D&D 5E Cursed Item: suggested wanted

[CapnZapp]

Here's the item and its (full) description:

Dragon Leather Armor +1
Clearly made by foes of Dragons, you understand and speak Draconic, allows you to use Charisma in place of Dexterity.

First off, no it isn't an official item (found it online), so there is no page reference or "RAW" to worry about.

Second, yes, I realize that purely from an AC perspective, this is no better than regular Studded Leather.

The third property can be as restrictive as we please, but what if it simply is unrestricted and instead the item is cursed?

Unrestricted to me means you can use your Cha modifier for everything you normally use Dex for: initiative, AC, skill checks, Dex saves etc. And the "allows" means you get to choose when and where to do this.

While this doesn't break bounded accuracy, it allows several builds to ignore Dexterity (do note that all characters are already generated, however), or more to the point, that any Sorcerer or Paladin etc can suddenly compete with the regular Dex Gods (finesse fighters, rogues etc) which can be quite intrusive as it is.

And so I turn to ENWorld

What would be a neat curse on this particular item...?

 

[jaelis]

First, this item makes no sense. Why would you be able to use Cha in place of Dex? What does it have to do with dragons?

But OK, just had to get it out of the way. Here's one idea: the armor creates a telekinetic-like field around you, that you can control by the force of your personality. So the arrow misses you not because you dodge, but because the field deflected it. You can walk across a narrow beam because the field keeps you from falling. Your own ranged attacks are accurate because the field directs the projectile to where you want it to go.

What is a good curse or drawback to go with that? Perhaps the field is sentient and whispers to you constantly, risking insanity. Or you have to make a check everyday to control the field, and if you fail then it controls you. Perhaps the sentience is the soul of the dragon whose hide was used for the armor.

Or maybe the field prevents people from seeing and hearing you clearly, giving you disadvantage on actual Cha checks to interact with people. Maybe the field appears as a dragon-shaped mist or light?

The field could draw on your own strength for power, gradually reducing your hp maximum while you wear it. Or it seeps the energy type of the dragon, causing you to take that type of damage every time you don the armor (or rest in it).

So that's a few ideas

 

[TheNoremac42]

So... This item is fueled by the power of belief? The locked door thinks you're super swell and decides to open for you?

 

[Eltab]

Curses:
- The soul (or spirit) of the dragon whose hide this was, whispers secrets and tactical advice to you - usually when you aren't expecting it.
- As above but the voice is loud enough for your friends to hear it too.
- As above but the voice speaks Draconic, not whatever language you know. Maybe your Wizard friend can translate, or maybe it just distracts you.
- As above but the tactical advice is how a dragon would handle the situation: you are told to fly over the enemies; Frighten them with your Presence; dispatch them with a Breath, &c.
- You are an inadvertent 'dragon magnet'. Could include dragonborn, kobolds, lizardmen, &c if dragons are very rare in your campaign world
- The armor has tell-tale marks (to dragons) that indicate a dragon was tortured and flayed alive in the process of making this armor. Dragons want to attack the wearer to avenge the slight. (Never get a positive Reaction check.)
- You get a 1/day breath weapon of whatever color dragon the armor is. However you also suffer the damage yourself (your throat isn't designed to pass fire, acid, &c.)
- If you use the CHR bonus to enhance a social skill, afterwards the NPC tells everybody where you were and what you wanted. This may mean a fanboy or a worst enemy, based on the situation.
- You acquire this personality trait: Dragon's Eye. When your group finds treasure, you want all the GP and ignore any magic items.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Some ideas that come to mind:

The wearer can only speak Draconic.

Disadvantage on saves against dragon fear (I'd hesitate to make it breath weapons, as that could be really bad).

Can only sleep on a pile of treasure (no long rests without a hoard to sleep on).

And so I turn to ENWorld

What would be a neat curse on this particular item...?

 

[CapnZapp]

Thank you all!

Curses:
- You acquire this personality trait: Dragon's Eye. When your group finds treasure, you want all the GP and ignore any magic items.

The wearer can only speak Draconic.

Can only sleep on a pile of treasure (no long rests without a hoard to sleep on).

These are especially excellent!

As to why the item is a certain way - since YOU make up the curse, you can also explain it however you want

 

[Quickleaf]

Here's the item and its (full) description:

Dragon Leather Armor +1
Clearly made by foes of Dragons, you understand and speak Draconic, allows you to use Charisma in place of Dexterity.

What would be a neat curse on this particular item...?

Charisma represents force of personality, so using Charisma in place of Dexterity for AC implies to me that the person gains a majestic awe/dread-inspiring presence, like a very limited version of a dragon's Frightful Presence.

However, using Charisma for general Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks doesn't make sense. Nor does it make sense applying to initiative checks. Maybe you could justify its application to weapon attack/damage as an especially duplicitous fighting style full of feints, but that doesn't quite seem on theme. How do you explain these changes narratively?

For a curse, I'd play of the idea of draconic majestic awe/dread. If you utilize the Charisma-instead-of-Dexterity option, you draw aggression from monsters who preferentially target you whenever possible.

EDIT: And maybe you gain a cult of kobolds who revere you? Yet constantly misinterpret your will in the most devious evil way possible?