When I first read the title, I thought you were doing a one shot inspired by the FILM The Lighthouse. Haha Based on thst movie, loss of sanity. Claustrophobia, and distrust could be major themes. PCs are trapped on an island with only themselves and a lighthouse with a horn that goes off at the worst times. Much like Curse of Strahd, a one shot or even short campaign could focus on the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a domain. Maybe give the pcs visions of other pcs betraying them, sowing dissent among the group. Have combat end with sudden twists. Maybe creatures they fight turn out to be hallucinations. A horrific crashed ship filled with undead was actually a crew there to rescue them. But now the ship is devastated. Suddenly change facts the group knows, making then question their sanity. Would need to be players who love a lot of role play for sure.
Yeah, I cannot believe I forgot to recommend that film! I'll be sure to mention the film when I give this adventure a write-up; thanks for catching that! I absolutely love The Lighthouse (2019), as well as its soundtrack. Acolytes of Horror has an excellent video essay called "The Lies of the Lighthouse," which argues that the film's main theme is that of working a job. I don't think I would limit the film's ideas to that (and to be fair, I don't think the author does, either), but it's a well-argued position. Did you see my video on Richemulot? In the very end of that adventure, I draw on "Three Skeleton Key" by Georges Toudouze, which is another excellent "trapped in a lighthouse" story. It's also in the "Lighthouse Horrors" anthology I recommend here! Do you have any favorite lighthouse stories, or lighthouse ttrpg adventures? Thanks for watching and for commenting; best wishes, and cheers!
@@Grimlore82 thanks very much for watching, and for commenting! Yes, I should have included The Lighthouse (2019); I can't believe I left it out! Let me know what you think of those short stories; some of them are really excellent, and can serve as bases for adventures! Did you see that I have an audio reading of Bradbury's "The Lighthouse?" Feel free to give that a listen, if you prefer audiobooks. Thanks again for supporting the channel. Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers I haven't! I'll have to check that out! Some possible spoilers for Ghosts of Saltmarsh. I don't know how much my DM changed things Our crew had been told that there were incredibly dangerous storms that continue to get worse and worse as time went on. A priest of a sea god told us the center of the storm was where the Old Lighthouse was located . Apparently it emanated an eerie light and let out a horrible pulsing sound. Lightning seems to almost crackle out of the lighthouse itself. We managed to reach the lighthouse and found that it had been fitted with some kind of divine lightning rod dedicated to an evil sea and storm god. It seemed to be enchanted to create the storms. It was indestructible, but we figured it needed some kind of power source. As we went to the very top of the lighthouse, we found that the light source was a massive heart that crackled with electricity. While we try to destroy it the storm got worse and the wind tried to blow us off of the roof of the lighthouse . We were able to stab it through, but not without getting hurt by a surge of electricity. When we went downstairs and went into another room, we found a dead half Ork man wearing symbols of the storm god. He had a hole where his heart should have been. We realized we had accidentally circumvented the boss fight by reaching the heart first. Apparently this half-orc had been given Power by his god, who intended to bring a massive storm to salt marsh. he was given the gift of limited immortality, being unkillable as long as his heart continued to beat within the lighthouse. With the power source destroyed, the storm's ceased
@@GodofChaos45 oh that sounds awesome! I love the image of a pulsing heart at the lighthouse's top. It reminds me of the Heart of Sorrow from Castle Ravenloft (a reference that I hope isn't a spoiler)! It sounds like the DM changed some things for the better, since I don't recall this part from GoS! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome description of what I can only imagine was an awesome session or two. Best wishes, and cheers!
That's great! Yes, the setting of a lighthouse is excellent in so many ways: as a symbol, as a narrative device for isolating the protagonists, as a dungeon that's more vertical than horizontal, as a point of access to the sea, and more. I highly recommend the anthology, "Lighthouse Horrors," for that reason. Do you have any favorite lighthouse-themed adventures, which you'd recommend? Thanks very much for watching and commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
That's delightful of you to say; thank you very much! Many of the phrases, e.g. comparing the motion of shoals of fish to the fanning of a peacock's tail, come from the original Bradbury tale. I highly recommend it, if you enjoyed this video's narration! Thanks again very much for watching and supporting the channel. Best wishes, and cheers!
Good Adventure. And yea I agree with you. Sea Monsters are fun. Not sure where the lighthouse would be but I would say its off the coast of Mordent which fits with the whole ghost vibe of Mordent. But sea monsters are fun. One thing I noticed you didn't mention as insperation for the lighthouse is well the film the Lighthouse.
Ah, you're right; I should have also referenced The Lighthouse (2019)! I used the art from its poster in the video, after all. It must have slipped my mind when writing the script. Good catch! Yes, sea monsters are amazing. My favorite is the Leviathan, particularly as it appears in both Job as well as in John Langan's The Fisherman (2016), which was the basis for my Dutchman's Creek video. Have you seen Jacob Geller's video essay, "Fear of Big Things Underwater?" I highly recommend it! Best wishes, and cheers!
Yes, me too! Vigilant's Bluff in particular has been a tricky one. There's a story by Clark Ashton Smith, which is going to be my main point of reference, but I'm still working on which existing maps and materials to appropriate for it all. Anything you're hoping to see in the rest of the Sea of Sorrows videos? Feel free to let me know! Best wishes, and cheers!
Yeah, this one is particularly silly. I don't know where I got the idea for slapping my face on Darklords (and other monsters) for these videos, but it's one of my favorite parts of the creative process, now! Thanks again for the comment; best wishes, and cheers!
TWO?!? Loved this one, a nice intense extended encounter. I keep picturing the sea serpet with an unearthly glow inside its mouth, both to make it more eldritch and because I like the unsubtlety of making it basically a living lighthouse.
That's such a striking image; I love it! The idea of the sea serpent turning its head, spilling its light across the water in a way that mirrors the lighthouse's own beacon, is captivating indeed! Another detail I wish I had included, now! Thanks very much for sharing that, and for watching. Best wishes, and cheers!
Excellent; that's delightful to hear! If you like oceanic horror in D&D, I also highly recommend my video on Dutchman's Creek--a Domain of Dread that I based on John Langan's amazing novel, "The Fisherman!" Do you have any favorite oceanic adventures for D&D, or for other TTRPGs? Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers We actually run an AD&D 2E Halruaan campaign along the Great Sea and parts of Zahkara. I created a new Priestess and Magic Subclass. The Icthyomancer, and the Fish Women of Pescaria, Goddess of fish and calm waters. Might add some horror to it, in the Shipgrave Isles. My favorite modules for ocean adventures GA1: The Murky Deep (2e) and Sahaugin Series.
I think if I would make one alteration to this, it would be to give more of a sense of days passing, along with the perilously low resources to be found in the lighthouse
Yeah, I think that's a good idea, too. Instead of waves of enemies in a single extended encounter, the PCs get distinct battles (which themselves could have waves of enemies), separated by long rests. Since PCs get to refresh all their abilities between long rests, this would allow the DM to throw more challenging enemies in each individual "stage" of the adventure. This would also lengthen the adventure--especially if there are extra, non-combat encounters at both day and night--to something more deserving of that label. Excellent suggestion; I love it! Thanks so much for adding it to the discussion! Please let me know if you try this out, and how it goes; feel free to comment here or join the Discord. Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers That could add the 2017 film Cold Skin to your media suggestions, as it features a more protracted siege in a lighthouse against a marine enemy
@@isaacalien oh, excellent, and many thanks! I have not seen that film, and I clearly need to. I'm very grateful for this recommendation. Thanks very much a second time!
I love this adventure idea of rising tensions with the "acts", and I especially love the Cha save to not join in the cry. For most of them, it doesn't have a negative effect but it's *so spooky* I'd predict a lot of PCs would burn resources to make those saves. Successful horror gaming comes from engaging the imagination, and that really engages the imagination.
Indeed! I'm hoping to have another one in the near future, keeping in the spirit of releasing these Sea of Sorrows videos quickly. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Best wishes, and cheers!
2? Man I need to step on it haha Lighthouses, (lighthousei?) have always been a love of mine. Even the ones on the fancy callenders shot in broad daylight. But i do love the spooky ones. Great pull with Me Thr Dough-ty Walker. Your bredth of inapiration amazes me.
Thanks so much, Jason! It's delightful to hear from you again; your "Howls in the Night" videos are a lot of fun! Are you covering anything on the Sea of Sorrows in the future? If so, it might give me an opportunity to reference what you're working on... Yeah, I love lighthouses as well; they're excellent adventure locations for a variety of reasons: as devices to isolate the PCs, as symbols of isolation, as symbols of light being held up above the dark, as a way to guarantee encounters with the sea, and more! I'm glad you appreciated "Me Tie Dough-ty Walker!" It's not the only story with that structure, where horror approaches gradually, and signals its approach with increasingly supernatural phenomena, but it's my favorite. I bet someone could design a whole TTRPG based on it! Thanks very much, as always, for watching and for commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
My pleasure! And thank you so much, once again, for watching and commenting! Let me know if you have any favorite tales in the "Lighthouse Horrors" anthology. Also, do you have any requests for future content? Best wishes, and cheers!
@@DiMadHatter I'll make sure the next Barovia adventure features them, indeed! (I'm reading quite a few vampire stories in order to prepare for that one, in fact!)
Oh, thank you very much! I wonder if the writers in VRGtR had that game in mind when they penned the short Lighthouse section. Did it come out before VRGtR's release? I'll check it out very soon, along with Mandalore's video; thank you so much! And thank you for watching and commenting! Best wishes, and cheers!
When I first read the title, I thought you were doing a one shot inspired by the FILM The Lighthouse. Haha
Based on thst movie, loss of sanity. Claustrophobia, and distrust could be major themes. PCs are trapped on an island with only themselves and a lighthouse with a horn that goes off at the worst times. Much like Curse of Strahd, a one shot or even short campaign could focus on the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a domain. Maybe give the pcs visions of other pcs betraying them, sowing dissent among the group. Have combat end with sudden twists. Maybe creatures they fight turn out to be hallucinations. A horrific crashed ship filled with undead was actually a crew there to rescue them. But now the ship is devastated. Suddenly change facts the group knows, making then question their sanity. Would need to be players who love a lot of role play for sure.
Same, I was definitely under the impression this was about the movie. Now I have some short stories to dive into!
Yeah, I cannot believe I forgot to recommend that film! I'll be sure to mention the film when I give this adventure a write-up; thanks for catching that!
I absolutely love The Lighthouse (2019), as well as its soundtrack. Acolytes of Horror has an excellent video essay called "The Lies of the Lighthouse," which argues that the film's main theme is that of working a job. I don't think I would limit the film's ideas to that (and to be fair, I don't think the author does, either), but it's a well-argued position.
Did you see my video on Richemulot? In the very end of that adventure, I draw on "Three Skeleton Key" by Georges Toudouze, which is another excellent "trapped in a lighthouse" story. It's also in the "Lighthouse Horrors" anthology I recommend here!
Do you have any favorite lighthouse stories, or lighthouse ttrpg adventures?
Thanks for watching and for commenting; best wishes, and cheers!
@@Grimlore82 thanks very much for watching, and for commenting! Yes, I should have included The Lighthouse (2019); I can't believe I left it out!
Let me know what you think of those short stories; some of them are really excellent, and can serve as bases for adventures! Did you see that I have an audio reading of Bradbury's "The Lighthouse?" Feel free to give that a listen, if you prefer audiobooks.
Thanks again for supporting the channel. Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers I haven't! I'll have to check that out!
Some possible spoilers for Ghosts of Saltmarsh. I don't know how much my DM changed things
Our crew had been told that there were incredibly dangerous storms that continue to get worse and worse as time went on. A priest of a sea god told us the center of the storm was where the Old Lighthouse was located . Apparently it emanated an eerie light and let out a horrible pulsing sound. Lightning seems to almost crackle out of the lighthouse itself. We managed to reach the lighthouse and found that it had been fitted with some kind of divine lightning rod dedicated to an evil sea and storm god. It seemed to be enchanted to create the storms. It was indestructible, but we figured it needed some kind of power source. As we went to the very top of the lighthouse, we found that the light source was a massive heart that crackled with electricity. While we try to destroy it the storm got worse and the wind tried to blow us off of the roof of the lighthouse . We were able to stab it through, but not without getting hurt by a surge of electricity. When we went downstairs and went into another room, we found a dead half Ork man wearing symbols of the storm god. He had a hole where his heart should have been. We realized we had accidentally circumvented the boss fight by reaching the heart first. Apparently this half-orc had been given Power by his god, who intended to bring a massive storm to salt marsh. he was given the gift of limited immortality, being unkillable as long as his heart continued to beat within the lighthouse. With the power source destroyed, the storm's ceased
@@GodofChaos45 oh that sounds awesome! I love the image of a pulsing heart at the lighthouse's top. It reminds me of the Heart of Sorrow from Castle Ravenloft (a reference that I hope isn't a spoiler)!
It sounds like the DM changed some things for the better, since I don't recall this part from GoS!
Thanks so much for sharing this awesome description of what I can only imagine was an awesome session or two. Best wishes, and cheers!
Another good call. I'm always interested in lighthouses and wreckages for my pirate-themed campaign.
That's great! Yes, the setting of a lighthouse is excellent in so many ways: as a symbol, as a narrative device for isolating the protagonists, as a dungeon that's more vertical than horizontal, as a point of access to the sea, and more. I highly recommend the anthology, "Lighthouse Horrors," for that reason. Do you have any favorite lighthouse-themed adventures, which you'd recommend? Thanks very much for watching and commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
Your videos are an inspiration and need more subscribers! Your storytelling skills are unmatched!
That's delightful of you to say; thank you very much! Many of the phrases, e.g. comparing the motion of shoals of fish to the fanning of a peacock's tail, come from the original Bradbury tale. I highly recommend it, if you enjoyed this video's narration! Thanks again very much for watching and supporting the channel. Best wishes, and cheers!
Good Adventure. And yea I agree with you. Sea Monsters are fun. Not sure where the lighthouse would be but I would say its off the coast of Mordent which fits with the whole ghost vibe of Mordent. But sea monsters are fun.
One thing I noticed you didn't mention as insperation for the lighthouse is well the film the Lighthouse.
Ah, you're right; I should have also referenced The Lighthouse (2019)! I used the art from its poster in the video, after all. It must have slipped my mind when writing the script. Good catch!
Yes, sea monsters are amazing. My favorite is the Leviathan, particularly as it appears in both Job as well as in John Langan's The Fisherman (2016), which was the basis for my Dutchman's Creek video.
Have you seen Jacob Geller's video essay, "Fear of Big Things Underwater?" I highly recommend it! Best wishes, and cheers!
Fantastic video, can’t wait for the video on the Sea of Sorrows, along with the one shots for Vigilant’s bluff and Isle of Ravens.
Yes, me too! Vigilant's Bluff in particular has been a tricky one. There's a story by Clark Ashton Smith, which is going to be my main point of reference, but I'm still working on which existing maps and materials to appropriate for it all.
Anything you're hoping to see in the rest of the Sea of Sorrows videos? Feel free to let me know! Best wishes, and cheers!
You, Doctor, are my new obsession.
Thank you so much! It's nice to read your comments. Any suggestions on which Domain of Dread (or other topic) I should cover? Best wishes, and cheers!
While strong overall, your thumbnail game is especially on point here XD
Yeah, this one is particularly silly. I don't know where I got the idea for slapping my face on Darklords (and other monsters) for these videos, but it's one of my favorite parts of the creative process, now!
Thanks again for the comment; best wishes, and cheers!
TWO?!?
Loved this one, a nice intense extended encounter. I keep picturing the sea serpet with an unearthly glow inside its mouth, both to make it more eldritch and because I like the unsubtlety of making it basically a living lighthouse.
That's such a striking image; I love it! The idea of the sea serpent turning its head, spilling its light across the water in a way that mirrors the lighthouse's own beacon, is captivating indeed! Another detail I wish I had included, now! Thanks very much for sharing that, and for watching. Best wishes, and cheers!
As a fanof oceanic Dnd, this hit the spot, appreciate it.
Excellent; that's delightful to hear! If you like oceanic horror in D&D, I also highly recommend my video on Dutchman's Creek--a Domain of Dread that I based on John Langan's amazing novel, "The Fisherman!"
Do you have any favorite oceanic adventures for D&D, or for other TTRPGs? Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers We actually run an AD&D 2E Halruaan campaign along the Great Sea and parts of Zahkara. I created a new Priestess and Magic Subclass. The Icthyomancer, and the Fish Women of Pescaria, Goddess of fish and calm waters.
Might add some horror to it, in the Shipgrave Isles. My favorite modules for ocean adventures GA1: The Murky Deep (2e) and Sahaugin Series.
I think if I would make one alteration to this, it would be to give more of a sense of days passing, along with the perilously low resources to be found in the lighthouse
Yeah, I think that's a good idea, too. Instead of waves of enemies in a single extended encounter, the PCs get distinct battles (which themselves could have waves of enemies), separated by long rests. Since PCs get to refresh all their abilities between long rests, this would allow the DM to throw more challenging enemies in each individual "stage" of the adventure. This would also lengthen the adventure--especially if there are extra, non-combat encounters at both day and night--to something more deserving of that label.
Excellent suggestion; I love it! Thanks so much for adding it to the discussion! Please let me know if you try this out, and how it goes; feel free to comment here or join the Discord. Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers That could add the 2017 film Cold Skin to your media suggestions, as it features a more protracted siege in a lighthouse against a marine enemy
@@isaacalien oh, excellent, and many thanks! I have not seen that film, and I clearly need to. I'm very grateful for this recommendation. Thanks very much a second time!
I love this adventure idea of rising tensions with the "acts", and I especially love the Cha save to not join in the cry. For most of them, it doesn't have a negative effect but it's *so spooky* I'd predict a lot of PCs would burn resources to make those saves. Successful horror gaming comes from engaging the imagination, and that really engages the imagination.
DOUBLE EVENT
Indeed! I'm hoping to have another one in the near future, keeping in the spirit of releasing these Sea of Sorrows videos quickly. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Best wishes, and cheers!
2? Man I need to step on it haha
Lighthouses, (lighthousei?) have always been a love of mine. Even the ones on the fancy callenders shot in broad daylight.
But i do love the spooky ones.
Great pull with Me Thr Dough-ty Walker. Your bredth of inapiration amazes me.
Thanks so much, Jason! It's delightful to hear from you again; your "Howls in the Night" videos are a lot of fun! Are you covering anything on the Sea of Sorrows in the future? If so, it might give me an opportunity to reference what you're working on...
Yeah, I love lighthouses as well; they're excellent adventure locations for a variety of reasons: as devices to isolate the PCs, as symbols of isolation, as symbols of light being held up above the dark, as a way to guarantee encounters with the sea, and more!
I'm glad you appreciated "Me Tie Dough-ty Walker!" It's not the only story with that structure, where horror approaches gradually, and signals its approach with increasingly supernatural phenomena, but it's my favorite. I bet someone could design a whole TTRPG based on it!
Thanks very much, as always, for watching and for commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
thanks for your great work and all those source recommendations!!!
My pleasure! And thank you so much, once again, for watching and commenting! Let me know if you have any favorite tales in the "Lighthouse Horrors" anthology. Also, do you have any requests for future content? Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers again, i would like to see your take on using the Priests of Osybus and/or the Ulmist Inquisition for an adventure
@@DiMadHatter I'll make sure the next Barovia adventure features them, indeed! (I'm reading quite a few vampire stories in order to prepare for that one, in fact!)
Ok so there’s a game called no one lives under the light house it has a nice twist look up mandalore gameing’s review if you don’t want to play
Oh, thank you very much! I wonder if the writers in VRGtR had that game in mind when they penned the short Lighthouse section. Did it come out before VRGtR's release? I'll check it out very soon, along with Mandalore's video; thank you so much! And thank you for watching and commenting! Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers the light house came out Oct 18 2019 while No one lives under the lighthouse came out April 21 2020 so it’s possible
@@Lazycandle Yeah, good point! VRGtR came out in 2021, so it's possible, as you say. Thanks once again for bringing this up!
Well done. New sub here
Thank you very much, and welcome to the channel! Any favorite videos so far? Any content you'd like so see in the future? Best wishes, and cheers!