Halloween Roundup 2021

Halloween is this weekend. It’s time for my big list of Halloween adventures, monsters, music, and more. It’s not too late to come up with a one-shot or to find some spooky ideas for your session this weekend.

RAVENLOFT

Run Ravenloft this Halloween as a one-shot… just like the original co-creator Tracy Hickman has done with his group for decades.

• I6 Ravenloft (1e)
• Ravenloft – The Nightmare Lands (2e)
• Ravenloft 2e – Night of the Walking Dead – DNDClassics $4.99
  “In a rain-soaked graveyard, a small group of men stands round a coffin bound with heavy chains. ‘We are here to mourn the passing of Jean de Cardeau,’ intones the village priest. ‘Let us pray that his rest is eternal, and that he never returns.’ “
• Expedition to Castle Ravenloft (3e)
• Curse of Strahd (5e) – The classic redone and expanded for D&D 5e.
• Death House – The free Curse of Strahd introductory adventure. This one-shot adventure provides a deadly haunted house that can be added to your campaign or for a just a stand-along Halloween treat.

Or play the board game.

• Ravenloft Board Game Review – RPG.net
• Ravenloft Board Game – Amazon.com

ADVENTURES

• Tomb of Horrors (4e) or try out the 5e conversion in Tales from the Yawning Portal
• Stranger Things Starter Set
  Experience the D&D adventure Stranger Things character Mike Wheeler has created for his friends.
• A Night of Fright (5e) – $4.95 on DMsGuild
  I purchased this parody adventure for a potential one-shot this Halloween and it was worth the money. Includes pre-gens using with 5 new subclasses.
  “Jinkies! Uldryn Beauregard is dead—and he’s left one million gold to anyone who can survive the night in his haunted mansion! But spooky things are going on, and nothing is as it seems. Luckily, Mystery LLC is on the case!”
• The Wolves of Welton (5e) – PWYW (Suggested $1.00) on DMsGuild
  I really enjoyed playing this one-shot when I ran it for my group.
  “A fresh take on the ancient ‘kill ten wolves’ quest that RPG fans will be so familiar with, The Wolves of Welton is designed to be played from start to finish in just one 3-6 hour session with limited preparation from the DM.”
• The Secret of Karnov Mansion (5e) – $4.95 on DMsGuild
  Invite your players to a dinner party during the full moon. By Jeff C. Stevens, this adventure is for 4th to 6th level PCs.
• The Haunted Cornfield (5e)
  A free Halloween themed 1st level side trek from James Haeck at D&D Beyond.
• The Witch of Underwillow (5e) – $1.50 on DMsGuild
  Save a kidnapped child from wolves who drag it into the forest. By Merric Blackman, this adventure is for 1st to 3rd level PCs.
• The Haunt (5e)
  Unlock the secrets and drive back the evil from Montarthas Manor
• A Haunting in Brenton (5e)
  “A fun horror/suspense adventure for your party, easy to drop in to any campaign or play as a one-off.” PWYW for 7th level.
• D&D 5e – Halloween Themed Adventure – Tribality.com
• Halloween Adventure – Paizo.com
• Night of Samhain – Loot the Body
• Army of the Damned (5e) – Reddit
• Old King Heus – Stands in Fire
  A legendary undead encounter for low-to-mid-level characters.
• Trick of Treat (5e) – DMs Guild
  In this adventure, the players take part in some spooky local festivities, but when a celebrant takes things too far, it’s up to them to save the town from a dark curse.
• A Haunting in Brenton (5e) DMsGuild – Pay What You Want
  “Your adventurers find themselves drawn into a small hamlet in a secluded valley. Very quickly, it becomes obvious that this seemingly quiet town has a dark past, and the party has become caught up in it. They’ll have to unravel the mystery of what happened in Brenton, and once they do, defeat the ancient evil that has cursed it. If they don’t, they may be doomed to remain forever, a part of the story known as A Haunting in Brenton”
• Return to Camp Adonis (Tribality – 3:16: Carnage Amongst the Stars)
  An adventure created by Tribality’s Colin McLaughlin. “With Halloween right around the corner, what better a time to revisit [3:16: Carnage Amongst the Stars] and provide a ready-to-run one-shot for people looking for something different.

MONSTERS

• 10 Monsters for a D&D 5th Edition Halloween Monster Mash – Tribality.com
• Stranger Things’ Demogorgon and Demodogs – Tribality.com
• D&D’s Scariest Monsters (1977-1983) – SomethingAwful.com
• 15 Most Bizarre RPG Monsters – Halloween Hullabaloo – 8thdimensioncomics.com
• Werewolf – Howl at the Moon! – Tribality.com
• Vampyre – Masters of Undeath for D&D 5th Edition – Daemons & Deathrays
• The Host – Infested Creatures for 5th Edition – Tribality.com
• Gobbits – The Special Servants of Witches – Black Shark Enterprises
• Headless Horseman – Monster-A-Day
• Gill-Man – Monster-A-Day
• Evil Doll – Monster-A-Day
• Coven Horror – Monster-A-Day
• Pumpkin King – Monster-A-Day
• A Ghoulish Repast – Harbinger of Doom
• Get to Know the Scarecrow – Colin McLaughlin

PLAYER OPTIONS – D&D 5e

• Playable Halloween Monster Races for D&D Fifth Edition – Part 1
  Werewolf, Vampire and Mummy – let the PCs be overpowered monsters for a one-shot
  
• Playable Halloween Monster Races for D&D Fifth Edition – Part 2
  Scarecrow, Swamp Monster and Frankenstein – let the PCs be overpowered monsters for a one-shot
• Monstrous Races: Half-Vampire/Dhampyr & Ghost
• Lantern-Bearer Ranger Archetype – Harbinger of Doom
• Nightgaunt Rogue Archetype – Harbinger of Doom
• Way of Lost Souls Monastic Tradition – Harbinger of Doom
• Dread Sorcerous Origin – Stands in Fire
• Druidic Circle of the Harvest – Stands in Fire
• Jinx Rogue Archetype – Stands in Fire
• The Veiled Mask – Stands in Fire
• Crow’s Call – Stands in Fire
• Witch Hunter Class – Matt Mercer / Geek & Sundry
  The one played by Vin Diesel
• Werewolf Prestige Class – Tribality.com
• Werewolf PC Build – Tribality.com
• Werewolf Kin Background – Icygeek.com
• Lycanthrope Background – World Builder Blog
• Vampirologist Background – Icygeek.com
• Vampire Hunter Prestige Class – Icygeek.com
• Antediluvian Vampire Warlock Pact – Icygeek.com
• Vampire Prestige Class – Warlock Homebrew
• Six Spells for Horror – Tribality.com
• Ranger: Monster Slayer Conclave – D&D Unearthed Arcana

RANDOM TABLES & OTHER STUFF

• 20 Ghosts for Your Castle – Black Shark Enterprises
• 20 Different Types of Ghosts to Tell Stories About – Black Shark Enterprises
• 20 Ways to Scare with Skulls and Skeletons – Black Shark Enterprises
• A Library for Your Haunted Castle – Black Shark Enterprises
• 20 Haunted House Dressings & 13 Devils for Dancing – Black Shark Enterprises
• 20 Grisly Scenes of Murder – Black Shark Enterprises
• Five Magic Items with Spooky ATOMBments – Colin McLaughlin
• Five Harvest-Themed Cursed Items – Colin McLaughlin
• The Murder House – Heroic Maps

MUSIC

• Ambient Halloween Playlist – 8Tracks
• The 99 Darkest Pieces Of Classical Music – Amazon.com
• Scary Halloween Music – Apple iTunes

TIPS

• 7 Tips For Running an All-Zombie Campaign – DungeonsMaster.com
• Using Fear: Scare the Player, Not the Character – DungeonsMaster.com
• Using Undead Intelligently – DungeonsMaster.com
• Undead Make the Scariest Monsters – DungeonsMaster.com
• Being a Werewolf in Eberron – DungeonsMaster.com
• Top Ways to Terrify Your Players Part 1 – Jesse Cohoon
• Top Ways to Terrify Your Players Part 2 – Jesse Cohoon
• 6 Ways to Save Your Campaign from the Holidays

Let us know in the comments below if you found (or wrote) Halloween stuff that we should include on this list. Thanks!

Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast