Ritual path magic group casting

[starslayer]

In my own settings I have established that magic 'ripples' forward and backward in time. For small spells its basically unnoticeable, the target of a spell might 'feel' malevolence targeted at them just before it hits.


However with a massive spell the sensation of the magic reaches far enough backward in time that there is an opportunity to stop that work before all of the players are lined up. Generally I use this as a plot device and justification for why the big bad is in the middle of a massive fortress in the middle of nowhere surrounded by traps, but it had also been used to prevent plot circumvention on the post of the PCs by just getting the Lovell village they are trying to save to sacrifice energy until any problem can be solved.

Specifically for your own stated desires this would mean that the massive spell that creates food for a town will go off with minimal problem but the massive spell that wipes out the neighboring village will encounter resistance from the neighboring village.