Nightmare

(For the demonic-horse-monster-thing see Nightmare (Creature))

Basic Information

A nightmare is a dream causing unpleasant emotions in a sleeping person, such as fear, horror or pain.

See Also

• Nightmare Fuel

Sources

Bibliography

1. Nightmare Archive - lists user-submitted nightmares they experienced personally.

2. Wikipedia entry

Game and Story Use

• Nightmares are a perfect device for making player characters (and thus, their players) nervous. They allow the GM to inflict emotional harm on defenseless characters in an acceptable way (since people aren't generally in control of their dreams anyway), without harming them physically (where making the characters defenseless without good reason is generally resented).
  • Don't forget the potential of the "nightmare that kills", though you will be justly accused of foul play if you use it without serious foreshadowing.
  • Or the potential of mixing up dreams and reality.