akr71
Hero
TL/DR If my players find an artifact that put a Geas on the character to perform a quest, will it feel too railroad-y?
There is a chance my players will find an ancient artifact, but it (and its former owner) has a mission to defeat its ancient enemy. It may deem the players worthy and grant them the artifact so that they can finish what it could not. However, one of the properties of the artifact is that when attuned, the wielder of the artifact is under a Geas until the ancient foe is defeated.That foe is clear across the other side of the country and takes them out of the way of their immediate goals. I worry that the players will feel I'm railroading them and taking away their choice.
Can I water down the effects of Geas so that they can pursue their goals but still feel that they need to take care of the other thing? How would you approach it?
There is a chance my players will find an ancient artifact, but it (and its former owner) has a mission to defeat its ancient enemy. It may deem the players worthy and grant them the artifact so that they can finish what it could not. However, one of the properties of the artifact is that when attuned, the wielder of the artifact is under a Geas until the ancient foe is defeated.That foe is clear across the other side of the country and takes them out of the way of their immediate goals. I worry that the players will feel I'm railroading them and taking away their choice.
Can I water down the effects of Geas so that they can pursue their goals but still feel that they need to take care of the other thing? How would you approach it?