Nightmare Generator

Use these d100 tables to generate disturbing nightmares for investigators who sleep. Nightmares can serve as:

  • Character development and roleplay opportunities
  • Subtle foreshadowing of events to come
  • Clues to the mystery presented symbolically
  • Consequences of sanity loss or exposure to Mythos
  • Flavor text to maintain atmosphere between scenes

🌙 Nightmare Themes (d100)

Roll for the central theme of the nightmare:

d100 Nightmare Theme
01-05Being chased by something unseen through endless corridors
06-10Falling through darkness forever, never hitting bottom
11-15Unable to scream or call for help despite danger
16-20Watching loved ones die, unable to intervene
21-25Drowning in viscous liquid that fills lungs slowly
26-30Body parts detaching and crawling away independently
31-35Mirror reflection acting independently and malevolently
36-40Teeth falling out one by one, endless and painful
41-45Being buried alive, soil pressing down relentlessly
46-50Childhood home warped into nightmare version
51-55Everyone you meet has the same blank face
56-60Your words come out as incomprehensible sounds
61-65Paralyzed while something approaches your bed
66-70Realizing you're already dead and don't belong here
71-75Doors and exits vanish as you try to leave
76-80Insects crawling under your skin, visible movements
81-85People you know accusing you of terrible crimes
86-90Witnessing your own death from outside your body
91-95Time loops: reliving same terrifying moment repeatedly
96-00Something pretending to be you in your life

🏚️ Nightmare Settings (d100)

Roll for where the nightmare takes place:

d100 Nightmare Setting
01-05Abandoned hospital with flickering lights
06-10Endless library with impossible architecture
11-15Childhood school after dark, empty
16-20Foggy cemetery with moving shadows
21-25Derelict subway station, trains never arrive
26-30Family home with rooms that shouldn't exist
31-35Underwater city of impossible angles
36-40Forest where trees bleed and whisper
41-45Carnival or fair after everyone has left
46-50Church with inverted crosses and backwards prayers
51-55Empty city streets, wrong colors in sky
56-60Basement that goes down infinitely
61-65Museum where exhibits come alive
66-70Theater showing a play about your life
71-75Meat locker filled with familiar faces
76-80Office building, all coworkers are corpses
81-85Beach where ocean is made of darkness
86-90Asylum where you're told you've always been
91-95Void with floating doorways to nowhere
96-00Investigation site, but everything is wrong

👁️ Nightmare Elements (d100)

Roll for specific disturbing details to add:

d100 Nightmare Element
01-05Clock ticking backwards, time running out
06-10Writing that changes whenever you look away
11-15Laughter echoing from everywhere and nowhere
16-20Photographs of events that haven't happened yet
21-25Hands reaching from walls, floors, ceiling
26-30Your face on other people's bodies
31-35Objects aging and decaying before your eyes
36-40Gravity shifts randomly, physics don't work
41-45Everyone speaking in unison
46-50Symbols burning themselves into surfaces
51-55Blood seeping through walls like sweat
56-60Dolls or mannequins turning to watch you
61-65Music box playing same tune endlessly
66-70Shadows where there should be light
71-75Voices of the dead calling your name
76-80Your hands covered in blood, source unknown
81-85Eyes opening on walls, ceiling, floor
86-90Screaming that won't stop, gets louder
91-95Realization you're the monster everyone fears
96-00Entity from investigation appears, knows things it shouldn't

🔮 Prophetic Nightmare Clues (d20)

Optionally, roll on this table to include a clue to the investigation (presented symbolically):

d20 Prophetic Element
1-2Vision of next victim, but face obscured
3-4Symbolic representation of killer's identity
5-6Location of next event shown in distorted way
7-8Date and time appear repeatedly everywhere
9-10Warning from dead victim about what's coming
11-12Glimpse of entity's true form
13-14Symbolic ritual showing cult's plan
15-16Map or path marked with blood
17-18Book or document with key information
19-20Your own death if investigation fails

💡 Using Nightmares in Your Game

When to Use

  • After significant sanity loss
  • When investigators sleep near cursed locations
  • Following encounters with Mythos entities
  • As transition between investigation scenes
  • To foreshadow upcoming dangers
  • When a player needs spotlight time

Presentation Tips

  • Describe vividly but let player fill in details
  • Ask what the character does in the nightmare
  • Make prophetic elements subtle, not obvious
  • Players can interpret meaning themselves
  • Don't require sanity roll unless especially horrific
  • Let nightmares affect roleplay choices