So for a one-shot I wanna run, I'm gonna be using the Rakshasa stat block for the BBEG, but need to make some slight modifications for it to work with the plot. Basically. the story is that the party winds up stuck in a sort of phantom circus where the performers and goers are all possessed. Think kind of like Wandavision, but with more clowns. What I need help with is that I want to give the BBEG some ability where if you stay within the circus long enough you become one of its inhabitants. Something they'll actually have to make checks for every so often. That being said, it doesn't have to be part of the stat block, it could be some magic item or something. I just need help doing this in a way that is fair and balanced as I have a bad habit of making things too OP when going off book. Any help/advice is appreciated!
This sounds to me like a regional effect, like those within 2 miles of the Rakshasa need to make a wisdom save to resist its influence, on a success they're immune for the next 24 hours, otherwise, they become a puppet to his power.
I don't want it to be an immediate one-and-done, though, cause gods forbid they fail 2 minutes in and suddenly lose their character. I think something where with each failure the next resistance gets harder and after so many, they are under its control. I do like the idea of it being a sort of moving radius, though, cause that could mean there are some areas that are safe at times.
Well; ay like the barbarian feature, each success increases the DC by one, making it harder and harder to resist the longer they stay in the region (the wording I propose may need some rework).
Creatures within 1 mile of the Rakshasa can feel its mind-influencing power alienating their mind. A creature within range needs to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the creature is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours, each time you succeed, the DC increase by 5. On a failure, you become charmed by the rakshasa and follow its every command.
I don't want it to be an immediate one-and-done, though, cause gods forbid they fail 2 minutes in and suddenly lose their character. I think something where with each failure the next resistance gets harder and after so many, they are under its control. I do like the idea of it being a sort of moving radius, though, cause that could mean there are some areas that are safe at times.
You could make it so that it takes three failures to fall under the rakshasa's influence, but the first two failures also carry some sort of negative effect, so that the party knows something bad is happening to them. Perhaps after one main failure they need to make a WIS or CHA saving throw to avoid laughing at a clown rather than attack them, and then after two main failures they also suffer one level of exhaustion from laughing so hard. (Just riffing on the clown theme, the effects could be anything).
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I don't want it to be an immediate one-and-done, though, cause gods forbid they fail 2 minutes in and suddenly lose their character. I think something where with each failure the next resistance gets harder and after so many, they are under its control. I do like the idea of it being a sort of moving radius, though, cause that could mean there are some areas that are safe at times.
Creatures within 1 mile of the Rakshasa can feel its mind-influencing power alienating their mind. A humanoid creature moving within 1 mile of the Rakshasa needs to make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw. Regardless of success or failure, the creature does not need to roll again for 24 hours. On a success, the creature can feel something trying, but failing, to influence its mind. On a failure, the creature becomes charmed by the Rakshasa for 25 hours, unless it is already charmed by the Rakshasa. If it is, it gains a new status, which lasts as long as it is charmed, and the duration resets; for each status below, if the creature already has the status, proceed to the next one. Unless otherwise noted, the charm effect ends if the Rakshasa obviously physically harms the creature; non-physical forms of harm are up to the DM.
Disadvantage on saves and checks against the Rakshasa's innate detect thoughts spell, which can now target them at a range of 1 mile, ignoring both line of sight and all cover (the Rakshasa need merely decide to attempt it on them). Disadvantage on investigation checks against the Rakshasa's illusions.
Disadvantage on saves against being charmed by the Rakshasa, and regards the Rakshasa as a friendly acquaintance (unless it already views the Rakshasa as closer than a mere acquaintance - this effect can only improve how they view the Rakshasa, never lessen it).
Disadvantage on saves and checks against the Rakshasa's innate suggestion spell, which can now target them at a range of 1 mile, ignoring both line of sight and all cover (the Rakshasa need merely decide to attempt it on them), and does not consume any per-day uses. The Rakshasa will normally suggest that they pursue the course of action of joining the circus and serving in it. When the Rakshasa casts the spell in this way, the duration is permanent, not 8 hours, and requires no concentration; it ends early if the Rakshasa and the target cease to be on the same plane of existence for 8 continuous hours.
Disadvantage on saves and checks against the Rakshasa's innate dominate person spell, which can now target them at a range of 1 mile, ignoring both line of sight and all cover (the Rakshasa need merely decide to attempt it on them), and does not consume any per-day uses.
PCs need to fail 3 saves to reach state 2 above, which is about when things escalate to them no longer agreeing that the Rakshasa is the real bad guy here and they tend to catastrophically cascade into worse states. States 3 and 4 are so crippling the PC effectively has to be rescued from the circus. But because failing the first and second saves exerts no actual mind control on the PCs, only interfering with their ability to deceive the Rakshasa and penetrate its deceit, they have about 2 days of "safety" in which to realize they need to escape this circus, get their wits about them, and return with charm protection.
If things still go pear-shaped, embed within the circus at least one creature which is immune to the Rakshasa's charm - any non-humanoid will do, so I suggest giving the Rakshasa fiends and fey pacted to its service rather than charmed. Some of these members may rankle at their pact and seek to rescue the PCs in exchange for the PCs rescuing them. Make sure these disloyal servants are particularly low rank, to avoid disrupting your plot too much. An excellent example: the fey pacted to perform in the menagerie while maintaining a beast-like shape.
I guess it really all depends on what you mean when you say “become one of its inhabitants.” What does that mean exactly? Does that mean the players loose control of their characters and that the PCs become NPCs? Does it mean the PCs just cannot willingly leave, like not being able to discard a cursed weapon? Or does it mean something else? For the sake of this I’ll assume it’s something like:
Curse. This carnival is cursed, and becoming an inhabitant of the circus extends the curse to you. As long as you remain cursed, you are unwilling to leave the circus, staying within 1 mile of it at all times.
If being an inhabitant of the carnival is worse than that it would likely affect the next part.
Single die roll “save-or-‘die’” mechanics are too swingy for something like this IMO. So I would use a series of rolls over set time increments to deal with this, and I would implement a system for them to help themselves out of the jam as well. And the types of rolls would make sure it doesn’t inadvertently favor of some PCs over others by virtue of preferred ability scores.
I would make it as a series of cumulative saving throws made at regular intervals. Those saves would get added together and checked against the total save DC periodically to see if they are free or “inhabitants.” So I would start with a “daily average DC” of 12.5* and a “2-day, 3-night” interval. That would combine for a “total DC” of 38 (37.5 rounded up). So at the end of each long rest I would call for a saving throw from everyone and record the results. (*I don’t know party level or composition, so I started where I think is probably good for roughly the first 3-tiers of play.)
As to which save would depend on the party composition. If everyone is proficient in Wis (or Cha, or Int) saves, then I would use Wis (or Cha, or Int). Otherwise I would randomize the first save of the three abilities and cycle through all three. Then I would randomize and cycle again every three “days” to make sure it stayed fair.
Any PC that doesn’t get at least a 38 total for all three combined saving throws is now an “inhabitant.”
For any inhabitants, they continue making nightly saves as normal, the daily average stays unchanged, the interval shifts to “2-days, 2-nights” (to maintain the 2-day cycle), and the 2-day total is 25 (12.5*2). If they meet or beat 25 over the next two nights, they free themselves again. Otherwise they remain inhabitants.
For anyone who remains free, they continue making nightly saves as normal, the interval shifts to “2-days, 2-nights” to maintain the 2-day cycle. The daily average increases by 1, so the 2-day total is now 27 (13.5*2). If they meet or beat 27 over the next two nights, they continue to remain free. Otherwise they become inhabitants.
For any inhabitants, they continue making nightly saves as normal, the daily average stays unchanged, if they meet or beat it over the next two nights, they free themselves. Otherwise they remain inhabitants.
For anyone who remains free, they continue making nightly saves as normal, the daily average increases by 1, increasing the 2-day total by 2. If they meet or beat the new total over the next two nights, they continue to remain free. Otherwise they become inhabitants.
Rinse & repeat.
I would then also give them some mechanic or trigger/set of triggers that would grant them an Ability Check to try to help themselves. So, if some event occurs that is sufficient to make them question why they inhabit the carnival, then they would make an ability check against their current daily average number for their saving throws (rounded up). Every point by which they passed the check would add to their combined saving throw total for that time period.
Wow, you all give some really good tips! I will definitely consider all of these and probably mix certain aspects of each. I'll probably whip up some theoretical builds just to test out numbers and luck and see what happens, but this is a great place for me to start.
I will note one quick thing regarding IamSposta's question, namely "Inhabitant" in this context basically means you belong to the circus now and will be given a roll, be it you're the audience, a performer, or something else. But the point is your life is now to be part of the circus and keep the show going on. So you were pretty spot on in your guess, just missing some specific details.
I will note one quick thing regarding IamSposta's question, namely "Inhabitant" in this context basically means you belong to the circus now and will be given a roll, be it you're the audience, a performer, or something else. But the point is your life is now to be part of the circus and keep the show going on. So you were pretty spot on in your guess, just missing some specific details.
If the players would retain their characters and just have to play the new role until freed then no problemo. If becoming an inhabitant is effectively the same thing as PC death, then I suggest making sure the players are aware that permanent PC loss is a possibility ahead of time. Otherwise it could cause problems for you when the players find out after the fact. (They might take it as the DM pulling a “gotcha” on them.)
So for a one-shot I wanna run, I'm gonna be using the Rakshasa stat block for the BBEG, but need to make some slight modifications for it to work with the plot. Basically. the story is that the party winds up stuck in a sort of phantom circus where the performers and goers are all possessed. Think kind of like Wandavision, but with more clowns. What I need help with is that I want to give the BBEG some ability where if you stay within the circus long enough you become one of its inhabitants. Something they'll actually have to make checks for every so often. That being said, it doesn't have to be part of the stat block, it could be some magic item or something. I just need help doing this in a way that is fair and balanced as I have a bad habit of making things too OP when going off book. Any help/advice is appreciated!
This sounds to me like a regional effect, like those within 2 miles of the Rakshasa need to make a wisdom save to resist its influence, on a success they're immune for the next 24 hours, otherwise, they become a puppet to his power.
Feel free to check out my hombrew: Magic Items, Spells, Monsters, Species, Feats, Subclassses, and Backgrounds. More detail in my Homebrew Compendium.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or ways to improve my homebrew, tell me, I'm always looking to improve!
Map commission Here.
I don't want it to be an immediate one-and-done, though, cause gods forbid they fail 2 minutes in and suddenly lose their character. I think something where with each failure the next resistance gets harder and after so many, they are under its control. I do like the idea of it being a sort of moving radius, though, cause that could mean there are some areas that are safe at times.
Well; ay like the barbarian feature, each success increases the DC by one, making it harder and harder to resist the longer they stay in the region (the wording I propose may need some rework).
Feel free to check out my hombrew: Magic Items, Spells, Monsters, Species, Feats, Subclassses, and Backgrounds. More detail in my Homebrew Compendium.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or ways to improve my homebrew, tell me, I'm always looking to improve!
Map commission Here.
You could make it so that it takes three failures to fall under the rakshasa's influence, but the first two failures also carry some sort of negative effect, so that the party knows something bad is happening to them. Perhaps after one main failure they need to make a WIS or CHA saving throw to avoid laughing at a clown rather than attack them, and then after two main failures they also suffer one level of exhaustion from laughing so hard. (Just riffing on the clown theme, the effects could be anything).
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Creatures within 1 mile of the Rakshasa can feel its mind-influencing power alienating their mind. A humanoid creature moving within 1 mile of the Rakshasa needs to make a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw. Regardless of success or failure, the creature does not need to roll again for 24 hours. On a success, the creature can feel something trying, but failing, to influence its mind. On a failure, the creature becomes charmed by the Rakshasa for 25 hours, unless it is already charmed by the Rakshasa. If it is, it gains a new status, which lasts as long as it is charmed, and the duration resets; for each status below, if the creature already has the status, proceed to the next one. Unless otherwise noted, the charm effect ends if the Rakshasa obviously physically harms the creature; non-physical forms of harm are up to the DM.
PCs need to fail 3 saves to reach state 2 above, which is about when things escalate to them no longer agreeing that the Rakshasa is the real bad guy here and they tend to catastrophically cascade into worse states. States 3 and 4 are so crippling the PC effectively has to be rescued from the circus. But because failing the first and second saves exerts no actual mind control on the PCs, only interfering with their ability to deceive the Rakshasa and penetrate its deceit, they have about 2 days of "safety" in which to realize they need to escape this circus, get their wits about them, and return with charm protection.
If things still go pear-shaped, embed within the circus at least one creature which is immune to the Rakshasa's charm - any non-humanoid will do, so I suggest giving the Rakshasa fiends and fey pacted to its service rather than charmed. Some of these members may rankle at their pact and seek to rescue the PCs in exchange for the PCs rescuing them. Make sure these disloyal servants are particularly low rank, to avoid disrupting your plot too much. An excellent example: the fey pacted to perform in the menagerie while maintaining a beast-like shape.
I guess it really all depends on what you mean when you say “become one of its inhabitants.” What does that mean exactly? Does that mean the players loose control of their characters and that the PCs become NPCs? Does it mean the PCs just cannot willingly leave, like not being able to discard a cursed weapon? Or does it mean something else? For the sake of this I’ll assume it’s something like:
If being an inhabitant of the carnival is worse than that it would likely affect the next part.
Single die roll “save-or-‘die’” mechanics are too swingy for something like this IMO. So I would use a series of rolls over set time increments to deal with this, and I would implement a system for them to help themselves out of the jam as well. And the types of rolls would make sure it doesn’t inadvertently favor of some PCs over others by virtue of preferred ability scores.
I would make it as a series of cumulative saving throws made at regular intervals. Those saves would get added together and checked against the total save DC periodically to see if they are free or “inhabitants.” So I would start with a “daily average DC” of 12.5* and a “2-day, 3-night” interval. That would combine for a “total DC” of 38 (37.5 rounded up). So at the end of each long rest I would call for a saving throw from everyone and record the results. (*I don’t know party level or composition, so I started where I think is probably good for roughly the first 3-tiers of play.)
As to which save would depend on the party composition. If everyone is proficient in Wis (or Cha, or Int) saves, then I would use Wis (or Cha, or Int). Otherwise I would randomize the first save of the three abilities and cycle through all three. Then I would randomize and cycle again every three “days” to make sure it stayed fair.
Any PC that doesn’t get at least a 38 total for all three combined saving throws is now an “inhabitant.”
I would then also give them some mechanic or trigger/set of triggers that would grant them an Ability Check to try to help themselves. So, if some event occurs that is sufficient to make them question why they inhabit the carnival, then they would make an ability check against their current daily average number for their saving throws (rounded up). Every point by which they passed the check would add to their combined saving throw total for that time period.
Edit: corrected Save DC.
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Wow, you all give some really good tips! I will definitely consider all of these and probably mix certain aspects of each. I'll probably whip up some theoretical builds just to test out numbers and luck and see what happens, but this is a great place for me to start.
I will note one quick thing regarding IamSposta's question, namely "Inhabitant" in this context basically means you belong to the circus now and will be given a roll, be it you're the audience, a performer, or something else. But the point is your life is now to be part of the circus and keep the show going on. So you were pretty spot on in your guess, just missing some specific details.
If the players would retain their characters and just have to play the new role until freed then no problemo. If becoming an inhabitant is effectively the same thing as PC death, then I suggest making sure the players are aware that permanent PC loss is a possibility ahead of time. Otherwise it could cause problems for you when the players find out after the fact. (They might take it as the DM pulling a “gotcha” on them.)
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting