Plot Hook Fake Book: Folk Horror

A hundred stories. One folk horror spark.

Plot Hook Fake Book: Folk Horror is a toolkit for folk horror storytelling. It holds 100 plot hooks, each one crafted to launch adventures with clear stakes, ready conflicts, and room to grow. You can drop these hooks directly into a session using The Simple Approach, or rework them with your favorite system. The layout is made for action. You can grab a story, scan the core pieces, and start running with it.

Every entry gives you a sturdy narrative frame. You get the situation, the central goal, the major threat, the obstacles that keep the players from solving it, and the reward that might tip the scales. Each hook also includes expansion notes that help you stretch a simple problem into a layered quest. You can use a hook for a single session, build a character arc around it, or let one twist lead into the next until it becomes the spine of your campaign.

These stories follow the rhythms of folk horror. You’ll see buried rites, broken pacts, old boundaries crossed, and a past that stains the present. You’ll also see closed villages, strained kinship, and silences that carry weight. Some ideas feel familiar because they’ve echoed before. That’s how they settle in. A strong plot hook shows players the shape of the Pattern, then asks them to walk through it and leave a mark.

Every story in this book is meant to begin something. What happens next belongs to you.

What’s a Fake Book?

Musicians use fake books to perform full songs with minimal notation. A fake book gives the melody, the chords, and the lyrics. That’s all. From there, the player fills in the rest using their own skill and creativity. It works because the foundation is solid. You know the key. You know the rhythm. You can take it from there.

This book works the same way. It gives you the core structure of each plot. You know what’s happening, who’s involved, and what might go wrong. The rest is in your hands. You decide how to fit it to your world, your rules, and your players.

Every session at the table is a live performance. You respond to what your players say, what the dice reveal, and what feels right in the moment. These hooks help you walk in with confidence. You have the rhythm. You have the notes. Now play.

Using This Book

Pick a plot. Follow the guide. Build from there.

Every entry begins with a short summary, then walks through the key elements. The goal tells you Explain what the player characters need to accomplish. The stakes explain why it matters. The antagonist shapes the conflict. The obstacles create tension. The reward offers closure, triumph, or transformation. Expansion notes let you reshape the story to fit your campaign.

If you’re using The Simple Approach, everything maps directly to your prep process. If you’re using another system, just add the mechanical details that match your rules. The story framework supports any style.

Shape each hook to match your world. Let the tower sink beneath still water and leave its bell ringing. Let the heir return wearing someone else’s name. Let the beast offer kindness no one trusts. Let the village smile with names that never belonged. Bury truth in backstory. Let foreshadowing bloom in silence. Bind hooks into threads that tighten. Let them pull. Let them stay.

This book helps you set the tempo. Your players will carry the tune.