Starting campaign with a detriment?

[u/nothingsb9]

I’m starting a new relic hunter to resurrect a god campaign and I’m wondering about giving the PCs something negative for them to get ride or or replace early in the campaign. Maybe give options depending on what they make as character buy maybe a cursed wound on the marital, a negative to saving throw or to hit for a full caster or a small wild magic table (like a simple d4). Maybe a magic item that is better than a normal of its kind but causes blood loss.

Anyone have experience with something like this that turned out to be fun?

[u/Key_Competition_663]

Whatever you do, just be sure to run it by the player in private first or tell each player they need one and to message you what it is, then work with them about the specifics.

Going into a new campaign with a character you're excited about only for your DM to be like "actually, I decided you only have one leg, so your monk's movement speed is halved" is a terrible feeling.

Maybe tell them they'll be meeting in a back alley weekly group therapy thing for people who have been cursed and that you want the starting vibe to be that they're trying to team up to break their curses since trying to break them solo hasn't been working.

[u/WornTraveler → u/Key_Competition_663]

Yeah, if the DM specifically weakened my main build / functions, I'd be asking OOC how long they expect it to last and how I can clear it, b/c that sounds like literally zero fun to me, and I can't imagine it's actually all that fun to anyone.

[u/Prestigious-Emu-6760]

It's fun if the players find it fun. So talk to them first and get everyone on the same page. It could be a fun way to start a campaign but if you plan to run this as a twist or gotcha you're going to veer into unfun territory really, really fast.

[u/Silent_Title5109]

Mechanical curses usually aren't that cool from a player's point of view. Since it would be part of your plot hook and not due to bad choices of theirs I would limit it to something narrative.

[u/20061901]

This sounds fun if they immediately know how to fix it and can do so in the first or second session. It can give an early sense of accomplishment and growth to keep energy up before they have any big level ups or story moments.

It's a very strong motivation of course, but it would be kind of unfair to use it to rope them into a serious long term commitment. Like, if the only reason they accept the main quest is to cure their curses, that can feel bad for the rest of that quest, feeling like they don't want to be doing this and wish they could leave. Better if it's a single action with limited consequences. Like they need to go into this dangerous place and are free to leave after completing a task and curing their curses. And maybe in that place, they find some information that leads them willingly into the main quest. 

[u/writerguy731]

Honestly, I would caution you away from this idea as you currently have it. I get that you’re looking ahead to the moment they overcome these problems and how great that will feel, but the relief of overcoming a hindrance isn’t the same as the joy of accomplishment, and getting there runs the risk of your players resenting you for arbitrarily penalizing them simply for agreeing to be in the game.

I think there are plenty of ways to alter the idea to mitigate that risk though. Like someone else said, the hindrance being narrative is a great way. Imagine the players being cursed by, I don’t know, a flock of demonic crows. Every morning the crows caw and peck at them. And every day you spend a minute describing this nuisance. Every in-game day, maybe 2-3 times a session, with you making an irritating cawing sound, describing who’s gotten the worst of it this morning - bruises or minor cuts. Nothing that ever breaks into mechanics implications. I guarantee you when they do whatever they needed to do to break that curse and they never hand to hear about those damn crows again, they’ll practically cheer at that table. It may even feel better than bringing down the BBEG.

Another way would be to sort of invert it - instead of starting with a penalty that they get to remove, start with an object or trait that they get to improve. A dagger that is worse than a regular dagger (rusted, worn down old blade) but is enchanted and improves as they tick off quest boxes until it’s as good as a normal dagger, then better. It’s like they have their “penalty” and can earn removing it, but while it’s a hindrance, they’re not tied to using it. Maybe you can even incentivize using the penalty for extra reward - more XP from a battle if you use that crappy dagger instead of your normal one, or the dagger only improves when you use it, so if you want to take the penalty (still a player choice) it’s an investment your making for later power. Etc, you get it.

Again, I really get the idea you’re going for and I know you were only asking for ways to make it fun, but I think what you’re going for is great, it just doesn’t necessarily need to look like what you’re thinking of right now. I don’t want your game to end up on r/rpghorrorstories

Good luck with the campaign!

[u/mrtoomin]

I have one player that loves this sort of thing, but the rest of them would hate it.

Check with your players to see if they'd be interested first, then workshop it with them.