Curses

Curse of the Betrayed

“Don’t feel sorry for him; he’ll be dead soon. Feel sorry for us, who have to carry that secret to the grave. We do this one thing, and we never speak of it again, you got that?”

The source of this curse is the powerful, festering ire born in the victim of an unexpected betrayal by a group they trusted. Under its poisonous sway, suspicion creeps into every crack and crevice of the group’s relationship until they believe their only option is to destroy each other.

Curse Effect

You and those affected slowly begin to distrust each other, although the changes are so subtle at first that it’s difficult to recognize. At the beginning of every long rest, you must succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or gain one of the following flaws (chosen or rolled for by the GM) until the curse is broken:

Flaws

d10	Flaw
1	Given the choice between personal gain and the safety of even my closest loved ones, I will always choose personal gain
2	The group would be nothing without me. I am its most important member and deserve to be treated as such.
3	Either you are always with me, or you are plotting against me.
4	It is better to root out the possibility of betrayal first and ask questions later-or never at all.
5	There are only two types of people who can keep secrets: me and the dead
6	I know my companions are capable of terrible things; I’ve seen them do it before. Not me, though. I was pressured into it.
7	I question every word the group says to me, even if they’re telling me the sky is blue
8	The group can use even the smallest details of my life against me, so it’s better to make things up rather than tell them the truth
9	What we did was wrong. Really wrong. I’m the only one who feels any kind of remorse!
10	I’m not really a member of this group. Only when it suits me. And if we’re in trouble, it definitely doesn’t suit me

Failing the saving throw by 5 or more also instills you with the unshakeable sense that your companions are plotting to murder you that very night. Depending on the flaws you have accrued through this curse, the response to this dread could look different. You may respond by running, confronting your companions, or flat-out attacking them, but you must do something to prevent what you believe is inevitable and murderous betrayal. A spell such as remove curse or greater restoration removes one flaw and any feelings of dread about your friends murdering you, but you can still gain new flaws and feelings of dread from the curse until it is broken.

Duration & Breaking

There are two ways to break the curse. The first is for everyone in the group to come clean, publicly, about what they have done and make amends with the injured party as best they can. The second is to be the last one standing as the curse takes its toll around you.

Casting the Curse

The curse is cast when your act of betrayal ends in death. Murders, framings, and even pranks gone wrong can cause the soul of the victim to bind with the strong feelings of resentment and suspicion, casting a shadow over you and everyone involved.

Curse of Cassandra

“Why are you asking what’s wrong with me? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

An individual afflicted with the Curse of Cassandra receives a wonderful gift: the ability to see into the future. These prophetic visions typically warn of unfortunate events. The knowledge is invaluable. The catch? No one believes the cursed person’s predictions. The burden of knowledge is often too great with no one to share it with, and the cursed one finds themselves stranded and feckless against a maelstrom of misfortune.

Effects of the Curse

At the end of the first long rest you take after you have been cursed, roll on the Prophecy Generation tables. The result is a warning of events to come. The roll uses this format: [Subject] will [Prediction] in the next [1d6] days. Roll a d6 from the Subject table. This is the victim of your curse. The Prediction table (d100) decides the misfortune that will befall them. The final d6 determines the window in which the curse manifests. For example, if your rolls are 2, 66, and 3, your curse would look like this: “A party member will be poisoned in the next 3 days. Once you make your prophecy, you are cursed with the knowledge that it is doomed to come true unless you stop it. The GM places encounters in front of you that would make this poisoning scenario likely, and in this example, they have three in-game days to do it. For example, an NPC may invite you all to a grand feast where the food has been poisoned. Other characters in your party won’t heed your words of prophecy. They may be so confident about how wrong you are that they walk head-first into danger, disregarding your warning and gleefully enjoying the fancy meal. The GM should award inspiration to fellow characters who actively ignore your predictions and run headlong into risk. If the prophecy is realized, you receive a new prophecy at the end of your next long rest.

Prophecy Generation Use the following tables to generate a prophecy.

Subject

d6	Subject
1	You
2	A party member
3	A non-player companion or retainer
4	A friendly NPC
5	A rival NPC
6	An enemy

Prediction

d100	Prediction
1-10	take damage from a melee weapon
11-20	take damage from a ranged weapon
21-30	take damage from a spell
31-40	offend someone powerful and dangerous
41-50	be captured and imprisoned
51-60	lose a bet or competition
61-70	be poisoned
71-80	lose a lot of money
81-90	totally embarrass themselves at a crucial moment
91-96	commit a crime
97-100	die

Duration & Breaking

The curse breaks when you prevent something you have prophesied from happening within the given time frame. This proves extraordinarily difficult when no one believes you.

Casting the Curse

High-powered entities such as gods, demigods, celestials, and archfiends are capable of inflicting this curse, usually on a mortal who has defied or otherwise ignored them. Mortals who dabble too much in divination are another popular target. As their powers of prophecy grow, jealous entities see fit to curl the monkey’s paw.

Curse of the Living Dead

“Locked doors? Check. Drawn curtains? Check. Barricade made of living room furniture? Check and check. We’re ready for bed.”

There is a town where the bodies are not buried-they are destroyed, their bones sent floating down the river far away from home. No dead are allowed to remain, for when creatures die in this town, they rise as undead by midnight. There are no livestock or pets in town - even wild animals are shooed away. Still, townspeople lock their doors on the off chance something escapes their watchful eye.

Effects of the Curse

Zombies rise precisely at midnight, though other undead may rise from bodies that are partially, but not completely, destroyed. Charred bones rise as skeletons. Severed limbs reanimate and attempt to put themselves back together, creating more zombies or, in the worst case, an unspeakable mess of spare limbs that uses the flesh golem stat block with the following changes: • The creature’s type is undead. • The creature understands the languages its respective body parts knew in life but can’t speak. The creature gains the following trait: Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the creature drops to 1 hit point instead. The GM can adjust this curse to create any undead of any challenge rating to fit the needs of their campaign.

Zombie Animal Companions The love of a pet is eternal. Nothing exemplifies this sentiment more than animal companions and other pets that die and return as zombies under the curse of the living dead. Many have observed that upon their return, these creatures remember and still adore their companions from life. A zombie pet may even continue to travel with its companion after becoming undead. A zombie pet uses its same stat block with the following changes: • The creature’s type is undead. • The creature understands the languages and commands it knew in life but can’t speak. • The creature is immune to poison damage and can’t be poisoned. • The creature’s movement speed is reduced by 10 feet (to a minimum of 10 feet). • The creature takes a -2 penalty to its Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom scores. • The creature gains a +2 bonus to its Constitution score, which also adjusts the creature’s hit points accordingly. • The creature gains the following trait: Undead Revival. If the creature is reduced to 0 hit points and dies, it rises again at the next midnight. The creature reforms if it has been dismembered, so long as all of its body parts are within 5 feet of each other.

Duration & Breaking

Because the necromancy magic has seeped into the soil, it is the soil that must be cleansed. The curse can be broken by planting, growing, and harvesting root vegetable seeds that have been submerged in holy water or blessed by a cleric or paladin. If no undead have risen by the time the crops are harvested, the curse breaks. This process can be sped up through the use of spells such as druidcraft or plant growth. Throughout its growth, the root vegetables actively absorb the necrotic energy from the soil, and thus at their cultivation may contain traces of the lich or other vile being that caused the corruption. It is strongly recommended you do not eat these vegetables, lest you become possessed by these forces yourself.

Casting the Curse

The death of a powerful necromancer or undead creature, such as a lich, creates a magical excess that seeps into the soil, creating a radius of magical effect large enough to cover a small town or village. The corpses of creatures that die in this area become zombies on the next midnight, regardless of where the bodies end up.

Curse of the Sordino

“If I can’t play in this town, no one can!”

This curse was popularized by the famous bard Gino Naomi, known as the King of Keys for his skill with the piano. During his early travels, Gino asked to play in his hometown tavern and was refused. In his rage, Gino pushed his harpsichord into the nearby lake and cursed the entire town to never hear music again. His anger bound the curse to his now-submerged harpsichord.

Effects of the Curse

This is a curse that does not allow music to exist. When a creature attempts to play music while in an area afflicted with this curse, the sound that comes out is muffled, cacophonous noise. Any ability check, such as a Charisma (Performance) check, made while attempting to play music automatically fails. But not all music is performed. Laughter, voice inflection, the rhythmic repetition of words-all of these things have a music to them that the curse transforms into hideous, horrendous noise. A town affected by this curse has learned to speak in a dull monotone, lest their meaning be drowned out by the curse’s influence. Because one must spend time focusing on not triggering the curse, Charisma checks made to communicate verbally with others in this area are made with disadvantage.

Breaking the Curse

The curse lasts indefinitely or until someone destroys the focus. For this reason, most foci involved in this particular curse are well-hidden, well-guarded, or both.

Casting the Curse

Anyone who uses an instrument as an arcane focus can cast this curse, so long as they have been shamed or scorned by another creature in the last 24 hours. They use their instrument focus as the source of the curse, playing one final song on it and imbuing it with malicious magical energy, which renders the instrument unplayable upon the final note. The caster must then find a new arcane focus. The curse’s area of effect is large enough to encompass a small town or village that includes the creature or creatures that shamed the caster.

Curse of the Watchers

“It started as one little bird. Now there’s a flock of them. Draw the curtain! I know they’re watching me.… What are they waiting for?”

If you see a rare and powerful magic item minding its own business in a dungeon, it’s a good idea to leave it that way. Adventurers who disturb ancient artifacts risk incurring the ire of those who put them there. The Curse of the Watchers starts so subtly you’d barely notice it at first: a single raven perched in a surrounding tree, watching the one who possesses the stolen item. As time passes, more and more ravens arrive until they can no longer be ignored.

Effects of the Curse

Each time you attack with, cast a spell with, or use the cursed item, roll a d10 and add the resulting number of birds to the flock. If the result of the die is a 10, the flock also attacks. Use the swarm of cursed ravens stat block below, where the Flock Bonus (FB) is the number of ravens in your flock divided by 10, rounded up (e.g. 1 FB for 10 ravens, but 2 FB for 11 ravens). If you are still cursed after you have successfully fought off the flock, a new one begins to form upon your next use of the cursed item.

Breaking the Curse

The easiest way to be rid of the curse is to get rid of the item in question. Passing it off to someone else passes on the curse, but returning it to its resting place suppresses the curse. However, once returned to its resting place, one can permanently rid the item of the curse with a simple ritual, familiar to many scholars of necromancy: Return to the final resting place of the cursed item’s owner. Cast the speak with dead spell on the owner’s corpse and negotiate with it by making a DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. (You cannot intimidate the dead.) Per the rules of speak with dead, you may attempt this three times. On a success, the spirit agrees to pass on ownership of the item, and the curse is broken. On three consecutive failed saves, the vengeful spirit reanimates the body and attacks (use the ghoul stat block, or mummy or mummy lord at higher levels). Defeating this spirit breaks the curse permanently.

Casting the Curse

The soul of a dead individual magically charges an item that was important to them in life, imbuing it with the curse. The item is typically a magic item, such as a weapon or wand. A creature becomes cursed with this effect as soon as they pick up the cursed object, and a single bird begins following them.

Slow Polymorph

“Slime? That’s new. Guess I can’t go home anymore. I don’t need mom seeing me like this.”

The term “Slow Polymorph” was coined by the sorcerer who first suffered its effects. Magic taxonomists, however, argue the curse has very little in common with the transmutation spell it was named for. Slow Polymorph slowly transforms its victim into a terrifying bestial or fiendish monster over a period of time until they are completely unrecognizable.

Effects of the Curse

When you complete a long or short rest while cursed, you must make a DC 12 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, you take on a new feature from one of the features below. This decision can be up to the GM, you, or a discussion between both. • Four-armed. You sprout an extra set of arms, with which you can hold one item, such as an arcane focus, light weapon, or shield. You can use a bonus action on your turn to make a melee attack with that light weapon, regardless of what action you take on that turn. The cost of armor for your new body is doubled. • Four-legged. You sprout extra legs and become quadrupedal with a monster-shaped bottom and humanoid top. Your walking speed increases 10 feet, but the cost of clothing your new legs and feet is doubled • Glowing Eyes. Your eyes take on a brilliant magical glow. You gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, or double the range of your darkvision if you already have it. Your magical glowing eyes emit dim light within 5 feet, cutting through even magical darkness. • Horns. You grow horns from your head, or your existing horns grow in size. When you move up to your speed on your turn, you can use your bonus action to make a melee attack with your horns. Strength is your ability for this unarmed strike, which deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage. Headgear made for humanoids no longer fits you, and you must spend an additional 20% on headgear for it to be tailored to your head. • Sharp Claws. With the addition of claws, your unarmed strike now deals 1d4 slashing damage. However, whenever you make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, or make an ability check using tools, roll 1d4 and subtract the number rolled from the check. • Acidic Sweat. Your skin constantly oozes a mucus-y slime that lingers on surfaces you touch. The slime disintegrates organic material such as wood and plants if left in place for 1 hour, and deals 1d4 acid damage to creatures (except for you) who touch it. This includes creatures you hit with a melee weapon attack. • Tough Skin. Your skin turns to bark or tough scales, giving you a +2 bonus to AC. Unfortunately, this new skin is difficult to move around in. Your Dexterity score is reduced by 2 while you are cursed. • Webbed Feet. You gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. Footwear made for most humanoid feet no longer fits you, and you must spend an additional 20% on footwear for it to be tailored to your new feet. Each time you gain a new feature, you must choose one you don’t currently have. A single feature can be removed through the casting of the remove curse spell or similar magic, but you are still susceptible to future features until the curse itself is removed. The more monstrous traits you select, the more likely people are inclined to believe you are a monster and be immediately afraid of or hostile toward you. A character with four arms, four legs, and glowing red eyes, for example, may be attacked on sight when they enter a town or city. The more monstrous you are, the more estranged from society you become. Additionally, the more monster-like you become, the more monsters you attract. Whenever you roll initiative, there is a chance a nearby monstrosity senses your presence and considers it a threat. If you are the first or last person in the initiative order, a monster appears and joins the fray with the intent to attack you. Use the following chart to determine which monster arrives:

Challenge Rating	Potential Monsters
1/2–1	cockatrice, hippogriff, rust monster, worg
2–4	ankheg, basilisk, centaur, owlbear
5–6	bulette, chimera, medusa
7–10	guardian naga, hydra, spirit naga
11–15	behir, remorhaz, purple worm
16+	androsphinx
Extremely Cursed	tarrasque

Breaking the Curse

The being who cast the curse can also lift it, but they typically refuse to do so unless the cursed one has made amends. The curse is bound to the hourglass that was used to cast it. Breaking the hourglass lifts the curse and deals 6d10 necrotic damage to the cursed one. Typically, the hourglasses are hidden or guarded with great care

Casting the Curse

Slow Polymorph is the punishment of choice for powerful wizards or otherworldly beings who prefer an impending sense of dread over just turning somebody into a toad. It requires an hourglass and something from the target’s body: a lock of hair, a scrap of fingernail, or another such component. The ritual takes only 1 minute, wherein the caster binds the curse to the hourglass and then turns it over to reset the sand. As the sands slowly trickle down to the bottom, the cursed individual transforms.

Traveler’s Curse

This is the Traveler’s Curse, once cast on traveling merchants who swindled a gypsy woman named Madame Josova. The first people affected by this curse were two brothers by the names of Bran and Taran Middleton. They traveled for months unable to get a good night’s rest at many of the fine inns or other resting places of the cities they visited. They had an unfortunate mishap one night when the only place to stay aside from the inn would be in their wagon on the outskirts of town. A group of bandits happened to prey upon any such unprotected caravans in this town.

Effects of the Curse

The adventurer is unable to enter ANY Tavern or Inn.So while the characters all get to stay at an Inn or get their drink on, this character must sleep somewhere else like a barn or in their tent

Duration & Breaking

Only removed by Remove Curse spell

Casting the Curse

What the Deuce

A dimension hopping evil baby used a energy siphon to leech off the least of your luck.

Effects of the Curse

You now get a crit fail on a 1 or 2

Duration & Breaking

Removed once you have a remove curse spell or have rolled 2 nat20s, whichever comes first.

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Ethereal Bound

Medino, a great wizard mastering the skills of Teleportation, was the first person known to be subjected to this curse, when he tried to Teleport his way to safety out of the sacred monument and temple of Tymora, the Trove, without the guardian Empyrian’s blessing.

Effects of the Curse

The adventurer is constantly affected by the Blink spell, no Concentration required, and makes a lasting conversation or vehicled/mounted travel close to impossible.

Duration & Breaking

Only removed by Remove Curse spell or being affected of another Teleporting spell travelling to another Plane of Existence

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Everlasting Jackal

It is believed the Jackal was once a revered creature. Meaning believing that god’s likeness was that of the jackal. Therefore this curse used to be considered a blessing to those who fell under its power.

Effects of the Curse

The cursed makes involuntary howling sounds based on an interval of 1-5 minutes (at DM discretion). If the curse isn’t removed, the player slowly turns from just howling to an actual Jackal

Duration & Breaking

Only removed by Remove Curse spell

Casting the Curse

Limb-0

Traveling through Limbo a sentient creature accidentally absorbed some chaos magic and now their limbs are in constant flux.

Effects of the Curse

every 1d4+1 days roll a d20. On a 1 roll again twice. 2-5 grow an “arm” (at the DMs discretion it is a crab arm, a tentacle, etc. upto a maximum of 4 arms). On a 6-9 grow a single wing (bird, bat, insect,etc). On a 10-13 Lose a limb of the player’s choice. 14-17 grow a tail (scorpion, lizard, monkey, fish, etc.), 18 or 19 grow extra sensory organs (allowing the player to earn tremorsense, devil sight, etc at the DMs discretion), curing the curse on a nat 20

Duration & Breaking

Removed once you have a remove curse spell or have rolled a nat 20, whichever comes first.

Casting the Curse

Goldilocks

A fighter with a formidable collection of weapons bullied his party into looting the remains of a forgotten dwarven shrine to Tempus. Restoring the shrine would have been quick and easy, but she felt only greed.

Effects of the Curse

Whenever your target’s modified AC exceeds your modified attack roll by 5 or more, you can no longer hold the weapon that missed in the hand that you used. For magical weapons you can negate the effect by making an INT save of DC (12 + the number of weapons you can still use in any hand). For two-handed weapons, you first get disadvantage when attacking with it, and if the curse is invoked again, you cannot use it, both stages can be saved against if it’s magical. To be able to use a weapon again, make a religion check with disadvantage during a long rest, or instead of a short rest. Pick a die with sides equal to or fewer than the result of your check. Roll it to determine how many weapons you can “forgive”. Magical weapons cost double. Clarification: Identical consumables like darts or throwing axes are considered one weapon by the curse.

Duration & Breaking

When you make the religion check to regain use of weapons, if you cannot currently use any of the weapons you carry, take the result of your religion check against DC (25 - the number of weapons affected by the curse). Making the check breaks the curse. Alternatively seek favor from Tempus.

Casting the Curse

The Curse of the 7 Sins

There was once a being who sought to separate itself from its Sins using the power of a Philosopher’s Stone of its own design- but it destroyed itself in the process. The remnants of that stone contain twisted magic that no longer works as intended, contact with one of these shards will resonate with one dimension of a person’s personality and overwhelm all other aspects. Some may be able to return from such a fate- others may find they no longer care.

Effects of the Curse

Roll a d8 to determine which cursed Sin takes hold, 1 is Lust, 2 is Gluttony, 3 is Greed, 4 is Sloth, 5 is Wrath, 6 is Envy, and 7 is Pride. Exhibition of this particular Sin then supersedes other Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws. On a roll of 8, the character is consumed by a desire for personal Virtue and will resist exhibiting any of the 7 Sins- they will also have a tendency to actively chastise those who do.

Duration & Breaking

Only removed by Remove Curse spell

Casting the Curse

The Wooden Coin

The wooden coin is cursed by a powerful archfey who gets his kick from watching mortals suffer. He usually disguises himself as a travelling salesman and gives the wooden coin as a gift to those who buy goods from his caravan.

Effects of the Curse

While holding the coin, the player has disadvantage on all charisma checks. Also, each day, the number of coins in the person’s possessions doubles. The wooden trinket only weighs ..25 lbs., but players will soon find that their pockets are overflowing with the coins. Any attempt to discards or destroy the coins is futile.

Duration & Breaking

The curse placed on the coin can only be removed by a wish spell or seeking out the salesman who sold the player the coin and forcing them to reverse the curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of Hom-O-Nymphs

Nymphs, while not necessarily of cruel or wicked nature, are very alluring, such that one may become rather lost in their gaze towards them. As a result, the gazer may begin to act in rather odd stupors, slurring their words, saying the wrong things, and hearing the wrong things. As a means of punishing others for their brash actions and poor word choices in the name of love, they developed this curse.

Effects of the Curse

Whenever a character does an action that could be misinterpreted as another action, at any time if applicable, roll a wisdom check to make sure you understood your own command to yourself, otherwise do an action that sounds the same. I.E. : Upon trying to lie someone, you might instead “Lie” on the floor, when a bright light flashes and your eyes blink fast, you might instead accidentally cast the spell “Blink”, or if you’re trying to break something, instead have it come to halt by “braking” it, or maybe instead of knocking and “rapping” on a door, you begin rapping and spouting some sick rhymes.

Duration & Breaking

Remove curse spell or taking a vow celibacy, if the vow of celibacy is broken, instead a wish spell is necessary to remove it and the curse returns.

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Pixie Pox

Many moons ago a pixie mage was thrown into a chamber pot and carried around for a month by a rotten rogue. Upon release she cursed him to have ever changing coloring on his body. He once wound up neon green with pink and purple stripes with dayglow yellow polka dots

Effects of the Curse

Every morning make a CON saving throw, Failing DC5 makes your skin and hair try to disadvantage you in social situations and combat. Passing DC19 makes it appear normal, and camouflaged during stealth and combat encounters. Passing DC21 gives you fine control of your colors with the same speed as applying body paint (e.g. you make an intricate tattoo appear on your arm, then you slowly shift it onto your back). Rolling CON 5 through 18 makes absurd color patterns appear on your skin, always changing very very slowly.

Duration & Breaking

Might be cured by fey spellcasters. Stops after two months. One if your actions are constrained to CG alignment. Half if you mix harmless mischief and fun into each day.

Casting the Curse

Boa Up

A powerful dryad got annoyed with the humans in the village around him asking “do you even lift bro” and decided to make a curse that turned their left arms into Boa constrictors

Effects of the Curse

Every day a player rolls a D20 if the number is odd and less than 15 the players left arm is turned into a snake. The player then rolls a constitution check to see if they can control the snake for the day. If this fails the snake will attack people at random at the DM’s discretion

Duration & Breaking

24 hours

Casting the Curse

Song of the Damned

A twisted mage found much enjoyment in other’s suffering. He would spend his time silently creating spell after spell, each one made to inflict pain. One day, his lair was particularly filled with corpses, so an idea was created. He captured a traveller and cursed him with his latest torture experiment. Then he moved on to the next victim, the the next, then the next… All to hear the songs of the dead. After so many experiments, he became curious of their whispers, and he inflicted his own curse upon himself. However their screams were too maddening, and he lost himself to insanity.

Effects of the Curse

The player will hear the voices of the dead, ranging from soft whispers to violent screaming. The more corpses in the vicinity, the louder the voices. In areas with 5 or more dead creatures, including undead, they player is unable to concentrate. In areas with 10 or more dead creatures, the player must make a Wisdom saving throw each minute. On a failed save, the player takes 2d4 Psychic damage. In areas with 20 or more dead creatures, the player can only hear the screams of the dead and must make a Wisdom saving throw each round instead. On a failed save, the player takes 2d8 Psychic damage, or half as much on a Successful one.

Duration & Breaking

8 hours away from any dead bodies. This can also be removed using Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

TriskadekaBOOM!

An evil hag-witch hired a gnome to do simple repairs around her hovel. She became increasingly angered at his attempts to “improve” things by adding strange tinkered effects to common household items. She cursed the gnome such that his tinkering would backfire on him.

Effects of the Curse

Any attempt to use a crafting skill that results in a natural 13 on the die roll automatically fails, with the crafted item exploding for 1d4 force damage per level of the cursed person.

Duration & Breaking

Until the cursed person cleans an entire house without the use of magic or crafting skills, or until removed by spell.

Casting the Curse

Enigmatic Hinge

A ancient dwarven mage, exiled from his homeland experimented and grew powerful, but always felt upon himself the limits of his own humanoid being. In an attempt to amend this he made a deal with and eldritch being, who upon hearing his request for the ability to learn and understand aspects of the world that perplexed even the greatest mind, allowed him to do so at a cost.

Effects of the Curse

Any attempt to open a door, chest, or similar device is impossible, unless the player succeeds a dc 15 intelligence saving throw. on a failure the player is completely perplexed by the mechanics of the door/chest

Duration & Breaking

Can be removed by “Remove Curse” spell.

Casting the Curse

Addiction Addiction

A wizard was spending too much time on various vices such as drugs, alcohol, and gambling. The wizard used a wish spell to ask for a significant other whom had an appreciation of vices. As the wizard travels the curse spreads to those he encounters, and from that day forth all of his peers would share in his habits.

Effects of the Curse

Every 12 in game hours you gain a level of exhaustion if you fail to participate in some form of vice

Duration & Breaking

Is removed when physically greater than 1 mile of the wizard who cast the wish.

Casting the Curse

Chungus

Chungus.

Effects of the Curse

Your name becomes chungus. No one else, including you, remember your old name or that you ever had another one at all. You don’t, and never will, have any desire to change it.

Duration & Breaking

Permanent.

Casting the Curse

Again Seventeen

A wizard with an unsuccessful life regretted his broken marriage, his loser job, and ungrateful kids. He created this spell to try and restart and fix his life, but accidentally destroyed it in the process

Effects of the Curse

The creature becomes the equivalent of their human 17 year old self, much like in the movie 17 Again featuring Zac Efron

Duration & Breaking

Can be removed by performing “Good Deeds” up to the DM’s discretion, or fixing a life problem that the creature or someone close to the creature has.

Casting the Curse

Maddening Conscience

A god embarrassed by the cruelty caused by an evil king laid curse upon the monarch. Far beyond forcing the king to listen to his conscience, the curse magnifies the burdens of his choices, making even trivially tasks suspect. This drove him to brief bouts of madness whenever he focus on the consequences of his actions. Yet despite knowing this, he was forced to revisit their impact over and over, 3 or 4 times a day.

Effects of the Curse

Upon being cursed, the target must make a wisdom saving throw against a DC of 13. Failure afflicts them with Short-Term madness. A timer then starts, with a duration of four hours. If they kill someone, the timer reaches 0, or the player chooses to confront his conscience, they must make the saving throw and the timer is reset back to four hours. The timer pauses during long rests.

Duration & Breaking

Removed by a Greater Restoration

Casting the Curse

Explosive Curse of Grafting

Originally triggered by early magic weavers trying to harness the powers of nature. It now occurs on arcane spell failure, especially so when on feywild ground. It is also a relatively common curse for sentient Fey to place on items they believe magic users would try to steal.

Effects of the Curse

The targets off-arm erupts in an explosion of green magical energy. Growing from the stump is a small plant whose roots are sealing the wound. The player takes the same penalties as a one-armed player. If left more than a day the plant will slowly start to grow into an arm length branch (over the course of a week). This process is sped up by exposure to water and light, but only if from arcane sources. Once fully grown the branch will grow 1d3 berries per long rest which heal 2HP each.

Duration & Breaking

Can be removed by “Remove Curse” spell.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Fortune

Occasionally unknown malevolent forces outside the comprehension of mortals are pointed towards great accomplishments. Fearful of their unrelenting boasting and positivity, they rightfully intervene to take them down a peg. That will show them!

Effects of the Curse

Whenever the afflicted player rolls a 20 on a d20, they take 1d8 psychic damage.

Duration & Breaking

Can be removed by “Remove Curse” spell.

Casting the Curse

Need a drink?

There was once a Dwarf who boasted he could never get drunk…

Effects of the Curse

Any fluid consumed by the creature has a chance to intoxicate it. Roll a d20. On a 1, the drink, no matter what it is, intoxicates the creature. On a 20, the drink, no matter what it is, does not leave the creature intoxicated. The creature gets disadvantage against any poison consumed this way on a 1, and advantage on a 20.

Duration & Breaking

Can be removed by “Remove Curse” spell.

Casting the Curse

Algebra

One powerful witch was also an avid mathematician.

Effects of the Curse

Any spell you cast targeting anything else targets you as well, and vice versa.

Duration & Breaking

(The square of the player’s current age divided by 7) hours

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Nameless

A wizard heard someone ridicule him for his name one too many times

Effects of the Curse

Whenever the afflicted player hears his own name, he is struck by the “Magic Missile” spell

Duration & Breaking

Can be removed by “Remove Curse” spell.

Casting the Curse

Borruks Plaugue

The Demon Lord Borruk created this plague with fake souls he had taken from what he thought was a devil

Effects of the Curse

If someone directly touches one of the daggers Borruk scattered across the world, they will be infected by Borruks Plague. While infected, a player must roll a d20 and that many imps will show up at anytime during the day and annoy the player. This includes giving away the player’s position, attempting to trip the player, interrupting the players rest, or stealing a something small off the player. This is ultimately up to the DM, however the Imps base DC for stealing, tripping, etc. is 10. For every extra imp attempting to do a single task, the DC goes up by one. The Imps have hp of 12 and an AC of 18. They are fast, and can appear randomly throughout the day. Their sneak against a player’s Passive Perception has a bonus of +8.

Duration & Breaking

This curse can be removed by either a remove curse spell, or killing a total of 100 imps.

Casting the Curse

You Subscribed!

A short tempered wizard put a fairy in a box because the fairy was annoying him. You accidentally let the fairy out of the box.

Effects of the Curse

The fairy will randomly show up and tell the PC everything that happened immediately before the fairy shows up. Events are triggered by one of the players receiving a phone call, text message, or other interruption outside the gaming session. Whoever received the interruption is the voice of the fairy.

Duration & Breaking

Every time the fairy shows up roll a d20. Only rolling a 20 can put the fairy back in the box, or other container. Anyone within arms reach of the cursed PC can also roll for capture. If the container is reopened whoever opens it receives the curse.

Casting the Curse

No business like show business

A haughty courtesan with a flair for dramatic revenge made a blood oath to something in the dark

Effects of the Curse

Every time the cursed has a conversation with someone of the opposite sex that they have not met before they begin to undress until all clothing is removed. 1 major article of clothing per round unless a wisdom check is made (DC4). The cursed will feel compelled to continue the conversation and cannot end it unless they make a charisma check with a DC of the conversants charisma. Only 1 charisma check is permitted.

Duration & Breaking

Until save or conversation ends.

Casting the Curse

Camelot Coconut

A legendary king from a far away land, gathered knights to his cause to seek the holy grail. However through a tragic accident, he was left unable to ride horses.

Effects of the Curse

When travelling, a spectral servant follows you clapping two halves of a coconut together to imitate the noise of a horse

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

The Curse of the Werepenguin

A group of kids living in the far south started getting bullied in school. They ran away in anger and got bitten by a Werepenguin. When the full moon came around next, they were at a school dance and brutally murdered the people that bullied them. The blood spilled on this artifact.

Effects of the Curse

While holding or using this object, every so often the cursed will hear the menacing slapping of wet flippers against the ground following them. If they turn around no one is there. Sometimes when they look in the mirror or in a puddle they will catch a glance of a penguin standing behind them and then vanish when they blink, as if it was never there. Penguins are a common occurrence in their nightmares. If the owner goes too long without addressing this they will be attacked Freddy Kreuger style by an evil dream and reality bending penguin.

Duration & Breaking

Killing the evil penguin or seeking out a Werepenguin: once coming upon the Werepenguin, the cursed must apologize for the deeds of the bullies and bow in front of the penguin, squawking like penguins do.

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Furries

Furries exist as an ancient cult in this universe, and they’re really into spellcasting.

Effects of the Curse

You become unhealthily obsessed with the concept of anthropomorphic animals. This includes Tabaxi, Lizardfolk, Kobolds, Yuan-Ti, or Dragonborn, so when you are in the presence of any of those, or any other such humanoid animal, you automatically act obsessively and become infatuated with them. You have a -12 and disadvantage to interact with any such humanoid animal, and your obsessive nature makes them instantly wary of you and your party. You must interact with one such humanoid animal whenever you see one, rolling with the mentioned disadvantages.

Duration & Breaking

Remove curse

Casting the Curse

Seven fingered

An inventor tried to get his hands more flexible, but the modification did not go as planned.

Effects of the Curse

Two thumbs sprout from a random place on your hand. This could be out of the palm, between two other fingers, etc. These thumbs move when your other thumb moves, and until you get the curse removed, you have -2 to your dexterity.

Duration & Breaking

Remove curse or two successful DC 15 medicine checks in a row. If either of these medicine checks are failed, the effect is now permanent.

Casting the Curse

Self-Awareness

Not even the casters of this curse could know this…

Effects of the Curse

You are aware that you’re in a game of Dungeons and Dragons. As such, you know all your actions and thoughts are controlled by someone else, and that you don’t actually exist. This makes you completely unmotivated to react to anything, merely doing whatever your player decides with no emotion or thought. You cannot communicate this to others.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse or by forgetting it somehow.

Casting the Curse

Food of the Damned

Two bakers had a rivalry. Too bad one of them was a spellcaster.

Effects of the Curse

All food you eat automatically tastes terrible to you. If you are determined to eat, you must make a DC 15 constitution check for each food item you eat.

Duration & Breaking

Eating five whole loaves of bread in one sitting, making constitution saves for each loaf.

Casting the Curse

Special Diet

There’s this really nasty devil who wants you to have an eating disorder.

Effects of the Curse

All consumables are now confused with mundane non-edible items in proximity to that consumable. If an item is similar in size and shape to the consumable, roll a d6 and 1-3 means you picked the wrong thing to try and eat. If it is not similar, only rolling a 1 on the d6 means you picked wrong. If another PC or an NPC makes it very clear what is and what isn’t food, you can skip the d6 roll.

Duration & Breaking

Remove curse, or successfully convincing the devil to undo it.

Casting the Curse

Rule 34

Nobody knows who enchanted the tome of contortions, but any young fool who spent too much time looking at it for the wrong reasons would sprout hair on their palms and some would go blind. Legend says that an artificer stole the tome from a library, and would experience occasional blindness. He foolishly continued working despite the danger, and during an enchanting procedure the curse was uncoupled from the tome.

Effects of the Curse

Every morning make a DC10 CON save against growing hair on your palms. On a critical fail, you are blind for the day as well. Because of hairy palms some CHA checks and actions requiring a grip will get disadvantage, DM decides.

Duration & Breaking

The curse transfers to another PC or NPC that is within 30ft and acts significantly less mature than the accursed when erotic subjects are mentioned.

Casting the Curse

Sakurai’s Trip

A long time ago, there lived a brilliant wizard named Sakurai who had an affinity for pranks. He spent a lot of his life creating brilliant spells and beautiful illusions. This caused him to amass a following of amatuer wizards and fascinated commoners. After he attracted a sufficient amount of followers he called them all to the same place to bear witness to what he described as his greatest spell yet. Whenever all of his followers arrived he performed a simple spell that caused all of his followers to develop a curse that caused them to randomly trip. They knew not when it would strike or how long it would last. A week later one of his followers, after feeling extremely betrayed by his hero, murdered Sakurai. After Sakurai died the curse lifted, however there are rumors that somewhere a source of his curse remains.

Effects of the Curse

Anytime the cursed player makes any sort of check or save based on dexterity (excluding attack rolls that are based on dex) the DM must also roll a d20. On rolls of 5 or lower the check automatically fails and the player trips causing them to go prone.

Duration & Breaking

Lasts a week or remove curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Flat Man

Borne from the hate of many average people. Many a wish for flawless envied heroes to be average too. This wish came true.

Effects of the Curse

All rolls, checks, and saving throws you make no longer have bonuses of any sort. The number on the die is the roll.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse or 24 Hours

Casting the Curse

Mikrothropy

The first creature to be cursed by this was not humanoid, but rather a small bear. A pixie who had just been wounded by the bear cursed their own flesh, and when the bear ate the pixie, it became afflicted by micro thropy, a condition that downsized the target at night.

Effects of the Curse

A creature with micro thropy shrinks to tiny size at night if it is small or larger, and if the creature is already tiny or smaller, shrinks to one size class less than normal. A creature that shrinks will lose 2 strength and gain 2 dexterity for every size they decrease (minimum of 1 and maximum of 20). They will not be able to wield weapons more than two size classes bigger than them, and if a weapon is one or two sizes larger than them, they can only wield light weapon and they do not benefit from weapon properties. Anything on their person will be downsized as well, and weapons will deal 1d4 less damage (to a minimum of 1 damage) for every size they go down by. Tiny or smaller creatures have +4 to stealth checks.

Duration & Breaking

Can only be removed by remove curse.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Tongues

Originally a spell for regenerating lost body parts, Cygnuth the Thpellthlinger discovered the same pattern could be put to other uses…and uncovered a useful method for evening the odds in combat.

Effects of the Curse

A creature’s tongue rapidly grows 1d4 feet in length. Spells with verbal components which require an attack roll have disadvantage, and enemies have advantage on saves against spells with verbal components. You have disadvantage on Charisma checks which involve speaking.

Duration & Breaking

Unlimited duration. Not technically a curse, the Remove Curse spell has no effect. The affliction can be ended by severing the extra length of tongue, and treating the resulting wound.

Casting the Curse

Drunken Man’s Curse

A curse cast by bartenders to teach angry drunkards a lesson.

Effects of the Curse

You become wildly drunk and cannot stop being drunk until the spell is over. In battles and social situations, this gives disadvantage to all checks, and on failed checks you do something drunkenly stupid.

Duration & Breaking

Kissing another drunken person of the same gender cures the curse.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Extremes

Originally cast by a thrillseeker for her own use, others caught on and started using it as a curse.

Effects of the Curse

Whenever you would roll any die, flip a coin. If heads, you get the maximum number possible on that die for your roll. If tails, you get the minimum number possible on that die for your roll.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse or by slaying a dragon on your own

Casting the Curse

Curse of Mirror Image

Who would want a twin like this?

Effects of the Curse

A mirror image of you appears and you feel inclined to violently attack it, and it does the same towards you. Any damage taken by either of you hurts you both.

Duration & Breaking

If one is knocked out before the other, the spell ends and your consciousness regains in the surviving one.

Casting the Curse

Discovery of Meaning

An all-knowing oracle was sick of travelers visiting him only for the meaning of life, so he cursed all who came and asked with this curse.

Effects of the Curse

You know the meaning of your own life and the life of everyone you see, but cannot tell them, although the want to tell increases the more you are unable to, making it difficult to focus on tasks at hand.

Duration & Breaking

Removed by a spell

Casting the Curse

Curse of inexperience

A rival to the most skilled craftsman in the land forced him to forget his talent.

Effects of the Curse

You temporarily lose two levels. Anything you had because of those levels is gone. You can not drop below level 1. You also have no proficiency bonus.

Duration & Breaking

2 hours

Casting the Curse

Prisoner’s Curse

Used by magical felons to help themselves escape from law enforcement.

Effects of the Curse

You become indistinguishable in every way from a wanted criminal in whatever region you are in. If you leave the area in which that criminal is wanted, you become indistinguishable from a different criminal wanted there, etc.

Duration & Breaking

Doing a good deed for someone in need.

Casting the Curse

Devil’s Stench

Originally a curse used on ancient territory borders to keep away wild creatures, it is usable on people, too.

Effects of the Curse

You have a repulsive stench about you for the curse’s duration. You have disadvantage and -5 to all charisma checks. You also gain distrust and bad influences with townsfolk and such, making them wary of you. In some cases, inns and bars will refuse to serve you.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of Hatred

A old orc witch was disgusted over outsiders, so much so that she set out a curse to any outlander that crossed her path

Effects of the Curse

You gain a strong hatred to every race except your own, and will immediately distrust them and refuse help, even if they are an ally.

Duration & Breaking

24 hours or by Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of Screaming Fruit

When a little girl stole from an old man’s orchard, the man was not the most forgiving.

Effects of the Curse

Any fruit within a 20 foot radius will grow mouths and begin perpetually screaming after 2 rounds. The fruit will scream for 1 minute straight, then violently explode. If the fruit is as at least as large as an apple, it will deal 1d4 force damage when combusted.

Duration & Breaking

Until the player submerges themselves in water for 1 round or by Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of Frightful Visions

A lich cast this curse on an adventurer so that they would never sleep soundly for the rest of their life, as they were killed by said adventurer. “What you give to me, I shall take from you.”

Effects of the Curse

The afflicted player perceives anyone looking at them, or alone with them, (maximum of one person) as having pitch black eyes (whole eye), and pale white skin. The afflicted player also perceives that person’s voice as the lich’s voice (or very much lower in pitch, like satan). If the person that is the subject of the curse’s induced hallucinations engages the afflicted in dialogue, additional hallucinations occur. The afflicted perceives their teeth and hair falling out and turning to dust, and also their eyes bleeding. 10 minutes after the subject of the hallucinations leaves the targets presence and line of sight, the hallucinations can start again on another person. The previous subject will then appear as normal. Even if the caster of this curse is dead, the curse causes the afflicted to believe they are still out there, alive and seeking vengeance, even if they are aware they are under the effects of a curse.

Duration & Breaking

Not sure, remove curse or something similar. (I would think this curse would need something higher than a 3rd level spell to remove.)

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Fashion Victim

An old tailor’s curse.

Effects of the Curse

Your clothes change shape in color to become nauseatingly bright and unattractive. This happens to any clothes you wear until the curse is removed. The clothes cause general discomfort, and many bars and inns will refuse to serve you out of secondhand shame.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse or by taking off afflicted clothes and bathing them in Dragon’s blood

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Dark Star

The Curse of the Dark Star has a mysterious origin, but is believed to have origins in the Chaotic portion of Limbo. A powerful Slaad attempted to rip a hole in the very fabric of the plane and was struck down, a mark upon its brow as a remembrance of the folly. Now this Slaad spreads the curse along with its Slaad infection. To remove it they must speak with an Angeosphynx and beg them to remove it or task them with a penance of some kind.

Effects of the Curse

In the middle of the forehead appears a dark tattoo-like mark of a single star. During the night the PC will draw the attention of nearby animals, monsters, especially Slaads, and they will attempt to harm the PC and is speckled with a radiant glow, they go blind - and now have Tremorsense. The hands of the PC become lizard like claws, and their mouths fill with white jagged fangs. During the night the Star symbol also glows the dark. Any creature hit with a claw or bite attack must make a CON Save or be infected with a Slaad Tadpole (Monster Manual has details on that). During the day though, the person is quite normal except for the symbol of the Dark Star - Mechanus and his followers protect order - and if one or more Slaad Tadpoles live, then he will send his Modron Minions after them. Exactly a year after the initial day of cursing, the bearer will transform into a full blown Grey Slaad of a Chaotic Evil nature.

Duration & Breaking

One Year or until lifted by a Angeosphynx or a quest

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Bad Baronett

Sir Rupert Murgatroyd His leisure and his riches He ruthlessly employed In persecuting witches. With fear he’d make them quake – He’d duck them in his lake – He’d break their bones With sticks and stones, And burn them at the stake! This sport he much enjoyed, Sir Rupert Murgatroyd – No sense of shame Or pity came To Rupert Murgatroyd! Once, on the village green, A palsied hag he roasted, And what took place, I ween, Shook his composure boasted, For, as the torture grim Seized on each withered limb, The writhing dame ‘Mid fire and flame Yelled forth this curse on him: “Each lord of Ruddigore, Despite his best endeavour, Shall do one crime, or more, Once, every day, for ever! This doom he can’t defy, However he may try, For should he stay His hand, that day In torture he shall die!”

Effects of the Curse

The victim must perform one action which is against the law in the location the action is performed. If he does not, he first suffers great pain, and then dies. Note that this means he cannot stay in lawless territory for two days. For the first month or so, any crime will do. After that, a lesser crime will still leave the subject in mild pain. After a year or so, a lesser crime than murder will still leave the victim with moderate pain.

Duration & Breaking

Removed by Remove Curse spell or by failing to perform a criminal act in a location where suicide is illegal

Casting the Curse

Gambler’s curse

A peasant lost his savings to a card cheat. Before committing suicide he begged Tymora for help. She refused to, but chose to punish the cheater.

Effects of the Curse

When you pass a Deception (Cha) or Sleight of hand (Dex) check by 7 or more, your victims get divine insight into your action and you fail instead.

Duration & Breaking

Until you roll natural double 1s, 7s, 19s, or 20s on an affected check when you have advantage or disadvantage. Alternatively, use cheating to help a creature of CR1 or less win 100+gp.

Casting the Curse

Dragon’s Breath

Yes, it can be used for damaging, but…

Effects of the Curse

Your mouth is continually on fire. Every time you try to speak, you cast fire bolt at whatever your head is facing towards. Because the fire in your mouth hurts, you have disadvantage on charisma rolls and you cannot cast spells that require focus.

Duration & Breaking

Drinking a Remove Curse potion. (regular Remove Curse doesn’t work)

Casting the Curse

Dyslexicon

Iriestine was a sage working on her own until she received an invitation to partake in research at a grand library. She soon learned that her colleagues read and wrote much faster than her, and made a point of humiliating her on occasion. Her mastery of every written script did not impress them enough, they remained cruel and contentious. She returned to solitary research, but not before consulting the vast archives, and curing herself. Well, not so much curing as swapping a part of her intellect with the scholar who was most cruel to her.

Effects of the Curse

Your reading speed is reduced by 3. To use spell scrolls you must use 3 consecutive actions and maintain concentration. You can try to read it in 2, but the spell becomes a random one of the same school and level. Unless the exact same spell was chosen randomly the DM determines the target and anything else you would specify, attempting to make your failure as catastrophic as possible. You can try to read it in 1 turn, then the DM chooses the spell as well as the specifics. If you want to write accurately your writing speed is reduced by 10, otherwise your writing includes the worst small error the DM can think of.

Duration & Breaking

Until you only know at most one written language, or until you cast (or use a scroll of) Illusory Script while under the effects of Comprehend Languages.

Casting the Curse

Schfifty five (you must pay!)

A wizard with INT 25 killed a warlock after an epic duel of mages. The warlock’s patron was destroyed in the process, but not before he could humiliate the mage.

Effects of the Curse

Whenever you crit on a spellcasting attack roll, your INT score is reduced to 1+1d4. At the end of each of your turns you can recover your INT score by the result of any die roll as long as it doesn’t exceed your INT score (e.g. your INT is 8, you chose a d12 and roll an 8 increasing it to 16, this is the best possible outcome, had you rolled higher your INT would not increase).

Duration & Breaking

The curse can be removed by another Warlock petitioning their patron, or a cleric their deity, but Nothing in a wizard’s power can remove the curse (e.g. Remove Curse, using a magic item). You must rely on methods specific to another class.

Casting the Curse

Hydrophobia

The ghost of the drowned man thought he was helping

Effects of the Curse

Disadvantage on all rolls involving a body of water.

Duration & Breaking

Until it is removed by a spell

Casting the Curse

Flip Side

A demon out there really likes opposites and really hates you.

Effects of the Curse

Every time you make a die roll, the actual result is at the opposite side of the die (i.e if you roll a nat 20 it becomes 1, etc.) Nat 20s gained by rolling 1s don’t give critical successes, they are treated as if they were 19s.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse or until you roll 2 nat 20s in a row

Casting the Curse

Curse of Twice Twice

A pair of conjoined twins found that if they casted a spell together at different times the spell would be more powerful, this lead to multiple wizards trying to find out if this could be replicated by normal folk and Dvegr the Great stumbled into a curse which made him repeat the last word of the spell every time he casted one.

Effects of the Curse

If the player does not repeat the last word of the spell twice on verbal spells, the spell fails.

Duration & Breaking

Until it is removed by a spell

Casting the Curse

Extreme Flammability

Some spellcasters get tired of their homes burning down by others really quick.

Effects of the Curse

Whenever you cast a spell or use a weapon that deals fire damage, half of the damage dealt is dealt to you also. You are vulnerable to fire damage except during the above case.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of Parallax

Space and time have come to a crossroads around a point, and the cursed is triggered if the player walks through this point.

Effects of the Curse

The player’s speed is decreased by 5 feet per mile away from the point of distortion.

Duration & Breaking

Until it is removed by a spell

Casting the Curse

Deja Vu

Some spellcasters really hate the idea of chance, so they curse it.

Effects of the Curse

Any time you roll 2 of the same number in a row (between any dice) you cast fireball as a 4th level spell centered on yourself.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse, but only when used twice

Casting the Curse

Self-Doubt

• This person’s arrogance must not go unpunished* thought the which, as she began to weave the spell.

Effects of the Curse

All D20 rolls that would be made by the player are instead made by the DM behind the screen, without the player knowing if they succeeded or failed, or what number comes up.

Duration & Breaking

Until it is removed by a spell

Casting the Curse

Sluuuuurp

??????????

Effects of the Curse

Your eyes become mouths and your mouth becomes an eye. You can still see or speak just the same, but you look off putting, making townsfolk and allies disgusted, making you automatically fail any charisma check.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

The Animagus

Some grouchy old wizard had some pets being tormented. This is what he did with the perpetrators.

Effects of the Curse

Any time you mention an animal, monster, or other non-sentient being, you turn into it for 30 seconds.

Duration & Breaking

Doing a good deed to animals

Casting the Curse

Curse of Sixes

Some casters don’t really like specific things, it turns out.

Effects of the Curse

Every time you roll a number or deal damage equal to a number that is a multiple of 6 or has a 6 in it, take 6d6 psychic damage.

Duration & Breaking

Slaying a monster with a challenge rating of 6 or Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Evil Twin

A caster merely wanted a brother, but it didn’t turn out well…

Effects of the Curse

A duplicate of you appears and while having the same alignment and stats as you, it always wants to do the opposite of what you want to do, actively working against your wishes. You and the duplicate are indistinguishable to everyone else.

Duration & Breaking

Until the duplicate is killed. If you are killed by mistake, the duplicate lives on.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Self Invisibility

Legend says that this curse was born when a very skilled thief tried to rob Waukeen , the goddess of Merchants. When caught the thief tried to bargain the goods for his life. She decided he should have more. A boon and bane to the thief in which only the body is invisible and none of the things he carries.

Effects of the Curse

Your naked body is invisible, but only in the narrowest technical definition. You appear as a ghastly form made of skin flakes and loose hairs. Also it turns out that no number of wipes is enough after using a latrine - a thin brown film is visible unless you bathe thoroughly. To appear completely invisible requires a haircut, and approximately three hours of shaving body hair and scrubbing your skin raw. And even then, dirt sticks to your feet immediately. Guards are extremely suspicious of your power despite your explanations. Good luck.

Duration & Breaking

This spell lasts till the character successfully sneaks 100 gold to a needy target. No ill action can be taken against this person after the curse is broken or the curse returns and becomes permanent.

Casting the Curse

Butterfly Effect

Some curse-casters like to play tricks on those with curses, to the point where some may not even know they are cursed.up

Effects of the Curse

The first decision you make once you enter any town, establishment, or dungeon sets off a chain of events leading to something that either hurts you physically or hurts your social standing, making people wary of you.

Duration & Breaking

Rolling a natural 20 to make the first decision in any town, establishment, or dungeon (but only if that decision requires a roll) makes you trigger a chain of events leading to a spellcaster dropping their focus on you and you somehow being cured of the curse

Casting the Curse

Reprisal upon the succubus

A young acolyte fell in love with a succubus. After she stole the prized artifact from his church, he went mad, going so far as starting a cult to cast a hex upon the shapechanger.

Effects of the Curse

Disadvantage on all CHA saves and skill checks, additionally, when misrepresenting oneself (e.g. polymorphed, disguised) subtract the CHA modifier instead of adding. The Friends cantrip cannot cancel this effect. Any spell that compels another creature to obey the will of the accursed (e.g. charm, command, dominate variants) has a save DC of 8 minus the CHA modifier of the accursed instead of bonuses from proficiency or the spellcasting ability modifier, all other bonuses to spell save DC are applied normally.

Duration & Breaking

If another creature magically imposes it’s will upon the accursed or betrays their trust after actively maintaining it for at least 10 days, the curse instantly transfers to that creature. If the accursed dies or Remove Curse is cast, the curse slowly seeks a deserving victim or item.

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Longstrider

A rogue wanted to impress a noblewoman by winning a footrace, he asked a genie to grant him this wish, but his word choice left room for interpretation.

Effects of the Curse

Your movement speed is doubled, and you must use your full movement on each of your turns in combat or suffer 2d10 Psychic damage

Duration & Breaking

Until dispelled by ‘remove curse’

Casting the Curse

Jelly Legs

A curse originally meant for someone with strong legs, presumably.

Effects of the Curse

All terrain is difficult terrain for you unless you have a flying speed. If you take damage specifically on your legs, it does twice as much.

Duration & Breaking

Remove curse, but specifically on your legs or else it won’t work

Casting the Curse

Tinker Tantrum

A half-orc boy had a mind for traps and other tricky mechanical devices. His uncle and guardian Thusk was not keen on the idea, so he would smash his creations and beat the boy, forcing him to work in his mine until exhaustion. One day as Thusk was leaving the mine, an apparatus hidden within the gate mutilated his hand. “Oh uncle! Bad luck, I just made the mine entrance thief-proof, sorry that I forgot to tell you. Good luck leaving the mine, you’ve helped make my designs very robust, I don’t think brute force will help. I’m sure you can figure out my hobby as I was forced to learn yours. Bye!”

Effects of the Curse

Seeing a trap or other intricate mechanical device makes you shaky until you examine it through an Investigation (INT) check (DC proportional to the complexity of the device). Until then you have disadvantage on all other mental saves and skill checks. If you don’t investigate the device, you remain nervous until you’re in a different room, and d6+d4 minutes have passed. When the curse is dispelled you can become proficient with Thieves’ tools in only 90 days of downtime.

Duration & Breaking

Until a willing rock gnome explains the basics to you. This takes 8 hours, you can handle 1 hour a day plus your INT modifier if it is positive.

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Slav s

A young man and his family of brewmasters were captured while traveling by a band of slavers. Forced into servitude, they eventually found themselves on a slaving vessel roaming the oceans to various ports unknown by the cargo. Quarters on the ship were cramped, allowing no one to ever fully stand in the hold. When entering ports to trade the vessel raised a tattered flag with a missing E bearing the name of their wares:Slav s. After watching his family being sold off one by one, the young man vowed to seek revenge on those who wronged him. A sympathetic Warlock who purchased him gave him that chance.

Effects of the Curse

Every day the player must roll 1d4 to determine the level of severity the spell will have that day. A 4 will result in no modifiers, while a 1 reduces the player to a full crouch. Rolls of 2 and 3 are intermediary stages between full crouch and standing. While afflicted, the player gains a (0,-1,-1,-2) modifier to dexterity saving throws as well as (0,-5,-10,-15) reduced movement to no less than 5.

Duration & Breaking

Lasts until the player can free (5) individuals from slavery/forced servitude. Also is temporarily disabled for 15 minutes if the player takes a shot of Vodka.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Worrisome Lightning

An old cloud giant curse, used on those who steal from a giant’s house. It is unlikely to do much, but… you never know, right?

Effects of the Curse

Once per day, roll a d1000. If it results in a natural 1, you take 30d10 lightning damage (DC 25 Dexterity save for half damage).

Duration & Breaking

Until stolen items are returned or dispelled by washing one’s head in dragon’s blood - giant curses do not work as strongly on drakes.

Casting the Curse

Chocolate Touch

A strange chocolatier’s curse, made for the children who disrespected him.

Effects of the Curse

Any food you attempt to eat or any weapon you attempt to attack with will become chocolate. It will turn back to normal once the curse is removed.

Duration & Breaking

Attempting to take a bite out of a dragon - then turning it to chocolate and eating the heart.

Casting the Curse

The Rule of Two

A squire that was mistreated by the knight he served eventually died in suspicious circumstances. Maybe the knight killed him, maybe he used him to make his escape. The details are lost in history. His ghost possessed every subsequent squire of the knight, slowly breaking their will and dominating them. It happened over and over again, perhaps the knight got wise to it, perhaps he eventually died. Like I said, the details are lost in history.

Effects of the Curse

After 2d8 days, on the first available opportunity, you gain a servant follower - a commoner that is enthralled with stories of your accomplishments. They have supernatural knowledge about your impressive deeds but believe you are famous. Every morning they must make a wisdom save to avoid turning on you. The DC is equal to the number of days they’ve served you (2 on the 1st morning). Upon failing the save they start plotting to kill you. On a critical failure they’re willing to take significant risk to do so. If you kill them the curse starts over.

Duration & Breaking

Until they believe you to be dead. Alternatively, an exorcism could free the commoner from possession, but there is a chance that the spirit still targets you.

Casting the Curse

What Luck

A lot of curses come in disguises. This one’s well known for being the most misleading…

Effects of the Curse

Every check you make is an automatic nat 20. This causes everyone around you to be jealous of your perceived skill or luck, and they will act accordingly. Once someone has attempted to stop or attack you for this and this alone, then you automatically roll a natural 1 on every check.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse or by revealing an important secret

Casting the Curse

Seven ate nine

A decadent halfling named Maurice prayed to Yondalla for more food, even as he grew fat and sedentary. When she noticed, she cursed him with a hunger that would exceed his appetite.

Effects of the Curse

Your hunger and thirst (PHB p.185) is multiplied by three, but you can never have more than three levels of exhaustion from hunger and thirst combined (consequently you cannot starve or die of thirst). Every two days that you are able to satiate your hunger and thirst, the multiplier goes up by 1 to a maximum of 9. Every day that you fail and suffer exhaustion from either hunger, thirst, or both, it goes down by 1 but never below 3.

Duration & Breaking

You can end the curse by refusing food and drink for five consecutive days of active adventuring, or a month of downtime. Alternatively seek favor from Yondalla.

Casting the Curse

Unpredictable growth

A wizard thought it would be funny to create this and use it against one of the land’s most well known bards. The bard got the curse removed quickly, but the effect on his reputation was negative and lasting.

Effects of the Curse

The creature has a 50% chance to grow by one size every time it uses a charisma based skill. The new size lasts six seconds, and has the same effect as casting enlarge. If you randomly grow like this while using a charisma based skill, you have -2 on the skill roll.

Duration & Breaking

One month.

Casting the Curse

No Step On Snek

A spellcaster didn’t wanna be tread on.

Effects of the Curse

Your feet and shoes become snakes. You have disadvantage on charisma checks if people notice them. Your walking speed decreases by 5 feet.

Duration & Breaking

Feed the snakes a hearty meal or Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Greasy Boy

Greasy

Effects of the Curse

Every 30 seconds you cast grease centered on yourself.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of Curses

Mertyl the Vindictive once cursed her son for using foul language which forced him to call everyone “Sorry”. However, Mertyl found that the boy was not as distressed as she hoped because he was able to tell everyone of his curse. Mertyl the Vindictive being true to her name cursed her son once more. Now anytime he tried to explain the curse all his words would be colorful curse words, the very language he was being punished for.

Effects of the Curse

Roll again on the table. What you get is now secret between you and the DM. If anyone tries to ask you about what curse you have or why you are doing X speak in only curse words. Your sentence structure and tone should seem as if you are trying to explain but the words are being replaced with foul language. (Alternate: If cursing doesn’t fit your group. Every time the character tries to explain his curse soapy bubbles form in his mouth rendering him unable to speak.)

Duration & Breaking

You just remove this curse with a spell before being able to rid yourself of the other curse.

Casting the Curse

loose change

a man wanted to buy a book that was priced at 2 silver. he bartered with the merchant and got the price down to 12 coppers, but still acted as if the price was too much and he could not afford it. he said he needed it as a gift for his child, but implied that he might have to go without dinner if he spent so much for the book. the merchant felt for the man and offered to give him the book for 5 coppers, far less than it was worth, and the man paid him in gold. This angered the merchant, who decided to teach the man a lesson. He found it so amusing that he now uses the curse on anyone who gives him a hard time in his shop.

Effects of the Curse

All money is converted into copper as soon as it comes into your possession. This annoys anyone you are doing business with if the transaction is over 5 silver. Some people will refuse to do business with you at all because counting all that loose changer is a nuisance.

Duration & Breaking

The curse lasts for one month or until you get the merchant to remove it.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Getting Really Sad When You See Spiderwebs For Some Reason

Some spellcaster out there is really specific. Like…really.

Effects of the Curse

You get uncontrollably sad whenever a spiderweb is in your line of sight. You have disadvantage on all rolls besides constitution whenever you are really sad. Because the spider web made you really, really sad.

Duration & Breaking

Until you kiss a spider gently and lovingly

Casting the Curse

Hungry; Hungry Hadar

Algol the Alienist was a real jerk.

Effects of the Curse

Whenever you try to eat a milky white, otherworldly tentacle emerges from a mote of darkness and attempts to snatch away your meal. You may make a DC: 15 Str (Athletics) check to hold on to it.

Duration & Breaking

Until dispelled by remove curse or similar magic. You may also break the curse by tricking the tentacle into eating something groady.

Casting the Curse

Livin La Vida Loca

Baelda the innkeeper made a deal with the cultists: they would test their domination field on people passing through town. Finally her luxury rooms were fully booked. The inn and the cult are long gone, and their domination field was shattered before they could use it. Shards of energy coming from it still fly through the planes, occasionally penetrating someone’s mind.

Effects of the Curse

When resting at an inn with different levels of accommodation or allocating downtime you choose the available lifestyle expense level that is least appropriate for your character, even if it bankrupts or embarasses you.

Duration & Breaking

Until you’re forced to spend a night with appropriate accommodations. Alternatively you can skip a long rest (once you’ve already paid/arranged for it) and instead ponder your problem all night. In the morning make a DC18 WIS save to snap out of it.

Casting the Curse

Bees!

Bees are a good thing to have around, what with pollinating flowers and all, so it makes sense that some spellcasters may try to snag enemies for their own garden.

Effects of the Curse

You become a self-aware swarm of bees for this spell’s duration. Due to this, you cannot wear armor or hold a combination of items weighing more than 15 pounds. You can do a stinging attack for 1d6 damage, and your armor class becomes 15 as you are hard to hit, but all charisma, strength, and constitution checks and saves will automatically fail. You cannot use an unarmed strike in swarm form. Once the curse is removed, you automatically reform in your normal shape, regardless of where the bees are.

Duration & Breaking

2 hours, or when knocked unconscious by damage.

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Blue Leaves

There was once a high class restaurant in the capital, the House of the Blue Leaves. During a cold winter’s night, an infamous assassin of great renown, the O-Ren, visited the establishment. She was accompanied by a boastful and proud gang of street thugs known only to history as the Crazy 88. On that same night a vengeful warrior came to slay the assassin for being an accomplice to the death of their unborn child. She effortlessly worked her way through the Crazy 88, rendering the once confident thugs as if they were blades of grass. And so, the Crazy 88 failed to stop the warrior killing the assassin. Unsatisfied with their unfulfilling deaths, the spirits of the Crazy 88 are sometimes reborn to solely attack those afflicted by the Curse of the Blue Leaves. Perhaps the Crazy 88 will slay their target and once again be cool.

Effects of the Curse

Roll 22d4 to determine how many members of the Crazy 88 will attack the afflicted player. The Crazy 88 share the same statistics and abilities as the Bandit Non-Player character in the Monster Manual except that they have 1 HP, 10 AC, give zero experience upon death and always now where the afflicted player is. The Crazy 88 can attack the player at any time or place of the DM’s choosing and in any number from 1 to the maximum number of members of the Crazy 88 rolled, but there may only be one attack per long rest. The Crazy 88 members will primarily focus on killing the afflicted player, however they will attack and defend themselves if other players or NPCs threaten or attack them.

Duration & Breaking

The curse lasts until the afflicted player is killed, all of the members of the Crazy 88 are slain or by successfully removing a single member of the Crazy 88 from the plane the afflicted player occupies with the Banishment spell.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Entropy

There once was a rogue who was offended by a wizard he knew. So to get back at him, he designed a curse that displaced his belongings. The displacement is subtle to have the afflicted think they were the one that put it there.

Effects of the Curse

Every time the afflicted player goes to take a long rest, while they are asleep 1d4 of the player’s belongings smaller than 1/8 cubic foot/2 lbs. get displaced by the curse. For each item, roll a d6. On a 1-3, the item changes place with another item of the player’s belonging of similar size. On a 4-5 an item moves to an unoccupied place that would make sense for it to be closest to a location 2d10 feet in a random direction. On a 6, the item is transported 2d20 feet in a random direction. A successful DC 15 Wisdom check reveals the item was most definitely not placed there by the player. DC 10 or DC 5 for items moved 2d20 feet in a random direction, depending on where they end up.

Duration & Breaking

Until removed by a spell.

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Ages

An old, dying wizard’s curse to be put on those envied of their youth by any jealous old spellcaster. A classic curse.

Effects of the Curse

You age very quickly in the next minute, appearing elderly by the end of it, but never age after that and never die of old age. Likewise, you gain all the disadvantages of old age, such as weakened immune system, weak bones, poor eyesight, etc.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

The Grand Conspiracy

The Curse of the Grand Conspiracy began eons ago when a priest heard god’s voice during a spirit walk. After returning the priest insisted everyone around him was an “NPC” and that everyone was really just paper cutouts while the gods play a game rolling stones to decide the fates of the cardboard counterparts. He was dismissed as a knave no matter how hard he tried to convince others or if any of his prophecies held true. He died when a icosagonic shaped boulder rolled and came to a rest on top him.

Effects of the Curse

The cursed character is convinced they are being controlled by a god playing a tabletop fantasy game with other gods. Everything is controlled by dice and the fate of man is often determined not only by these dice, but by the twisted humor of said gods. The character receives disadvantage in convincing anyone of the “delusion” and also gains advantage to any attempts to convince him of “reality.”

Duration & Breaking

2d4 days.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Lingerie

The Make-A-Wish foundation could have done a great deal of good, but a lone human boy singlehandedly destroyed its reputation on the very first day of the program. Marsember pox took him the following month.

Effects of the Curse

You are stuck in frilly underwear and any other clothes you attempt to put on refuse to go on your body. As such you have a disadvantage to regular charisma rolls, and have no armor. But you might get advantage on seduction rolls ,)

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse

Casting the Curse

Curse of the Wallflower

Assumed to be created by someone completely unremarkable to show others their pain and loneliness. But no one can be sure because, naturally, they were forgotten to history.

Effects of the Curse

The player is hard to notice and is frequently forgotten or ignored, even by their own party and close friends and family. Grants advantage on stealth rolls, but disadvantage on all charisma rolls.

Duration & Breaking

Until removed by a spell

Casting the Curse

A Mile in One’s Shoes

A half-orc mage tired of racists created this curse to make his tormentors see things from his point of view.

Effects of the Curse

Changes the player’s race to that of the caster. All racial stats change as well (such is darkvision, stat boosts). Racial feats maybe remain or become dormant as the DM sees fit.

Duration & Breaking

Until a lesson is learned. The change may also be accepted, at which point removal becomes impossible.

Casting the Curse

Curse of Anonymity

An wizard who had been cursed to lose his memory was fed up with it and created this curse for use against his enemies.

Effects of the Curse

Everyone besides the character instantly forgets their name and any memories of them. Any documents regarding them are erased of their name.

Duration & Breaking

Until you make some form of self-discovery, or choose to leave your past self behind and change your name.

Casting the Curse

Unconsummated

A dragonborn got engaged to a hag while drunk. Once sober he had the gall to return for his ring. Naturally she cursed him.

Effects of the Curse

You have disadvantage on all skill checks and saves while in the presence of a goat, while in combat with a giant, or inside a religious hall that is untidy (includes ruins).

Duration & Breaking

Until you attend a wedding, get intoxicated or become charmed by any creature with CR>1.

Casting the Curse

Cur(s)e

Someone out there hates the letter S a lot.

Effects of the Curse

Whenever you say a word with the letter S in it, you cast Fire Bolt on yourself.

Duration & Breaking

You’re cured only when another party member casts an attacking spell without the letter S in it on you. It must deal damage in order to remove the curse.

Casting the Curse

Through the Window

When hooligans broke every window in town, they would pay for their misdeeds.

Effects of the Curse

Every window or door to you looks as if it’s a door or window to another plane or dimension. This scares you, making you not want to go through any doors.

Duration & Breaking

Remove Curse or by fixing a broken window.

Casting the Curse

Lithophile

Spending enough time underground in a mystical location can cause this notorious curse to spring up, especially in areas with lots of sapphires.

Effects of the Curse

The creature’s skin grows coarse and rocky, which gives them an addition to their maximum hit points equal to their current level. Additionally, they may only eat precious gems, as normal rations no longer can sustain them. The gems they consume must be worth at least 10gp in order to sustain them. Additionally, if the creature spends a short or long rest in sunlight, they suffer 1 level of exhaustion, as the earth calls back to them.

Duration & Breaking

Can only be removed by a Wish spell

Casting the Curse

Curse of Success

There was once a great king who wished to always be successful, and successful he would be. No matter what he tried, he would complete the task perfectly. This, sadly, came at a price. For the protection of his kingdom, he had to marry the hideous Chieftain’s daughter of the Orcs. To end his marriage, he ultimately killed himself. It is said that those of his bloodline still can feel the curse effect them from time to time.

Effects of the Curse

When a player attempts something a bit more daring than “the norm”, roll a d100. On a 90+, the event goes off without a hitch, despite the rolls. on a 10 or less, the event still goes off without a hitch, but with a disastrous result.

Duration & Breaking

Can only be removed with a Wish spell, or the Deck of Many Things card: The Fates

Casting the Curse