D&D 5E A Gift and A Curse

[WarpedAcorn]

I was watching a YouTube video where one of the personalities starting talking about "a gift and a curse" in terms of getting a wish fulfilled, but with an unknown curse attached to it.

Now, for most D&D players this is no different that a standard Wish that tries and screw over the player as best it can. But the phrase got me thinking of a very clear scenario for a player (or players) to be presented with the opportunity to be granted a wish, knowing that a curse will also occur. And of course the curse could match the magnitude of the wish. Something like, someone wishing for a magic sword (which they get) and being cursed to have any armor they wear disintegrate.

Personally, I do have an instance the campaign I'm running where a Wish may come up, and I have been trying to think of how to make it more dramatic and exciting, but by adding in a conjoined curse then I have a really good way to make things interesting.

 

[Sunseeker]

It's the monkey's paw concept, or the faustian bargain. Great power for a great price. Doing the opposite of what a player wishes for is usually a little trite. Taking the sword example:

You wish for a great sword: a great sword is given to you, unbeknownst to you it is taken from someone else right at the moment they were about to use it to *do the really important thing* and because the sword is gone it went *horribly wrong* and now the person whom lost the sword is out for vengeance. Or perhaps the survivors only remember a stranger with a Magical Sword*TM and if the player encounters those survivors, is blamed as being the mysterious stranger who failed them.

I don't think the players should know when wishing what kind of negative effect they'll receive. Knowing "the bigger the wish, the greater the curse" is fine I think, just not specifics. Part of the danger (and fun) of wishing is not knowing. It's a cornerstone of every great movie involving wishing (see: Wishmaster or the aptly titled: Monkey's Paw). It's especially fun for "good" characters because the bad effect might not befall you​.