D&D General How would you make "finding out how to break the spell" interesting?

[jayoungr]

In one of my games, the PCs are about to encounter a character who is under an enchantment (a custom spell effect, not something in the standard books). They have access to some books on magic, and they have the notes of the wizard who cast the enchantment in the first place. I have ideas for the ritual that will be needed to actually break the spell, but first, the PCs will need to work out what that ritual consists of.

I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on how to make that into any sort of active mini-game so that the players could feel involved in the process. Something more than just a simple Arcana roll. There are some experts they can consult later, so failing to work it out on their own is an option. Any suggestions?

ETA: I'm not looking for ideas on how to make breaking the enchantment interesting. I already have ideas for how that's going to go. I'm looking for suggestions on how I can make the research part interesting for the players.

 

[toucanbuzz]

Could model it after Out of the Abyss. It had a spell that required very specific ingredients and mini-quests to get those. Substitute runes, a special word, a rare flower that only blooms during full moons, etc. and you've got players involved.

 

[Reynard]

Maybe let the Arcana roll (or rolls) tell them what they need, but require a quick adventure to get each of the pieces. Obviously this could be tedious, but maybe tie some PC backgrounds etc into the "quest"?

 

[Deset Gled]

Use the Hollywood Squares format.

Breaking the enchantment is a simple game of tic tac toe, played against the spell (i.e. The DM). But instead of just taking turns, they have to make counter roles to see who makes a mark each time. Every roll is modified by a random "ingredient" the party can learn about through research. If the party has the ingredient, they get a bonus (or advantage). If the don't, the DM gets a bonus/advantage. If the party loses the game, they can play again by seeking out the expert you mentioned, who also helps by giving more bonuses.

Use a random chart to dertmine which "ingredient" comes up each time. Also, use another random chart to set a variable minimum DC for each turn; that way, there will be some rounds where neither player makes a mark.

 

[Quickleaf]

In one of my games, the PCs are about to encounter a character who is under an enchantment (a custom spell effect, not something in the standard books). They have access to some books on magic, and they have the notes of the wizard who cast the enchantment in the first place. I have ideas for the ritual that will be needed to actually break the spell, but first, the PCs will need to work out what that ritual consists of.

I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on how to make that into any sort of active mini-game so that the players could feel involved in the process. Something more than just a simple Arcana roll. There are some experts they can consult later, so failing to work it out on their own is an option. Any suggestions?

I'd start with fiction first.

In fiction when there are "big enchantments/curses", it works well for there to be a bit of poetic justice or internal logic for WHY this enchantment, WHY in this way, WHY this person.

For ex: Mortimer Larks is an undertaker who didn't open a rapping coffin for fear it was an undead (in reality the person was poisoned at seemed dead but then came to and tried to break out). Alas, the person perished. Charmed by the brother of the deceased using the waxed hand of a conman/thief turned into a candle, Mortimer walks through his work in a somnambulant state and does the magic-working brother's bidding. One of the keys to breaking the enchantment is by finding the conman/thief whose hand was severed for a crime and helping them find their way back to a moral life. etc.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Maybe some of this will give you inspiration.

The more potent charm spell was custom made using a combination of Truename, designed specifically for the victim's race and her particular background/preferences.

The magical tomes in the party's possession will speak to generic enchantments but several lines reveal that more powerful enchantments have been known to exist but require the spell to be tailor made to the victim's identity.
(Successful Int check required. With a failed check we use Fail Forward - wizard gets disadvantage on the Arcana check below)

Part of the wizard's notes may reflect a number of creature families corresponding to particular components but the scribbling of interconnected lines across many pages and the way its written suggests that the pages need to be pieced together like a puzzle as opposed to be read page by page.
[This can be done via

• a group Int check, failure means that the group is unsure if it's component A or B or AB, random roll by DM determines which is true; or
• If you have the Tanagram game, let the players figure it out. This depends on your table, my players love this stuff. ]

A Perception check while in dialogue with the victim reveals a word/s they constantly repeat within the conversation. This can be roleplayed as opposed to using a die roll.
The word would reveal something necessary within the ritual, her current state (i.e sleep, hugging, kneeling), a special component (i.e. fruit, herb) , the verbal method of delivery of the spell (i.e whisper, draconic).
Perhaps it's not a word but a gesture, the necessary Somatic component for the Charm-breaking spell.

Arcana check is used to design and modify the base Charm spell using the above concepts.
Failure may accidentally damage the victim (psychic damage) or alter the victim's general disposition (unfriendly) or cause temporary madness (per table in the DMG).
PCs can try again....

 

[Clint_L]

In one of my games, the PCs are about to encounter a character who is under an enchantment (a custom spell effect, not something in the standard books). They have access to some books on magic, and they have the notes of the wizard who cast the enchantment in the first place. I have ideas for the ritual that will be needed to actually break the spell, but first, the PCs will need to work out what that ritual consists of.

I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on how to make that into any sort of active mini-game so that the players could feel involved in the process. Something more than just a simple Arcana roll. There are some experts they can consult later, so failing to work it out on their own is an option. Any suggestions?

I don't suppose you own the boardgame Quacks of Quedlinburgh? What if the players have to successfully brew a restorative potion using the rules of that game? But that only works if failure is an option.

Edit: like, what if the potion is almost impossible to brew unless the players can use their abilities to add extra reagents to counter the lethal ones and strike the right balance?

 

[jgsugden]

In my setting I have 5 types of magic. 3 are delivered through the Weave (Arcane, Divine, Nature), one is internally generated (Psionics) and one if infused into the world (Supernatural). I have 4E style rituals that use Supernatural power to enact magical effects. These rely upon skill checks and resources - not levels and spell slots. If you lack the power/resources or fail to exhibit the skill necessary the magic can escape your control and disastrous things can happen. These are often used to make sacred spaces, bind creatures to a location, transform an enemy into a cursed form (medusa, undead, etc...), and there is no guaranteed success just because you're prepared. Every roll has a chance of failure. It is why this magic is used rarely - it is hard, dangerous and unreliable.

Once enacted, these rituals tend to be permanent magics that can't be dispelled. Dispel magic, detect magic, counterspell, etc... work on weave spells (arcane, divine, nature), but not psionics or supernatural magics. So, to remove something created byone of these dangerous rituals, you need to perform another ritual.

If you followed what I do, you'd have them 1.) Locate a counter-ritual that undoes the Supernatural 'spell' that charmed, and 2.) then gather resources to enact it.

In my setting, the resources fall into three groups:

1.) Binders - these are thematic ingredients that (from a story telling perspective) make sense as they embody something about the magics to be performed. For a charm it might be the tears of a Sylvan creature, the diary of a despicable liar, and a mirror. Each binder is evaluated for how well the things gathered embody the spirit they are intended to evoke - the better the quality, the better the chance of success.

2.) Power Sources - these are creatures or objects that have Supernatural power that can be shifted into the ritual. Good news: All living things have Supernatural energy. Bad news: Draining it kills creatures. One way to get this power is blood sacrifices, but there are others such as elemental power sources, Shadowfell/Feywild rifts, etc... Again, these are graded on how powerful they are and that influences the chance of success.

3.) Guidance - These are the conduits through which the Supernatural force of the Binders and Power Sources deliver their energy to the ritual. Each ritual caster needs to develop their own. The DM scores these by how well they embody the idea of a conduit and the identity of the caster. The higher the score, the more power can be delivered from a Binder or Power Source.

Once the ritual is begin, things can go wrong:

1.) The Guidance caps how much can be delivered. If the Power Source or Binder exceeds that limit, the excess energy makes the ritual harder to complete.

2.) The amount of Binder and Power Source delivered isn't always a "the more the merrier" situation. The greater the amount, the higher the difficulty in controlling the ritual ... and if you deliver too much of either, the difficulty goes up really fast. You want to hit the sweet spot on both - but that is hard to hit.

3.) Then I use a system reminiscent of a skill challenge to have the ritual caster enact the ritual, draw the Binder/Power Source energies via the Guidance and complete the ritual. If it is disrupted, if the challenge fails, or if something else goes wrong I have a predefined system for things that can happen - which include curses, being drawn through planes, corruptions, and other Supernatural style events.

My real world 'tome' devoted to these rituals is about 200 pages long and the high level description above is only a fraction of the detail. However, it serves a good role in my campaign ... proving an avenue for magics that you don't want in the hands of a wizard/cleric/druid casually, even as a 9th level spell. These tend to be more Mythic level magics (which many have compared to Netherese magics for those Forgotten Realms fans) - although there are more mundane uses that are appropriate as ways to deal with Supernatural foes like Fey Spirits, Ethereal undead, Shadow creatures, and Aberrations of the Far Realms ... and all the manifestations that accompany them. As such, I've had 5th level PCs successfully use these Rituals - although not always with success...

 

[Sorinth]

As others have said you are probably best off making the components of the ritual their own mini quests. In general for a ritual that means magic ingredient(s), a specific time, and a specific location. So although some Investigation/Arcana checks can fairly easily tell you what you need, or even some RP with some NPCs, that's only really the plot hooks.

As an example, suppose the enchantment was cast using a special fiendish component which is why it's so powerful. The players will have to harvest something after defeating a level appropriate fiend, the ritual has to be performed either in the hells or at the edge of a portal to the hells. After some research there's a portal that will open at some spot in a couple days/weeks, the portal is at the center of a fortress built around it and guarded by a Paladin order that isn't too keen on the idea of giving access to the portal to some rando PCs. And to top it off unknown to the PCs during the ritual something(s) will come through the portal so the PCs aren't just fighting but also trying to keep the ritual going (The reverse of the usual stop the BBEG ritual style fight).

Also you can have a Hag/Fiend/NPC offer an easier way of ending the curse/enchantment but obviously there would be a cost to taking the easy way.

 

[Li Shenron]

In one of my games, the PCs are about to encounter a character who is under an enchantment (a custom spell effect, not something in the standard books). They have access to some books on magic, and they have the notes of the wizard who cast the enchantment in the first place. I have ideas for the ritual that will be needed to actually break the spell, but first, the PCs will need to work out what that ritual consists of.

I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on how to make that into any sort of active mini-game so that the players could feel involved in the process. Something more than just a simple Arcana roll. There are some experts they can consult later, so failing to work it out on their own is an option. Any suggestions?

It depends on your players' tastes, some people are just fine with killing an extra monsters to get the specific ingredient/item.

Personally I'd rather try to make it more narrative, as the game already have plenty of combat anyway anytime you want, but having good narratives is more rare. I would try and think why the wizard originally cast the curse, and then think of a method to remove the curse which is somehow based around the original motivations. It is usually what I do with ghosts, have a reason why they are ghosts and make it so that they can move on if something is done to resolve the reason or counterbalance it somehow. The method to remove the curse itself might be trivial, but figuring it out would be the fun part, and if you really want to toss in a combat encounter or other hazard you can always add that with ease.