Okay, so recently in a run of an AP, one of my players got cursed and failed their save. They're wanting to get it removed, but they're still in a really low level area, so there isn't anyone able to cast 'remove affliction' handy.
Looking at the curse in question, it does have a way to remove it built into the curse. However, I can't find in the CRB how this actually works. Does the victim of the curse automatically know this? Do they need to make a skill check (Mysticism = DC of Curse seems appropriate)? Does someone have to cast detect affliction? Once they know the cure, are there checks required for them to do the thing? Do they need to make another save when done?
It seems silly to me that they would automatically know this and could just do it, as most of the 'cures' amount to things that the PC can just say they do. "I sleep outside for the remainder of this week of downtime." Or, whatever. It feels like these are meant to hurt, and it seems silly to trivialize them.
I'm confident I can make something up that will work, but seems odd that the rules aren't there somewhere already. I'm hoping I just missed them. If not, FAQ?
Detect affliction has you covered.
If the target is cursed
or suffering from a similar affliction, you must succeed at a
DC 20 Intelligence or Wisdom check to determine that fact.
You can then determine the exact nature of the curse with a
successful DC 25 Mysticism check.
If they make the DC 20 ability check, then the DC 25 Mysticism check they know it's actually a curse and not something else, and the alternate removal condition.
Thanks, I saw that, but wasn't sure if that was the way you're supposed to deal with it. Is there anything that says that Detect Affliction is the only way to detect it?
Part of the problem is that the player knows they're cursed. I said as much when it happened. I don't see anything in the Mysticism skill or the description of curses for how any of it works beyond the listed cure condition(s).
I'm going to assume Detect Affliction is it, unless there's a better answer.
Yeah, knowing what the ailment is seems to be something you're supposed to keep from your players based on detect affliction. I wouldn't run it that way, and I don't think there's any mention of keeping that information to yourself anywhere else.
Technically detect affliction is necessary, but if they don't want to use/don't have detect affliction, my advice would be to give them a -2 penalty to the mysticism check as if they didn't have an engineering kit on an engineering check.
My other concern is with the actual 'cures' listed. Some of them are pretty easy to just say, "I do the thing" and automatically cure it. A suggestion I got off the discord was to have them roll a will save to actually do the thing. I'm probably going to roll with that as a house rule since this is campaign mode, but it would be nice if that or something like it were codified in the rules.
I think that's more of a problem with the writing of the curse. It shouldn't be 'do the thing' it should be 'do the thing that takes a whole week of not adventuring' or 'do the thing that results in ability damage or being poisoned or some other penalty that might be worse than the curse but not permanent'.
Lesser Curse of the Ravenous
By my reading, all he basically has to do to end it is spend 6cr on 6 weeks worth of the gruel equivalent of field rations, and say, "I eat this for a week."
Seems pretty tame to me.
** spoiler omitted **
Yeah, I would add in a nightly will save, or he sleepwalk and finds someone's nicer rations, not remembering that he ate them.