In our ongoing Extinction Curse campaign, we have been having a challenge in the group dealing with mind control – specifically charm, dominate, etc. type spells and effects. The group is investigating the existing of an old cult, which worshipping an ancient evil, fond of taking over minds and influencing actions. The group, especially the fighter and barbarian, have been being rather frustrated.
As a GM, over the years I have developed a mixed bag of feelings on charm effects – on one hand, I really dislike taking player control out of the hands of the player. I would really like to have these situations cleared managed by the player, with an appropriate sense and motivation. However, it is also unrealistic to assume that all players are up to the challenge, let alone able to separate game fights from real-world personal attacks. With the large group the size we typically play with, it is that much more challenging, since as soon as one starts to adapt their actions, it tends to spread across others. At the same time, I don’t want to remove them entirely from the game, since they are a staple of fantasy stories, and a reasonable counter to the strong but weak-willed warrior types.
To site a specific example, in our last session we had the group influenced by a set of NPCs – village defenders they had previously met and had a relationship with (albeit it semi-hostile or competitive). One of the NPCs is currently under an external influence, clearly identified by the sorceress’ use of a True Sight spell. However, the group, having heard my description rather quickly switched into murder mode – they not only attacked the main foe, but also his brothers who had taken no offensive action and were not under any influence (other than familial bonds to protect their brother).
A bit later in the fight, the barbarian came under the influence of the cult’s ancient statue – again confirmed by the True Sight. At that point, the already frustrating fight went downhill fast – the character quickly diving into the group dispatching the sorceress rather quickly, then moving on to fighting the ranger and his pet dragon.
Much of this was caused by the vocal and unhidden communication to the player of the sorcerer, all other players received the same info at the same time, and it was very challenging or impossible to avoid reacting. One option I am considering is private messages, either notes or texts – that would restrict the specifics, though carries a game flow issue, pausing the game as each note is written. More concerning is that any note tends to draw attention in itself, though I would think that a few decoys here and there might counter that to some extent.
More telling, my second group has not had this issue – when charm or dominate comes in, there is rarely offense taken, and the group typically operates true to their character. Or least I have not seen the issue as extensively.
What are your thoughts? How do you handle hidden information, charm and similar effects?
