Hey all. I need some advice on how to run something fairly that will massively screw over one of my players.
Basically, this PC walks around with a magic item strapped to his arm. It's the characters pride and joy, as well as their spellbook AND spellcasting focus as a wizard. And my BBEG wants it. My question is, how do I separate the PC from the item in a way that is fair, that the players actually have a chance to prevent?
My current idea is to have a special enemy that basically has the Mage Slayer feat and a Vorpal blade - but instead of cutting the PCs head off on a critical, it would cut his arm off. This would be much more brutal than anything I've done to my players in the past, though. Of course, if I can get the PC unconscious, the enemy will just take the item off his unconscious body, assuming the rest of the party can't rescue him in time.
But yes, I'm looking for any suggestions on how I would fairly handle this situation, as I'm very nervous about it.
One I seem to remember there are common magic items, that are replacement limbs. make sure that they discover among all the other information in their local world the location of such a crafter. it could even be A-Thing that the locals are welcoming a new high-class crafter to the crafters guild.
Remember if the Big Bad isn't going to expose themselves.. this may be a team effort even if most of the enemy's team may not even know where or who their allies are. When your players roll perception, always be prepared if they roll a nice one to throw them a bone (Watching-rat) in the corner. > Hero; "OKAY.. KID.. We know you been watching us, I've seen you three times today. . skulking in a corner. WHAT gives" (this was the one roll where you tell the roller that kid over there, you keep seeing him; he was at *, and at *.) >Rat-in-corner; "Sorry Lord Hero.. I got kicked out of the scribe's guild and have to take what work I can.. I got to support my mother and brother and step-sister.." >Hero; "Was that the question?!!" >Rat-in-corner; "Sorry Lord Hero.. I was paid to watch the guy with that pretty arm-band and write down where he goes and with who. I was to take the scroll every day and put it in what they call a dead-drop in the public garden" >Hero; "Who is paying you?" >Rat-in-corner; "I was mugged in an alley, and since I didn't have any money, the masked guy said if I took this job he wouldn't finish me and steal my clothes.. they were my good work clothes how could I find good work ifff.. couldn't any. iff.. so I took the job." (so how did this "mugger" know he had the training to write good reports.) (insight roll?)
And if they hire the kid themselves then what if mother, brother or pretty step-sister kidnaped, or hurt (as warning to kid) you don't want to get to deep into --fade to red-- but the nature of their opposition can let them know something big and nasty is coming for them. even if it isn't the big-bad themself.
if they are dealing with a big bad they usually have some kind of social court &or spy set-up to watch their own folk.
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Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound
I don’t think there is a way to handle it “fairly” without talking to the Player about it first.
Its one thing for the BBE to want it and to try to get it. But if you have already determined that the BBE will succeed because of some story/plot point you want to hit then that’s inherently unfair.
If it wasn’t an arm + focus + spellbook + “pride and joy” then maybe it wouldn’t be quite so bad, but it is all those things, so it will be that bad. 🤷♂️
What makes this arm-strapped spellbook magical? What does it do mechanically for the character that is fundamentally different from just a spell book and/or a common focus that is just more fancily displayed?
If there is a magical component to it that is causing some sort of advantage that the player is proud of, consider using a monster like the Conclave Dryad from the Ravnica book. Maybe not that monster specifically, since it is CR 9, but maybe steal the Suppress Magic power from that monster and add it to something else to help set the tone of things when a monster/thief comes along to try and steal the item for the BBEG.
Suppress Magic (Recharge 5–6). The dryad targets one magic item it can see within 120 feet of it. If the magic item isn’t an artifact, its magical properties are suppressed for 10 minutes, until the dryad is incapacitated or dies, or until the dryad uses a bonus action to end the effect.
That aside, stealing a Wizard's spellbook is sort of rough at early to mid levels when the character likely doesn't have the wealth to replace it. Maybe if you do steal it, include a quick chase scene where the party can get it back, or make sure the party has the wealth on hand to help the wizard begin rebuilding the spellbook quickly while they search for the stolen one.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
I think you definitely need to have a discussion with this player first, maybe not detailing your exact plan, but asking questions like "are you ok with being unable to use most of your spells for a session or two as part of the plot?" or "how would you feel if something happened to your favorite item?" I know some players who would definitely be down to see where something like that went, but I also know as many who would be really frustrated by this.
I'm assuming you're abiding by the rules that they need spend gold and time to copy spells into their spell book and not just handwaving it, in which case you're crippling that player's core class functions. I don't think I would try this, but if you're dead set on it - I would have a very clear conversation with the player in question beforehand, and I would make sure you come up with some ways to mitigate the consequences on the player's side somewhat. Maybe this is an opportunity to give them something like an Arcane Grimoireor one of the other magic items that doubles as a spellbook in Tasha's.
Plot arcs that require things to go wrong for the players = bad. Taking away a player's agency = bad. Taking away the thing that differentiates a player from a commoner, and can't be easily replaced = bad. You're hitting a trifecta of bad here.
I think you should listen to your nervousness. Something is obviously telling you that this probably won't go well. You are crippling a player (figuratively, and possibly even literally). Without prior buy-in, and unless the player is an excellent role player who can roll with it for a few sessions without basically feeling useless, you are going to ruin this player's game. Getting players to hate the BBEG is important, but you don't want them to also hate you. Handled poorly, you could lose this player from your table. If I was a wizard and you took my spell book away for a session, with no indication of when I'm getting it back, I'd probably be looking for a new table. If I was a different player and the DM took the wizard's spell book, I'd be wondering what they were going to do to me, and I'd be considering a new table.
About the only way I can see to make this 'fair' is to knock them unconscious in what would be considered a fair fight. That's going to take a lot of luck for your creatures. By all means they can be under order to focus fire on the wizard, but with the rest of the party there, it's going to be tough to do. What happens when BBEG fails? Does this keep happening until they succeed? It could be a lot of attempts. It will be indistinguishable from a vindictive DM with a grudge against the player. Also, what happens if that player fails their death saving throws?
This feels like something that should be happening to an NPC as a plot hook. A one armed stranger engages the party to track down the BBEG and retrieve unspecified stolen property, on promise of substantial reward - "you'll know it when you see it". The stolen property becomes immediately apparent, of course. When returned, the stranger turns out to be a powerful wizard and rewards the players in some magical way, perhaps even the promise of being available for summons in some future dire situation you can then throw at the players. Wizard pops up and grants the players some sort of temporary power boost that can turn the tide (while still being the players doing the work, avoiding the Deus ex machina.)
To be clear, when I say 'fairly', what I mean is that I want my players to be able to stop it from happening. I'm not going to railroad them into losing the item. Otherwise I'd just have someone steal it while they were asleep. What I'm looking for is mechanics by which I can attempt to relieve a player of an item, since I've never done that before. Plus whether or not I can/should just cut a characters arm straight off.
I don't want to go into detail about it just in case my players happen to stumble across this thread and not recognize my username, but plot-wise, it makes sense for the BBEG to be after the item in question. And my plot isn't dependent on the BBEG getting the item - I'm perfectly happy with the end result of this encounter being that the party keeps the item. Either/or, I'll be able to achieve the effect I'm after.
And I'm pretty certain my players won't be upset about it happening, so long as I do it in a way that's fair, that they can fight against, hence my question. We had a long talk prior to the start of this arc, in which I asked them questions like "Would you be okay with your characters experiencing severe consequences" and "How would you feel if your character were killed", and the response was generally that they'd be happy with unexpected consequences and wish I was more murder-y as a DM (I've only ever killed a PC once, and that was by accident - who the hell gets killed by a damn kobold?).
Ok, so assuming complete buy-in. I'm still dubious, but if I was to do it, I'd bypass forcibly taking it altogether. Make the wizard choose to give the MacGuffin to the BBEG as a heroic sacrifice.
BBEG has captured another party member, or someone the party loves. They meet in a chamber with an obvious game of skill or luck present. BBEG monologues about chess ("a proxy for war, in days of old, you know?" or dice "placing our fates in the hands of the Gods" - you know the thing, standard BBEG monologuing. Monologue ends with eye contact directly with the wizard "do you play?". You are baiting the player to challenge the BBEG to a game to win back the hostage, "...and if I win, you give me the MacGuffin."
To be clear, when I say 'fairly', what I mean is that I want my players to be able to stop it from happening. I'm not going to railroad them into losing the item. Otherwise I'd just have someone steal it while they were asleep. What I'm looking for is mechanics by which I can attempt to relieve a player of an item, since I've never done that before. Plus whether or not I can/should just cut a characters arm straight off...
...And my plot isn't dependent on the BBEG getting the item - I'm perfectly happy with the end result of this encounter being that the party keeps the item. Either/or, I'll be able to achieve the effect I'm after.
And I'm pretty certain my players won't be upset about it happening, so long as I do it in a way that's fair, that they can fight against, hence my question...
Gotcha, well in that case you could use the mechanic you described in you OP, I don't know that I would though. Personally that seems a little random-ish for an NPC who is purposely trying to get the item in question. I would probably have the party be ambushed by a group of enemies using physical and/or magical traps. Having the party make wisdom saves against sleep spells or such, gives them another way to affect the outcome. If they succeed and fight, you can use the nat 20 against the wizard to damage and stun - which allows the NPC to rip the item off, but if they fail you can just take it. If one person evades that gives them the opportunity to maybe hide and watch which gives your PCs more information about what's happening.
I wouldn't rely on one mechanic with a major story interaction like this just because of the RNG aspect. Id have two or three ways during an encounter which allows the both you and the players more chances to affect the outcome and its not just one lucky roll, plus it allows for some epic back and forth moments - like half the party evades the trap - the wizard loses the item - and player y comes through with a clutch spell or action to get it back. That way regardless of the outcome I think it'll feel more satisfying.
The most straightforward way of doing it would be to apply a beatdown to the players and then steal it from the body. Alternate options depend on how the strap works (RAW doesn't support doing that in the first place, so you've already come up with rules for it) and which rules you're using. I would treat it as a disarm (either the DMG option or the martial maneuver) that uses the strength of the strap instead of the strength of the PC to resist, but the player might be upset to realize that his strap doesn't actually prevent objects from being stolen.
This isn't something you need to do. This is something you want to do. Because you think it's a good story hook, you're depriving a player of their character's main mechanical agency (replenishing their Spellcasting ability). What is the player supposed to do until the character is restored to full functionality, especially given that this PC has been singled out and the rest of the party presumably is fully functional. If the player really wants to role play in this hindered capacity, fine. Otherwise, literal party foul.
I don't like the idea of "staging" a chance to not lose the magical McGuffin, when as the DM you "need" the fight to go the BBEG's way.
In some ways this is basically the "kidnapping a PC" mistake. Some DMs and GMs thinks it's a great idea for a PC to be abducted with little to no chance of escape and the other PCs have to track down the PC down for a rescue, while the player of the abducted PC has nothing to do but be tied up or chloroformed. GMs think that there's great motive and drama because who would the PCs have more investment in than another party member. But you're depriving a PC from playing. This is like that but instead of taking the PCs body, you're taking their powers.
Unless characters in your game are routinely crippled in this fashion, I'd find a different way to work this arc.
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Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Like others, I question the choice of taking the wizard’s spell book - unless he has a back up. That said some options are:
Rogue with expertise in sleight of hand. Then pick his pocket, so to speak. IRL people can take watches off wrists. I realize this is probably bigger, and the wizard might notice pretty quick depending on the size. But it gives a chanc for success or failure.
Dominate
Hold person and take it off while he’s frozen in place
To be clear, when I say 'fairly', what I mean is that I want my players to be able to stop it from happening. I'm not going to railroad them into losing the item. Otherwise I'd just have someone steal it while they were asleep. What I'm looking for is mechanics by which I can attempt to relieve a player of an item, since I've never done that before. Plus whether or not I can/should just cut a characters arm straight off.
I don't want to go into detail about it just in case my players happen to stumble across this thread and not recognize my username, but plot-wise, it makes sense for the BBEG to be after the item in question. And my plot isn't dependent on the BBEG getting the item - I'm perfectly happy with the end result of this encounter being that the party keeps the item. Either/or, I'll be able to achieve the effect I'm after.
And I'm pretty certain my players won't be upset about it happening, so long as I do it in a way that's fair, that they can fight against, hence my question. We had a long talk prior to the start of this arc, in which I asked them questions like "Would you be okay with your characters experiencing severe consequences" and "How would you feel if your character were killed", and the response was generally that they'd be happy with unexpected consequences and wish I was more murder-y as a DM (I've only ever killed a PC once, and that was by accident - who the hell gets killed by a damn kobold?).
"Basically, this PC walks around with a magic item strapped to his arm. It's the characters pride and joy, as well as their spellbook AND spellcasting focus as a wizard. And my BBEG wants it. My question is, how do I separate the PC from the item in a way that is fair, that the players actually have a chance to prevent?"
Personally, I would come up with a different plot line. A wizard relies on their spell book for all of their spells. Mechanically, this item doesn't seem to do anything special except be a strapped on magic item that makes it easy to access their spell book and act as a casting focus. However, losing all their spells will greatly inconvenience the wizard unless they already have a backup copy - they will lose all their spells except those currently prepared. It will also cost them a lot of gold and time to recreate a spell book.
In addition, unless this item does something you haven't mentioned, there is no notable reason for the BBEG to want it except for the DM to mess with the player. The BBEG should have better things to do with their time that stealing a PC spell book no matter how cool it looks.
Anyway, since you say you are happy with the outcome of the encounter no matter how it works out then I would just skip this encounter entirely.
On the other hand, if you really want to have something happen then have the party attacked by a group which tries to distract the party while two barbarians with axes try to pin down the wizard and chop their arm off. The party then gets the idea that someone finds the item valuable enough to send a hit team to retrieve it but there should be little or no chance of success. (e.g. one barbarian grapples the wizard while the other attacks with the axe). You get the tension in the players that some opponent wants the magic item without the angst from the players of the opponents succeeding in getting it.
How about going down a somewhat more fiendish route?
The BBEG wants this book-armband-thingy and presumably is going to be taking subtle steps to achieve this- one of which will be in making certain that the player doesn't realise it's been stolen. I'm also assuming they never take it off.
So, the BBEG commissions a high-class thief to steal it. This thief is very special as she has developed the means to train mimics. She leaves these mimics in place of the items she steals, and they are content to sit for some time before becoming hungry and wandering off - either to eat the original owner or simply to disappear, causing panic at the theft a long time after she's made her getaway.
This thief sneaks in when the player is asleep, perhaps after spiking their drink in the tavern to make them sleep (give some mention of a stronger new beer, then have them do con saves to avoid the sleepiness - they will suspect the beer not the poison). She manages to remove the arm bracer and install a bloodsucking mimic to the player in its place. The mimic will mimic their book until they try to remove it, whereupon it will resist, as per the mimics grapple DC.
The spells mimicked by the mimic aren't quite perfect - whilst they can turn pages etc., they are always somewhat off - they do too much or too little damage, or they have weird side effects. The player might suspect a cursed item, but surely not their pride and joy? The player also suffers from sleepiness (due to the blood being unsuspectingly drunk by the mimic). This might be a minor plot point where they are simply told that they are getting tired, or you could make it more mechanical - they suffer a level of exhaustion if they do not perform a long rest once per day.
Keep track of the mimics health, which will be affected by AOE spells etc. The mimic will heal on long and short rests but can be killed. If the mimic dies, it slides off their arm and everyone gets extremely panicky about the idea that items can be mimics. Meanwhile, the BBEG has their item. If the players don't get suspicious then they might even make it to the BBEG and see him with the item.
The mimic is a tame mimic, as used by the thief, and as such the player could become its master - potentially gaining an even more powerful ally - a magic focus spellbook that's also a monster, though prone to stubbornness and practical jokes, and which needs fresh blood to survive.
What magic item, precisely, is strapped to the char's arm? WHY is it strapped to the char's arm? Does doing so give it some way to circumvent the Object Interaction Rules?
And if you want the BBEG to have it, simple enough. Have the BBEG cast the Suggestion spell, ensure the BBEG has a very, very high DC, and have the BBEG say "That item X on your arm sure is pretty. Could I borrow it?"
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Hey all. I need some advice on how to run something fairly that will massively screw over one of my players.
Basically, this PC walks around with a magic item strapped to his arm. It's the characters pride and joy, as well as their spellbook AND spellcasting focus as a wizard. And my BBEG wants it. My question is, how do I separate the PC from the item in a way that is fair, that the players actually have a chance to prevent?
My current idea is to have a special enemy that basically has the Mage Slayer feat and a Vorpal blade - but instead of cutting the PCs head off on a critical, it would cut his arm off. This would be much more brutal than anything I've done to my players in the past, though. Of course, if I can get the PC unconscious, the enemy will just take the item off his unconscious body, assuming the rest of the party can't rescue him in time.
But yes, I'm looking for any suggestions on how I would fairly handle this situation, as I'm very nervous about it.
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One I seem to remember there are common magic items, that are replacement limbs. make sure that they discover among all the other information in their local world the location of such a crafter. it could even be A-Thing that the locals are welcoming a new high-class crafter to the crafters guild.
Remember if the Big Bad isn't going to expose themselves.. this may be a team effort even if most of the enemy's team may not even know where or who their allies are.
When your players roll perception, always be prepared if they roll a nice one to throw them a bone (Watching-rat) in the corner.
> Hero; "OKAY.. KID.. We know you been watching us, I've seen you three times today. . skulking in a corner. WHAT gives"
(this was the one roll where you tell the roller that kid over there, you keep seeing him; he was at *, and at *.)
>Rat-in-corner; "Sorry Lord Hero.. I got kicked out of the scribe's guild and have to take what work I can.. I got to support my mother and brother and step-sister.."
>Hero; "Was that the question?!!"
>Rat-in-corner; "Sorry Lord Hero.. I was paid to watch the guy with that pretty arm-band and write down where he goes and with who. I was to take the scroll every day and put it in what they call a dead-drop in the public garden"
>Hero; "Who is paying you?"
>Rat-in-corner; "I was mugged in an alley, and since I didn't have any money, the masked guy said if I took this job he wouldn't finish me and steal my clothes.. they were my good work clothes how could I find good work ifff.. couldn't any. iff.. so I took the job."
(so how did this "mugger" know he had the training to write good reports.) (insight roll?)
And if they hire the kid themselves then what if mother, brother or pretty step-sister kidnaped, or hurt (as warning to kid) you don't want to get to deep into --fade to red-- but the nature of their opposition can let them know something big and nasty is coming for them.
even if it isn't the big-bad themself.
if they are dealing with a big bad they usually have some kind of social court &or spy set-up to watch their own folk.
Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound
I don’t think there is a way to handle it “fairly” without talking to the Player about it first.
Its one thing for the BBE to want it and to try to get it. But if you have already determined that the BBE will succeed because of some story/plot point you want to hit then that’s inherently unfair.
If it wasn’t an arm + focus + spellbook + “pride and joy” then maybe it wouldn’t be quite so bad, but it is all those things, so it will be that bad. 🤷♂️
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What makes this arm-strapped spellbook magical? What does it do mechanically for the character that is fundamentally different from just a spell book and/or a common focus that is just more fancily displayed?
If there is a magical component to it that is causing some sort of advantage that the player is proud of, consider using a monster like the Conclave Dryad from the Ravnica book. Maybe not that monster specifically, since it is CR 9, but maybe steal the Suppress Magic power from that monster and add it to something else to help set the tone of things when a monster/thief comes along to try and steal the item for the BBEG.
That aside, stealing a Wizard's spellbook is sort of rough at early to mid levels when the character likely doesn't have the wealth to replace it. Maybe if you do steal it, include a quick chase scene where the party can get it back, or make sure the party has the wealth on hand to help the wizard begin rebuilding the spellbook quickly while they search for the stolen one.
I think you definitely need to have a discussion with this player first, maybe not detailing your exact plan, but asking questions like "are you ok with being unable to use most of your spells for a session or two as part of the plot?" or "how would you feel if something happened to your favorite item?" I know some players who would definitely be down to see where something like that went, but I also know as many who would be really frustrated by this.
I'm assuming you're abiding by the rules that they need spend gold and time to copy spells into their spell book and not just handwaving it, in which case you're crippling that player's core class functions. I don't think I would try this, but if you're dead set on it - I would have a very clear conversation with the player in question beforehand, and I would make sure you come up with some ways to mitigate the consequences on the player's side somewhat. Maybe this is an opportunity to give them something like an Arcane Grimoire or one of the other magic items that doubles as a spellbook in Tasha's.
Plot arcs that require things to go wrong for the players = bad. Taking away a player's agency = bad. Taking away the thing that differentiates a player from a commoner, and can't be easily replaced = bad. You're hitting a trifecta of bad here.
I think you should listen to your nervousness. Something is obviously telling you that this probably won't go well. You are crippling a player (figuratively, and possibly even literally). Without prior buy-in, and unless the player is an excellent role player who can roll with it for a few sessions without basically feeling useless, you are going to ruin this player's game. Getting players to hate the BBEG is important, but you don't want them to also hate you. Handled poorly, you could lose this player from your table. If I was a wizard and you took my spell book away for a session, with no indication of when I'm getting it back, I'd probably be looking for a new table. If I was a different player and the DM took the wizard's spell book, I'd be wondering what they were going to do to me, and I'd be considering a new table.
About the only way I can see to make this 'fair' is to knock them unconscious in what would be considered a fair fight. That's going to take a lot of luck for your creatures. By all means they can be under order to focus fire on the wizard, but with the rest of the party there, it's going to be tough to do. What happens when BBEG fails? Does this keep happening until they succeed? It could be a lot of attempts. It will be indistinguishable from a vindictive DM with a grudge against the player. Also, what happens if that player fails their death saving throws?
This feels like something that should be happening to an NPC as a plot hook. A one armed stranger engages the party to track down the BBEG and retrieve unspecified stolen property, on promise of substantial reward - "you'll know it when you see it". The stolen property becomes immediately apparent, of course. When returned, the stranger turns out to be a powerful wizard and rewards the players in some magical way, perhaps even the promise of being available for summons in some future dire situation you can then throw at the players. Wizard pops up and grants the players some sort of temporary power boost that can turn the tide (while still being the players doing the work, avoiding the Deus ex machina.)
To be clear, when I say 'fairly', what I mean is that I want my players to be able to stop it from happening. I'm not going to railroad them into losing the item. Otherwise I'd just have someone steal it while they were asleep. What I'm looking for is mechanics by which I can attempt to relieve a player of an item, since I've never done that before. Plus whether or not I can/should just cut a characters arm straight off.
I don't want to go into detail about it just in case my players happen to stumble across this thread and not recognize my username, but plot-wise, it makes sense for the BBEG to be after the item in question. And my plot isn't dependent on the BBEG getting the item - I'm perfectly happy with the end result of this encounter being that the party keeps the item. Either/or, I'll be able to achieve the effect I'm after.
And I'm pretty certain my players won't be upset about it happening, so long as I do it in a way that's fair, that they can fight against, hence my question. We had a long talk prior to the start of this arc, in which I asked them questions like "Would you be okay with your characters experiencing severe consequences" and "How would you feel if your character were killed", and the response was generally that they'd be happy with unexpected consequences and wish I was more murder-y as a DM (I've only ever killed a PC once, and that was by accident - who the hell gets killed by a damn kobold?).
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Ok, so assuming complete buy-in. I'm still dubious, but if I was to do it, I'd bypass forcibly taking it altogether. Make the wizard choose to give the MacGuffin to the BBEG as a heroic sacrifice.
BBEG has captured another party member, or someone the party loves. They meet in a chamber with an obvious game of skill or luck present. BBEG monologues about chess ("a proxy for war, in days of old, you know?" or dice "placing our fates in the hands of the Gods" - you know the thing, standard BBEG monologuing. Monologue ends with eye contact directly with the wizard "do you play?". You are baiting the player to challenge the BBEG to a game to win back the hostage, "...and if I win, you give me the MacGuffin."
Gotcha, well in that case you could use the mechanic you described in you OP, I don't know that I would though. Personally that seems a little random-ish for an NPC who is purposely trying to get the item in question. I would probably have the party be ambushed by a group of enemies using physical and/or magical traps. Having the party make wisdom saves against sleep spells or such, gives them another way to affect the outcome. If they succeed and fight, you can use the nat 20 against the wizard to damage and stun - which allows the NPC to rip the item off, but if they fail you can just take it. If one person evades that gives them the opportunity to maybe hide and watch which gives your PCs more information about what's happening.
I wouldn't rely on one mechanic with a major story interaction like this just because of the RNG aspect. Id have two or three ways during an encounter which allows the both you and the players more chances to affect the outcome and its not just one lucky roll, plus it allows for some epic back and forth moments - like half the party evades the trap - the wizard loses the item - and player y comes through with a clutch spell or action to get it back. That way regardless of the outcome I think it'll feel more satisfying.
The most straightforward way of doing it would be to apply a beatdown to the players and then steal it from the body. Alternate options depend on how the strap works (RAW doesn't support doing that in the first place, so you've already come up with rules for it) and which rules you're using. I would treat it as a disarm (either the DMG option or the martial maneuver) that uses the strength of the strap instead of the strength of the PC to resist, but the player might be upset to realize that his strap doesn't actually prevent objects from being stolen.
This isn't something you need to do. This is something you want to do. Because you think it's a good story hook, you're depriving a player of their character's main mechanical agency (replenishing their Spellcasting ability). What is the player supposed to do until the character is restored to full functionality, especially given that this PC has been singled out and the rest of the party presumably is fully functional. If the player really wants to role play in this hindered capacity, fine. Otherwise, literal party foul.
I don't like the idea of "staging" a chance to not lose the magical McGuffin, when as the DM you "need" the fight to go the BBEG's way.
In some ways this is basically the "kidnapping a PC" mistake. Some DMs and GMs thinks it's a great idea for a PC to be abducted with little to no chance of escape and the other PCs have to track down the PC down for a rescue, while the player of the abducted PC has nothing to do but be tied up or chloroformed. GMs think that there's great motive and drama because who would the PCs have more investment in than another party member. But you're depriving a PC from playing. This is like that but instead of taking the PCs body, you're taking their powers.
Unless characters in your game are routinely crippled in this fashion, I'd find a different way to work this arc.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Like others, I question the choice of taking the wizard’s spell book - unless he has a back up. That said some options are:
Rogue with expertise in sleight of hand. Then pick his pocket, so to speak. IRL people can take watches off wrists. I realize this is probably bigger, and the wizard might notice pretty quick depending on the size. But it gives a chanc for success or failure.
Dominate
Hold person and take it off while he’s frozen in place
"Basically, this PC walks around with a magic item strapped to his arm. It's the characters pride and joy, as well as their spellbook AND spellcasting focus as a wizard. And my BBEG wants it. My question is, how do I separate the PC from the item in a way that is fair, that the players actually have a chance to prevent?"
Personally, I would come up with a different plot line. A wizard relies on their spell book for all of their spells. Mechanically, this item doesn't seem to do anything special except be a strapped on magic item that makes it easy to access their spell book and act as a casting focus. However, losing all their spells will greatly inconvenience the wizard unless they already have a backup copy - they will lose all their spells except those currently prepared. It will also cost them a lot of gold and time to recreate a spell book.
In addition, unless this item does something you haven't mentioned, there is no notable reason for the BBEG to want it except for the DM to mess with the player. The BBEG should have better things to do with their time that stealing a PC spell book no matter how cool it looks.
Anyway, since you say you are happy with the outcome of the encounter no matter how it works out then I would just skip this encounter entirely.
On the other hand, if you really want to have something happen then have the party attacked by a group which tries to distract the party while two barbarians with axes try to pin down the wizard and chop their arm off. The party then gets the idea that someone finds the item valuable enough to send a hit team to retrieve it but there should be little or no chance of success. (e.g. one barbarian grapples the wizard while the other attacks with the axe). You get the tension in the players that some opponent wants the magic item without the angst from the players of the opponents succeeding in getting it.
How about going down a somewhat more fiendish route?
The BBEG wants this book-armband-thingy and presumably is going to be taking subtle steps to achieve this- one of which will be in making certain that the player doesn't realise it's been stolen. I'm also assuming they never take it off.
So, the BBEG commissions a high-class thief to steal it. This thief is very special as she has developed the means to train mimics. She leaves these mimics in place of the items she steals, and they are content to sit for some time before becoming hungry and wandering off - either to eat the original owner or simply to disappear, causing panic at the theft a long time after she's made her getaway.
This thief sneaks in when the player is asleep, perhaps after spiking their drink in the tavern to make them sleep (give some mention of a stronger new beer, then have them do con saves to avoid the sleepiness - they will suspect the beer not the poison). She manages to remove the arm bracer and install a bloodsucking mimic to the player in its place. The mimic will mimic their book until they try to remove it, whereupon it will resist, as per the mimics grapple DC.
The spells mimicked by the mimic aren't quite perfect - whilst they can turn pages etc., they are always somewhat off - they do too much or too little damage, or they have weird side effects. The player might suspect a cursed item, but surely not their pride and joy? The player also suffers from sleepiness (due to the blood being unsuspectingly drunk by the mimic). This might be a minor plot point where they are simply told that they are getting tired, or you could make it more mechanical - they suffer a level of exhaustion if they do not perform a long rest once per day.
Keep track of the mimics health, which will be affected by AOE spells etc. The mimic will heal on long and short rests but can be killed. If the mimic dies, it slides off their arm and everyone gets extremely panicky about the idea that items can be mimics. Meanwhile, the BBEG has their item. If the players don't get suspicious then they might even make it to the BBEG and see him with the item.
The mimic is a tame mimic, as used by the thief, and as such the player could become its master - potentially gaining an even more powerful ally - a magic focus spellbook that's also a monster, though prone to stubbornness and practical jokes, and which needs fresh blood to survive.
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What magic item, precisely, is strapped to the char's arm? WHY is it strapped to the char's arm? Does doing so give it some way to circumvent the Object Interaction Rules?
And if you want the BBEG to have it, simple enough. Have the BBEG cast the Suggestion spell, ensure the BBEG has a very, very high DC, and have the BBEG say "That item X on your arm sure is pretty. Could I borrow it?"