As stated in another recent post, I am running a modified Age of Worms campaign. I am using an article in Dragon # 343 that describes "vestige worms" which are a flavor text version of potions that give someone either a one use spell, a +10 skill bonus, or a special memory of the past. When the effect gets used, the worm is consumed and no longer exists.
As part of the description, it says anyone who has taken such a worm must make a DC20 Will save, or fall under the worm's mental control and causes the person to "seek out" followers of Kyuss and "follow" their will.
If I read this correctly, if the Worm does take control, it will never allow the person to "use" the power they provide, as it would destroy the worm and thus its control over the person.
My question is how much control does the worm have? The worm does not appear to be intelligent (as vermin, its Int is zero) so it can't do anything. Instead, it merely gives the person the desire to find a Kyuss worshiper so that the intelligent worshiper can instruct the worm-infested person who will obey completely. Does this sound correct?
Furthermore, this kind of mental control is absolute and without time limit as long as the worm remains inside. Although I assume that if such a person has Protection from Evil cast on him, the worm's mental influence is blocked.
If a person was infested with multiple worms and failed each save, then every single worm would need to be destroyed for the mind control to go away.
Is there anyway to forcibly destroy such a worm? Would a Remove Curse or Remove Disease do so - since that cures the regular worm infection that turns people into Spawn of Kyuss? The article doesn't say, but this makes sense. Would the worm get a Save to resist? What if the person who has the worm doesn't want to be without them (because they are a cult member)? Would they get a Save to resist, or it simply not work?
If these sound like a lot of rhetorical questions, that's because they mostly are. I find it useful to work things out like this, but hearing other opinions would be valuable.