Haunted environs include homes burdened by dark deeds, the sites of mass killings, and locations where individuals died while experiencing powerful fear, sorrow, or hatred. Haunted places bear echoes of the past and, like ghosts, harass visitors even as they seek respite from age-old traumas. Few places are meaninglessly haunted, and you can easily customize the general results on the following table to suit all manner of macabre tales.
Consider rolling on the Haunted Effects table when the following circumstances occur in the region:
| Haunted Effects | |
| d100 | Effect |
| 01-05 | A violent thunderstorm begins, centered over the region. It doesn't end until the party leaves the region. |
| 06-10 | A random building in the region gains the benefits of the Guards and Wards spell (save DC 13) for the next 24 hours. |
| 11-15 | A mundane part of one random character's surroundings—perhaps a tree bole or a taxidermied animal head—animates for 1 minute and whispers a warning or threatens to reveal one of the character's secrets. |
| 16-20 | All bright light weakens to dim light for 24 hours. Sources that provide dim light, such as candles, do not shed any light. |
| 21-25 | The temperature in the region drops by 10 degrees Fahrenheit every hour for the next 1d6 hours, after which the temperature returns to normal. If cold enough, ice crystals form in sinister patterns. |
| 26-30 | One random creature's shadow acts independently for the next 24 hours. The shadow acts out of sync with its owner, perhaps dramatically choking or trying to murder another shadow. |
| 31-35 | After the next sunset, the sun doesn't rise again for 36 hours. During this time, the sky over the region might hold a crimson moon, be obscured by roiling fog, or display blinking, alien stars. |
| 36-40 | During the next night, one random sleeping creature vanishes and reappears approximately a foot beneath where they were sleeping—typically buried in undisturbed dirt or in a space beneath floorboards. The creature or someone else can free it with a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check. |
| 41-45 | One random creature in the region is targeted by the Levitate spell (save DC 15) for 1 minute. |
| 46-50 | A nonviolent but unsettling ghost—perhaps a pet, an accident-prone child, or a dismembered big toe—appears and follows one random creature for 24 hours before vanishing. The ghost vanishes if reduced to 0 hit points. |
| 51-55 | One player character's appearance changes for the next 24 hours to reflect the region's haunted history. For example, they might manifest the distinctive facial scar associated with a notorious tyrant who died in the region. |
| 56-60 | For the next 24 hours, any humanoid killed in the region rapidly decomposes and rises as a skeleton 1d10 minutes after dying. |
| 61-65 | Over the next 24 hours, whenever any creature is wounded, its blood (or similar fluid) spreads to form a short message or grisly tableau. |
| 66-70 | A spirit inhabits one character's simple or martial weapon, making it a sentient magic item until the character leaves the region. Randomly generate the item's properties as described in the "Sentient Magic Items" section of the Magic Item Section. |
| 71-75 | A spectral force manifests to one character in the region, allowing them to ask one question and receive a short answer as through the Augury spell. The force manifests as a planchette moving on a talking board, writing on foggy glass, or insects swarming to create messages. |
| 76-80 | During the next night, one sleeping character in the region receives a vision as if the target of the Dream spell. The dream is brief and unsettling, revealing some element of the environment's history and putting the character in the place of someone who suffered a grim fate there. |
| 81-85 | A coffin or small enclosed space in the region—perhaps an antique box, stone cairn, or tree stump sealed with rocks—radiates palpable malice. The first time a creature opens it, roll a die. If you roll an even number, the creature receives a terrible vision and is frightened of all creatures for the next 24 hours. If you roll an odd number, an avatar of death appears and attacks as though summoned by the Skull card from a deck of many things. |
| 86-90 | Over the next 24 hours, whenever any creature in the region regains hit points from a spell, the healing magic leaves scars. This might be accompanied by a purging of black bile or a spectral force tearing free from the creature. These scars can be removed only by Greater Restoration or Wish. |
| 91-95 | For 24 hours, a luminous wisp of vapor floats above a corpse or grave in the region. If the wisp is put in a container, a creature holding the receptacle can cast the Resurrection spell once, requiring no components and causing the wisp to vanish. Any creature returned to life in this way experiences strange dreams. |
| 96-00 | A mysterious mist rises from the shadows. This dense fog heavily obscures everything in a 50-foot-radius sphere around one random creature in the region. Any creature that starts its turn in the mist must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution Saving Throw or gain 1 level of exhaustion. This exhaustion can't be removed while the creature is in the mist. Additionally, creatures notice unsettling sights through the fog, such as ominous ruins or soundless silhouettes fleeing pursuit. The mists can't be dispersed by any wind, but clear after 1 minute. |