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Message: <blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 4987085" data-attributes="member: 22424">The best way for the DM to handle that is... don't break all the Wizard's fingers. D&D doesn't really support that sort of specific injury anyway, and for good reason. (Yes, it's the logical thing to do. IRL, if I were imprisoning a spellcaster, I would make sure to do exactly that. However, it makes for a sucky game experience, and 'fun' really should trump 'logic' in this instance.)However, you do need some mechanism for getting the Wizard up and running again fairly quickly. I recommend the following (where applicable, I'm using 3e rules):- The Wizard should start play with at least a subset of his spells already prepared - basically, whatever he had left over from the day before. I'd err on the side of the generous here, as there will be little opportunity for him to prepare new spells. (Unless, of course he has the Spell Mastery feat, or whatever it's called... but then I've never seen anyone take that.)- Many spells, and particularly low level spells, make use of fairly common components. By grubbing around in their cell, the Wizard should be able to find a bunch of molds, powders, guano, and similar. (This may actually be one scenario where it's actually fun to track these minor components, rather than just abstract it into a "spell component pouch".)I would also be inclined to allow a Wizard to cast a spell with a 'wrong' component that is nonetheless thematically appropriate (for example, substituting rat droppings for bat guano in a fireball spell) with a Spellcraft check (say, DC 10 + spell level).I'm not sure how I would handle spells requiring a divine focus. I'm inclined to say that these are blocked (unless the PC can craft a makeshift focus or trade for one, or similar). However, it's been a while since I checked just how devastating that would be - if this knocks out the bulk of Cleric/Paladin spells (or, particularly, blocks the cure spells) then I'd instead be inclined to simply waive the requirement on a temporary basis, on the grounds that the character's patron knows he was set up. (He was set up, right? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> )- You still need a mechanism for enabling the Wizard to prepare new spells. There are several possible vectors here. Firstly, there will always be the 'black market' within the prison - there may well be some pages from a spellbook being passed around, or something like that. Secondly, it's entirely possible that some of the other prisoners have put together some notes that they've then hidden, or scrawled the formula for some spell on a wall, or something. And, thirdly, I think I'd be pretty sure to have the PCs come into conflict with a band of guards/other prisoners including at least one other Wizard, and make sure to have that Wizard's spellbook fall into the hands of the PCs.</blockquote>

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