The source of the curse is going to be a far realms entity the dwarves roused by "digging too deep" Balrog style.
I'm looking at switching the Dominated to Stunned (which avoids the headache of in-party fighting). The Hero will be left in a fugue like state in which they (like much of the fort's population) are painting/carving/sculpting strange patterns and forms on every available surface...The rest having gone homicidally insane.
The Doom
Level 14 Curse
Arcana: Improve dc:23, Maintain dc:18 Worsen dc:17 or lower
The curse is lifted
/ /
Initial Effect
The target begins each day with no action points. Each time the target becomes bloodied it laughs uncontrollably and is Dazed (save ends)
/ /
The target takes a -2 penalty to Fortitude, Reflex and Will defences.
/ /
Creatures with Combat Advantage deal an extra 1d6 damage to the target.
/ /
The target is dazed
/ /
The target is stunned
When they enter the fortress, they will encounter many of the inhabitants engaged in nonsensical activities, dying of thirst as they toil to carve another of the endless and bizarre frescoes.
This is the fate of those who succumb to The Curse, and while the track includes it, its certainly not my intention for the heroes to reach that point.
Still you have to be prepared for if they do something I'm really not expecting...
What I find myself thinking is why wouldn't you want the PCs to get wrapped up in the curse? Each of them slipping further and further away from reality and closer and closer to the mad realms of "The Doom". To me it would be the defining environmental hazard and a roleplaying tool that could lead to quite a few dramatic moments.
Having said that I would redesign the whole mechanics and results of "The Doom" to suit the adventures needs.
For a start I would have multiple ways of falling under the curse of "The Doom".
1:
Prolonged exposure - a check after each 24hr period inside the area of the curse.
2:
Proximity to certain curse items - a check the first time you come within a certain distance of each item (only once per PC per item). These could be completed wall carvings, strange statues, elaborate tapestries etc.
3:
Certain creature attacks - a check at the end of an encounter if hit by a particular attack.
As you will see from the above, it should be amost inevitable that the characters will succum to the initial clutches of "The Doom".
Next I would think about what else is going to trigger "The Dooms" escalation.
Maybe:
1: Certain creature attacks have a chance of escalating their targets curse track.
2: Maybe at certain intervals (dramatically appropriate or every 6 hours) the sound of a gong resonates through the fortress and there is a chance that everyone hearing it will have the curse escalate.
So the above maintains the fear and threat of "The Doom" and adds to the tension.
Next I would think about the curse itself. I don't think you would want a normal style disease effect because you don't want to directly hamper your PCs all the time and take away from their fun. You want to add an element of uncertainty and risk into every descision they take, adding to the level of paranoia.
You could keep the standard mechanic of being able to make a daily check, in this case I would say that you could make a personal
Endurance,
Arcana or
Religion check; and help 1 ally with a
Heal check.
Curse Track:
Improve 1
You feel back to your old self, you think you had better stay alert though
The target feels normal again, but occasionally has a nagging thought that his comrades arn't quite themselves and maybe can't be trusted.
- Target gains a +1 bonus to initiative (while inside the area of the curse) but otherwise appears cured (the target is not cured until resolution of the curse or the character leaves the cursed area)
Initial state
You have a constant vague feeling that something isn't right and cannot relax.
- Target gains a +1 bonus to initiative and Reflex defence, and takes a -1 penalty to Will defence and all skill checks requiring concentration.
Worsen 1
Those strange patterns are really quite interesting and possibly hold the key to this whole situation, maybe you should examine them closer?
- As
initial state but the target takes a -2 penalty to Will defence and all skill checks requiring concentration
- Additionally at dramatically appropriate times the DM may make an attack vs. Will against the target to impose an appropriate move or standard action. If resting for longer than a couple of minutes the target might find themselves drawing strange patterns on the floor or walls but will stop if challanged.
Worsen 2
The patterns ARE the key! They are an ancient or alien language that must be deciphered.....can't your see?
- As
Worsen 1 but the DM makes attacks against your Will more often and use them to perform more elaborate actions.
Worsen 3 etc
you can add as many stages as you think is necessary (I havn't time at the moment to expand this myself)
The above will give a cursed effect that isn't all that debilitating but will give you plenty of opportunities to have the curse play out in the most appropriate manner.
Heroic Resolve
You could allow a target that is being compelled into action through the curse to shrug off a compulsion by expending a
Resolve Point as a free action. Maybe each PC who is at
Worsen 1 or beyond gets a
Resolve Point after each milestone.
Ending the Curse
The curse should only be truely lifted when the source of the curse has been defeated or a very particular ritual is researched that requires components from inside the cursed area. Only then can the PCs feel truely safe and free from "The Doom".
anyway these are just my thoughts, I hope you find them useful or they give you a few ideas.
