Curse initial effects

[Frosty]

I'd like some help in how to read a Curse layout. For example...

Curse - Incorporeal touch—contact; save Will DC 14, frequency 1/day, effect 1d4 Str drain and target is fatigued; cure 3 consecutive saves

So, does this mean that upon receiving a slam attack from the creature, if the victim fails the DC 14 Will Save, it immediately suffers 1d4 Str drain? Or does the curse not activate until a full 1 day has passed? If the former, then how is a low level adventuring party supposed to deal with something like this if they don't know something like this is coming?

[Frosty]

*bump* Can anyone help me read this?

[avr]

If there's no onset time listed it takes effect immediately. In this case you'd take the strength drain as soon as you failed the initial save, which you would make as soon as you come in to contact with the curse - when you're hit.

I have no good answer for your second question.

[Frosty]

Eh, incorporeal creatures just suck for lower level parties. Thanks for the answer. Stat drain curses on a touch attack...unfair XD

[Yanisa]

I'd like some help in how to read a Curse layout. For example...

Curse - Incorporeal touch—contact; save Will DC 14, frequency 1/day, effect 1d4 Str drain and target is fatigued; cure 3 consecutive saves

So, does this mean that upon receiving a slam attack from the creature, if the victim fails the DC 14 Will Save, it immediately suffers 1d4 Str drain? Or does the curse not activate until a full 1 day has passed? If the former, then how is a low level adventuring party supposed to deal with something like this if they don't know something like this is coming?

First off, it doesn't really look like a curse, but more a disease, is it from a splash-book? See the URL="http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/afflictions/curses"]curse rules[/URL] for sample curses and especially this quote:

Unlike other afflictions, most curses cannot be cured through a number of successful saving throws.
Not that it really matters, it could technically be a curse.

Luckily whether a curse or a disease (or a poison) they all follow the basic rules. The simple answer is: There is no onset time listed, so the second you fail the first save, you are cursed, get the damage, then the curse repeats each day. If you succeed on your save that day you get no penalties, if you save three days in a row you are cured.

As for how a party deals with it, it depends on the level and the classes in the party, but Remove Curse (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/r/remove-curse) is accessible from level 5. And cheap to buy (150 GP) from a NPC cleric.
In the heat of the combat it is nasty, but the 1d4 strength drain isn't a real killer although combined with fatigue it can hurt a lot (-6 str at max) but doesn't stop anyone instantly. Strength melee could keep on fighting, albeit losing an heavy amount of damage. Low strength character are mostly over-encumbered, which slows them down. Luckily it doesn't stack, so it won't kill anyone out right.
In the long run it does get more dangerous, three saves is a lot and low parties don't have saves high enough to consistently make it. And if a low strength character has it, he wont last long at all, but often characters with low strength have high will saves so they might prevent a day of damage. Still I wouldn't want to have that curse hanging above my head and the quicker the cure, the better.

So the end conclusion seems: The party needs to "suck it up and deal with it" during the combat, where it is a heavy penalty but not instant death. Outside combat they quickly need to find a cure, because unless you are extremely luckily, a low level party won't make a DC 14 three times in a row, and over time it is a killer. It is a nasty curse, be careful with using it against a party lower then level 5.

[Frosty]

What? stat drain doesn't stack? Are you sure? I was thinking this thing can take the party wizard out in 3 attacks because the wizard only has like 7 strength...

[Yanisa]

What? stat drain doesn't stack? Are you sure? I was thinking this thing can take the party wizard out in 3 attacks because the wizard only has like 7 strength...

The curse doesn't stack, stat drain does. It won't kill the wizard with 7 strength during combat, but it can kill him the next day when the curse triggers again.

[Ravens_cry]

The curse doesn't stack, stat drain does. It won't kill the wizard with 7 strength during combat, but it can kill him the next day when the curse triggers again.
Technically, the wizard won't be dead, but they are helpless and can't preform any physical actions.

[Yanisa]

Technically, the wizard won't be dead, but they are helpless and can't preform any physical actions.

True, only constitution drain is the real killer. Which also means that outside combat the party is decently safe until a next combat, or if they all fall victim. It is still harsh, but no one will die outside combat, so they can be a bit more relaxed. If worse comes to worse they can carry their fallen wizard back to safety. They do ned to pay for Restoration (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/r/restoration) which is a level 4 spell, so costs about 380 GP from a NPC (including the component). Drain is kinda permanent too, which I also forgot to mention. I would advice to wait to at least low mid level (7-10) before tossing something like that on a party and even then it will be a heavy blow to them.

Incorporeal and drain are nasty for the low level adventure, brrr.

[Frosty]

The curse doesn't stack, stat drain does. It won't kill the wizard with 7 strength during combat, but it can kill him the next day when the curse triggers again.Right, so if this monster lands 3 incorporeal slams on the wizard, that's immediately 3d4 Str drained. The initial effects happen immediately, even if the additional 1d4s do not stack. It'd only take a few rounds to incapacitate each PC. Halve the time if it has an ally casting Haste on it to give it more attacks per turn with that thing.

[Spore]

Right, so if this monster lands 3 incorporeal slams on the wizard, that's immediately 3d4 Str drained.

That's why there's a - quite easy - Will save attached to it. Chances are they will mitigate 1 or all 3 three of those curses.

But this is also the reason why I would want to play a necromancer using Shadows and Greater Shadows. With optimized Command Undead they're actually easy to control and you just need a way to remove the spawns.

[Yanisa]

Right, so if this monster lands 3 incorporeal slams on the wizard, that's immediately 3d4 Str drained. The initial effects happen immediately, even if the additional 1d4s do not stack. It'd only take a few rounds to incapacitate each PC. Halve the time if it has an ally casting Haste on it to give it more attacks per turn with that thing.

No. Curses don't stack. If a creature is cursed a second cursing does nothing, not even the initial damage. It also doesn't change the DC and doesn't change the duration. Once you are cursed your are basically immune to that curse until the current curse that is afflicting you is removed. (No affliction stacks except poison, and poison has a whole subset of rules for stacking)

Unless these creatures deal "1d4 str drain + curse", then it's a different story.