One of my players is an owlin from the feywild and he has gone to Candlekeep to seek information regarding why in his village more and more owlets are being born as owls, not owlin.
I am thinking a curse is the reason, however I've never DMed with a curse in someone's backstory or plot so any and all advice about where to start would be appreciated.
Is a curse just a high level spell? Is there somewhere in the lore someone who would be unhappy with owlins and want them to stop procreating?
With the curse of an entire race, I would look into the lore of gods and devils, it seems like the ability of a greater being that could change an entire race or clan of people to forever curse them for whatever reasons. Below I am attaching a video of a guy who does a bunch of DnD type creative; named Runesmith. Specifically, watch the episode below (Basically Kenku), he creates a backstory for the race: Kenku, hopefully, you can take a few ideas from his process of thinking.
I hope it helps with some ideas you can imagine up
Seem's like Fey shenanigans to me. There just seems something inherently kind of silly and pun like with turning owlins into owls which aligns well with fey. Devils, demons and gods are an options but they are often very grandiose and serious in their motives and consequences. I'd expect them to do something more like still borns or grotesque mutations. While fey are allot sillier and would turn them into owls just because they look like them. There are lots of silly nonsense fey plots I can think of which would create this kind of effect:
Maybe the local Harengon arch fey ( the easter bunny) who is in charge of delivering all the eggs has gone missing, some pixies are trying to do it instead but are failing to bring the right eggs.
Maybe the local arch fey just only wants animals in their domain and is turning people into owls because they're cuter, there could be a fey succession battle over it.
Maybe they were originally owls transformed to owlins by some fey deal that's now failing for some reason.
They stole something from the arch fey Zybilna and by the law of reciprocity she has taken something in return
There are lots of ways to do it but basically the fey would do it because of a whim, some unknown rule, some strange bureaucracy or some forgotten pact.
Basics like in the past the local lord of the Owlin's went out hunting and killed a local creature to eat. That creature was the son of a forest spirit. The forest spirit enraged, vowed to turn his people into wild creatures themselves, devoid of intelligence to be prey of the forest, but the royal line they will be left untouched to watch everything turn to ash. Perhaps there is a Fey creature who doesn't like the forest spirit or perhaps the fey creature is actually behind the whole thing and set up the killing to get the owlin to slay for the forest creature so the fey being can take their land. Perhaps the fey creature is getting tired for the stupid owlin not taking action and hunting down the forest creature so the fey creature stops by from time to time dropping hints, because its likes to be subtle waiting for the Owlin's to take revenge.
You'll end up having to make a decent CR level Fey to explain the curse for the party to deal with, there is a dearth of Fey in the CR10+ level that should have that type of power. Maybe something like a Dryad that lived past her tree's life and wants to turn the forest into a dark place of dread and the forest spirit is in the way. Or maybe an Eladrin that spent too much time in Shadow and wants to bring it to the forest. Or a black dragon that got turned into a shadow dragon in the fey and plans to turn the land into darkness and wants the forest spirits treasure for itself.
Maybe lycanthropy related? A were-owl on the loose, but since owlin are already so owl-like that when they get bitten by a were-owl they just turn into an owl? Kind of a humorous explanation so it might not fit your campaign's tone if it's meant to be more serious, but there it is.
Heya,
One of my players is an owlin from the feywild and he has gone to Candlekeep to seek information regarding why in his village more and more owlets are being born as owls, not owlin.
I am thinking a curse is the reason, however I've never DMed with a curse in someone's backstory or plot so any and all advice about where to start would be appreciated.
Is a curse just a high level spell? Is there somewhere in the lore someone who would be unhappy with owlins and want them to stop procreating?
Looking forward to speaking soon.
Hello,
With the curse of an entire race, I would look into the lore of gods and devils, it seems like the ability of a greater being that could change an entire race or clan of people to forever curse them for whatever reasons. Below I am attaching a video of a guy who does a bunch of DnD type creative; named Runesmith. Specifically, watch the episode below (Basically Kenku), he creates a backstory for the race: Kenku, hopefully, you can take a few ideas from his process of thinking.
I hope it helps with some ideas you can imagine up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDeskZ-wEw4
Thank you. I’ll check it out.
Seem's like Fey shenanigans to me. There just seems something inherently kind of silly and pun like with turning owlins into owls which aligns well with fey. Devils, demons and gods are an options but they are often very grandiose and serious in their motives and consequences. I'd expect them to do something more like still borns or grotesque mutations. While fey are allot sillier and would turn them into owls just because they look like them. There are lots of silly nonsense fey plots I can think of which would create this kind of effect:
There are lots of ways to do it but basically the fey would do it because of a whim, some unknown rule, some strange bureaucracy or some forgotten pact.
Basics like in the past the local lord of the Owlin's went out hunting and killed a local creature to eat. That creature was the son of a forest spirit. The forest spirit enraged, vowed to turn his people into wild creatures themselves, devoid of intelligence to be prey of the forest, but the royal line they will be left untouched to watch everything turn to ash. Perhaps there is a Fey creature who doesn't like the forest spirit or perhaps the fey creature is actually behind the whole thing and set up the killing to get the owlin to slay for the forest creature so the fey being can take their land. Perhaps the fey creature is getting tired for the stupid owlin not taking action and hunting down the forest creature so the fey creature stops by from time to time dropping hints, because its likes to be subtle waiting for the Owlin's to take revenge.
You'll end up having to make a decent CR level Fey to explain the curse for the party to deal with, there is a dearth of Fey in the CR10+ level that should have that type of power. Maybe something like a Dryad that lived past her tree's life and wants to turn the forest into a dark place of dread and the forest spirit is in the way. Or maybe an Eladrin that spent too much time in Shadow and wants to bring it to the forest. Or a black dragon that got turned into a shadow dragon in the fey and plans to turn the land into darkness and wants the forest spirits treasure for itself.
Maybe lycanthropy related? A were-owl on the loose, but since owlin are already so owl-like that when they get bitten by a were-owl they just turn into an owl? Kind of a humorous explanation so it might not fit your campaign's tone if it's meant to be more serious, but there it is.
im thinking ancestor was cursed by a necromancer
i agree with BaB DungeonMaster but i think it could be an ancestor cursed by a necromancer [see "bestow curse 3rd level necromancy]
Love this idea,
I would also consider flowers that are in bloom or something living that has been dropped in the village well.