summon liBrarian demon 34

summon living god 34

summon terrorizer 34

Warding 34

creating a Warding 35

testing tHe Ward 35

Binding & BanisHing 35

Bind entity 35

BanisH entity 35

neW PoWers 36

designing from scratcH 36

introducing neW sPells 36

examPle neW PoWers 36

consecrate ground 38

corPse senses 38

drain life 38

encHant WeaPon 38

enHance undead 38

grave sHroud

tHe Pact 48

reWards 48

Basic system 48

intermediate system 48

detailed system 48

tHe cost 49

salvation 49

final Word 50

magic items 50

Bandages of anuBis 50

Blood money

greater evil

dark

setting

fantasy

sci-fi

modern

Historical

oPen or secret

knoWledge 8

oPen 8

closed 9

location 9

Hook 9

Plot Point 9

Plot Point ideas 10

Background 10

forWard Planning 10

creating atmosPHere 11

set tHe initial mood 11

traPPings & tools 11

sHoW, don’t tell 12

isolation

additional fear

modifiers 22

insanity taBle 22

tomes of PoWer 23

mundane tomes 24

taBle 1a: suBject taBle 24

taBle 1B: skill Bonus 24

taBle 1c: language 24

naming Books 24

descriPtion 26

using a mundane tome 26

Passive 26

active 26

samPle mundane Books 26

tHe land of atlantis 26

ecliPses, alignments,

and otHer celestial

events

Brazier of

conjuration 50

canniBal mask 50

ceramic masks 52

cold iron cHainmail 52

corPse dust 52

diary of a madman 52

flail of unHealing flesH 52

frankenstein’s

laBoratory 52

corPse golem 53

grave dust 53

Hellfire Blade 53

Hockey mask of terror 53

jack’s scalPel 53

jade mirror 53

mark of tHe demon 55

collector demon 55

moonBlade 55

music infernalis 56

nigHtmare stone 56

Portrait of immortality 56

Puzzle Box 56

ring of magical Warding 56

sacrificial knife 57

soul candles 57

staff of tHe necromancer 57

temPlar Blade 57

voodoo dolls 57

Warding cHalk 58

Wax messengers 58

WitcHes’ cauldron 58

vamPire’s coffin 58

fortune telling 58

limiting readings 59

Basic card system 59

Basic dice system 59

in-dePtH card system 59

tHe story metHod 59

Professional edges 60

designing neWedges 60

name 60

requirements 60

Bonus 62

draWBacks 62

acquisition 62

Background 63

arcane Professional edges 63

examPle Professional edges 63

exorcist

tHe sense of tHe

unknoWn 12

suBtlety vs gore 12

tools of tHe trade 13

melee WeaPons 13

corPse catcHer 13

stake 14

ranged WeaPons 14

atomic gHost

grave sPeak

nigHtmares

sacrifice

egyPtian Book

of tHe dead

sPirit sHield

strengtH of tHe

undead suPPress 40

lycantHroPy 40

curses 40

mundane curses 41

fundamentals 41

tyPes of curses 41

self-induced 41

vengeance 41

Wording a curse 41

crime & PunisHment 42

triggers

leylines of

Western euroPe 27

tHe sealing of jars 27

sPell tomes

Hunting Pack 14

flare Pistol 14

Holy Water grenade 14

Holy Water Pistol 14

rePeating crossBoW 15

WincH crossBoW 15

ultraviolet grenade 15

ammunition 15

garlic Bullets 15

silver Bullets 15

silver nitrate Bullets 15

ultraviolet Bullets 15

Holy Water 15

making Holy Water 16

mundane gear 16

crucifix 16

gHost traP 16

melee WeaPons 17

ranged WeaPons 17

ammunition 17

kirlian camera, still 17

kirlian camera, video 17

kirlian goggles 19

mirror 19

motion tracker 19

neck Protector 19

uv flasHligHt 19

Warding material 19

sanity & fear 19

sanity 19

starting sanity 20

losing sanity 20

recovering sanity 20

sanity recovery taBle 20

treatment

taBle 2a: arcane

Background

taBle 2B:

random sPell 27

grimoires 27

creating a grimoire 28

taBle 3a: arcane Background 28

taBle 3B: sPell

strengtH

taBle 3c: arcane PoWer

and PoWer Points

taBle 3d: numBer of 28

sPeical aBilities

taBle 3e: sPeical aBilities 28

using a grimoire 28

no arcane Background 28

arcane Background 30

examPle grimoires 30

Book of eartHly

resurrection

deadly

dangerous

deBilitating

annoying or

emBarrassing 42

looPHoles 43

game mecHanics 43

curse modifier taBle 43

effects 43

examPle curses 44

tyPical fantasy curse 44

limited effect curse 44

PoWerful curse 44

magical curses 44

existing sPell 44

extended duration taBle 44

neW sPells 45

examPle curse sPells 45

curse of tHe BaBBling fool 45

curse of tHe emPty stomacH 45

curse of lost sigHt 45

curse of misfortune 45

curse of luna’s calling 45

curse of tHe snail’s Pace 47

demonic Pacts 47

not for Players 47

finding a Patron 47

Book of tHe

WritHing one 30

tHe dark scriPture 30

tHe fletcHer’s guide 30

liBer timor 30

dark magicks 30

summoning rituals 31

WHat can Be summoned? 31

summoning sPells 31

rank 31

cost 31

range 31

duration 31

traPPings 32

timing 32

arcane skill roll 32

fanaticism

(leadersHiP edge) 63

fortune teller 64

necromancer 64

imProved necromancer 64

occult researcHer 64

talisman creator 64

vamPire slayer 64

WereWolf Hunter 64

drawinG Board

your typical fantasy or pulp heroes, and can hold their own in a

ight against all but the toughest foes.

And there should be some tough foes. Sure, there are

vampires and zombies that you can bitch slap into submission,

but there should also be powerful entities the group can’t just

walk up to and beat senseless.

An action game is likely to make use of “magic items,” and

characters are probably going to have access to them. Swords

enchanted to slay vampires, occult books, cloaks of demonhide,

and such like are tools rather than treasures.

Likewise, the heroes may have access to magic or miracles,

depending on how far you want to take the action. Unlike some

other types of horror, this magic doesn’t corrupt the user, or

require messy sacriices. No, this magic is designed for the good

guys to wield in their war on evil.

Horror stories are as old as humanity. Most people fear

something, and for our ancestors there was much to be afraid of.

Check out any culture on Earth and you’ll ind stories of ghosts,

werecreatures, vampires, and other horrors.

But times have changed, and horror has evolved to ind a

place among other genres. In the past we had ghost stories, but

now we have stories of aliens that grow inside human hosts, and

spaceships which have traveled to alternate dimensions and come

back with an evil presence aboard.

Horror games can be set anywhere from the days of

cavemen through to the glory of Rome, and onto the modern

era and far beyond.

The irst thing you need to decide is what type of horror game

you’re running. We don’t mean the obvious choices, like fantasy or

sci-i, although we’ll mention those as well, but the actual lavor of

the game. Take a look below and you’ll see what we mean.

GreAter evil

Mankind is pretty proud of his achievements since he

climbed down from the trees. He’s created cities, laws, religion,

vehicles that allow him to travel across the world in hours, and

has even made his irst steps to the stars.

That’s all well and good, but what if there is an evil in the

universe against which all our technology is next to useless? What

if mankind’s destiny isn’t to make some galactic empire, but to be

subjected to the whims of powerful beings akin to gods?

In the greater evil style of horror, mankind is nothing, a

race of mindless insects running around one small rock in an

otherwise hostile universe. Aliens aren’t little green men who

come in peace to trade cultural and technological ideals, either.

No, what lives beyond our world is too alien for humans to

understand and knows nothing of mercy or compassion.

In this style of game, the heroes aren’t usually heroes from

the outset, they’re normal people. They have jobs, they have

families, they pay their bills, and they know that unless they can

stop it, some truly terrible fate awaits humanity.

While the heroes have knowledge of Things Man Should Not

Know, the world at large is ignorant, and it’s for their own good.

The horrors that dwell in dark places aren’t vampires and walking

mummies. They are far older, far more powerful, and far more evil.

A greater horror game pits humans against these gods and

their servants. Modern weapons do little to stop these nightmares,

and Fear checks are made often, and usually with huge penalties.

Insanity or heart failure are just as likely to kill a hero as some

huge fanged beast from beyond mortal comprehension.

In fact, in a greater evil game, character survivability is not

guaranteed. After all, these are average Joes thrust into a ight

against a foe they have little chance of ultimately destroying.

Magic and miracles should be extremely rare, and what

powers can be invoked come at a price. Magic in this world isn’t a

toy, but a powerful force that few humans have ever mastered (at

least while retaining their sanity).

Likewise, magic items should be extremely rare, and rarely

style of Horror

Horror isn’t just about scaring people. Sure, that’s important,

otherwise it wouldn’t be horror, but there are several styles of

horror, each with its own scare factor. The irst step you need to

take is to decide which style its the tone of your setting.

Of course, by combining various elements, you can create a

more unique feel to your world.

Action

Action horror combines the usual horror monsters and

elements with fast paced action and two-isted combat. It’s

cinematic horror where the monsters get their butts kicked more

often than not.

Action horror doesn’t have to be stuck in either the pulp

or modern settings, as it often is on TV or in the movies. A

cowboy setting with gunslinging heroes can be action horror, as

can a Roman game, where the characters are legionnaires pitting

Roman steel against the horrors of the barbarian lands.

In an action game, monsters still have cool powers, but they

aren’t usually so tricky to kill. For instance, a standard vampire

has to be staked through the heart, which incurs a huge penalty

to attack rolls. Sure, this suits certain styles of horror, but not

this one.

Wouldn’t your game run faster if vampires took hits as

normal? The blow that actually kills the creature could be

considered to have been a stake to the heart or decapitation

without needing to worry about dice mechanics.

Action horror heroes aren’t innocent victims waiting to be

butchered by evil iends, either. No, these guys are more akin to

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