HALLOWEEN THEMED DND GAME RECAP - FRIDAY 10/03/25
A family approached me recently, asking if I would run a Halloween themed game for them and their young son. After some discussion on what type of Halloween theme they were looking for, what sort of horror themes would be acceptable, and what their son would and would not be afraid of I searched for a game for them. I found “Horror at Devil’s Run” from Jeff Stevens Games and purchased it. With some modifications in a little embellishment, it would be perfect for what I had in mind.
Our party consist of four 5th level adventurers. Thorn, half orc Barbarian and former resident of Devil’s Run where our adventure takes place. Sera, Cleric of the Grave. Harry, Wizard (who you will see is overly fond of the use of fireball), and Sage, Cleric / Rogue.
The players opted to have their characters know one another to avoid all of the formality of introductions and backstory. Thorn being a resident of Devils Run, told his friends about the annual Pumpkin Festival where folks come from all around come for the celebration. The annual Pumpkin Festival is the main source of revenue for many of the folk who live in Devils Run. Molly Sims, a local farmer has won the best pumpkin award for as long as people can remember. Thorn has convinced the party to come to Devil’s Run to take in the festival as a break from their past adventures.
Devil’s Run get its name from the river that it runs alongside. As the party approaches from the south the first thing they notice is a strange encroachment of purple pumpkin vines that have left a farmers field, and move north into town the vines have creeped over some of the buildings and the town is eerily quiet. Today would’ve been the first day of the pumpkin festival so it should be alive with activity and full of people. Thorn knows that the forted hill to their east is called Harvest Hill. This is where many people seek to set up tents and wagons as the towns one hotel simply cannot hold everyone who come to town for the Pumpkin Festival. They pass the hill and head into town to try to find out what is happening. As they get closer, they hear cries for help. Rushing in they find two people, a woman on the ground with some sort of a pumpkin spider on top of her, and a man fending one off with a rake.
A pitched battle ensues and the party managed to destroy the two creatures. They can’t understand why these pumpkin light creatures are red rather than the typical orange. Or what brought them to life and causes them to attack people. Thorn recognizes Cletus & Vivi who run the hotel. Vivi lies dead, slain by the strange creature and Cletus is inconsolable.
Next to them lies Eleanor‘s Wares, the town General store. Thorn beats on the door and here’s a soft voice inside asking who it is. Identifying himself, the proprietor opens the door and lets the party and the two town folk in. She tells them a story of horror. Two days ago, as the town was preparing for the festival a large group of these red pumpkin spider like creatures entered the town, started attacking the people and dragging them off. Yesterday the vines started creeping out from the farmers fields in overtaking the town. Eleanor has not seen anyone since. She thought it best to barricade herself inside of her store.
The party decides they should split up and explore the town. They find all of the towns buildings abandoned, except for one where they find three other survivors. They think it best to take all the survivors to the hotel, where they would have room board and it’s the one building furthest from where the vines have made their way. One of the survivors they find is Donnie who runs the local tavern. He tells them that a man came to town trying to sell a concoction that is supposed to destroy creeping vines and invasive vegetation. The man with his concussions set off to try to destroy the vines, but never returned.
Harry decides he can scout around on his flying brim from the safety of the air. He flies towards the pumpkin patches that lie south of town. As he gets closer, he sees mini pumpkins on the ground, red and color with purple vines everywhere. He decides it’s prudent to start launching fire bolts at the red pumpkins. As he begins to smash the pumpkins, he notices one of the pumpkins start to uproot from the earth and a massive shambling mound pumpkin like creature starts to throw pumpkins at him.
As seems to be his modus operandi he leads with a fireball. When the smoke clears a singed, but still moving Shambling Pumpkin Mound pursues Harry back towards the town. Having heard the noise of the battle in the spells, the party burst from the safety of the building and sets off in search of Harry finding him locked in combat. The party quickly makes short work of the creature but sustain wounds themselves. They regroup and go back to town to try to formulate a plan and they tondeduce what it is they’re up against.
The party decides to investigate Harvest Hill and set off the next morning. They discovered the tent and wagons have been destroyed by vines that have erupted from the hills surface itself. They only find three survivors a young boy named Angus, who his mother was killed, Jonas Finch and elderly gnome Noble, and his wife, Lynn, who was trapped in their coach. The party destroys the vines that have taken over the coach and helped to free the injured Lynn. Treating her wounds and stabilizing her injuries. They transport the survivors back to the hotel.
Young Harry, a brass wizard, who has a fixation with the spell fireball and his companion, Sera, use the wizards broom of flying to fly over and investigate the pumpkin patch nearby. As they do, they see many of these creeping spider light creatures. In the center of the pumpkin patch, they found an enormous hole. A strange pulsating red light coming from it. Harry being a wise and calculating wizard, decides to launch a fireball into the hole. There is a massive configuration with earth, vines, and bits of pumpkin flying up into the air. As the dust settles, there is massive roars and a great movement of pumpkin creatures and the direction that the two flew off on the brim. That is where we left off our first session. what horrors await them in the pumpkin patch? What will the party find in the massive hole in the ground? Stay tuned to find out!