Paper Mario-style bestow curse

[Razanir]

I'm running a campaign, and one mission the PCs will have is stopping a plot to kill the mayor. They need to get in to a party to do so, AND the Copper Dragon captain of the guard is willing to help... if they can make him laugh. He likes your joke- The party gets invitations. He doesn't like it- he curses you.

I don't want the curses to be that bad for the PCs just not being funny, so what are some ideas of stuff that's not so bad that is legal under bestow curse

[supermonkeyjoe]

Have them related to the jokes somehow? make a stupid fart joke you get cursed with uncontrollable flatulence and a -10 penalty to diplomacy and intimidate.

[fryplink]

The PC's laugh whenever anyone finishes talking. Outside of combat, -5 to the social skills, in combat, they drop their swift/immediate action the round after someone talks.

[Redshirt Army]

Make the curse temporary, though (unless they're easily able to get it lifted)

[Razanir]

The PC's laugh whenever anyone finishes talking. Outside of combat, -5 to the social skills, in combat, they drop their swift/immediate action the round after someone talks.

YES. Okay, I've decided on the stakes for the dragon's game:
The dragon likes puns and knock knock jokes, so those will get them the invites
He hates sexist/racist jokes, so he'll use PAO or lesser geas to make you learn a lesson. (e.g. Sexist joke against girls = PAO you into a girl):smallamused:
Otherwise, he decides that you need to learn what "not funny" means, and curses you to laugh whenever someone speaks (-5 to Diplo, Bluff, Intimidate and Gather Information, and if someone talks during combat, you only get 1 swift action)

[Strormer]

Have them related to the jokes somehow? make a stupid fart joke you get cursed with uncontrollable flatulence and a -10 penalty to diplomacy and intimidate.

I like this a lot. ^_^

Or you could curse them with a funnier joke that the dragon makes, like saying "that's not funny, but your hair is..." and then having the pc's hair turn pink or something. Or like "your mom" and then having the pc's mother show up and start lecturing every time the pc does something the mother would disapprove of. (fantastic if an evil or neutral player has a good mom, or vice versa.)

[deuxhero]

Quote Monty Python? Bad thing (lighting?) happens when you say something not a Monty Python quote!

(warning, don't use if the player knows Monty Python beyond Search for the Holy Grail and the famous sketches)

[Heliomance]

Uh... only getting a swift action (as in losing both your move and standard actions) in combat if someone talks is horrifically harsh. As in, cripplingly, homicidally harsh.

[Razanir]

Uh... only getting a swift action (as in losing both your move and standard actions) in combat if someone talks is horrifically harsh. As in, cripplingly, homicidally harsh.

My bad. I meant LOSE the swift action