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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 5488461" data-attributes="member: 386">This is how I see the expected use of rituals.DMG, page 27:RITUALS While you're disseminating information, think about how rituals might give some advantage to PCs.  Divination and scrying rituals can allow characters, especially epic-levle characters, to bypass obstacles to information as easily as they can bypass physical obstacles at those levels.  Design your adventures accordingly, paying careful attention to the ritual descriptions in the Player's Handbook.  Don't give the characters less than they're entitled to, but don't let them short-circuit your whole adventure by using rituals, either.  For instance, the Observe Creature ritual requires the caster to be extremely specific when describing the ritual's intended target.  If allowing the ritual to succeed would throw a monkey wrench into your plans for the adventure, you'd be within your rights to rule that the ritual failed to locate the intended target because the caster's description wasn't specific enough.  Also, remember that high-level villains have access to the same rituals that the characters do, including wards they can use to protect themselves from scrying attempts.(emphasis mine)To sum up: Information-gathering rituals that might actually change the outcome of the adventure should be squashed by the DM.DMG, pages 97 - 98:A CAKEWALK Whether your characters are higher in level than the adventure intended, or better equipped, or just more inventive and tactically savvy, sometimes they overcome the encounters you throw at them without ever feeling seriously challenged.  Fortunately, solving that problem is easy. You can adjust encounter levels upward using the three techniques described in the previous pages: add monsters, increase monster levels, or substitute monsters.  You can also alter terrain to give the monsters a home field advantage and challenge the players' tactical mastery.  Watch what your players do and use the same tactic against them.(emphasis mine)To sum up: If the players make smart choices, counter that by making things more difficult.Couple that with PCs who can buy magic items, treasure awarded by character level - no smart choices will get you extra treasure!, and advice to use "plot twists" (DMG, page 97) that tells you to change the plot on the fly if the players make smart deductions, and you find that using rituals is just a waste of resources you can spend on your PC to get cool new powers.  <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can't use rituals to make encounters easier.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can't use rituals to gain information the DM doesn't want you to have.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can't use rituals to gain extra treasure.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can't use rituals to affect the plot.</li> </ul>What can you do with rituals, then?<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can make your character less effective by spending resources that could go into magic items.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can make your character appear as more of a hero/bad-ass by casting a ritual.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You can make important statements about who your character is by casting a ritual.</li> </ul>As I see it, you have three options: 1) start changing default assumptions about the game (treasure is not awarded by character level, encounters are not built based on party level, the pre-planned adventure can be short circuited), 2) emphasize the heroic or bad-ass deeds that casting rituals allows you to do, or 3) emphasize how your character relates to moral and ethical features of the game world.I think your "Power Source" change would work towards option 2.  I'd also remove the component cost of casting rituals and assume that characters know all rituals up to their level.</blockquote>

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