So, my players recently found my personal favorite home-brewed cursed item. "The Dread Gauntlet"
Now, this gauntlet is pretty damned awful if you don't take all of it's curses, considering. Fortunately, the team's rogue has an abysmal will-save, so, he's afflicted.
Right, so here we go.
"The Dread Chest" The dread chest is the chest that these items are found in, for the most part. Originally all 4 pieces of the dread attire are in the same room, but are split up among the ruins of Exodus and are sickeningly evil. The only piece of equipment in the dread chest is left up to a roll.
The chart looks like this.
1d100
1-49 Gauntlet
50-79 Wand
80-89 Bastard Sword
90-100 Dread plate.
The following effects come into play if the user fails the will-save of 17.
[O] The player is no longer capable of being healed by positive energy, and instead, is healed by negative energy. The player automatically fails the saves to resist channeled positive energy.
"The Dread Gauntlet" The sickeningly evil gauntlet of a long-dead Lich known for slaying his enemies in close combat and slowly gaining numbers as the fights continued.
The following effects come into play if the user fails the will-save of 16
[O] Upon coming within 30 feet of an dead, the gloves cast a darker form of "Animate dead" on them. This spell deals 2d6 negative damage to yourself, as well as drains 1 constitution.
[O] Constitution drain does not affect you if negative energy heals you
[O] The undead summoned by this form of Animate dead resurrect as Zombies with equal hit dice to their prior forms at maximum health
[O] The undead reanimated in this form are automatically hostile to the wearer of the gauntlet, but are subject to command undead.
[O] The glove gives the wearer a touch attack which deals 2d6 damage. This touch attack is active at all times, and cannot be stopped via covering of the glove. The glove only delivers the touch attack if it comes within 1 inch of flesh. This can be used 5 times a day. A charge is restored for every undead that is raised.
"The Dread Wand" The wand of the Lich, used to command his raised dead.
The following effects come into play if the player touches the wand and fails the will save of 18
[O] The "Command Undead" charges on this wand, when used, automatically take control of the undead raised by the gauntlet. The wand cannot command undead that haven't been raised this way.
[O] Slowly but surely the wand drains 1 constitution every week. This constitution drain is permanent and actually does apply through the gauntlet's immunity to it. When the wielder reaches 0 con from this effect, he becomes a lich, and the wand is his phylactery.
[O] The wand has 46 charges of Command Undead.
"The Dread Blade" The weapon of choice for the lich, made of pure negative energy.
[O] The Dread Blade is a Large Bastard sword.
[O] The blade functions as a sword of brilliant energy, save that it is almost the exact opposite in it's effects. Instead of casting light as a torch for 20 feet, it lowers the light level by 1 while active. It still ignores armor.
[O] The blade converts all damage done with it as the source, into negative damage. This includes sneak attack damage, or any form of bonus. Channel smite in the hands of a good cleric would do negative damage. Being on fire would make the fire unholy. Etc, etc. This cannot be turned off.
[O] The blade deals a bonus 2d6 Negative energy damage if swung using the gauntlet, otherwise it deals the damage to the player himself as well.
[O] The blade must always be drawn for combat. Any attempts to draw another weapon is folly, and there is no will save to resist this affect. The blade will always be drawn instead of the desired weapon, unless the desired weapon is the blade itself.
[O] Anything killed by the sword arises as a full-health, Friendly Juju zombie if wished. If the players are unaware of this ability, it does it automatically the first time. The undead will obey orders and lasts until destroyed. There can only be 3 servants to the sword at any point in time, no matter how individually strong.
"The Dread Plate" Favored armor of the lich, and ironically, his prison. This full plate is intelligent, and houses the soul of the Lich himself in a twist of cruel irony.
If donned, the armor forces a will save of 26, otherwise the wearer is under the effects of "Dominate Person" until knocked unconscious.
[O] The Lich in the armor is Cr 17. He is a Two-handed Fighter 3, Undead Lord of Zenrad 13.
[O] The armor is a Phylactery, and donning it requires a Fort save of 18 to not instantly die. If a player fails this save, his body turns to dust, and immediately reforms into the surprisingly fleshy, well-looking Lich "Ordanus" who's first order of business is to return to his work in the dark continent.
[O] The armor, provided you resist the domination and the dieing, is intelligent with the Lich's mind, who is very knowledgeable of religion and history, as well as dungeons and engineering. Provided you make him friendly, he can explain certain things.
[O] The armor cannot be removed, not even for sleep.
[O] The armor gives a +4 competence bonus to stealth checks for being solid black.
[O] All souls that are released from their earthly bindings within 300 feet must make a DC 22 will save, or be trapped inside the armor. This is why the lich is here.
[O] The most dominant wisdom in the armor is what personality takes it over, and of all of them, the Lich is the wisest.
[O] Focusing deeply on the armor provokes a 18 will save to not be dominated, but making the save allows the wearer to enter a plane of existence that the Lich and all of the souls are on. Everyone is ethereal and lacks equipment. The use of magic of any kind is impossible while here.
[O] Raising a dead person returns his soul to his body. Killing him releases it once again. This process can be repeated until the soul goes in the armor.
[O] Casting True Resurrection on the armor resurrects the primary intelligence, in this case, the Lich. This shunts the wielder of the armor, and all of the "Dread" equipment, into another place as the body comes back into fruition and the black metals warp and tear off to resume their place in their master's arsenal. This deals 3d6 Negative energy damage and 3d6 slashing damage for every dread equipment moving away.
This DC raises by 1 every day. Making the save tells the character the general location, but doesn't dominate them. It comes in the form of whispers, and actually starts shouting the closer they get.