CREATING A DOOM CLOCK

The Doom Clock is an escalating sequence of narrative events that will come to pass if the Investigators do not act. This serves as a guide to what’s happening “offscreen” and is a tool for helping maintain pacing and tension over the course of a scenario. It’s an ever present reminder that the clock is always ticking forward in a countdown towards certain doom, only preventable by the actions of the Investigators.

Below is a general guide of the basic structure of the Doom Clock. When creating a Doom Clock of your own, there are a number of factors to consider, so the number of steps may shrink or expand as needed. The key is to focus on creating a sense of escalation in line with the underlying plans of the horror at the center of your scenario.

• Doom 1: Calm Before the Storm. Where the Investigators enter the narrative, spurred by some catalyst related to the underlying horror. A sinister plot may already have begun to be spun, but it remains hidden beneath the surface.
• Doom 2: Omens. Hints that something grander is at play begin to manifest. Encounters with the strange and uncanny occur, but plausible deniability is maintained. The horror makes a move, but its effects may not be immediately obvious to the Investigators.
• Doom 3: The Plot Thickens. The situation gets worse. Encounters with the weird increase in frequency, familiar faces disappear, or the environment noticeably changes.
• Doom 4: The Horror Exposed. The threat is made apparent. While there still may be plenty of secrets to uncover to understand the whole picture, the stakes of inaction begin to become clear.
• Doom 5: Nowhere to Hide. The horror comes knocking, either through direct action against the Investigators and NPCs or indirectly through environmental change. The threat can no longer be ignored.
• Doom: No Turning Back. Certain doom has come calling. The Investigators have failed to prevent the horrors from enacting their plans, but all may not be lost.

WHEN TO USE A DOOM CLOCK

A Doom Clock is not going to be essential for every scenario. For example, the scenario Camp Coldwater (see Deluxe Edition, p. x) emulates the action of a slasher, using a much more streamlined countdown where the monster comes to claim a new victim every 20 minutes of real time during the session. A Doom Clock is best employed when you wish to slowly ramp the tension up over an extended period of time. This could be as little as a single session, especially if the steps are condensed down, but is primarily aimed at helping maintain pacing over an extended series of sessions. Review Cult Classic (see Deluxe Edition, p. x) for an example of Doom Clock in practice.

WHEN TO TICK FORWARD

Moving the Clock forward to its next step is best done when it is most narratively interesting or the tension has begun to lag a bit. However, it is often helpful to align the steps with set triggers such as Phases, individual sessions, in-game days, or even levels of dungeon as the Investigators descend deeper towards the source of a horror. When designing your Clock, consider the ideal length and pacing of your scenario and adjust accordingly.

PLAN FOR INTERFERENCE

The players will disrupt the events of the Doom Clock. In fact, that is its very design intent. That does not mean the Clock will no longer have its uses, as it helps define the ends goals of the horrors. Those horrors are still going to try and achieve their goals, despite or especially because of Investigator interference. The “what they are trying to do” will remain the same, even if the “how” shifts.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DOOM COMES

Doom isn’t always going to mean a world ending cataclysm occurs, just some fundamental change. Doom is the end goal of the horror, it’s the thing that the Investigators should hope to prevent. This could be the destruction of a town, an important character being lost forever to the horror, or a cult finishing a ritual to birth their god unto the world. More importantly, the narrative does not end when the clock strikes doom.