Catalog of Curses

Shadows fall across the room.

A tiny trinket spells your doom.

The ancient tome spelled out your fate:

A thousand warnings, far too late.

Your blood runs cold, your body shivers,

Resolve is tested, soul aquiver.

The ring sticks on your blood-starved hand

And in your mind, screams its demands.

Your friends all flee, it can't get any worse

For it truly is a terrible night

To have a curse. Image Credit: ClassicGameGuys

Minor Curses Curses of this magnitude are simple hindrances, not life-ending calamities to come across. They can be disarmed with a simple Remove Curse spell unless otherwise noted, and are, all things considered, no problem for a well-balanced party to deal with. That said, solo adventurers or smaller groups may have a much harder time dealing with the effects. Curse of Discomfort The item is severely uncomfortable and sticks to your body. While bearing this item, you must roll a d10 at the end of a long rest. On a 1, you have suffered a bad night -- you fail to sleep for any significant length of time, lose any benefits of a long rest, and suffer a level of exhaustion if you do not already have one or more. Curse of Burning Iron This item is made of metal that occasionally glows a dull red. If it is armor or a worn trinket, you have disadvantage on checks to endure hot conditions while wearing it but advantage on checks to resist cold conditions. Whenever you deal damage with this item (if it is a weapon) or take damage (if it is worn) it immediately casts Heat Metal on itself as a second-level spell. Curse of Flamboyance This item constantly glows and glitters while you bear it, being quite pretty to look at but severely unhelpful in a combat situation. While attuned to this weapon, you are constantly under the effects of the Faerie Fire spell. Curse of Indiscretion This item features a mouth somewhere on its surface, usually in the least convenient spot. Whenever you make a Charisma (Deception) check, you must also roll a d6. On a 1, the mouth on this item opens and loudly proclaims the truth about whatever you are trying to conceal. You cannot prevent the mouth from speaking by covering it; however, a Silence spell is powerful enough to keep it quiet. Curse of Indigestion You haven't been feeling so good ever since you picked this item up. While attuned, you must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution save whenever you consume a magical substance such as a healing potion or a magically enhanced piece of food, or else you immediately vomit the substance back up and waste it. On the bright side, this is a great way to trick someone into thinking you've been poisoned... or to avoid actual poison. Curse of Gullibility This item simply feels nice to have on you, and makes everyone else in the world seem a lot friendlier. If you meet a person for the first time while bearing this item, you must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be Charmed by them. You may repeat this save once per hour, ending the effect on a success. Curse of Twisted Tongues This item's surface is unpleasantly moist and slippery when closely inspected. After you attune to this item, the first time you hear a language you cannot understand, you gain the ability to speak, read, and understand that language. However, you lose the ability to speak any other language you know, though you can still read and understand it. This curse lasts until you break attunement with the item with Remove Curse. After that, you lose the ability to comprehend the curse's language. Curse of the Absent Mind As you carry this item, you can't shake the feeling that you've forgotten something important. While attuned to this item, you must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw at the end of a combat encounter or fail to pick anything up afterward -- this includes valuables on your slain enemies as well as any ammunition or thrown weapons not on your person. Curse of Frantic Winds Having this item on you makes you unusually nervous and tense, as if something really bad is about to happen... Whenever you deal damage with this item (if it is a weapon) or take damage (if it is worn), the item immediately casts Fog Cloud as a first-level spell, centered on itself. Any creatures within the cloud are also subject to the Thunderwave spell, cast at first level. The curse falls dormant after producing the cloud, and will not activate again until after the next dawn. Curse of Tunnel Vision While you bear this item, you feel supernaturally focused -- almost to a fault. You have advantage on saving throws against the creature you damaged last (or the closest hostile creature if you have not damaged a creature in the last hour). However, you have disadvantage on saving throws against all other hostile creatures, and cannot target them with spells or attacks until the creature you are focusing on has been reduced to 0 hit points. Curse of Humble Pie You feel self-assured and certain of yourself, far more than is probably healthy. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and skill checks made to impress someone or back up a claim of prowess. Curse of Compounding Misfortune This item fills you with foreboding, yet you put it on anyway. What's the matter with you? While you bear this item, you cannot be affected by the Remove Curse spell. It does not make any attempt to stay on your person, and you automatically break attunement with it once you are more than a mile away from it.

Major Curses These curses are great hindrances in the pursuit of an average adventurer's duty. As usual, a remove curse spell will allow you to end attunement and rid yourself of the item; however, the time between getting the curse placed and getting it lifted may prove to be one of the more eventful periods of your career. Curse of Cowardice You feel a pang of timidity when you enter the fray. This gear was supposed to help you face your fears... Whenever you deal damage to, or take damage from, a creature, you are subject to the Fear spell as if that creature cast it on you. The save DC for this effect is 7 plus that creature's level or CR (minimum 8). Curse of Plaguebearing This item appears strangely filthy and resists all attempts to clean it. After a few days, your party members begin to complain of an odd smell, though you're not sure what they're talking about. Creatures that spend more than an hour within 50 feet of you must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract a disease that reduces their Constitution score by 2, while afflicting them with a host of painful and uncomfortable minor symptoms. This disease is not contagious; you are the only one spreading it. Curse of Virulent Decay This item is made of flawless steel and is polished to a mirror finish. Still, you can't help but feel unclean wielding it. Any biological matter you or this item touch suffers severe localised rot. Creatures must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution save or take 1d8 Necrotic damage. Dead bodies shrivel and rot, effectively aging them 100 years unless they are under the effect of a Gentle Repose spell. Food turns old and moldy, becoming unpalatable and forcing a creature to succeed on a DC 10 Constitution save or become Poisoned after eating it. Curse of Wrathful Hands You're really angry for some reason. After dealing damage to a creature, you have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made using Strength that lasts for one minute after you last damage something. However, your temper has become incredibly short, and you may fly into a rage at the slightest provocation. Whenever the DM deems it appropriate (such as an NPC speaking in riddles or another player claiming an item you wanted), you may be forced to suceed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become enraged at the creature or object that triggered the save. While in this rage, you must move toward the creature or object in question and attack it without ceasing. This rage lasts until you or the subject of your anger is reduced to 0 hit points or until the subject is out of your sight for 1 minute. After the rage subsides (or you succeed on the saving throw), you are immune to the curse's effects for 24 hours. Curse of Chaotic Thoughts You've become convinced that attunement to this item has made you smarter. You even came up with a few fancy words that you're sure must exist in a dictionary somewhere. While attuned to this item, you gain a +1 bonus to your Intelligence score; however, you have a -1 penalty to your Wisdom score. You gain the following flaw: "I am convinced that I am the smartest person in the room at all times, and my plans are the best plans. If someone is doing something without my input, they are doomed to fail." Once per day, the item may cast Suggestion on one of your companions if they attempt to counteract one of your magnificent, flawless plans, compelling them to follow you. Similarly, once per day, if you manage to come up with a plan that actually has a chance of succeeding, the item will cast Suggestion on you and attempt to get you to alter it in a less feasible direction. The DC for the item's Suggestion spell is 14. Curse of Wanton Flesh This item has made you more attractive. You're sure of it. While this object is on your person, you are convinced that no member of your species (or even most other species) can resist your charms. While attuned to this item, you gain a +1 bonus to skill checks made with Charisma; however, when you first meet a creature of a compatible race of the opposite gender (or same, or either, depending on your character's preferences), you must immediately drop what you are doing and attempt to seduce them. The item cannot force you to do this more than once a day. If, gods forbid, you manage to succeed, you and that individual become repugnant to each other shortly afterward, and they want nothing to do with you. You have disadvantage on Charisma checks made to interact with them, as you seemingly cannot help bringing up how hideous they now appear to you, nor can they stop mentioning how much they regret that one night in the tavern. Curse of Introversion This item's finish is subdued. It is well-hidden underneath the rest of your gear. Just like you're well-hidden behind the rest of your party. While attuned to this item, you are compelled to keep your voice down and not draw attention to yourself. You have a +1 bonus on Dexterity (Stealth) checks against creatures that are not actively looking for you. However, you are constantly talked over in normal conversation, and people don't seem to notice that you exist. You have disadvantage on Charisma checks that require someone's attention. In addition, your tendency to mumble gets in the way of spellcasting. When you cast a spell with a verbal component, roll a d6. On a 1, you garble the spell and it fizzles, wasting the spell slot and casting time.