Appendix C: Curses

Un-dead, witches, demons, and other vile creatures can inflict curses with a solemn word, as described in the monster descriptions. A curse can be cured by slaying the original invoker, fulfilling some specific terms of the curse, nullifying the curse with a more powerful blessing, or in some cases, by acquiring a different, competing curse which counters the terms of the first one. For example, a creative thief cursed to “a quick and painful death” may seek out another curse that condemns him to “a life of eternal suffering”—thus nullifying the deadly time frame of the first curse!
Curses provide entertaining fodder for adventure stories. They open up angles of exploration centered on the possible methods of resolution. They have a strong foundation in the literature of Appendix N and classical fantasy mythology, and the inclusion of a Luck attribute in this game provides a game mechanism for resolving curses.   In game terms, a curse typically applies an immediate penalty to the bearer’s Luck score, as well as one or more specific other penalties. The curse must be invoked via a profound statement, and can be cured by fulfilling its terms.
Those terms may sometimes be evident in the nature of the curse, but in most cases some degree of lore and knowledge is required to understand and remedy the curse. Here are some examples of curses. If you need to generate them randomly, use these guidelines:

Issuer’s Strength	Curse
Minor (4 HD or less)	Curse of blindness Curse of goblin sight
Moderate (5-8 HD)	Curse of lost love
Major (9+ HD)	Curse of locusts

Curse of Goblin Sight

This curse is typically carried by witches and un-dead of the underdark, such as ghouls and vampires. It is invoked by touching the target’s eye and reciting this phrase:

While the sun is in the sky,

You’ll wish the eagle’s eye.

But what you’ll see is goblin night

‘Til caveland biers restore your sight.

The curse carries a -2 Luck penalty and makes the victim’s eyes and body extremely sensitive to sunlight (much like a goblin). The victim suffers a -2 penalty to all rolls in daylight (attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, etc.) and a -1 penalty in lesser lights up to torchlight. Only in torchlight or dimmer environments does the victim feel comfortable. Note that the victim cannot see in the dark.
The curse can be remedied by locating the burial place of the un-dead creature that issued the curse (“caveland biers”) and performing holy rites to bless the creature’s corpse and bury it according to proper rituals.
As the judge, you can substitute the word “biers” in line four of the curse for other terms to create something more specific to your game. For example, “’Til caveland gems restore your sight” could refer to some legendary jewels of your game world.

Curse of Lost Love

This curse is common to un-dead who were once pirates, sailors, and sea captains, and who left behind mourning wives on their home shores. The wives passed away never knowing what became of their husbands, who now roam the ocean’s waves as death-less remnants of their former selves. The curse is delivered by a raking blow to the heart while the issuer recites these lines:

At seaside’s edge she waits for me,

To return from distant sea.

But these bones are soaked with ocean’s bottom brine,

While her heart remains forever mine.

The pain of longing now you will sing:

Forever you’ll desire what no ship can bring.

The curse carries a -2 Luck penalty and fills the victim with a sense of endless longing. The sense of longing is hard to place. It’s not clear to the cursed victim exactly what or who he longs for, but the things he once valued—companionship, gold, principles, power—no longer seem as important. In game terms, this manifests as a -2 penalty to all Will saves, as the victim sees no reason to go on living. The curse can be remedied by recovering the bones of the un-dead that issued it, and re-uniting them with the body (living or long since passed) of its longing wife.

Curse of Locusts

This powerful curse comes from the lips of Satanic creatures that are hateful to all mortal life. It is typically recited by demons, the evilest witches, and intelligent un-dead who desire an innocent babe for their foul doings. The curse is usually issued to an entire community of farmers at once. Adventurers may receive this curse accidentally because they are in the community at the time of delivery or via an evil creature that wishes them to become blight-carriers. The curse is delivered by sprinkling grave dirt on the target and reciting these lines:

The blackening hordes descend down,

To blot the green of your farming town.

They’ll destroy to dirt your greening fields,

‘Til your first borne to the Lord you do yield.

The curse carries a -4 Luck penalty and a -2 penalty to Fort saves. In addition, the target permanently loses 1 hit point per Hit Die, and is afflicted with the black thumb: his touch is anathema to plants and agriculture. Farms under his care invariably perform poorly; gardens die, crops wither, livestock sicken, and the weather does not cooperate. Communities affected with this curse become dust bowls.
The curse can be remedied by sacrificing the first child born after its issuance. The child must be delivered to the curse’s issuer on a full moon. Usually this is the first child born in a community, though if an adventurer is stricken it could be that person’s first child.
This is a very powerful curse and requires a great deal of exertion to cast. It is not taken lightly.

Curse of Blindness

This is a fairly common curse delivered by witches and minor, sightless un-dead. More powerful than the curse of goblin sight, it sentences the victim to total blindness for a short duration—typically until the next full moon, until the next witch’s coven meets, for a year and a day, or for some time period associated with the act that provoked the curse. A sightless skeleton or zombie, rendered blind by the witch’s curse then slain before cured, might pass on the curse by pronouncing these words to an adventurer:

Sixteen words I spoke to her,

Declaring her “witch” I did aver.

“For sixteen moons, no sun you’ll see,”

She cackled as dark passed over me.

The curse carries a -1 Luck penalty and inflicts total blindness. It can be remedied by waiting the indicated time or by slaying the witch that invoked it.