I'm currently building a campaign arc and could use your help nailing down a mechanic that ties into a big narrative twist.
The Setup:
The players are a band of sellswords hired by a noble and virtuous king to rid his land of dark curses plaguing the realm—curses allegedly cast by an evil sorceress. They’ll spend the campaign removing these blights, which seem to be her doing.
The twist? The king is actually the true villain—an ancient abomination whose mother (the "evil" sorceress) once split all his evil into seven entities (his “children”), each embodying one of the seven deadly sins. She cursed the land to keep him weak and scattered his sins to prevent his full rebirth.
When the players succeed in their quest, all his “children” return to him, restoring his true form. Surprise: they’ve been helping the big bad ascend the whole time.
The Mechanic I Need Help With:
Here’s where I’m stuck: I want to track each player’s engagement in the seven deadly sins throughout the campaign (e.g., unnecessary violence = wrath, looting innocents = greed, etc.), and during the final boss fight, those sins come back to haunt them—literally or mechanically.
Think of it like a "belated punishment" system. Actions they thought were minor or justified now empower the BBEG or debuff them in meaningful, personalized ways.
What I'm Looking For:
Mechanics or ideas for how to track the sins over time without being too intrusive.
Suggestions for how the sins could manifest in the final encounter (e.g., shadows of their past actions, sin-aspected lair effects, personal debuffs, etc.).
Has anyone run a “you’ve been judged” or karma-based boss mechanic like this? What worked, what didn’t?
Ideas for how to hint at this system throughout the campaign without tipping my hand too early.
I want this to feel earned, not like a gotcha moment. Ideally, the players have a slow, growing dread that their choices may have consequences—but don't realize just how deep it runs until the final confrontation.
Would love your thoughts or any resources you’ve seen that lean into this kind of delayed consequence storytelling. Thanks in advance!
Actually I would be very overt and transparent on the collection. Just not on why you are doing this. (unless you state (and give) it is for rewards)
Before every session, during a recap phase, just blatantly state for every character the transgressions. e.g. Player A you did "X" and "Y". Get an affirmative or a correction. Player B, you did ....
If you start immediately, any suspicion will soon be forgotten, particularly if there is no consequence. Heck, see if you can even give them some sort of a reward. I assume after a few sessions, let them spout their deeds with out you starting to recite it. If you can get them to recite it to you, there is no gotcha moment, as they are showing that they are willing participants. If they are reluctant, it follows that they are getting a feeling of dread. If they are feeling guilty, then they will probably stop the transgressions. But again, this is no gotcha and the PCs are willing participants.
You might check out the piety mechanic in Theros. Basically if you do something that either follows a god’s tenets, or goes against them, you gain or lose piety points. Then certain levels (3 points, 10, 25 and 50) you get certain benefits. That might help as a general framework. Probably, I’d just end up tracking it in an excel sheet, seems like a pretty straightforward chart.
But I don’t know if I’d keep it as a surprise or even hint. I’d be explicit. As a player, being blindsided isn’t very fun. Maybe do something like it manifests during the fight with the first “sin.” Letting players understand their actions have consequences means they get to make choices, which keeps things more interesting. Dumping it all on them at once at the end as a surprise feels crappy. What happens if a character dies, say, 3 sessions from the final fight? Someone rolls up a new character, and now that one comes in with a clean slate and has basically an advantage for not having been in the campaign as long. Or do you start saying, what kinds of awful things do you think this new character has done? And I’d also try and include some kind of mechanic where they can atone.
Definitely going to check out the piety system, thx!!
Don't think i was explicit enough in my post about the hints. I'm planning that every time they commit a sin they see a shimmer that is associated with the object/sin the committed (red flash from sword when stricken in wrath). This shimmer becomes stronger based on their perception stats and how many times they have committed that sin. Love the idea of atonement, that could weaken the shimmer or shimmer golden or something.
But i guess what it comes down to is that they will have definitely realized that there is something bad going on with it, they just don't know the consequence yet.
I'm not planning on fudging but the world will allow for resurrections, this could actually be a good opportunity to highlight the need for atonement.
One thing you really need to consider is how far you want to go with this content. In particular, several of the Seven Deadly Sins are going to be things that either provoke content warnings (Lust in particular) or won't easily translate into game effects: Sloth and Envy.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
One thing you really need to consider is how far you want to go with this content. In particular, several of the Seven Deadly Sins are going to be things that either provoke content warnings (Lust in particular) or won't easily translate into game effects: Sloth and Envy.
Sloth could be a walking speed reduction.
Not trying to be contrary, just the idea occurred to me as I was reading this.
I'm talking about how the PCs could commit the sins, not their punishments. Slothfulness is pretty much the exact opposite of what most adventurers do.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I'm talking about how the PCs could commit the sins, not their punishments. Slothfulness is pretty much the exact opposite of what most adventurers do.
You could model this after the Ravenloft Dark Gifts materials. Like Theros, it gives you a simple system that works with the 2024 rules and scales appropriately for character level.
Sloth can also be the inaction of choosing to go back to the city instead of helping the starving villagers.
Generally, players will take the active option unless it's something that seems to really, really be a pointless task or is otherwise the GM wasting the players' time.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
1) Keep note yourself in secret the "sins" and highlight those sins that cause conflict within the party as those will be the most memorable. Then in the final boss fight have the essence of that sin recite the relevant sins and specifically target the sinner with some kind of special attack for each one recited. - This is the "surprise" option, where the players don't know what's going on and it works simply as a way to encaspulate the entire campaign in the final boss combat. To make that combat feel epic & climatic.
2) Use a piety-type system where certain actions cause the PCs to earn "points" towards each type of sin which you can refer to as a colour if you want to hide what it is, or just tell them explicitly what they are: 1 Greed Point, 1 Wrath Point etc... and once they hit certain levels of them they can gain buffs & debuffs related to that sin. e.g.
3 Greed Points grants: +1d4 on Sleight of Hand, but a -1d4 to Wisdom saving throws. 3 Wrath Points grants: +1d4 to damage rolls, but -1d4 to Intelligence checks. 3 Sloth Points grants: +1d4 to all healing received, but -10 ft to move speed. 3 Envy Points grants: +1d4 to Intimidation checks, but -1d4 to Persuasion checks. 3 Lust Points grants: +1d4 to Persuasion checks, but -1d4 to Perception checks. 3 Gluttony Points grants: +1d4 to Constitution saving throws, but -1d4 to Stealth checks. 3 Pride Points grants: +1d4 to Deception checks, but -1d4 to Insight checks.
Personally, I wouldn't make them a straight negative to the players because then they will all just become goodie-two-shoes which doesn't make for that interesting of a campaign IMO.
I'm talking about how the PCs could commit the sins, not their punishments. Slothfulness is pretty much the exact opposite of what most adventurers do.
For Slothfulness, I'd include stuff like: making someone/something else trigger a trap for you rather than disarming it, sending in NPCs to fight bad guys rather than you, being conservative with spellslots, finding ways to avoid combat / confrontation with bad guys, any kind of "cheesy" strategy like hiding behind a corner and sniping baddies, taking lots of short/long rests.
The main problem with all 7-deadly sins based stuff though is that Greed, Envy, and Gluttony kind of overlap a lot.
Hey fellow DMs,
I'm currently building a campaign arc and could use your help nailing down a mechanic that ties into a big narrative twist.
The Setup:
The players are a band of sellswords hired by a noble and virtuous king to rid his land of dark curses plaguing the realm—curses allegedly cast by an evil sorceress. They’ll spend the campaign removing these blights, which seem to be her doing.
The twist? The king is actually the true villain—an ancient abomination whose mother (the "evil" sorceress) once split all his evil into seven entities (his “children”), each embodying one of the seven deadly sins. She cursed the land to keep him weak and scattered his sins to prevent his full rebirth.
When the players succeed in their quest, all his “children” return to him, restoring his true form. Surprise: they’ve been helping the big bad ascend the whole time.
The Mechanic I Need Help With:
Here’s where I’m stuck: I want to track each player’s engagement in the seven deadly sins throughout the campaign (e.g., unnecessary violence = wrath, looting innocents = greed, etc.), and during the final boss fight, those sins come back to haunt them—literally or mechanically.
Think of it like a "belated punishment" system. Actions they thought were minor or justified now empower the BBEG or debuff them in meaningful, personalized ways.
What I'm Looking For:
Mechanics or ideas for how to track the sins over time without being too intrusive.
Suggestions for how the sins could manifest in the final encounter (e.g., shadows of their past actions, sin-aspected lair effects, personal debuffs, etc.).
Has anyone run a “you’ve been judged” or karma-based boss mechanic like this? What worked, what didn’t?
Ideas for how to hint at this system throughout the campaign without tipping my hand too early.
I want this to feel earned, not like a gotcha moment. Ideally, the players have a slow, growing dread that their choices may have consequences—but don't realize just how deep it runs until the final confrontation.
Would love your thoughts or any resources you’ve seen that lean into this kind of delayed consequence storytelling. Thanks in advance!
Actually I would be very overt and transparent on the collection. Just not on why you are doing this. (unless you state (and give) it is for rewards)
Before every session, during a recap phase, just blatantly state for every character the transgressions. e.g. Player A you did "X" and "Y". Get an affirmative or a correction. Player B, you did ....
If you start immediately, any suspicion will soon be forgotten, particularly if there is no consequence. Heck, see if you can even give them some sort of a reward. I assume after a few sessions, let them spout their deeds with out you starting to recite it. If you can get them to recite it to you, there is no gotcha moment, as they are showing that they are willing participants. If they are reluctant, it follows that they are getting a feeling of dread. If they are feeling guilty, then they will probably stop the transgressions. But again, this is no gotcha and the PCs are willing participants.
You might check out the piety mechanic in Theros. Basically if you do something that either follows a god’s tenets, or goes against them, you gain or lose piety points. Then certain levels (3 points, 10, 25 and 50) you get certain benefits. That might help as a general framework. Probably, I’d just end up tracking it in an excel sheet, seems like a pretty straightforward chart.
But I don’t know if I’d keep it as a surprise or even hint. I’d be explicit. As a player, being blindsided isn’t very fun. Maybe do something like it manifests during the fight with the first “sin.” Letting players understand their actions have consequences means they get to make choices, which keeps things more interesting. Dumping it all on them at once at the end as a surprise feels crappy.
What happens if a character dies, say, 3 sessions from the final fight? Someone rolls up a new character, and now that one comes in with a clean slate and has basically an advantage for not having been in the campaign as long. Or do you start saying, what kinds of awful things do you think this new character has done?
And I’d also try and include some kind of mechanic where they can atone.
Definitely going to check out the piety system, thx!!
Don't think i was explicit enough in my post about the hints. I'm planning that every time they commit a sin they see a shimmer that is associated with the object/sin the committed (red flash from sword when stricken in wrath). This shimmer becomes stronger based on their perception stats and how many times they have committed that sin. Love the idea of atonement, that could weaken the shimmer or shimmer golden or something.
But i guess what it comes down to is that they will have definitely realized that there is something bad going on with it, they just don't know the consequence yet.
I'm not planning on fudging but the world will allow for resurrections, this could actually be a good opportunity to highlight the need for atonement.
One thing you really need to consider is how far you want to go with this content. In particular, several of the Seven Deadly Sins are going to be things that either provoke content warnings (Lust in particular) or won't easily translate into game effects: Sloth and Envy.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Sloth could be a walking speed reduction.
Not trying to be contrary, just the idea occurred to me as I was reading this.
I'm talking about how the PCs could commit the sins, not their punishments. Slothfulness is pretty much the exact opposite of what most adventurers do.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Oh, yeah. Good point.
Sloth can also be the inaction of choosing to go back to the city instead of helping the starving villagers.
You could model this after the Ravenloft Dark Gifts materials. Like Theros, it gives you a simple system that works with the 2024 rules and scales appropriately for character level.
Generally, players will take the active option unless it's something that seems to really, really be a pointless task or is otherwise the GM wasting the players' time.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
There are a few options:
1) Keep note yourself in secret the "sins" and highlight those sins that cause conflict within the party as those will be the most memorable. Then in the final boss fight have the essence of that sin recite the relevant sins and specifically target the sinner with some kind of special attack for each one recited. - This is the "surprise" option, where the players don't know what's going on and it works simply as a way to encaspulate the entire campaign in the final boss combat. To make that combat feel epic & climatic.
2) Use a piety-type system where certain actions cause the PCs to earn "points" towards each type of sin which you can refer to as a colour if you want to hide what it is, or just tell them explicitly what they are: 1 Greed Point, 1 Wrath Point etc... and once they hit certain levels of them they can gain buffs & debuffs related to that sin. e.g.
3 Greed Points grants: +1d4 on Sleight of Hand, but a -1d4 to Wisdom saving throws.
3 Wrath Points grants: +1d4 to damage rolls, but -1d4 to Intelligence checks.
3 Sloth Points grants: +1d4 to all healing received, but -10 ft to move speed.
3 Envy Points grants: +1d4 to Intimidation checks, but -1d4 to Persuasion checks.
3 Lust Points grants: +1d4 to Persuasion checks, but -1d4 to Perception checks.
3 Gluttony Points grants: +1d4 to Constitution saving throws, but -1d4 to Stealth checks.
3 Pride Points grants: +1d4 to Deception checks, but -1d4 to Insight checks.
Personally, I wouldn't make them a straight negative to the players because then they will all just become goodie-two-shoes which doesn't make for that interesting of a campaign IMO.
For Slothfulness, I'd include stuff like: making someone/something else trigger a trap for you rather than disarming it, sending in NPCs to fight bad guys rather than you, being conservative with spellslots, finding ways to avoid combat / confrontation with bad guys, any kind of "cheesy" strategy like hiding behind a corner and sniping baddies, taking lots of short/long rests.
The main problem with all 7-deadly sins based stuff though is that Greed, Envy, and Gluttony kind of overlap a lot.