Why do scenarios 'railroad' players into specific actions or situations with no alternatives?

[whew]

You can sunder the item, but doing so likely does fatal damage to the victim's neck. That may still be better than letting the item run its course.

[Acedio]

Finlanderboy wrote:

Nothing says you can not destory the item. If you want to keep the item intact and remove it without powerfull spells...

Well that would be something different.

Saying the item is immune to sunder makes a very powerful item and beyond the description of cursed items in the CRB

To expand on this good piece of advice, it's important to remember that Cursed Items are really just malfunctioning versions of a specific crafted item. They are created when there's a failure during crafting. I believe (I think there's a chance another GM might disagree) that while the cursed item in question has a specific condition for removal, it doesn't apply if the cursed item is destroyed. The CRB rules for Cursed Items say that some cursed items return if discarded, but it says nothing about what happens when they are destroyed.

PRD wrote:

Removing Cursed Items: While some cursed items can be simply discarded, others force a compulsion upon the user to keep the item, no matter the costs. Others reappear even if discarded or are impossible to throw away. These items can only be discarded after the character or item is targeted by a remove curse or similar magic. The DC of the caster level check to undo the curse is equal to 10 + the item's caster level. If the spell is successful, the item can be discarded on the following round, but the curse reasserts itself if the item is used again.

@whew

A Sunder combat maneuver does no damage to the wielder/wearer of weapons or armor being sundered. The character performing the sunder must have Greater Sunder to do that. But Greater Sunder only works on a finite number of items:

CRB, PRD wrote:

Greater Sunder (Combat)

Your devastating strikes cleave through weapons and armor and into their wielders, damaging both item and wielder alike in a single terrific strike.

Prerequisites: Improved Sunder, Power Attack, base attack bonus +6, Str 13.
Benefit: You receive a +2 bonus on checks made to sunder an item. This bonus stacks with the bonus granted by Improved Sunder. Whenever you sunder to destroy a weapon, shield, or suit of armor, any excess damage is applied to the item's wielder. No damage is transferred if you decide to leave the item with 1 hit point.

So no worries there!! But I agree it seems a little counterintuitive.

[thejeff]

Acedio wrote:

Finlanderboy wrote:

Nothing says you can not destory the item. If you want to keep the item intact and remove it without powerfull spells...

Well that would be something different.

Saying the item is immune to sunder makes a very powerful item and beyond the description of cursed items in the CRB

To expand on this good piece of advice, it's important to remember that Cursed Items are really just malfunctioning versions of a specific crafted item. They are created when there's a failure during crafting. I believe (I think there's a chance another GM might disagree) that while the cursed item in question has a specific condition for removal, it doesn't apply if the cursed item is destroyed. The CRB rules for Cursed Items say that some cursed items return if discarded, but it says nothing about what happens when they are destroyed...

So no worries there!! But I agree it seems a little counterintuitive.

I'll say.

Necklace of Strangulation wrote:

It cannot be removed by any means short of a limited wish, wish, or miracle

Or you can just cut it off, long before it actually kills anybody.

I really don't think that's the intent.

[TOZ]

I now want my Invulnerable Rager to rock a necklace of strangulation.

[FLite]

TOZ, get a gorget of strangulation. Since it can only be removed by a limited wish, you are now immune to vorpal weapons...

[Ascalaphus]

@thejeff: "intended" is fuzzy with cursed items anyhow. Many of them are uber-powerful weapons if you know what they are, because they don't allow saving throws. There's more than a few discussions about players trying to make cursed items intentionally because they're actually way OP, but not for sale due to being "cursed" and lacking shop prices.

[kinevon]

Ascalaphus wrote:

@thejeff: "intended" is fuzzy with cursed items anyhow. Many of them are uber-powerful weapons if you know what they are, because they don't allow saving throws. There's more than a few discussions about players trying to make cursed items intentionally because they're actually way OP, but not for sale due to being "cursed" and lacking shop prices.

Can you imagine a Bard, with the beguiling gift spell, and a Necklace of Strangulation?

Gurgle...gurgle...gurgle....

[Ascalaphus]

Sleight of Hand with a Scarab of Death, or just sending in an unseen servant/summoned creature to deliver Dust of Sneezing and Choking.. that stuff is brutal. If it was a level 5 spell people would still be saying it's OP.