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this post was submitted on 26 Oct 2024
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Have them roll a perception check just prior to the ritual.
Surprise, they're the villains and a party of heroes shows up to fight them. If they don't spot the ambushing party of heroes, they'll be hit by some serious AoE spell and an assassination attempt on one of them a turn or so later.
If they win the fight and successfully summon the elder god, they have to start rolling wisdom saves or something to resist mind control, and the ones that fail and have to roll every 1-3 turns or something to try to get control again. All the while they become surrounded by not just the massive elder god but a swarm of enemies that won't hesitate to attack any party member that disobeys the elder god's orders. It'll be up to the other players whether to enter combat to try to defend their friend against the hopelessly large assault.
But what does the elder god tell them to do? Go backwards and ravage every single place the players have visited during the campaign, and maybe some random villages along the way if you need filler.
Maybe you start impromptu adding a d4 or d6 psychic damage to their attack rolls as an unconventional way to empower them. Maybe play favorites, maybe add 2d6 to the weakest member's main attack to boost them and their ego.
If it goes far and long enough maybe you start having them war against empire, do something unconventional and treat legions as single units with one health pool and doing an arrow barrage or a 'charge' that does some damage and then becomes more of a sustained melee that essentially becomes a DoT effect as far as the combat system is concerned. Like an insect swarm.
Should they successfully destroy the army and seize the seat of power, find some messed up way to do a "game over", or come here and ask again. These players want to see the game go in dramatic and strange directions.
I don't play DnD so I guess a lot of this might not be doable/practical.
Also after reading some other responses, particularly the one about how this kind of ritual is usually portrayed as requiring a bit more than a few friends, some magic words and a wish, it may or may not work better if you have a bit of backlash, scarring, and some aberrations respond to the attempt, instead of the elder god. Maybe have them run around a town or two recruiting cultists for a second attempt, something like 15-30 of them. There could also be some drama where the cultists question who is the authority as a few other cultists move to take the lead.