d30 Thursday – Curses!

A selection of mildly – to – moderately cursed items to add some brightness to your PC’s humdrum lives.

1. A jeweled statuette of a sphinx that constantly oozes pus from its mouth.
2. A bag that won’t hold metal items (they just fall right thru).
3. A codex that only allows each page to be read/written on once (turn a page, it stays turned).
4. A bejeweled, dragon-skin sword sheath full of carbon dust, gets all over when weapon drawn, won’t wash off for 2-5 days.
5. A quill that writes without ink, but causes cuts on the backs of your hands and wrists. It does not write with ink.
6. A pouch that is literally freezing cold inside, and is constantly dripping with condensation (except in very dry locales).
7. A Ring of Shocking Grasp that does 1d6 damage to the wearer and makes the wearer’s hand smell like burnt oil.
8. A Ring of Swimming that attracts leeches to the wearer. (2d6 leeches attach to the wearer while swimming in fresh water, damage of 1 HP per turn until ring and leeches are removed)
9. A Ring of Canine Control. Any dogs, wolves, jackals, etc. within 1/4 mile are attracted to the wearer. They will obey verbal commands (except to injure themselves or attack each other) except Sit, Stay and Play Dead. If the canines are not actively performing a task/command, they will gather around the wearer, jumping up and trying to lick their face.
10. A silver bracelet with a single chrysoprase stone in a setting, inlaid with ebony mosaic. The bracelet confers Invisibility on the wearer, but not their clothing, anything held in their hands, or the contents of their gut.
11. A wide golden armband carved with eels and sea stars, that adjusts to fit any sized arm it is placed on. It will then slip loose when the wearer is engaged in any active motion (running, fighting, swimming, etc) and slip down to the elbow where it will get stuck, holding the wearer’s arm straight. The armband will stay wrapped around the elbow joint for one hour, when it will then loosen and be able to slip up the arm. Not down towards the wrist, the forearm will have become swollen. Allow 2-5 hours for the swelling to go down, then the armband can be removed.
12. A set of four silver bangles that have small silver bells attached. Whenever the wearer engages in any active motion (running, fighting, swimming, etc) the bells will begin to ring loudly and incessantly. The ringing can be heard for 100 yards. the ringing cannot be muffled or stopped. The bangles can only be removed by the wearer cutting themselves for 3 HP damage per bangle, or a Remove Curse spell.
13. A necklace of silver and lapis lazuli, causes the wearer’s voice to come out in song, a high falsetto. The wearer believes they sound normal. The necklace can only be removed by the light of the full moon or by Remove Curse spell.
14. A pair of golden hoop earrings with inset diamonds, quite valuable. Wearing these pierced earrings causes a double ear infection and conjunctivitis. The infections begin after 24 hours of wearing the earrings, reaching their peak six hours later. The wearer will be deafened and blinded by swollen ears and eyelids. The eyes will leak pus for 12 hours even if the earrings are removed. The deafness will persist for 48 hours.
15.  Amulet of Forgetfulness – Wearing this amulet causes people within 30 feet of the wearer to forget about the presence and location of the wearer! They will be unable to remember the wearer is nearby. It the wearer is unable, or unwilling, to call attention to themselves by speaking or waving a limb, they will be effectively Invisible to others within 30 feet for as long as they remain silent and motionless.
16. Cursed Lock I – A lock on a door, chest or book can be cursed by this spell. The effect on one who opens the lock without speaking the correct password is a puff of dust in the face. This dust causes an allergic-type reaction, resulting in a runny nose that cannot be stopped except by Remove Curse spell.
17. Cursed Lock II – A lock on a door, chest or book can be cursed by this spell. The effect on one who opens the lock without speaking the correct password is a spray of fine mist in the face. This mist causes an allergic-type reaction, resulting in severe acne and running sores on the skin of the face and neck that cannot be removed except by Remove Curse spell.
18. Cursed Lock III – A lock on a door, chest or book can be cursed by this spell. The effect on one who opens the lock without speaking the correct password is a tentacle-like ovipositor that wraps around the neck of the victim, then forces its way into the mouth and down the throat. This ectoplasmic extremity injects a quail-egg sized larva in the abdominal cavity of the victim, before dissolving into a mist. This larva will attach to the blood stream of the victim, and begin feeding on their blood. The victim will become very anemic, losing one point of STR and one point of CON per week until one of the ability scores reaches zero. And death. This blood loss cannot be stopped except by Remove Curse spell.
19. Boots of Climbing – the wearer of these boots can climb vertical surfaces (cliffs, buildings, columns, etc) with no penalty, however, within 24 hours of putting these boots on, one of the wearer’s legs will grow d3″, causing a limp in their walk, chronic back pain, -1 DEX and -1 to hit.
20. Crystal Sword – This blade appears to be forged of the highest quality. It radiates magic. When drawn from it’s sheath it glows with a pale blue light in a 5′ radius. The first time the bearer rolls to hit with the sword, they get a +4 bonus and cause maximum damage. The second strike will count as a miss, as the sword strikes the opponent’s weapon/armor and shatters into a thousand crystal shards. Everyone within 10 feet takes 1d6 HP damage from flying shards. All that remains of the sword is the hilt.
21. Vampire Lyre – A musical instrument of surpassing quality and attractiveness, this instrument has a rich, beautiful tone. Anyone playing a song feels a certain confidence and the music seems to come effortlessly. The curse of this item is that once one begins to play, they cannot stop. As they play their fingers begin to chafe, then bleed. The dripping blood is absorbed by the lyre. The player must play for a full turn, losing 2d4 HP in the process. At the end of a turn they may stop, and it will take two days for their fingers to heal. Until then any spellcasting is +10% to the failure roll and any combat is -1 to hit.
22. Poke of Keeping – a medium-sized bag, 1’x’1’x6″ deep, with a shoulder strap and a drawstring closure. The bag can hold 6 cubic feet of material (nothing sharp, no other extra-dimensional containers like a Bag of Holding). Each time a PC attempts to retrieve an item stored in the bag there is a 30% chance the item has been consumed by the bag. If the owner of the bag attempts to remove everything at once, by dumping the bag upside-down, roll a d20 for each item in the bag: arrange the items by number, largest first; any items that roll a “1” are consumed by the bag, also, the very last item (the one with the lowest number other than “1”) is lost. If it so happens that all of the items in the bag are consumed (for example, three items in the bag, roll three d20: 7,1,1 – two items with a score of 1 are consumed, as is the final remaining item), the bag will disgorge 1,000 cubic feet of foul-smelling mud, turn inside-out and consume itself.
23. A silver salt cellar – holds 1/2 cup of finely ground pink salt. Adding this salt to any contaminated or spoiled food acts as a Purify Food spell. Anyone eating any food so purified is nourished and refreshed as though they had rested for a full day. The salt is instantly addictive, and must be consumed at least once per day or they will not be able to sleep at all. (Use effects of exhaustion) There is enough salt in the container for 6 human-sized creatures for 14 days. The effects of this addiction can be stopped by a Remove Curse spell.
24. Ring of Regeneration – works as a typical magical ring, though once it starts to regenerate wounds the wearer begins to smell like rotten meat. Every 10 HP regenerated creates a one foot radius of this sickly sweet odor. After 50 HP have been regenerated, the miasma has grown to a five foot radius cloud of nauseating stench that causes a -2 to hit for any creature in the cloud (except the wearer). The wearer’s CHA is reduced by two. After 100 HP have regenerated the cloud is a 10 foot radius (the maximum extent) and the wearer’s CHA is again reduced by two points.
25. Spyglass of Staring – a magical spyglass that enhances vision to 5x normal range. Any creatures spotted by someone using the Spyglass know they are being looked at, and from which direction, a tingle in the back of the neck.
26. The Heedless Compass – this compass does not point North, it points in the direction of your heart’s desire. Unfortunately, it points you in the direction of the most dangerous route.
27. Cloak of Thorns – this cloak is literally woven of thornbushes and the hair of a Dryad. It gives the wearer the ability to Pass Without Trace (as per Druid spell. While traveling so, the wearer is nicked and pricked by the thorns, causing 1d4 HP damage every turn. If the wearer is seen by any Dryad while wearing this cloak, they will become the Dryad’s sworn enemy, as the hair was taken by force.
28. Hangman’s Rope – this 30 foot long hemp rope was once used on a gallows, and has hung many men and women. It is approximately 1 inch in diameter and can hold 600 pounds weight. Any knots except for a hangman’s noose tied in this rope have a cumulative 10% chance of coming undone each time it is used. Usually at the worst possible moment.
29. The Skull of Augury -The skull of a small woman, inlaid with silver wire and an enameled blue eye in the center of the forehead. The bone around the eye is stained dark and smells of iron and sulfur. Drip one HP of blood onto the enamel eye, and ask a question out loud to receive an omen from an otherworldly entity about the results of a specific course of action that you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. If one attempts to use the skull more often than once per day, the spirit will become angry and attempt to possess the questioner. The DM chooses from the following possible omens (the blood-spirit will ALWAYS answer) :
    • Weal, for good results
    • Woe, for bad results
    • Weal and woe, for both good and bad results
30. The Monkey’s Paw – the bearer of this mummified monkey paw will experience amazing good fortune, to the detriment of everyone around them. Attempts to dispose of the Paw will fail, as it will Teleport back into a pocket/pouch/pack of the person who first utilized its benefits. The Paw can be neutralized by a Remove Curse spell for 2d6 days, during which time the user needs to get at least 66 miles away. DMs can have a field day with this one!