D&D General Pain for power

[Whisper-Kitten]

Those prices seem high for a +1 on a weapon in 5e.

Just imagine what a +2 would cost.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Just imagine what a +2 would cost.

 

[J-H]

I have a house with some very welcoming hags in Castle Dracula II: Dracula's Curse (DM's Guild)... it's basically Castlevania II with Dracula's curse falling on the land - lots of monsters, it's hard to long rest, nights are horrible, etc etc.

If Dracula "wins" the hags are out of a food source, so in addition to serving really yummy gingerbread man cookies (no trick but most characters still turned them down), they offered six potential boons. One of them was a Neckward +1 plate or half plate, and another was a +2 Thirsty Anyblade (shapeshifting weapon, deals bonus damage to living creatures but not to undead).

Here are the prices they said they'd accept. The italicized text is explanation of the full price, which the party would not know at the time they accept.
1. A potion which does no harm, given in secret: Feed a small potion of black, tasteless liquid to the priest in Jova without the priest’s knowledge within the next 3 days.” (DM only: This will make the priest vulnerable to Vradka’s haunting; if the party returns to Jova, they will note the priest looking more and more tired, and the priest will die after 10 days).

2. One of your last breaths: The character who pays this price has 1 permanently failed death save.

3. A favor for the future: The most ominous of all.

4. Your fishy-ness: The character cannot float or swim, always sinking to the bottom of any body of water. Magical items cannot counteract this curse.

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

Those prices seem high for a +1 on a weapon in 5e.

Each "blood point"/1HD worth of permanent HP (with CON throw to reduce HP loss) gives another +1.

Each major sacrifice gives another attribute (ie 1d6 ). There is a unique ability usually with a curse as well.

I have them balanced to be simplistic on the vtt as well because I know full well what happens when you overdo cognitive loading

So, if you go "all in" you could lose a whole lot of permanent HP, a feature, or just unknown gambles... but you also can end up with a +3 weapon that gives you a passive bonus, and unique ability with a usually flavorful curse

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

I have a house with some very welcoming hags in Castle Dracula II: Dracula's Curse (DM's Guild)... it's basically Castlevania II with Dracula's curse falling on the land - lots of monsters, it's hard to long rest, nights are horrible, etc etc.

If Dracula "wins" the hags are out of a food source, so in addition to serving really yummy gingerbread man cookies (no trick but most characters still turned them down), they offered six potential boons. One of them was a Neckward +1 plate or half plate, and another was a +2 Thirsty Anyblade (shapeshifting weapon, deals bonus damage to living creatures but not to undead).

Here are the prices they said they'd accept. The italicized text is explanation of the full price, which the party would not know at the time they accept.
1. A potion which does no harm, given in secret: Feed a small potion of black, tasteless liquid to the priest in Jova without the priest’s knowledge within the next 3 days.” (DM only: This will make the priest vulnerable to Vradka’s haunting; if the party returns to Jova, they will note the priest looking more and more tired, and the priest will die after 10 days).

2. One of your last breaths: The character who pays this price has 1 permanently failed death save.

3. A favor for the future: The most ominous of all.

4. Your fishy-ness: The character cannot float or swim, always sinking to the bottom of any body of water. Magical items cannot counteract this curse.

Several of these are right in-line with what I was thinking.

I have "servitude" for one character. So, if you die, you don't get to resurrect, just straight to the Abyss instead

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

Those prices seem high for a +1 on a weapon in 5e.

It is not just +1. Sacrifice are stacking. So; "how much blood will you give?" = 1HD = +1... 2HD = +2

Then the unique sacrifices have their own effects.

I want to see who is willing to gamble

 

[TorgoTheWhite]

Just imagine what a +2 would cost.

2HD worth of permanent HP

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

If he wants those weapon out there creating chaos, there should be incentives to creating chaos and discord. Losing Hit dice is fine and punishing for the player but it doesn’t really spread chaos.

Breaker of Chains - Pain and sacrifice.

Break up a marriage breaks a chain and causes pain by sacrificing one of the betrothed (literally, you they get sacrificed to the sword)

Murder the local authorities

Things like that.

Maybe they sacrifice “memories” for power. Similar to someone’s suggestion that they wake up having no idea what happened to
Them but bad stuff happened.

Disfigure themselves to get a penalty to diplomacy checks.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I remember some great cursed items we encountered when I played 1e Legend of the Five Rings.

My personal favorite was the Armor of the Loyal Son. It made one of the PCs an absolute tank, impervious to damage.

What you find out is the true meaning behind the name - it passes wounds done to the wearer onto their family, closest first and branching out. Eventually the PC, a very honorable swordsman, came to discover while he was fighting against evil, the armor was transferring the wounds and killing his family.

As they say, a loyal son will give the armor to their father to protect him and take the consequences, protecting his family.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I only skimmed some of the posts, but I feel for something that's supposed to cause chaos, it shouldn't be a cost that can be quantified mechanically. YMMV but I find if you make these costs mechanical, a character sheet will protect someone from the horror of what they're doing in much the same way that for a lot of people, Vampire became a superhero game instead of being about personal horror of drinking blood.

I once made an item in a game that came from a boss fight and the PCs chose to use it. It was an amulet that gave them damage resistance - the downside was every attack against them got advantage. So, yes, less damage, however you're boosting the chance you will be hit as well as the chance you'll be critted