The latest Disney movie, Encanto, is about a magical family using their superpowers to help their community. There’s a lot of lessons for fantasy campaigns too. Please Note: This article contains spoilers!
In Encanto, each Madrigal family member receives a gift when they turn five years old. The gifts are magical, seemingly permanent, and unrelated to each other. They’re not like superhero mutations in that they are magical blessing (not genetic heritage), but the blessings act a lot like superhero powers. The plot revolves around what happens when Mirabel doesn’t get a gift and how that legacy changes the family dynamic.
Unlike other superhero movies, Encanto keeps the focus on the tightly-knight community where the family lives. The Madrigals live a life of service, using their powers to help the village. The village is cut off from the surrounding world by mountains, so there are no external distractions and little modern conveniences to intrude. But watching each member work with the community is an interesting thought exercise for how powerful characters can change the social and economic foundations of a small population in Dungeons & Dragons.
Listed below is each power and the level when a PC might have access to it, along with the character who has the power in Encanto.
Few characters will have the strength of Luisa, but the movie demonstrates just how useful a very strong character can be. Any PC species with a +2 bonus to Strength can potentially have Strength scores reaching 20 early in their career. With magical assistance, it can be even higher. If they live anywhere for long, their strength in helping out with chores will be in high demand. Similarly, any friendly giant could solve a lot of problems for a village in a very short period of time.
Goodberry is a 1st-level spell. The ability to turn simple berries into a sustainable food source is massive for an impoverished village. Most damage that happens in day-to-day life is at most a few hit points, and goodberry can heal 10 at once as well as nourish the creature for one day. A druid with ready access to the spell could keep busy just creating goodberries all day to keep everyone healthy.
Several low-level druid spells manage animals, including animal friendship and speak with animals. A druid will have to carefully navigate conversations with livestock and may balk at summoning animals that are to be eaten later. But for a community that relies on its livestock, being able to quickly and easily communicate with them is a big deal. And if things get rough, summoning ferocious predators to defend the village is always an option.
3rd-level clerics can cast the augury spell which is filled with similar uncertainty, particularly with repeated castings. But the ability to see the future, even if it’s not always accurate, is too good for a community to pass up. Someone like Bruno would probably be elevated to an advisor to a village leader at the minimum, and consulted on every major issue the village faces. Spellcasters with access to the spell can expect similar treatment. At least, until one of the prophecies turns out to be wrong...
The 2nd-level alter self spell gives casters Camilo’s ability, and some characters will undoubtedly abuse it. Encanto implies copying others is a boon, like matching someone’s height when hanging a sign, or holding a baby while its mother takes a nap. But it can also be used as an intelligence-gathering tool, for spying on the village, or even for simply standing in for a critical community member when that person is unavailable.
Any 5th-level druid in a community who can cast the 3rd-level plant growth spell will radically change the long-term viability of the village. Causing flowering plants to appear is important in lands that do not lend themselves to farming or cultivating crops. Keeping those crops sustainable can go a long way to avert a famine. Moreover, there’s no reason the plants can’t grow in the off season, which frees up the villagers to do other things. And of course, if someone decides to attack the town, entangle and summoned plant monsters will come in handy.
If used as a protective measure, Dolores’ power is a massive boost to security, along with its accompanying loss of privacy. The ability to detect intruders, hear secrets, or otherwise spy on anyone at any time begins with the clairvoyance spell, but there are plenty of divination spells that can gather similar information. For villages that are cut off from civilization and lacking a military force, surveilling an area unseen is critical to ensure it safety.
Similar to plant control, controlling the weather essentially insulates the community from the vagaries of the climate. Depending on where the village is located, this can be everything from invoking rain during a drought to warding off a hurricane. Communities can flourish in hostile environments as a result. Control weather is an 8th-level spell, but there are many lower-level spell effects that mimic weather changes: the 1st-level create or destroy water can be a massive boon to a desert community.
In Encanto, each Madrigal family member receives a gift when they turn five years old. The gifts are magical, seemingly permanent, and unrelated to each other. They’re not like superhero mutations in that they are magical blessing (not genetic heritage), but the blessings act a lot like superhero powers. The plot revolves around what happens when Mirabel doesn’t get a gift and how that legacy changes the family dynamic.
Unlike other superhero movies, Encanto keeps the focus on the tightly-knight community where the family lives. The Madrigals live a life of service, using their powers to help the village. The village is cut off from the surrounding world by mountains, so there are no external distractions and little modern conveniences to intrude. But watching each member work with the community is an interesting thought exercise for how powerful characters can change the social and economic foundations of a small population in Dungeons & Dragons.
Listed below is each power and the level when a PC might have access to it, along with the character who has the power in Encanto.
1st-Level: Super-Strength (Luisa)
Luisa’s super-strength is so powerful that she can lift a church, hoist five donkeys over one shoulder, and kick a building back into place. Her strength becomes something of a crutch for the community, as everyone asks Luisa to do everything for them, including tasks that they probably could have avoided with a little forethought (like not letting donkeys roam).Few characters will have the strength of Luisa, but the movie demonstrates just how useful a very strong character can be. Any PC species with a +2 bonus to Strength can potentially have Strength scores reaching 20 early in their career. With magical assistance, it can be even higher. If they live anywhere for long, their strength in helping out with chores will be in high demand. Similarly, any friendly giant could solve a lot of problems for a village in a very short period of time.
1st-Level: Healing (Julieta)
In a closed-off community, health of its citizens is reliant on what they have available in town. Thanks to Julieta’s ability to create healing food, nobody is hurt for long. In fact, this makes the community reckless. Julieta’s own husband is constantly getting stung by bees, and his allergy is significant enough that he could easily asphyxiate. It’s played for laughs, but the lesson stands: accessible healing means the village has one less thing to worry about.Goodberry is a 1st-level spell. The ability to turn simple berries into a sustainable food source is massive for an impoverished village. Most damage that happens in day-to-day life is at most a few hit points, and goodberry can heal 10 at once as well as nourish the creature for one day. A druid with ready access to the spell could keep busy just creating goodberries all day to keep everyone healthy.
1st-Level: Animal Friendship (Antonio)
The youngest of the Madrigals is able to not just speak with animals but summon friendly creatures from all over. Wild animal attacks on livestock can be the occasional problem for a village, but an even bigger challenge is keeping that livestock fed and happy. Antonio can simply talk to them to figure out what they want.Several low-level druid spells manage animals, including animal friendship and speak with animals. A druid will have to carefully navigate conversations with livestock and may balk at summoning animals that are to be eaten later. But for a community that relies on its livestock, being able to quickly and easily communicate with them is a big deal. And if things get rough, summoning ferocious predators to defend the village is always an option.
3rd-Level: Prophecy (Bruno)
Bruno’s prophetic powers complicated the family dynamic because they don’t provide a clear resolution. This becomes a problem when his prophecies are inevitably interpreted as heralding the worst outcomes.3rd-level clerics can cast the augury spell which is filled with similar uncertainty, particularly with repeated castings. But the ability to see the future, even if it’s not always accurate, is too good for a community to pass up. Someone like Bruno would probably be elevated to an advisor to a village leader at the minimum, and consulted on every major issue the village faces. Spellcasters with access to the spell can expect similar treatment. At least, until one of the prophecies turns out to be wrong...
3rd-level: Shapeshifting (Camilo)
Encanto makes it a point of giving family members some tremendous power and then downplaying their efficacy so they don't seem quite as threatening. Camilo’s ability to shapeshift, mimicking other people he meets, is meant to be funny. But Camilo can easily abuse this power; in one scene, he pretends to be his sister Dolores just to grab some extra snacks.The 2nd-level alter self spell gives casters Camilo’s ability, and some characters will undoubtedly abuse it. Encanto implies copying others is a boon, like matching someone’s height when hanging a sign, or holding a baby while its mother takes a nap. But it can also be used as an intelligence-gathering tool, for spying on the village, or even for simply standing in for a critical community member when that person is unavailable.
5th-Level: Plant Control (Isabela)
Isabela causes plants to grow. At first, it’s just flowers. She later develops the ability to create all kinds of plants, including carnivorous ones.Any 5th-level druid in a community who can cast the 3rd-level plant growth spell will radically change the long-term viability of the village. Causing flowering plants to appear is important in lands that do not lend themselves to farming or cultivating crops. Keeping those crops sustainable can go a long way to avert a famine. Moreover, there’s no reason the plants can’t grow in the off season, which frees up the villagers to do other things. And of course, if someone decides to attack the town, entangle and summoned plant monsters will come in handy.
5th-Level: Super-Hearing (Dolores)
Poor Dolores. She can hear everything, and if you watch carefully, sometimes she covers her ears because it seems she can't turn the power off. In fact, Dolores' super hearing-extends to over a mile away, including secrets exchanged between villagers.If used as a protective measure, Dolores’ power is a massive boost to security, along with its accompanying loss of privacy. The ability to detect intruders, hear secrets, or otherwise spy on anyone at any time begins with the clairvoyance spell, but there are plenty of divination spells that can gather similar information. For villages that are cut off from civilization and lacking a military force, surveilling an area unseen is critical to ensure it safety.
15th-Level: Weather Control (Pepa)
Like Camilo’s shapeshifting power, Pepa’s awesome weather control abilities are meant to be a benign distraction instead of an earth-shattering power that could wipe a village off the map. Since the weather Pepa invokes is tied to her emotions, she has little control over it. But when she does control it, the implications for a community are significant.Similar to plant control, controlling the weather essentially insulates the community from the vagaries of the climate. Depending on where the village is located, this can be everything from invoking rain during a drought to warding off a hurricane. Communities can flourish in hostile environments as a result. Control weather is an 8th-level spell, but there are many lower-level spell effects that mimic weather changes: the 1st-level create or destroy water can be a massive boon to a desert community.
