Curses
An optional set of rules for 5th edition D&D
These are an optional set of rules you as the DM can use to make implement curses in your game. These rules are based on my own personal opinion of curses, and should be viewed as such.
What is a Curse?
A curse is a powerful form of dark magic created for the sole purpose of manifesting a negative or undesirable effect to a creature or place. While good and neutral aligned creatures can enact these dark magics as well, they are mainly employed by malevolent or spiteful creatures. An example of this would be Acererak’s death curse from the Tomb of Annihilation adventure published by Wizards of the Coast.
It is important to note that players have access to curses too in the form of spells like bane, eyebite, bestow curse, contagion, hex, and geas. Depending on how it's used though, any spell can be turned into a curse.
How to Use Curses
Curses, while usually detrimental, are tools for a DM, and a possible plot hook (or seed) for an adventure for their players to explore.
When contemplating adding a curse, consider how does this curse affect the world around it. The curse doesn't need to affect creatures or land on a global scale, but even a single afflicted creature can change the dynamics of a small community they live in.
It is beneficial, while not mandatory, to also consider who made the curse. This does not mean the creature who cast the curse, but rather the person who first thought up and created it. It may not add anything mechanically to the curse, but it does give it more flavor and helps build backstory for future plot hooks.
Consider if there is a condition to break the curse. It doesn't need to be complex, but it should be clear on what this condition is and how it could be fulfilled.
Here are some examples.
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A jealous, shyly wizard, unable to confess his love for the woman he had obsessed over for years, enchanted his crush with a curse. She appeared repulsive around all other men she loved until he confessed his feelings for her. She died alone, unloved.
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A warlock, obeying the whims of her master, defiles the tomb of an ancient, deceased king and his four knights. On the next full moon, the deceased would rise from their graves as revenant, terrorizing the kingdom they once protected. The only way to undo this curse is to bathe the undead creatures in the light of a blue moon.
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Upon sealing away the dark champion of the sea goddess Umberlee, she cursed the land in which he was sealed, raising the tides, and sinking portions of the continent. The tides continuously rising each year until her champion was freed from his imprisonment.
Curse Tiers
Similarly to other forms of magic, all curses are not created equally. A curse is categorized into the following tiers: minor, major, and ancient. These curses are placed in one of these categories based on the curses effect, duration, and the curses casting level as detailed below in the Tiers of Curses table. If a curse falls into more than one tier group, place it in the higher tier.
Tiers of Curses
| Curse Level | Duration | Effect | Casted Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | Any | does not deal damage, may grant condition. | 3rd |
| Major | Up to 10 years or until dispelled | deals damage and/or grants a condition. | 4th-6th |
| Ancient | Indefinite until dispelled | deals damage and/or grants multiple conditions. | 7th-9th |
Remove Curse
One cannot speak of curses without speaking of its antithesis, the spell remove curse. When casting this spell, it removes all curses and can break attunement to any cursed item attuned to a creature. This potentially cheapens a powerful element of gameplay and makes a curses usefulness at higher levels nearly impossible with a player character or ally with this spell. Instead, use this spell similarly to how one would use dispel magic. When casting the remove curse spell, the caster will need to cast the spell at the same level or higher than as the curse was casted at to successfully dispel it. This is described in detail in the Casted Level column in the Tiers of Curses table.
As an alternative, the DM may choose to make the remove curse spell ineffective against certain curses, granting them certain conditions to be broken completely. An example of this would be killing the original caster or shattering a totem buried near the origin of the cursed area.
Cursed Land
Cursed lands are probably one of the more commonly known curses throughout the realms, whispered by common folk in tales and gossip.
A land curse is, as the name implies, a curse that affects a given section of land and taints it with foul magic. These curses can range from a minor curse and extend upwards to an ancient curse. As stated in How to Use Curses, it is beneficial to think of how such a land curse might have been brought about and why it does was it does.
These curses can be broken; however, it may require something a bit more than the average remove curse spell to do so. The most common way to break a land curse is by killing the caster or having the caster remove their curse willingly. An alternative method would be breaking the totem used as the focus of such a curse or using a hallow spell to sanctify the land and cleanse it of impurities.
Here are a few examples of such curses.
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This curse is placed on a gargantuan statue of three monkeys, each covering either their mouth, eyes, or ears with their hands. When this curse is activated using a predetermined command word, each creature within 10 miles of the statue, excluding the creature who enacted the curse, becomes either blind, deaf, or losses the ability to speak (DMs choice). This curse lasts until the magic is dispelled from the statue with either the wish spell or the remove curse spell cast at 9th level. If the statue is destroyed, the curse rebounds on the most recent creature to enacted the curse, and becomes blind, deaf, and losses their ability to speak until reversed by a wish spell.
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All dead creatures within a 1 mile radius rise and become either a zombie or a skeleton when the sun sets on each day. These creatures will wander within the plagued area, chasing and attacking any creature they find. A spell the brings a creature back from the dead will not work in this area. When the sun rises, these creatures are no longer animated and are considered dead once more. This curse can only be undone by the hallow spell cast at 5th level or higher as the sun raises.
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A trickster has visited this place and bestowed the gift of trickery and deceit to those who reside in it. All creatures within this area are compelled to lie, steal, and swindle from other creatures, causing chaos and distrust to plague this area. A creature who enters this area will become enticed to these effects after an hour. If a creature leaves this place after being enticed by the trickster's curse, they retain these traits for the next month. This curse can be undone only by the trickster. You can remove the curse from a single creature by casting the remove curse spell at 4th level or higher, or suppress the effects with the protection from evil and good spell.
Using Curses on Players
Not all players will enjoy being cursed, especially if it is spontaneous. Trust between DM and players is key in these instances. As the DM, be aware to give clues or hints to your players in the form of rumors or knowledge gained via NPCs about these curses ahead of time. If the players choose to go there afterwards, they have made their own choice to risk exposure to said curse and are more accepting of the effects it brings.
Family Curses
More powerful curses exist within the realms, some afflicting entire families like a hereditary disease passed through the generations. The way the curse chooses it's victims can vary widely; a curse could afflict all direct members of the family, a specific generation, when they reach a certain age in life, when a unique trait manifest within a descendant of the family, and so on.
When designing a family curse, it is imperative to also know it's origins and how it will affect it's chosen victims. This curse could come from a magical creature, an ancient artifact, a wish gone awry, or the intervention of an angered deity. The effects of the curse and how it meddles in the affairs of it's target can be something more minor, but generally are found within the vein of a major or ancient curse.
These cruses are not easily broken, and as such a simple remove curse spell will have no effect on it. This curse can only be broken by a predetermined condition set by the caster, the caster themself, a wish spell, or being cleansed by a deity.
Here are a some examples of such curses.
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The first daughter born after the curses enactment will be compelled to beseech the caster, becoming their bride and barring them a successor.
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Each descendant shall bear only one child, and this child shall kill their parents on the eve of their 16th birthday.
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The 6th son of a 6th son, shall be brought to Asmodeus on the night of his 13th birthday, becoming a death knight in Asmodeus service.
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Each member of this generation shall be stricken with the dragon's sickness, causing them to crave gold and wealth, killing each other to gain it. When only one remains, he too shall become a dragon, and lay waste to his kingdom.
Curse Effects
Here are a list of possible curses you as the DM can employ within your game.
Curse Effects
| d6 | Minor | Major | Ancient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sterile Curse | Rapid Aging | The Tower |
| 2 | Bronze Touch | A Mile in One's Shoes | Nature's Wrath |
| 3 | Bland Taste | Limp Wand | Eldritch Horrors |
| 4 | Stench of Death | Healing Blight | Curse of the Blood Moon |
| 5 | Stalker | Curse of Babel | The Mummies Curse |
| 6 | Lover's Quarrel | Curse of the Drunkard | Marked Soul |
Bland Taste. All food and liquid become tasteless to the target, even spices and sauces have no effect on the taste. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 3rd level or higher or by the caster.
Bronze Touch. Any non-magical object touched by the victim of this curse, including food and water, turns to bronze. If the target touches any silver, electrum, gold, or platinum pieces, they are now consider bronze pieces. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 3rd level or higher or by the caster.
Curse of Babel. At the start of each day, a creature affected by this curse must roll a d8: (1) Abyssal; (2) Celestial; (3) Draconic; (4) Deep Speech; (5) Infernal; (6) Primordial; (7) Sylvan; (8) Undercommon. the target can only speak in this language until the next sun rise, and understands anyone who speaks in this language. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 4th level or higher or by the caster.
Curse of the Blood Moon. When the eerie red light of the blood moon illuminates the ground below, evil creatures who are dead shall rise as revenant, retaining all memories and experiences from their life before. These creatures will seek vengeance on the person who killed them, dying once more after they complete their vengeance. If a dead creature died of natural causes or the person responsible for their death is also dead, the curse has no effect. This curse can only be broken by the caster or by use of the wish spell.
Curse of the Drunkard. This creature transforms any liquid they drink into alcohol. When a creature consumes a gallon of liquid or more in a day, they must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become inebriated until the end of their next long rest. A creature who is inebriated has disadvantage on attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws, and can only move at half speed. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 4th level or higher or by the caster.
Eldritch Horrors. This creature is cursed to view the horrors that lay beyond the vail. When this creature sleeps, they travel to an unknown land filled with aberrations and perceive everything through one of these beings eyes. When the creature awakes, they remember everything vividly and must roll an Wisdom saving throw. On a 8 or lower they gain a corruption point as detailed in the Credits. This curse last until someone cast the wish spell to purge the creatures mind of these memories or the remove curse spell is cast at 7th level.
Healing Blight. For the next 24 hours, any spell, feature, or item that normally heals this creature, deals damages to the target instead, reducing its hit point maximum by an equal amount. If the creatures hit point maximum is reduced to 0, they automatically die. This damage is reversed after the afflicted creature takes a long rest at the end of the 24 hours or after having the curse dispelled early by the remove curse spell cast at 3rd level or higher.
Limp Wand. A spellcaster suffering from this curse has a 25% chance of the spell failing, expending the spell slot in the process. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 4th level or higher or by the caster.
Lover's Quarrel. This curse effects two or more creatures who are attracted to one another, causing them to argue and possibly become violent with each other whenever they can see a creature afflicted by the same curse. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 3rd level or higher on each target or by the caster.
A Mile in One's Shoes. The creature is magically transformed into a race of the caster's desire, though normally it is of the same race as the casters, and the caster chooses a life lesson they desire for the target to learn. This change replaces all racial stats and traits. If you gained a feat as part of a racial feature, it is considered dormant until you are changed back. This spell last up to a decade, until the affected creature learns the lesson the caster choose for them, has it dispelled by the remove curse spell cast at 6th level or higher, or by the caster.
The Mummies Curse. This creatures has trespassed on a mummy lord's sacred tomb and have invoked his curse. A creature who falls victim of this curse is plagued by ominous signs over the course of the next 10 days, dying at sunset on the 10th day as the mummy lord's minions come to collect the deceased creatures corpse as an offering to their master. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 7th level or higher
Nature's Wrath . An angered druid has cursed these lands, invoking the wrath of the wild ones to seek vengeance on those who wronged him. While a creatures resides in this cursed land, all beast and plant creatures are immediately hostile towards them, they have disadvantage on animal handling checks to calm these creatures, and spells or effects that could normally calm the beast or plants are ineffective. This curse can only be undone by the original druid who enacted the curse, or by casting the hallow spell every day for a month on this land.
Rapid Aging. A creature targeted by this curse ages at an accelerated rate over the course of the next year, aging 10 days for each day that passes. The accelerated aging can be halted by the greater restoration or remove curse spell cast at 5th level or higher.
Marked Soul. The creatures soul has been defiled by a fiendish scar which marks them as the enemy of a powerful fiend. This fiend always knows the creatures location, but cannot see or hear them. The fiend can cast sending at will to this creature, and the target receives the message even if on a different plane.
This fiend has advantage on attack rolls against the target, and deals an additional 1d8 psychic damage whenever it deals damage to this creature.
If the target of this curse tries to move away from the fiend while it can see the can see the creature, they must first succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or take 1d8 psychic damage and have their movement reduced to 0 until the end of their turn.
This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 7th level or higher, the wish spell, or slaying the fiend who has marked the creatures soul.
Stalker The target of this curse is followed by an invisible stalker that whispers into their ear, but does nothing else. This creature cannot be seen or heard by anyone else but the afflicted. If the invisible stalker is killed, it returns in 1d4 hours. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 3rd level or higher or by the caster.
Stench of Death. This creature appears and smells undead to everyone who sees it, except creatures with truesight. This creature is not undead. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 3rd level or higher or by the caster.
Sterile Curse. The target of this curse becomes sterilized. This curse can be undone by the remove curse spell cast at 3rd level or higher or by the caster.
The Tower. The target is bound to a spectral tower made of darkness that no light can penetrate. Any creature can enter the tower freely, but only creatures who aren't targeted by this curse can leave it. While inside the tower, creatures can see as if in dim light.
At the end of each day, each creature inside the tower must roll a d10. The creature subtracts the rolled value from their hit point maximum, which cannot be regained except by the use of a wish spell or taking a long rest outside of the tower. If a creatures hit point maximum is reduced to 0, they automatically die and their bodies are swallowed by the shadows that make up the tower. This creature is revived 1d10 days later as a loyal thrall to the caster, retaining all knowledge and skills they had in life. This curse cannot be undone by the remove curse spell, and can be dispelled only by the caster, the death of the original target of this curse, or by the wish spell casted outside of the spectral tower.
Credits:
Created and designed by \u\o-kra
Art. "Fluch des Chaos" Illustrated by Jason A. Engle ©Wizards of the Coast
Shadowfell Illustrated by Mark Molnar ©Wizards of the Coast
Thank you GMBinder for creating such a wonderful tool for the homebrewing community.
"Curses" is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the material used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast L.L.C.