Infernal Wound
The Dark Curse of the Vicians
The hardest choice of all when I find a victim of an infernal wound is one of morality. Do I preserve their life as our caels above command and hope they recover for the better? Do I end their torment now so they may find relief in Haven among the worthy? Such are the difficult choices of being an Inquisitor.
Causes
Vicians are the core source of inflicting infernal wounds onto others. Those that are the size of the average human and taller are the ones who can inflict these wounds and can even bestow this dark blessing onto others for them to cause as well. Receiving an infernal wound requires a damage to the flesh enough that it draws blood, allowing the curse to enter into the victim’s system.
Symptoms
Agonizing, burning pain is the immediate notice no matter how deep a cut goes. Afterwards, the wound has great difficulty healing or will not heal at all depending on the potency of the affliction.
Treatment
Divine aid is needed to treat this infernal affliction. Holy water, the healing of a cael’s touch, or the blessed hand of a mortal can remove the infernal trait of the injury, allowing mundane means to heal the wound normally.
Prognosis
If left untreated, and the victim is not dead from the initial wound, the infernal curse will very slowly spread around the site of the wound, causing more suffering. Restlessness is often a factor due to the innate agony of the pain, and as the curse spreads, the victim will likely die due to a result of fatigue.
Implementing Infernal Wounds
To implement infernal wounds in your D&D 5th Edition games, a creature must have the Infernal Wound trait to deliver one:
Infernal Wound. The creature’s weapon or unarmed attacks deal an additional X (XdX) fire damage. On a successful weapon or spell attack that deals fire damage, the creature must succeed on a DC (8 + proficiency bonus + chosen ability modifier) Constitution saving throw or receive an Infernal wound. The creature can inflict only one Infernal wound per turn.
A creature inflicted with an Infernal wound will take fire damage (noted in the creature’s trait) at the start of its turn if a DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check is not made to hinder it from growing. However, taking damage that is not psychic will cause the wound to fester again. While inflicted, the creature cannot regain hit points. Any healing, like from a Cure Wounds spell, instead becomes temporary hit points. A creature at 0 hit points can be brought up to 1 hit point while the rest of the healing is made as temporary hit points.
Should the creature attempt to long rest with an infernal wound, they must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution check to benefit from a long rest as the pain will keep them up.
To cure the wound of the infernal property requires applying holy water, a Lesser Restoration spell, Remove Curse, or any other similar spell.
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