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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 3431208" data-attributes="member: 3192">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.</blockquote>

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