Friday, October 1, 2021

What happens if you say 'Bloody Mary' three times?

The urban legend is that if you say Bloody Mary by candlelight in front of a mirror three times, she appears. But what happens when she does? Use the random tables below to find out, if the PCs in your game decide they want to tempt Fate during the Halloween Season. (The table can either be used every time it's done, or used to decide a constant result.)

We've tried to make this as general a game supplement as possible. GMs will have to interpret what's here in the context of whatever RPG system they will be using this content in.


Katy

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SAY "BLOODY MARY"? (Roll 1d6)
   1. A ghoul with 10 times the normal amount of hit points materializes and attacks the foolish person who summoned it, as well as anyone who tries to intervene. After the summoner is dead, the monster disappears, taking the summoner's tongue with it.
   2. An angry ghost manifests and attacks the foolish person who summon it, as well as anyone who tries to intervene. After the summoner is dead, the ghost will grant one person present (who is still alive) a wish.
   3. A powerful demon appears. It demands that anyone present answer three questions truthfully; they will be questions relating to some dark secret the person harbors, often something they wouldn't want others present to know. In return, it will reveal three secrets kept by a single other person the summoner asks about. If anyone lies to the demon, it attacks the summoner and anyone who tries to intervene. After three rounds of combat, it returns to the mirror and drags the summoner to Hell.
   4. The candles are suddenly and mysterious extinguished, but otherwise nothing seems to happen. In truth, the summoner has been magically replaced by an evil doppelganger that sets about destroying everything the summoner loves, even to the point of murdering his or her friends or family. The summoner is trapped in a mirror-space between dimensions, but can be freed if the ritual is performed again. This is only a temporary fix, though: The evil doppleganger must be captured and killed in front of a mirror before 13 hours have passed. Otherwise, the summoner shatters into a million tiny mirror shards and is dead forever.
   5. A Bloody Mary cocktail (complete with a celery stalk standing in it) appears in a skull-shaped glass. The glass dissolves into vapor once the drink has been consumed. Roll again on "HOW WAS THE BLOODY MARY?" below.
   6. Roll on "IT SEEMS LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED, BUT..." below.


HOW WAS THE BLOODY MARY?
(This table can also be used if characters are just ordering the cocktail.)
   1-2. It's as if the Goddess of Cocktails made it herself. Perfection!
   3-4. It's okay. You've had better.
   5. It's what you imagine fermented menstrual blood from a leprous witch with a yeast infection would taste like.
   6. It tastes great, but those who drink it start feeling sick soon after. The illness lasts for 1d6+6 hours.


Art by Bryan Baugh

IT SEEMS LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED, BUT... (Roll 1d6)
   1. A massive curse has been unleashed within a 1,000-mile radius of where the ritual has been performed: Zombies are animated and killing the living, making more zombies. To stop the world from being overrun by zombies, the PCs will need to find Bloody Mary's body and put her to rest once and for all.
   2. The summoner is stalked by a shadowy figure which he or she sees peeking through windows or lurking behind him or her in reflections...but the figure can never be caught or spotted by others. There always seems to be someone moving around in the next room from the summoner, or just around the corner, but no one is ever there when it is checked. The stress disrupts the summoner's sleep, ability to concentrate and function normally. Eventually, the summoner begins to lose his or her mind. The curse can be reversed by the character performing the ritual again, causing the shadowy figure to manifest and attack. The shadowy figure has the same stats as the summoner. No one other than the summoner can hurt or be hurt by the shadowy figure.
   3. The summoner becomes a magnet for maniacs that become obsessed with him or her, believing that they are destined to be soulmates. 1d6+2 of these "admirers" begin stalking the summoner threatening those he or she really loves, trying to drive wedges between the summoner and them, and otherwise trying to force the summoner to love them and only them. The "admirers" will eventually try to kill those the summoner really cares (and even casual encounters the summoner may have) about and even the summoner. This curse continues until either the summoner or the "admirers" are dead.
   4. The summoner (and any other characters within a 30-foot radius when the ritual is performed) are transported into the world that exists beyond the mirror and in-between moments. Everything initially seems normal, but the summoner and others brought into the weird realm soon realize they are in a place where time does not appear to pass and monsters lurk everywhere. They must find their way to Bloody Mary's lair and force her to let them go home.
   5-6. A long-time friend of the summoner is brutally murdered and witnesses claim they saw the summoner casually leave the site, covered in blood. There is no other evidence, but 1d6 days later, someone else in the summoner's life is murdered. Bloody Mary reveals herself to the summoner, appearing like a haggard version of him or her, and states that people around the summoner will continue to die until he or she kills him-or herself. The only other option is to catch Bloody Mary between two mirrors and causing her reflections to implode.


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For a great bit of Bloody Mary inspiration, click here to check out the short film starring Katy Ford (seen in the image at the top of this post) over at Terror Titans.

6 comments:

  1. Oh yeah, that is a lot of fun.
    I am doing a Horror Month all month long over at my blog as part of the RPG Blog Carnival.
    If you post any more horror themed content then feel free to drop a link to it in my anchor post.

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    1. Thanks! I have played with ideas for each of the short films being posted for '31 Nights of Halloween' but not all have worked out. I shall link if I come up with something worth sharing! :)

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  2. Oh nice, there's a lot to play with there! Thanks

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    1. Thanks! I'm happy to hear your found the stuff useful!

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  3. But I thought if you do this then there will be a nock on your door

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