Bestow Curse ideas

[Arkusus]

So, I'm trying to prepare an encounter for a party with one goal in mind, teach the party to never EVER allow a Necromancer to touch them.

Basically the idea goes as follows, party sent to clear out Necromancer's castle/cave/whatever. Necromancer sees them coming, goes out to meet them posing as an escaped test subject who's wife is still trapped inside. He asks the party to please, oh please help him out, and if they agree, tries to get off a handshake (or two) and delivering Bestow Curse if anyone agrees. After that he tries to pretty much curse the entire party in short order, hopefully leaving them horribly disabled before laughing and leaving them to their fate (blinded and weakened they have to find their way back to town)


So... I'm looking for some good ideas for curses, since the spell allows for ample amounts of creativity. I already intend to use the Blindness deafness spell as well, so those aren't required.

So far the curses I've come up with are as follows:
Mute, so the cleric can't cast (most) spells.
Cursing the player so they cannot tell anyone they are cursed, or ask for help with a curse.
Cursing the player so IF they ever deliberately attack the Necromancer, it triggers a slightly weaker version of the -4 to all attack and save rolls.

Any other fun ideas any of you have used, or thought up?

[Deophaun]

BoVD and Dragon 348 have a lot more curses. Good for judging power levels.

BoVD and Dragon 348 have a lot more curses. Good for judging power levels.

Edit: Mute is probably extreme (As by the above sources, it takes a Bestow Greater Curse to remove spellcasting, which you're essentially replicating).

The "can't tell anyone you're cursed" curse is a bit... pointless.

And the weaker -4 is perhaps needlessly nerfed.

I like to do a reverse of the Liar Liar curse. The target cannot tell the truth and must deceive his friends (note: not simply lie, but deceive; requires that lies be believable). Or the Casandra curse that makes all his allies refuse to believe any of his warnings ("Guys! This dragon breathes Acid!" "Psh, yeah right. Tell us anothOHGODITBURNS!").

[Segev]

One I actually used, after an elf in the party kept inadvertently causing inordinate trouble with a crowbar, and was very determined to get another one after the fighter had taken hers away, bent it, and thrown it overboard while we were floating down a river:

"You will never find another crowbar."

For other fun ones:

Curse the wizard with Illiteracy.
Childhood (I think the typical penalties for being physically immature are comparable to what Bestow Curse can do)
Age (Just the physical penalties, of course; again, I think they're comparable)
"No one will ever trust you again." (Character must succeed a Bluff check for people to not automatically believe he's being somehow dishonest.)
"May your taxes increase!"
Gender-swapping (no mechanical effect, but I'm sure it'll annoy the right PC)
Swap one language known for another; character believes the language is what he learned it as. (e.g. when he speaks Common, he's really speaking Orc, but thinks he hears Orcs speaking common and humans speaking orc.)
Attracts Vermin
"You will fail the most important task in your life." (There is a natural 1 somewhere in the character's future. The DM will decide when. But it will be bad.)
"The two of you will be inseparable." (The fighter becomes tattooed with the entire contents of the wizard's spellbook, and no matter how the wizard tries, anything he puts in it turns blank and is transcribed to the fighter.)
For the cleric or paladin: Turret's Syndrome.
"You break everything you touch." (The monk makes unarmed strikes when he tries to touch anything, rolling to hit and damage as he picks it up or otherwise attempts to interact with it.)
For the rogue: Theme Music! (try that Move Silently now.)
Poverty: Whatever he owns is prone to breakage; he attracts thieves to his possessions; anything he wants is scarse and overpriced; he is prone to getting fake treasures... This one's surmountable, but takes constant effort and vigilance.
Arms and legs swapped.
"You will find love in all the wrong places." (Less about the character falling in love, though if you can arrange it, great. Inappropriate advances from all the people the character would not want them from, or from those who would get the character in enormous trouble for reciprocating.)

[Drake2009]

Easy: You must make a will save or fall for any women with a charisma higher than 13

[Sith_Happens]

You're also going to need some way to keep the PCs from knowing that he cast anything. The first one's easy (precast and hold the charge) but after that you're looking at feats and/or skill tricks.

[Alleran]

Easy: You must make a will save or fall for any women with a charisma higher than 13
Couple that with an "impotence" curse.

[Arkusus]

You're also going to need some way to keep the PCs from knowing that he cast anything. The first one's easy (precast and hold the charge) but after that you're looking at feats and/or skill tricks.

After I've taught my PC's what bestow curse does (most in this campaign are new to 3.5) I'm more inclined to try subtler evils, but that is a good idea. Precasting is a good idea for the first curse, as I would like there to be a chance for him to deliver a second curse before the first is noticed by the rest of the party.


Edit: Mute is probably extreme (As by the above sources, it takes a Bestow Greater Curse to remove spellcasting, which you're essentially replicating).


I looked up Greater Curse, and don't see anything about removing spellcasting... (Though you could reduce the primary attribute to 1, which I suppose does the same thing) Also, mute doesn't prevent all spellcasting, only ones with a verbal component, which for a cleric is pretty bad, but not as bad as being able to prevent all spellcasting. (for instance, Mute on a psion would be almost useless)

[Arkusus]

Easy: You must make a will save or fall for any women with a charisma higher than 13Couple that with an "impotence" curse.


You guys are evil. That is all.

[Deophaun]

I looked up Greater Curse, and don't see anything about removing spellcasting.
Check BoVD again. Last entry.

[TuggyNE]

Subject must make a Will save whenever they see a game of chance or join in and bet rather recklessly.

Pet peeve:
For the cleric or paladin: Turret's Syndrome.

You are aware, right, that Tourette's does not usually involve coprolalia? Most cases are either purely physical tics like clenching leg or arm muscles or twitching, or unobjectionable verbal tics like coughing or saying "uh". The whole "Tourette's sufferers curse uncontrollably all day long!" thing is exaggeration and overemphasis on outliers, in typical sensationalist media style.

[Arkusus]

Check BoVD again. Last entry.


Ahh, gotcha, one of the alternate uses. Works on spell-like abilities as well, yikes.

[Segev]

Subject must make a Will save whenever they see a game of chance or join in and bet rather recklessly.

Pet peeve:

You are aware, right, that Tourette's does not usually involve coprolalia? Most cases are either purely physical tics like clenching leg or arm muscles or twitching, or unobjectionable verbal tics like coughing or saying "uh". The whole "Tourette's sufferers curse uncontrollably all day long!" thing is exaggeration and overemphasis on outliers, in typical sensationalist media style.

I, in fact, did not know that. However, for purposes of a curse, the sensationalist representation would be appropriate, I think.

[mabriss lethe]

"Everything you value will be stripped away from you."
"Only in darkness shall you ever truly see." (effectively darkvision but is blinded in anything brighter than shadowy illumination)
"If you would have your sword sing, so you must also sing." Must make a perform check to be allowed to attack.

[Segev]

"Your beard shall always be a foot longer in the morning than it was the morning before."

Again, no mechanical effect, and an enterprising adventurer might find use for this, but the beard grows overnight to recover any lost length and be still longer.

Maybe tweak it so it can't be shaved effectively somehow.

[Kane0]

Lethargy/Sloth. There is a chance that the afflicted PC just doesn't want to do something, or anything for that matter.

Reversed aging. From that point onwards the afflicted PC gets younger. A boon for the first few years.

Weak stomach. 95% of all food the afflicted PC eats he can't stomach and throws back up. Watch him waste away.
Combine with a curse that makes him really hungry or unable to taste things for better results.

Insomnia. The afflicted PC cannot sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. Watch him deteriorate within days.

Emotionless. The afflicted PC no longer feels emotions of any sort, though he intellectually can still understand and remember them. The best part is that he won't even be able to feel good or bad about his loss.

Allergy to water.

Develop the ability to breathe underwater, lose the ability to breathe air.

Remove or reverse bodily control. The afflicted PC will have to re-learn how to make his body move, speak, eat, etc though he still remembers everything.

Magnetism. The afflicted PC becomes magnetized towards or against all ferrous metals.

Paranoia. The afflicted PC becomes suspicious and paranoid about anything and everything.

Dulled sense of X. Vision, hearing, touch, smell or taste atrophies in some way. Colorblindness, ruptured eardrums, deadened nerves, etc.

Irrational Fear/Hatred/Revulsion. The afflicted PC fears/hates/reviles a certain, specific thing beyond all else. Bonus points if it is something close to the PC such as Bears for a Bear Totem Barbarian or parchment for a wizard.

Attraction. The afflicted PC becomes obsessed with something. Bonus points if it is the opposite or contradictory for the PC such as rare poisons for the paladin or holy symbols for the Ur-priest.

[Kornaki]

Curse someone to never believe anyone who claims they are cursed. That should keep them from getting the muted wizard help anytime soon

[Razanir]

Gender-swapping (no mechanical effect, but I'm sure it'll annoy the right PC)

Or more devious: The character only thinks he's been gender-swapped. Oh, and (s)he completely disbelieves anyone who claims otherwise.

[Segev]

Animal magnetism. No, not "skill in working with animals," nor "this base attraction to the opposite sex." MAGNETISM to ANIMALS (instead of metal).

[Zanos]

Allergy to water.
They would die instantly.

[Segev]

Eh, not necessarily. Remember that this is a "magic" world, where water is its own thing. People aren't "made" of it in D&D, necessarily.

[Absol197]

Another pet peeve:



Curse the wizard with Illiteracy.
Childhood (I think the typical penalties for being physically immature are comparable to what Bestow Curse can do)
Age (Just the physical penalties, of course; again, I think they're comparable)
"No one will ever trust you again." (Character must succeed a Bluff check for people to not automatically believe he's being somehow dishonest.)
"May your taxes increase!"
Gender-swapping (no mechanical effect, but I'm sure it'll annoy the right PC)
Swap one language known for another; character believes the language is what he learned it as. (e.g. when he speaks Common, he's really speaking Orc, but thinks he hears Orcs speaking common and humans speaking orc.)
Attracts Vermin
"You will fail the most important task in your life." (There is a natural 1 somewhere in the character's future. The DM will decide when. But it will be bad.)
"The two of you will be inseparable." (The fighter becomes tattooed with the entire contents of the wizard's spellbook, and no matter how the wizard tries, anything he puts in it turns blank and is transcribed to the fighter.)
For the cleric or paladin: Turret's Syndrome.
"You break everything you touch." (The monk makes unarmed strikes when he tries to touch anything, rolling to hit and damage as he picks it up or otherwise attempts to interact with it.)
For the rogue: Theme Music! (try that Move Silently now.)
Poverty: Whatever he owns is prone to breakage; he attracts thieves to his possessions; anything he wants is scarse and overpriced; he is prone to getting fake treasures... This one's surmountable, but takes constant effort and vigilance.
Arms and legs swapped.
"You will find love in all the wrong places." (Less about the character falling in love, though if you can arrange it, great. Inappropriate advances from all the people the character would not want them from, or from those who would get the character in enormous trouble for reciprocating.)


I would pay everything I have to have this "curse" applied to me (assuming by gender-change you mean changing physical sex). This might be a curse for a lot of people, but it's not universally a curse. For some people, it's exactly the opposite.


~Phoenix~

[pitdude243]

What about inverting their kneecaps?
Walking forwards? Backwards.

[Deathkeeper]

-They are, or believe themselves to be, ugly, be it simply an unattractive face, they're obese, or whatever you deem funny enough.
-They talk very quickly, and anyone must make a low Sense Motive check to figure out what they're saying.
-They fully or partially transform into an animal if they intentionally lie.
-Foes sometimes consider themselves flanking even when alone
-Character develops a seemingly random phobia

[Arkusus]

"Your beard shall always be a foot longer in the morning than it was the morning before."

Again, no mechanical effect, and an enterprising adventurer might find use for this, but the beard grows overnight to recover any lost length and be still longer.

Maybe tweak it so it can't be shaved effectively somehow.

Perfect for elves, but dwarves would be thrilled. I still think this is one of my favorites so far.


... are there rules for making a beard golem?

[rot42]

"Your beard shall always be a foot longer in the morning than it was the morning before."

Again, no mechanical effect, and an enterprising adventurer might find use for this, but the beard grows overnight to recover any lost length and be still longer.

Maybe tweak it so it can't be shaved effectively somehow.

A fanclub of dwarven children spontaneously forms whenever the character spends a few hours in town. Much shrieking and giggling and daring each other to touch it and behavior generally completely incompatible with the cursed character being able to sit mysteriously in a dark corner of an unsavory tavern.

[Darth Stabber]

I would pay everything I have to have this "curse" applied to me (assuming by gender-change you mean changing physical sex). This might be a curse for a lot of people, but it's not universally a curse. For some people, it's exactly the opposite.


Sometimes you get cursed with awesome (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CursedWithAwesome). Warning tvtropes link.

I'm sorta with you. I am not unhappy as my current sex, more apathetic, but the opportunity to see the world from a new perspective would be undoubtedly insightful. So for me it would be a neutral effect (annoyed at having to relearn certain things, and pick up makeup skills, but an interesting learning experience).

But most people are very well adjusted to their pants contents, meaning they would find the change as distressing as most trans-folk find their current predicament.

[AuraTwilight]

The character feels pain as pleasure and pleasure as pain.

[7thW1ckedness]

-Vomiting aggressive swarms of spiders whenever eating . . . . . its unplesent, for everyone around.

-all drink turns to sand or ash in your hands . . . . also unpleasent.

-must subside only on the raw flesh of children . . . . . that was a dark way to take down a pesky paliden actually, pitchforks and villagers for the win.


-no music will sound sweet to the ear as long as your around . . . . .good way to be unpopular everywhere.


-stolen objects will always find their way to your pocket, and out . . .. great way to prevent any shopkeeper from letting them within a mile of their shop.


-Wear my face for all your life in memory . . . . . nothing worse than killing the lich and then having to look like him for the rest of your days, mistaken identities for the win.

-three words: "Ork Luvin' everywhere" . . . . . . . Orks ain't gentle.

hmmm.

[Bogardan_Mage]

Another pet peeve:



I would pay everything I have to have this "curse" applied to me (assuming by gender-change you mean changing physical sex). This might be a curse for a lot of people, but it's not universally a curse. For some people, it's exactly the opposite.


~Phoenix~
Doesn't that just mean you're already living that curse? Surely you are in the best possible position to understand what a curse it can be.

[Segev]

Another pet peeve:



I would pay everything I have to have this "curse" applied to me (assuming by gender-change you mean changing physical sex). This might be a curse for a lot of people, but it's not universally a curse. For some people, it's exactly the opposite.


~Phoenix~

You'll note that my entry there said it would be quite annoying for the right character. You wouldn't be the "right" one for this to be a "curse" on.

[TriForce]

i once cursed a slime into disliking the taste of meat, in order to make it spit out my friends :)

[Razanir]

The character feels pain as pleasure and pleasure as pain.

You character can only feel schadenfreude.

[Segev]

"Boredom."

The character can't find a CR-appropriate encounter with CR-appropriate treasure. They're all at most half his level.