Free to use D&D-like RPG Horror One-Shot Notes

The House of Burning Smiles

This some rough notes of a heavily modified adventure I had written, but never ran and based loosely off D&D 5e’s system. Full disclaimer: I do not own D&D and no infringed copyright is intended. I can gladly remove this if requested. This post is intended as inspiration and entertainment for others as a free D&D Horror One-shot. Feel free to use/adapt this and please give credit if you can.

My goals in creation of the adventure went as follows:

1. Create a replay-able horror themed one-shot
2. Combine horror in unique angles, without classes to instill extra fear, yet reward creativity.
3. Make death meaningful to the story and not the end (and you’ll see why.)

The module is designed with 3-4 players in mind, but it may work better for tension with even fewer. Admittedly, my concern is the adventure flows too “railroady,” and any feedback on that is welcome.

Character Creation

Backgrounds

Players would be coming into this adventure as children using the Commoner stat block in D&D-speak or using straight tens for stats (no modifiers.) This simplifies the experience and makes the items they find and use more valuable. Also, more immersive as the players are not heroes, they are children.

Now I know what you may be thinking. Don’t worry, Players will find ways to gain buffs to their stats as the adventure continues.

Psyche Points

But in addition to usual stats, they will obtain a pool of Psyche points by rolling a d6 at the start of the game. This pool acts as buffer like inspiration or bonus sanity in a way.

In the module, failed wisdom saves grant the frightened condition and chip away a Psyche point. The player can burn a point to roll again to remove the condition with advantage. A success removes the condition, but a failure costs one HP.

Hit points/Health

Speaking of HP, mental and physical health are naturally one and the same for this adventure. I encourage ten hit points, to keep the tension, but a 1d10+1 can up the ante. AC can range from 8 to 12 depending on how squishy the DM wants the party.

Weapons/items

Players don’t have tradition weapons or combat prowess, so there are no proficiency bonuses to rolls.

However, magical candies are the biggest incentive to keep playing. The candies provide health and wild magic to aid the journey and the food even survives death. So theoretically, the time loop can be exploited by wise players for more candy, but the difficulty is supposed to scale as deaths progress.

If you want some inspiration for magical candies that are potentially game-breaking and fun, here’s a link to some I devised.

Overview

Running the game

So with all the talk of tension and death, how does this work.

The intent is to keep the players on edge, hinting things behind the scenes. This isn’t the usual hero fantasy—this is horror. Death is easy and cheap, but this fear should be made more clear after the prologue section of the module.

The Setup

The players are children meeting at a candy store of an eccentric dragonborn merchant before attending the harvest moon masquerade. Rumors of several disappearances of missing children circulated around his shop, yet that won’t stop the party from collecting the cheapest candy in town.

An Overview Summary

Upon entering, it will quickly reveal things aren’t as they seem. He will do everything he can for the party to stay and he offers them costumes for the masquerade. Through by some odd means, they find themselves transported to an altered demi-plane. Guided by a friendly yet somber crow named Glum, they must brave it and its ruler to escape before true sunrise where the rift between worlds seals completely.

A Note of Death

The main rule on this is to follow the fun. When I wrote these notes, my intent was that the plan was stuck outside time. So death will respawn the players with full equipment back to the beginning of the mansion and let the players replay scenarios again and again, solving new puzzles each time. These can be skipped for brevity to fit the one-shot flow once the best scenario is met. A straight fight will probably spell a character’s death, fitting the horror theme. That being said, permadeath could break the module and while I don’t advise it, feel free to run it how you’d like.

The Villain

As the monster is an Oni, I encourage to use the D&D poem of Oni’s at several points as atmosphere. I can’t post it here for obvious reasons.

The Setting

Note: I tried to list every location in a straight single file line in progression so as to make this streamlined for reference. These notes were meant as bullet points as I wing things more than running adventures flat out.

Properton Candy Shop

(feel free to use substitute the name if you like. It was meant as a play of the “town proper.”)

This location functions as an adventure prologue and can be substituted in any way the DM sees fit. The main takeaways are Glum the crow steers the kids to her aid, the disguised big bad shoves them to the demi-plane, and then the goal is escaping.

In case you want to see how I would run it the rest of the notes are below for the prologue.

A quiet town caught in eerie excitement as the blood moon signals a feast and the fabled merging of worlds.

The bell chimes as children enter and a wily red dragonborn bustles behind the counter in gold piercings and jewelry with a white apron. If the players have a favorite NPC merchant in another campaign, it may work better. The goal is to make the characters trust him as much as possible and sow seeds that he is truly a hungry Oni in disguise. This can be further hidden played off as him being framed for being creepy, leading some to that.

The shopkeeper, whom we’ll call Properton, greets the children and offers them a free piece of candy each and explains “one each.” The “one each” hints at the rules of the candy magic as warning to come. Where if players take two or more, a fist pulls them into the bowl, spelling certain fear or death.

In my own setting, this candy shop is secretly a ruse for a magical black market. But the children wouldn’t likely know that.

Properton will make small talk and inform them to be careful as lots of children have been disappearing. With a high enough perception the players will see a missing poster of a bird-person detective. He’ll explain even city watch have disappeared and they almost called off the celebrations. Yet in doing so he’ll wave his arm, referring to his bird asking what she thinks.

Her name is Glum the crow, she carries an air of despair and somber eyes. Properton’s comment serves two purposes.

One: to establish he’s proudful, displaying his power and possessions like trophies.

Two: to put Glum in her place. Spoiler alert, she’s the missing detective cursed into this form.

Entering the Demi-plane

Following this, the shopkeeper pulls a lever, spinning the display kiosks into coatracks of fantastical costumes and urges the children to explore, but with one warning: DON’T GO IN THE CLOSET.

From here, I planned to allow the players to form a costume and allow a +1 bonus to single stat or allow them to flavor a simple ability that makes sense.

Meanwhile, Glum will disappear and perch atop a doorknob, scratching the closet door.

Mournful wails can be heard inside.

Should the players investigate, the shopkeeper will toy with them asking if they really want to see what it’s inside.

If they say yes, he slides the doorknob magically and opens a doorway to purple arcane void.

But if the players say no, the shopkeeper will open the locked door and find the real clerk gagged and bound before he slams the door shut.

Regardless if they say yes or no, the door will open again and strength saves will delay its pull long enough to see the shopkeeper’s face change to a twisted smile.

Glum will fly to claw him before the force pulls her in too.

Palace Masada

An eternally burning mansion tossed in the Shadowfell-like demiplane, yet never consumed. At the stroke of midnight, the fires start and they don’t stop till dawn. And when the ashes finally hit the ground, the clocks swing back. It appears just as it was before the fire.

Scholars say it had once been an orphanage before Northstrand siege. If you listen closely, you can still hear the ticking clocks, the nails driving into the exits, and orphans’ screams.

“It’s safe inside the house,” they say. But is it really?

Population 10-25 lost souls, (assorted children and ghosts, one Merfolk, five scarecrows, five guards, one Oni)

Locations-

• Lydia’s Pantry – Weary souls before the fire once found provisions by the mantle here. Chances are favorable that candy and other munitions may aid lost souls here. DC 18stealth one per each timeslip to sneak by the help to get inside.
• The Barren Cornfields – Wight soldiers wander the grounds unseen by anyone inside as the harvest moon glimmers over the dead crop. Just as it was a hundred years ago.

Travelers would be wary not to look them in the eye. Whatever you do; don’t leave the house. Children tell stories about the scarecrows stalk the palace at night.

• East Foyer Proper- The east wing remained blissfully unaware of the gala. And furthermore, blissfully unaware of the coming fire that’d rise in the east and set in the west wing, leaving only the master’s chambers unscathed.

 Inside the center, a massive stuffed bugbear, Peeka-Boo Buggy, serves as a welcoming playmate to greet new friends. As the staff say, “Behave! Buggy’s watching.”

“New children gather in costumes similar to yours as new travelers. Eating a from a bowl of candy by the fireplace. Nanny Lydia’s staff guards the bowl in maid’s gowns. They give stern warnings to you and others: Only take one.”

Lime green chaises and leather ottomans butt against the walls and strewn toys dot the floor-space. Above the room, ticking clocks paper the canopy and a weathered banner marks the celebration: “Happy Harvest Festival”

In this room, Glum tugs at the center clock. Nipping the big hand.

Upon entering adventurers will be greeted by children and caring staff just as same as a hundred years ago. Only the children came this evening. They will only be here the first evening.
Behind the first candy bowl, in the guarded way to Lydia’s study.

In the room to the right, past the foyer. The maids will invite the children to hear a story written by Kyle and Caroline Krigger.

“Today, enjoy the meadow of Masada’s field mouse

If E’er I should ever wander, it’s safe inside the house.

As forts, dot the road ahead and beware where you lay your head.

Lost souls lie in wait for you as those outside are dead.

If E’er I should ever wander, it’s safe inside the house.

Oni’s spirits play today; it’s a festival I know.

Nails and night shut us in. ne’er light to ever show.

If E’er I should ever wander, it’s safe inside the house.

The smile and beady yellow eyes replace the maids as Oni’s own before disappearing in dust.

DC 13 Wisdom save. Failure wears down your Psyche.

The story proclaims over and over the refrain, it’s safe inside the house.

When they leave the first time, the children they had met will transform with their masks and Costumes. sealing them as their creatures.

Should the children try to help the maids with try to usher them to bed. IF they disobey the maids and fail to go to sleep, the bedroom doors slam. Buggy will come to life.

Buggy has an AC of 11 and an HP of 14-28

His slam attack has a +3 to hit and 1d6 damage.

He has a 20 walking speed.

The PC may be able to outrun him better than a straight fight.

• The Hall of Mirrors- Antique charcoal mirrors surround the in-house rooms where the children sleep. But not all who sleep rest so soundly. No running in the halls.

A bowl of candy gleams at the end of the hall, daring those who disobey. Is there worth the risk to you, oh weary soul?

Floorboards creak at every step. Buggy does not favor those out of bed. (Int 16 to check for loose boards minus 5 each timeslip.) Failures wake Buggy as the foyer ignites in flames.

Beneath the washstand mirror lies the bowl and crayon-written harvest wishes to the spirits who crossover in another dish. Glum the crow favors her reflection in this mirror. DC 8 perception to notice Glum’s not in the mirror. Fingerpaint hands patter across the mirror like footprints. DC 13 strength to break the ghost children’s grasp.

If successful, the PC takes 1hp slashing damage. A ghost of a child in costume will press against the glass with backwards carvings upon their wrist. DC 17 Investigation to decipher it quickly as the mirrors vibrate.

Dark voices sing and the children point to the clock before the glass breaks with a thud in the foyer. Upon investigating it reveals Buggy is gone and the rooms charred with traces of fire.

If failed, the player takes 1d10 slashing damage. Before the mirrors break and the lights go out. The Oni sings.

The only exit is blocked. “No Children in the gala.” A set of staircase break to the left. A single doorway meets the hall to the nursery.

• The Nursery – The toys and tethered playthings to this realm. Lost candy and harvest wishes hide in secret places. Weary travelers may find shelter in a pillow-fort or death my the dreaded “attack-in-the-box.” Answers you seek are found here.
  Glum will caw and fly over a riddle in blocks.

Jack-in-the-boxes will be marked with patterns. Solve the riddle to open the right box with a key. Answer wrong and pop goes the weasel with an enemy inside. Should they try to leave a mimic toy box sprout to life to attack while the Oni warns lines of his poem.

The Greenery – Tall panes reveal a full view of the invasion below. Torches light the landscape. The raiding party stand ready on the east wing. and wilted flowers fall behind you. Charred vines block the way to the dining hall.

Glum will land atop a message in blocks:

When three buds bloom true, the way will be made clear for you

• The Gallery – A slashed portrait of a family crooks atop the hall of the study. A bowl of candy stands atop the main desk. Depending on the number of slips, a ghost of maid may be tortured by soldiers here. This room is safe for a short rest as a pillow fort stands in the corner.
• The Baths – Upon the entering, a bubbling porcelain tubs pipe with plush white foam around the room. Bay windows reveal the growing army and burning. Groans and bubble gurgle inside the far tub. Inside, a single mermaid is stuck in the drain, and a gag binds her mouth while cords restrain her wrists.

If untied, she warns the children someone has planned to storm the banquet. The Marquis is a liar. The clock by the door falls too heavy to lift and the Oni sings with slashes on the walls. DC 16 Wisdom save against being frightened.

Immediately, the foam turns to blood to flood the room. The levers to the tubs spin in circles. The party has minutes to save the mermaid and avoid drowning.

After saving her, they catch a vision of the marquis tossing the mermaid in and the guardstacking her wrists into the plaster.

• The Banquet Hall Proper.

A bowl of candy lies atop the table as the people dance. The marquise flicks a lantern at the window as a dame strokes his collar.

The banquet table is a mimic

• The Dining Hall

As before, vines bar the way to the master’s chamber and if Buggy was not dealt with, he will stalk the players in the winding halls here

Outside the corridor, a woman weeps in the closet. DC 14 with increasing at failures and decreasing at successes on stopping whether she eliminates herself or not. If they succeed, she kisses them each, and they gain a d6 +1 Psyche points.

• The Fitting room – The center mirror will in the center. The Oni will sing his final stanza and the mirror will reveal Glum’s identity. She can speak through the mirror. She can fly inside with a ripple.
• The Piano Room – playing the song will open the master’s chambers. For the final fight. History to remember it. Failures spawn toy soldiers (guard NPCs)
• The Master’s Chambers

The Oni will appear as the candy shop owner, then drop from as Kyle Krigger the boy from earlier. He has three children attached under his cloak as health sacks through tentacles with a glaive. The trick is he’s weak to candy. If the players can free the children, they cut off his extra help. Foreshadowed by his fear of touching the bowl in the opening.

Possibly before the fight he will hurt Glum and ignite the room in fire. There will be no escape.

The secret to the fight, chiming clocks paralyze him and Candy magics only damage him, not the children.

On a failure or a party wipe, the module ends or restarts at the mansion’s beginning at the DM’s discretion.

On a success, Glum turns white, spreading her wings as a ghost and rushing the party in a flash. An inferno sweeps the mansion and the party stands in a field of ash. A gentle light guides them heavenward as they can return through a visage of the moon to the candy shop. Glum unravels as her true identity and releases the true shopkeeper or favored NPC, and the children live though traumatized, never able to speak what happened that night.

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