Custom Haunts for a PF game

[MichaelTumey]

So for our post Christmas gaming session, I've been looking at trying out some custom designed Haunts to visit the adventuring party as they approach a desecrated druid's grove on a hill overlooking a river.

I've just finished doing layout on Rite Publishing's 30 Haunts for Kaidan by Trevor H. Gulliver, as my next product for the Kaidan: a Japanese Ghost Story product line, due out in early January. This has inspired me to attempt my own haunts for our home game.

Unfortunately, my gaming group is running a typical western European analog setting, not Kaidan. Although I've been just a player in this campaign, the DM is getting a little burned out, so needs me to step in with the DM hat for the first few months of 2012. I decided this would be a perfect time to introduce haunts to our gaming group. The adventure party consists of five 7th level PCs, and curiously no divine casters in the party, which will make these haunts tougher than usual...

The following is a series of haunts all located on the hill of the desecrated druid's grove which the PCs are being sent to receive a message from the spirits via a stone circle at the top of the hill. Two are associated haunts, where one haunt triggers another, while the rest are individual haunts. I've included the spells with the haunt description, so I don't have to look them up when in play.

Field of Mangled Ravens Haunt CR 2
XP 600
NE haunt, persistent
Caster Level 2
Notice Perception DC 12, (to notice the bird corpses beginning to writhe)
hp 12; Trigger proximity; Reset 1/day
Effect scattered across a 20' x 20' area of forest ground lie dozens of mangled raven corpses strewn across the ground as a mass sacrifice on either side of the path. When approached by the first spellcaster as a single target the dead ravens begin to stir and caw in a frightening cacophony having the effects of the spell, cacophonous call *.
Destruction collecting the remains and burying off the grove mount, then blessing the remains destroys the haunt.
* Advanced Players Guide
[Cacophonous Call, target one creature, effect on a failed Will check, gain the nauseated condition, duration 2 rounds, SA yes]

Strange Hanging Fruit Haunt CR 4
XP 1200
CE minor haunt (10' radius under branch), persistent
Notice: Perception DC 15 (to notice the 'strange fruit' beginning to spin)
hp 14; Trigger Proximity; Reset 1 hour
Effect: From the branches of several trees hang fetishes made from the desiccated corpses of birds, small game, and rodents bound tightly in twine and hanging from the tree. When living creatures walk under the trees, the fetishes begin to spin. Negative energy fills the area under the branches, strengthening negative channeled energy and giving undead a bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws as the spell desecrate. There are several of these haunts throughout the woods. This haunt is persistent. The effect lingers for two hours.
Destruction: Casting consecrate on the fetish remains destroys the haunt.
[Desecrate, area 20' radius emanation, effect undead gain +1 profane bonus to attacks, damage, saves, and +1 hp/HD, duration 4 hours, save none, SA yes.]

Lupine Burial Haunt CR 4
XP 1200
NE haunt (10 ft. by 10 ft. patch of leaf covered earth)
Caster Level 4
Notice Perception DC 13 (to notice the earth and leaves beginning to shift)
hp 8; Trigger proximity (associated); Reset 1 hour
Effect in the surrounding the hanging fetish trees is a crude unmarked cemetery for sixteen wolf zombies that claw their way to the surface and attack as the spell animate dead. When used as associated haunt, this haunt activates 1 round after the Strange Hanging Fruit Haunt begins.
Destruction Blessing all the unmarked shallow graves destroys the haunt.

Bloated Stag Haunt CR 6
XP 6200
NE haunt, persistent
Notice: Perception DC 15 (to notice the soft give of the ground beneath your feet and a sweet stench.)
Caster Level: 6
hp 16; Trigger touch; Reset 1/day
Effect: a rise in the ground on the path up the grove mount lying beneath a shallow covering of dirt and leaves appears to be as a recently sacrificed stag, bloated in decomposition. Any disturbance by a walker's foot or stabbing object causes the bloated stag to explode with rotting death gases as a visible green cloud blocking the path as the spell stinking cloud*.
Destruction: remove the bones from the path and place in a grave away from the grove mount, then blessed destroys the haunt.
* Ultimate Magic
[Stinking Cloud, 3rd level spell; effect 20' radius 20' high, duration 6 rounds, Fort negates, SA no; create bank of green fog, living creatures become nauseated (only single move action/turn) and for 1d4+1 rounds after it leaves.]

Sacrificed Bull's Rest Haunt CR 9
XP 5800
NE haunt, persistent Caster Level: 9
Notice: Perception DC 23, to notice the rising stench of a great dead animal in the area
hp 19; Trigger touch; Reset 1/hour
Effect: laying near the sacrificing stone at the center of the stone circle on top of the grove mount is a bovine skull. Though the sacrificing stone is ruddy with dried blood, there does not appear to be anything on it. However, when someone approaches and places a new animal for sacrifice, the body of a bull appears to rest on the stone already. Those touching the alter become affected as the spell fleshworm infestation *, then the bull's corpse disappears.
Destruction: the bull's corpse needs to be removed from the grove haunt, burned then blessed destroys the haunt.
* Ultimate Magic
[Fleshworm Infestation: 4th level, range touch, duration 1 round/level (9), cause an infestation of ravenous worms in flesh touched, Fort save every round or take 1d6 damage, 2 points of Dex damage, and become staggered; if save, no damage, no Dex damage, only sickened for 1 round. * UM.]

I think these should put a scare in the players, thoughts?

[MichaelTumey]

Interesting - I've been thinking about creating a particular kind of ghost for a while now, intending to place it in one of my Kaidan adventures, and it just dawned on me, that making it a haunt instead of a ghost might work better. Here's what I've come up with...

The Grappling Ghost Haunt CR 12
XP 13,600
Notice Perception DC 27 (to notice a translucent figure behind you rising from the gravestone you are passing.)
hp 55; trigger proximity; reset 1/day
Caster Level: 12
Description: the southwest bridge path from the temple passes through an ancient cemetery, one of the smaller stones belong to a murdered nun. When anyone passes her grave her invisible spirit attaches herself to them in an ethereal grapple, where she remains invisible, though detect undead or other similar spells will reveal the ghostly corpse of a nun with her arms locked around her victims neck and legs around the waist. Every 24 hours the victim loses 1 Con damage up to 7 Con damage in 7 days, minimum 1. This damage cannot heal while the grappling ghost is still attached. This has the effects of the bestow curse, major spell*.
Destruction: in the company of a temple cleric remove her bones from the cursed cemetery and move her to a different temple in the city, and consecrate her bones before reburying her with a new stone.
* Pathfinder Core Rule Book

Basically it's a ghostly figure who is bound to her grave site, until somebody passes by, while cutting through the cemetery. She approaches from behind as a see-through ethereal spirit and latches on - though the victim does not know or feel this has happened. Over the next few days, the victim realizes they are losing CON points 1 day at a time. If somebody has Detect Undead or similar ethereal sight magic, they can view a corpse clinging onto the victim. Because the associated spell is bestow major curse - its going to take more than some positive energy to remove the haunt, rather a Remove Curse DC 23.

Initially, I thought creating a new ghost template would be the way to do it, but using the Haunt mechanic seems easier and logical, now that I am more familiar with it. I really like the Haunt mechanic.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

I like these haunts a lot. I may borrow a few of them for my own similar project, where PC's have to restore a Halan Sanctuary that was corrupted by Bahlinda the annis.

[MichaelTumey]

I like these haunts a lot. I may borrow a few of them for my own similar project, where PC's have to restore a Halan Sanctuary that was corrupted by Bahlinda the annis.

Please do, that's why I posted them here! I hate to think that I especially like these haunts because I created them myself, as when I look at the sample haunts on d20pfsrd.com, I am not as inspired as I am when I look at these I recently created. They seem at least to be fitting a specific theme, and thus more related and applicable.

Tell me how they work out for you, in game. I'd like to know.

Michael