How do you incorporate this curse?

[killem2]

So, there is a boss fight coming up, we're made up of 5 level 3s, three animals fighting with us, and the boss is a slightly tweaked ogre barbarian from the MM.

The big thing is, this boss has a ring that gives DR 5/Piercing. Thing is the ring is severely cursed.

Hammerblock Ring of Cannibalism
Grants user DR 5 / Piercing
Upon wearing, it is bound until limb is severed or curse is removed.
User becomes C/E or N/E (not sure which yet), and must eat 1lb of the same species meat a week of take 1d6 con damage.



The questions I have are:

1. How do let/make the character who wears it, who is a good alignment start acting like c/e n/e with out telling them the ring is cursed (because they won;t know unless lucky)

2. How do you remove a curse? Is it by remove curse spell, that spell says it can't remove a curse form an item.

[hymer]

1: You can't. Write a handout and give it to the unlucky player, describing what happened, what you expect of them, and that it's up to the player to roleplay this curse so the other players guess what's up.

2: Remove Curse will allow the cursed character to remove the ring, but the ring is still cursed; so the next person who puts it on will be in trouble too.

[JonRG]

Remove curse instantaneously removes all curses on an object or a creature. Remove curse does not remove the curse from a cursed shield, weapon, or suit of armor, although the spell typically enables the creature afflicted with any such cursed item to remove and get rid of it.

The only way to truly force an alignment change is to remove control of the PC from the player.

[JoeYounger]

I would handle it with a phone call after the session ends. Tell him that this is purely OoC info, and not to tell anyone in the party. And let him know that good roleplaying will be rewarded.

The other way I'd handle it would to have the ring manifest the alignment change almost like schizophrenia. Where when he has the option to do an evil thing you slip him a notecard telling him that he just heard that in his head. Hell prolly chock ot up to being a powerful demon or something instead of the ring, but just keep passing the notecards encouraging evil behaviour and hell prolly turn on his own.

I may be wrong, but I don't think.you can remove a curse from an item except by wish or.miracle. remove curse just let's em tak the ring off.

[Gavinfoxx]

Hand him a paper if he puts it on.

Its their fault for, you know. Not Identifying it before wearing it...

[JonRG]

An identify spell only has a 1% chance per caster level to reveal a cursed item’s true properties, including the cursed aspect.

Only a 3% chance for this particular group. For their sake, I'm hoping they decide to sell it. How much would an item like that be worth on the open market?

[Gavinfoxx]

Oh, right. You need Analyze Dwoemer. Do they have access to that spell?

Also, Lore -- from the Bard and Cloistered Cleric and other classes -- can identify cursed items...

[killem2]

Well identify can find a curse with a 1% per caster level chance, but it isn't 100%.

We have some vicious melee players so they will LOOOOVE this ring, but they will pay for it.

Thanks for the help. I think the ad hoc rewards for good roleplaying will come in handy.

[JonRG]

We have some vicious melee players so they will LOOOOVE this ring, but they will pay for it.

When you phrase it that way, I see two likely outcomes.

1. The player treasures the ring forever and works around the 'minor' side effects. :smallamused:

2. The player becomes very, very upset.

I really hope there's no paladin. :smalleek:

[Particle_Man]

How narrow or broad do you define "species"? Because if one of the pcs is a member of a race that is very rare in the area the adventure is in, this seems like a ring of "I take con damage until I get a remove curse".

And I guess the boss was hard on the local ogre population?

A troll would have the easiest time of it - he could eat his own foot and it would grow back.

[Gavinfoxx]

So do they have access to Lore or Analyze Dwoemer or anything like that?

[JonRG]

So do they have access to Lore or Analyze Dwoemer or anything like that?

Five 3rd level PCs? Not likely. If they did, I doubt they'd have the notion to use it.

[Gavinfoxx]

3rd level PCs...?

Well, there could be a Bard / Cloistered Cleric / Rilkan Rogue / Psion (seer) with the ACF / Savant / etc. in the party, even at level 3. Bardic Knowledge works well to figure out cursed items...

[zelsha]

well a curse is a curse,but this is your choice,secret curse or not not so secret,if this is secret ,you have to make him read it on a paper ,but he can secretly tell the others ,so you can alway just play with the effect

for a alignment change,well the curse make the character happy with the change,others can help him change back,but this is a high level job
as said in the *helm of opposite alignment*
Alteration in alignment is mental as well as moral,and the individual changed by the magic thoroughly enjoys his new outlook. (you have to make a DC for that effect every time a individual equip the item on,if he get the will safe the effect wont work for that time,so every time he get it on ,simply make a secret will safe for him if you want this to be keep secret,that effect work only one time on a individual,so one will safe failed = permanent damage

only a wish or a miracle can restore former alignment ,and the affected individual does not make any attempt to return to the former alignment.(in fact,he views the prospect with horror and avoids it in any way possible.)and for a major class problem,like a paladin,he also need a atonement spell

but this is for the helm,you can alway water down the curse,for the helm it work only one time,your cursed items have more effects,and what happen to someone who is ALREADY evil?better just make him the opposite alignement ,or keep the evil side,and change the lawful and chaotic to the opposite ;)

ps: change in alignment is a major curse


the *and must eat 1lb of the same species meat a week of take 1d6 con damage* is a low level effect ,the damage in echange is moderate ,if someone equip the ring,this effect should be effective at 100% ,but a alignment change,you need a will safe:smallwink:

overal,GREAT item to have on a blackguard lol ,will be HAPPY if DMs i play with let me have something like this, i LOVE cursed items lol

[JonRG]

I don't know my 3.5 rules as well as I once did, so I don't see how Lore achieves this effect. Could you explain it to me? :smallsmile:

[Gavinfoxx]

Well Bardic Knowledge can identify even Artifacts, and can get you information on cursed items to boot. The DC would be higher, of course, but it can still be done -- just like you can identify magic items, even cursed items, with Spellcraft rolls... but the Spellcraft DC is higher for cursed items... I'll see if I can find the rules...

[killem2]

Thanks for the replies. I might have to go a different route for the curse. It does seem to have quite the extreme on both sides and one of the players isn't a strong role player so if he wins it, it might just be a waste.

[Gavinfoxx]

Remember, these, from various books and sources describing such things, are skills that can be used to identify magic items:

Knowledge Arcana
Search (if it has writing or symbols on)
Spellcraft
Use Magic Device
Appraise

As well as Bardic Knowledge

Look at the identifying magic items section in magic item compendium, and the save my game articles on magic item identification. In general, cursed items have gotten less and less prevalent in D&D 3.5 as time went on; almost all of them can be immediately removed, and aren't in most treasure lists, and there were fewer and fewer of them in the later books. Further, identifying magic items got easier and easier as time went on. This is mainly because the designers realized that useful, appropriately priced for their utility magic items that didn't screw over characters are necessary for several classes to function properly in the game.

There are spells that help, beyond Identify. There are feats that help identifying things. There are inexpensive items that help identifying things. There are skill tricks that help. There are alternative class features that help... as the game went on, 'difficult' magic items became less and less difficult so players could get their characters their hard earned rewards for adventuring and get back to, you know, dramatic adventuring.