So how do you guys make it clear that something is dangerous without outright saying that is feels dangerous?

Looking at it for too long creates headaches and nausea, alleviated by holding it.

How do you make the distinction between dangerous things that PCs are meant to face and triumph over and dangerous things that are more forces of nature or obstacles to avoid?

>A small animal gets near it and then falls down stunned, a bigger animal scurries up and grabs the fallen before fleeing
>Someone has put up brightly colored signs in a language no one understands all around the thing. The signs show symbols of cracked skulls and limbs broken.
>To access the object, one has to go through a series of doors
and chambers

The right sound effects, obviously.

>DRR DRR DRR

Atmosphere, a general tension in the room, a slight unease, maybe a sudden drop in temperature.

Subtle hints that something might be off such as the picture, the guy with a high passive perception would notice something and have a chance to identify it.

>Visions associated with it
>Corpses around it
>Very old bindings with associated runes
>Sealed doors
>Environmental effects

Have it leap up and jam a hand through the closest party member

What kind of faggot needs clear warnings anyway?

This always seemed stupid to me because there's nothing in the picture to explicitly indicate that those chains are in no way holding her in place.

Forces of nature are predictable and can be foreshadowed.
Easiest way to make the players want to do this is give them a quest where they need to rescue a meteorologist or someone like that. After the quest is over, have the weatherman warn them about the phenomenon and ways to survive it. Next session, ITS HAPPENING.

I'm not sure. Kinda looks like she could easily unravel herself. As for me, I use cues like drop in temp, eerily quiet, maybe one of the players feels a chill run down their spine. Also like the other user said, lots of corpses.
Other than that there's the time honored "are you sure?"

You don't make it clear, just be precise and let players learn from their mistakes.
desuarchive.org/tg/thread/51339555/#51339555

thank you.

Also notice her body and limbs are slack and in a natural position. If she were truly tied down, her arms would be much more outstretched. Also, nothing is wrapped around her waist and to the chair to keep her from standing up.

Give them physiological cues of a fear response.

>You feel uncomfortable
>There is a tightness in your stomach
>Your palms are sweaty

I don't know how much more dangerous I can make boiling water seem than describing the heat and bubbles and outright saying it's boiling. The barbarian still want to swim in it claiming "It's only like 1d6".
I have to give assign a number to lethality or I can't seem to get my players to care. He was off by 9d6.

Knees weak
Arms are heavy

Vomit on his sweater already

>Staring at this boiling water, you are reminded of your mother. No, your mother isn't the water, but her spaghetti. Looking at this water, you are reminded about how long it has been since you have had mom's spaghetti, and you can't help but think that if you fall in, however long ago it was, will be your last time.

i kek'd

If said threat is in an open space, there is absolutely nothing alive in the vicinity of the thing. At least, nothing that used to be alive.

If it's in an enclosed space, I agree with most of the other anons that you should drop the atmosphere and indicate unease, it's a time tested trick.

The cavern is completely dead

>As you enter the cave you hear the sound of dripping water and your footsteps on the stone and gravel, your fighter's plate armor scraping on itself and the faint echo of your voices
>But there's no sound of wildlife here, not one rat or bat - the cavern is dead silent as if you're the only living thing to have set foot in here for hundreds of years

The place is utterly lifeless, but outside is very clearly filled with the recently killed.

>The entrance of the cave is marred by a pile of animal corpses 1 foot high. The way the flesh is burned into the walls and floor implies a much greater number was slain. A hand of indistinguishable race and gender reaches out from deep within the pile, a muffled voice begging for water, before it freezes in place and slowly turns to stone.
>A clean cut in the burnt flesh marks a clear boundary for the inside of the cave.
>The cave itself is pristine. No dust, no sound save for the faint dripping of water and the shallow breaths of your party brought on by a growing chill.

If it is meant to be a dangerous enemy, my favorite trick is
1. note an enemy that has already given the party a hard time (e.g. made them retreat, or just gave them a challenge)
2. have the real threat kill one of those with ease

Lifted directly from FFVII which left quite an impression on me as a kid.

>Enter a dungeon.
>One particular room is spotless, no dust, no cobwebs, nothing.
>No sound can be heard
I'm surpised how well this works, my players assume the door would close and teleport them to fuck knows where.

Have you tried not playing DnD?
I'm sorry, but it's the only possible answer. And this is part of the reason I switched, too.

What?
What does system have to do with player idiocy?

The first time I saw that as a kid, it did the same thing to me.

Uh huh. Like players aren't stupid no matter what system you play.

The standard Beat Up Worf tactic.

Have a big bad beast show up that the players think they can beat, but soon realise they can't. Suddenly from out the rocks slithers an even bigger beast, that kills the first thing in one or two rounds.

If the players don't run, they have no sense of danger. Throw another one at them.

What was the dangerous thing, user?

Players are not literally retarded (unless you're playing with Veeky Forums). They play according to the expectations of their system, and sometimes they make bad decisions too.

A barbarian in D&D can literally set themselves on fire for a couple of minutes and not die. Why would diving into boiling water hurt them more? (Boiling water is less hot than most fires, by the way).

If you played in a system where the PCs are less demigods and more average joes with swords, they'd think twice before doing such things.