Adding Flavour: Curses and Cursed Items

One of the most recurring story beats in myths, legends and fairy tales, curses can often feel underwhelming in Dungeons and Dragons. This is partly due to the existence of 3rd level spells like remove and bestow curse. One which negates any story telling potential, and one which gives you a small combat bonus or leaves it in the hands of the gm.


Another is the lack of clarity when it comes to curses and cursed items. More often than not, curses take the form of ‘fuck around and find out’ rather than the clear rules and restrictions that come in tales. Players have to test to discover the negative side effects through trial and error, and have to struggle with meta knowledge versus player knowledge.

 

The last, and this comes up more with items, is more often than not there is no reason to mess around with curses. They are almost always all downside and no benefit, or a downside that doesn’t really impact mechanics. For example, a common curse is you don’t want to part with the item. In theory this is meant to replicate items like the one ring, where the owner becomes possessive and dangerous. In practise, this only becomes a problem if a better magical item comes up and even then, unless they are falling from the sky, the chances are your party will be able to remove curse at that point and go on with their lives.

 

This leads to the questions, how do we make curses in Dungeons and Dragons more interesting?

 

Firstly, we need to split this up into cursed items and magical curses. As despite coming from a similar place, their goal when included is not usually the same. Cursed items, work best when they are about power and corruption. To have a powerful thing and resist - or give into - the allure because of what it will do. They are there for the party to overcome rather than learn from.

 

Magical curses on the other hand work best in an opposite fashion, usually driving a character narrative towards growth and self-reflection, as they are often received as a punishment by another. As a result these work best when they are used to highlight the punished offense rather than stop it outright. A liar shouldn’t be cursed to only tell the truth, this will only make them more skilled, being cursed to lie pointlessly, or to never be believed would drive the point home more succinctly.

 

Another factor to consider when using magical curses, is because they are likely to be of a personal nature, it is good to check ahead of time that they are comfortable with a large outside change to their character. Curses can take away some measure of autonomy from a player, so getting consent is always the best idea to stop unhappiness later down the line.

 

Even without inflicting either of these on a party, curses can still be a point of interest, if, the players have to have a way of discovering the curse ahead of time. This could be through warnings on walls, the body of a previous wielder, or simply a tale whispered in a tavern. This could also take the form of something more mechanical, such as a reveal curse spell.

 

To recap, curses have the potential to fun, narratively interesting and create unique challenges for players and characters alike. However, remember to talk about curses and their potential in session 0, make sure your placement of them isn’t reactionary or unpredictable. Remember that curses are not a way to fix player behaviours, that is best done through conversation outside the game.

 

Curing Curses in Dungeons and Dragons

 

As mentioned, curing curses currently in 5e is an incredibly easy task. Simply reach 5th level in most full casting classes, and you get access to remove curse, a 3rd level spell designed purely as a curse turn off button. It requires no expensive or hard to obtain components, there is no need to keep casting it, or any necessary pre-emptive steps at all.

 

With prior discussion this doesn’t have to be the case, and it can be modified for the better

 

For a spellcasting curses, such as that gained from a hag or villainous wizard, here are some suggestions on how to add more flavour and difficulty to using a remove curse spell.

 

D6

Remove Curse Prerequisite

1

You need part of the creature that cursed you before remove curse will work. This can be a hair, fingernail or something similar.

2

You need their forgiveness before remove curse will work.

3

The curse caster needs to be dead before the remove curse will work.

4

An item from the caster is needed to channel the remove curse spell for it to work.

5

You must do something opposed to the reason for your curse. For example if you were cursed for an act of cowardice, an act of bravery would be needed. If the curse came from pure malice then an act of pure kindness would be needed.

6

You need to go to a location of magical importance, a fey spring, hallowed ground, before the remove curse spell will work.

 

With items, the spell remove curse simply breaks the curse from the wielder, so they can unattune themselves or put it down. If the item isn’t inherently evil however you may want to allow them to cause a more permanent effect, and if so you may want to use one of these additions to the use of remove curse.

 

D6

Remove Curse Prerequisite

1

The item is brought to the place it was created to have the curse removed.

2

The creator of the item is killed or exhumed, their remains used as material components or as a focus during the remove curse spell.

3

The item is made anew, the remove curse allowing the items enchantment to be moved onto its replica.

4

A paired item is needed before remove curse will cleanse the curse. For example a sheath for a sword or a key for a lockbox.

5

It needs to be taken to a place of pure death to kill the remains of the curse. A temple to a death god, a ghost town, an abyss in the world.

6

Cleaned, or sharpened (if a weapon) with a blessed item.

 

 

Wand of Rotwyrm

Wand, artifact (cursed)

 

A wand made of rotten wood, with veins of glowing purple, that pulse and shudder. Holding it for long periods of time, make the veins in and around your hands glow and pulse in a similar manner.

 

When you kill a living creature you gain Rot points equal to the creature's CR (rounded down), which you can expend to fuel additional magical abilities.

 

Leech. When you cast a spell while holding this wand you can expend 1 rot point to gain 1d8 health.

You can expend an amount of rot points up to the level of the spell cast.

 

Siphon. When you cast a spell while holding this wand you can expend 1 rot point to deal 1d4 necrotic damage additional damage. You gain temporary hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt.

You can expend an amount of rot points up to the level of the spell cast.

 

Plague. When you cast a spell while holding this wand you can expend 1 rot point to maximise one of the damage die rolled. You can do this after you have rolled the damage die, but before any damage has been dealt.

You can expend an amount of rot points to do this, up to the level of the spell cast.

 

Curse. The wand of the Rotwyrm seeks to curse its wielder into reliance and eventually an early grave.

For every rot point spent the user's maximum hit points is reduced by 1.

If this Effect reduces the target's hit point maximum to 0, the target dies.

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