I am working on a campaign set in Eberron, and the BBEG is basically a Rakshasa (a la 2014 rules) who actually bothered with training and gathering magic items, and is planning to take over the island the campaign is set on (a la Sarevok). That means a little more spells to cast, a couple magic items that boosts its abilities, and most importantly, Legendary Actions !

There is one that I had in mind, that reflects how this BBEG is such a tyrant that they consider they should be the only one with the ability to cast spells.
So here is the thing I came up with :

Puny sorcery ! The Supreme Rakshasa targets a creature within 120 feet they can see. This creature must succeed a DD20 Intelligence saving throw. If they fail, they immediately lose a spell slot of the highest level they have, and if they succeed, they lose a level one spell slot.

I need to know what my fellow GMs think about this ability.

Here is the thing. After a two-years break away from DnD to avoid "DM burnout", I started a small campaign, with a single rule : every player was allowed to homebrew a couple features from their character's species. And what I got was, to say the least...

ICONIC TO BOOT !

Here is the thing : they were rolling with pre-determined stats (Main ability score was 16, two others were 14, and the rest 12), and they were to start with one magic item of their choice, as long as it was Common and/or Uncommon.

Here is what I got :

>GARUBOLD THE HARDY
Fighter Battlemaster (and main frontliner).
Chaos Dwarf (basically Mountain Dwarf, except the +2 Constitution goes to Wisdom, and they replace "Stonecunning" with "Metalcunning")
His magic item is a Vengeful Maul that talks. Basically, whenever the bearer is hit, the demon trapped inside the weapon (australian daemon, don't judge), does a "yer mom" joke on the ennemy, and when the Dwarf fails his Wisdom saving throw, that joke becomes the sole reason why he wants to back the bad guy in.

This one is a gem. The guy is Chaotic Evil who won't betray the party because (and I quote) : "The Druid is far too nice to me to be an honest guy".

>ETHANIEL LETHARIAN
Druid of the Dream Circle (and main party healer)
Thorn Elf (Elf sub-race with a Constitution bonus instead of Int/Wis/Cha, and they replace the Perception proficiency with a Survival proficiency).
His magic item is a Cloak of protection

This is the guy who is too nice to be honest : except he IS honest. He's innocent and naive to a fault, and he's lawful good, entirely in denial about the Chaos Dwarf actually being a Chaow Dwarf. he only sees a Mountain Dwarf, whom he envisions as a spectacularly noble species.

>TRIZZI THE SNAZZY (Only player who asked me to reflavor their class instead of their species)
Rogue Master of Whispers (basically a Phantom, except the ENTIRE THING is that they use the knowledge to locate the single most biggest, tallest, thickest stack of money in a 10 miles radius. So basically all the features'effectiveness are dependant of the amount of gold that her target carries)
Gobelin (classic)
Her magic item ? Gloves of thievery (Let me hear your best "How shocking !" british impersonation !)

Honestly, I love the idea of a Goblin so obsessed with gold that she built an entire carreer as a con artist BEFORE she became an adventurer, once the Chaos Dwarf talked her into the whole "magic items are expansive as hell, you know that ?" business.

>FREYA ALTHAMAR
Samurai Fighter. Secondary tank, and main damage dealer of the party.
Akubenon (Basically fire genasi, except she BREATHES FIRE instead of just using Flame and Burning hands... And she suffers from hydrophobia... in a Venice-like city)
Her magic item is a Ring of Water Walking

This one, I really like, but not as much as the Druid/Fighter dynamic.

SO....

YOUR THOUGHTS, FOLKS ?

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