I'm going to be running a multi-shot for a few friends, that is a prison break. They're going to be somewhere between lvl 10-14, and are all experienced players (we're all in another campaign together, and have done a few one shots together).
This is a homebrew island prison that is supposed to house extremely powerful individuals. So, my intention is to have each new prisoner branded with a sort of seal that stops them from being to cast spells; at the very least if they cast it comes at a heavy cost (for every spell level the caster takes 1dsomething necrotic damage or their max hp is reduced by that much until a long rest is had). The hard part is not limiting my players who choose to play full casters, and also trying to make anyone who is more martial feel equally as hindered. Like a monk or unarmed fighting style fighter essentially would soar in this position. I do intend on having plenty of hardened guards some with firearms, some with magic; I'm also trying to find counters to every classes abilities (since I don't know what my players are goin to be playing yet), and would love some insight from the community of fellow DMs.
So, I'm looking for help on what exactly I could with this seal to make it feel a bit more fair to the casters, and how I could beef up security to make martials feel hindered too. Thank you!
Rather than making the entire prison deal damage to those who cast spells create pockets where the curse is weaker and would allow free casting of spells. Let the party heal up get some concentration spells going so they feel like they are contributing towards the session.
Depending on the frequency of casting spells and the level of difficulty your players are expecting reducing Max HP seems like a lot. Unless they love that sort of thing ? <3
For any Dungeon delve or prison escape I personally like to design challenges/puzzles with board game mechanics. Make a part of the floor obviously weakened and with a bit of force they can pry/burrow/break this weakened material and let them slip past an encounter or something. It may not change the overall difficulty of the encounter but may make the players feel as if they've done something cool an unique. On that note maybe the previously mentioned necrotic energy field doesn't work beneath the surface of the prison. Having them hide or take shelter there to get needed short rests etc. ?
For beefing up your security I would lean to architecture and positions that initially give the enemies the advantage .Also allow the players through clever movement put themselves on an equal playing field with some effort. Shooting blinds come to mind. Martial characters begin with a soaring advantage? Offer the ranged enemies more options for partial cover.
Security measures for martial characters could simply involve the prisoners wearing metal shackles that impose disadvantage on melee attacks, based on how they restrict movement (if the chain is very short and/or attached to a belt, for example). If you want to get more creative, the restraints could be studded or spiked on the inside so that any rough movement that pulls on them would inflict damage, or enchanted so that a command word (or some kind of "control stone" device carried by the warden?) triggers a Heat Metal effect on them.
It also seems likely that a prison might separate casters from non-casters, or even divide them into smaller groups than that, with different areas of the prison featuring different security measures. That might also give your players some options for creativity, where step 1 of breaking out of the prison is getting into a different area where the security measures are less effective against them.
1) one or more brands that prevent creatures from changing their shape, becoming incorporeal/ethereal or becoming invisible - important for Changelings, Druids, and the several non-spell types of invisibility & incorporeal-ness. - Part of the prison break can include finding out how these were done to them and trying to remove them.
2) the entire prison should have a no-teleportation & no-going to another plane spell on it. - again their are a bunch of non-spell abilities that allow teleportation or changing planes so you need to block them as well.
3) no equipment / magical items / spell foci or components - again part of the quest should be retrieving these items or finding equivalents to use.
To start them all off on an even foot I'd have them all with their hands & feet bound so tight that S components of spells are impossible, their walking speed is limited to 15 ft / turn & attacks are impossible. Plus they've all been tortured for the past 3 days to all start off with 3 levels of exhaustion.
Guards could have ear plugs that make them immune to charms, and should all have those rings that make it impossible to read your mind.
I'm going to be running a multi-shot for a few friends, that is a prison break. They're going to be somewhere between lvl 10-14, and are all experienced players (we're all in another campaign together, and have done a few one shots together).
This is a homebrew island prison that is supposed to house extremely powerful individuals. So, my intention is to have each new prisoner branded with a sort of seal that stops them from being to cast spells; at the very least if they cast it comes at a heavy cost (for every spell level the caster takes 1dsomething necrotic damage or their max hp is reduced by that much until a long rest is had). The hard part is not limiting my players who choose to play full casters, and also trying to make anyone who is more martial feel equally as hindered. Like a monk or unarmed fighting style fighter essentially would soar in this position. I do intend on having plenty of hardened guards some with firearms, some with magic; I'm also trying to find counters to every classes abilities (since I don't know what my players are goin to be playing yet), and would love some insight from the community of fellow DMs.
So, I'm looking for help on what exactly I could with this seal to make it feel a bit more fair to the casters, and how I could beef up security to make martials feel hindered too. Thank you!
Just from first glance I have some suggestions
Rather than making the entire prison deal damage to those who cast spells create pockets where the curse is weaker and would allow free casting of spells. Let the party heal up get some concentration spells going so they feel like they are contributing towards the session.
Depending on the frequency of casting spells and the level of difficulty your players are expecting reducing Max HP seems like a lot. Unless they love that sort of thing ? <3
For any Dungeon delve or prison escape I personally like to design challenges/puzzles with board game mechanics. Make a part of the floor obviously weakened and with a bit of force they can pry/burrow/break this weakened material and let them slip past an encounter or something. It may not change the overall difficulty of the encounter but may make the players feel as if they've done something cool an unique. On that note maybe the previously mentioned necrotic energy field doesn't work beneath the surface of the prison. Having them hide or take shelter there to get needed short rests etc. ?
For beefing up your security I would lean to architecture and positions that initially give the enemies the advantage .Also allow the players through clever movement put themselves on an equal playing field with some effort. Shooting blinds come to mind. Martial characters begin with a soaring advantage? Offer the ranged enemies more options for partial cover.
Security measures for martial characters could simply involve the prisoners wearing metal shackles that impose disadvantage on melee attacks, based on how they restrict movement (if the chain is very short and/or attached to a belt, for example). If you want to get more creative, the restraints could be studded or spiked on the inside so that any rough movement that pulls on them would inflict damage, or enchanted so that a command word (or some kind of "control stone" device carried by the warden?) triggers a Heat Metal effect on them.
It also seems likely that a prison might separate casters from non-casters, or even divide them into smaller groups than that, with different areas of the prison featuring different security measures. That might also give your players some options for creativity, where step 1 of breaking out of the prison is getting into a different area where the security measures are less effective against them.
Some basic requirements:
1) one or more brands that prevent creatures from changing their shape, becoming incorporeal/ethereal or becoming invisible - important for Changelings, Druids, and the several non-spell types of invisibility & incorporeal-ness. - Part of the prison break can include finding out how these were done to them and trying to remove them.
2) the entire prison should have a no-teleportation & no-going to another plane spell on it. - again their are a bunch of non-spell abilities that allow teleportation or changing planes so you need to block them as well.
3) no equipment / magical items / spell foci or components - again part of the quest should be retrieving these items or finding equivalents to use.
To start them all off on an even foot I'd have them all with their hands & feet bound so tight that S components of spells are impossible, their walking speed is limited to 15 ft / turn & attacks are impossible. Plus they've all been tortured for the past 3 days to all start off with 3 levels of exhaustion.
Guards could have ear plugs that make them immune to charms, and should all have those rings that make it impossible to read your mind.