Cursed items

[J-H]

Do you use cursed items?

Cheap or free Identify (eternal wand, invocations) makes it hard to slip them in; how do you keep them from being trap-like roll play instead of fun role play?

So far my only thought is to have cursed items that have a small up-side as well as a downside...otherwise, why would anyone carry one around or have it?

[Big Fau]

I've actually used them as a means of giving the party backup weapons at a significant discount, as the WBL hates TWFing and Fighters with backup weapons. And then sometimes I slipped in a real backlash (like being Slowed when the weapon draws a demon's blood) if I feel the need.

Mostly though I just give the weapon a "maintenance fee". One player had gotten a really overleveled spiked chain that took 20gp from him every attack (he was an AoO build) and hid it in an enemy's stronghold. When he found out he convinced the team to take over said stronghold, and by the time they finished it the weapon's power was more in-line with the party's level (and the player didn't lose out on WBL).

[awa]

i have used cursed weapons where they are still powerful weapons but cursed for example one gave exceptional damge but they had to take all attacks of opportunity even if an allied provoked

the player knew about the curse but sometimes it was still worth it.

[torrasque666]

Remember that Identify only has a 1% chance to reveal a cursed item's true properties. So if they don't make that roll (or rather, you'd make it in secret) then you get to tell them any bullcrap you want. You could have what appears to be a +2 longsword but really gives them a penalty to attack rolls. or damage rolls.

Analyze Dweomer would give them exactly what's there, but just Identify has a 99% chance to fail to identify the item.