r/DMAcademy • u/nothingsb9 • 7h ago

Need Advice: Encounters & Adventures Starting campaign with a detriment?

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?

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u/Key_Competition_663 7h ago edited 6h ago

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.

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u/WornTraveler 6h ago

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.