How I learned to stop worrying and love cursed items (yes, really! Also - Diplomancy)

[T.G. Oskar]

So last Saturday I got with some pals into a Geeknic, which was promoted and made by a local group dedicated to the promotion of roleplaying in my place (the Puerto Rico Role Players group), and one of the members (and also the owner of one of the few dedicated gaming shops in the island) DM'ed a one-shot story in 5e (the owner of the group decided to play RIFTS, and there were also some board games). One of my older players and me played 5e, the newest member of my group went and played RIFTS. As befitting our preferences, I played a Paladin while he played a Bard (the guy who played RIFTS played...I believe it was a Mindmelder, if he told me right). The rest of the group that reunited played a Barbarian (Half-Orc, looking for people to bash, and one of the few people that played last Geeknic), a Monk (LE, and a crucial member of the story), a Cleric (and the de-facto leader), a Ranger (one of the few long-range attackers), and a last-minute player who chose the Fighter. There was a Rogue and a Wizard. My player chose to make the Bard, since it wasn't made at all, and I assisted him with my knowledge of 5e.

Since most of the people (aside from my player and me, as well as the Barbarian) hadn't played 5e, the DM decided to spend his time giving a short primer on the rules, the changes to the rules (most were 3e/4e players), and introducing the (somewhat cliche'd) story: a Disney-esque princess requested our aid in rescuing her beloved prince, a former Red Dragon turned human. We had to go seek for some mercenary guys, looking for clues with one of three inhabitants of the forest. The party decided...to speak to the Green Dragon. Yes, we had a death wish there.

Remember I said something about Diplomancy? Well, after entering the cave (and having the Monk and my character taking poison damage - note, this is important to the story), my character notices (actually, hears - and BTW, one of the few high rolls I had) that we're being set up to an ambush. The Monk and the Barbarian, carelessly, decided to open the door, and we're met by a Kobold.

Right there, from his hiding spot (Stealth check of 21), the Bard makes his Persuasion check. He rolls...a 17, with the bonus turning it into 22. The Kobold freaks out and thinks the wall is talking, and gets convinced well enough to have the Kobold ambush called off, the traps entirely disarmed, and we got an audience with the Green Dragon. There, the Bard (again) uses his wiles, and while his first Deception roll was a wash, the second one (via Inspiration) was high enough that the Green Dragon entirely believed him. Cleverly enough, the Bard wove a story about how we were seeking to "worship him" and that there were some marauders (the people we were set to find) aiming to kill him. We ended up indentured into the dragon's service, and the Bard, just because he could (and because the dice were on fire, figuratively speaking), decided that we shouldn't be tortured with magical assistance, in the most daring act of reverse psychology. Which...actually payed off!

So...remember I said how I "learned to stop worrying and love cursed items"? Well, both items were cursed. The Fighter took one of the items...I took the shield. When the DM mentioned that both items were cursed, I just told him "is the shield what I'm thinking"? And it was...the shield was a Shield of Missile Attraction.

In short: the Shield of Missile Attraction halves all damage from ranged weapon attacks, but if someone attacks a target within 10 ft. of me, the attack hits me instead. As you may know, I am an ardent proponent of the "Tanking School of Damage Redirection (TM)", which is exactly what the shield allows - by redirecting the arrows against me, my allies are protected. Just don't attack any enemy within 10 ft. of me in range...which isn't so bad, as I'm going to take the brunt of the damage anyways, and I'll be just a step away into shooting them.

So anyways: fast forward to meeting the marauders, and our carefully mastered plan to dupe them into being devoured by the Green Dragon was ruined by the Monk snapping out and grabbing the leader by the neck (it had to deal with duping them into being messengers of the King and a forged document). So, we ended in combat, and two archers perched atop the watchtower decided to shoot the messenger...which was 10 ft. near me. It happens the Archers were the strongest enemies there, as they could do Multiattack and their attacks had advantage. For your information, I had 8 hp when the battle started. The results were 2 hits, and two criticals. The sheer damage should have killed me, but I dared the DM to roll all four, and the damage of all four. Turns out resistance to ranged weapon attacks is just awesome, as the total damage left me at 2 hp away from final death. Imagine if those critical hits had hit the Bard (one of the three healers in the party, the Cleric being the other and my Lay on Hands working in emergencies). Of course, the Bard spend his next turn using Healing Word to get me into top condition.

That single event made me think about how cursed items work in 5e, compared to 3.5. In 3.5, curses are really bad, imposing really bad penalties: the only cursed items that actually worked decently was the Berserking Sword, which works as intended and also grants free Rage, but with the same penalties of the Frenzied Berserker of not being able to turn its rage off), the Dust of Sneezing and Choking (no-save stun) and the Net of Snaring, which isn't actually ruse). 5e, instead, has that shield, the Sword of Vengeance (the other cursed item the party got, and what the Fighter was cursed with; the effect is pretty minor, actually), and the items I mentioned before. There are some negative ones, though (the Bag of Devouring, the Armor of Vulnerability, the Potion of Poison; the Berserker Axe that replaces the Berserking Sword is somewhat worse because the range is extended), but for the most part the positive cursed items are actually pretty good. I must admit, I was one that was insanely worried that the cursed items would be capable of ruining the game, but it turns out that they're fun (and certainly better than the stuff before 4e).

So...what are your thoughts? Would you give cursed items a try, knowing that they're pretty much dead-even in usefulness, and even the less useful ones can be found a use (the Bag of Devouring as a way to dispose of enemies, for example)?

[Occasional Sage]

Skimmed, may have missed some relevant details, but: YES, cursed items are great and have been in every edition! I particularly enjoy them from the player's seat, frankly; the story potential and unexpected character growth more than outweigh the hassle.

[Chronos]

Note that 3e curses weren't always cripplingly bad-- In addition to the specific cursed items, there's also a table of random curses you can roll on, and some of them are just things like "really ugly color" (lime green boots of speed, anyone?).

But yeah, the Shield of Missile Attraction is actually pretty good (in this edition, anyway), and is something that a lot of fighters would actively want.

Personally, I've long been the opinion that the most powerful magic items should always be a mixed bag, with curses attached but also increased benefits, that make a decision whether to use the item or not actually meaningful.

[Occasional Sage]

Note that 3e curses weren't always cripplingly bad-- In addition to the specific cursed items, there's also a table of random curses you can roll on, and some of them are just things like "really ugly color" (lime green boots of speed, anyone?).

But yeah, the Shield of Missile Attraction is actually pretty good (in this edition, anyway), and is something that a lot of fighters would actively want.

Personally, I've long been the opinion that the most powerful magic items should always be a mixed bag, with curses attached but also increased benefits, that make a decision whether to use the item or not actually meaningful.

I forget who the poster was, but there was a thread recently with a very tasty collection (https://manysideddice.wordpress.com/category/magic-items-that-are-better-than-nothing/) of mixed-bag, dangerous, and odd magic items.

[flannel]

I forget who the poster was, but there was a thread recently with a very tasty collection (https://manysideddice.wordpress.com/category/magic-items-that-are-better-than-nothing/) of mixed-bag, dangerous, and odd magic items.

That was me!

I have over a hundred now on my blog (manysideddice.wordpress.com)!

Aww, I'm all flattered to even be remembered.

[Occasional Sage]

That was me!

I have over a hundred now on my blog (manysideddice.wordpress.com)!

Aww, I'm all flattered to even be remembered.

You kidding? Your collection is amazing!

[Seerow]

The only real problem I have with this is any curse that actually benefits you or does something you would want to do anyway (ie letting the tank redirect enemy attacks to himself) isn't a curse. I mean let's be honest, if it were something you could casually toss aside rather than a cursed item, would you have done so instead of using this shield? I doubt it. Because the shield did exactly what you wanted!

Now it is an interesting idea to design "cursed" items that provide effects players may actually care about and want to use. But it isn't what most people think about when talking about a cursed item. Because typically a curse is supposed to be something bad and debilitating, and that you want to get rid of as soon as possible.

[T.G. Oskar]

The only real problem I have with this is any curse that actually benefits you or does something you would want to do anyway (ie letting the tank redirect enemy attacks to himself) isn't a curse. I mean let's be honest, if it were something you could casually toss aside rather than a cursed item, would you have done so instead of using this shield? I doubt it. Because the shield did exactly what you wanted!

There's a reason why it was a shield property (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#arrowCatching) in 3rd Edition. It was a bit weak, though: the attraction only worked at 5 ft.

That said - the curse applies when you want to change the item. What if you find a better shield? Sure, it's a Remove Curse away, but it's a Remove Curse away; i.e., you need to spend a resource to exchange the magic item, and if you wish to wield it again, you have to do it with the knowledge that you won't have the ease of replacing the item. So it depends a lot on the circumstances. I'll admit the worth of the Shield of Missile Attraction (it's basically the purpose of the thread), and Armor/Shields in general aren't meant to be switched, but weapons in particular do, and being unable to switch (or take Disadvantage when using a weapon other than the cursed one) unless you spend resources to do so, can be hindering. In the particular case of the Fighter, the curse was somewhat more detrimental because more ranged attacks towards the Archers could have made the battle much easier. Had the shield gone to the Cleric, it would have been likewise detrimental. Thus, the circumstance - on a range-specialized Fighter or a Cleric, the cursed item was hindering.

The last bit was looking at it from the DM perspective - I have yet to provide my players with a cursed item, and that is because I find it really low to impose a long-lasting penalty and block their item slots (spells are another thing, and the most I can accept is bestow curse, but cursed items IMO are no-no). That said, perhaps the devs jumped the gun a bit with the Shield of Missile Attraction, but that is what makes it fun (same with the Berserker Axe: are you willing to always end up on a frenzy, or take your chances with the +2 weapon?)