Bestowing creative curses

[kingcheesepants]

The 3rd level spell Bestow Curse allows one to bestow a curse that can do a number of different things from hindering one of the target's ability checks/saves, to giving them disadvantage to attack you, to taking some bonus damage when they're hit, to doing nothing when they fail a save. And most interestingly you can come up with your own curses of roughly equivalent power and give that to the target as well.

What are some creative curses you can come up with? Either good for combat or good for RP or just interesting.

Perhaps something like cursed target can't teleport or plane shift (in a game lacking dimensional anchor this might be a fix). A curse where they have to give you half the money they make. A curse where they may only speak in song. I'd say these are all less strong than do nothing upon failing a wis save. That one could potentially kill if done at 9th level and the target's Wis modifier is low enough that they can't make the save.

[Slipjig]

I'm in favor of curses that are clearly tied to the transgression that brought down the curse. I also think RP-only ones are more fun, because you can leave them in place for an extended period without preventing the character from pulling their own weight.

A single drink makes you blackout drunk, leading the character to frequently wake up with no idea where they are, and possibly without their shoes.

Their hands appear to always be covered in fresh blood.

Every time they kill a sentient being, that creatures shade starts following them around. Other than the cursed individual, nobody else can see them (possibly with a few exceptions like Grave Clerics).

Cannot refuse hospitality, compelled to eat or drink anything offered to them.

Has amazingly good luck, but everyone around him has terrible luck. Or vice versa.

Can only make declarative sentences, cannot ask a question.

[solidork]

I want to do something with a curse of antererograde amnesia - where you forget any long term memories that would have formed while under the curse.

[Beelzebub1111]

Any of the minor curses form the deities in Pathfinder (https://2e.aonprd.com/Deities.aspx) are interesting. Things like "Always wake up with a hangover" or "Get stung by a wasp whenever someone declares vengeance on you". An interesting one is "Compelled to use your attribute with the highest modifier even if another skill would be easier" for example if a situation would be easier with diplomacy you are compelled to use deception if your modifier is higher with that even if you would need to roll higher on the die for the DC.

[Mastikator]

Some ideas

The cursed character can no longer speak or write their own name (including pet names).
The cursed character vomits every time someone introduces themselves to the character, max once per minute.
The cursed character can only answer questions with questions.
The cursed character is unable to sleep (long/short rest) unless fully in bright light.
The cursed character gives off a powerful, foul and distinct odor.
The cursed character sneezes loudly every minute.
The cursed character appears to transform into a werewolf in moonlight, their words sound like howls. This effect is strictly illusory.
The cursed character appears like a zombie, their true form only revealed in reflections.

[Waazraath]

You could check out some old 3.5 stuff, like Book of Vile Darkness. Not only did it had a lot of different curses where you can draw inspiration from, I also liked that there were several tiers of curse severity. Iirc there was something like a dying curse - the person who did the cursing could not be raised or ressurected, but it was far harder to get rid of the curse. I like if there are effects (madness, curses, corruption or you name it) which cannot be simply removed with a spell and that's it, but which requires a quest and lots of hard work to get rid of (or maybe are almost impossible to be removed and need to be endured).

[Sigreid]

The victim can only drink hard liquor, making life expensive and the character having no choice but to be perpetually drunk.

[Mindflayer_Inc]

The 3rd level spell Bestow Curse allows one to bestow a curse that can do a number of different things from hindering one of the target's ability checks/saves, to giving them disadvantage to attack you, to taking some bonus damage when they're hit, to doing nothing when they fail a save. And most interestingly you can come up with your own curses of roughly equivalent power and give that to the target as well.

What are some creative curses you can come up with? Either good for combat or good for RP or just interesting.

Perhaps something like cursed target can't teleport or plane shift (in a game lacking dimensional anchor this might be a fix). A curse where they have to give you half the money they make. A curse where they may only speak in song. I'd say these are all less strong than do nothing upon failing a wis save. That one could potentially kill if done at 9th level and the target's Wis modifier is low enough that they can't make the save.

You must roll a die when asked a question, even roll and you are compelled to tell the truth. Odd roll and you are compelled to lie.

You must sing My Chemical Romance songs whenever you use Bardic Inspiration.

You can't cast Cantrips.

Whenever you roll stealth for your character, your character you must yell "HEY Y'ALL I'M BEING STEALTHY"

[Unoriginal]

The 3rd level spell Bestow Curse allows one to bestow a curse that can do a number of different things from hindering one of the target's ability checks/saves, to giving them disadvantage to attack you, to taking some bonus damage when they're hit, to doing nothing when they fail a save. And most interestingly you can come up with your own curses of roughly equivalent power and give that to the target as well.

What are some creative curses you can come up with? Either good for combat or good for RP or just interesting.

Perhaps something like cursed target can't teleport or plane shift (in a game lacking dimensional anchor this might be a fix). A curse where they have to give you half the money they make. A curse where they may only speak in song. I'd say these are all less strong than do nothing upon failing a wis save. That one could potentially kill if done at 9th level and the target's Wis modifier is low enough that they can't make the save.

"May you live in interesting times" is a good one.

[Slipjig]

Accelerated entropy: things around you rust, break, and spoil much faster than normal. Generally a roleplaying annoyance (e.g. your chair breaks when you sit down on it at a fancy dinner), but could become dramatically important for things like ropes, ladders, and vehicles. Additionally, at the end of every game session, roll % dice for each item in the character's inventory. For non-magical items, they have a 25% chance to break. All magic items have a 10% chance to break. At DMs discretion, may also apply to any vehicles, structures, or holdings owned by the cursed character.

[Segev]

You have a perpetually stuffy and runny nose. (Those of us with allergies or recent colds can attest to how bad this curse can be.)

Your sweat is skunk musk.

Food tastes worse the more you need its nutrients.

There's the classic: "You become the opposite sex." If you've got complications due to trans- stuff in your party, curse people to be the "wrong" sex. Alternatively, "You are cursed to believe you're the wrong sex for your body, whatever happens in the future to your body's sex."

You no longer can speak Common. (or another important language for easy communication in the region)

Animals all start with an attitude of Hostile towards you.

Your eyes are now in the palms of your hands.

[JonBeowulf]

Ripping something from the Moonshae Trilogy, you can see magical effects but are otherwise blind. You get permanent detect magic and see invisibility and illusions are not a problem but moving around town just got hard.

[Dualight]

When the cursed creature tries to speak, they must make a Constitution saving throw or uncontrollably vomit slugs. (Gardeners become instantly hostile if you do this at their workplace.)

Really, stories with magical pranks can be a goldmine for weird curses(Harry Potter is only the first example to come to mind.)

Another one: You become afraid of heights, but only while you can fly/are under effects that prevent (some) falling damage, such as feather fall. When you are not under such effects, you believe you can fly and no amount of evidence can convince you otherwise. Whenever you see a situation where your (delusional) flight would make things easier, you must make a Wisdom saving throw or make the attempt, even if someone else tries to pre-empt you. (Or is this too strong?)

Two more:
Your reflection looks like the thing you fear most/person you hate most.

You have all the signs of vampirism: you are deathly pale, your canine teeth look unnaturally sharp, you have a nocturnal biorhythm(It feels right for you to sleep during the day and be active at night), you are repulsed by garlic, etc.) These symptoms depend on whatever makes it most likely that someone within a 1 mile radius will accuse you of being a vampire, regardless of if those symptoms are displayed by actual vampires.

[JackPhoenix]

The big issue with Bestow Curse is the short duration. It takes 7th level slot to last a day, and 9th level slot to be permanent. Most creative curses are pretty wasted if they are gone quickly, to the point the victim may not even notice they were cursed before the spell is over.

[Pex]

Pathfinder 1E game, playing an Oracle.

The party knew we were to face buffed troglodytes whom we had a very hard time dealing with before. Their stench DC was high most of the party couldn't make it causing issues. I would cast Bestow Curse on party members to lose their sense of smell. Unable to notice the stench, no saving throws needed and the party finished off the troglodytes with ease. Afterwards I would cast Remove Curse.

[kingcheesepants]

These are all absolute gold keep em coming.

And yes I'm well aware that many of these would need to be done at 9th level to really be anything more than a nuisance. But many fey creatures wouldn't mind just being a nuisance (give a 5th level bestow curse to a pixie or a satyr for instance) and then you can easily give a hag coven or any arch fey a once a day 9th level bestow curse and that would be totally sensible. And when players give these curses to NPCs they don't necessarily need to curse them forever in order to have fun freaking them out or ruining their day.

[Slipjig]

You also don't need to follow the rules for the spell Bestow Curse when cursing your players. Most curses in fairy tales are "permanent, or until a specific set of conditions are met". Hags, fairies, and witches may have cursing abilities not tied to leveled spellcasting ability, especially if they have been wronged (or insulted, or offended) by the cursed individual.

[Waazraath]

Your eyes are now in the palms of your hands.

Absolutely brutal this one. Not only the social repercussions, but also big fat bonusses in combat, most likely, when doing anything that requirers two hands to do (2 weapon fighting, twohander, sword & board, holding anything and making somatic components...).

why not just change the place on the body where the eating goes in and the eating comes out - also sucks in social interactions, but at least you don't get the penalties in combat

[GloatingSwine]

There's the classic: "You become the opposite sex." If you've got complications due to trans- stuff in your party, curse people to be the "wrong" sex. Alternatively, "You are cursed to believe you're the wrong sex for your body, whatever happens in the future to your body's sex."


Give 'em the full Granny Weatherwax.

You have an unshakeable belief that the curse has turned you into a frog.

[Clause]

"night in one way and day in another"