[D&D 4e] Cursed Items

[Thajocoth]

Instead of Magic Items, loot parcels contain Magic Baubles. A Magic Bauble is a squishy magic sphere. If a player imagines an item they want and reaches into the bauble, they may find the item within. Pulling it out turns the bauble inside out, and it has no real inside, so it ceases to exist.

A Magic Bauble can create a Magic Item up to the Bauble's level with no problems. If the player wants an item of a level higher than the Bauble can conjure, they'll feel the Bauble twist to try to create it, and can choose to cancel this. If they proceed anyway, then they get a cursed version of the item they wanted.

1 level above - Minor curse
2 levels above - Major curse
3 levels above - Haven't decided yet - Either Creation fails, or the item gets both a Minor and a Major curse.
4 or more levels above - Creation fails

A curse drops the item's level and worth down to the level of the Bauble that created the item. A curse can be removed with the Disenchant Magic Item ritual by paying the difference in gold between the cursed item's value and the value it would have if it was not cursed. (No markup. Or should I have an Arcana check determine markup?)

I need a bunch of curses to make a Minor and Major curse table from. Things that are worth a 1 or 2 level decrease in an item's value, and can be applied to any item. Preferably, things that have some flavor to them. Temporary penalties that one would be willing to accept to be able to have an otherwise better item early.

Looking at my notes of what I wrote up... All of my ideas actually suck.

List of Minor Curses:
1 - Vaudeville - Whenever you roll a 1 on a d20 roll, you fall prone.
2 - Lethargic - Take -2 to initiative (-4 if the original item is paragon. -6 if the original item is epic.)
3 - Enemy - This item alerts enemies to your weaknesses. You grant combat advantage
4 - Pacifist - For any weapon or implement - whenever you roll an attack with this, you take one point of damage that cannot be reduced after the attack is resolved.
4 - Fearful - For any non-weapon/implement - Whenever an attack is rolled against you, take one point of damage that cannot be reduced before the attack is resolved.
5 - Bright - The item glows brightly. Take a -5 to stealth, and you can't benefit from concealment.
6 - Ugy - For any worn item - it looks completely ridiculous and out of fashion. Take a -2 penalty to charisma skill checks.
6 - Cowardly - For any weapon or implement - At the beginning of combat, this item is always inexplicably found in your backpack.
6 - Eager - For any non-worn item that is not a weapon or implement - At the beginning of combat, this item is always inexplicably found in your hand.
7 - Painful - If you do not attack on your turn, you take damage to you equal to your level.
8 - Dazing - If an attack rolls a natural one, the item holder is dazed until the end of their next turn.
9 - Untamed - Damage from an attack's crit dice is also dealt to this item's holder in addition to any other targets it's dealt to.
10 - Freebie - You just got a level upgrade to your item for free!

List of Major Curses:
1 - 241 - Two random Minor Curses
2 - Healthbane - Halve all healing effects received
3 - Crying - This item is constantly crying. If you don't move on your turn, you are slowed until the end of your next turn from a buildup of salty tears.
4 - Jealous - Every time you make a skill check, take your level in damage
5 - Screaming - The item is constantly screaming - Against any enemy that can hear, the stealth skill is unusable and you cannot benefit from concealment/total concealment.
6 - Unstable - The item's magic is (save ends). You can't choose not to roll the save at the end of a turn. It starts out mundane in combat. It also gains the following: At-Will - Minor Action - This item's magic is reactivated or sustained (save ends). You do not have to roll a saving throw against this effect this turn.
7 - Painful - If you do not attack on your turn, you take damage to you equal to half your surge value.
8 - Dazing - If an attack rolls a natural one, the item holder is dazed (save ends).
9 - Untamed - When this character crits, the maximized damage from the attack is also dealt to the attacker in addition to any other targets it's dealt to.
10 - Freebie - One random minor curse - You just got a level upgrade to your item for free!

[Esser-Z]

...That's actually an interesting idea. It's like flaws, but with loot!


I also find the magic bauble idea intriguing. Specific magic items seem to practically be class features or feats for 4e characters, so letting players just make what they want is a nice move. Hell, it could help fix economic stuff, too. Rather than lots of magic weapons lying around, there's magic stuff what only the strong willed (IE heroes and villains) can make use of. I might steal this next I run 4e.

[Kurald Galain]

Some random curses,


The item glows brightly. Take a -5 to stealth, and you can't benefit from concealment.
For any worn item - it looks completely ridiculous and out of fashion. Take a -2 penalty to charisma skill checks.
At the beginning of combat, this item is always inexplicably found in your backpack (if it's a weapon or implement you wield) or in your hand (if it's not).
For any weapon or implement - whenever you attack with this, you take one point of damage.
Take -2 to initiative.
Whenever you roll a 1 on an attack roll, you fall prone.

[Rockphed]

Some random curses,

At the beginning of combat, this item is always inexplicably found in your backpack (if it's a weapon or implement you wield) or in your hand (if it's not).


Imagine that happening with a breastplate. Or pants. Can you say awkward?

[Thajocoth]

...That's actually an interesting idea. It's like flaws, but with loot!


I also find the magic bauble idea intriguing. Specific magic items seem to practically be class features or feats for 4e characters, so letting players just make what they want is a nice move. Hell, it could help fix economic stuff, too. Rather than lots of magic weapons lying around, there's magic stuff what only the strong willed (IE heroes and villains) can make use of. I might steal this next I run 4e.

Go ahead. I like it because I don't have to sort through a bunch of wishlists and decide what's of the right levels.


Some random curses,


The item glows brightly. Take a -5 to stealth, and you can't benefit from concealment.
For any worn item - it looks completely ridiculous and out of fashion. Take a -2 penalty to charisma skill checks.
At the beginning of combat, this item is always inexplicably found in your backpack (if it's a weapon or implement you wield) or in your hand (if it's not).
For any weapon or implement - whenever you attack with this, you take one point of damage.
Take -2 to initiative.
Whenever you roll a 1 on an attack roll, you fall prone.


Thanks. These are good. I just have to decide which ones are major and which are minor. I'm hoping to have a list of 10 for each... 20 curses in all.

I could take effects from the diseases... Like -1 to your maximum number of surges, or halve incoming healing. (Those would be major curses, I'd think.) They're also not nearly as fun or flavorful as yours.

[dgnslyr]

Imagine that happening with a breastplate. Or pants. Can you say awkward?

I'm sure this has potential for bluff, or maybe intimidation.

[Janus]

Nice, I like these ideas here.


The item glows brightly. Take a -5 to stealth, and you can't benefit from concealment.
I've always been fond of items that make noise, be it crying, screaming, whining, or insults and profanity directed at the wielder.


Imagine that happening with a breastplate. Or pants. Can you say awkward?
"My pants are cursed!" Yeah, that one's odd.

[Thajocoth]

Nice, I like these ideas here.

I've always been fond of items that make noise, be it crying, screaming, whining, or insults and profanity directed at the wielder.

Major Curse: The item is constantly screaming - Against any enemy that can hear, the stealth skill is unusable and you cannot benefit from concealment/total concealment.

[cupkeyk]

1. Item eats and drinks as a medium creature or will lose magical properties. (Item could actually be a person that can transform into an item and cannot perform properly if unfed and taken care of.)

2. Paranoid item telepathically suggests the worst possible scenario in asocial situation, giving -2 to insight checks.

3. Changes perception to reflect passage of time. Grants perception bonus but a diplomacy penalty as PC sees all people decaying.

4. Potion or other consumable is addictive. Must imbibe at least one per day.

[Thajocoth]

4. Potion or other consumable is addictive. Must imbibe at least one per day.

I plan on doing this as a separate thing entirely. 6 consumables sold by a shady dealer, each of which add +2 to an ability score for an hour. Each one is highly addictive, and more indulgence makes it worse when not under the effects of them.

[mootoall]

Major Curses-
For a weapon: For every X damage this weapon deals, it deals one point of damage back to the wielder

For armor: This armor corrodes as it's hit. Every time someone exceeds your touch AC, the enchantment bonus for the armor decreases by one point.

Minor Curses-
Weapon: This weapon has a deflective aura around it. For every attack roll, subtract two. When you fight defensively, add one extra point to your AC.

Armor: This armor is slightly magnetic. Every time your opponent tries to hit you with an iron or steel weapon, take a -2 penalty to AC.

[Thajocoth]

Major Curses-
For a weapon: For every X damage this weapon deals, it deals one point of damage back to the wielder

For armor: This armor corrodes as it's hit. Every time someone exceeds your touch AC, the enchantment bonus for the armor decreases by one point.

Minor Curses-
Weapon: This weapon has a deflective aura around it. For every attack roll, subtract two. When you fight defensively, add one extra point to your AC.

Armor: This armor is slightly magnetic. Every time your opponent tries to hit you with an iron or steel weapon, take a -2 penalty to AC.

4e doesn't have Touch AC or Fighting Defensively, and no one keeps track of item materials.

[mootoall]

Ah, right. Have I mentioned I don't like 4e? :smallbiggrin:

[Noircat]

I played with this idea for a while, but more along the lines of "one of a kind" cursed magic items.


Sneaky Cowardly Cloak- good at finding hiding places +x to Stealth but will detach from character and flee once the character wearing it is bloodied

+3 Blood-fearing weapon faints and drops in power to +1 if bloodied creature wields or is adjacent to the character. Blunt weapons only.

Innately nonlethal weapon with great attack bonus. Knocks monsters out for standard time.

Bloodthirsty Garrote Amulet- Must strangle 1 creature per day or it tries to strangle you. Acts as a +x garrote or just a good amulet(maybe related to grappling or air breathing)

Generous Featherweight Coinsatchel -10% weight up to 10 lb. in reduction of weight but strongly suggests generousity and reminds players of their wealth verbally when you are asked to pay for something. Alternately bag of holding.

[cupkeyk]

How about an item that grants the benefits of the feat coordinated explosion. I mean that feat makes blasters want to include allies in their blast areas. You can limit the benefit to All creatures in blast/burst and not for All enemies in blast/burst.

[tcrudisi]

4e doesn't have Touch AC or Fighting Defensively, and no one keeps track of item materials.

True, but if you liked his ideas, they can be made to work.

Minor Curses-
Weapon: This weapon has a deflective aura around it. For every attack roll, subtract two. When you take the Total Defense action, add one extra point to your AC.


Okay, I have no idea how to fix the other one. Reducing it's enhancement bonus by one would quickly make any item worthless (even in 3.5). I would never pick up a cursed item if it could potentially be THAT bad. Sure, losing access to an important skill (like Stealth) is very hurtful... but at least the item isn't useless after one combat.

[Hal]

Oh, this can be fun:

Minor:
-The item scrambles your brain. As long as it is in your possession, you cannot speak any language in an understandable manner.
-Unstable energies surge through the weapon. If you score a critical hit with a weapon/implement with this curse, you take 5 points of damage.

Major:
-The item is actively trying to aid your enemies. You grant combat advantage to your foes as long as the item is in your possession.
-The item is so old that its powers are waning. You must spend a minor action to maintain the item's bonus and features until the end of your next turn.

I'd give more, but I gotta get off to work.

[Kurald Galain]

A small raincloud appears over your head and follows you. You gain resist 5 fire, but a -2 penalty to athletics, acrobatics and endurance.
All domestic animals will snarl, hiss and claw at you. If you are in combat with wild animals, they will focus fire on you.
You lose the ability to read and write while wearing this item.

[BobTheDog]

You lose the ability to read and write while wearing this item.


+6 Tome of the Ignoramous

"I can cast powerful magic with this book, but I just can't seem to understand it." :smallconfused:
:smallbiggrin:

[mobdrazhar]

4e doesn't have Touch AC or Fighting Defensively, and no one keeps track of item materials.

actually it does still have touch AC... as there are touch attacks

[CakeTown]

actually it does still have touch AC... as there are touch attacks

But didn't 3.5 have touch AC that was separate from normal AC?

I'm not sure what the difference between Melee Touch and Melee 1 is, but I know there isn't a separate defense for touch attacks.

[Reluctance]

Melee touch is a range. The closest 4e has to touch AC is reflex defense. Which is bad for a general curse, as it hardly affects cloth-wearing characters while it demolishes heavy armor wearers.

It'd be nice to have benchmarks to aim for if this ends up happening. Is minor supposed to mean "embarrassing nonmechanical penalty" with major meaning mechanical, or does minor mean "minor persistent or noteworthy situational mechanical penalty", with major being the significant and persistent penalties?

[Thajocoth]

It'd be nice to have benchmarks to aim for if this ends up happening. Is minor supposed to mean "embarrassing nonmechanical penalty" with major meaning mechanical, or does minor mean "minor persistent or noteworthy situational mechanical penalty", with major being the significant and persistent penalties?

Minor is supposed to be "Annoying, but worth dealing with for a short time to have this slightly better item", and Major is supposed to be "Really annoying, but worth dealing with for a while to have this much better item".

They're not supposed to keep the curses longer than it takes to gather the money to Disenchant the Curse. (Curses are removed by paying the level difference through Disenchant Magic Item.) But they're supposed to be able to play with them too. I realize how fine a line this might be.

A minor curse is worth 1 level to the item. A major curse is worth 2. So a level 4 item with a minor curse is a level 3 item that acts perfectly as a level 4 item, but has a drawback. Getting rid of that drawback (the minor curse) costs 160gp (840-680, the prices of a level 3 and 4 item) and an hour of casting (casting time of Disenchant Magic Item), and brings the item's level back up to 4.

I haven't decided yet whether or not to tack on 25 extra gp per curse removed, or allow it to add a percentage based on an arcana check during casting (0% with a high check, 40% with a low check) or just leave it at the flat difference like that.

Does that help at all?

So, like, one of the level 1 parcels says "Magic item level 5". For that parcel, I would give a Level 5 Magic Bauble. The player can accept a minor curse to pull out a +2 Magic Longsword from the bauble, which is a level 6 item. They're getting a bonus to the level of their loot in exchange for dealing with a curse for a little while. This level 1 character has a +2 weapon now. Once he's saved up 800gp and found someone able to cast Disenchant Magic Item, he can get rid of the curse, keeping his +2 Longsword as is. The curse should be about as annoying as having a level 5 Longsword instead would be. Make up the approximate difference in item level. Decrease the player's "power" by that amount somewhere else as a trade-off for their gain of power through that item's extra 1 or 2 levels. (1 for minor, 2 for major).

[Mercenary Pen]

A suggestion for you:

-chafing item: user takes one point of damage every time they attempt to make an Athletics or Acrobatics check.

-this item makes you believe you are an umber hulk, and attempt to act accordingly (best make this a major curse, it's probably close to artifact level)

[Shatteredtower]

Major curse: Your weapon's vanity is such that it will not cooperate if you don't give it your most spectacular effort. The good news is that this will let you use any of your powers with the weapon keyword when you'd normally be granted a basic melee (or ranged) attack. The bad news is that your first attack in any encounter must spend a daily weapon keyword power, if you have any available, and you can't use any at-will powers of that type until you've exhausted your weapon keyword encounter powers.

Those that find this too demanding may opt for another good news/bad news scenario: the weapon enables you to regain one daily power with the weapon keyword at the end of a short rest, but you use one healing surge.

[Thajocoth]

I adapted some suggestions above that were specifically for certain types of items to be usable with any item. The less list splitting I gotta do, the better.

Possible final lists... Critique? Suggest changes? I'd have the players roll 1d10 and tell them which curse they got from the appropriate list.

Are there things on this list that are not worth having an item that's X levels higher for? Are there things on this list that are not harsh enough for having an item that's X level higher? Remember, they can be removed with Disenchant Magic Item, and the difference in price of the levels.

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List of Minor Curses: (1 level difference)
1 - Vaudeville - Whenever you roll a 1 on a d20 roll, you fall prone.
2 - Lethargic - Take -2 to initiative (-4 if the original item is paragon. -6 if the original item is epic.)
3 - Enemy - This item alerts enemies to your weaknesses. You grant combat advantage
4 - Pacifist - For any weapon or implement - whenever you roll an attack with this, you take one point of damage that cannot be reduced after the attack is resolved. (2 damage if the original item is Paragon. 3 if Epic.)
4 - Fearful - For any non-weapon/implement - Whenever an attack is rolled against you, take one point of damage that cannot be reduced before the attack is resolved. (2 damage if the original item is Paragon. 3 if Epic.)
5 - Bright - The item glows brightly. Take a -5 to stealth, and you can't benefit from concealment.
6 - Ugy - For any worn item - it looks completely ridiculous and out of fashion. Take a -2 penalty to charisma skill checks.
6 - Cowardly - For any weapon or implement - At the beginning of combat, this item is always inexplicably found in your backpack.
6 - Eager - For any non-worn item that is not a weapon or implement - At the beginning of combat, this item is always inexplicably found in your hand.
7 - Painful - If you do not attack on your turn, you take damage to you equal to your level.
8 - Dazing - If an attack rolls a natural one, the item holder is dazed until the end of their next turn.
9 - Untamed - Damage from an attack's crit dice is also dealt to this item's holder in addition to any other targets it's dealt to.
10 - Freebie - No curse! - You just got a level upgrade to your item for free!

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List of Major Curses: (2 level difference)
1 - 241 - Two random Minor Curses
2 - Healthbane - Halve all healing effects received
3 - Crying - This item is constantly crying. If you don't move on your turn, you are slowed until the end of your next turn from a buildup of salty tears.
4 - Jealous - Every time you make a skill check, take your level in damage from the item.
5 - Screaming - The item is constantly screaming - Against any enemy that can hear, the stealth skill is unusable and you cannot benefit from concealment/total concealment.
6 - Unstable - The item's magic is (save ends). You can't choose not to roll the save at the end of a turn. It starts out mundane in combat. It also gains the following: At-Will - Minor Action - This item's magic is reactivated or sustained (save ends). You do not have to roll a saving throw against this effect this turn.
7 - Painful - If you do not attack on your turn, you take damage to you equal to half your surge value.
8 - Dazing - If an attack rolls a natural one, the item holder is dazed (save ends).
9 - Untamed - When this character crits, the maximized damage from the attack is also dealt to the attacker in addition to any other targets it's dealt to.
10 - Freebie - One random minor curse - You just got a level upgrade to your item for free!

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Damage dealt from a curse cannot be reduced in any way.

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Also, do you think that, when the players Disenchant a curse, should I:
- Charge only the difference in level's value
- Charge the difference in level's value + 25gp for casting the ritual
- Charge the difference in level's value + a markup based on an Arcana check while casting the ritual
- Charge the difference in level's value + 25gp for casting the ritual + a markup based on an Arcana check while casting the ritual