D&D 5E How Would You Run Dragon Sickness?

[embee]

I'm nearly at the end of my campaign wherein the players are expected to kill a dragon, meaning that there will be a dragon hoard.

I'd like to curse it with "Dragon Sickness" from The Hobbit (or at least have the risk of it being cursed with it). One of the party has "greedy for gold" as a flaw and I'm thinking this would work out as a good fit, especially as he hasn't really roleplayed it out.

How would you run it? Would you run it?

Pro: Removing the curse could be a good sidequest.
Con: Could create intra-party fighting.

 

[Stormonu]

If they are at a level that they can kill a dragon, the curse is likely to be easily removed at that point. Perhaps when the characters go to spend the wealth it induces the sickness in those who accept the coins?

Could also use the fate of Edmund from Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where upon sleeping on a dragon's hoard, got polymorphed into a dragon (though I suspect most would consider that a power up...). [could be modified to a form of lycanthropy that is triggered by the sight/touch of gold instead of the full moon...]

 

[Shiroiken]

Something like this, starting at about the 3 minute mark.

Scrooge McDuck and the Valley of the Golden Suns

 

[Mort]

If the group is above 5th level and has a cleric determine if Remove Curse works. If so, any planning on your part is likely to be wasted.

I really like @Stormonu 's suggestion. That way you don't have the easy remove curse solution, avoid the interparty conflict, AND have a nice big mess the party now has to solve.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Van Richten's has a section on more impressive curses. I'd probably flip through that, if you've got it, or take a peek at it at your local bookstore.

 

[Peter BOSCO'S]

I'd handle it as a Madness with a difficult Save against, just like Madness from encountering Demon Princes and the like. If older Dragons are powerful enough to alter an area with Lair effects than they're powerful enough to affect characters minds,

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Unless a PC was up for role-playing it I wouldn't impose it on a PC. Better to have an NPC be affected.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

If I wanted to be really mean, I'd use Mummy Rot, except when they reach zero they become a monster under the DM's control and turn into an evil dragon a la Fafnir. But more likely, I think I'd center the curse around a specific item in the hoard, like a cursed sword, and use the ego checks to represent the cursed obsession.

 

[LordEntrails]

Though I like Stormonu's approach and some of the other thoughts, another way to take this is totally into the roleplaying realm. Talk to the player(s) and see if they like the idea, if they do, then let them role with it. It has the potential to be completely passed over, but it also has the potential to be pivotal to character development and the story the party end up writing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Unless a PC was up for role-playing it I wouldn't impose it on a PC. Better to have an NPC be affected.

Van Richten's adds Fears to the character sheet as another thing to get Inspiration from.

Maybe just add Dragon Sickness to the character's Flaws and, when they want to roleplay it, they can pick up Inspiration.

Gives the player agency but also puts Dragon Sickness on the board as a recurrent problem.