Epic Curses

[herculesftw]

Anyone care to get creative?

[Feralventas]

Are you looking for "epic" curses, meaning interesting or amusing ones, or Epic-Level curses, as in things that are painful and difficult to deal with at 21st or higher level?

[Arcanist]

Are you looking for "epic" curses, meaning interesting or amusing ones, or Epic-Level curses, as in things that are painful and difficult to deal with at 21st or higher level?

Even if the OP is not looking for this, I am.

[TuggyNE]

Even if the OP is not looking for this, I am.

Yes, but which? :smalltongue:

[herculesftw]

I would just like to see people's imagination put to the test with an epic curse put on someone they may not like in a campaign hahaha. And yes 21st level and up

[herculesftw]

for example, I played in a campaign with someone who for some reason, always betrays us. So near the end of the campaign I knew it was coming, so I had a little insurance(trap). Made sure I had a gem worth more than his HD, and his name. In the event of him betraying us, I offered my best magic item to be on his side. When he accepted the 'gift' off his soul went. This guy complained so hard about it, and I said he could come back as long as he goes under an atonement spell ect, cant betray us blablabla. An epic curse would of been more fun

[AWiz_Abroad]

What about going all Lyonsbane familial curse?

"I curse you and your heirs from now until the 77th generation to transform into a panther everytime you turn aside from good aligned people who need your help."

Nothing like a bit of lycanthropy

[GoatBoy]

Did anyone ever read or hear about that X-Men issue, where the kid's mutant powers suddenly manifest, but they simply have the effect of spontaneously disintegrating every living being within a certain radius (100 feet or so)? So he wakes up, and his family is gone, and his neighbours, etc...

So the only person not affected is Wolverine (surprise) but the kid accepts what Wolverine has to do.

Boy: So, like...(sniffles)...like one chromosome or whatever to the left, and I woudl'a maybe been one of the X-Men.
Logan: Maybe.
(silence)
Logan: Finish your beer.
Boy: Just do it.

Yeah, that's what an epic curse should be like.

[Renen]

The best curse of all: "rocks fall you die"
Can only be imposed by the supreme deity

[Bakeru]

I am rather fond of "Programmed Amnesia" (9th level Enchantment from Spell Compendium).
It's everything that "Mind Rape" (from BoVD) is and more, except that it isn't automatically evil.
Basically, it's a "that character is now mine"-spell. You can completely rewrite a personality, and only wish, miracle or greater restoration can undo it.
So, if you manage to make someone helpless for 10 minutes to cast the spell and ensure he fails his safe, you can rewrite his personality to "My loyal and dedicated servant who doesn't care that he's actually brainwashed".

[Snowbluff]

You have that backwards. Mindrape is a better programmed amnesia.

[the_david]

Did anyone ever read or hear about that X-Men issue, where the kid's mutant powers suddenly manifest, but they simply have the effect of spontaneously disintegrating every living being within a certain radius (100 feet or so)? So he wakes up, and his family is gone, and his neighbours, etc...

So the only person not affected is Wolverine (surprise) but the kid accepts what Wolverine has to do.

Boy: So, like...(sniffles)...like one chromosome or whatever to the left, and I woudl'a maybe been one of the X-Men.
Logan: Maybe.
(silence)
Logan: Finish your beer.
Boy: Just do it.

Yeah, that's what an epic curse should be like.Ultimate X-Men, but yeah, awesome.
I couldn't find an Epic Curse spell, but for Bestow Curse the best ones are often the ones that hurt you personally. Cursing the pirate captain with seasickness is hilarious!

[Bakeru]

You have that backwards. Mindrape is a better programmed amnesia.There are five main differences:
Mind Rape has better casting time and range (1 action vs. 10 minutes, this part matters),
Mind Rape has no material component (but 500gp for Programmed Amnesia is trivial at that level),
Mind Rape can drive people insane, but
Programmed Amnesia can be set to (de)activate by trigger, and
"break enchantment" can partially heal Mind Rape (it returns original alignment and personality), but Programmed Amnesia is only affected by greater restoration, miracle and wish.

The casting time is nice, sure, but I'd prefer if it would take more than a fifth-level spell to return to the original alignment and personality. Also, the "activate by trigger"-jokes you can pull off with Programmed Amnesia are priceless.

On another note, my character is neutral good ("painless brainwashing is a lot better than execution"), so an [evil] spell doesn't really suit him.

[MrNobody]

Anyone care to get creative?

If the target of the course is emotionally linked to an item (his father's sword, his mother's necklace, etc.), this item is sent somewhere in a 500 km radius, impossible to scy or to be seen by magical means.
The target has an year to find it. If he doesn't find it in that time, the item comes back in his and somone the character loves (parent, wife, friend) dies horribly.
After a week, the item vanishes again for another year, and this repeats for all the target's life.

[Zero grim]

And also programmed amnesia can only remove a week of memories, not an awful lots of personality can change if you can only really deal with a weeks difference.

Onto curses, the greatest curse is the gift that keeps on giving, simply put an epic curse that curses all who know you and all people who interact with you to receive greater curses themselves, your forced to be a hermit or to be hated by everyone you ever know.

other then that just a curse to be eternally haunted by an unkillable bee, its a little more extreme but I think it fits the bill.

[Bakeru]

And also programmed amnesia can only remove a week of memories, not an awful lots of personality can change if you can only really deal with a weeks difference.There's no limit to how much you can add, however.
You can add memories that support your planned personality throughout the target's entire life, and then rewrite his last two weeks into "suddenly re-thinking his life" based on memories it originally never had.

Think what would happened if you gave Batman a childhood's worth of memories of loving foster-parents. That should help him get over his dead parents.

[Slipperychicken]

Plague of Tribbles.

Spending one minute in a tribble-infested area causes a creature to gain the tribble-infested flaw (whenever a character with this flaw retrieves an item of any sort, there is a 50% chance he retrieves a tribble instead, finding that the container he drew it from (if any) is filled or covered with tribbles). Tribbles are cute, but worthless. They cannot be sold (but can be given), have no attacks, provide no nourishment when eaten or composted, and possess no hit dice or ability scores (but have 1hp. Nonlethal damage forces them into an adorable slumber until the damage is healed naturally). Any creature deliberately attempting to kill one or more tribbles or otherwise engineer their deaths must succeed a DC 17 Will save or succumb to their unbearable cuteness, losing the will to take aggressive action against them for one minute. This is a mind-affecting charm effect.

[the_david]

I guess you're gonna need this?

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/seeds/afflict.htm

[Sith_Happens]

I guess you're gonna need this?

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/seeds/afflict.htm

Needs an ad-hoc factor for the "any other curse whose power is in line with the above" bit, but otherwise, yeah, the Afflict seed is probably the place to start if you actually want to use anything in this thread.

[Otomodachi]

Plague of Tribbles.

Spending one minute in a tribble-infested area causes a creature to gain the tribble-infested flaw (whenever a character with this flaw retrieves an item of any sort, there is a 50% chance he retrieves a tribble instead, finding that the container he drew it from (if any) is filled or covered with tribbles). Tribbles are cute, but worthless. They cannot be sold (but can be given), have no attacks, provide no nourishment when eaten or composted, and possess no hit dice or ability scores (but have 1hp. Nonlethal damage forces them into an adorable slumber until the damage is healed naturally). Any creature deliberately attempting to kill one or more tribbles or otherwise engineer their deaths must succeed a DC 17 Will save or succumb to their unbearable cuteness, losing the will to take aggressive action against them for one minute. This is a mind-affecting charm effect.

Cue quest to save the world from the Fuzzy Plague.

[Bakeru]

This is a mind-affecting charm effect.It means Doppelgangers are immune (immunity to charm and sleep). Maybe tribbles should have an ability that makes them able to distinguish shapechangers and act up in their presence?^^

[Slipperychicken]

It means Doppelgangers are immune (immunity to charm and sleep). Maybe tribbles should have an ability that makes them able to distinguish shapechangers and act up in their presence?^^

That would be some fun trolling, having them squeal/coo especially loudly when shapechangers come by. Of course, it would incentivize their use as shapechanger-radar, which runs slightly counter to their role as adorable pests, but would encourage people to carry them around and spread the Plague. I just have the mental image of a Beguiler trying to be sneaky and casting spells, but then pulls a fat tribble out of his spell component pouch, realizes it ate his components, and then it starts screaming because he cast Alter Self a few hours before.

Obviously, only the Will save is a mind-affecting charm effect. The infestation isn't :smallbiggrin:

[Feralventas]

-Curse of Baccob: You are immune to the effects of all divine or arcane magic. (immune to psionics as well if you are using psi/magic transparency.)

A character under the effect of this curse cannot gain any effect from magical spells, items, or effects of any kind. They are treated as having infinite SR, being surrounded up to 1/1000th of a centimeter away from their skin in an Anti-Magic Field, and any supernatural effect that the character is able to use or be affected by Despite these limitation (including Epic Spells or Powers) is immediately subject to a Dispelling effect, as per the epic spell-seed with Baccob's caster level as the modifier with no limitations the likes of which are found in Dispel Magic or Greater Dispel Magic.

Alternatively, turning the character into a Karsite (Tome of Magic) might be an easier and less painful version.

-Curse of Pelor
Any time you are exposed to sunlight, you are treated as being Staggered and for 1 round per your own character level after you are able to conceal yourself. Clothing, garments, and foliage shadows do Not mitigate this; if you are out in the sun, you are out in the sun, and holding an umbrella will not help. If you are immune to the Staggered condition, each round that you are exposed you are instead subject to the spell Deadly Sunstroke (Complete Mage) with a caster level equal to Pelor's Cleric level.

Curse of Kord
You may not hold any weapon. Attempting to pick up a weapon fails in a fashion that the DM deems appropriate. Some weapons move away from you, others are burning to the touch, and sometimes you may simply trip over yourself (15% chance to fall prone when failing to pick up a weapon from the ground.)
Any object you attempt to weaponize is affected as if having failed it's save against a disintegration spell. Your unnamed attacks deal non-lethal damage and invariably impose a -20 penalty to hit and damage, and always provoke attacks of opportunity even if you have Improved Unarmed Strike or other means of attack.
Your natural weapons are filed down and dulled upon being placed under this curse.

[Snowbluff]

There's no limit to how much you can add, however.
You can add memories that support your planned personality throughout the target's entire life, and then rewrite his last two weeks into "suddenly re-thinking his life" based on memories it originally never had.

Think what would happened if you gave Batman a childhood's worth of memories of loving foster-parents. That should help him get over his dead parents.

Except Mindrape can do that. In less time. It's not the portion that can be removed via Break, either. You can completely erase Batman's parents from his entire memory. The limitations on the effect shared between the two spells are much smaller on Mindrape.

The shorter casting time even let's you pass it off as a better Jedi-Mind trick. :smalltongue:

[Otomodachi]

Oooh, to copy Feralventas' theme...

Curse of Farlanghan (or w/e)

You may never rest (DnD rules definition of rest) within the same 1 mile radius twice. If you do, you receive none of the normal benefits of peaceful rest, and must make a save as per the parameters of the epic spell (build it however you want) or be rendered permanently insane (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/insanity.htm) as per the spell, except that this condition can only be removed by a deity using the Alter Reality SDA.

[Slipperychicken]

Oooh, to copy Feralventas' theme...

Curse of Farlanghan (or w/e)

You may never rest (DnD rules definition of rest) within the same 1 mile radius twice. If you do, you receive none of the normal benefits of peaceful rest, and must make a save as per the parameters of the epic spell (build it however you want) or be rendered permanently insane (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/insanity.htm) as per the spell, except that this condition can only be removed by a deity using the Alter Reality SDA.

That one's incredibly harsh. Maybe scaling penalties and then a compulsion effect to travel aimlessly for 1d10 days would make more sense?

[Gildedragon]

For an epic level character:
Vow of Poverty, Vow of Peace, Vow of Nonviolence all take hold of you immediately. You gain the benefits of these feats immediately but you cannot physically break them. Trying to hurt (or ask someone to hurt) someone/get possessions for you causes incredible pain to you and a -1 to all rolls for an hour, and you are unable to do what you intended.

[herculesftw]

Everyone you come in contact with pukes on you

[Arcanist]

Everyone you come in contact with pukes on you

BBEG: "NOTHING CAN STOP ME AS I CAST MY DREADED CITY BOMB SPELL!"
Hero: "HI DEXTER!"
BBEG: *Vomits on the Hero preventing him from using his verbal components* DAMN IT! :smallfurious:

... Yeah... Let's not do this :smalltongue:

[Bakeru]

That would be some fun trolling, having them squeal/coo especially loudly when shapechangers come by. Of course, it would incentivize their use as shapechanger-radar, which runs slightly counter to their role as adorable pests, but would encourage people to carry them around and spread the Plague. I just have the mental image of a Beguiler trying to be sneaky and casting spells, but then pulls a fat tribble out of his spell component pouch, realizes it ate his components, and then it starts screaming because he cast Alter Self a few hours before.

Obviously, only the Will save is a mind-affecting charm effect. The infestation isn't :smallbiggrin:Well, in their first episode, klingons were the only ones (or appeared to be the only ones, at least) really "immune" to the tribble charm. And the dislike was mutual. So, replacing klingons with doppelgangers here seems fitting.


Except Mindrape can do that. In less time. It's not the portion that can be removed via Break, either. You can completely erase Batman's parents from his entire memory. The limitations on the effect shared between the two spells are much smaller on Mindrape.

The shorter casting time even let's you pass it off as a better Jedi-Mind trick. :smalltongue:The erasure of his memories is as permanent as with PA, yes, but the accompanying change in alignment and personality caused by it can be cured by "break enchantment". So, one fifth-level spell later, batman is a brooding badass (of whatever alignment he used to be) again, he just doesn't know why he is like that.

Oh, and Programmed Amnesia can inflict negative levels. Sure, they're temporary, but they're also impossible to regain through any means but waiting. Nice trick, especially since any PA-effect can be trigger-activated later.

[Jack_Simth]

The erasure of his memories is as permanent as with PA, yes, but the accompanying change in alignment and personality caused by it can be cured by "break enchantment". So, one fifth-level spell later, batman is a brooding badass (of whatever alignment he used to be) again, he just doesn't know why he is like that.

Oh, and Programmed Amnesia can inflict negative levels. Sure, they're temporary, but they're also impossible to regain through any means but waiting. Nice trick, especially since any PA-effect can be trigger-activated later.
Let's see...

Programmed Amnesia: Spell Compendium page 162 (3.5): 10 minute casting, expensive material component, Enchantment(Compulsion)[Mind-affecting], Permanent, shows the caster all the subject's memories. Options: Erase up to 1 full week of memories, Implant false memories (no limit), negative levels, change alignment/personality, programmed trigger. Immune to dispelling, but countered by Greater Restoration, Miracle, or Wish.
Mindrape: Book of Exalted Deeds page 99 (3.0): 1 standard action, Evil, Enchantment [Evil,Mind-affecting], Instant; shows the caster all the subject's memories; options: alter/add/remove any memories, alter alignment/personality, insanity. Counters: Break Enchantment (partial - severe changes to alignment and personality only), Miracle, Wish.

So:
Programmed Amnesia has more options
Mindrape is more thorough on memories.
Memory changes from Mindrape are harder to fix (two counters, rather than three and a half for Programmed Amnesia [as a Permanent spell, it's subject to disjoining; however, as it's immune to dispelling, it's arguably immune to Disjunction as well).
Mindrape is harder to detect (it's an Instant effect, so the magic aura goes away after a little while, unlike the Permanent Programmed Amnesia).
Mindrape is much easier to land on a target (medium vs. short range, standard action vs. 10 minute casting time, slightly fewer blanket immunity options due to the subschool on Programmed Amnesia)

Unless you need the "trigger" clause in Programmed Amnesia for spy business, Mindrape seems superior in my opinion.

[Otomodachi]

That one's incredibly harsh. Maybe scaling penalties and then a compulsion effect to travel aimlessly for 1d10 days would make more sense?

Epic spell, it's supposed to be harsh. :) Must be a difference of aesthetics between us, I think- as a player or a DM, I find this less objectionable than some other curses because it gives the player agency over whether or not it ever triggers. Even if you're tied up and held prisoner, there's nothing saying you have to engage in DnD 'rest'.

[Feralventas]

Epic spell, it's supposed to be harsh. :) Must be a difference of aesthetics between us, I think- as a player or a DM, I find this less objectionable than some other curses because it gives the player agency over whether or not it ever triggers. Even if you're tied up and held prisoner, there's nothing saying you have to engage in DnD 'rest'.


More so, if you're being cursed directly that's one thing (have the caster in place is rather important). If you're cursed indirectly, there's no caster to interact with so....
>Attack caster or get into range to do so
doesn't have much value to it.
>Act Normally
Alright then.
>Do nothing but babble incoherently
This might be bothersome but realistically it would come into play as the character occasionally spouting non-sequiturs.
>Flee from caster
What caster?
>Attack nearest creature.
Well this one makes things a little more troublesome, but a simple straight-jacket with the called enchantment should suffice to keep them from being too much trouble until combat starts up normally.


This isn't that bad all things considered.

[Shining Wrath]

I think the best curses are the ones that take into account the curse bestower and the curse receiver.

In The Farthest Shore, Sparrowhawk cursed a pirate chief who'd been trying to excuse his slave trading with "May you remain silent until you find a word worth speaking".

An evil guy would curse a Paladin in a way where he'd have to choose between losing his oath and the triumph of evil - or, of course, both.

[Jack_Simth]

BBEG: "NOTHING CAN STOP ME AS I CAST MY DREADED CITY BOMB SPELL!"
Hero: "HI DEXTER!"
BBEG: *Vomits on the Hero preventing him from using his verbal components* DAMN IT! :smallfurious:

... Yeah... Let's not do this :smalltongue:
Same could be said about any curse that does not directly affect the target (such as the prior-mentioned loved ones dying if they don't re-find a particular item regularly) as they can be warped into a no-save, no-sr weapon against your opponents.