Accursed

Bones and flesh churning and cracking as they shift, a dragonborn assumes his hybrid form, choosing the guise of a wolf, his favorite. Readying dark, crackling energy in his hand, he begins his hunt.

A drow enters a tavern, hitting his head on the door frame and tripping on a chair leg. As he rises back to his feet, a brawl begins amongst a couple other patrons. With a look, a sigh, and flick of his wrist, the brawlers both slip on an errant puddle of grog, hit their heads on tabletops, and fall unconscious. Finally arriving at the bar, the drow can enjoy his drinks. An elf argues with herself as she engages an orc raiding party in combat. Recalcitrantly, a spirit exits the elf’s body, a thin cord of Ethereal energy connecting the two, and fights alongside her, unleashing a terrible scream that causes the bandits all to drop dead of fright.

Wielding a terrible blade, a human engages the palace guards, slicing her adversaries in twain as if they were cloth. An archer comes around the corner, and she throws her sword, impaling the guard before he can even nock an arrow. As the vile weapon reappears in her outstretched hand, she saunters into the throne room, staring at the quivering king with death in her eyes. At last, the crown is hers.

A dwarf is thirsty, so terribly thirsty, but refuses to drink. Yes, he could have glamored and drank deeply from that barmaid last night, but she was a good girl and he couldn’t bear to do it. Walking down the alley as the sun rises overhead, the dwarf spies a well-garbed man with a knife approaching an unsuspecting would-be victim. Finally, a drink he won’t have to feel guilty about.

Accurseds are afflicted with a permanent magic that is inconvenient at best and debilitating at worst. But magic is still magic, and accurseds have found a way to harness the power of their curse to their own ends, while managing some of the worst symptoms of their condition. Either way, their curse is now theirs to use however they see fit.

Unending Affliction

Most curses used by mortals, such as the hex and bestow curse spells, are temporary, a simple inconvenience until the magic expires. For each accursed, though, the affliction is permanent, a powerful magic that never fades. These curses can be received through many means: gaining the ire of a deity, a large coven of hags, or a powerful extraplanar entity; inheriting it by being born into a cursed family line; touching a cursed object; being hit by a volatile spell that was incorrectly cast; or receiving the curse from the bite or scratch of another cursed creature, among a slew of other possibilities.

Curse’s Conqueror

The vast majority of people who receive a permanent curse consign themselves to their fate, either finding a way to live with their curse’s adverse effects or giving themselves fully to the curse’s compulsions. A creature becomes an accursed by following a different path. Accurseds are rare, not due to lack of people becoming cursed, but because those who suffer these curses often lack the conviction to resist them.

An accursed dedicates their time and willpower to finding a way to make the magic of their curse work for them, though each in their own way. Some accurseds experiment in a lab or scour the world for forgotten lore, trying to find a ritual or alchemical concoction. Others turn to nature or faith, using prayer, meditation, or mindfulness to synthesize the curse’s magic into their own being. And others still use sheer stubbornness to bend the curse to their will.

Regardless of method, an accursed is one who has conquered their curse, drawing on its magic while managing its remaining side effects.

Creating an Accursed

When creating an accursed, the most important aspect to consider is your curse itself. What is your curse’s nature, and how did you receive it? As a starting character, you’ll choose the nature of your curse - lycanthropy, chronic bad luck, possession by a spirit, a cursed weapon, or vampirism - but exactly how you received your curse is up to you. Did you or one of your ancestors anger a god or other powerful entity? Was the curse transferred to you by another afflicted individual? Or did some magical ritual go awry with you in proximity?

Another important aspect of creating an accursed is how you came to be in control of your curse’s power. Did you study and experiment? Did you harmonize with it? Or did you stubbornly refuse to let it control you?

What do you plan to do with this power you’ve attained? A curse is a magic of vile energies created to inflict suffering. Do you use this magic for its intended purpose, conquering and slaying for your own gain? Or do you resist the magic’s nature and use it to become a champion of the downtrodden, a hero who can empathize with great suffering? It’s your power now, so only you can decide what to do with it.

Quick Build

You can make an accursed quickly by following these suggestions. Your highest score depends greatly on the Accursed Affliction you choose: make Strength your highest ability score for Curse of Lycanthropy and Curse of the Armament, and Dexterity your highest ability score for Curse of Possession. For Curse of Vampirism, choose Strength as your highest ability score if you want to be better at grappling, or Dexterity if you want to focus more on not getting hit. For Curse of Misfortune, make your highest ability score your choice of curse ability — Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.

If Strength or Dexterity is your highest ability score, your next-highest should be your choice of curse ability, followed by Constitution. For Curse of Misfortune, make your next-highest ability score Constitution, followed by Dexterity. Then, choose the folk hero background.

Level 1: Accursed Affliction

Through unfortunate circumstances, you were stricken with a curse that would have broken most other people. However, whether by sheer willpower, introspective meditation, or arcane study, you not only overcame the challenges your curse presented, but learned to harness its power. Choose the affliction you conquered: the Curse of Lycanthropy, the Curse of Misfortune, the Curse of Possession, the Curse of the Armament, or the Curse of Vampirism. Your curse has become as much a part of you as your own heart. The remove curse spell, as well as any similar effect, has no effect on your curse when it is cast on you. If your curse takes the form of a magical disease, you can’t be cured of it by any means. Your choice grants you features at 1st level, and again at 3rd, 5th, 11th, 15th, and 20th level.

Accursed Ailments

Each affliction has ailments caused by the curse’s lingering effects. These ailments are referred to by features you gain later in this class.

Curse Save DC

Some of your accursed features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. Due to the varying ways that an accursed can overcome their affliction, though, not all use the same ability score. Choose Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as your curse ability.

You should choose Intelligence if you scoured the multiverse for secrets that allow you to manage your curse using rituals or minor magical practices, Wisdom if you used introspective meditation techniques to harmonize with your curse and make it a part of you, or Charisma if you conquered your curse through sheer force of will or by bargaining with it. Depending on the curse ability you chose, the saving throw DC of your curse effects is calculated as follows:

Curse save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your curse ability modifier

Level 1: Weapon Mastery

Your training with weapons allows you to use the mastery properties of two kinds of weapons of your choice with which you have proficiency, such as Longbows and Shortswords.

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can change the kinds of weapons you chose. For example, you could switch to using the mastery properties of Scimitars and Longswords.

Level 1: Jinx

As an action, you can touch a creature within your reach and magically imbue it with a small amount of curse energy. When you do, choose an ability, and that creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it has disadvantage on the next ability check it makes using the chosen ability within the next minute.

When you use this feature, you can also choose to make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check against the target’s Passive Perception. If you succeed, the creature isn’t aware that you are the source of this feature.

The effect ends early on a creature if you use this feature again, if you lose concentration (as though concentrating on a spell), or if either of the dispel magic or remove curse spells is cast on the target.

Level 2: Spellcasting

You learn to harness your curse’s power to cast spells. See the Accursed Spell List for a full list of spells.

Spell Slots

The Accursed table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a spell slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Curse Spells

Each Accursed Affliction has a list of spells – its curse spells – that you learn when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the affliction description. These spells count as accursed spells for you and are included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Accursed table.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know the curse spell you gain at 2nd level from your Accursed Affliction, and two 1st-level spells of your choice from the accursed spell list, for a total of three spells known.

The Spells Known column of the Accursed table shows when you learn more spells of your choice from the accursed spell list. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, when you reach 5th level in this class, you learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level, in addition to the curse spell you gain at 5th level from your Accursed Affliction.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the accursed spells you know and replace it with another spell from the accursed spell list, which must also be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Your curse ability is your spellcasting ability for your accursed spells, since your ability to cast spells comes from the control you have over your curse’s power. You use your curse ability whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your curse ability modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an accursed spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your curse ability modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your curse ability modifier

Spellcasting Focus

When you gain this feature, choose arcane foci, druidic foci, or holy symbols, depending on how you discovered to channel your curse. You can use the chosen type of implement as a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook) for your accursed spells.

Level 2: Curse Control

You can control the ailments of your curse by expending spell slots. You can do so in the following ways:

Afflict. As an action, you can expend a spell slot to attempt to afflict a creature you can see within 30 feet of you with your choice of one of your ailments. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or suffer the chosen ailment for the duration. An afflicted creature can repeat the saving throw as an action during each of its turns, ending its affliction on a successful save.

Suppress. As a bonus action, you can expend a spell slot to suppress your ailments’ effects. For the duration, you can choose not to suffer the effects of any number of your affliction’s ailments.

The duration of the effect depends on the level of spell slot you expended to use it. The effect lasts for 1 minute for a 1st-level spell slot, 10 minutes for a 2ndlevel spell slot, 1 hour for a 3rd-level spell slot, 8 hours for a 4th-level spell slot, or 24 hours for a spell slot of 5th-level or higher.

Level 2: Malediction Metamorphosis

Your curse begins evolving within you. You can guide this change to create effects that are beneficial to you. Choose one of the following metamorphosis options. You can’t take a metamorphosis more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Enshrouding Imprecation

Your curse’s energy covers you like a dark cloak when it isn’t held back by bright light. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks you make while in dim light or darkness.

Fecund Affliction

Once, you can use your Afflict without expending a spell slot. Its duration is 1 minute. You regain your use of this feature when you finish a short or long rest.

Hostile Bane

Once during each of your turns when you hit a creature with an attack, you can cause the attack to deal additional necrotic damage equal to your curse ability modifier (minimum 1).

Protective Hex

When you’re wearing light, medium, or no armor, you can use your curse ability modifier, instead of your Dexterity modifier, to determine your Armor Class. Your curse ability modifier is otherwise treated as though it were your Dexterity modifier for the purpose of determining your AC this way.

Swift Jinx

You can use your Jinx as a bonus action on your turn.

Level 3: Fell Attunement

Your familiarity with the nature of curses and other dark magics allows you to detect them. As an action, you can send invisible tendrils of your curse to scout for these fell energies. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any aberration, fiend, shapechanger, or undead within 60 feet of you that isn’t behind total cover. You know the type (aberration, fiend, shapechanger, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any cursed objects, as well as spells on the accursed or warlock spell lists that are currently active or have been cast in the radius within the last hour. You don’t know what the specific objects or spell effects are, only where they are located.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your curse ability modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Level 4: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this again when you reach 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level.

Level 6: Possessive Curse

Your curse jealously guards you from others of its ilk, refusing to share its host. You are immune to curses other than your Accursed Affliction, such as the hex and bestow curse spells. Additionally, your hit point maximum can’t be reduced against your will, you are immune to being possessed against your will, and when you touch or attune to a cursed object, it doesn’t stop being cursed, but the curse doesn’t affect you.

Level 7: Blundering Jinx

When a creature fails its saving throw against your Jinx, you can choose instead to give it disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes using the chosen ability within the next minute.

Level 10: Malediction Malignance

Your curse evolves again. You can choose a second metamorphosis from the options in the Malediction Metamorphosis class feature, or from the following options if you meet the metamorphosis’ prerequisites.

Consolidating Jinx

Prerequisite: Swift Jinx

When a creature makes a Wisdom saving throw against your Jinx, it has disadvantage on the saving throw if it was previously the target of your Jinx this turn.

Deadly Bane

Prerequisite: Hostile Bane

You lose the benefits of your Hostile Bane. Instead, whenever you hit a creature with an attack during your turn, you can cause the attack to deal additional necrotic damage equal to your curse ability modifier (minimum 1).

Hex Armor

Prerequisite: Protective Hex

While you’re wearing light, medium, or no armor, any damage you take is reduced by an amount equal to half your proficiency bonus.

Muffling Imprecation

Prerequisite: Enshrouding Imprecation

While you’re in dim light or darkness, you can ignore the verbal components of your accursed spells.

Transferring Affliction

Prerequisite: Fecund Affliction

When a creature fails its saving throw against your Afflict, you can choose not to suffer the chosen ailment’s effects for the duration.

Level 14: Anathema Arcane

The vile magics of your curse become too powerful to be solely contained in your body. This overflowing curse energy invisibly extends from you in a 15-foot radius aura, and can interfere with other magical effects. If a creature has truesight or is under the effects of the detect magic spell or similar magic, it can see this aura as a noxious smoke. You can use this aura to disrupt magic in the following ways:

Negate. When you see a creature within the aura cast a spell that includes you as a target, you can use your reaction to attempt to negate the effects of the spell on yourself. When you do, make an ability check using your curse ability. The DC equals 10 + twice the spell’s level. On a success, you suffer none of the spell’s effects. This has no effect on the spell’s other targets.

Stifle. As an action, you can attempt to stifle the magic of an object or spell effect you can see within your aura. When you do, make an ability check using your curse ability. If the target is a spell effect, the DC equals 10 + twice the spell’s level. If the target is a magic item, the DC depends on the item’s rarity, as shown in the Anathema Arcane table. On a success, the magical properties of the object or spell effect are stifled for 1 minute; a spell effect you target this way ceases to function for the duration, and a magic object you target this way becomes its mundane equivalent for the duration.

Anathema Arcane

Item Rarity	Ability Check DC	Example Items
Common	12	Cloak of Billowing, Potion of Healing
Uncommon	15	Immovable Rod, Weapon +1
Rare	18	Necklace of Fireballs, Weapon +2
Very Rare	21	Staff of Thunder and Lightning, Weapon +3
Legendary	24	Cloak of Invisibility, Moonblade
Artifact	30	Eye and Hand of Vecna, Orb of Dragonkind

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your curse ability modifier (minimum once). You regain all of your expended uses when you finish a long rest.

At 20th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet, and you regain all of your expended uses of this feature whenever you finish a short or long rest.

Level 18: Malediction Metastasis

Your curse evolves into its ultimate form. You can choose a third metamorphosis from the options in the Malediction Metamorphosis and Malediction Malignance class features, or from the following options. If a metamorphosis has prerequisites, you must meet them to choose it.

Clandestine Imprecation

Prerequisite: Muffling Imprecation

While you’re in dim light or darkness, you can Hide as a bonus action on your turn.

Additionally, if you’re hidden from a creature when you cast a spell on it, the creature has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell this turn.

Crippling Jinx

Prerequisite: Consolidating Jinx

When a creature fails its saving throw against your Jinx, you can choose instead to give it disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes using the chosen ability within the next minute.

Once you use this metamorphosis on a creature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it on that creature again.

Doubling Jinx

Prerequisite: Consolidating Jinx

When you use your Jinx, you can target a second creature within range. You can choose a different ability for each target.

Explosive Bane

Prerequisite: Deadly Bane

Once during each of your turns when you hit a creature with an attack, you can cause the attack to deal an additional 1d10 necrotic damage. When you use this metamorphosis, you can also choose to expend a spell slot to cause the attack to deal an additional 1d10 necrotic damage per level of the expended spell slot.

Hex Aura

Prerequisite: Hex Armor

While you’re wearing light, medium, or no armor, when an attacker you can see within 30 feet of you hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to cast hex on that creature, without expending a spell slot. When you cast the spell this way, the spell ends early if the target drops to 0 hit points, or if you use this ability again.

Mutating Malediction

When you finish a short or long rest, you can choose to replace any number of your other metamorphoses with different metamorphoses. To choose a metamorphosis, you must meet its prerequisites. If you no longer meet a metamorphosis’ prerequisites, you must replace that metamorphosis as well.

For example, you can replace both of your other metamorphoses with the Hostile Bane and Deadly Bane options, since, by choosing Hostile Bane, you meet Deadly Bane’s prerequisites. However, if you then later replace Hostile Bane with another metamorphosis, you must also replace Deadly Bane, since you no longer meet the latter’s prerequisites.

Prolific Affliction

Prerequisite: Transferring Affliction

When you spend a spell slot of 2nd-level or higher to use your Afflict, instead of increasing the effect’s duration, you can choose an additional target for each slot level above 1st.

Shielding Hex

Prerequisite: Hex Armor

While you’re wearing light, medium, or no armor, when an attacker you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you.

Umbral Imprecation

Prerequisite: Muffling Imprecation

You have darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range instead increases by 30 feet. Magical darkness doesn’t impede your darkvision.

Additionally, you can cast darkness once, without expending a spell slot, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Vengeful Bane

Prerequisite: Deadly Bane

When a creature you can see within the range of a weapon you’re holding causes you to take damage, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against that creature. If the attack hits, it deals additional necrotic damage equal to your curse ability modifier.

Vile Affliction

Prerequisite: Transferring Affliction

You can use your Afflict as a bonus action on your turn.

Additionally, when you use your Afflict, you can choose any number of your ailments. If the creature fails its saving throw, it suffers each of your chosen ailments for the duration, and you can choose not to suffer any number of the chosen ailments’ effects for the duration.