This may be a dumb question, and changing the rule would certainly make this campaign more deadly, but why is the Int damage from Kyuss worms temporary when they are apparently eating your brains. Far as I know, that stuff don't grow back.
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The only explanation I really have, is that over time, the brain can reroute certain functions to different areas. I remember hearing about a case of somebody getting their head skewered and somehow surviving. At first, the individual suffered all sorts of problems with higher brain functions, but as time progressed, he became closer to where he was before the accident.
So with that in mind, something that would make the worms a little deadlier is to make the first point of Intelligence damage permanent without magical healing, and each point beyond that takes 1 week to heal. Or something along those lines.
Then again, we are assuming that there is something special about the PCs. Just consider how fast they are healing from the sort of things that would put most of us in the hospital for at least a month
Then again, we are assuming that there is something special about the PCs. Just consider how fast they are healing from the sort of things that would put most of us in the hospital for at least a month
Yeah, I know. It's fantasy. It just gave me a little giggle when I read it for the first time. Plus I know my players, and know they will say something about it.
My explaination for it is going to be this. Instead of actually devouring a PC's brain matter, the Kyuss worm burrows up to the hypothalamus, which is more or less the seat of our emotions and memories and one of the main places our cerebro-spinal fluid is produced. The Int damage will be the result of the worm draining this fluid and feeding upon the PC's memories and emotions. When all Int is drained, that's when the worm begins replicating and the brain gets devoured. Spinal fluid can be replaced, brains can't. Ya don't see people getting back up after and Illithid munches on em.
We're talking about adventurers. One, they already must have brain damage to do what they do for a living. Two, they aren't very smart, so any Int damage isn't so much affecting higher functions but rather things like "don't walk into traffic." And those functions can be rerouted around damaged tissue. ;)
Plus I know my players, and know they will say something about it.
So if they do, tell them: "Yeah, you're right, it SHOULD be permanent... want me to change it???"
...my players learned to stop giving me helpful hints like that long ago.