Cursed Items...

[alsih2o]

seems to me that very few folks in a game world with "craft wonderous" or realated skills would take the time to make a cursed weapon or item. i know if i was an evil wizard or some such i would invest my time in making bonus weapoins for myself and my minions for quite sometime before heading off to make a basic cursed item for some p.c. to find.

so i am wondering- how do the rest of you "handle" cursed items? do you include them? do you delve into their origins? have you come up with a cursed item that makes sense for someone to spend their time, money and x.p. to create?

 

[Zog]

Cursed items, made deliberately, or by accident?

What if those 3,000 gold in materials and supplies the wizard bought were bogus? Someone pulled a fast one, and swaped his eye of newt with, um, eye of Newt. Added a bit of salt to his powdered diamond.

This is one way cursed items are made - bad or poor ingrediants.

Another way would be pure malice, spite or revenge. A wizard is higher, paid, coerced or otherwise forced to make something against his will. Maybe he's simply a hermit who hates being disturbed. Maybe someone is holding his familiar hostage - or his wife! And so, he makes an item that will destroy/injure/maim its wielder. Time passes, the item moves from hand to hand, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Now your party has it - that poor, poor party!


The final option is evil powers or dieities. Devils, demons and other outsiders take great delight in sending cursed items to the material planes. Anything to spread mischief and mayhem! The history of the setting has much to do with this. Take a look at Relics & Rituals for Scarred Lands, with all of the Titan created items for good examples of this.

 

[Neowolf]

One possible explanation is a botched creation. Maybe the curse wasn't intentional, but rather the result of some mistake made while the item was being created.

In a world where magic "deteriorates" over time, maybe magic items become cursed naturally at some point in their lifetime.

Another possible explanation is that there is some sort of tragedy or evil act associated with the item. Perhaps that +3 longsword was once carried by a general who betrayed his people to the Orcs. Maybe its original owner died while carrying it, and now his spirit can't rest and is determined to keep anyone else from using it.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[alsih2o]

both of these i hadn't considered, and i appreciate them both, cool ideas(that i will now steal, mwa ha ha ha)

 

[Tiberius]

Most of the cursed magic items in my game are those that are products of an error in the creation process, or whose magic has decayed and been perverted over time. There are a few that have been deliberatly placed by NPC baddies, but the easiest way to rationalize their existence, IMO, is the first two options.

-Tiberius

 

[alsih2o]

since botched creation seems to be the general theme...do you guysa allow for a chance thaqt something a p.c. makes ends up accidentally cursed?

 

[Lazybones]

I'd make it a general 1% chance, with a 0% chance of it happening to a PC. I think if I was a PC with a new IC feat, who invested a lot of time and energy into making something, I'd be really ticked if I or my DM rolled a one. That doesn't preclude including a role-playing event built around making an item that involves a flawed ingredient that can be used as a hook for future adventure. But I wouldn't want to actually roll for the manufacture of most common magic items. YMMV.

 

[Zog]

For the PCs...

definately only use once or twice, as a major plot hook. Give the PC a chance to notice the bad ingrediants - spellcraft check at some DC.

Or - perhaps the PC is making an item, and is frequently interuppted - even has to put the item down and go adventure for a day or two, then come back and finish it. ONly, someone else has been there and tampered... Or not even tampered, but the breaks and interuptions - warn the PC ahead of time, frequent stops can cause problems - give them a spellcraft roll to recover - if they blow the roll (ie, fail by more than 5) the item has a 'minor flaw'. If they really mess up, serious curse time.

But always let the player know in advance that something could be wrong or go wrong, and give them a roll to avoid it. That way, its the luck of the dice, and not the DM being a rat-fink-ahem.

 

[mmadsen]

i know if i was an evil wizard or some such i would invest my time in making bonus weapoins for myself and my minions for quite sometime before heading off to make a basic cursed item for some p.c. to find.

I see an evil wizard forging magical rings as gifts for the kings of the elves, dwarves, and humans -- and one extra-special ring to rule them all! But that's just me.

 

[Harlock]

Re: Re: Cursed Items...

I see an evil wizard forging magical rings as gifts for the kings of the elves, dwarves, and humans -- and one extra-special ring to rule them all! But that's just me.

Wow mmadsen, how original. I do hope you submitted that to WotC for the setting contest.