Consequences for destroying a plot magic item

[MatthewJHanson]

This seems t be a good opportunity to use a disease track. You might modify the Endurance and Heal checks to represent something or a magical nature (Charisma and Religion checks?)

 

[DracoSuave]

I get you Uller, but the point is to give the players informed choices. To let them have access to the information that it can be destroyed... but not easily. Then they can willingly take on the consequences of its destruction.

There's a subtle difference between players destroying an item, and bam, a punishment... and players destroying an item KNOWING there's a punishment. The first is a DM lesson. The second is a player choice.

The latter is the fun one.

 

[Calzone]

I get you Uller, but the point is to give the players informed choices. To let them have access to the information that it can be destroyed... but not easily. Then they can willingly take on the consequences of its destruction.

There's a subtle difference between players destroying an item, and bam, a punishment... and players destroying an item KNOWING there's a punishment. The first is a DM lesson. The second is a player choice.

The latter is the fun one.

The good news is, now that the PCs have narrowly escaped a debilitating curse of DOOM, they are informed for future bouts of item destruction. I don't have to have an evil shadowy skull spirit try to eat me more than once to figure out I should consult an oracle or something next time I try to break a mcguffin.

If they seem bent on smashing ancient magic plot devices, let them, but let it smash up the plot a bit, too. Your players just crushed the rune-covered skull of the ancient oracle that was supposed to reveal the BBEG's secret weakness? Sounds like they need to find a substitute skull to hold the orcacle's spirit, and convince him it's worth spending some more time inside a cramped cranium instead of paradise.

In this case, it seems the mcguffin destruction doesn't change the plot much, but you want to give your players fair warning for future cases of attempted property damage. In that case, I would have just narrated a spooky scene just like you described, but had the shadowy skull hiss something vaguely sinister before rushing at the dwarf and vanishing. let the players fill in the scary bad stuff implications for you.

 

[DracoSuave]

I'd even encourage a 'You might, in fact, be cursed.' as an ender for it... roll some dice in secret... and then let it go. Let them THINK he might be cursed, and unsure as to why. Role stuff against that character behind the screen. Make him sweat.

Game mechanic effects: None.

Psychological effects: Priceless.

 

[wlmartin]

I'd even encourage a 'You might, in fact, be cursed.' as an ender for it... roll some dice in secret... and then let it go. Let them THINK he might be cursed, and unsure as to why. Role stuff against that character behind the screen. Make him sweat.

Game mechanic effects: None.

Psychological effects: Priceless.

ooooooh Cursed Items. Takes me back.
"You adorn the +3 Plate Mail but as you lay it over your shoulders and across your chest you feel it stick, its wedged in and more-over there is a nasty slimy substance eeking out of the neck and into your mouth... "
:: You are cursed, until you can magically remove the armor, you are unable to speak and must perform sign language to communicate ::

Classic!

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Seems like a good time to break out the despair deck from gloomwrought.

As a suggestion, have them each draw one card per day until they get a remove afflication ritual (or some plot event) done on them.

If they reach the end of a day and they still have a card on them, they draw a new one. If its the same "type" (so, Fear, Apathy or Madness) they can discard it or their current effect of that type. If its a different type, they keep it and any other existing cards affecting them. That way they can have up to three effects on them.

At each milestone, they can do the "save" against only one of the cards.

 

[Uller]

The good news is, now that the PCs have narrowly escaped a debilitating curse of DOOM, they are informed for future bouts of item destruction. I don't have to have an evil shadowy skull spirit try to eat me more than once to figure out I should consult an oracle or something next time I try to break a mcguffin.

Oh...I think they most definitely knew there were potential consequences. They reasoned the dwarf paladin, seeing no reason to keep the skull that was clearly evil and no way to easily guarantee it be kept safe would WANT to destroy it...consequences be damned. Honestly I think they were curious about what those consequences might be...

And I get the psych effect of a secret die roll (followed my a sinister smile) by the DM...but in this case I went with saying "+10 attack vs will..." followed by a very public roll...

It definitely made a memorable moment for them, which to me says it was a success. They are still talking about it...and every time something vexes one of them in the office (it's a at work/lunchtime group) they announce they hit it with their hammer. Code won't compile..."I hit it with my hammer". The server is down..."I hit it with my hammer." Software isn't working as expected..."I hit it with my hammer." Even people who don't play are doing it...

 

[Wednesday Boy]

So now they know the skull is being sought by the necromancer to help him control/create undead using the rift he is opening. They know there are other similar skulls buried in the burial site, so they decided to just destroy it.

The destruction curse was a good immediate consequence but if I were running the game I'd take this opportunity to add in plot consequences for their actions.

I don't know the adventure you're discussing so this may take some creativity to fit something like this in well but I'd increase the importance of the skull. The necromancer wanted the skull to help him control undead from the rift he opened so I'd make it a required item to let him contol the undead. Since the skull has been destroyed, the necromancer won't be able to control the undead and the rift, the necromancer will be overwhelmed and killed by his own machinations, and suddenly there's an uncontrolled undead pox upon the land that needs to be dealt with. The heroes have an even more dire threat that they have to deal with all because the leapt before the looked. With that plot development in mind I'd run the existing module as is but with some modifications to demonstrate the undead plague that was unleashed.

Maybe it's just me but as a player I love seeing consequences (both good and bad) from my PC's actions integrated into the campaign.

(And I should also caveat that negative consequences like these should be introduced because it makes for a more interesting, enjoyable story. Not as a means to punish your players for smashing the skull.)