Minor cursed items ideas

[poolio]

Howdy, so I'm trying to come up with cursed items i could sprinkle around my world with more frequency, it's a mechanic i feel is underused, i know some people hate finally finding a magic something or other only to have it be more trouble then it's worth,

But my players like when things are sometimes not what they seem, last game they met a guy who sold a bunch of weapons that weren't what they seemed, including a wand of disintegration that when used, disintegrated, laughs were had by all.

So, any ideas guys and gals? Right now i have a ring of invisibility that just turns the ring invisible.

[Kadesh]

Deck of Not Many Things; It's a pack of PlayOrc Male Lewds

[Vogie]

Howdy, so I'm trying to come up with cursed items i could sprinkle around my world with more frequency, it's a mechanic i feel is underused, i know some people hate finally finding a magic something or other only to have it be more trouble then it's worth,

But my players like when things are sometimes not what they seem, last game they met a guy who sold a bunch of weapons that weren't what they seemed, including a wand of disintegration that when used, disintegrated, laughs were had by all.

So, any ideas guys and gals? Right now i have a ring of invisibility that just turns the ring invisible.

Hide & Seek Rod
A rod that gives advantage on stealth checks... and then, after hiding for 30 seconds, just speaks "I'm over here!" aloud.

Ring of Extra Ring
This magical ring allows you to wear one more ring than you otherwise could.

Everready Ax
This +1 HandAxe will appear in your hand whenever you draw any weapon, causing that other weapon to fall to the ground. It cannot be given away or destroyed (effectively, that is) until the curse is removed.

[Requilac]

A ring of Water Walking, which still allows you to walk “on” the surface of liquids, but instead of walking over the water like it was a floor the ring only allows you to walk upside down below the surface of the water water. This means you must be underwater and treat the surface of the water as a sort of ceiling you are hanging from by your feet, leaving you completely submerged in the water as you walk. The ring still fulfills it’s intended purpose, you just can’t use it without drowning.

[saucerhead]

I think there are tables for minor and major flaws in the DMG for making artifacts that could be used for this. I think your idea is great.:smallbiggrin: Any thing that brings a bit of humor to a session is welcome in my mind.
A wand of magic missiles that goes "pew" "pew" when used isn't exactly a cursed item, but could be funny.
A ring of feather falling that slows you down before hitting the ground, but makes you puke.

[ProsecutorGodot]

I gave a magical amulet out to the party that was cursed to amplify the attuned characters flaw. The Paladin that ended up wearing it was previously stubborn but willing to listen to reason, but their flaw was "I'd rather eat my boot than admit I was wrong or made a mistake". She became stubborn and unwilling to admit fighting a house was a poor choice.

I think it's cool to introduce minor curses that affect the roleplay element of the game.

[nickl_2000]

Okay, some of these ended up rather infantile and boarish, but still fun :smallbiggrin:


Horn of Noxious Odors - Appears to be a masterwork instrument. However, whenever you play a low C the instrument instead makes a rude noise and an unpleasant odor comes from it.
Bad Penny - Whenever you reach for a coin from your pouch, this copper piece always appears in your hand. Every time you draw it out of your purse you get disadvantage on your next roll.
Mug of Sobriety - Mug that instantly fills with a hot, dark, liquid. When drinking it, it instant makes anyone sober from effects of alcohol. It also makes you wired and unable to sleep for the next 24 hours.
Whip is Encouragement - Grants the ability to cast Guidance at will. However, to cast it on a target you must make an attack against them with the whip at disadvantage.
Helmet of Hat Hair - Shades your eyes from the sun, allowing instant transitions from dark dungeons to bright sunlight without suffering. However, for the next 12 hours after wearing it your hair is flat in some places and puff in others. This can only be overcome by the styling gel.
Styling Gel - a container of goopy green gel (25 uses). When used in hair, fur, or feather it allows for styling for one minute. 1 minute after applying it turns rock hard and the styled hair is locked into position until the end of your next long rest.
Golden Helmet of Mambrino - Golden helmet that when warn causes all head hair and beard hair to fall out.
Lance of the Don - Magical Lance (no pluses) that cause you to see an illusion of a dragon instead of windmills. Must make a DC 16 Wisdom save to prevent a compulsion to tilt with them.
Dull Knife - Whenever you try and cut something with it, it slips causing small cuts on your hand instead
Flaming Hot Cheese Puffs - Eating these allows you to use a single use of fire breath within the next 5 rounds (each round you hold it in causes you take take 1 fire damage from a burning hot mouth). After eating it, your fingertips and mouth are dyed with a reddish orange powdery dye until you have a change to scrub with soap and water.
Sword of Adding Insult to Injury - Once per round when you hit with an attack the sword shouts out an insult (per the Viscious Mockery spell). Spell DC save of 10. -Sure it isn't cursed, but it sounded fun
Jokester's Vessel - magically fills itself with whatever non-magical liquid is desired, but if you try and drink from it you end up just spilling it on yourself instead.
Whoopie Cushion - a cushion that that be dropped below you as a reaction when falling. It reduces falling damage by 20 feet. However, it makes a very rude noise
X tool of Cutting Corners - Tools that let you do crafting at 4 times the speed as normal. However, at the beginning of the day roll a d6. One a 1, the item created falls apart and is forever broken.
Poorly Guiding Compass - This compass will always guide you towards your destination. However, if followed exactly, it will take you down every dead end possible.
Grain of Salt - A magical spice packet that when consumed makes the consumer think everything is hilarious and not take anything seriously for the next hour.

[krugaan]

I like magical items with uses and flaws, like the shield of missle attraction.

The Mother-In-Law - this cursed magical weapon functions as a +1 weapon of whatever type it appears as, but if you miss an attack roll with it, you lose the rest of your turn (forfeiting any bonus actions, extra attacks, and leftover movement) as the weapon twists around in your hand and begins haranguing you in a loud screeching voice, claiming that you're worthless and it "always knew you wouldn't amount to much!" and so forth.

Sword of Mercy - This sword is a +2 weapon looks finely crafted, but any attack made with this weapon can never reduce a creature to less than 1 hp.

Potion of Depression - for one day after you drink this, you are immune to all fear and charm type effects, but rolls to resist sleep type effects are made at disadvantage. In addition, you do not gain the benefits of advantage except to negate disadvantage.

Quaal's Feather Token: Snowflake - this cursed magical item looks like a peacock feather. Whoever picks it up will not willingly part with it (it looks rather nice) unless remove curse. It's only other magical property is that it is guaranteed to be unique.

[Segev]

The Cloak of Misplacement
This comfortable-looking piece of outerwear is always underfoot, on top of every pile, and generally reminding you of its presence...whenever you don't need or want it. But the moment you would actually have use for it, finding it requires a DC 20 Investigation check.

The Fabulous Chapeau of Disguising the Drab
Whoever made this Hat of Disguise either had a weird sense of humor, or a horrific sense of fashion. It functions as any other Hat of Disguise, save that the illusory guise is always wearing something hideously gaudy and "fashionable" in a way that fits in with nothing anybody else is wearing.

[Rixitichil]

Cowardly Floating Lantern.
A lantern that floats alongside the user, moving as they direct. Except at the first sign of violence, where it will rapidly shutter and flee away from the source of combat.

[DearJtheDM]

Buck’s (Cursed) Hats of Misery

A very disgusting and humiliating item, when Buck’s Hat of Misery is worn, the wearer immediately becomes nauseous and will vomit. Into the hat. They will then be compelled to place the hat back on their head. Otherwise, the hat cannot be removed by the wearer and will be firmly stuck on. Unless the victim is cured via a Remove Curse spell, every time (or at least once per day) there is a tension filled moment in the game (such as just before a battle) the wearer of the hat will again vomit into it and then replace it. Aside from the unpleasantness, this will adversely effect the reactions of others and possibly cause the loss of initiative. If others forcibly remove the hat with great effort, the former wearer will become totally incapacitated and violently ill. If the hat is not returned to their head, they will drop dead (save vs. Death allowed every d4 turns). The curse will continue until someone else that knows the first wearer dons it, whereupon the curse will be transferred.

[JackPhoenix]

Trombone of Invisibility: You can cast Invisibility with this musical instrument. You need to play it, using your bonus action every turn, to maintain the concentration on the spell.

[SociopathFriend]

I had a list of ideas like this a while back, unfortunately I do not remember all of them. The original list was much more mean and that seems to be against your idea so I'll put more of the lighter ones down.

1. Bloody Sword
A longsword that, when sheathed while still covered in blood, will always emerge clean and ready for battle. However, the sword is quite temperamental and will, in fact, not come out if it's not bloodied when sheathed. After 12 hours the 'sulk' will be over and the sword can be drawn normally again.

2. Handy Amulet
An amulet that allows the user to cast a modified Mage Hand. Unfortunately- all it does is make itself visible and spend the duration making rude gestures at the user.

3. Brilliant Shield
A somewhat sentient shield that is incredibly smart and always willing to expound on the weaknesses and flaws of what it's pointed at. Unfortunately- said information is written on the outside of the shield and is about the holder, not the enemy they're fighting. In particular the shield enjoys making disparaging remarks about the size of the nose.

[krugaan]

1. Bloody Sword
A longsword that, when sheathed while still covered in blood, will always emerge clean and ready for battle. However, the sword is quite temperamental and will, in fact, not come out if it's not bloodied when sheathed. After 12 hours the 'sulk' will be over and the sword can be drawn normally again.


It's not a Bloody Sword, it's a vampiric scabbard!

[Angelalex242]

Brown Pants:

Whenever the owner farts, the result is always equivalent to a stinking cloud spell centered on the user.

[SociopathFriend]

It's not a Bloody Sword, it's a vampiric scabbard!

Well yeah but you obviously can't call it that- that would give it away. You call it a sword so the players don't understand what's wrong until they realize the scabbard likes drinking blood.

[Aett_Thorn]

I'm a fan of giving out items that seem worse than they really are, since it makes my players deliciously paranoid, especially since I don't let the Identify spell tell everything about an item. For instance:

A ring that won't come off, but does nothing else.

A hat that changes colors in some sort of pattern and flashes a random color when danger is near (my players came upon a color puzzle several sessions later that they were absolutely sure was tied to the hat, but it wasn't)

A key that radiates magic, but the magic just prevents it from fitting in any lock, and it screams when you try.


Other minorly cursed items

An axe that refuses to harm a certain type of creature - can be general (such as orcs or dwarves) or very specific (a dwarf named Bob).

Cloaks that are useful, but hang up from the character, making them look ridiculous.

A Wand of Truth - causes the target to have to tell the truth for the next hour, but the character that uses it needs to tell the truth for the next day.

A laurel crown that lets the player cast Command 3/day, but is itchy as all hell, and will prevent the character from gaining the benefits of a long rest unless it's removed.

[krugaan]

A key that radiates magic, but the magic just prevents it from fitting in any lock, and it screams when you try.


I just imagined a predatory key that will try to force itself into every lock that it can.



Cloaks that are useful, but hang up from the character, making them look ridiculous.


This is f@#$%@n brilliant!

[Angelalex242]

I just imagined a predatory key that will try to force itself into every lock that it can.



This is f@#$%@n brilliant!

Amp up the predatory key: It is filled with malevolent energy Paladins and Detect Good and Evil spells detect malevolent. It will open any lock, after 5 minutes of very disturbing sounds that sound like violation...

So on top of being evil, it's not quiet or fast. But hey, if you've got all the time in the world and don't mind listening to horrible sounds of screams of 'No! Don't!"

Any lock so opened is 'broken' and can't be locked again without major repairs.

[Lonely Tylenol]

A Bag of Holding that just really wants a hug

[Exocist]

Not sure how "cursed" these are, but some funny suggestions:

Weaponproof Armour - This armour is completely impervious to any sort of weapon. Weapons will simply pass through the armour, leaving it undamaged.

Druid's Yoke - Wearing this Yoke turns you into an Ox. Unfortunately, because you lack the finetuned motor skills as an ox to remove the Yoke, it can only be removed by another creature.

Decanter of Endless Milk - Unfortunately, the milk expired centuries ago. Creatures who can smell the milk must make a DC 15 CON save or become poisoned for 1d6 rounds.

Arsonist's Tinderbox - When used, lights everything in a 20ft radius on fire.

Shaving Blade - This blade functions as a +3 Vorpal Dagger when used to shave. Using it to shave triggers the Vorpal ability on a 1 or a 20.

Mirror of the Travelling Merchant - This mirror, when used, conjures a young-looking merchant out of it. The merchant is always indifferent to you, existing only to make a deal. He will not leave or allow you to leave until a deal on goods (he is treated as a fully stocked merchant with an unlimited supply of gold. He does not offer fair prices.) has been made. Attempting to attack the merchant causes him to retaliate. The Merchant is treated as a Wizard X/Sorcerer X where X is the combined level of the party and his hitpoints are always maximised. After the deal, he will disappear, promising to see you again. He will not buy his own mirror.

I have a whole list of fairly useless items (d50 roll) if anyone wants.

[BreaktheStatue]

Ring of "A Little Help, Here"

+5 on checks to pick locks or find traps, but you are incapable of opening any doors or containers yourself.