Bestow Curse and Amnesia


Rules Questions

Dark Archive

Amnesia wrote:

Type insanity; Save Will DC 20

Onset immediate

Effect –4 penalty on Will saving throws and all skill checks; loss of memory (see below)

Description

A character suffering from amnesia cannot remember things; his name, his skills, and his past are all equal mysteries. He can build new memories, but any memories that existed before he became an amnesiac are suppressed.

Worse, the amnesiac loses all class abilities, feats, and skill ranks for as long as his amnesia lasts. He retains his base attack bonus, base saving throw bonuses, combat maneuver bonus, combat maneuver defense, total experience points, and hit dice (and hit points), but everything else is gone until the amnesia is cured. If a character gains a class level while suffering from amnesia, he may use any abilities gained by that class level normally. If the class level he gained was of a class he already possess levels in, he gains the abilities of a 1st-level character of that class, even though he is technically of a higher level in that class. If his amnesia is later cured, he regains all the full abilities of this class, including those gained from any levels taken while he was suffering from amnesia.

Quote:

Insanity can also be inflicted via magic. Consider allowing the spell insanity to merely inflict 1 randomly determined insanity per 5 caster levels on its victim rather than causing permanent confusion. Bestow curse can also inflict a single insanity on a foe, although in this case the insanity is also a curse.

Am I correct in assuming that with Bestow Curse you can chose to inflict Amnesia on your opponent instead of a random derangement?


Bestow Curse

Quote:

You place a curse on the subject. Choose one of the following.

-6 decrease to an ability score (minimum 1).
-4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks.
Each turn, the target has a 50% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action.
You may also invent your own curse, but it should be no more powerful than those described above.

-- Rule

Insanity

Quote:
Insanity can also be inflicted via magic. Consider allowing the spell insanity to merely inflict 1 randomly determined insanity per 5 caster levels on its victim rather than causing permanent confusion. Bestow curse can also inflict a single insanity on a foe, although in this case the insanity is also a curse.

-- Rule

According to these rules bestow curse can inflict a single insanity on a foe. Amnesia is one of the listed insanities. So yes, according to the rules you can. (And I as a DM would allow it).

However a strict DM may make you 'learn' to add amnesia to your list of bestow curses (like learning a new addition of a spell, maybe like researching a level 1 spell). Because the spell says that you can 'invent your own curses' and he may not interpret that as 'invent on the fly'.

Dark Archive

I get Bestow Curse through the Antipaladin's Cruelty. Against any opponent with class levels, this is a excellent debuff, maybe even too good.

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