Why I Love Adding Extreme Horror To D&D

I love D&D and I love horror. Let’s be honest, I also love extreme horror. 

First off, what IS extreme horror? It’s about tackling very taboo subjects and making people as uncomfortable as they can. In movie terms, think Halloween versus The Terrifier. Halloween strikes fear in people. But The Terrifier will take kills and gore to the next level that would make most people squirm. It’s about those little details! 

As an extreme horror reader and new writer, I love bringing that element into my favourite TTRPG. I like grossing people out, especially my teammates. The ones that tickles that feeling in the back of their brains and I relish in their cringing.

So, why do I do this? Not just because I get kicks from grossing people out. But because horror works so well in the world. D&D already has horror elements. It also makes my final kills more impactful. And it gives my happy-go-lucky character a very dark side, because after all, her whole aesthetic (not personality, backstory, etc) is, well, me. 

Why Horror Works in D&D

D&D already has elements of horror built-in. Yes, it’s a high fantasy game, but yes, it has unsettling character designs. That’s horror, my friend. Mindflayers, Beholders, Vecna, tell me that doesn’t scare you. Stranger Things did it. Pretty sure we wouldn’t want to face any of those IRL. 

Horror and fantasy go well together. In a high fantasy world, you want to add horror elements to raise the stakes. It makes your character feel something. It’s not just about decreasing their HP. It’s about story telling, and we all know that fear builds character.

Plus, there’s so much tension in D&D. Every dice roll can mean triumph or…well…a complete disaster.

I’m also a morbid and depraved person, so it’s the perfect opportunity for me to take it a step further.  

Vecna.- Netflix Stranger Things

How I Add Extreme Horror to My Games

Here’s where I like to crank the dial up to Art the Clown level. Or worse. Because why not?! 

Kills

You: He or she stabs him in the stomach.

Me: She plunges her blades into its diaphragm, slices downwards as its intestines and organs fall out splashing blood all over her feet. She smiles as the creature gurgles when she removes her blade, only to slice its head clean off its body. She takes the head and shoves it into his open stomach with a loud squelch, as it fell to its knees, blood squirting from its neck stump and falls over on her boots.

Dead Family Backstory

You: My family member died in front of me.

Me: She watched her mom get raped, torn apart by the scary men, and stabbed repeatedly. Her mom lay in a pool of her blood before the flames engulfed her home and her mom. She sat there crying as she watched her mom’s face melt off the bones along with her childhood before running away (Character here is fire resistant). 

Transformation

You: Her body grows as she rages.

Me: Her skin starts to crack open as green flames spill out of the cracks. Her yells gutteral as the veins and muscles under her skin pulse and grow. Pain shoots through her. Not just the pain of her past, her heritage, but the way her body contorted and convulsed at the transformation. Her pupils roll backwards as they change from a molten gold to bright green. A ring of fire bursts from the ground below and envelops her. 

The Fly - Jeff Goldblum

So there ya have. Whether it’s the way I describe a final kill, or my character’s transformation into her rage form, or how she’ll sneak in horrific elements while she’s talking. These details really add to her. It makes her more than just a stat or a hard hitting fighter/barbarian. It shows her trauma and how she deals with it, her instincts and emotions.

Have Fun

So the next time your fighter lands a killing blow, don’t just say, “You slash through the enemy.”Say, “Your blade carves through him like wet parchment. You relish in its final breath as you watch its life leave its eyes.”

That’s not just D&D. That’s storytelling. Although, at times, I'll keep it shorter for the sake of time and to save my friend's sanity LOL.

But a little storytelling with blood on its hands never hurt anyone… right?

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