Need help with a cursed item

[CrimsonWineGlass]

In my game I'm planning on putting a dagger in. This will be a cursed object that will return to the wielder even if they get rid of it, etc. The party is around ECL 5, 4 people. I am planning on having it so that under identify it reads as a dagger which steals the life force from an opponent. Basically, 1/2 the damage it deals is given to the user in healing. So only 1 or 2 around, but the catch is that after so much HP has been healed the user will be transformed into some type of creature.

Onto my problem, I have no clue what creature the user will be turned into. The party will most likely be somewhere between ECL 6 and 8 before it actually happens, and I want something that will cause some problems, but not retire the character. Quite possibly it will be taken from a cleric, rogue, or something similar. Any ideas?

 

[Notmousse]

I'd make it a full humanoid, just so they're physically capable of doing the stuff they do. Looking at the reincarnate table I'd say... Goblin, or Troglodyte.

 

[accipiter]

Cool idea! I may have to yoink it.

My first thought is where does the item come from? What's its history? If it was wielded by a fearsome mage known as the Serpent, for example, there's a good starting point.

As far as nerfing the PC goes, I think it would depend on how often and complete the transformation is. If it's full-time, I'd go with a humanoid, like Notmousse suggested. Probably something like a kobold; embarrassing and inconvenient, but not going to prevent the PC from functioning.

On the other hand, if the transformation is predicated on a condition, say, a particular word being spoken in earshot or being doused with water or something, I'd feel free to do something more restrictive.

Or, heck, make it full-time and something really debilitating, like a raven or house cat, and put a whole quest around curing it, ultimately resulting in the afflicted PC getting the ability to transform into that shape a certain number of times a day or something.

I think the amount of warning is important, too... if I were designing something like this, I'd probably put in 'stages', where 25% of the way to the curse trigger the PC would notice something odd, like extra furry back hair or something, 50%, he'd feel the urge to eat raw meat, and so on (suitable to the target creature).

My players are pretty savvy, and might make the choice not to use the item, but then, they might decide they need to in order to achieve their goals. More fun all around if they choose their fate, to my mind.