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 |
|---|---|
| 01-05 | Being chased by something unseen through endless corridors |
| 06-10 | Falling through darkness forever, never hitting bottom |
| 11-15 | Unable to scream or call for help despite danger |
| 16-20 | Watching loved ones die, unable to intervene |
| 21-25 | Drowning in viscous liquid that fills lungs slowly |
| 26-30 | Body parts detaching and crawling away independently |
| 31-35 | Mirror reflection acting independently and malevolently |
| 36-40 | Teeth falling out one by one, endless and painful |
| 41-45 | Being buried alive, soil pressing down relentlessly |
| 46-50 | Childhood home warped into nightmare version |
| 51-55 | Everyone you meet has the same blank face |
| 56-60 | Your words come out as incomprehensible sounds |
| 61-65 | Paralyzed while something approaches your bed |
| 66-70 | Realizing you're already dead and don't belong here |
| 71-75 | Doors and exits vanish as you try to leave |
| 76-80 | Insects crawling under your skin, visible movements |
| 81-85 | People you know accusing you of terrible crimes |
| 86-90 | Witnessing your own death from outside your body |
| 91-95 | Time loops: reliving same terrifying moment repeatedly |
| 96-00 | Something pretending to be you in your life |
🏚️ Nightmare Settings (d100)
Roll for where the nightmare takes place:
| d100 | Nightmare Setting |
|---|---|
| 01-05 | Abandoned hospital with flickering lights |
| 06-10 | Endless library with impossible architecture |
| 11-15 | Childhood school after dark, empty |
| 16-20 | Foggy cemetery with moving shadows |
| 21-25 | Derelict subway station, trains never arrive |
| 26-30 | Family home with rooms that shouldn't exist |
| 31-35 | Underwater city of impossible angles |
| 36-40 | Forest where trees bleed and whisper |
| 41-45 | Carnival or fair after everyone has left |
| 46-50 | Church with inverted crosses and backwards prayers |
| 51-55 | Empty city streets, wrong colors in sky |
| 56-60 | Basement that goes down infinitely |
| 61-65 | Museum where exhibits come alive |
| 66-70 | Theater showing a play about your life |
| 71-75 | Meat locker filled with familiar faces |
| 76-80 | Office building, all coworkers are corpses |
| 81-85 | Beach where ocean is made of darkness |
| 86-90 | Asylum where you're told you've always been |
| 91-95 | Void with floating doorways to nowhere |
| 96-00 | Investigation site, but everything is wrong |
👁️ Nightmare Elements (d100)
Roll for specific disturbing details to add:
| d100 | Nightmare Element |
|---|---|
| 01-05 | Clock ticking backwards, time running out |
| 06-10 | Writing that changes whenever you look away |
| 11-15 | Laughter echoing from everywhere and nowhere |
| 16-20 | Photographs of events that haven't happened yet |
| 21-25 | Hands reaching from walls, floors, ceiling |
| 26-30 | Your face on other people's bodies |
| 31-35 | Objects aging and decaying before your eyes |
| 36-40 | Gravity shifts randomly, physics don't work |
| 41-45 | Everyone speaking in unison |
| 46-50 | Symbols burning themselves into surfaces |
| 51-55 | Blood seeping through walls like sweat |
| 56-60 | Dolls or mannequins turning to watch you |
| 61-65 | Music box playing same tune endlessly |
| 66-70 | Shadows where there should be light |
| 71-75 | Voices of the dead calling your name |
| 76-80 | Your hands covered in blood, source unknown |
| 81-85 | Eyes opening on walls, ceiling, floor |
| 86-90 | Screaming that won't stop, gets louder |
| 91-95 | Realization you're the monster everyone fears |
| 96-00 | Entity 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 |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Vision of next victim, but face obscured |
| 3-4 | Symbolic representation of killer's identity |
| 5-6 | Location of next event shown in distorted way |
| 7-8 | Date and time appear repeatedly everywhere |
| 9-10 | Warning from dead victim about what's coming |
| 11-12 | Glimpse of entity's true form |
| 13-14 | Symbolic ritual showing cult's plan |
| 15-16 | Map or path marked with blood |
| 17-18 | Book or document with key information |
| 19-20 | Your 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