Misfit Toy
First Post
So I am new to the DM scene, and was wondering about cursed items, what role do they best serve in a campaign.
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Cursed items in the campaign
- Thread starter Misfit Toy
- Start date
Tony Vargas
Legend
Depends on the game you're running - by 'DM' I'm guessing the current edition of D&D ("5e").
Magic items, in general, are de-emphasized in assumed 5e play. That is, the game doesn't /need/ magic items to run more or less smoothly (something that only bears saying relative to other editions that did assume aproximate numbers/types/power of items would be acquired by a certain level). Rather, magic items are a tool for the DM. Consumable magic items like potions can make up for a lack in the party's abilities, place some healing potions if you plan to have a particularly brutal 'day' coming up where you feel the party's healing abilities may not get them through it, for instance. Permanent items are much more highly prized and powerful, both to the players - a serious magic item, even a simple +1 weapon, makes the character litterally just /better/ than he is without it - and as a tool for the DM. You can tailor magic item placement to give an under-performing PC a boost, to add capability to the party you want it to have going forward for campaign reasons (for instance, there are some monsters they'll need magic weapons to hurt, if you want to use a lot of such monsters for the balance of the campaign, placing items that work on them open that up, it not just gives the players the capability, it gives a reason why others might call them in, or come into conflict with them, if the items are that rare), to encourage participation in an adventure, and/or to paint a sense of the campaign world. Since items represent power above and beyond what the game is designed around, you don't want to give away too many of them, either, so it's a good idea to get a lot out of each item.
Cursed items are even more de-emphasized in 5e, again, maybe not compared to the latest eds before it, but relative to tradition. Cursed items tend to be 'gotchyas' that just punish a player for picking up an object or wanting to make his character better, which can produce some hard feeling around the table. A cursed item, usually a custom one, can drive a sub-plot for a while, or even add a little depth to a character, as well give it a hit to its effectiveness. A party's actions could be driven for a while by trying to get rid of a curse (item or otherwise).
Cursed items, and magic items in general, are the kind of thing you can introduce later in a campaign, or in a later campaign, when you start having that sense that "well, this character really needs something, this other one needs to be taken down a peg, this 'quest' could use a better reward, this area of the campaign is a little bland, etc..."
Magic items, in general, are de-emphasized in assumed 5e play. That is, the game doesn't /need/ magic items to run more or less smoothly (something that only bears saying relative to other editions that did assume aproximate numbers/types/power of items would be acquired by a certain level). Rather, magic items are a tool for the DM. Consumable magic items like potions can make up for a lack in the party's abilities, place some healing potions if you plan to have a particularly brutal 'day' coming up where you feel the party's healing abilities may not get them through it, for instance. Permanent items are much more highly prized and powerful, both to the players - a serious magic item, even a simple +1 weapon, makes the character litterally just /better/ than he is without it - and as a tool for the DM. You can tailor magic item placement to give an under-performing PC a boost, to add capability to the party you want it to have going forward for campaign reasons (for instance, there are some monsters they'll need magic weapons to hurt, if you want to use a lot of such monsters for the balance of the campaign, placing items that work on them open that up, it not just gives the players the capability, it gives a reason why others might call them in, or come into conflict with them, if the items are that rare), to encourage participation in an adventure, and/or to paint a sense of the campaign world. Since items represent power above and beyond what the game is designed around, you don't want to give away too many of them, either, so it's a good idea to get a lot out of each item.
Cursed items are even more de-emphasized in 5e, again, maybe not compared to the latest eds before it, but relative to tradition. Cursed items tend to be 'gotchyas' that just punish a player for picking up an object or wanting to make his character better, which can produce some hard feeling around the table. A cursed item, usually a custom one, can drive a sub-plot for a while, or even add a little depth to a character, as well give it a hit to its effectiveness. A party's actions could be driven for a while by trying to get rid of a curse (item or otherwise).
Cursed items, and magic items in general, are the kind of thing you can introduce later in a campaign, or in a later campaign, when you start having that sense that "well, this character really needs something, this other one needs to be taken down a peg, this 'quest' could use a better reward, this area of the campaign is a little bland, etc..."
aramis erak
Legend
One fun use of a Cursed Item is as a hook into adventures. It asserts itself, and the PC drags the party into the middle of things.
Misfit Toy
First Post
Sorry Tony I should have put that into the OP I am DM a homebrew verse of Pathfinder 1.0. Your ideas mirrored some of my thinking on the topic.
Misfit Toy
First Post
I like the idea of using it as a launch into an adventure. Do you have an example from a time that you have used it?
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
My personal preference for cursed items is to have them have a mix of good and bad. Like the classic Backbiter Spear, which functions as a regular magic spear most of the time, but hits the wielder on a nat 1. I’d much rather tempt PCs to use the cursed item and risk the consequences, then have it be something they are stuck with as punishment or gotcha.
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
5e Demon Armor is a kind of "cursed" item. It works like normal armor, it offers the wearer a neat new toy (1d4 instead of 1HP Punch), it comes with a drawback (useless against attacks from Demons). It's the kind of thing a Demon would grant a cell's chief enforcer, and which would draw the attention of local Heroes who have heard of the PCs and want help to deal with the demon-worshipping cell.
Items that give the wielder stackable Extra Attack, or barbarian Rage abilities, or 4e Action Point -like abilities can be counter-balanced with Exhaustion or unconsciousness after a set duration. They are fun for a Blitz / assault but dangerous in a long grind fight (such as Helm's Deep).
Items that give the wielder stackable Extra Attack, or barbarian Rage abilities, or 4e Action Point -like abilities can be counter-balanced with Exhaustion or unconsciousness after a set duration. They are fun for a Blitz / assault but dangerous in a long grind fight (such as Helm's Deep).
Li Shenron
Legend
Not sure if 'best' but IMHO the 'easiest' role of a cursed item is that of offering a tactical trade-off choice: are you going to use that magic sword that gives you a huge bonus but also a penalty? If the choice is tough, then the cursed magic item is well-designed.
However, the 'coolest' use is when the cursed item changes the narrative of the story, and that typically doesn't happen with a constant drawback as much as it happens with a progressive drawback, like the proverbial "each time you use this item, you take a step towards your doom". After all, The One Ring is the most famous cursed magic item for this reason
Doug McCrae
Legend
That's a very good question. They're a legacy of old school play, where PC life was cheap and anything you touched could kill or maim you or even bring about bizarre changes.
In 5e I think they're best approached like Elric's sword Stormbringer or The One Ring - powerful but with a catch.
The Crimson Binome
Hero
What a cursed item does is less significant than how a party reasons given the knowledge that cursed items exist. If you know that The Necklace of Strangulation exists, and that it could look like any other necklace, then it means you never try out a magical necklace until it's been checked for curses.
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