|
Everyone is talking about the new D&D movie. I won't get to it but am excited to catch it when it’s available on streaming. I’m glad they finally made a quality film adaptation, but as bad as they were, one point in a previous D&D movie stuck with me. In Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness, the Knights of the New Sun were a powerful force that became irrelevant over time. They got complacent as they lost their purpose.
This happens so easily over time. An associated privilege or partial victory can reduce urgency. As a Christian in the US, I’ve seen this in my own faith community. Ever since Constantine legalized Christianity and gave it state recognition, a movement that was built on inclusion and valuing the marginalized automatically drifts toward elitism when left unchecked. Even though the only accounts of Jesus getting angry were when the elite leveraged their power against the marginalized, Western Christianity is now known more for exclusion and forbidding than for the goal of hope, freedom, and love for all.
The same can apply to the movement to make the TTRPG space more inclusive.
This gets exacerbated by the refusal to accept responsibility, instead blaming scapegoats, whether external or internal, including fighting against those who call for returning to the original cause. It’s easier to unite around a common enemy than around an abstract cause, but it’s ultimately destructive to the cause.
I’ve been that target more than once. It feels like a BBEG hit me with this spell, except with a much longer duration:
(CW: Gaslighting)
Scapegoat
4th-level enchantment
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S, M (a small figurine of a goat)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
When you cast this spell, you choose a target within range that you wish to distract or sow discord among. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become the focus of the party’s anger and blame for the duration of the spell.
While under the effects of the Scapegoat spell, the target becomes convinced that they are the cause of all the party’s problems and that everyone is plotting against them. This can manifest as paranoia, delusions, and erratic behavior.
Additionally, each time the target takes damage from a party member, they take an additional 1d6 psychic damage from the overwhelming feelings of guilt and isolation.
Alternatively, you can create an illusory spectral goat that becomes the target. All creatures hostile to you within 60 ft. of the goat must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw each round for the duration of the spell. On failure, they perceive the goat as their greatest enemy and turn all their attacks toward it. The goat can move at any speed to stay just beyond the reach of the closest enemy.
Anyone affected by the spell may attempt another Wisdom saving throw each round, and on success, they become immune to it for the duration.
The spell ends if the target enters a Zone of Truth.
Movements divide over minutia. People have different ideas about how to accomplish a goal and can villainize each other over different methods, especially in heterogeneous communities with diverse perspectives and experiences. Slow progress can cause frustration and blame.
So we need to remember that this is a social encounter, not combat. We win by welcoming, not striking others down. We lead by example. We present a picture of hope and a future where all experience welcome and access.
(By the way, don't use that spell in your game. It's for illustration only. It would not be fun.) |
Meet Dread. Dread is a nonbinary tiefling warlock with a tragic past who has become a powerful and resourceful adventurer. While blind, they can perceive through another humanoid's senses with Gaze of Two Minds (but prefer not to, as it's disorienting). Despite struggling to form relationships due to past betrayals, Dread has gained a trusted companion in their raven familiar.
