How can indefinite madness be cured?

Question

I'm the DM for a group playing Out of the Abyss. At this point in the game many of my players suffer from indefinite madness. The players want to know how to cure this, however even I don't know. Is there a page in the DM's handbook or Out of Abyss where the cure for madness is located? Thank you.

Answer 1

From the DMG 260:

A calm emotions spell can suppress the effects of madness, while a lesser restoration spell can rid a character of a short-term or long-term madness. Depending on the source of the madness, remove curse or dispel evil might also prove effective. A greater restoration spell or more powerful magic is required to rid a character of indefinite madness.

So it looks like greater restoration would be the easiest method. Barring that, miracle or wish could likely do so as well.

In previous editions, the heal spell also cured madness. While the text for 5e's heal doesn't mention madness, neither does greater restoration's text. Only the section on madness mentions it, and it also mentions "more powerful magic." Since heal is 6th-level and greater restoration is 5th-level, there's some precedent for allowing heal to work as well.

Answer 2

You can't be insane.... if you don't have a brain!

One of the methods I prefer to utilize to curing madness involves the following steps:

1. Attack party member until rendering them unconscious.
2. Restrain party member on sturdy table with chains, shackles and ropes.
3. Have Igor fetch THE CAGE.
4. Release Intellect Devourer (it's very important to have this step done in advance)
5. Wait until Intellect Devourer has completed it's task.

Intellect Devourer, MM pg. 191

Basically, the Intellect Devourer has two abilities that will help remove the madness from your party member. The first, Devour Intellect will eventually put your party member in the stunned condition. At that point, the Intellect Devourer can use Body Thief. This will devour the party members brain, and replace their mental scores with the Intellect Devourer's INT, WIS and CHA. It also retains everything the character knows, including spells and languages.

Now, the Intellect Devourer is lawful evil, so as long as you provide it with a good reason to help you out (mutual gain for example), there's no real reason it HAS to be hostile to you. Also, the DM could just let the player keep playing as the Intellect Devourer infested host. I mean, TECHNICALLY the character isn't dead.

Barring this solution, Restoration and Greater Restoration take care of Madness. I prefer organic approaches though. They're uhhh....... gluten free.