Return of the Cursed Magic Item?

[Paraxis]

I like the scarred lands take on cursed items being made, the chaos that is magic just turns like 5% of all crafted items into cursed ones instead. Nobody wants to make a cursed item they just happen.

As far as a cool change goes, what if putting certain "curses" on items made them cheaper to craft.

Like
Clumsy -2 to dex of weilder of this weapon (-8,000) GP cost.
Weak Resistance -4 to saves vs poison when this item is equiped (-6,000) GP cost.
Shatter Effect when this weapon scores a critical hit the blade shatters and becomes useless for 3 rounds as the blade magicaly reforms. (-12,000) GP cost.

ect...

Things like these make what I call cool cursed items, especialy when it lets you make much more powerful items then you normaly could for your level. Thats why cursed items are made because the 7th level wizard really wants to make a +5 sword but needs to compensate the high cost and level requirments with cursed effects.

 

[DandD]

That would function for 3.X.
However, we don't even really know how magic items work in 4th edition...

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

That would function for 3.X.
However, we don't even really know how magic items work in 4th edition...

I believe we do know that they won't cost XP, but that's about it.

 

[el-remmen]

The -1 penalty is significant enough to be noticed, and get the wizard tortured and beheaded for insulting the crown prince. Now, if there were some advantage, like it making you look more handsome and gallantly, then the wizard might get away with it.

You're missing the point. That was just some quick off the top flavor for the origin of the item - maybe the wizard was stupid to do it and was beheaded or whatever - the point is the sword it now "out there" and has passed hands many times and no one is quite sure what it is or does except it once belonged to a prince - again, this is a quick example of how flavor makes an item interesting and its serves a narrative purpose to create game hooks to interact with.

 

[Paraxis]

The New girdle of masculinity/femininity.

This item looks and identifies just like a normal +4 or +6 Belt of Giant Strength.
It also functions just like one most of the time, however whenever the user fails a Strength related skill roll or ability score check or whenever he/she makes anykind of Charisma related skill check, a version of Alter Self is cast on him that changes his gender and general appearance (longer/shorter hair, complextion ect.. to match the opposite gender) this effect lasts for 24 hours.
During the time of switched genders the bonus from the belt no longer applies to Strength but to Charisma (becomes a very attractive member of the oposite sex).
If remove curse is cast on him or the magic dispelled it restores the original gender but the enhancment bonus to strength is still gone till the 24 hours have passed.

+4 Girdle of Masculinity/Femininty 8,000 GP total.
+6 Girdle of Masculinity/Femininty 18,000 GP total.

Items like this have a cost benifit to make them(in this case 1/2 price), easly a story element behind them (the wizard was bullied into making it for a very macho warrior for example), is still fun to play because the effects are not permanent, and would still be worn because most of the time it functions normaly.

Things like this would be a very welcome addition to 4E as far as I am concerned.

 

[DandD]

You're missing the point. That was just some quick off the top flavor for the origin of the item - maybe the wizard was stupid to do it and was beheaded or whatever - the point is the sword it now "out there" and has passed hands many times and no one is quite sure what it is or does except it once belonged to a prince - again, this is a quick example of how flavor makes an item interesting and its serves a narrative purpose to create game hooks to interact with.

No, I proved that such -1 Swords without any other benefit don't have anything useful to contribute, not even storywise. Such useless things would be instantly destroyed, because they serve no purpose to anybody, and nobody would want it. In the worst case, you just shatter it immeadiately to get permanently rid of it and do the world a favor. Also, nobody will try to remember it fondly, because its only purpose is to suck.
D&D needs specific cursed items that make sense, not "Haha, I tricked you"-imbecilities. Else, people just discard it as wasting their time at the gaming table.

It just happens that -1 swords are the embodiment of cursed items that make no sense at all and are the first thing everybody thinks up when told about cursed magic items in D&D.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

I think that the best use of cursed items would be magic times that work normally but only for users that fit certain requirements. A good example would be a Sword +2 that is only a +2 sword for Orcs. For non Orcs, it would be a -2 sword. This would let a Dm create Npc's with effective magical equipment that the players cannot simply loot. Another approach would be gear that works correctly until something happens, such as say, the first time the player tries to attack a particular kind of creature.

The real problem with -X weapons or armour is that it requires the Dm to keep much careful track of which items the player is using. You may give a cursed weapon to a player early in a campaign, and then forget about it when the player finally gets around to using it a year and a half later in real time, when you just sundered his primary weapon and he pulls it out as a backup.

Ultimately, I think that a cursed weapon should do more than apply a simple mechanical penalty on attack and damage rolls. Inflicting damage on the user, or randomly tripping the player is a better sort of curse.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Aloïsius]

Powerful items should have drawback. In The Elder Scroll : daggerfall, you could easily create a flaming weapon by binding a fire daedra into it. However, if the weapon was to be broken, the daedra was released and angry...
The same thing could be done with 4e magic item : the more powerful the item, the greater the drawback or the risk.

* A ring of invisibility could make you enter the shadowfell if you wear it too often...
* An headband of intellect can make you mad overtime
* Bracers of armor can not function in certain condition
* A vampire sword cause you to arise as a vampire spawn if you die while wielding it
etc...

 

[Tuzenbach]

Why would anybody ever make a -1 sword?

But isn't this a bit like asking "Why would anybody ever create a computer virus?" And yet, how many are out there?

 

[gizmo33]

No, I proved that such -1 Swords without any other benefit don't have anything useful to contribute, not even storywise.

It's likely that this is your opinion, but I think you're misusing the word "prove" here.

Such useless things would be instantly destroyed, because they serve no purpose to anybody, and nobody would want it.

If they weren't identified then no one would know enough about it to destroy it. The cursed -1 sword sits on a forgotten battlefield somewhere, or in some armory, and remains undetected.

In the worst case, you just shatter it immeadiately to get permanently rid of it and do the world a favor.

Not every NPC in my campaign world wants to do the world a favor.

Also, nobody will try to remember it fondly, because its only purpose is to suck. D&D needs specific cursed items that make sense, not "Haha, I tricked you"-imbecilities. Else, people just discard it as wasting their time at the gaming table.

Your objections are a matter of taste and ultimately circular. I don't like gnomes so forcing me to interact with them during a DnD game is an imbecility and a waste of my time. I forgot what we were talking about.

It just happens that -1 swords are the embodiment of cursed items that make no sense at all and are the first thing everybody thinks up when told about cursed magic items in D&D.

I agree with at least 50% of this.