Uses for Bestow Curse

[Rhynear]

What are some other interesting uses of Bestow Curse that you can think of?

Also would a curse of the curser being able to see the affected even through invisibility be balanced?

[sophontteks]

Its a touch spell, so it can be delivered through a familiar. This allows all casters to hide their casting. A familiar can deliver the spell while the caster is out of sight, and the target wouldn't realize they have been cursed. This is even better with warlock familiars who can remain invisible the entire time.

The spell is pretty broken on a warlock, who in fairness needs to burn an invocation for the spell. Because warlocks always cast max level, by level 9 their curses never require concentration and always last 8 hours. With the help of their imp, they could easily afflict a dozen curses through the day without anyone's knowledge. They simply need to a rest an hour between every 2 castings.

Several invocations also work through cursed or hexed targets.

[Segev]

Given the belt of gender-bending using bestow curse as a base in various editions, I tend to assume one can curse somebody with a swapped sex. It's worth noting that, despite the name of the spell, a "curse" need not be something its victim bemoans, either. In fact, many mythical and fairy tale curses are thinsg which, on the right person, would be considered boons. And some boons are likewise things others would consider curses. There's one princess, for example, who was "rewarded" by an enchantress for her good nature by causing every word she said to be accompanied by a rose or a gemstone falling from her lips. While this didn't technically impede speech, and the gems are doubtless valuable, this is, at the least, going to be somewhat inconvenient at times.

Dionysus's miracle for King Midas was also intended as a blessing, but we all know how the Golden Touch turned out.


It might take greater bestow curse, but the Curse of Lycanthropy seems in theme.


You can also use the bog standard curse effects as inspiration for fluff. Disadvantage on Charisma could be due to a foul stench, or his voice sounding like a monster/speaking with a particularly insulting accent, or being made to look hideously ugly. Needing to make Wisdom saves each round or "do nothing" could be due to plaguing him with madness and hallucinations to which he reacts meaninglessly on a failed save. Or due to him being wracked by pain when he fails the save. Disadvantage on attack rolls against you could be due to his clothes constricting whenever he tries, or a spike of dread passing through him each time he tries, or a magnet-like repulsion between you and he.


You could curse him to be made of living snow, and thus take an extra 1d8 damage from fire-based sources.


In a 3.5 game, I once cursed somebody to never be able to find a crowbar (specifically, crowbars) when she went looking for them.


In another "make a Wisdom save or do nothing" version, you could curse him to constantly be forced to see things from an enemy's emotional point of view.


Disadvantage on Charisma again could be something else from that fairy tale I mentioned: the princess's wicked sisters were each cursed to have every word cause a venomous snake or toad drop from her lips. That's pretty off-putting, and liable to foul up any Charisma-based rolls.


You could curse him into being made of rusty metal, which mostly only gives him disadvantage on Dexterity rolls.


Curse him with a pounding headache (disadvantage on Intelligence checks).


Curse him to feel the pain of (but not actually take the damage of) another, specific person. Against this person, he has disadvantage on all attacks due to pre-emptive flinching from the pain he's about to experience from his own attack.


Curse him to lose the ability to speak all but one language of your choice. (Arguably too strong, since you can make this utlitarian, but....)


Curse him with an inability to speak of one specific subject.

[Damon_Tor]

Whenever the target tells a lie, their nose grows 1 inch longer. The increased length is cumulative, and lasts for the duration of the curse.

The target attracts the attention of every cat within a 1 mile radius. Each cat tries desperately to express their affection towards the target.

All food and drink tastes disgusting to the target. Eating requires a constitution save: on a fail, they vomit instead.

The target believes he can fly. No amount of evidence will convince him otherwise.

The target cannot stop talking. If he attempts to stop he will simply blurt out whatever is on his mind.

Loud music, as if from a marching band, can be heard emanating from the target. The music can be heard from up to a mile away.

The target takes 1d6 psychic damage for every 5 feet he moves North. He can recover 1d6 of these lost hitpoints by traveling 5 feet South.

[Chronos]

Quoth sophontteks:

The spell is pretty broken on a warlock, who in fairness needs to burn an invocation for the spell. Because warlocks always cast max level, by level 9 their curses never require concentration and always last 8 hours. With the help of their imp, they could easily afflict a dozen curses through the day without anyone's knowledge. They simply need to a rest an hour between every 2 castings.
If by "easily a dozen through the day" you mean "one". Not only do you need to use a spell slot as normal to cast the spell, you also can't do so again until you finish a long rest. A bunch of invocations work that way, and they all suck.

[Shuruke]

What are some other interesting uses of Bestow Curse that you can think of?

Also would a curse of the curser being able to see the affected even through invisibility be balanced?

One of my players uses high level bestow curse for no concentration and on next turn uses hex

When hitting with rapier they deal the weapon damage, SCAG booming blade damage, bestow curse (from attack hitting), bestow curse (from the spell damage of booming blade), hex, and bestow curse damage again since hex dealt damage

1d8+4
2d8 booming blade (level 11)
3d8 bestow curse
1d6 hex

They dont do it often and mainly prefer the cc curses

[sophontteks]

If by "easily a dozen through the day" you mean "one". Not only do you need to use a spell slot as normal to cast the spell, you also can't do so again until you finish a long rest. A bunch of invocations work that way, and they all suck.
Oh my bad. You are right, but bestow curse can work really well as a pick, even if its once per day. It does require the warlock to be built almost entirely around it though. Sorry I forgot about that nasty little catch when I made my post.

[Tanarii]

Its a touch spell, so it can be delivered through a familiar. This allows all casters to hide their casting. A familiar can deliver the spell while the caster is out of sight, and the target wouldn't realize they have been cursed. This is even better with warlock familiars who can remain invisible the entire time.
The caster would have to be out of hearing to stay hidden and prevent the spell from being identified. It has a V component.

[Sparky McDibben]

I once threatened to curse an NPC with never being able to get drunk. Marvelously effective.

Other options: Talk to your DM about using a bestow curse effect instead of damage as the penalty for breaking a geas. For example, if the notoriously inconstant bard cheats on their wife, their fair features become hideous (disadvantage on Charisma checks) until they make amends.

Ask your DM if you can include a way for victim of the curse to lift the curse in return for increasing the power of the effect. For example, the Beast's curse in Beauty and the Beast is way outside the parameters of bestow curse. But it has very specific conditions for it to expire, a permanence trigger, etc. Maybe ask your DM if you can scale up the effects by playing around with the conditions of the curse.

Curse them to never be able to find their keys, then lock them out of their house (or inside their house). Most normal people would be able to go ask for help, but what if you did it to the town jerk who is selling magic items at exorbitant rates? If no one wants to help them get out of their home, they can slowly starve to death...or sell your PC that magic item for 1 gp.

In general, bestow curse works great as a way to get leverage on others. Do NOT allow it for PvP without player buy-in.