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Spooktober is a challenge that runs every October, and ANY kind of creator can take part—artists, writers, cartographers, GMs, or anyone else! Below you can find 31 Halloween-themed prompts to inspire your creation. Will you write a worldbuilding article, draw some spooky art, write a horror story, or create an NPC or magic item? As long as it's a piece of original creative content, it counts! And it doesn't need to be spooky, as long as it fits the prompt.

Or, if you want them in text form, here you go:

1. Portrait
2. Vanish
3. Abandoned
4. Enchant
5. Misfortune
6. Chasm
7. Thorn
8. Howl
9. Mirror
10. Broken

11. Escape
12. Slime
13. Haunt
14. Ruin
15. Mist
16. Whisper
17. Shadow
18. Spirit
19. Relic
20. Unquiet

21. Shatter
22. Lock
23. Door
24. Curse
25. Posses
26. Abyss
27. Echo
28. Darkness
29. Hunt
30. Tear
31. Drown

How to Enter

For each prompt, you need to write some worldbuilding, a bit of prose, or draw some art that relates to the prompt's theme. If you answer at least 13 prompts, you'll get the badge!

Step by Step Instructions

Make sure you have a World Anvil account.

Choose a prompt and answer it using your preferred creative activity! Make sure the answer has at least 66 words—if you decide to draw some art, you can use these words to describe what the art means or represents in your world.

Put all prompt answers into a single article using the generic article template. If you answered the prompts by creating articles, you can instead add links to those articles.

Submit the article before November 1st! Make sure the article is not a draft (i.e. published) and public (i.e. not private).

Other Information

The generic article must be submitted before the closing time to be eligible.
Only one article may be submitted per person (this does not mean one article per world, in cases where multiple authors work on a single world).
If your prompt answers are articles, you can use any article template (but the article you submit with links to all your entries must use the generic article template).
As always, World Anvil claims no ownership over your original work.

For any further questions or clarifications about this challenge, message the Community Team (@Community Team) on the World Anvil Discord or post to the World Anvil Facebook Group!

Social Media Sharing

If you share your answers on social media, make sure to use the #spooktober hashtag and mention @WorldAnvil so we can see them!

Looking for inspiration or seeking some ideas? Make sure to stop by the World Anvil Discord, our Facebook Group or Subreddit for worldbuilding conversation and inspiration!

#HorrorAnvil: Microfiction Event!

This October, write a two-sentence horror story on Twitter and tag it as #HorrorAnvil. You can even use one of the Spooktober prompts as inspiration if you want! We'll retweet our favorites from our official account.