About to start a new campaign with the 5e rules set for Temple of Elemental Evil. There are a lot of magic items available throughout the campaign, many of which are cursed.
An example is the Backbiter Spear which is an item that requires attunement (attributes spoilered)
The wielder gains a +2 to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
Curse. This spear is cursed and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to the wielder. If used in melee in anger against a foe, it will instead function against its wielder; the spear will curl to strike its wielder in the back (using the wielder's attack roll and ignoring any shield and/or Dexterity bonuses to Armour Class, and doing normal damage). Backbiting includes hurling, and if thrown, the damage to the hurler will be doubled, but the curse is then broken. A remove curse also can be used to break the weapon's cursed attunement.
Proficiency with a spear allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.
So, what exactly would a player find out about this thing on a short rest?
The way I understand how it works at the moment is that a player might find this item, pick it up and discover a faint magical aura from it (I would describe it as a "magical spear"). Just enough to discern that the item is magical in some way. They could then take a short rest with it to discover its properties (see non-curse section above). My understanding is that even identify would only provide the same information.
They would then attune to the item, only then discovering that it is cursed. Am I understanding this correctly?
A second item would be a "Cloak of Poisoness"
This plain, black, woollen cloak does not wrinkle, but often has a slight acrid scent. Careful examination with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a tiny label that reads, "Nessus Shirt Company."
Curse. If worn, the cloak can't be removed unless targeted with a greater restoration spell, which destroys the magic property of the cloak. The wearer gains the poisoned condition, and each hour must make a successful DC 13 Constitution saving throw or suffer 3d8 poison damage. If the wearer dies from poison damage while wearing the cloak, it can be removed.
Again, I'd describe this as a magical cloak. If they chose to sit with it through a short rest what would they discover and would they understand that this is really an item that shouldn't be touched? (the original AD&D version was "put it on and die", pretty much).
If the description doesn't state that the curse, or it's mechanics, are discovered during attunement or equipping, then they aren't immediately known by the PC. In some cases (Armor of Vulnerability for example) attunement or the identify spell give the PC that knowledge. While in some cases, (Potion of Poison) the curse isn't readily deduced by mundane study.
The lack of clarity in these interactions allows for the DM at the table to make the determination about what happens in their game world. Granted, you're going to be using a published rules set, but as soon as you and your players touch it, it belongs to you. Boils down to: How would you rule on this at your table? Do what is best for the fun of the group-at-hand. Some players are just fine with the "gotcha" vibe that cursed items can sometimes provide, other players don't appreciate it as much. This is the reason that these rules are written in Jell-O, and not stone. It allows the DM to change the way the interaction happens from table to table, or group to group.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
I always wondered about that too. If a PC really takes time to identify an item through study or magic wouldn't they notice if it's cursed?
I have been mostly a player and only a couple of times a DM but I have given cursed items when they were in the published adventure.
When my players were lower level they were always unaware of a cursed item because they were unfamiliar with that kind of thing... no matter how much time they spent studying it. After a few levels and if they stated they were studying the item maybe I would allow them to uncover it's curse, sometimes with a wisdom/intelligence check.
It would seem like a cursed item would inherently have some type of magic that tries to hide it's true intentions or what's the point?
Maybe I suck as a DM but in order to keep things moving I would often make things up but as long as I was consistent my players never noticed or cared and seemed to have fun.
Honestly, most of the cursed items in D&D are kind of nonsense, for this very reason. How and when exactly do you determine if it's cursed? Why would anyone use it once they discover the curse? What's the point of the curse if a 3rd-level spell accessible to clerics and wizards can generally get rid of it? Or, in the case of that cloak, why would you include an item in the campaign that's basically certain death to anyone in a party that doesn't have at least a 9th-level cleric in it, but is merely a minor nuisance if it does?
I tend to homebrew a lot of items, and the cursed ones aren't just "ha ha, boom, now it sucks" after you attune to them. Instead I try to come up with items that give the player a tough risk/reward equation to juggle. They do something really cool or potentially life-saving... but if you use it, there will be a price to pay. Whether that price is worth paying is entirely up to you -- or to the NPC currently using it
Even if you're running an off-the-shelf adventure, there's nothing saying you can't tweak it. If you don't like an item, replace it -- either homebrew something yourself, or search through the DDB homebrew section for something that seems more appropriate
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
It's sometimes fun to have cursed items that aren't super useful for the players to use on themselves but could be useful to use on enemies. The dust of sneezing and choking is a good example. I think the cloak could work like that too if like a cloak of many fashions it could also change its appearance. Trying to swap it out for an enemies cloak could be fun.
About to start a new campaign with the 5e rules set for Temple of Elemental Evil. There are a lot of magic items available throughout the campaign, many of which are cursed.
An example is the Backbiter Spear which is an item that requires attunement (attributes spoilered)
The wielder gains a +2 to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
Curse. This spear is cursed and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to the wielder. If used in melee in anger against a foe, it will instead function against its wielder; the spear will curl to strike its wielder in the back (using the wielder's attack roll and ignoring any shield and/or Dexterity bonuses to Armour Class, and doing normal damage). Backbiting includes hurling, and if thrown, the damage to the hurler will be doubled, but the curse is then broken. A remove curse also can be used to break the weapon's cursed attunement.
Proficiency with a spear allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.
So, what exactly would a player find out about this thing on a short rest?
The way I understand how it works at the moment is that a player might find this item, pick it up and discover a faint magical aura from it (I would describe it as a "magical spear"). Just enough to discern that the item is magical in some way. They could then take a short rest with it to discover its properties (see non-curse section above). My understanding is that even identify would only provide the same information.
They would then attune to the item, only then discovering that it is cursed. Am I understanding this correctly?
Yes you are understanding this correctly, that's how i've run it in the past. Unless noted otherwise, a short rest or an identify spell doesn't automatically reveal that a magic item is cursed. More often than not, you are mistaken and find out too late when you attune to it or otherwise wear or use it that it is cursed, being a surprise when the curse's effects are revealed.
This plain, black, woollen cloak does not wrinkle, but often has a slight acrid scent. Careful examination with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a tiny label that reads, "Nessus Shirt Company."
Curse. If worn, the cloak can't be removed unless targeted with a greater restoration spell, which destroys the magic property of the cloak. The wearer gains the poisoned condition, and each hour must make a successful DC 13 Constitution saving throw or suffer 3d8 poison damage. If the wearer dies from poison damage while wearing the cloak, it can be removed.
Again, I'd describe this as a magical cloak. If they chose to sit with it through a short rest what would they discover and would they understand that this is really an item that shouldn't be touched? (the original AD&D version was "put it on and die", pretty much).
Until worn, nothing more would be discovered about the Cloak of Poisoness. Sometimes a cursed item tells you what it is mistaken for during identification but this one doesn't.
Usually, most methods of identifying items, including the identify spell, fail to reveal a curse, although ore might hint at it. For the Cloak of Poisoness, its property is that it does not wrinkle, and the hint that it is cursed is a slight acrid scent.
About to start a new campaign with the 5e rules set for Temple of Elemental Evil. There are a lot of magic items available throughout the campaign, many of which are cursed.
An example is the Backbiter Spear which is an item that requires attunement (attributes spoilered)
The wielder gains a +2 to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
Curse. This spear is cursed and becoming attuned to it extends the curse to the wielder. If used in melee in anger against a foe, it will instead function against its wielder; the spear will curl to strike its wielder in the back (using the wielder's attack roll and ignoring any shield and/or Dexterity bonuses to Armour Class, and doing normal damage). Backbiting includes hurling, and if thrown, the damage to the hurler will be doubled, but the curse is then broken. A remove curse also can be used to break the weapon's cursed attunement.
Proficiency with a spear allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it.
So, what exactly would a player find out about this thing on a short rest?
The way I understand how it works at the moment is that a player might find this item, pick it up and discover a faint magical aura from it (I would describe it as a "magical spear"). Just enough to discern that the item is magical in some way. They could then take a short rest with it to discover its properties (see non-curse section above). My understanding is that even identify would only provide the same information.
They would then attune to the item, only then discovering that it is cursed. Am I understanding this correctly?
A second item would be a "Cloak of Poisoness"
This plain, black, woollen cloak does not wrinkle, but often has a slight acrid scent. Careful examination with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a tiny label that reads, "Nessus Shirt Company."
Curse. If worn, the cloak can't be removed unless targeted with a greater restoration spell, which destroys the magic property of the cloak. The wearer gains the poisoned condition, and each hour must make a successful DC 13 Constitution saving throw or suffer 3d8 poison damage. If the wearer dies from poison damage while wearing the cloak, it can be removed.
Again, I'd describe this as a magical cloak. If they chose to sit with it through a short rest what would they discover and would they understand that this is really an item that shouldn't be touched? (the original AD&D version was "put it on and die", pretty much).
Thanks for your help in advance!
If the description doesn't state that the curse, or it's mechanics, are discovered during attunement or equipping, then they aren't immediately known by the PC. In some cases (Armor of Vulnerability for example) attunement or the identify spell give the PC that knowledge. While in some cases, (Potion of Poison) the curse isn't readily deduced by mundane study.
The lack of clarity in these interactions allows for the DM at the table to make the determination about what happens in their game world. Granted, you're going to be using a published rules set, but as soon as you and your players touch it, it belongs to you. Boils down to: How would you rule on this at your table? Do what is best for the fun of the group-at-hand. Some players are just fine with the "gotcha" vibe that cursed items can sometimes provide, other players don't appreciate it as much. This is the reason that these rules are written in Jell-O, and not stone. It allows the DM to change the way the interaction happens from table to table, or group to group.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
I always wondered about that too. If a PC really takes time to identify an item through study or magic wouldn't they notice if it's cursed?
I have been mostly a player and only a couple of times a DM but I have given cursed items when they were in the published adventure.
When my players were lower level they were always unaware of a cursed item because they were unfamiliar with that kind of thing... no matter how much time they spent studying it. After a few levels and if they stated they were studying the item maybe I would allow them to uncover it's curse, sometimes with a wisdom/intelligence check.
It would seem like a cursed item would inherently have some type of magic that tries to hide it's true intentions or what's the point?
Maybe I suck as a DM but in order to keep things moving I would often make things up but as long as I was consistent my players never noticed or cared and seemed to have fun.
Honestly, most of the cursed items in D&D are kind of nonsense, for this very reason. How and when exactly do you determine if it's cursed? Why would anyone use it once they discover the curse? What's the point of the curse if a 3rd-level spell accessible to clerics and wizards can generally get rid of it? Or, in the case of that cloak, why would you include an item in the campaign that's basically certain death to anyone in a party that doesn't have at least a 9th-level cleric in it, but is merely a minor nuisance if it does?
I tend to homebrew a lot of items, and the cursed ones aren't just "ha ha, boom, now it sucks" after you attune to them. Instead I try to come up with items that give the player a tough risk/reward equation to juggle. They do something really cool or potentially life-saving... but if you use it, there will be a price to pay. Whether that price is worth paying is entirely up to you -- or to the NPC currently using it
Even if you're running an off-the-shelf adventure, there's nothing saying you can't tweak it. If you don't like an item, replace it -- either homebrew something yourself, or search through the DDB homebrew section for something that seems more appropriate
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
It's sometimes fun to have cursed items that aren't super useful for the players to use on themselves but could be useful to use on enemies. The dust of sneezing and choking is a good example. I think the cloak could work like that too if like a cloak of many fashions it could also change its appearance. Trying to swap it out for an enemies cloak could be fun.
Yes you are understanding this correctly, that's how i've run it in the past. Unless noted otherwise, a short rest or an identify spell doesn't automatically reveal that a magic item is cursed. More often than not, you are mistaken and find out too late when you attune to it or otherwise wear or use it that it is cursed, being a surprise when the curse's effects are revealed.
Until worn, nothing more would be discovered about the Cloak of Poisoness. Sometimes a cursed item tells you what it is mistaken for during identification but this one doesn't.
Usually, most methods of identifying items, including the identify spell, fail to reveal a curse, although ore might hint at it. For the Cloak of Poisoness, its property is that it does not wrinkle, and the hint that it is cursed is a slight acrid scent.