5 Bone-Chilling D&D Adventures to Play This Halloween Season (And 1 Is An All-Time Classic)

As a fantasy TTRPG, Dungeons & Dragons isn’t going to deliver full-on horror on the scale of something like Call of Cthulu or Delta Green. But that doesn’t mean the game can’t bring in some truly terrifying elements at times. From undead abominations to downright unsettling campaigns, D&D has its fair share of things that go bump in the night. That makes it a perfect game to enjoy this October, or any time you’re hoping to lean into the scarier side of life. You just need to know which adventures to pick.

With D&D, you can lean into horror for the long haul with full-on horror campaigns that will give you months of spine-tingling terror. Or, you can set yourself up for a solid Halloween night with a one-shot. I put together this list of bone-chilling D&D adventures with a little something for every gamer. Whether you love horror or can only handle a touch of it, this list of scary D&D adventures and campaigns should have something to offer.

5. Ghosts of Saltmarsh

With ghosts in the name, you know you’re getting at least a little of that undead goodness in Ghosts of Saltmarsh. That said, this adventure is set in a seaside town and lends itself to pirate, seafaring vibes. But even so, Ghosts of Saltmarsh has some solid spooky elements with undead sailors and a cult devoted to a forbidden god.

For those who like a little bit scary, but not too scary, this is the perfect campaign to start around Halloween or any time you want to contend with some light nautical horrors. It’s also widely considered one of the best adventures for D&D 5e, so you know you’re getting a solid story with this one.

4. Abomination Vaults

This haunting adventure originally hails from Pathfinder, but has been converted fully to D&D 5e. It features a haunted dungeon where an evil would-be necromancer strives to rise again. There’s some bone-chilling body horror in this one, along with undead baddies to contend with, making it a solid choice for a campaign set during the spooky season of fall.

Abomination Vaults is a lengthy adventure spanning levels 1 to 11, so it’s perfect for adventurers who want to hang with horror for the long haul. Contend with vengeful ghosts and horrors in this sprawling megadungeon, one of the best Pathfinder adventures that’s now vying for a spot among D&D‘s greatest campaigns.

3. The Crooked Moon

To truly lean into horror in D&D, third-party adventures are where it’s at. For fans of folk horror in particular, the upcoming The Crooked Moon adventure from the Legends of Avantris team cannot be missed. This sprawling tome pays homage to horror films, Halloween vibes, and the most dreadful of folklore.

This haunting and sprawling adventure tome arrives this October, just in time for embarking on a terrifying new campaign on Halloween. Explore the dark wood and lean into truly terrifying vibes with horror-themed subclasses, monsters, mechanics, and more.

2. Curse of Strahd

Of course, I couldn’t leave out the all-time classic D&D campaign that goes bump in the night. Curse of Strahd can be converted into a terrifying haunted house one-shot, or you can use Halloween as an excuse to finally begin this epic campaign. Something is not right in Barovia, and it’s likely linked to the unsettling Count Strahd von Zarovich. Of all the official D&D adventures out there, this one is arguably the most truly horror-themed of the lot.

Curse of Strahd features 15 chapters full of werewolves, vampires, and creepy ghosts and townsfolk. My character nearly died in the haunted house in Session 1 when my party took this one on, so I’m personally vouching for it as a scary good time.

1. The Madhouse of Tasha’s Kiss

If you’re looking for a horror one-shot to run this Halloween, few come as highly recommended as The Madhouse of Tasha’s Kiss. This adventure by authors Remley Farr and Jeff C. Stevens is available for both the 2014 and 2024 D&D 5e rules, and it packs in 3-5 hours of madhouse horror. With a content warning featuring “grim horror” and “horrific details,” this short adventure is one of the scariest options out there for 5e.

The Madhouse of Tasha’s Kiss brings players into a pocket dimension full of terrifying foes and mind-bending horrors. It introduces several new, dreadful monsters and a madness mechanic that will turn your D&D one-shot into a horror story for the ages.