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Hex and Bestow Curse
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<blockquote data-quote="77IM" data-source="post: 6634746" data-attributes="member: 12377"><p><em>Bestow curse</em> seems super-weak to me. I'm not sure why anyone would cast it, really. Maybe to debuff a saving throw on the round before you cast a big nasty spell? Sure, if it works, and you just spent a round and a spell slot -- you were probably better just casting some other offensive spell for damage.</p><p></p><p>Like I look at the "disadvantage on attack rolls against the caster" and think, "Why not just cast <em>blur</em> and get that against all foes, at 1 level lower?"</p><p></p><p>Or I look at the "wisdom save every round to take an action" and think, "Why not just <em>hold person</em> and move in for the kill?" (Actually the "wisdom save every round to take an action" is one of the better effects of <em>bestow curse</em>.)</p><p></p><p>Honestly I think the authors were just concerned about this spell being too powerful and nerfed it too hard. I think you could give the victim disadvantage on everything for 24 hours and it wouldn't be too strong for a 3rd-level Concentration spell.</p><p></p><p>I wish there were better guidelines about the "other effects" too. When I think of curses bestowed in fantasy I think of things like, "you have the gift of prophesy but no-one believes you" or "you will spend 10 years finding your way home" or "you will walk the night forever as a blood-sucking vampire" or maybe "you are turned into a frog." I think it would have been cooler if <em>bestow curse</em> had been like <em>wish</em>, in that the primary effect would be to replicate the effect of lower-level spells, but only harmful spells, and with a longer duration. E.g. if you cast <em>bestow curse</em> as a 5th-level spell, you could replicate the effects of a 4th-level spell, like <em>polymorph</em>, but for 24 hours. I'd make it much easier to achieve the "until dispelled" duration, too. That's some neat stuff that can lead to interesting stories. "You are cursed with disadvantage on attacks against me for 1 minute" is totally boring.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="77IM, post: 6634746, member: 12377"] [i]Bestow curse[/i] seems super-weak to me. I'm not sure why anyone would cast it, really. Maybe to debuff a saving throw on the round before you cast a big nasty spell? Sure, if it works, and you just spent a round and a spell slot -- you were probably better just casting some other offensive spell for damage. Like I look at the "disadvantage on attack rolls against the caster" and think, "Why not just cast [i]blur[/i] and get that against all foes, at 1 level lower?" Or I look at the "wisdom save every round to take an action" and think, "Why not just [i]hold person[/i] and move in for the kill?" (Actually the "wisdom save every round to take an action" is one of the better effects of [i]bestow curse[/i].) Honestly I think the authors were just concerned about this spell being too powerful and nerfed it too hard. I think you could give the victim disadvantage on everything for 24 hours and it wouldn't be too strong for a 3rd-level Concentration spell. I wish there were better guidelines about the "other effects" too. When I think of curses bestowed in fantasy I think of things like, "you have the gift of prophesy but no-one believes you" or "you will spend 10 years finding your way home" or "you will walk the night forever as a blood-sucking vampire" or maybe "you are turned into a frog." I think it would have been cooler if [i]bestow curse[/i] had been like [i]wish[/i], in that the primary effect would be to replicate the effect of lower-level spells, but only harmful spells, and with a longer duration. E.g. if you cast [i]bestow curse[/i] as a 5th-level spell, you could replicate the effects of a 4th-level spell, like [i]polymorph[/i], but for 24 hours. I'd make it much easier to achieve the "until dispelled" duration, too. That's some neat stuff that can lead to interesting stories. "You are cursed with disadvantage on attacks against me for 1 minute" is totally boring. [/QUOTE]
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