D&D 5E Ritual components?

[Xenom]

So I'm trying to come up with a sealing ritual to seal a deity, and I'm stumped for components. I wanted to include a Lich's phylactery as one of the ingredients but I can't think what else. Do you guys have any suggestions

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Good or Evil or Neutral deity? Which alignment will make a big difference in what might work. But something from the deity's home plane might be required. Maybe something belonging to the deity's high priest/priestess. Maybe even a piece of the deity, like a clipping of hair, if possible.

 

[Ath'kethin]

Requiring a Chaotic Evil mage and a Lawful Good cleric to work together is bit of a tradition for these sorts of things.

 

[Xenom]

I hadn't come up with a specific deity beyond it being some sort of angel of destruction. But something from the upper planes is a decent idea

 

[Draegn]

I would greatly test the morality of the players by giving them a list of very difficult things to acquire. Things such as:

The right hand of an unborn elven male.
The heart of a witch's seventh daughter.
The seed of a dragon.

 

[Eltab]

A dripping of wax - or more like a whole candle.
Does this deity have an 'opposite'? That being's holy symbol, to be stamped into the wax.
Flipper of a sea lion (for a different kind of 'seal')
A magic door that you can lock from your side but not from his
Put Alarm on the deity's side of the locked door?

What makes you think of 'Sleep'? As in, 'put the deity to sleep'.
A handful of sand
The crummy stuff that is in your eyes when you wake up in the morning
The breath exhaled by a yawn
-Vital organ- of -some monster that has Sleep as an innate spell-like ability-
Cupful of warm milk

 

[Eltab]

I would greatly test the morality of the players by giving them a list of very difficult things to acquire. Things such as:

The right hand of an unborn elven male.
The heart of a witch's seventh daughter.
The seed of a dragon.

If you are CE, none of those are difficult to acquire. (And 'morality tests' is an utter non-concern.) Time-consuming, maybe...
(What Would Darth Sidious Do?)

 

[Caliban]

Water from the River Lethe to cause the god to forget how Seal can be undone.
The still beating heart of its most faithful (and powerful) follower so that it will know it has no one left outside its prison to set it free.
A formerly faithful adherent must be turned against it, and they must shatter their symbol of faith to complete the Seal.
A champion of their greatest enemy must sacrifice their life to become an eternal guardian of the Seal.

 

[MechaPilot]

Probably the first thing to consider when thinking about ritual components (or magical components in general) is associations. Magic and mystical beliefs often involve sympathetic and antipathetic associations.

You mention the deity is supposed to be some kind of angel of destruction, probably from the upper planes. Sympathetic elements would include ingredients related to angels, the upper planes, and remnants of destruction (such as volcanic ash taken from Pompeii). Antipathetic elements would include ingredients related to fiends, the lower planes, and the creation or regeneration of life (such as menstrual blood or afterbirth).

You mention the point of the ritual is to seal the deity away. Sympathetic elements would include chains, locks, glues, and metal bars. Antipathetic elements would include keys, broken locks, and broken chains.

Sealing a deity away could also be seen to involve putting the deity to sleep so it can't find a way out on its own. Because of our modern associations of sleep with the sandman, sand is a good sympathetic element. Because sleep can be seen as a minor death at the end of each day, a coffin could also apply.

Naturally, you'd want to make those ingredients more impressive sounding since they're meant to seal a deity away. You could achieve this by combining some elements. For example, sand from a celestial shore, a feather from a pregnant angel, chains of infernal iron, etc.

 

[Gonat]

Try components that require a little immagination on players' part and require a little adventure to procure.
The shout of a mute children.
The hand of an innocent murderer.
The tear of a fire elemental.

and so on...