Curses, Foiled Again!

[Mark CMG]

Cursed items have played a part of the game since the earliest days of D&D. However, the nature of how these items are manifested within the game has changed a bit since those times. So, too, with newer editions, the changing expectations of players and the built-in system of character entitlements, has transformed the game in ways that make the introduction of a cursed item into a group's collective gear potentially devastating to an adventuring party's survivability.

So, what are some of your stories regarding cursed items? For those of you who have played over numerous editions, how has the tighter structuring of the game in newer editions, and more balanced advancement of characters, transformed the frequency, presentation, and insertion of cursed items into games you have DMed or into games in which you have played?

 

[Aramax]

Dont like cursed items,I almost never give them out.

 

[demiurge1138]

I've never used any of the specifically cursed items in any of my games, but the "roll on the random drawback/limitation table" has come up a few times. In the all-reptiles prehistoric game that I ran, one of the PCs had gotten multiple grafts (ala Fiend Folio) from a sinister ophidian scientist, one of which was cursed with the "5% chance of polymorphing into a specific creature each day" (the creature in question was an ophidian, naturally). Until that character died, he had absolutely no idea why I was rolling percentiles after every time they rested.

My favorite cursed item story, however, I've told a few times here. In an Eberron game, the PCs had looted a magic item warehouse that had been mostly destroyed in the Mournlands. All of the eldritch energy had given each of the items a different random curse, and the amulet of natural armor that the druid took changed the wearer's gender. The newly female druid asked the (female) cleric to prepare a remove curse spell the next day, to which she replied, "so being a woman is a curse now, is it? I'm not going to remove anything from you until you stop being so misogynistic!"

Demiurge out.

 

[howandwhy99]

So, what are some of your stories regarding cursed items? For those of you who have played over numerous editions, how has the tighter structuring of the game in newer editions, and more balanced advancement of characters, transformed the frequency, presentation, and insertion of cursed items into games you have DMed or into games in which you have played?

I put cursed items in the game frequently. Most are challenges anyways and not really included as normal treasure for wealth guidelines. The tighter structure of the game, as you say, makes it more brittle IMO. Cursed items don't affect that really. They actually keep the acquisition of magic items as part of the adventure just as hiding them within creatures' lairs and dungeons does.

Here's an example from my game:
The players trapped themselves in a tomb with a varied history. The top level was dug out as a worshiping / testing place of the god Ralishaz (the unlooked for). When you're trapped in a tomb by lizardmen, the last thing you want to find is the God of Misfortune. In a "dead end" tunnel they found a corpse with a dagger through its heart. The walls surrounding it had more of the mud daub figures as in other areas, but these were all in a circle and facing away from the viewer. The dagger had the symbol of Ralishaz on the pommel and detected as magical. The corpse's hand still clutched it. Was it trying to pull the dagger out when dying? Was it a ritual suicide? Or was the truth even more sinister? The players were scared to even touch the thing where normally a known magical weapon at 1st level would have been pounced upon.

A few sessions later the PCs arrive in town and the cleric gives the dagger to a high priest of St. Cuthbert to destroy. (they could not accept that I would "allow" them a +1 or better weapon at 1st level w/o cursing it) In front of the big Godsday congregation the priest flourished the dagger, failed his will save, and while screaming about demons was "attacked" by two PCs trying to stop him from stabbing himself. The rest of the session's adventure all followed due to that random event. They still don't know what the dagger does. It was lost with two deaths attributed to it. Now they're bartering to secretly get out of town by contracting with the known greediest man in it. All because of one weapon they know is magical, but are afraid to use.

 

[Monstrosity]

One time I gave my players a cursed ring with the head of a ram engraved on it because they kept making decisions based on things they knew and not things their characters knew, so I figured one of them would go "hey, ring of the ram!" and not bother with identifying it. The ring forced the wearer to throw himself against every wooden door he saw in an attempt to ram it open unless he succeeded on a will save. The party rogue equipped it so he very rarely succeeded on his will save.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I wonder if you could use a curse to offset the cost of an item? Like relics in the Magic Item Compendium. Only instead of taking a true believer feat, you have to take a flaw (net result is being down a feat equivalent).

For instance, take the Millennial Chainmail relic; mithral chainmail that for 7th level characters with the True Believer feat (Corellon Larethian) - or clerics of CL who sacrifice a 4th level spell - gives fast healing 3 in light brighter than shadowy illumination.

Instead of the feat (or spell) say it makes a character fatigued in shadowy illumination, and exhausted in darkness. The abilities and drawbacks only activate if the wearer is at least 7th level, of course. Only a remove curse cast by a cleric of Corellon Larethian allows the armor to be removed (or maybe a wizard with limited wish or something).

Dunno about the details, but recasting relics as cursed items sounds like it could work.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I'm a big fan of the curse that the PCs know about and yet compels them to utter the famous last words "maybe it will be worth it."

I haven't done anything too bad recently, though, mostly just giving things drawbacks to their use. A sword that alerts the wielder to nearby undead but at the same time gives away the PCs' location. A ring that gives a spellcaster a +2 to DCs for one school but lowers all the others by -1 (wear it for 24 hours to activate it of course). That kind of thing. Things that are worth it in specific circumstances, so the PCs have to think about when to use them and when not to.

Then there are the items that look good on paper but are actually not worth it in play, like a longsword I got from the web a while back that does 1d100/1d10 damage (no bonuses apply) for example. I haven't actually used that one yet, but one of these days...

 

[Vague Jayhawk]

A number of years ago I had a 4th level lawful good cleric that tried on a helm of alignment change. I was disappointed because I liked the character. I made him into NPC and retired him to play a new character. A year or two later I entered a new campaign that needed a cleric of that level. I had developed a new character concept for the same character. I discussed it with the new DM and he liked my plan. I introduced the cleric and despite his initial bad behavior he eventually through thoughts deeds and intention worked his way back to chaotic good. We were playing in the Forgotten Realms and so I made him a cleric of Lathander, the god of mornings and new beginnings. It seemed to make sense.

My cleric was still in possession of the helm of alignment change. Back in the 1st and 2nd ed. there was no limit to how many times a helm of alignment change would work. Being true to his new cause and his new god he concentrated on disarming, disabling and doing subdual damage to an enemy and making them surrender. Then he would give them the option of either putting the helm on or die. Everywhere he went he left lawful good orcs and chaotic good goblins in his wake.

Over my 20+ years of gaming he turned out to be one of my favorite characters, due to overcoming a cursed item and then finding a good use for it.

 

[Slife]

(they could not accept that I would "allow" them a +1 or better weapon at 1st level w/o cursing it) In front of the big Godsday congregation the priest flourished the dagger, failed his will save, and while screaming about demons was "attacked" by two PCs trying to stop him from stabbing himself.

Well, apparently your players are correct in their surmises. You might have gotten predictable...

 

[Cheiromancer]

My cleric was still in possession of the helm of alignment change. Back in the 1st and 2nd ed. there was no limit to how many times a helm of alignment change would work. Being true to his new cause and his new god he concentrated on disarming, disabling and doing subdual damage to an enemy and making them surrender. Then he would give them the option of either putting the helm on or die. Everywhere he went he left lawful good orcs and chaotic good goblins in his wake.

At 4000 gp a pop, this item is not too expensive to make, but you probably wouldn't use it on every goblin you come across. Significant villains maybe.

I once reverse engineered the item to design a spell that would duplicate the effect of the item. Let's see.... Reverse Alignment. I doubt it is balanced, since the item itself is kinda quirky.