The Trial of Seven Cursed Queens
Seven castles, seven queens of seven different lands, seven cursed items, seven destinies. Hidden in the depths of Feywild lies an entrance to the Demiplane of Seven Queens. There are some problems, which not even Archfey can deal with by themselves, and so they needed someone who would sacrifice their own good spirit for the greater good. They chose seven mortals who they saw as fitting, pitted them against one another, and waited for who will win. But the question is... is the fight over yet? Or did it even begin in the first place?
Unlike other player options where everything is already set in stone, discovered or the choices are all clearly outlined, The Trial of Seven Queens is a chance for players to affect the patron, becoming a part of the multiverse's history.
Trial's Rules
As any sort of tournament, this one also has its own rules that everyone participating should follow.
Alliances and Betrayals
All the queens are allowed to form alliances with each other, but no matter what, there can be only one left in the end. Betrayals between the queens are to be expected too, due to the fact that there can be only one winner.
The queens are allowed to bring in allies from the outside. If they are able to find any such allies, they can be led to enter the demiplane. Once they enter this demiplane, they can't exit it until only one queen is left. However, any queen that brings in an ally more powerful than they themselves are, will be disqualified.
Death of a Queen
A queen that kills another queen, whether through one of her allies or herself, is obliged to wield the cursed item of the defeated queen. It is a blessing and a curse.
Additionally, due to warlocks being tied to the items and not the queens, the warlocks of defeated queen now serve the new queen.
The Reward
Once any of the queens wields all seven cursed items, she gains the title of "The Seven-Cursed Queen", and keeps the Demiplane of Seven Queens as their domain to reside in.
Meddling Players
If a player was to equip one of the cursed items, their character turns into an NPC and is under DM's control until someone removes the item, most probably by cutting off the body part that wears it.
Right now, this project lacks stats for the seven queens. It will not be an easy thing to figure out, but I feel it is possible. I'll just need more time to do that. With all that being said, I will not post the stat blocks into the same document where player options are, as to prevent players from having their experience spoiled. It will be hidden in plain sight.
The Seven-cursed Queen
Once the trial is over, players who choose The Seven-cursed Queen as their patron are free to pick features from any of the archetypes presented in this document when they reach 1st, 6th, 10th and 14th level. For each of these levels, they can choose only one feature.
Their expanded spell list is determined by the 1st level feature they picked.
Optional Rule: Bear Her Curses
However, the Seven-cursed Queen is obliged to hate one thing above anything else: disloyalty to her. Upon DM's discretion, if your warlock level is not equal to your character level, or if you choose features of more than one of these items, the queen will make you suffer, extending her curses over you. Below is a list of her cursed items along with curses they bear. If an item's curse is broken, its features can't be used again until your warlock begs the queen for forgiveness of his disloyal act during their long rest.
Curses
| Item | Curse |
|---|---|
| Choker | This curse is broken when you do one selfless act. |
| Earrings | This curse is broken when you tell a lie. |
| Eyes | This curse is broken if you learn humility. |
| Gloves | This curse is broken if you ever forgive someone who wronged you. |
| Heart | This curse is broken when you fall in love. |
| Shoes | This curse is broken if you ever admit to being wrong. |
Different Queens
In order to make every possible Seven-cursed queen feel different, her warlocks gain one of the following features at level 1, depending on which of the queens has won. Blanq is not included, because if Blanq wins, there will be no seven-cursed queen to make pacts with.
Arcadia. You can conjure ashes from your hands (no action required). Using your bonus action or action, you take control of any ashes within 30 feet of you, causing them to move up to 30 feet, or to form them into simple vague shapes and animate them at your direction. These ashes can't take up more than a 5-foot cube and are a harmless effect.
Fiera. If you spend at least 1 minute interacting with another creature outside combat, you can attempt to learn if there's someone that person is thinking about constantly, either out of love or hatred. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you learn that person's name. On a successful save the target is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Lin. You can choose to have flowers grow out of your footsteps (no action required).
Sable. Using your action, you can manipulate the blood as per the shape water cantrip.
Sheridan. By touching a barrier such as a wall of stone no thicker than 1 foot, wall of dirt or wood no thicker than 3 feet, or a wall of common metal no thicker than 1 inch, you can see and hear whatever is on the other side as if the barrier wasn't there.
Valdas. You can use your bonus action or action to change how your reflection looks, as per the disguise self spell.
The Adorned Crown
Blanq is the most mysterious of the seven cursed queens. Due to her subtle tricks and well-managed social maneuvers, very little is known of her. She hides her origin far too well, she uses her powers very rarely, and she declines any requests from potential warlocks.
What is known about her though is that she sees herself as the only queen out of the seven who is good. She is the wearer of cursed crown adorned with many jewels, and does not hide the fact that she sees all of this as something that should not be going on. Blanq is fighting other queens, but not for the greater good Archfey see. If she ever was to win, everyone knows that she would reject all seven curses and hide the cursed items, abandoning the newly gained powers, servants and any other possible rewards.
The Ashen Choker
Arcadia is the queen who wears the elegant golden cursed choker that she can never take off. She was never kind, rarely smiled, and all of her followers hated her, but she ruled the land the best she could. It is through her choker that she gained the powers to control ashes and flames that she uses to silence and suffocate those who oppose her.
Were Arcadia to win, she would turn out to be a ruthless efficient ruler with no mercy or remorse for applying dirty tricks to do what she sees to be right to do.
Credits
Thanks to A Point of Inspiration for creating Grimmdark, the supplement that inspired all the work presented here the most.
Red Castle, by Alex Popescu
Lich Queen, by AdrianDadich
My angels of sorrow, by Goran-Alena
Chaos Queen, by MorbidiaMorthel
Queen Fifi, by aditya777
Art Gloriana Small, by Darey-Dawn
The Queen's Return, by WojtekFus
Steam Heart, by Cris Ortega
For the design notes of this project, you can visit my blog.
Expanded Spell list
The queen wearing the cursed choker lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Ashen Choker Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | burning hands, fog cloud |
| 2nd | Aganazzar's scorcher, pyrotechnics |
| 3rd | fireball, stinking cloud |
| 4th | fire shield, wall of fire |
| 5th | dominate person, flame strike |
Cursed Gift of the Choker
At 1st level, fire and ashes are easier to control as you feel slight pressure around your neck. After you deal fire damage to a creature with a warlock spell of 1st level or higher, you can force the target creature to make a Constitution saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On failure, its throat is burned and it can't speak or use Verbal component to cast spells. On success, it's immune to this effect for 24 hours. The burned throat lasts until the creature regains HP in some way, for example by using healing magic or by resting.
Protective Curse of the Choker
Starting at 6th level, you're surrounded by ashes most of the time, whether it's soot on your shoulder, or ashes floating around you in the air, you know how to use it to your advantage during the fight. You can use your reaction when attacked to summon a cloud of ashes to heavily obscure 20 feet radius centered on you. This reaction happens before the attack roll is made, causing the attack roll to be made with
disadvantage. You ignore the effects of the cloud. The cloud disappears at the end of your next turn. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Beguiling Defenses
Beginning at 10th level, you learn how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Unleashed Curse of the Choker
When you reach 14th level, ashes and fire are now completely under your control, letting you use their most gruesome power. You can use your action to command soot and ash around a target creature within 30 feet you that you can see. The target creature must make Constitution saving throws against your warlock spell save DC until it succeeds or fails three times. On the first failure, the target creature finds itself unable to speak or use Verbal component of spells. On the second failure, the target creature spends its action next turn retching and reeling. On the third failure, it is suffocated by the ash as it turns to concrete in their lungs. A creature suffocated in this way can survive a number of rounds equal to their Constitution modifier before falling to 0 hit points, unstabilized. A remove curse spell removes the ash from the lungs. Creatures that don't need to breathe are immune to this effect. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
The Binding Shoes
Like the words which set her on a road she can't abandon, Lin's heeled shoes made out of emerald bind her. Silent for the most part, she is the most jealous out of all the queens. Her shoes bestowed upon her a power to restrict others literally, using vines and thorns.
The kingdom ruled by Lin was she to win would be an authoritarian one, with lots of rules to follow and harsh punishments for breaking each of them.
Expanded Spell list
The queen wearing the cursed shoes lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Binding Shoes Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | entangle, hail of thorns |
| 2nd | barkskin, spike growth |
| 3rd | plant growth, speak with plants |
| 4th | grasping vine, guardian of nature |
| 5th | dominate person, tree stride |
Cursed Gift of the Shoes
At 1st level, you feel slight pressure around your feet, and you feel connected to the plant life around you. You gain thorn whip as a free warlock cantrip. Furthermore, when you cast it, you can choose to try to reduce target's speed to 0 instead of pulling the target towards you. The target can attempt a Strength saving throw against your warlocks spell save DC to prevent that effect. You can use your action every turn after that to extend the effect, until the target succeeds on their save.
Protective Curse of the Shoes
Starting at 6th level, when you take damage from an attack, you can use your reaction to summon a wall between you and the attacker. The wall is five feet tall and grows out of the ground in a space adjacent right to yours. If you are next to the attacker, you can move 5 feet away from it without provoking an opportunity attack as part of the same reaction. The wall is made out of vines and plants, 30 feet long and 5 feet thick and has AC 13. Every 5 feet segment of the wall has 10 hit points, and the wall is vulnerable to fire damage. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish short or long rest.
Beguiling Defenses
Beginning at 10th level, you learn how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Unleashed Curse of the Shoes
When you reach 14th level, the plant life itself helps you out by holding your enemies and damaging them. You can use your action to summon a circular area of thorns and spikes from the ground with 20-foot radius, centered on a point of your choice within 120 feet of you. All the creatures in the area take 2d10 magical piercing damage and must make a Strength saving throw, or be restrained by the plants. Creatures restrained this way can repeat the saving throw at the beginning of their turn. Each creature that starts its turn in this area takes 2d10 magical piercing damage. The spikes and thorns disappear after one minute. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
The Bloodied Gloves
Sable, the queen wearing red silky gloves reaching up to her forearms, could easily be described with a single word — vengeful. One of the easier queens to cooperate with, she will go out of her way to get her revenge against those who would wrong her. With her gloves, she exacts her revenge by manipulating the blood of others to drain her foes of their life force, inflame their blood or conjure blood-forged weapons of her own design.
If Sable was to win, she would become a ruler who would be always on look out for foes to decimate, as well as anyone attempting to betray her.
Expanded Spell list
The queen wearing the cursed gloves lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Bloodied Gloves Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | false life, purify food and drink |
| 2nd | gentle repose, protection from poison |
| 3rd | life transference, revivify |
| 4th | blight, stoneskin |
| 5th | contagion, dominate person |
Cursed Gift of the Gloves
At 1st level, your hands feel warm. Using blood of your enemies to heal comes natural to you, but you need to spill their blood first. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your 5 + your warlock level. When you damage a creature with an attack, you can use your bonus action to heal yourself or a creature within 15 feet of you by up to 5 hit points or the maximum amount remaining in your pool (whichever is lower), expending the amount of hit points from your pool. This feature has no effect on undead or constructs.
Protective Curse of the Gloves
Starting at 6th level, you're driven to seek vengeance from those who wronged you. When you take damage from an attack, you can use your reaction to make single weapon attack or cast one warlock cantrip against the attacker, if you can see them and if they are within range. If you deal damage to them, you heal an amount of hit points equal to half the damage you caused with this attack. Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Beguiling Defenses
Beginning at 10th level, you learn how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Unleashed Curse of the Gloves
When you reach 14th level, the blood doesn't just course through your veins, it can give you a whole new form. You can use your action to initiate transformation into a blood wraith that lasts one minute. While you are transformed, you gain these benefits:
- Other creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls made against you.
- If you cause damage to an enemy or multiple enemies, you can force one of them to make a Constitution saving throw. They take 3d10 necrotic damage on failure, or the damage is halved if they succeed.
- You can squeeze through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
The Mindful Earrings
Sheridas is the most knowledgeable of the seven queens thanks to her golden ornate earrings. Always obsessed with seeking the truth to the point where she would hunt down liars, the earrings she wears force her to speak only in truth as a punishment. However, she was bestowed with amazing perception abilities, allowing her to seemingly see into the future during combat, and know her enemies deep into their heart just by a glance.
If Sheridas became the winner in the trial, the privacy would be a thing of the past not just for her kingdom.
Expanded Spell list
The queen wearing the cursed earrings lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Mindful Earrings Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | detect evil and good, shield |
| 2nd | detect thoughts, see invisibility |
| 3rd | clairvoyance, nondetection |
| 4th | divination, locate creature |
| 5th | dominate person, legend lore |
Cursed Gift of the Earrings
At 1st level, your ears feel a light tug downwards at all times, as if something was hanging from them. Your sight and hearing are enhanced, and you find listening to someone's heart as easy as listening to music. You gain proficiency in Insight and Perception. If you were already proficient in any of these skills, you can choose to add double proficiency to any skill checks using these skills instead of proficiency bonus it normally would.
Protective Curse of the Earrings
Starting at 6th level, you get brief flashes of your enemy's thoughts during the fight, giving you crucial advantage when it is needed the most. When a creature attacks you or forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to read their thoughts, giving you advantage on the saving throw or giving them disadvantage on the attack roll. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Beguiling Defenses
Beginning at 10th level, you learn how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Unleashed Curse of the Earrings
When you reach 14th level, the all-encompassing gaze of the Queen is bestowed upon you, and no enemy of yours will be safe again. You can use your action to cast scrying once without using a warlock spell slot. When you cast the spell this way, it does not require concentration, the created sensor is invisible to all senses and magic except truesight, and it lasts until dispelled, is ended by you (no action required), until the target enters another plane of existence, or you cast the spell again in this manner. You may use an action to switch between your senses and the sensor's. If the target is a creature, and it comes under the effect of nondetection or similar divination foiling magics, the sensor is blinded and deafened until the effect ends. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
The Mirror Eyes
Unlike the items of most other cursed queens,
the eyes of cursed queen Valdas are replaced with
two spherical mirrors. She always believed herself
to be better than anyone else, being the greatest being there could be. Using her eyes, she gained the control over glass, mirrors and shards.
If Valdas was to win, none of her followers would be treated with respect, and she would force them into worshiping her as a living goddess she believes herself to be.
Expanded Spell list
The queen of cursed eyes lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Mirror Eyes Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | catapult, ice knife |
| 2nd | blur, phantasmal force |
| 3rd | clairvoyance, fear |
| 4th | greater invisibility, phantasmal killer |
| 5th | dominate person, mislead |
Cursed Gift of the Eyes
At 1st level, your blood is infused with quicksilver, increasing your walking speed by 10 feet. You can also use your bonus action to enter an object with a reflective surface (such as mirror or body of water) to come out of another object with a reflective surface within 120 feet. The object must be of at least your size category. You can use this feature an amount of times equal to your Charisma modifier, regaining the expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Protective Curse of the Eyes
Starting at 6th level, you see yourself at a much higher regard as others, those who do wrong to you must suffer for you. When you take damage from an attack or a spell, you can use your reaction to halve the damage taken. Your first attack against the creature that dealt you this damage inflicts bonus damage equal to the amount of damage you took. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Beguiling Defenses
Beginning at 10th level, you learn how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Unleashed Curse of the Eyes
Beauty should be preserved forever, but others obviously don't deserve that. When you reach 14th level, you can use your action to cast flesh to stone without expending a spell slot. Instead of stone, the target creature turns into a glass statue, with AC 13 and 10 HP. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
The Unbeating Heart
Due to her item being a clockwork heart hidden deep within her chest, Fiera is the subtlest of cursed queens who might even be able to pass off as not one of them. Formerly known as the queen of skies, what gives her off now is her apathy felt towards everyone else, due to her curse. That does not mean however that she doesn't know others have such feelings — she is the one who turns love against her foes as a weapon with her commanding powers.
If Fiera was to succeed in the trial, there might be perfect order within it with no conflicts, or so it would seem.
Expanded Spell list
The queen of cursed heart lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Unbeating Heart Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | command, Tasha's hideous laughter |
| 2nd | calm emotions, enthrall |
| 3rd | feign death, sending |
| 4th | confusion, dominate beast |
| 5th | dominate person, hold monster |
Cursed Gift of the Heart
At 1st level, your chest feels empty and cold and you find it much easier to affect the emotions of others. If an enchantment spell that you have casted has any negative consequences once its duration ends, you can choose to have the creature remain unaware that a spell was cast on them. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 10th level, you can use this feature twice before having to finish a short or long rest to do so again.
Protective Curse of the Heart
Starting at 6th level, hearts of mortals become easy to twist, unlike yours that feels emptier day by day. When you are targeted by an attack, you can use your reaction before the attack roll to force the attacker to make a Wisdom saving throw. On failure, it has to choose another target for its attack. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Beguiling Defenses
Beginning at 10th level, you learn how to turn the mind-affecting magic of your enemies against them. You are immune to being charmed, and when another creature attempts to charm you, you can use your reaction to attempt to turn the charm back on that creature. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be charmed for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.
Unleashed Curse of the Heart
When you reach 14th level, you know there is someone just for you, but it is hard for you to feel anything for them. You can use your action to expend a spell slot, targeting one humanoid within 30 feet of you that you can see. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, and does so with advantage if you or your companions are fighting it. If it fails the saving throw, it is charmed by you, regarding you as a friendly acquaintance, until a remove curse spell is cast on it, the charmed condition is removed from it, or you use this feature again. You can communicate telepathically with the charmed creature as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence.
