Curse of the Alms Box

[the_david]

I'm currently writing a (Pathfinder) adventure involving an abandoned chapel. A part of this is an alms box that could be looted by the PCs. (New players, so I'll have to see how they'll behave.) What would be a good use of the Bestow Curse spell in this case. I was thinking of a penalty on theft related skills such as disable device, sleight of hand, stealth. The -6 dexterity decrease is too much at this point and I was wondering how big the penalty should be if it's just certain skils. It's got to be higher than the -4 penalty. Is there a guideline for this in Pathfinder or D&D?

Alternatively, what would be a good blessing if the players decide they want to roleplay?

[Segev]

If you want to be unsubtle, a -6 penalty to Wisdom or a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks would be fitting and right out of the spell description. You could model the latter very easily without telling them about it by simply raising the DC on all saves, enemy ACs, and skill/ability checks by 4 until they get it removed.

If you want to be subtle, make them automatically fail, regardless of what they roll, on checks to notice being stolen from. They simply don't realize it's happened until later, when they go check for the belonging(s) that are now missing.

[Jack_Simth]

For an Alms box?

Every time they pass a beggar, they lose 1d4 coins. If they have no coins, they lose an item (selected via the nat-1 clause on iitems and area attacks). The beggar gets what the PC's lost.

[Zaq]

Make them resistant to healing. Maybe it’s just half effectiveness, or maybe they can’t choose to fail their saving throws against curative magic.

The person or people in charge of the church can lift the curse easily, of course. But only if they’re convinced there’s a good reason to lift a curse on a monster who would steal from an alms box.

[Segev]

Another possibility is that they will never have more coin on hand than they stole. Extra gets lost, stolen, or just mysteriously vanishes. It's not even that they can find it again; if they ever have more, the don't have more than that amount.

The curse subtly rewards them for taking actions to atone, whether doing things in service to the god (or his causes) of the church, or actively trying to be generous: they'll always find up to the amount they stole available to aid them in that quest...but still no more.

After all, if they were so desperate they needed that money, surely that money will always be enough.

[Thurbane]

Not sure how much Bestow Curse changed between 3.5 and PF, but Dragon 348 has an article on variant curse effects.

Some that might be appropriate:

Take a -8 penalty on all checks made using one skill (choose a thievery related skill)
Strength counts as 10 less for carrying capacity (beware worldly goods)
Detect as evil under divination effects
Lose a feat (again, something thievery related)
Become unable to lie

[Asmotherion]

BoVD has some cool alternative curses. if your game is more 3.P rather than PF.

[Zaq]

Strength counts as 10 less for carrying capacity (beware worldly goods

That’s delightfully diabolical.


Another possibility is that they will never have more coin on hand than they stole. Extra gets lost, stolen, or just mysteriously vanishes. It's not even that they can find it again; if they ever have more, the don't have more than that amount.

The curse subtly rewards them for taking actions to atone, whether doing things in service to the god (or his causes) of the church, or actively trying to be generous: they'll always find up to the amount they stole available to aid them in that quest...but still no more.

After all, if they were so desperate they needed that money, surely that money will always be enough.

This is arguably even better. You are a GM on whose good side one must be careful to stay!

[Coidzor]

You may find the Conditional Curse (https://www.aonprd.com/SpellDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Conditional%20Curse) spell from Ultimate Intrigue to be of interest to you here to offer a non-magical way to get rid of the curse.

[Mr Adventurer]

Well, -6 Dex is just -3 to Dex related checks and AC. That's a lower numerical penalty than the -4 you are looking to exceed.

[Incorrect]

Unless you try to make a OOC point, dont make the curse too harsh. Dont be a "got'ya!" GM.
They are just taking some coins from a box with no owners.

I would make a Geas in stead. Forcing them to put the money back, and say 10 prayers of forgiveness.

Perhaps the box has a knowledge check to perform the right rites of the relevant religion, so it can be opened safely.

[Berenger]

Obviously, the punishment should be tailored to the god the temple is dedicated to.

Without that information: Nothing they buy from that stolen money will bring them joy or good fortune. Rations will taste bland or spoil fast, a rope will snap when used to scale a wall, a weapon will break in battle, a rented tavern room will be infested with blood-sucking insects that bother nobody except the thief. If you don't want the hassle to track which coin is used for each purchase (the coins will likely be mixed with "clean" coins in their purses), make it so that ALL money they spend has this effect until they give an amount equal to what was stolen to charity.

[Keltest]

The coins physically get stuck to the hand of whoever took them. They can be removed either by showing genuine penance and asking for forgiveness, at which point they vanish and return to the box, or by freely offering them to one who has legitimate need (ie a beggar or similar). Now only was this curse meant to protect against thieves, but to make sure that the priests never felt tempted to indulge themselves a little. As long as they were using it for what it was meant for, they wouldn't actually notice any ill effects from the curse.

[Quentinas]

Obviously, the punishment should be tailored to the god the temple is dedicated to.

Without that information: Nothing they buy from that stolen money will bring them joy or good fortune. Rations will taste bland or spoil fast, a rope will snap when used to scale a wall, a weapon will break in battle, a rented tavern room will be infested with blood-sucking insects that bother nobody except the thief. If you don't want the hassle to track which coin is used for each purchase (the coins will likely be mixed with "clean" coins in their purses), make it so that ALL money they spend has this effect until they give an amount equal to what was stolen to charity.

+1 to this idea but with a modification
Each day when the party spent money until they spent the same amount each service will give them a bad fortune even after they spent that amount (the examples above are good) Example the thief stole 100 gp , and the day after they take a potion for 50gp then rested in the inn for 10 gp then they paid their food 10 gp then they paid 50 gp for another potion , and paid an NPC for 20 gp . The two potion will not work (if you want only on the thief) the room of the inn was not good for the thief that could not sleep, the food did not give him any energy so he will eat again , but the payment at the NPC was good (because they spent 130 gp for that day)