Currently I am writing a campaign for my players called Uprooted that involves floating islands, dungeons, your normal D&D campaign stuff. A main thing I am planning on doing is cursing the PCs. There is going to either be a high CR NPC who curses them or a trap. I am planning on forcing them to find a way to remove the curse, advancing the plot. Personally I have no experience using curses, so I'm here asking for help. My questions:
How would the PCs receive the curse?
How would the PCs get rid of the curse?
What would the curse do to the PCs?
I'm new to using curses, so this will be a big help. Thanks!
Are they STARTING cursed, or will it happen during the campaign.
Do you want them all cursed, and if so, all at the same time?
They could get the curse any way you want. An NPC they refuse to help could curse them, they could touch something that is cursed, hell, some infernal being could do it for money or for giggles, whatever fits your narrative.
It's your world, the curse can do whatever you want. What are you trying to accomplish?
The party getting cursed appears to be central to your ideas. Don't give the appearance of railroading, but I would first ensure that something significant or someone significant has the party all in one place. They should be gently encouraged to interact with that significant thing or person in such a way that allows you to curse them all at once, at the same time.
The curse could be anything you desire. If you are going for "annoying the party" I would go for an appearance curse such as an unfortunate glamor. Perhaps in daylight they can take on a monsterous appearance affecting their interactions with NPCs, or perhaps if you want some whimsy, go for a Ranma 1/2 and start changing their gendered appearance. This can force some genuinely funny roleplay and give them unique options.
A middle of the road curse could be that they are harbringers of natural disasters. Wherever they go Earthquakes, Dangerous Weather, Blights, Plagues, and Fires could follow. I wouldn't make them city-smashing or village-starving disasters, but rather disasters that will occur at the worst times and slowly make the party unwelcome.
If the curse is demonic or infernal in origin, make it another role-play heavy curse. Perhaps you take your characters flaws and create mechanics that make them irresistible to the characters, a kind of exaggeration of normal everyday flaws. The character who is a glutton and drunkard in the normal sense could have that particular sin become exaggerated to the point where he must always be eating something, must always be drunk to some extent, and must display piggish table lack-of-manners. The wrathful barbarian could have every slight turn into an instance of nearly uncontrollable blood rage, the player must actively roll to "calm down".
As for removing the curse, that opens you up to many possibilities to direct your story. Perhaps they need to visit a well of purification, or destroy the object/person that cursed them.
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Currently I am writing a campaign for my players called Uprooted that involves floating islands, dungeons, your normal D&D campaign stuff. A main thing I am planning on doing is cursing the PCs. There is going to either be a high CR NPC who curses them or a trap. I am planning on forcing them to find a way to remove the curse, advancing the plot. Personally I have no experience using curses, so I'm here asking for help. My questions:
I'm new to using curses, so this will be a big help. Thanks!
it's been a long time...
Are they STARTING cursed, or will it happen during the campaign.
Do you want them all cursed, and if so, all at the same time?
They could get the curse any way you want. An NPC they refuse to help could curse them, they could touch something that is cursed, hell, some infernal being could do it for money or for giggles, whatever fits your narrative.
It's your world, the curse can do whatever you want. What are you trying to accomplish?
The party getting cursed appears to be central to your ideas. Don't give the appearance of railroading, but I would first ensure that something significant or someone significant has the party all in one place. They should be gently encouraged to interact with that significant thing or person in such a way that allows you to curse them all at once, at the same time.
The curse could be anything you desire. If you are going for "annoying the party" I would go for an appearance curse such as an unfortunate glamor. Perhaps in daylight they can take on a monsterous appearance affecting their interactions with NPCs, or perhaps if you want some whimsy, go for a Ranma 1/2 and start changing their gendered appearance. This can force some genuinely funny roleplay and give them unique options.
A middle of the road curse could be that they are harbringers of natural disasters. Wherever they go Earthquakes, Dangerous Weather, Blights, Plagues, and Fires could follow. I wouldn't make them city-smashing or village-starving disasters, but rather disasters that will occur at the worst times and slowly make the party unwelcome.
If the curse is demonic or infernal in origin, make it another role-play heavy curse. Perhaps you take your characters flaws and create mechanics that make them irresistible to the characters, a kind of exaggeration of normal everyday flaws. The character who is a glutton and drunkard in the normal sense could have that particular sin become exaggerated to the point where he must always be eating something, must always be drunk to some extent, and must display piggish table lack-of-manners. The wrathful barbarian could have every slight turn into an instance of nearly uncontrollable blood rage, the player must actively roll to "calm down".
As for removing the curse, that opens you up to many possibilities to direct your story. Perhaps they need to visit a well of purification, or destroy the object/person that cursed them.