The Plague

[DMINGW00TISAWSOME]

Ok, I am completely and utterly lost; due to my own lack of creativity I once again need the help of ENWorlders. Here's the scene:
The characters are, by dint of killing people, interfering with a ritual in the middle of summoning several Devils ( because my characters are ridiculous power gamers, I'm using devils leveled down to around level 6 or 7; PCs are level 4). However, I have been hinting that there is some residual effect of the spellplague interacting with residual magic in Undermountain. I want something interesting to happen when the PCs interrupt the ritual. You all have complete license to do whatever you want to my campaign, as long as you keep it somewhere in the Forgotten Realms. Good Luck.

 

[fba827]

perhaps everyone in the area gets infected by spellplague: thus, all NPCs in the area get one spellplague effect/power. All PCs in the area get the spellplague too (multiclass spellplague feat for free if you're doing 4e)

perhaps the power of the hells is channeled but there isn't a portal since the ritual gets interupted. this, combined with the ambient magics of undermountain and spellplague zones causes various creatures in the area to become hosts to devil creatures (i.e. devils could not physically come through, but their spirits could still make it through, forcing them to need host bodies). The stronger devils could control the body flat out. While the weaker devils can't control their host body but still manifest somehow (i.e. some npc now has resistance to fire from the devil spirit in him, etc).

perhaps it just causes a weak spot between worlds at that one location. any devil creatures in the area of that get some bonus, making it a place that devils will start to seek out like a place of power for them.

hmm.. that's off the top of my head. if i think of more, i'll add more later.

 

[mgbeach]

Maybe the PC's have inadvertently screwed up the plans of a third party to stop the summoning. The people they have killed were not the summoners, but those who could have stopped them. The devils come through and now the PCs have that on their conscience.

 

[DMINGW00TISAWSOME]

These are great; I may have to use a mish-mash of both. Thank you very much.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The summoning fails, but the confluence of magics has an unforseen consequence: a kind of pulse of chaotic and raw magical energy is unleashed into the ley lines of the world, causing the level of magic in the world to wax and wane at unpredictable levels.

Most of the time, magic is handled normally.

However, when the level of magic in the area is at an ebb, casting spells over 5th level may be next to impossible- if you want it to be possible, make it require a difficult Spellcraft check.

And when it is at "high tide", magic spells act as if empowered, maximized and heightened...and the extra energy burns the blood and nerves of the caster who is channelling it. They take 1d4hp/spell lvl of the spell cast, save for half.

 

[Hand of Evil]

On the same lines as Dannyalcatraz; a Spell volcano -- the energy being drawn for the ritual weakens the wall between the planes and builds to an erruption of magical forces. The "cloud" from this, flows across the land as wild magic, changing the world with random effects.

 

[Whisper72]

Another idea is a take on the Eberron 'living spells' idea. The burst of magical energies turns all spells cast in the area into living spells for a certain period of time. Maybe not all the time, could be a more or less random effect if you want.

 

[tennyson]

perhaps everyone in the area gets infected by spellplague: thus, all NPCs in the area get one spellplague effect/power. All PCs in the area get the spellplague too (multiclass spellplague feat for free if you're doing 4e).

How exactly would someone get spellplague (and what are the consequences)? I've read on what the event itself is, but I can't find any documentation on the effects/powers you're referring to. Is it 4ED specific? Thanks!