If the title doesn't give it away then let me dive deeper into my problem.
I'm running the Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign and my party got in the Wave Echo Cave at the 'enchanting' room where the Specter is. The guidelines are a bit weird for interpretation and became harder when one of my players decided to sleep naked in the enchanting flame together with everybody's weapons. (They went to sleep there after)
We finished the session there but I have no idea what to do with them. I was thinking of giving the monk some kind of enchant on his body but take away his life span because of the flame or something...
I give the players (they are all close friends of mine) plenty of freedom to do crazy stuff but this feels like it needs to have consequences. Can anybody help me to resolving this madness?
I would say that the monk takes something like 1d6 fire damage every 6 seconds he is lying in the flame. It shouldn't take long before he realises that trying to sleep in what is essentially the fire of a forge is not a good idea!
If the rest of the party are getting magic weapons and they wants something as well you could say when they lie down they find in the flame was a badge they had not noticed previously becasue of the flames intensity that turns out ot be an insignia of claws (or similar).
If the title doesn't give it away then let me dive deeper into my problem.
I'm running the Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign and my party got in the Wave Echo Cave at the 'enchanting' room where the Specter is. The guidelines are a bit weird for interpretation and became harder when one of my players decided to sleep naked in the enchanting flame together with everybody's weapons. (They went to sleep there after)
We finished the session there but I have no idea what to do with them. I was thinking of giving the monk some kind of enchant on his body but take away his life span because of the flame or something...
I give the players (they are all close friends of mine) plenty of freedom to do crazy stuff but this feels like it needs to have consequences. Can anybody help me to resolving this madness?
I I thought MY players had bizarre ideas!
I've never played a monk or had anyone in my party play a monk, so I might be missing something, but are monks naturally fire resistant? It feels like laying down naked in what is essentially a forge flame should at the very minimum cause some fire damage, compounding for the longer they stay in it.
Its also worth noting that RAW are that the Forge of Spells is basically broken, tapped out from age and disuse, so any enchantments it grants are temporary. You can always change that as DM obviously, I am for my party that is currently doing LMOP, but it is worth calling out as you are figuring out what to do.
I would say that the monk takes something like 1d6 fire damage every 6 seconds he is lying in the flame. It shouldn't take long before he realises that trying to sleep in what is essentially the fire of a forge is not a good idea!
If the rest of the party are getting magic weapons and they wants something as well you could say when they lie down they find in the flame was a badge they had not noticed previously becasue of the flames intensity that turns out ot be an insignia of claws (or similar).
Thanks ! I'll work around your suggestions! First time learning about the insignia.
I've never played a monk or had anyone in my party play a monk, so I might be missing something, but are monks naturally fire resistant? It feels like laying down naked in what is essentially a forge flame should at the very minimum cause some fire damage, compounding for the longer they stay in it.
Its also worth noting that RAW are that the Forge of Spells is basically broken, tapped out from age and disuse, so any enchantments it grants are temporary. You can always change that as DM obviously, I am for my party that is currently doing LMOP, but it is worth calling out as you are figuring out what to do.
No... I don't think they have fire resistance... it's just that my party is made up of 6 people ( 4 crazy ones that only do stupid things and 2 that actually try to use their brain) and my monk came up with this crazy idea that it'll be cool to sleep in the fire to get enhanced himself.
And yeah, i changed it a bit saying that the fire is a mystical one and when they first touched they don't feel the burning sensation that a normal fire gives but gave a warning as well that the longer they touch it the more dangerous it feels for them.
Guess it was my bad for trying to make it more "mystical" lol.
Also, the tattoos actually show up as the steel needles used to make the tattoo not as the tattoo themselves. The process of attunement converts the needle to the tattoo.
Just a comment ... but when the players come up with weird ideas, you don't have to have something weird happen in response. In this case, I might have the monk have a rather uncomfortable long rest (if the green flame isn't hot) or tell the monk as soon as they try to put their hand in it that it is hot and trying to remain in it would cause damage. There are many more ways to have fun in the game rather than giving the players something for every random idea they come up with or outlandish thing they try. Some ideas will make sense and work and some won't.
Here is the text from LMOP and some other comments ...
Brazier of Green Flame. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the brazier as the source of the magic that suffuses the surrounding caverns. This magic has waned over the years, to the extent that it can no longer be harnessed to permanently enchant magic items. However, any nonmagical weapon or armor bathed in the green flame for at least 1 minute becomes a +1 weapon or +1 armor, respectively, for 1d12 hours (see appendix A). The brazier cannot be removed from the Forge of Spells.
1) The flame is intended to enchant items, not living creatures. You could just say that the magic doesn't do anything to the character. Consider this - if the flame COULD provide some beneficial enchantment to every creature who rested in the flames then wouldn't everyone in the facility have acquired extra inherent magical abilities by using the forge that way? The cave would have become famous for its abilities to imbue creatures with magic rather than produce magic weapons and armor. Since the forge did not work that way for its original creators why should it work this way for a character who decides to sleep in it? Personally, I prefer worlds that make sense - permanent enchantments on creatures from the flame don't really make sense to me.
2) The description clearly notes that the power of the flame has waned over the years. It isn't as strong as it used to be. Even weapons and armor placed in the flame aren't permanently enchanted - only for a limited duration - so why would this magic, designed to affect items, weakened after years of inactivity, have any effect at all on a creature?
3) Whatever you do is a DM call. If I wanted to impose an effect, I would likely have the character glow green, shedding bright light in a 30' radius and dim light in 60' for 1d12 hours.
If the title doesn't give it away then let me dive deeper into my problem.
I'm running the Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign and my party got in the Wave Echo Cave at the 'enchanting' room where the Specter is. The guidelines are a bit weird for interpretation and became harder when one of my players decided to sleep naked in the enchanting flame together with everybody's weapons. (They went to sleep there after)
We finished the session there but I have no idea what to do with them. I was thinking of giving the monk some kind of enchant on his body but take away his life span because of the flame or something...
I give the players (they are all close friends of mine) plenty of freedom to do crazy stuff but this feels like it needs to have consequences. Can anybody help me to resolving this madness?
RAW the Brazier of Green Flame does not shed light or deal fire damage, it's just a colored flame that can temporarily enchant nonmagical weapon and armorsbathed in it. So if a character goes into it with everybody's weapons, after a minute they will become +1 weapon for 1d12 hours. It has no effect on the character itself and depending on how long it stays in and the duration of the enchantment, it might come out with them no more magical., may be not even realising they were.
Now if you want to houserule that it deal fire damage, it's entirely up to you how much it does 1d10+ / rounds with save or nah but personally i wouldn't use the Forge of Spell as a weapon against PCs as it's supposed to be benefactor item, not malefactor.
The Forge is supposedly tapped, but they don't realise it demands a sacrifice.
Add some heiroglyphs and engraving which shows them putting weapons in, then a bound sacrifice, and then retrieving a magical weapon.
If they go through with it, randomly pick one of the weapons. Describe for them the fire damage, and if they try to heal or buff their way through it, they burst into flames and disintegrate into ashes.
The weapon you chose is now imbued with their soul, and is a sentient weapon that grants +1 to hit and +2 to ki points. They are now trapped forever in the weapon - roll up a new character!
Just a comment ... but when the players come up with weird ideas, you don't have to have something weird happen in response. In this case, I might have the monk have a rather uncomfortable long rest (if the green flame isn't hot) or tell the monk as soon as they try to put their hand in it that it is hot and trying to remain in it would cause damage. There are many more ways to have fun in the game rather than giving the players something for every random idea they come up with or outlandish thing they try. Some ideas will make sense and work and some won't.
Here is the text from LMOP and some other comments ...
Brazier of Green Flame. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the brazier as the source of the magic that suffuses the surrounding caverns. This magic has waned over the years, to the extent that it can no longer be harnessed to permanently enchant magic items. However, any nonmagical weapon or armor bathed in the green flame for at least 1 minute becomes a +1 weapon or +1 armor, respectively, for 1d12 hours (see appendix A). The brazier cannot be removed from the Forge of Spells.
1) The flame is intended to enchant items, not living creatures. You could just say that the magic doesn't do anything to the character. Consider this - if the flame COULD provide some beneficial enchantment to every creature who rested in the flames then wouldn't everyone in the facility have acquired extra inherent magical abilities by using the forge that way? The cave would have become famous for its abilities to imbue creatures with magic rather than produce magic weapons and armor. Since the forge did not work that way for its original creators why should it work this way for a character who decides to sleep in it? Personally, I prefer worlds that make sense - permanent enchantments on creatures from the flame don't really make sense to me.
2) The description clearly notes that the power of the flame has waned over the years. It isn't as strong as it used to be. Even weapons and armor placed in the flame aren't permanently enchanted - only for a limited duration - so why would this magic, designed to affect items, weakened after years of inactivity, have any effect at all on a creature?
3) Whatever you do is a DM call. If I wanted to impose an effect, I would likely have the character glow green, shedding bright light in a 30' radius and dim light in 60' for 1d12 hours.
I'm not some evil DM that just wants to take the fun out of everybody. I came with this question because they throw up plenty of dumb/crazy moments and they always manage to get out of these because i'm forgiving, so I want to show them from time to time that there can be consequences to actions if they keep pulling stunts that aren't ok.
Also, i know how to read, so I know what the brazier normally does... I just tampered with it a bit to make it sound more fascinating for the players.
I ended up with the Eldritch Claw Tattoo for the Monk as suggested above since it made the most logic and changed it a bit... SO... in the end they still got more than I was initially thinking for this.
Guess what? They went back after a long fight to rest there and now the Barddecided to sleep in the fire this time with all his clothes and instruments... together with the other players equipment.
Just a comment ... but when the players come up with weird ideas, you don't have to have something weird happen in response. In this case, I might have the monk have a rather uncomfortable long rest (if the green flame isn't hot) or tell the monk as soon as they try to put their hand in it that it is hot and trying to remain in it would cause damage. There are many more ways to have fun in the game rather than giving the players something for every random idea they come up with or outlandish thing they try. Some ideas will make sense and work and some won't.
Here is the text from LMOP and some other comments ...
Brazier of Green Flame. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the brazier as the source of the magic that suffuses the surrounding caverns. This magic has waned over the years, to the extent that it can no longer be harnessed to permanently enchant magic items. However, any nonmagical weapon or armor bathed in the green flame for at least 1 minute becomes a +1 weapon or +1 armor, respectively, for 1d12 hours (see appendix A). The brazier cannot be removed from the Forge of Spells.
1) The flame is intended to enchant items, not living creatures. You could just say that the magic doesn't do anything to the character. Consider this - if the flame COULD provide some beneficial enchantment to every creature who rested in the flames then wouldn't everyone in the facility have acquired extra inherent magical abilities by using the forge that way? The cave would have become famous for its abilities to imbue creatures with magic rather than produce magic weapons and armor. Since the forge did not work that way for its original creators why should it work this way for a character who decides to sleep in it? Personally, I prefer worlds that make sense - permanent enchantments on creatures from the flame don't really make sense to me.
2) The description clearly notes that the power of the flame has waned over the years. It isn't as strong as it used to be. Even weapons and armor placed in the flame aren't permanently enchanted - only for a limited duration - so why would this magic, designed to affect items, weakened after years of inactivity, have any effect at all on a creature?
3) Whatever you do is a DM call. If I wanted to impose an effect, I would likely have the character glow green, shedding bright light in a 30' radius and dim light in 60' for 1d12 hours.
I'm not some evil DM that just wants to take the fun out of everybody. I came with this question because they throw up plenty of dumb/crazy moments and they always manage to get out of these because i'm forgiving, so I want to show them from time to time that there can be consequences to actions if they keep pulling stunts that aren't ok.
Also, i know how to read, so I know what the brazier normally does... I just tampered with it a bit to make it sound more fascinating for the players.
I ended up with the Eldritch Claw Tattoo for the Monk as suggested above since it made the most logic and changed it a bit... SO... in the end they still got more than I was initially thinking for this.
Guess what? They went back after a long fight to rest there and now the Barddecided to sleep in the fire this time with all his clothes and instruments... together with the other players equipment.
Yep ... and as long as you give out cool magic items with no negative consequences then the characters will continue to do "dumb" stuff with the goal of getting cool rewards. I'd expect all of the characters to want to sleep in the flame now that they have discovered it gives out cool stuff with very few downsides. (Or do you consider giving the monk an Eldritch claw tattoo - which has to be one of the best monk items available to somehow be a negative consequence? I have a level 12 monk in one of my games who is STILL using that tattoo).
In terms of the bard's action, do you give them something cool now to match the monk? What happens when the rest of the party decides to sleep in the flame because it gives out cool magic abilities? Or do you become an "evil DM" and take the fun away from everyone else by not giving them things or giving them something cursed (while rewarding the monk for being first ... this just encourages everyone else to be first to come up with a "dumb" idea)?
My suggestion was to have it do nothing or at least do only something temporary or something with a downside NOT because it is an evil DM thing that takes away peoples fun but because it might help them to learn that sometimes dumb/crazy stuff works out well, sometimes it does nothing and other times it can have a negative consequence.If dumb stuff always works out well (or at least not badly) then the players learn to just do more and more "dumb" stuff. The more extreme the better from their perspective.
I've run games where everything usually turned out "well", especially when I was first DMing (since I didn't want to kill characters - and I still don't but these days I keep up the illusion and if the party decides to do something really "dumb" then they get to deal with the consequences including the possibility of character loss) and after a while the characters were doing things that were not just "dumb" or unlikely but unbelieveably "dumb", taking risks that should normally result in the character dying (oh! I'll just skip across that lava field since it is the shortest route to where I want to go - the DM never has negative consequences - pure meta gaming that has been learned by experience within that game). That game turned into a circus, perhaps more like a clown show or anime in some sense. We had some fun while it lasted but in the long run, the players just didn't enjoy it because they learned they could do almost anything without real consequences since I wasn't a balanced DM who kept a reasonable level of consequences within the game. On the other hand, it is just a different style of game and perhaps that is what you are interested in playing.
However, to be clear, I'm NOT saying you should play your game differently, play it how you and your players want to play and if you are having fun then go with it.
BUT :), from my experience if there are rarely/never either neutral or negative consequences for their actions because the DM is forgiving then it will reach a point where the players are no longer concerned that there might be consequences that would matter and will do whatever they want, whether it makes sense or not, which, in my experience can have a negative impact on the game itself.
For simplicity's sake for yourself, have the Eldritch Claw Tattoo wear off at a long rest. Only one person can sleep in the fire. This will get rid of the huge headache of them:
all wanting to lie in the fire
wanting to put their pets and companions in the fire
Just a comment ... but when the players come up with weird ideas, you don't have to have something weird happen in response. In this case, I might have the monk have a rather uncomfortable long rest (if the green flame isn't hot) or tell the monk as soon as they try to put their hand in it that it is hot and trying to remain in it would cause damage. There are many more ways to have fun in the game rather than giving the players something for every random idea they come up with or outlandish thing they try. Some ideas will make sense and work and some won't.
Here is the text from LMOP and some other comments ...
Brazier of Green Flame. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the brazier as the source of the magic that suffuses the surrounding caverns. This magic has waned over the years, to the extent that it can no longer be harnessed to permanently enchant magic items. However, any nonmagical weapon or armor bathed in the green flame for at least 1 minute becomes a +1 weapon or +1 armor, respectively, for 1d12 hours (see appendix A). The brazier cannot be removed from the Forge of Spells.
1) The flame is intended to enchant items, not living creatures. You could just say that the magic doesn't do anything to the character. Consider this - if the flame COULD provide some beneficial enchantment to every creature who rested in the flames then wouldn't everyone in the facility have acquired extra inherent magical abilities by using the forge that way? The cave would have become famous for its abilities to imbue creatures with magic rather than produce magic weapons and armor. Since the forge did not work that way for its original creators why should it work this way for a character who decides to sleep in it? Personally, I prefer worlds that make sense - permanent enchantments on creatures from the flame don't really make sense to me.
2) The description clearly notes that the power of the flame has waned over the years. It isn't as strong as it used to be. Even weapons and armor placed in the flame aren't permanently enchanted - only for a limited duration - so why would this magic, designed to affect items, weakened after years of inactivity, have any effect at all on a creature?
3) Whatever you do is a DM call. If I wanted to impose an effect, I would likely have the character glow green, shedding bright light in a 30' radius and dim light in 60' for 1d12 hours.
I'm not some evil DM that just wants to take the fun out of everybody. I came with this question because they throw up plenty of dumb/crazy moments and they always manage to get out of these because i'm forgiving, so I want to show them from time to time that there can be consequences to actions if they keep pulling stunts that aren't ok.
Also, i know how to read, so I know what the brazier normally does... I just tampered with it a bit to make it sound more fascinating for the players.
I ended up with the Eldritch Claw Tattoo for the Monk as suggested above since it made the most logic and changed it a bit... SO... in the end they still got more than I was initially thinking for this.
Guess what? They went back after a long fight to rest there and now the Barddecided to sleep in the fire this time with all his clothes and instruments... together with the other players equipment.
this time they wake to find the flame is out. nothing seems enchanted. they've snuffed it.
...but then during the next short rest the bard realizes two thing:
1.) any weapon hung on their belt or in their hip pouch for several hours has become temporarily enchanted.
and 2.) they now pee green flame. and before they ask: fire stream not fire puddle. you can't bottle this. don't try.
DM's choice on how long this lasts, if it tingles, whether they can relight the brazier/forge, and how it interacts with a long night of drinking (among other bardly concerns).
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I'd probably have the monk do three con saves where he's trying to withstand the flames. If they pass, they take half of a d6 of fire damage. Fail, full damage. After the third save, they feel a hot needle piercing them and give them one of the magical tattoos. For monks, they don't get all that much for weapon options. And the tattoos can be a better option since everybody else will be getting one.
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If the title doesn't give it away then let me dive deeper into my problem.
I'm running the Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign and my party got in the Wave Echo Cave at the 'enchanting' room where the Specter is. The guidelines are a bit weird for interpretation and became harder when one of my players decided to sleep naked in the enchanting flame together with everybody's weapons. (They went to sleep there after)
We finished the session there but I have no idea what to do with them. I was thinking of giving the monk some kind of enchant on his body but take away his life span because of the flame or something...
I give the players (they are all close friends of mine) plenty of freedom to do crazy stuff but this feels like it needs to have consequences. Can anybody help me to resolving this madness?
I would say that the monk takes something like 1d6 fire damage every 6 seconds he is lying in the flame. It shouldn't take long before he realises that trying to sleep in what is essentially the fire of a forge is not a good idea!
If the rest of the party are getting magic weapons and they wants something as well you could say when they lie down they find in the flame was a badge they had not noticed previously becasue of the flames intensity that turns out ot be an insignia of claws (or similar).
I I thought MY players had bizarre ideas!
I've never played a monk or had anyone in my party play a monk, so I might be missing something, but are monks naturally fire resistant? It feels like laying down naked in what is essentially a forge flame should at the very minimum cause some fire damage, compounding for the longer they stay in it.
Its also worth noting that RAW are that the Forge of Spells is basically broken, tapped out from age and disuse, so any enchantments it grants are temporary. You can always change that as DM obviously, I am for my party that is currently doing LMOP, but it is worth calling out as you are figuring out what to do.
Thanks ! I'll work around your suggestions! First time learning about the insignia.
No... I don't think they have fire resistance... it's just that my party is made up of 6 people ( 4 crazy ones that only do stupid things and 2 that actually try to use their brain) and my monk came up with this crazy idea that it'll be cool to sleep in the fire to get enhanced himself.
And yeah, i changed it a bit saying that the fire is a mystical one and when they first touched they don't feel the burning sensation that a normal fire gives but gave a warning as well that the longer they touch it the more dangerous it feels for them.
Guess it was my bad for trying to make it more "mystical" lol.
D&D also has a handful of magical tattoos. You could consider having the monk wake up with one of those mystically burned into their skin.
I suggest the insignia as an insignia encrusted with gems is probably mounted on metal and could therefore be forged .
A tattoo could also be flavoured into something metal say bracers or a helmet to give the same effect.
Bracers of defence is a other good magic item for a monk that could be produced from the forge.
That insignia could also be cursed or develop some wild magic/fighting effect.
Yeah. When I first read it I thought basically this with an Eldritch Claw Tattoo.
Also, the tattoos actually show up as the steel needles used to make the tattoo not as the tattoo themselves. The process of attunement converts the needle to the tattoo.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Just a comment ... but when the players come up with weird ideas, you don't have to have something weird happen in response. In this case, I might have the monk have a rather uncomfortable long rest (if the green flame isn't hot) or tell the monk as soon as they try to put their hand in it that it is hot and trying to remain in it would cause damage. There are many more ways to have fun in the game rather than giving the players something for every random idea they come up with or outlandish thing they try. Some ideas will make sense and work and some won't.
Here is the text from LMOP and some other comments ...
Brazier of Green Flame. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the brazier as the source of the magic that suffuses the surrounding caverns. This magic has waned over the years, to the extent that it can no longer be harnessed to permanently enchant magic items. However, any nonmagical weapon or armor bathed in the green flame for at least 1 minute becomes a +1![]()
weapon or +1![]()
armor, respectively, for 1d12![]()
hours (see appendix A). The brazier cannot be removed from the Forge of Spells.
1) The flame is intended to enchant items, not living creatures. You could just say that the magic doesn't do anything to the character. Consider this - if the flame COULD provide some beneficial enchantment to every creature who rested in the flames then wouldn't everyone in the facility have acquired extra inherent magical abilities by using the forge that way? The cave would have become famous for its abilities to imbue creatures with magic rather than produce magic weapons and armor. Since the forge did not work that way for its original creators why should it work this way for a character who decides to sleep in it? Personally, I prefer worlds that make sense - permanent enchantments on creatures from the flame don't really make sense to me.
2) The description clearly notes that the power of the flame has waned over the years. It isn't as strong as it used to be. Even weapons and armor placed in the flame aren't permanently enchanted - only for a limited duration - so why would this magic, designed to affect items, weakened after years of inactivity, have any effect at all on a creature?
3) Whatever you do is a DM call. If I wanted to impose an effect, I would likely have the character glow green, shedding bright light in a 30' radius and dim light in 60' for 1d12 hours.
RAW the Brazier of Green Flame does not shed light or deal fire damage, it's just a colored flame that can temporarily enchant nonmagical weapon and armorsbathed in it. So if a character goes into it with everybody's weapons, after a minute they will become +1 weapon for 1d12 hours. It has no effect on the character itself and depending on how long it stays in and the duration of the enchantment, it might come out with them no more magical., may be not even realising they were.
Now if you want to houserule that it deal fire damage, it's entirely up to you how much it does 1d10+ / rounds with save or nah but personally i wouldn't use the Forge of Spell as a weapon against PCs as it's supposed to be benefactor item, not malefactor.
Make it sinister.
The Forge is supposedly tapped, but they don't realise it demands a sacrifice.
Add some heiroglyphs and engraving which shows them putting weapons in, then a bound sacrifice, and then retrieving a magical weapon.
If they go through with it, randomly pick one of the weapons. Describe for them the fire damage, and if they try to heal or buff their way through it, they burst into flames and disintegrate into ashes.
The weapon you chose is now imbued with their soul, and is a sentient weapon that grants +1 to hit and +2 to ki points. They are now trapped forever in the weapon - roll up a new character!
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I'm not some evil DM that just wants to take the fun out of everybody. I came with this question because they throw up plenty of dumb/crazy moments and they always manage to get out of these because i'm forgiving, so I want to show them from time to time that there can be consequences to actions if they keep pulling stunts that aren't ok.
Also, i know how to read, so I know what the brazier normally does... I just tampered with it a bit to make it sound more fascinating for the players.
I ended up with the Eldritch Claw Tattoo for the Monk as suggested above since it made the most logic and changed it a bit... SO... in the end they still got more than I was initially thinking for this.
Guess what? They went back after a long fight to rest there and now the Bard decided to sleep in the fire this time with all his clothes and instruments... together with the other players equipment.
Yep ... and as long as you give out cool magic items with no negative consequences then the characters will continue to do "dumb" stuff with the goal of getting cool rewards. I'd expect all of the characters to want to sleep in the flame now that they have discovered it gives out cool stuff with very few downsides. (Or do you consider giving the monk an Eldritch claw tattoo - which has to be one of the best monk items available to somehow be a negative consequence? I have a level 12 monk in one of my games who is STILL using that tattoo).
In terms of the bard's action, do you give them something cool now to match the monk? What happens when the rest of the party decides to sleep in the flame because it gives out cool magic abilities? Or do you become an "evil DM" and take the fun away from everyone else by not giving them things or giving them something cursed (while rewarding the monk for being first ... this just encourages everyone else to be first to come up with a "dumb" idea)?
My suggestion was to have it do nothing or at least do only something temporary or something with a downside NOT because it is an evil DM thing that takes away peoples fun but because it might help them to learn that sometimes dumb/crazy stuff works out well, sometimes it does nothing and other times it can have a negative consequence.If dumb stuff always works out well (or at least not badly) then the players learn to just do more and more "dumb" stuff. The more extreme the better from their perspective.
I've run games where everything usually turned out "well", especially when I was first DMing (since I didn't want to kill characters - and I still don't but these days I keep up the illusion and if the party decides to do something really "dumb" then they get to deal with the consequences including the possibility of character loss) and after a while the characters were doing things that were not just "dumb" or unlikely but unbelieveably "dumb", taking risks that should normally result in the character dying (oh! I'll just skip across that lava field since it is the shortest route to where I want to go - the DM never has negative consequences - pure meta gaming that has been learned by experience within that game). That game turned into a circus, perhaps more like a clown show or anime in some sense. We had some fun while it lasted but in the long run, the players just didn't enjoy it because they learned they could do almost anything without real consequences since I wasn't a balanced DM who kept a reasonable level of consequences within the game. On the other hand, it is just a different style of game and perhaps that is what you are interested in playing.
However, to be clear, I'm NOT saying you should play your game differently, play it how you and your players want to play and if you are having fun then go with it.
BUT :), from my experience if there are rarely/never either neutral or negative consequences for their actions because the DM is forgiving then it will reach a point where the players are no longer concerned that there might be consequences that would matter and will do whatever they want, whether it makes sense or not, which, in my experience can have a negative impact on the game itself.
For simplicity's sake for yourself, have the Eldritch Claw Tattoo wear off at a long rest. Only one person can sleep in the fire. This will get rid of the huge headache of them:
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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this time they wake to find the flame is out. nothing seems enchanted. they've snuffed it.
...but then during the next short rest the bard realizes two thing:
1.) any weapon hung on their belt or in their hip pouch for several hours has become temporarily enchanted.
and 2.) they now pee green flame. and before they ask: fire stream not fire puddle. you can't bottle this. don't try.
DM's choice on how long this lasts, if it tingles, whether they can relight the brazier/forge, and how it interacts with a long night of drinking (among other bardly concerns).
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I'd probably have the monk do three con saves where he's trying to withstand the flames. If they pass, they take half of a d6 of fire damage. Fail, full damage. After the third save, they feel a hot needle piercing them and give them one of the magical tattoos. For monks, they don't get all that much for weapon options. And the tattoos can be a better option since everybody else will be getting one.