Terror Rising

Fear Based Monsters

Part of the love of Halloween for many is the delight in being terrified. There is something about the adrenaline rush of fear that for some is almost intoxicating. I’ve spent this macabre season talking about some classic monsters that we love to fear, but really these creatures are feared because of their inherent danger. For some creatures, the fear itself is what they are after, or have been specifically designed to cause. Today we look at some of these creatures who thrive on the fear of man.

There are plenty of creatures that have the ability to cause fear. They have some kind of horrific appearance like most Qlippoth, or they just have an aura of menace, like most dragons, devils, and demons. Some undead just exude fear, such as liches and mummies. But none of these creatures really thrive on the fear they create, it is just a byproduct of their being.

Some creatures use fear as a method to hunt their prey. Not only does the terror they induce make their quarry easier to catch, they feed off of this fear as surely as they do flesh. The shadow mastiff and the wendigo are prime examples of these types of monsters.  Although I wouldn’t use the mastiffs as a main enemy, as minions used to hunt down the adventurers, a pack of these baying hounds can set the tone of dread for a good horror game.

Among the outsiders, there are many to whom mortal will flee in terror. Nobody likes death and thus the psychopomps are seen as particularly dread. When a psychopomp goes rogue it becomes a creature that thrives on bringing fear to the mortal realm. The creatures known as sahkil have a singular drive, to give all beings a reason to fear.

The true terror of the sahkil is not in direct combat, although they can be quite formidable. The best use of these creatures is to bring horror to those around the adventurers; twisting NPC minds from the ethereal plane making, these mortal agents become monsters in and of themselves. There are some low ranking sahkil you can use as foot soldiers but one of these a the big bad of a game can make a truly satisfying Halloween treat.

Sure undead and things from the outer planes are sure to give you the creeps, but no one expects to be terrified by foliage. Some plant life is more hostile than others and they need to feed on flesh to survive. If you’re looking to add some scare to your wilderness encounters, the tree with the human-faced bole called the quickwood, and the dark tendriled jack-o’-lantern both use fear to soften up their prey to devour.

There are those creatures that quite literally feed on fear. Anyone who has played Paizo’s adventure paths knows the company has a thing for one of these monsters; the will-o’-wisp. These creatures are not awfully hard to beat on their own, but when paired with a creature that can induce fear in its victims they become far more terrifying.

One of the other great masters of terror is the boogeymen. With an array of fear-based magics and attacks, once these dark fey get the party quaking in their boots, the fun really begins for them. Direct attacks from the boogeymen are probably best left till absolutely necessary. Hunting the party using its invisibility and gaseous forms while it keeps them from becoming well-rested with it nightmare spell is a great tactic before finally having the fear-eater swoop in for the kill.

One can escape fear by removing oneself from its presence. When that fear is in your mind, there is no place to run. There are reasons why movies like the Nightmare on Elm Street series are so distressing: We use sleep as a time of rejuvenation, and when are terrors invade our dreams it is a battle against our own minds. Much like the evil character, Freddy Kreuger, there are creatures in Pathfinder that can invade our dreams to destroy us.

A chaotic or evil mind can host a night hag who rides her prey’s dreams, slowly killing them over the course of days. Creatures with the nightmare template do the same, but if defeated in their prey’s dreams they may return again as ghosts to continue to haunt their victims. Some dreams themselves can be made real by a particularly vivid dreamer. Once these animated dreams leave their creator’s mind, they need to feed off the emotions of the living to stay “alive”.

There are plenty of other creatures that cause, exude, or feed off of fear in the Pathfinder universe. This is just a few examples from bestiaries one through five. When running your horror-themed campaigns you will want to use fear to its utmost effectiveness and these monsters can help you do just that.

What are some of your favorite fear-inducing creatures? How do you use these monsters to give your players the creeps? Have you used dreams and nightmares in your horror games?

They say the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. The CRB hopes it’s helped you bring a little fear itself to your game. If you’ve found this article useful for your next horror game, please consider becoming a contributor to the CRB. Monthly donations of as little as one dollar can be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Patreon. A one-time donation can easily be made to my Paypal. Every bit helps me keep the lights on so I can concentrate on bringing you the content you deserve.

The CRB has been growing as a community on social media. Please join us on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. My inbox is open on all forums for questions, comments, and discussion. If you don’t want to miss a beat make sure you sign up to have the CRB pushed directly to your e-reading device with Kindle Subscriptions through Amazon.