D&D 5E Cursed Item Help

[Sunseeker]

Shidaku: it sounds like the player has 18 or 20 in not just strength but also dexterity and constitution. A strength draining critter alone won't do it.

But it still shouldn't be breaking the game. Because his mental stats are in the toilet. Throw an Intellect Devourer at him. The PC has substantial weaknesses, the DM just needs to target them.

 

[MostlyDm]

But it still shouldn't be breaking the game. Because his mental stats are in the toilet. Throw an Intellect Devourer at him. The PC has substantial weaknesses, the DM just needs to target them.

Oh for sure.

Arguably, killing him with an ID wouldn't even be cruel so much as a useful learning experience on the value of mental ability scores.

 

[AtomicPope]

Using a cursed item to "balance" a broken character reminds me of the really bad solutions to ecological issues that pop up due to migration. Like the plant-eating piranha in New Guinea or the snakes in Hawaii, they solutions create new problems. As a DM you need to fix this situation. All DMs have a problem with a particular character, where their saves, AC, and or hit points are too high for a "balanced" encounter. In that case you need to create encounters that target Int, Wis, and Cha to make the balanced characters more powerful and shine.

Examples to stymie:

• Creatures that Charm (Aboleth, Beholders, Dryads, Harpies, Naga, Succubi, Vampires, Yuan Ti)
• Creatures that Confuse (Gibbering Mouthers, Umber Hulks)
• Creatures that cast Hold Person (Hag Covens, Nagas, Yugoloth and other casters)

2xGibbering Mouthers - at the start of every turn in he will have to make two Wisdom saves otherwise he'll be Confused. This will effectively shut him down for the entire combat.


Examples to kill (permanently):

• Creatures that cast Plane Shift (Genies, Gith)
• Creatures that cast Phantasmal Killer (Genies, Gith) for a temporary death

Ghost(s) - every round use Horrifying Visage to age them to a permanent death.

Mindflayer and Intellect Devourer - the combination of the two is absolutely devastating to all characters with Int as a dump stat. Psychic Blast will easily stun him and the Intellect Devourer will eat his brain then possess him.

 

[BoldItalic]

How do the other players feel about it? If you slant combat encounters to attack his weaknesses, this will impact on them too.

If you don't want to compress his ability scores, how about a town-based adventure? It will be challenging for him (his social skills will be poor) and give the others a fair chance to shine but the occasional tavern brawl or run-in with the town guards will allow him to let off steam. It could be a settlement embedded in the wilderness adventure - his survival skill will be poor too. In fact, nearly all of his skills will be poor. If you emphasize skill checks more than combat rolls, he might be begging you to be allowed to change his stats. If he does, insist on strict point buy.

 

[Eltab]

I would honestly just talk to the player and tell him you feel it was a mistake from a balance perspective to let him dump his stats and maximize others.

+1
Try to steer him toward point buy or the Standard Array (personal preference), plus whatever ASIs he already took.

 

[Eltab]

Another thing you can throw at the uber-Barb would be a spell sniper beyond an uncrossable obstacle (river canyon?). He doesn't auto-resist magical damage, so even just using cantrips on him will wear him down eventually. Give your party Ranger a chance to save the Barb's life (via artillery duel) for once. The Rogue can teach him to small-h hide.
Don't let the party Paladin walk over and stand by the Barb's side, though - he gets an aura of Resist Magic Damage.