Events & Encounters

Everything in the school that isn't a straightforward job or a straightforward chase: cutscenes, ambient scares, one-off lines, and the things that just happen to you. Triggers, exact effects, and voice lines, all read from the game's own code.

The Pokémon-card boy, and the Taker

Triggered by working the generator: a roughly 28% chance each time you start, refuel, or repair it, at most once per day/night phase. A boy you've never seen before walks in from somewhere 8–20 units away and approaches you.

• Approach (up to 16s): he walks up to you.
• Talk (his voice line's length, or a minimum of 3.4s, plus 0.9s): he shows you his card collection. Subtitles cycle: "A boy you have not seen before holds up a fan of cards." → "He is telling you about them. All of them. In order." → "He does not seem to need you to answer." → "(you are a baby. you have no words yet.)"
• Grab (up to 2.6s): something the code calls only the Taker closes in from behind him, fast and silent, at 7.5 units/second.
• Drag (2.4s): both of them are dragged backwards into the dark. You hear his scream voice line, a stinger, and the screen flashes.

It's deliberately local, not networked: in co-op, every player who triggers it gets their own separate encounter, invisible to teammates.

The Big Boys Club

A one-per-run, camera-locked cutscene. Three big kids from the top year corner you in a hallway on day 2 or 3 (decided randomly per player at the start of the run), always before Grump turns on day 4. Full trigger conditions, script and mechanics on the dedicated page — short version: they shove you, mock Grump, and Grump — for the first and only time in the game — is on your side. He grows, puts all three on the floor, and they run off. −20 resentment to the real Grump and +50 score. Local to each player, like the card boy.

Jerry's gym class

Jerry the gym teacher comes running for you during the day if you've been left alone too long. Full detail on the Jerry page and the Minigames page. Short version: he corners you, forces a pop-up minigame (Laps, Dumbbells, or Jump Rope), and passing makes you "fit" (half-rate stamina drain) for 150 seconds, +60 score, and a full stamina refill. Failing costs 8 food. Hiding makes him give up. At most 2 classes a day.

Meredith's lunch line

Talk to Meredith at the cafeteria serving counter (any time after the first 50 seconds of the day) and she sends you through a tiny rhythm minigame before handing you a tray, sized to how well you kept the beat. One tray per player per day. Full detail on the Meredith page and Minigames.

Mrs. Honeywell's morning speech

Every dawn, the instant the day begins, she's back at the chalkboard and a recorded voice line plays: "Can you get all these quests done for me? You can go home at the end of the day, but look out for Grump. He's kind of a special one." The subtitle stays up for the length of the line (re-shown after 3 seconds if the line runs long), and a toast appears: "Mrs. Honeywell's list is up. Talk to her in your classroom any time."

Mrs. Honeywell's dark-classroom nag

If your own classroom isn't actually lit (light switch off, or no power at all) and you've been standing in it for more than 45 seconds of day-age, she calls it out herself: "Hey, make sure there's electricity, okay? It's kind of dark in here." Also fires immediately if you talk to her directly while it's dark. On a 60-second cooldown between nags; suppressed while another voice line is already speaking, and while the Big Boys Club scene is playing.

Bob's mess grumble and lights-off

From night 2 onward, Bob switches a room's lights off himself as he leaves it while patrolling (never your classroom, the boiler room, or a hallway), roughly every 5 seconds of patrol time. Whenever he does this — or walks within about 3.2 units of a mess nobody has cleaned — there's a chance (35-second cooldown) he grumbles: "These darn kids, leaving the lights on and making a mess." It's flavour, not a mechanic, but a reliable tell he's nearby. Full behaviour on the Bob page.

Grump turns: "NO MORE QUESTIONS"

The moment his stage hits 4 — day 4 arrives, or his resentment hits 100 first — the big-line banner "NO MORE QUESTIONS" fills the screen (only at the start of the following night, via beginNight), with a reveal sound and voice line. From then on he refuses to talk ("No more questions." / "I have finished asking." / "The asking part is over." / "You had your questions.") and hunts you in daylight as well as the dark. See Grump for the full resentment formula and every stage.

Grump's stage-up banners

Every time his stage number increases (not just when he turns), a banner appears with a reveal sound:

Knocking

Before he's turned, while stalking at night: if you're inside your own classroom and Grump is within 14 units, on a 22–40 second cooldown he goes to your classroom door and knocks — three knock sounds, and if you're within 18 units, the subtitle "Knock. Knock. Knock."

Bulb pops

Once turned, while hunting at night, roughly every 9–18 seconds he pops a light bulb near himself (within 6 units), disabling that fixture for 25 seconds. This is purely an audio/light event (fx('pop', ...)) heard within 24 units, attenuated by distance.

Charges

Once turned and hunting, the instant he gets a clear line of sight on a target he charges: speed ×1.45, plus (on a 9-second cooldown) a stinger sound, a screen flash, the subtitle "He has seen you. RUN.", and +35 fear for whoever he's charging — only if it's you (other players nearby just hear the charge voice line).

Camping outside a hiding spot

Once turned and hunting: if he ends up within about 4.2 units of someone hidden (and isn't already ignoring that person from a recent camp), he stops chasing and camps outside their hiding spot — walking right up to its door, breathing every 2.4 seconds (stronger breath sound than his ambient one), for 7–12 seconds. If you're the one hidden, your fear is set straight to 100 and the subtitle reads "Something has stopped right outside. Do not move." Come out early (within about 2.8 units) and he catches you; hold out and he gives up, remembers not to camp that person again for 8 seconds, heads toward a dark room, and the subtitle "The breathing moves away." plays. See Hiding.

Relocations and whispers

If Grump (stalking at night, or hunting once turned) is far from his target and has no line of sight to them, he can simply teleport to somewhere nearer and still unseen, rather than walking there — between 20 and 44 seconds apart depending on state. Every relocation plays a strong whisper sound at the new location, heard within 18 units (doubled range multiplier for "strong" whispers), and never lands him inside your own classroom.

Blackouts and looming

If the generator ever stops while you're standing somewhere with brightness under 0.2, and Grump hasn't turned yet, he switches from Stalk to Loom: he closes to within 2.2 units of you and just stands there breathing (every 2.6 seconds, if within 6 units), with the subtitle "Something is standing very close to you." He returns to Stalk once the generator is running again or your local brightness passes 0.4. A blackout also plays a distinct sound and a screen flash for everyone, regardless of Grump.

The jumpscares

Both threats catch you the same way: a face lunges toward the camera and fills the screen, lit from below so it reads in the dark, with a jumpscare sound and a voice line at full volume — then, once the lunge finishes, you're actually moved and the catch's real costs land.

• Grump (turned): his face fills the screen for about 0.9 seconds with his angry voice line. You take 62 damage, your fear is set to 100, and (70% of the time) one already-safe toddler is taken back out of your classroom. See Grump for the exact numbers.
• Bob: his face fills the screen for about 1.05 seconds with his scream voice line. Only after that do you wake up in Lost & Found: 28 damage, roughly 70% of your bag items and your held item dropped on the floor, and your fear set straight to 100. See Bob the Janitor for the exact numbers.

"IT IS GETTING DARK"

With 30 seconds left in the day phase, a big-line banner reads "IT IS GETTING DARK" with a stinger sound — your cue that the night phase (and everything that comes with it) is imminent.

Night modifiers

From night 5 onward, every night rolls one twist (two from night 10); each is announced with a toast describing its effect the moment the night begins. Full table, including Storm, Overtime, Echoes, the Long Night, He Is Closer, and Cold Night, on the Nights & Difficulty page.

Toddlers taken at night

The moment night falls, every toddler still marked "lost" (not carried home, not already safe) is taken by Grump, one at a time, off-screen — each one costs −80 score, regardless of whether they were hurt or bandaged. If any were taken, a banner reads "[names] is not here any more" with a stinger. See The Toddlers.

Dawn screens

Every morning after a survived night, a full-screen dawn summary appears: nights survived, toddlers saved, Mrs. Honeywell's list completion, generator fuel/condition, and Grump's current mood. If this is the morning after the last required night, the doors unlock instead and the kicker reads "YOU MADE IT". See Escaping.

Escape

Once the front doors unlock, holding E on them for 2 seconds ends the run as a win (for the whole group, in co-op) — see Nights & Difficulty.