While it may be impossible to completely stop a PC from casting, it would be honest and fair to warn them of the repercussions! If I remember correctly, there was a short cinematic (spoilers!) between Irenicus and Imoen where they cast spells at each other upon entering the city, thus provoking the wizards' council to intervene, while not allowing the characters to interfere.
Showing the PCs that there are restrictions by showing the consequences right in front of them is probably the best way. Always reminding them of this restriction with the posted citizen-reminders, giving them that one warning when they slip up with lower-level casting (must be a lot harder to identify items...), but not compromising the threat by letting them slip up too often.
Also, IIRC there were a lot of instances where you left the city in that game; travelling to other locations where magic was less restricted allows them to not feel too restricted by the law, where they can unleash their divine/arcane might unbound and enjoy their selected class and play style.
PS, Love the references! Shadows of Amn was one of my favorite RPG's growing up... teaching me the confusing aspects of AD&D (wth is THAC0?) and introducing me the greatness that is the Forgotten Realms!
In the game (SPOILER ALERT) this scene happens:
You leave the dungeon, appear on the huge market place of Athkatla and the game launches into a cinematic (your PCs can't act) where Irenicus and Imoen (NPCs) fight with magic. Because magic is almost outlawed in this city, authorities show up, clarify the rules and take the two magic users (Irenicus and Imoen) with them to a spell caster asylum. The party then must find the asylum and rescue their friend, Imoen.
It is essential that the PCs won't cast spells on their own, otherwise they would be taken to the asylum as well. Which is counterproductive.
I would advice that Imoen leaves the dungeon at first (because of her hatred for Irenicus, make it a short chasing scene or something like that) and the PCs get stalled a bit (by the bandits, for example). When they reach the market, the battle between Imoen and Irenicus is in its las throes, they use their last spells in the scene and the authorities show up. The PCs can see the battle, but are too far away or still hindered. Something like that.
Good luck with your campaign, I wish you all the best.
Have the wizards put a peace-bond seal on their spell component pouches. Wizards who break the peace-bond seal without explicit permission from a guard and a valid reason to present to the guards superiors are sent to spell-hold.
Have the wizards put a peace-bond seal on their spell component pouches. Wizards who break the peace-bond seal without explicit permission from a guard and a valid reason to present to the guards superiors are sent to spell-hold.
In the context of the story that wouldn't be possible, because the PCs won't know about the special laws in Athkatla (only if the GM would allow the PCs an appropriate Knowledge check. Which would be another alternative, but really, which PC would use that knowledge if one of their friends is in danger?)
You see, the PCs arrive in Amn without them knowing (they get kidnapped, wake up in a dungeon, and when they leave the dungeon, they are in Athkatla). So no peace-bond seals for them.
Another option would be taking a page out of JK Rowling's books.
Maybe the party triggers some sort of Mass Hold Person Trap, or the first thing Irenicus does is hit the party with a similar spell (it should be well within his power to cast a spell like that). Make the DC obscenely high, and fudge Imoen's roll behind the screen.
In regards to knowledge rolls, you could allow a few Knowledge checks before they get out of the dungeon. Maybe they recognize the uniforms of the dead Shadow Thieves that litter the floor, or maybe someone could recognize the architecture as Amnish, or perhaps Irenicus left out a menu to his favorite Amnish delivery restaurant, or a receipt from the Adventurer's Mart.
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Foreshadow this scene HARD. Have "Magic is outlawed" poster handouts, have the PCs overhear a tavern conversation about how some obscure relation cast light once on his way to the bathroom in the middle of the night and he got taken to Spellhold. Have the militia interrupt and fine a street puppeteer using prestidigitation as part of his street performance. Have a villager wailing in the street because their spouse/child/parent was carted away. Make it clear there are consequences for using magic.
Plus, it gives you an opportunity to make some nifty propaganda posters reminding the friendly citizens that magic is evil and dangerous. Perhaps you could borrow some images from Chick Tracts? ^_~
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I'd reccomend you follow the suggestion of having Imoen run ahead to leave the dungeon 1st. The thing you can do to prevent the spellcasters from casting is to make the entrance of the dungeon covered in a anti-magic field.
Irenicus had so much weird magicial stuff going on - it'd make sense. It'd keep his weirder expieriments from escaping, and it'd keep people finding the entrance to his lair through magical means. It temperarily gets pushed out into the market a short way as a result of the passage collapse.
And it doesn't affect him - he teleports freakin' everywhere anyway.
(of note though - in the game only arcane spells were against the law - not divine - though since it was 2nd edition divine spells were kinda meh on offense)
I always roll openly on the table and use it as one of the hints of something's strength. Nothing gets attention like big handfulls of d20s for attacks and a large sums of d20s for damage.
The idea is you want take away a player's ability to act but make it seem like it's their own idea.
Foreshadow hard and really lay it on thick before players get anywhere near the end of the tunnel.
Draw out a really long tunnel, one that would take about 4 or 5 rounds to traverse. As they're traversing the tunnel tell them that the ground is rumbling and they hear explosions. As they progress force them to roll reflex saves to avoid taking damage from falling rocks and acrobatics to avoid falling over.
Give them a dungeoneering, engineering, architecture, or geography checks and tell them that the tunnel will collapse on them if they don't move fast enough, if they do get trapped then it'll mean instant death. Getting crushed is like 8d6, tell them that.
As they progress start cutting off parts of the tunnel they have traversed and tell them that they have collapsed with boulders of material.
As they reach a point where they can see the end of the tunnel put some figurines who are fighting at the end of the tunnel. Placing them in turn order appropriately and battle Irenicus who is off page.
On Irenicuse's turn have him blow up one of the guys with a high level damaging spell like a 15d6 fireball (players might make out the connection that his spells do more damage than a collapsing tunnel) and throw out a quickened magic missile. Roll the damage in the open and have it obvious that even a save will mean death for your players! Roll saves openly and have the thieves die if appropriate (more likely than not). Ideally you want to fit in a round of Irenicus throwing out spells while he's still out of visual range.
When this is happening maybe have Imoen charge out ahead of the party and possibly drop some difficult terrain between her and the rest, marginally slowing them down.
Between taking damage from falling rocks, the constant running, the simultaneous battle, the collapsing tunnel ~ fighting should be the last thing in your player's minds before they reach the end of the tunnel.
As the first player reaches the end of the tunnel have the cowled mages teleport in and yell "Magic is prohibited in this city! All spell casting is punished by the full might of the the city's forces!"
Irenicus's immediate reply should be another super spell and a quickened magic missile to kill some mages. Sink it into your players that fighting this guy is about as stupid as it is futile. Then have Imoen cast mage armour and Irenicus give up, taking Imoen with them.