So, coming up, I have a game where a character *might* get taken and have a ritual performed on her to suck the magic out of her body to help elevate a minor bad guy to minor godhood - standard stuff. I say *might* because these players are pretty creative and anything could happen.
This way is *technically* the one that's least likely to result in loss of civilian life. And it's martyr-y, so it might be the way they go.
Anyway, what are some cool ritual ideas that aren't the traditional 'you're tied to an altar and about to get stabbed with a special knife' things. This would be a very yuan-ti centric ritual, if that helps. I'm thinking maybe an exchange of poisons or something? I could probably work something, but I want to open my mind a bit and see what other people think would be neat.
IDEALLY, it would be something that the rest of the party could sneak into to interfere with. Maybe combat, but not necessarily - they have some sneaky people in the group. I'd like a 'do this action at the pillars' thing or 'assemble the silver monkey' type of thing at it's core, so it's not just the party killing snake people. I want time to be at stake.
ALSO IDEALLY, I'd like the player that's surrendered herself to the ritual to have something to do besides be bound in chains. Maybe the exchange of poisons has her enter a trance and have some kind of weird magic-psychic-religious battle while tripping on snake juice?
Any thoughts? Characters are level 5. This isn't the final BBEG of the game, but it's probably the first 'minor' one that they've known about that they've been tracking, so I'd like it to be more memorable than just a hack-slash thing.
Given that it's Yuan-ti, being paralyzed, swallowed by a giant snake, and slowly digested over a period of days seems like a totally appropriate ritual, but doesn't seem to offer much in the way of story beyond fighting a giant snake (probably a Yuan-Ti Abomination with a custom swallow whole ability; easiest just clone the ability on a giant toad and change the damage).
I just did a session where one of my players was kidnapped and the others had to rescue, what added to it was having both happen at the same time. So I would flick between what the other were doing to find them and what was happening to the person taken. Then joined them up kind of unexpectedly. So I had switched back and forth several times and the 4 players had just lock picked a door. Flick to the taken character, narrated a bit of peril and then had them look up and see the door swing open and their team out side of it
I like the idea of giving the restrained player something to do during all this that's separate from from the rest of the party's attempt to rescue them.
Here's what I think could make for an interesting ritual... the player is connected to tubes and such, and they're essentially exchanging blood with a Yuan-Ti. It's a long, slow process... meanwhile, doing so puts them in a trance, entering a sort of astral plane where they're in combat against the Yuan-Ti who is stealing their blood. As the fight continues the Yuan-Ti gradually gains the ability to cast more of the character's spells within this astral fight. But the remaining party members are able to interrupt the fight with what they're doing in the physical world... breaking an urn and releasing a burst of energy that destroys the opponents "armor" in the astral plane. Reversing the flow of blood so that they recover their spell slots in the astral battle. In this way the captured character is kind of the "star" of the encounter, instead of just a prize that lays there helpless while the rest of the party does the fun stuff.
Alright, I’ll give it a shot: A yuan-ti has a staff that siphons the life force out of creatures. The staff is basically a homebrew giant constrictor snake with a grapple DC you see fit. The user of the staff commands it to wrap around the subject and then sinks it’s fangs into their neck. The magic can be seen filling up the staff (timer), if they enter combat a certain amount of magic is transferred each round until they either stop it before it completes or they suck all the magic out of them. Add any other flair with cultists chanting surrounding a magic circle engraved in the ground and whatnot.
I would throw in an element from ghosts, have the final fight while the ritual is happening take place on a timer and say for every 1-2 minutes it took them from the ritual start to breaking it the character ages 1d4.
Imagine there surprise the first time it happens out of nowhere!
they are then permanently effected by it with no mechanical hinderances, but have a whole new element to have to RP
So, coming up, I have a game where a character *might* get taken and have a ritual performed on her to suck the magic out of her body to help elevate a minor bad guy to minor godhood - standard stuff. I say *might* because these players are pretty creative and anything could happen.
This way is *technically* the one that's least likely to result in loss of civilian life. And it's martyr-y, so it might be the way they go.
Anyway, what are some cool ritual ideas that aren't the traditional 'you're tied to an altar and about to get stabbed with a special knife' things. This would be a very yuan-ti centric ritual, if that helps. I'm thinking maybe an exchange of poisons or something? I could probably work something, but I want to open my mind a bit and see what other people think would be neat.
IDEALLY, it would be something that the rest of the party could sneak into to interfere with. Maybe combat, but not necessarily - they have some sneaky people in the group. I'd like a 'do this action at the pillars' thing or 'assemble the silver monkey' type of thing at it's core, so it's not just the party killing snake people. I want time to be at stake.
ALSO IDEALLY, I'd like the player that's surrendered herself to the ritual to have something to do besides be bound in chains. Maybe the exchange of poisons has her enter a trance and have some kind of weird magic-psychic-religious battle while tripping on snake juice?
Any thoughts? Characters are level 5. This isn't the final BBEG of the game, but it's probably the first 'minor' one that they've known about that they've been tracking, so I'd like it to be more memorable than just a hack-slash thing.
Given that it's Yuan-ti, being paralyzed, swallowed by a giant snake, and slowly digested over a period of days seems like a totally appropriate ritual, but doesn't seem to offer much in the way of story beyond fighting a giant snake (probably a Yuan-Ti Abomination with a custom swallow whole ability; easiest just clone the ability on a giant toad and change the damage).
I just did a session where one of my players was kidnapped and the others had to rescue, what added to it was having both happen at the same time. So I would flick between what the other were doing to find them and what was happening to the person taken. Then joined them up kind of unexpectedly. So I had switched back and forth several times and the 4 players had just lock picked a door. Flick to the taken character, narrated a bit of peril and then had them look up and see the door swing open and their team out side of it
Suck the magic out is pretty specific. I would be taking extra care to ensure that the magic went in the right direction.
So, ritual takes place on a 3 level platform, each carefully spaced.
On the bottom platform directly in the center is a 15h level Cleric or Wizard who casts Anti Magic.
On the top directly in the center is another 15th level Cleric or Wizard who has cast antimagic.
In the middle level there are four other 15th level clerics or Wizard, all casting antimagic.
The sphere join up to create a center area where magic is allowed, but no magic can leave.
In that center, tied to a rod of absorption is the victim, to which you are attuned.
Ritual involves using some kind of magical compulsion (geas etc.) to command the victim to cast a spell. As they do, you BREAK the rod of absorption.
Maybe they have to drink the blood of a tarrasque or an empyrean?
There is no dawn after eternal night.
Homebrew: Magic items, Subclasses
I like the idea of giving the restrained player something to do during all this that's separate from from the rest of the party's attempt to rescue them.
Here's what I think could make for an interesting ritual... the player is connected to tubes and such, and they're essentially exchanging blood with a Yuan-Ti. It's a long, slow process... meanwhile, doing so puts them in a trance, entering a sort of astral plane where they're in combat against the Yuan-Ti who is stealing their blood. As the fight continues the Yuan-Ti gradually gains the ability to cast more of the character's spells within this astral fight. But the remaining party members are able to interrupt the fight with what they're doing in the physical world... breaking an urn and releasing a burst of energy that destroys the opponents "armor" in the astral plane. Reversing the flow of blood so that they recover their spell slots in the astral battle. In this way the captured character is kind of the "star" of the encounter, instead of just a prize that lays there helpless while the rest of the party does the fun stuff.
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Alright, I’ll give it a shot: A yuan-ti has a staff that siphons the life force out of creatures. The staff is basically a homebrew giant constrictor snake with a grapple DC you see fit. The user of the staff commands it to wrap around the subject and then sinks it’s fangs into their neck. The magic can be seen filling up the staff (timer), if they enter combat a certain amount of magic is transferred each round until they either stop it before it completes or they suck all the magic out of them. Add any other flair with cultists chanting surrounding a magic circle engraved in the ground and whatnot.
I would throw in an element from ghosts, have the final fight while the ritual is happening take place on a timer and say for every 1-2 minutes it took them from the ritual start to breaking it the character ages 1d4.
Imagine there surprise the first time it happens out of nowhere!
they are then permanently effected by it with no mechanical hinderances, but have a whole new element to have to RP