Curses are an interesting way to introduce morally gray conundrums (and bloodthirsty monsters) to your game. The curse's recipient might not have deserved to be turned into a horrible creature, but they are wreaking havoc on innocent civilians, so they have to be stopped—right?
Will your party focus on putting their tormented soul to rest? Will they investigate the cause of the curse and potentially track it back to the caster? Will they research a cure that was previously lost to time? Or were they responsible for the curse and must now deal with its consequences?
In this article, you'll find three haunting examples of cursed creatures from the Grim Hollow: Campaign Guide—the Herald of Calamity, the Sightless Agony, and the Verminous Abomination. Each embodies the curse that transformed it from a humanoid into an abomination, and each can serve as the centerpiece of an unforgettable adventure.
Verminous Abomination
A Tale of Greed
Afflicted by the Curse of Insatiable Greed, the Verminous Abomination is avarice made flesh. Victims of this malediction are warped by greed until their hunger for possessions twists them into bloated, ratlike horrors. These cursed creatures hoard obsessively, amassing labyrinths of junk beneath cities and settlements. No item is worthless—gold, jewels, a child's doll, or discarded trash. All are treasures in their eyes.
Their swollen stomachs teem with parasitic life, spewing forth swarms of ratlings to harry intruders. They know their labyrinths intimately, ambushing from filth-ridden tunnels before retreating into piles of refuse. And yet, for all their grotesquery, these cursed lairs may hide wonders—riches buried among the trash.
An Abominable Adventure
Using the Verminous Abomination's stat block above, you can run an adventure for level 4 characters full of buried secrets. Here is a template to follow or adjust to suit your campaign:
Situation. A once-prosperous jeweler's shop now lies abandoned. The jeweler's apprentice—Simon Kai—was twisted by the Curse of Insatiable Greed. After succumbing to the curse, he created a labyrinth of filth and trinkets beneath the jeweler's shop.
Hook. The jeweler, Rendal Vos (Lawful Evil, human Noble), pleads for help ending an unstoppable flood of rats from invading his shop every night. He offers a jewel of each character's choice worth 150 GP as payment. Unknown to the adventurers, Rendal himself cast the curse on his apprentice, who was going to start a competing business. The party can discover this truth when they find evidence within the abomination's lair.
Rumors. Townsfolk have reported a persistent rat infestation that seems to be stemming from a sinkhole in an alley behind the jeweler's shop. Most have also noticed random possessions going missing in the night.
Encounters
Exploring the Tunnels. When the characters enter the sinkhole, they find a labyrinth of 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high tunnels. Run one or more of the following encounters as they explore:
| 1d4 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Four Hostile Swarms of Rats feasting on scraps |
| 2 | Five Rust Monsters nesting in refuse attack the party for their metal |
| 3 | A pocket of yellow mold spreading over piles of garbage |
| 4 | The tunnel begins to collapse and turns into a rockslide |
Development. As they get closer to the abomination's lair, the walls turn from rock to packed refuse: tattered clothes, broken furniture, splintered wood, and various metals. Characters investigating the wall can unearth 250 GP worth of jewelry hidden throughout the tunnels.
Discovering the Past. After overcoming an encounter from the table above, the characters find one piece of evidence of who the abomination once was: a cracked jeweler's loupe with the initials SK, ledger pages with Rendal's and Simon's signatures, or a lease for a new jewelry shop signed to Simon. Successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Insight) checks reveal that these objects are linked back to the jeweler and his apprentice.
Confronting the Abomination. Simon, now a Verminous Abomination, lurks in a lair buried under the jeweler's shop, surrounded by its hoard of trinkets and broken tools. The creature has no memory of its former self, though it is drawn to symbols that represent its past life.
Aftermath. The abomination's hoard contains 250 GP worth of gems and various coins. Among the detritus is a letter, strangely purposefully placed above the creature's nest—a resignation letter from Simon to Rendal, stating he's learned what he can as an apprentice and wants to start up a business of his own. If the characters slay the abomination, they must decide what to do with Rendal. Confronting him could lead to violence, or they might keep his secret in exchange for greater rewards. If they spare the abomination, Rendal can reverse the curse by willingly giving up his most prized position: his shop.
Herald of Calamity
Lore of the Herald
Transformed by the Curse of Ill-Fated Fortune, Heralds of Calamity are tragic figures doomed to bring ruin wherever they linger. Those who fall to this fate waste away while their luck curdles, leaving only skeletal phantoms adrift in misfortune.
These cursed creatures haunt vital places—a healer's house, a busy bridge, a crossroads—where calamity spreads swiftly before it becomes abandoned. Though lacking physical might, Heralds are deadly in other ways. They can drain the vitality out of living creatures, and their presence twists fate itself: blades find allies instead of enemies, bows misfire, and companions perish in deadly accidents.
Abilities of the Herald
Once transformed, Heralds gain the Aura of Calamity trait. All within 30 feet other than the herald suffer Disadvantage on D20 Tests, and take maximum possible damage from environmental effects, such as falls or traps.
They also gain the Mishap Reaction, which can redirect attacks back onto their foes or their foes' companions.
These deadly twists of fate, combined with the fact that the herald is Invisible unless in an area illuminated by moonlight, make these devious beings difficult to track—and harder to kill.
Unfortunate Adventure Hooks
You can use the following hooks to craft adventures that include a Herald of Calamity:
| 1d4 | Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | Three villagers have fallen into the town's well and drowned in the past fortnight. |
| 2 | There have been numerous accidents at a vital bridge where carts overturn, beasts panic, and travelers are hurt or killed. Rumors say death waits at the bridge. |
| 3 | A castle becomes a deathtrap after a guard reported seeing a skeletal figure entering the front doors by moonlight. After searching the castle countless times, the accidents keep happening, but the skeletal figure is nowhere to be found. |
| 4 | A temple where worshippers have previously sought hope and fortune is now said to bestow ill luck on all who visit. |
Sightless Agony
Tortuous Tragedies
A poor soul that succumbs to the Curse of Crushing Sensation becomes a Sightless Agony, the embodiment of torment. Victims of this malady retreat from the world, unable to endure light, sound, or touch. In despair, many claw away their own eyes or skin, searching for relief that never comes.
What emerges is a trembling, cursed creature—flayed and sightless, shuddering at unseen stimuli. Though winged, even the air sears them, keeping them grounded. They bury themselves in silence and darkness, lashing out not from malice but from a desperate plea for solitude.
Abilities of the Agony
When these monstrosities encounter sound or sensation—like that of an approaching adventuring party—they fly into a white-hot rage, desperate to quell the anguish.
The monster's greatest horror is its ability to project its agony onto others with psychic assaults.
Both the Shared Agony trait and Wave of Agony Reaction send psychic shockwaves of pain across the battlefield when the sightless agony takes damage, making it potentially deadly to attack—even if it's not attacking you.
Agonizing Adventure Hooks
You can use the following hooks to craft adventures that include a Sightless Agony:
| 1d4 | Hook |
|---|---|
| 1 | A once-lavish manor has fallen into disrepair. Its doors are barred, windows boarded. Villagers whisper that on quiet nights, they can hear shrieking from its abandoned halls. |
| 2 | Miners abandon a mineshaft after opening a blocked passage where distant screams can be heard down the dark tunnel. |
| 3 | An evil wizard keeps a Sightless Agony in his tower as a defense against intruders. |
| 4 | Priests who sought to reclaim a forgotten temple were ripped to shreds. The sole survivor raves of a weeping, winged horror inside. |
Cursed Be Thy Name
The 10 cursed creatures in Grim Hollow: Campaign Guide are living parables of the curse that twisted them into monsters, whether it be misfortune, torment, greed, or another element. Each offers Dungeon Masters the chance to weave more depth, choice, and consequence into an adventure.
Where did this creature come from, and why is it wreaking such havoc? Who cursed it? Will the characters choose to end the creature's suffering? Can they survive long enough to tell the tale?
Curses are never straightforward to deal with, and presenting your players with these morally gray scenarios is sure to test their mettle—and cause them to wonder if they did the right thing.
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Posted Oct 3, 2025These are so cool!