Result of a failed Identify:
This belt increases the wearer's constitution by +4 and slowly improves the wearer's beauty, making her/his skin smoother and giving he/she a diaphanous complexion with rosy cheeks (+1 to Charisma for every day the belt is worn).
Curse:
The belt is a cursed item, created by a cult following a goddess of diseases.
It gives a +4 to Constitution, but it inflicts the wearer with an improved form of Tuberculosis:
Fortitude Save DC 23
Onset 1 hour; Frequency 1/day
Effect 1 of Con drain and 1 point of Cha gain (the Charisma gain can never be higher than the Constitution loss).
Incurable as long as the curse isn't removed.
The belt can be easily removed, but that will not remove the curse. You need a Miracle, Remove Curse, Wish, or Limited Wish to remove it.
The wearer doesn't notice the drain as long as it is <=4. His hit points don't change (but his Fortitude save is affected).
After reaching 5 points of Constitution Drain, the wearer's hit points change, and he occasionally coughs up blood.
After losing more than 50% of his original constitution to the disease, the wearer is Fatigued.
If the curse is removed, the dran can be cured normally. Curing the Drain removes the Charisma gain.
The belt has a "secondary" effect: every person who stays in close contact with the wearer (staying with him in an enclosed room or within 10' of him) for 10 minutes or more in a day must save or contract Tuberculosis:
Fortitude Save DC 12
Onset 1 week; Frequency 1/week
Effects: 1 point of Con drain, 1 point of Con damage (the Drain and the damage require different saves), 1 point of Cha gain (the Charisma gain can never be higher than the Constitution drain).
Cure 7 consecutive saves.
Background: In the past, Tuberculosis was considered a romantic disease. Several Opera heroines suffered from it, and the pallor and the rosy cheeks that were a consequence of the disease were considered to increase the person's beauty.
92. Headband of Menial Superiority This simple headband gives you a +6 bonus to Profession (butler, cook, driver, gardener, groom, groundskeeper, maid, porter or stable master).
93. Potable Hole This small blue-cloth unfolds into a 1 ft. square and opens into a 1 cubic foot extradimensional space filled with pure fresh water (roughly 8 gallons worth). Nothing else can be left within the space without being harmlessly ejected at the end of the round it is placed within it. The water can be removed and consumed (or otherwise used) normally, and the potable hole creates exactly 8 gallons of water each day.
94. Boots of Steed While wearing these boots, so long as your hands are free to make clopping noises with castanets (or really, anything, two empty halves of coconuts will do the trick), you can travel at the overland speed of a man on horseback. This will not affect your ground speed in combat, however.
95. Glampered (armor property) This armor billows forth into a tent for one when you camp for the night, providing adequate shelter from inclement weather. It immediately deflates back into worn armor when you make an initiative check, or are attacked.
96. Vicious Grimoire the pages of this book are razor sharp and stained with blood all along their edges, as well as having numerous bloody smears and fingerprints around the margins. Reading it takes 48 hours, and no more than 8 hours of that can be in a single 24 hour period. During this time, the reader takes 1 hit point of damage from the sharp pages for each hour, and always attempts to save against healing magic from cure wounds or channel energy. If they save successfully, they receive no healing from that effect. This healing resistance lasts until the 48 hours worth of reading is complete (which will take a minimum of six days), and thereafter the reader will have the Vicious weapon property, usable once / round as a swift action with any melee, ranged or unarmed/natural attack.
Totally cursed;
96. Mild (armor property) This armor has the Wild property, but in addition, whenever the wearer is in a wild shape, they also suffer the effects of a calm emotions spell. If attacked, the spell drops for the remainder of the round, but resumes on the beginning of their next turn.
97. Robe of Entanglement This robe fits fine and moves seamlessly with your body, despite it's many dangling straps, until you enter combat. If attacked by another, or if you yourself roll initiative in preparation to attack, the straps animate and begin wrapping around your limbs, giving you the entangled condition.
98. Viscous (weapon property) This appears to be a corrosive weapon, until used in combat, at which point the slime coating it proves not to be corrosive, but adhesive. Your hand becomes stuck to the weapon *and* the weapon's striking surface becomes stuck to whatever you hit, and you require a DC 25 Strength check to break either of those bonds.
Whether or not you succeed on this check, you take 1d6 damage as the adhesive is stronger than the skin on your hand. (Attempting to break the connection between the impact point of the target and any armor a target might be wearing, does not cause damage in this fashion, although a worn gauntlet will not protect you in this fashion, as the gauntlet itself will be not only glued to the weapon, but the adhesive will soak through and adhere the gauntlet to your hand!)
The adhesive bond can also be broken down by actual acid, a single flask of alchemical acid doing only 1d3 damage to your flesh if used in this way, as much of it's potency is 'used up' on the adhesive bond itself. The adhesive effect reoccurs whenever you attack with the weapon, and, oh so sadly, this property, if used on a projectile or thrown weapon, prevents it from ever leaving your grasp, and, in the case of a sling, bow or crossbow, also glues the projectile to the launching weapon, as well!
If it could only be refined to only affect the target struck, after it leaves the hand of the target, and then placed on a net, or bolas, this property could find use, but research, while teasing this potential, never seems to deliver on that promise...
99. Ring of Degeneration Putting this ring on causes you to begin losing one hit point per round. Removing this ring is quite easy, but does not end the curse, which must be removed through more traditional means. This ring is also linked to a Ring of Regeneration somewhere, and if it is destroyed, that ring will cease to function, as it was drawing it's recuperative abilities from its sister ring, so you may well find that someone powerful is pissed at you for ruining their expensive magical remedy...
100. Wings of Frying This gorgeous capelet of cloth-of-gold is decorated with large scarlet feathers, seemingly taken from a mighty Phoenix! (griffon feathers, painted scarlet. One has to make do.) It covers the shoulders like a mantle, and descends into two trains in the rear, when worn, and the person who puts it on has exactly one round to admire how *amazing* they look before it bursts into flames that resemble a pair of fiery wings and do 3d10 fire damage each round to them, and 1d10 fire damage to all in adjacent squares. These wings do not allow any kind of flight, and the wearer does not benefit from any form of fire resistance or immunity, nor can the cape be taken off until a remove curse is applied normally. Unlike most cursed items, the cape can also be extinguished by total submersion (which does not end the curse, merely prevents damage until the wearer surfaces) or a quench spell (which cases the cape to douse for 1 minute, during which time it can be removed!).
101. Mordant's Curse-Thrower. This ornate wand is composed of alchemically strengthened bone, and topped by a shrunken monkey's skull with a full head of long white hair (believed to be a lock of hair from the wizard whose name is engraved on the wand) and functions as a wand of bestow curse, enhanced by the Reach spell metamagic, allowing these curses to be thrown at close range. Additionally, every time you use this wand, an identical bestow curse affects Mordant, whoever he is, whereever he is (and he gets no saving throw versus this effect).
He's pretty sick of this by now. A rival for the Arclord position he now occupies crafted five of these wands as a 'gift' to 'commemorate' his ascension to the Arclord position they were both competing for (she's dead now), and he has tracked down and destroyed three of them. Two to go.
The 'curse' as far as the user is concerned is that using this effective and useful wand will result in an Arclord of Nex tracking *you* down, and he's not happy. Not. Happy.
Well, do we stop at 101. Start a whole new thread?
For #87. Bag of Holding Breath I had actually intended to add the caveat that the owner does not get any saves against inhaled or gas attacks if the area includes the opened bag. Meaning if they want a save (and the bag's bonus against them) it must be closed (thus having to be reopened every 10 minutes) or left in a safe place or outside the area while opened. But a GM could just choose to use this option in a harsher campaign or for a more harsh curse.
102. Tunic of Caracal Casting— This detects and functions as a tunic of careful casting but whenever the wearer fails or rolls a natural 1 on a concentration check, a caracal appears, seemingly from their blind spot or from the shadows or underbrush, and attacks them with an pounce (2 claws, bite, and rake). All while howling and caterwauling. The wearer is wearer is considered flat-footed unless they possess uncanny dodge or a similar ability and must also succeed at an Acrobatics check (DC equal to total damage dealt) or be knocked prone at the end. At that point, the caracal leaps away into the shadows, underbrush, or just into nothing. There is no indication that the tunic is the cause of this.
103. Leadshot Vest— This cursed deadshot vest has a subtle curse, possibly the result of failed crafting or degradation. It functions normally, but unknown to the wearer, after the first time they benefit from it, they are cursed.
All projectiles from the wearer count as lead, disregarding actual material and even magical effects that make ammunition count as other material types. This happens to bolts, arrows, shuriken, and other projectiles, but not thrown weapons. There is no actual change in appearance or material, and if such projectiles can be recovered, they can be used as normal by others. The vest can be removed freely, but the curse remains on the wearer once triggered.
104. Vest of the Slithering Tracker— This cursed vest of the vengeful tracker summons a slithering tracker to torment the wearer at the end of any day in which they tracked (not just noticed tracks) or benefited from the vest's powers. The vest also does not bestow extra favored enemy damage against slithering trackers specifically.
Slithering Tracker:
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The slithering tracker appears once the wearer stops to rest or sleep, even if no longer wearing the vest. If two people wore and benefited in the same day, they will each get their own, possibly at different times depending on when they rest. The tracker appears in the vicinity but must make a Survival check (+0 unless advanced) against DC 10 to 'find' the wearer. Actions, such as covering their tracks, taken by the wearer within an hour of resting to hinder tracking apply to this DC, but terrain and conditions do not. Effects and abilities that make the wearer untrackable, such a druid in natural surroundings, do not apply against the slithering tracker if they're wearing the vest or have it in their possession. If it fails the Survival check, it doesn't find the wearer that day but will return again the next, even if the vest isn't used or worn. It receives a +2 bonus to its check every day it fails until it succeeds.
Once it finds the wearer's location, the slithering tracker will approach and attempt to slay one creature of at least small size, such as a mount, companion, or guard (though it prefers sleeping targetd) before prioritizing the wearer. This could be a mount in the stable of an inn or another guest entirely.
It is intelligent, so can plan and avoid guards or simple traps, but its existence is created and controlled by the curse, it has no past or knowledges beyond the night. It will typically paralyze and drain someone, then it vanishes, leaving no tracks or evidence other than the drained corpse. The tracker can be slain but provides only half the XP of a normal creature and will not return the next day unless the wearer again uses the vest.
For every three levels the wearer possesses above 3rd level, add the Advanced simple template to the slithering tracker when it appears.
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Special If the wearer has an item kept in a pocket or within the vest itself and the slithering tracker drains a victim, that item will be left at the scene. This is the only link or indication that the vest has a connection to the slithering tracker's victims (which might be blamed on a vampire, or cause the wearer to get blamed if it's discovered victims seem to appear when they're around).
105. Vest of Stable Mutation II— This cursed vest of stable mutation works normally for the wearer. Anyone else who spends at least four hours in close contact with the wearer while they are under the effects of a mutagen is subtly affected as well. The next day, they all have a –2 penalty to whichever ability the wearer had boosted and a –1 penalty to the ability that the wearer would have had a penalty to. There is no indication the vest or its wearer is connected to this unless it can be deduced. The penalty goes away after 24 hours spent away from the wearer (whether they're under the effects of a mutagen or not). It can also be removed with magical effects such as lesser restoration but the recipient must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the alchemist’s level + the alchemist’s Intelligence modifier) or become nauseated for 1 hour, as though they were a non-alchemist drinking a mutagen. A succesful remove curse cast on the wearer prevents the curse from penalizing those around him for one day per 5 points the DC is beaten. It does not remove penalties already applied (though the time does count towards the 24 hours the others must be away from the wearer).
106. Scroll of Page Armor This scroll acts like mage armor, but you stick it to your chest and are covered with dozens of sheets of overlapping paper. These flapping pages is only provide half the AC bonus of mage armor, weigh 20 lbs and give a -2 ACP penalty. They also cannot be removed (unless the spell is dispelled) until the 1 hour duration runs out.
107. Scroll of Mage Ardor When you read this scroll, you are affected by charm person, as if cast by the nearest arcane spellcaster. If there is no arcane spellcaster within charm person casting range, the curse lingers for 1 hour, and you are instead charmed by the first arcane caster you meet in that time.
108. Lens of Debtection— This quirked lens of detection grants a +6 bonus to checks, but requires a gold piece to be placed upon it before functioning. The coin vanishes and the lens functions magically for one minute. If a platinum piece is used, it functions for up to ten minutes.
109. Sniper Giggles— This curse is found on sniper goggles or greater sniper goggles.
Curse:
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Whenever the wearer is about to make what they believe will be a ranged sneak attack (whether the target is subject to them or not), they are compelled to start giggling. DC 15 Will save (DC 17, greater) negates. Perception checks (DC 10) allows detection, though distance modifiers apply. If the target hears the wearer, they are considered aware (for attacks that require unaware) and receive a +1 circumstance bonus against the attack. Other penalties or conditions, such as flat-footed or unable to see the sniper, still apply.
When the wearer succeeds on a range sneak attack and deals extra precision damage, they must make a Will save (DC 15 or 17) or be affected as though by hideous laughter for two rounds. These are compulsion effects.
The goggles can be removed, but the user needs a remove curse to stop the effect from occurring on future sneak attacks.
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110. Cap of Light-Headedness— This cap of light also reduces falling damage by 1 point (minimum 0) as long as it's activated.
Curse:
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While active, and for one hour afterwards, the wearer is light-headed and has a –1 penalty to checks and saves using mental abilities and concentration checks. It is subtle and there's no overt indication or connection to the cap when it triggers and the penalty is applied secretly.
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111. Cap of Human Guys— This cap of human guise functions similar to its normal counterpart, but the wearer can only take the guise of an adult human male. When taking the guise, the wearer gives a name and profession for the persona, as well as two defining goals, personalities, or quirks. The cap imparts a +2 bonus to the wearer's attempts to bluff or otherwise disguise or pass themselves off as that person (though the form still must be an ordinary person and can't copy an actual individual). This power is learned if the item is successfully identified.
Quirk:
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While in human guise, the wearer can only speak Common and has no racial modifiers. They also get no size bonuses to AC, since they'll be inherently trying to 'stay in character' and will instinctively try and 'fit the role'. Additionally, whenever a group of humans or mostly composed of humans asks them to do something as group, they are affected as though by suggestion to be 'one of the guys'. This effect occurs once per use of the cap, but it lasts up to an hour after the guise ends or the cap is removed if not triggered during.
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The cursed spell versions on scrolls can also sometimes be found as potions or even wands, as applicable, possibly only affecting certain castings or a percentage chance to apply. Such as every 5th spell from a wand or a 10%–25% of triggering.
112. Scroll of Obeyance— This magic scroll identifies and functions as a scroll of abeyance. The target does get a saving throw, but only if they choose to make a save against abeyance. The spell works as intended, but for the duration, suggestions from others are treated as a suggestion affect on the target (DC 10 + suggester's Cha mod). The target is unaware of these saves (as is the suggester) regardless of the save's result.
113. Scroll of Abjuring Steep— This cursed version of abjuring step functions normally. After the spell ends or is discharged, the very next 5-foot step the user takes causes them to spring straight into the air before crashing back down (10 ft. + 10 ft/3 CL). This does not provoke and effects that mitigate falling apply; Acrobatics, feather fall, etc. Remove curse can stop the effect if used before the cursed step triggers, but otherwise there is no time limit on when it can occur.
114. Scroll of Commando— This cursed command spell functions normally, but the caster's undergarments are removed and end up in a pile at their feet. This typically causes a –1 distraction penalty for 2 rounds. The caster also has a –2 penalty (in addition to the distraction penalty above) to Charisma-based checks to influence anyone who can see their underthings laying around. A caster without viable undergarments to remove while casting instead becomes the target of the command.
115. Ion Stones A Thassilonian student of Wrath created these cursed items as a gift for a rival he especially loathed. These spherical stones can be blue, yellow or white, and when equipped a soft tingle passes through their bearer, who is charged with electricity. This electrical charge inflicts 1d6 damage (per stone equipped) any time the user touches anything other than the ground with their feet. Leans down to pick up a coin? Zap. Reaches for a tasty beverage? Zap. Slaps a rival who just gave them a bunch of cursed ion stones? Zap. This discharge does not affect the touched item or person, only the bearer of the stones, with the exception of discharging a zap and affecting anyone who attempts to cast a spell to protect against electrical damage (such as Protection from Energy) on the bearer (possibly interrupting and spoiling the spell). This defensive discharge (to prevent a spell that might protect against their damage) affects both the touching caster of that spell, and the bearer of the stones (although damage is only taken once if the bearer of the stones is attempting to cast the spell on themself!). The ion stones resist being de-equipped as if someone other than the bearer was trying to grab them, but once seized (and zap!), a stone becomes inert until released from grasp and allowed to resume orbit (so the savvy de-quipper will immediately stow the stone in a pouch or something). Ion stones will not equip at all for a user that would benefit from electrical damage, like a flesh golem or shambling mound. They are mean like that.
116. Rings of Flying Not so much cursed as terribly inconvenient, this pair of silver rings, adorned with bold strips of onyx resembling a feathered wing (and taking up both ring slots when worn), allow the wearer to transform their arms into black raven's wings, and, with some effort, fly at 40' with a clumsy maneuverability. They can do this three times per day, for up to 5 minutes per flight, but it is tiring and after any flight of over a minute the wearer is fatigued for twice as long as they flew (and the rings will not work again during that period). As the users arms are transformed during flight, they cannot use or benefit from any items equipped on their arms, or held in those hands, for the duration.
117. Tome of Clear Thoughts This fascinating tome cannot be put down, and after 8 solid hours of reading, which the reader will resist with violence if anyone tries to interrupt book club, acts like a feeblemind spell on the reader.
118. Cursed Full Plate of the Corpse
This cursed full plate of the corpse is believed to have originally been created by a powerful ghoul artificer just for laughs and to serve dinner. It detects and functions normally until the wearer comes within 30 feet of what would be a hostile ghoul. At that point, the armor ceases to function and transforms into a large disk, resembling a platter, with the wearer's wrists and ankles secured at the edges as though by masterwork manacles. Freedom of movement and similar effects do not counter this.
Once the armor transforms, it remains in that form permanently until the wearer is completely freed (or devoured), at which time it vanishes. The armor's curse isn't limited strictly to ghouls, but other variants, such as ghasts, dread ghouls, half-ghouls, and even hostile sorcerers with the ghoul bloodline.
Corpse Platter:
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The bound wearer falls over backwards (unless they were rushing or otherwise moving forward), usually with a loud clatter, and is basically splayed unarmored and prone on the disk like a meal being presented. The platter and bands are the same material as the armor, typically steel, and there is no lock, so they cannot be picked or knocked open, though they can be attacked and damaged by others. The wearer can attempt a Strength (DC 28 if steel) or Escape Artist (DC 35) check to free one arm or leg as a standard action (no armor check penalty from the full plate).
The platter counts as a magical item for resisting attacks and saves, including rust attacks, which can free a limb if the attack would overcome a masterwork manacle or hit points, or destroy the whole thing (hit points as magical full plate). A successful remove curse immediately frees the wearer, as can teleport effects or becoming incorporeal, gaseous, or ethereal. Changing the target's form does not help, the bands reform (even if already broken or escaped) around any new limbs of any size unless the new form has no limbs, such as a serpent.
A face-down wearer is considered to have cover from most attacks and must be flipped over or otherwise have the attacker able crouch or kneel down to attack them (which includes attempts to strike at the bindings, and may require moving around the wearer to reach them).
Any ghoul consuming a creature bound by the plate receives additional XP equal to defeating a creature of the wearer's HD or CR (which may be in addition to defeating them or their party). Up to four 'diners' may benefit from one 'corpse plate' in this manner.
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119. Cursed Half-plate of the Corpse
This half-plate armor function as #118 except it forms a half-disk platter that binds half the wearer's limbs. Typically for a humanoid, this will either be both arms, both legs, or one arm and leg on either side (roll randomly) but creatures with more arms or legs may have multiple extras bound. This will restrict the wearer's ability to use items, move, or possibly both depending.
120. Perforation Leather
This cursed version of perfection leather functions and detects as normal, but provides only half its armor bonus against piercing-only attacks and such attacks have a +1 bonus to confirm critical hits. This effect is not noticeable to the wearer and only revealed with extensive, direct testing. The wearer may use one of its spell-like abilities an additional time per day.
121. Cursed Full Plate of the Copse This armor is decorated with images of trees and leaves, and if you wear this armor in a forested region, or touch a tree, you take 2 points of Dexterity drain as your flesh begins to lignify into a woody substance, while your hair falls out and leaves grow in it's place. Every day thereafter you suffer another 2 points of Dexterity drain, and if your Dexterity reaches 0, you are permanently transformed into a tree.
Despite appearing to be made of metal, close examination indicates that it has only the thinnest gilt of metal on it's surface, and is actually composed of ironwood, so that a druid can wear this armor without violating their spiritual oaths. Lucky duckies.
[not cursed, just not hardly what the creator wanted)
122. Bag of Tracks (rust) When you reach into this bag, roll on the Bag of Tricks (rust) table and you withdraw what seems to be nothing, although you feel something furry and squirming in your hand. You can make a sprinkling or 'sowing seeds' motion as part of a move action and leave behind yourself the tracks of whatever animal type you rolled, and as long as you maintain this sprinkling motion, you continue leaving those animal prints behind you. If you stop 'laying tracks' for a full round, you must reach into the bag anew, and perhaps receive entirely different animal tracks...
This bag can be used continuously for up to an hour, and up to three times per day. While you are sprinkling tracks, your own tracks (but not those of companions other than familiars or animal companions or special mounts gained as part of a class feature) are covered up and obscured by these new animal tracks.
123. Bug of Tricks (rusty) This small corroded brass clockwork beetle can do tricks, little dance routines or flips or stunts, performing for up to 1 minute after 1 full round of winding, and able to be wound for up to 1 minute (for a 10 minute performance). It can't lift or move anything over 5 lbs, and cannot follow any but the simplest of commands implanted as it is wound. Sadly, you have no idea how to give it these commands, and so it will only do the last thing it was programmed to do, which is dance an absurd little dance with it's cane, while waving it's silly tophat, while tinny music, generated within it, plays 'Hello! Ma baby, Hello! My Darling, Hello! My ragtime gal.'
124. Bag of Nasty Tricks (Rust)— This cursed bag of tricks (rust) detects and functions normally. After any day in which it is used, however, it summons a small creature that steals things from the nearby area and leaves them in the bag.
Bag of Nasty Tricks:
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The creature is rolled on the Gray Bag list, reroll a result of Riding Dog or the GM can choose their own creature. It typically appears at the end of the day when the user is sleeping or resting. It can appear anywhere within 60 feet as though summoned and does not need line of effect from the bag, though barriers of thin lead, three feet of earth and wood, or one foot of stone or metal prevent it from appearing in that direction or location.
The creature looks for other people and then attempts to steal or grab an item from their vicinity. The item need not be inherently valuable, and will likely be shiny or metal, like a ring, gem, coin, or even a fork off a table. It will then say, possibly muffled, "I have it, master! I stole it!" and start moving back to the bag's location. If killed or otherwise stopped, it drops the item and bursts into a tiny, sparkling cloud of mist, similar to a vampire and moves to the bag's location.
If it arrives in any form, it vanishes. It need not touch or enter the bag, nor need it be opened. It must merely get close, in the case of the owner being inaccessible, such as in a rope trick with no way to climb in. If the stolen item was with it, that ends up in the bag and the bag will not work for its user until the item is removed (easily found if reached in).
The user can never see or hear the trickster animal themselves, even with true seeing or similar effects, though any items it carries could be spotted. In most cases, the bag owner will be accused of theft, or at least being a troublemaking miscreant (since the stolen items are rarely of real value, though they could be).
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Special If the user has a familiar of appropriate size, the bag's creature will instead look exactly like that creature, including its voice if it can speak. It possesses all traits of the familiar, including Intelligence, improved evasion, or speaking with others of its kind (which it can do to cause trouble) but it has no shared link with the user for purposes of empathy, sharing perception, scrying, or being harmed or killed.
125. Plate Armor of the Deep Fryer— This cursed plate armor of the deep detects and functions normally. After one minute spent immersed in liquid, at least knee deep, the armor starts to heat the area around it. The armor itself does not become hot or even noticeably warmer, only the surrounding liquid. There is no outward sign that the armor is causing this, though the fact that the warm area is emanating from the wearer is easier to determine.
Effects:
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Every minute, the surrounding water temperature within a five foot radius of the wearer increases using the chart below. These effects are not cumulative with existing temperature, so already scalding water will be unaffected or extremely cold water may take extra time to heat up, though moving water, such as a river or ocean will not slow the heat buildup. The wearer must be completely out of the water or liquid for a number of rounds equal to immersion before the effect ends. Reentering liquid, even a different source, resumes the effect at its last point immediately.
After:
1 minute— The temperature is slightly warmer. This is not harmful, but may cause accusatory looks at the wearer for other reasons.
2 minutes– Creatures that spent the past 5 rounds within 5 feet of the wearer (including the wearer) take 1d3 nonlethal damage from the heat. Creatures breathing or inhaling the water during that time take 1 additional nonlethal. This damage happens every two rounds spent in the area. The additional damage is combined, not separate, for purposes of overcoming heat and fire resistance.
3 minutes– Creatures take 1d3 nonlethal damage and 2 lethal damage from the heat every two rounds and creatures breathing the water take an additional 1d3 nonlethal damage and 1 lethal damage.
4 minutes— 1d6 heat damage (half is lethal) per round and 1d6 additional damage (half lethal) for breathing the water.
5 minutes— Scalding hot. Deals 1d6 scalding damage and an additional 1d6 if inhaled per round.
7 minutes— Water boils. 1d6 damage to creatures around the wearer and an additional 1d6 if inhaled. The wearer takes 10d6 scalding damage if fully submerged per round of exposure.
This damage applies to liquid creatures surrounding or engulfing the wearer as well, such as a water elemental and some oozes, though they must be predominately liquid, not merely gelatinous or jelly-like.
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If the wearer dies, the heating dissipates naturally and the armor floats them to the surface. This floating effect lasts for 24 minutes, before the armor resumes its normal buoyancy and likely sinks to the bottom. This sometimes leads to well-done corpses found bobbing in plate armor in the middle of water.
125. Trident of Warming Companion piece to Plate Armor of the Deep Fryer, this trident functions normally as a +1 trident until the first time the holder takes cold damage from any source, even the nonlethal damage from extremes of environmental cold, at which point the tridents curse activates and it begins to heat up, eventually glowing red hot as per heat metal, and remaining at that temperature indefinitely unless it is somehow released, or the holder dies. It cannot normally be put down once this curse activates, and the curse must be removed (or suspended, such as by a dispel magic to temporarily 'turn off' the item), or some more unusual solution found. (Cast resist fire on them until you can get a remove curse? Chop off their hand?)
The floating effect on the wearer's death lasts 24 hours, not 24 minutes.
Set wrote:
126. Trident of Warming—
If the GM wishes to add some benefits, the cursed trident could still be thrown, returning to the wielder's hand and displacing other objects if necessary. It also deals half its heat damage to creature's struck.
If the GM wishes to add some benefits, the cursed trident could still be thrown, returning to the wielder's hand and displacing other objects if necessary. It also deals half its heat damage to creature's struck.
A non-cursed version that did extra heat damage (but did not burn it's holder) and provided endure elements (cold) and / or a few points of cold resistance, perhaps even to an area around the user (allowing it to be used as a campfire, kinda sorta, only without the open fire or light source effects of a flaming weapon, and therefore usable underwater) could be neat, particularly as combination utility item / weapon for an underwater race like tritons or gillmen or sea elves.
127. Scroll of Breadth of Life— This quirked spell identifies as breath of life. Once cast, the target is encased in a warm loaf of bread, vaguely shaped to their body form for five rounds.
A slain target is restored to life only if they remain in the bread for the full duration, at which point they are restored and then gain the full healing they would have received as well as the effects of a restoration (which counters the temporary negative level normally applied). Undead targets are neither healed nor harmed, but can be temporarily immobilized by the bread cocoon.
If part of the bread is uncovered to examine a deceased target, there is no obvious healing or change, but if a Healing check (DC 15) is attempted, they sense that 'something' is happening. Death effect timers are suspended during this time, such as the one round limit normally required for breath of life or a slain creature rising as an undead.
Bread Cocoon:
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The target only receives a saving throw if they opt to save against the breath of life effect. The warm bread cocoon allows breathing (assuming there is air, ie. it isn't underwater or in a smoke-filled room) and protects the target from most external environment effects, such as cold and heat. It's also buoyant and will float to the surface in most substances. The target cannot see unless the bread is removed from their face. Hearing checks are at +10 DC to hear in or out. Such as a target calling out that they're okay or are being healed and not to interfere.
The bread coating has hardness 1 (bypassed by piercing-only attacks) and hit points equal to 2 per caster level. It soaks half the damage dealt to the target. The target takes no damage from attacks directed at the bread cocoon itself. Uncovering a specific limb or part of the target, such as the face or arm, can be done as a full round action and deals 5 damage to the loaf. If more than two limbs are freed, the bread casing disappears and the spell ends. A cocooned creature can spend an attack action to deal damage to the bread equal to their Strength modifier (min. 1).
The spell lasts for 5 rounds and, after one round spent encased, the target heals the spell's CL in hit points per round. This healing is reduced by one hit point per round for every two hit points the bread of life loses.
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128. Scroll of Boyancy— This cursed scroll of buoyancy functions normally, but all targets are transformed into young, male humanoids of their type or human children if not a humanoid. Targets only receive a save if they chose to save against the buoyancy spell.
Youthful Curse:
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Apply the simple template to the targets. This affects physical abilities but not mental ones associated with age. This is real de-aging, but does change their maximum life span (someone with only one year to live would still expire them). They are effectively a young boy of their race (or human). This does not grant human intelligence or languages to those who don't have them (like animals or companions).
This curse's size changing effect also does not resize gear or equipment, including magical items unless they have a specific quality to resize themselves. Certain items will still work if bound or firmly held, like bracers or necklaces or rings, but they will be ill-fitting and may be easier to disarm, remove, or come loose at GM's discretion. Hey, it's a curse.
Effects that alter a target's form, even permanently like baleful polymorph function for a maximum of one minute before the youthful form is restored. This does not end their duration, and they may resume and take effect if the curse ends. The target's death or a successful remove curse is needed to restore the targets to their true form.
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This curse can sometimes be found amongst other spells that affect buoyancy as well, such as mark of buoyancy or neutral buoyancy.
129. Amulet of Natural Ardor This amulet is carved of ivory in the form of a floppy bunny, and the wearer finds themself unnaturally sympathetic to the plight of natural plants and animals. They must roll a will save to attack a natural plant or animal (even a dire animal, but this does not apply to 'unnatural' creatures of those types, like assassin vines or griffons) as if they all benefited from a Sanctuary spell at CL 10. As much as possible, if there is a non-confrontational option to get around inconvenient foliage, or to discourage hungry scavengers or predators, the wearer will encourage those options before choosing combat, resorting to taking the Total Defense option, if attacked by a natural animal.
130. Ring of Projection Created for a Chelish diva whose voice had begun to falter with age, it triples the volume of the wearers voice, making them three times as easy to hear at a range, and really able to project and 'reach the cheap seats.' It also was later enchanted to be unremovable by the wearer, as they kept losing it. (Fortunately, any other person can remove it, but this may not be immediately obvious...)
131. Starfearing Robe— This cursed starfaring robe only functions at night, under the open night sky, or in space.
Curse:
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While functioning, they wearer is considered afraid of stars and starlight and is considered shaken if any are visible. This includes the sun if traveling through space, but not during the daytime on a planet, celestial body, or a large ship or station. If traveling through space, they must make a Will save (DC 5 + number of months) or they automatically enter hibernation as a defense mechanism until they arrive or 1 month passes (or if attacked or damaged), when they can attempt a new check at DC 15 to awaken for 24 hours. Continuing travel requires a new save as above for the remaining time. Traveling for a year or longer, such as outside of a system, always puts the wearer into hibernation, though they can come out temporary every month with a Will save (DC 15) as above. These saves are with the —2 shaken penalty when applicable.
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132. Far-Staring Robe— This cursed starfaring robe functions normally until the wearer activates its flight or travel powers. At that point, they become extremely far-sighted, but unable to focus easily on anything closer.
Effects:
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The wearer takes no distance penalties to Perception (vision) checks for the first 30 feet. They ignore ranged penalties for the first increment if they attack's range increment is greater than 30 feet or the first two range increments if the weapon's range increment is less than 30 feet. This does not increase the weapon's actual maximum range.
Attacks on targets within 30 feet are at a –4 to hit and have a 20% miss chance. Non-attacks and actions that that require focusing closely, like Disable Device or reading take twice as long and have a 20% chance to fail. Gaze attacks within 30 feet have an additional 20% chance to fail against the wearer (checked separately after other checks, such as averting gaze).
This cursed farsightedness lasts for 24 hours after the travel power (flight or starflight) ceases being used. A successful remove curse or remove blindness ends it for that use.
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133. Wand of Sage Armor This wand has 50 charges of Sage Armor, which is like Mage Armor, but requires you to make a Knowledge check (as an immediate action, if attacked, or a swift action, normally) sufficient to gain a bit of knowledge about a creature before the AC bonus applies versus that creature (you do not additionally gain information about the creature, from this check, just an understanding of how to avoid it's attacks).
If attacked by a trap, Knowledge (engineering) is the default, or by an environmental effect, such as a landslide or falling tree, Knowledge (nature) or (geography).
If attacked by something by surprise, you have no reaction time, and do not gain the AC bonus from Sage Armor (although you may on later rounds).
134. Cursed Rod of Abrupt Hexes— This cursed rod of abrupt hexes functions normally. When activated, however, the user perceives the world around them as a hex-based grid for one hour. The user is off-balance, disoriented, and out-of-sorts when moving, even though there's no articulatable reason for not being able to move normally. During this time, diagonal movement costs 2 spaces of movement for every odd diagonal square moved instead of 5 feet for the first and 10 feet for the second. This does restrict diagonal 5-foot steps. This doesn't affect other creatures' perception or positioning (The GM doesn't have to change the map grid.), but the movement penalty does apply to mounts, vehicles, or other creatures the user is directing the movement of (not just controlling or commanding, like ordering summoned creatures to move somewhere unless they're specifically directing the path, such as how their linked familiar or animal companion moves).
Remove curse can end this effect early
135. Rod of Abrupt Taxes— This cursed rod of abrupt hexes functions normally except there's a 20% when used that a bureaucratic entity is called to collect a tithe, feee, or back taxes owed. The rod only triggers once every 24 hours for any user.
The Collector:
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Time effectively stops for the user and the Collector appears. It resembles an officious anthropomorphic version of the user's patron, spirit animal, or just an ambiguous (though clearly otherworldly) official. It imparts in clear and polite but firm, terms that the user owes the magical, spiritual, or otherworldly realms a tithe and tribute. The amount is 100 gp x the user's class level in the hex-using class (minimum 100 gp). The user cannot move or take actions other than to agree or refuse. If they have the funds (which can be in gems, trade items, or magic items at GM's discretion) the amount is removed from their possession (and change given) with a flash of the entity's eyes.
If refused or if the user does not have that amount in their possession, the entity shakes its head disappointed and imparts that their hex privileges have been revoked temporarily as a delinquent penalty and they have until the end of the day to make amends. Time resumes and the hex power they were using fails. They lose the ability to use that specific hex for 24 hours (and abilities or effects that would copy it also fail if used in that manner). They possess knowledge of a 10 minute ritual that lets them sacrifice the needed taxes if they acquire the funds, which will restore the use of the hex. A successful remove curse can also restore the restricted hex, but the DC is +1 for every 100 gp of the tax and even on a success that amount is added the next time the curse triggers.
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If the tax is paid, the entity thanks them politely and vanishes with a flash of its eyes. The user then receives one effective round of time stop. This increases to two rounds if the user has 10 or more levels in the hex-using class. Unlike normal, they cannot move, even with transportation spells or magic, and spell durations and timers are not expended on the user, allowing them to plan or cast other spells or buffs. They are aware of the duration and the limitations. Once time resumes, their hex takes effect and they may use any remaining actions they had from the round in which they triggered the rod.
136. Rod of Mental Absorption— This cursed rod of absorption detects and functions normally, but whenever it absorbs a spell, the wielder receives a penalty to their Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma-based checks. The penalty equals half the absorbed spell's level (rounded down, min. 0 for 1st-level spells). The penalties stack. The user is aware of this the first time it occurs and can expend one stored spell level from the rod if in hand as a swift action to ignore this penalty for one minute.
The penalty reduces at a rate of one point per day otherwise. A successful remove curse or greater restoration can remove the penalty entirely.
137. Ioun Scones. These ioun stones detect normally, but only remain 'fresh' for a day after being equipped, then begin to get a bit stale, and turn out to be not made of gemstones at all, just hard kind of tasteless (but brightly colored) biscuits. They lose their normal magical power after a day of use, although they continue to orbit like dull gray stones for about another week, but since they are hard increasingly stale biscuits, they will A) attract whatever sort of vermin are willing to eat such fare, and B) eventually fall apart into crumbs, particularly if they ever get wet.
138. Ioun Throne Stones— These quirky ioun stones appear and function as normal until a user releases them around their head. While continuing to function normally for their type, they change in form to a small, stylized iron throne made of tiny blades. Whilst circling the user's head, they make random statements like, "Winter is coming.", "Hold the door!", "The lone wolf dies but the pack survives.", "That's how you make a threat.", and "You cannot give up on the gravy." amongst others. The user also receives a –1 penalty to saves against abilities from true dragons and wraiths, cumulative for each stone. If the stone is activated or used in some other manner, such as a wayfinder or familiar, the penalty applies to that user or owner.
139. Noun Stones— These quirky ioun stones appear and function normally, but whenever the user ends a sentence or phrase with a non-proper, physical noun, there is a 50% chance the stone falls from orbit (or otherwise ceases functioning if used in some other manner) for 1 minute. It can be picked up and replaced in orbit (even by another creature), but will not function for that duration.
Examples:
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"Hand me a sword." (triggers)
"Hand me the flaming sword." (triggers)
"Hand me the Black Demon Sword." (Does not trigger)
"Look at the Statue of Liberty." Does not trigger; proper noun and liberty is not a physical object)
"It's Queen Elizabeth." (Does not trigger).
"It's Elizabeth, the queen." (triggers)
"He's in a state of confusion." (Does not trigger, confusion is not a physical object)
"He's in a neighboring state." (triggers; that form of state is a physical object or noun)
"He's in a confused state." (does not trigger, that form of state is not a physical object)
"I need healing." (Does not trigger)
"I need a healing potion/spell." (triggers)
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140. Cube of Farce When this cube is activated, it levitates into the air and begins pulsing random colors over a 30 ft. radius, playing yakity sax. All creatures in the lit area begin performing random actions from the Typical Goblin Distractions list (or similarly pointless and silly actions, like playing tag, or juggling their gear, at the GM's discretion, all while carefully remaining within the 30 ft. affected area) from p. 18 of Classic Monsters Revisited for 1 minute, at which point the music stops, the lights go out and the cube clunks to the ground in the space it was activated. Anyone who enters the affected area during that time is also affected, but anyone removed (forcibly) from the area is released from this compulsion at the end of the round.
On the upside, nobody in that 30 ft. radius attacked you, during that time (probably...).
141. Tube of Force. This foot long tube of force can be used as a small club (1d4 damage) and affects non-corporeal creatures as a force effect. If you are not a size Small creature, you may have a penalty to your attack rolls with this item. Being hollow, and open at both ends, it makes a keen wooshing sound all out of proportion to it's size, when swung. It's also transparent. With appropriate end caps, it could be used as a mostly indestructible scroll case?
142. Cursed Boomerang I— This +1 returning boomerang functions normally, except it returns to its user's hand at the end of the turn after they throw it, instead of just before the start of their next turn. It flies to them even if they've moved as long as it has line of effect and they don't have total cover from it.
Curse:
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When thrown at a creature (not objects, including worn or carried gear), the boomerang creates two duplicate boomerangs that will target separate creatures adjacent to the original target at random, whether the user wishes or not and can include allies of the thrower. No creature can be targeted by more than one attack this way. If there are no targets for a duplicate boomerang then it misses and hits nothing.
The original boomerang and any duplicates that did not hit their target fly back to the thrower at the end of their turn unless somehow prevented (ie. caught with Snatch Arrows or picked up with a readied action). If the thrower has a free hand, the original can always be caught as normal. If not, the boomerang makes a ranged attack against the thrower using their own full BAB and bonuses and ignoring concealment miss chances. On a hit or miss it ends up at the thrower's feet.
Duplicate boomerangs can be caught if the thrower has any free hands left after catching the original by making a Reflex save (DC equals the attack roll) but only if they have proficiency with boomerangs or possess an ability that allows catching projectiles, like Snatch Arrows. Otherwise duplicates disappear after the attack roll on a hit or miss.
A caught duplicate remains in existence until the end of the thrower's next turn or it leaves their hand except as an attack. Duplicate boomerangs do not create their own duplicates and disappear after this extra attack.
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143. Cursed Boom-erang— As #142 except duplicate boomerangs that strike a target (or the thrower on returning) burst for 1d6 fire damage (Reflex DC 15; half) in a 5-foot radius around the target. The original boomerang does not burst except against the thrower if not caught. Striking cover does not cause a burst (unless the cover was a creature).
144. Cursed Bloom-erang— As #142 except if the thrower (not any other target) is struck by a returning boomerang they're encased in a quasi-real (1%) illusory bloom of thorny wood rose vines and are entangled until the end of their next turn (Will DC 15; negates). The vines are only a manifestation of the entangling effect, not the source. Abilities that affect plants or allow movement through them don't affect it, though other effects, like freedom of movement function normally.
145. Bag of Folding This bag neatly folds in half or thirds any item placed within it. When this is sheets of parchment, or clothing, this isn't so bad, but the bag folds *everything.* Coins? Bent in half. Weapons? Bent in half (which results in breakage for wooden weapons, and makes metal ones unusable until repaired). Spellbooks? Well, that's ruined...
It thankfully doesn't affect living things, so if your familiar ends up inside it, no harm (other than possible suffocation), but everything else is fair game. Some things just don't fold well. Gemstones, in particular, shatter under the pressure of an attempt to 'fold' them. Most art objects are similarly destroyed.
But it's great on laundry day! Just shove all the freshly washed and dried clothing in the bag, close it and wait a few seconds, and pull them out neatly folded!
146. Safety Dancing (weapon property)— The cursed property can affect any dancing weapon. While dancing, after any attack against another creature that is not wearing a hat, the weapon attacks its user as well immediately afterwards as a free action. It can do this even if it is a reach weapon. If the user is wearing a hat when struck, they must succeed at a DC 15 Will save or be forced to dance (even if they don't want to) as irresistible dance (save negates, not partial). For purposes of this effect, a hat includes caps, coifs, helms, and crowns, but not headbands, tiaras, scarves, or other decorative headpieces.
147. Britain-y Spear— This cursed +2 toxic spear has a blued haft with white-bordered red lines intersecting at various points (Union Jack).
Gimme More– The wielder can transform it into a long spear with a command word and it remains in that form until it leaves the wielder's hand or the wielder speaks the command word again. A wielder proficient with spears is proficient with both forms. Other feats and abilities, such as Weapon Specialization, apply to their associated weapon form.
Stronger– After a confirmed critical, the wielder receives a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength for 2 minutes.
Curse:
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Limey!– The owner or wielder must consume citrus (lime, lemon, orange, or similar fruit) each day, typically one lime's worth for a Small or Medium creature. Failing to do so requires a DC 15 Fortitude save or contract advanced scurvy. The DC increases by 1 each day this requirement isn't met (and applies to the DC to remove the disease). The scurvy an be cured normally otherwise. Once a wielder is afflicted with scurvy, they must continue to consume citrus daily as above, even if they lose possession of the spear, until they receive a remove curse (this does not remove the scurvy).
Oops!...I Did It Again!– When the wielder rolls a natural 1 on an attack, their next attack roll (with the spear or not) is always a natural 1 (no chance of critical fumble for this attack, but the wielder is exposed to poison if active on the weapon). If this natural 1 does not occur against a hostile creature before 24 hours pass, the wielder receives a –1 penalty to all attacks the next day.
Hit Me, Baby, One More Time!– If the wielder is struck by a critical threat, as an immediate action they can choose to add +4 to their AC against the confirmation roll but it provokes an attack of opportunity from the attacker, taken after the confirmation roll.
Womanizer– The owner receives a –2 penalty to Charisma-based skill checks against female humanoids after the first time the spear is used until they receive a remove curse. It will reapply if the spear is used again later.
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146. Safety Dancing (weapon property)— The cursed property can affect any dancing weapon. While dancing, after any attack against another creature that is not wearing a hat, the weapon attacks its user as well immediately afterwards as a free action. It can do this even if it is a reach weapon. If the user is wearing a hat when struck, they must succeed at a DC 15 Will save or be forced to dance (even if they don't want to) as irresistible dance (save negates, not partial). For purposes of this effect, a hat includes caps, coifs, helms, and crowns, but not headbands, tiaras, scarves, or other decorative headpieces.
Shouldn't there be an additional effect along the lines of only recognizing dancing creatures as allies? Perhaps also allowing a Performance (dance) check in place of the will save? Maybe creatures under the effects of Dance of a Hundred/Thousand Cuts (or similar) are immune to the curse for the spell's duration?
Shouldn't there be an additional effect along the lines of only recognizing dancing creatures as allies? Perhaps also allowing a Performance (dance) check in place of the will save? Maybe creatures under the effects of Dance of a Hundred/Thousand Cuts (or similar) are immune to the curse for the spell's duration?
Feel free to make a safety dancing II variant weapon property. I was trying to work an 'Overkill' into there somewhere. :)
Hit Me, Baby, One More Time!– If the wielder is struck by a melee critical threat
148. Billy Idols— These cursed billy goat figurines detect and function as ivory goat figurines. The user receives the indicated curse after the idol is used and returns to figurine form or is destroyed and persists until they receive a remove curse.
Cursed Idols:
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The Goat of Traveling:
Mony Mony– One hour after the user falls asleep, they are affected by a sleepwalk effect for one hour (Will DC 16). Success does not awaken or alert them. If they fail, they wander randomly around the area (within a house or camp, not wandering off into woods or streets). After one hour, they make another save regardless of the first result to continue or begin to sleepwalk. They attempt to return to their bed when the effect ends.
While sleepwalking, they emit a low, subtle moan. This sound seems to emanate from them, though it is produced whether they can speak or talk at all, such as being gagged or even having no mouth. Sleeping creatures nearby receive a Will save (DC 16) or be affected by fitful, restless sleep and that hour does not count as being restful, requiring an additional hour (or two) to be considered rested. Creatures receive a +4 bonus if in separate rooms (with closed doors or other barriers, but not if the user passes an open doorway or window). This persists even if they're awakened by others during the hour and return to rest. A successful save does not alert or awaken the creatures, but those that save can attempt a Perception check (DC 10 with modifiers for distance and sleeping) to notice and be roused by the low moaning of the user.
The user has no penalties to rest while sleepwalking, unless they are roused (such as by a sentry or annoyed neighbor), in which case that hour does not count as rest, and they will need to save for the second sleepwalk if it happened during the first hour.
Cursed users that do not sleep (but rest) make a Will save during periods of rest randomly at a GM's call, or they go into a fugue state and 'black out', moaning as above with no memory of doing so.
The Goat of Travail:
Rebel Yell– Once per combat, the first time the user attacks a hostile creature, they emit a challenging shout. All hostile creatures within 60 feet that can see and hear the user are subject to an Intimidate check to demoralize with a +1 bonus to their save for every 10 feet in distance. All such creatures, pass or fail, will target the user for attacks whenever possible for the rest of the combat, though they are not heedless of danger or risks, nor do they have to. If they have a choice of targets, the user will be preferred. The yell is quite loud and can attract nearby or wandering monsters to the fight. The sound only seems to come from the user and occurs whether they are unable to speak or even if they have no mouth at all.
This is a sonic, mind-affecting, fear effect.
The Goat of Terror:
Eyes Without A Face– The user's facial features other than their eyes vanish, including facial hair, scars, and tattoos (even magical ones). They retain their ears and hearing, but cannot speak, breathe, eat or drink unless they have some other method to do so. They no longer need to eat, drink, or breathe during this time unless they have some other method to do so. Illusions, spells, or polymorph effects that would grant such features (or their appearance) fail to do so, though any other changes to form apply. Masks or other facial coverings can be used to hide their features (or lack thereof).
The first time a creature (other than a bonded familiar or companion) sees the user's featureless face they are affected by a scare effect (Will DC 15). After the effect ends, they must save again if they see the user's face once more. Creatures that save are immune to this effect for 24 hours.
This curse bestows the power to use any of the billy idols with a mental command rather than their normal command word (same action required).
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149. Deep Purple Prism (Ioun Stone)— This cursed vibrant purple prism ioun stone detects, and functions normally except as noted below.
Speed King– There is a 20% that the stored spell is considered quickened when cast. This does not occur if the user has already used a quickened effect that round. A flawed stone's spell will be reduced from a full-round action to a standard action instead.
Curse:
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These effects apply while the stone is in use or to the owner of a device or creature utilizing it, such as a wayfinder or ioun wyrd. After being used by a creature, they continue to apply while the stone remains in their possession, even if removed from orbit or the attached item, until they receive remove curse.
Smoke on the Water– Any water source larger than a small puddle (about 3 feet in diameter) appears to have illusory smoke or fog filling its space, up to 5 feet above the surface, visible only to the user. A successful DC 15 Will save allows the user to see through up to 30 feet of such smoke, though even disbelieving does not allow them to see further than this over larger bodies of water without true seeing. Other effects that allow vision through fog do not work unless they also see through illusions. This is a figment effect.
Burn– The user always needs to make a Reflex save to avoid catching fire when taking damage from fire sources, even instantaneous effects. This does not apply to fire damage from heat, only flames.
You Fool No One– User has a –2 penalty to Bluff checks.
Lazy– User is subconsciously lazy and either (GM's call) takes 1/10th longer to perform tasks taking over an hour, such as Craft checks, or has a –2 penalty to checks during a task, such as guard, lookout, or sentry duty.
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A horn idol of three billy goats could be a fun item, even as a non-cursed idea. To go with the 'idol' notion, they might grant a 1st level clerical spell to someone who presents them an offering once / day (but this act flies in the face of active worship of almost any deity, which makes them oddly popular with people who are, purportedly, atheists, who keep them hidden away in basements or attics, and only make an offering to them in secrecy). The nature of the offering could depend on who you want to be the secret patron of these idols, and could involve self-sacrifice (a con point worth of your own blood), self-harm (Zon-Kuthon says bleed for me!), live sacrifice (1 HD worth of critters, chickens are the unlucky recipients of this 'honor,' or maybe the neighbors cat...), a potentially harmful secret whispered to the idol (which becomes known to the unknown creator of said idol...), gold, food, drinks, an artistic creation made by the supplicant, something *stolen* by the supplicant, etc.
Somewhere in Rahadoum, there's one of these tucked away in a basement, handing out the occasional cure light wounds, in exchange for there being less stray dogs in the neighborhood. And they thought getting rid of worship of the gods was going to clean up their country?
More than a cursed item, these magical staves are a problematic attempt to enchant staves with spells with specific costly components without the needed items. The classical example is the Make-Do staff of Restoring Life.
The staff can cast:
- Raise Dead, 5 charges and a 5,000 gp diamond;
- Restoration (permanently lost levels). 2 charges and a 1,000 gp diamond;
- Restoration (anything but permanently lost levels, 1 charge, and a 100 gp diamond.
Developed in a land where diamonds are extremely rare but other gemstones are more common, the creation process doesn’t include the 10* 5,000 gp diamonds, 25* 1,000 gp diamonds, and 50 100 gp diamonds normally need to make a staff with those spells (*staves are the only magic item that discount the number of costly material components needed to make them).
Instead, the costly component is needed and used up when the spell is cast.
So, casting Raise Dead will require the user to have a 5,000 gp (or more) diamond in the hand that doesn’t grasp the staff. If he hasn’t it the Make-Do part activates and the staff search for gemstones to use. First, it will search the user's possessions for a single gemstone worth 10,000 gp or more. Since the spell must be completed without the specific needed component, the cost doubles. If it doesn’t find a 10,000 gp gemstone, it will use a total of 10,000 gp of diamonds with a lesser denomination or 20,000 gp of different gemstones of a lesser denomination. If it finds nothing on the user's body, it will use whatever it finds in a 10’ radius, doubling all the costs again. If that fails, it will take whatever it finds in a 20’ radius, doubling the costs a second time.
If it can’t find enough gemstones in a 20’ radius, the staff will consume whatever it finds, and then the spell will fail.
The same process is repeated with the other spells whenever the staff had to use a substitute source, The only difference is that the base cost is determined by the material component of the spell used.
This kind of staves aren’t choosy, they will happily use the gems in a magic item, and often utilize Ioun stones as their gemstones sources.
Other kinds Make-Do staves exist, but all have some common characteristic:
1) All the spells in the staves use costly components.
2) The spells in a specific staff will all have a clearly related theme, either as a material or a class of items, like weapons.
3) When they consume an item to fuel a spell, they consume it completely, even if the item is worth way more than the value of the needed component after all the multipliers.
In a famous incident, the wizard Jack the Unwise was strangled by his companions after using the Make-Do Staff of Swords, which casts Mage's Sword and Storm of Blades, to kill his opponent. The staff was very creative in sourcing its material components, "accepting" other forms of weaponry (naturally, with a cost multiplier) for the needed "miniature platinum sword worth 250 gp".
151. Loud Sex Pistols— These cursed loudshot pistols appear and function normally. The first time a loud sex pistol's wielder activates it or uses it as a melee weapon (even improvised), they become cursed and its appearance changes to be covered with symbols of chaos and anarchy (as well as the letters 'U.K.') in addition to the musical motifs. Until they receive a remove curse, the following properties apply even if not currently wielded unless stated otherwise:
Thingies! Bad Thingies!:
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Rotten and Vicious– The user gains the Stench ability (DC 15). They cannot suppress it, but if the pistol is out of their possession for 24 hours (and they've bathed), this ends, but returns immediately if a cursed user picks it back up. While exuding this stench, the wielder treats the pistol as having the vicious property when used in melee (to pistol-whip or as an improvised weapon).
Pretty Vacant– The wielder has a +2 bonus to Charisma-based checks except against those affected by their stench and a –2 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom-based checks.
No Feelings– The wielder does not benefit from morale bonuses (penalties apply) unless drunk or under the influence of alcohol.
Problems– The misfire chance for all allies' firearms (including the wielder) within 30 feet of them increases by 1 (this can be reduced to 0 by other effects).
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152. Dire Straits Jacket— This +1 balancedarmored coat turns into a constricting, but protective straitjacket when the wearer is in dire straits. The jacket can be freely removed while in coat form.
Curse:
Dire Straits– When the wearer is physically struck by a dire creature, when they receive 50% or more of their hit points in damage from a single attack, or when they receive a critical hit, the jacket turns into a straitjacket and binds their arms to their body. Further such attacks while already bound do not stack or overlap during this time. Items held in their hands or otherwise bound to their arms, such as shields, drop.
While constrained, armor check penalties are doubled and they cannot use their hands effectively. The wearer gains DR 5/bludgeoning and half of any physical damage taken is converted to non-lethal as the padded jacket cushions blows. A DC 30 Escape Artist check can allow them to slip free, with the coat resuming its normal form and dropping to the ground. Others can use Aid Another to assist or they can attempt to undue the complicated buckles as a full-round action (Use Rope DC 20) to free them as above. The straitjacket can be damaged by slashing attacks and has the hit points of the coat. It is always at full hit points when it transforms into a straitjacket and if destroyed the armored coat is as well.
Freedom of movement or teleport effects do not allow escape from the coat, though they still function otherwise (moving the target and the jacket or allowing the wearer to move over difficult terrain or avoid being grappled).
This effect persists for 1d4 minutes (rolled randomly and secretly), after which time the jacket resumes its normal form on the wearer and 1d8 hit points are restored per minute spent confined (healing an equal amount of nonlethal). A successful dispel magic or remove curse can also end the effect, though no hit points are restored.
Money For Nothing– The wearer also receives 1d8–1 gold pieces into their possession for each minute they spent constrained, but only if the full duration was spent confined (1d4 minutes). This only occurs once per day even for multiple wearers.
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153. Dire Straits Jacket, lesser— As #152 but the effect only lasts 1d4+1 rounds and the wearer only heals 1d4 hit points (and nonlethal) and receives 1d4 silver pieces regardless of the time spend confined when the duration ends.
Is the description clear enough?
How it is meant to work is clear to me, but putting it in English (not my first language) wasn't easy.
My reading is that the staff casts spells with expensive components (in this case, diamonds), but they aren't used in the creation, they are required at the casting from the staff. If the staff user isn't holding the required value of diamond, it consumes twice the value in diamonds from their possession. If that isn't found, it doubles the requirement and consumes that much in other gemstones, etc. etc., expanding its search and doubling the cost each time, until it doesn't find enough... and consumes all the gems in 20 feet of the user for no effect.
I can definitely see this thing being hated by people around the user if they don't carry the requirements (and have them in hand).
154. Staff of Make-Doo (property)— This cursed property can be found on almost any magical staff and very rarely even on a wand. When used, the staff, and the hand(s) of the wielder (though, this has no mechanical effects), are covered in an unpleasant, noisome substance indistinguishable from sewage waste.
Effects:
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While the staff is coated, it is treated as if under a grease spell and having the stench quality (DC 10 + half staff's CL) until cleaned, which requires at least a gallon of water or dunking and one minute of cleaning or five minutes of cleaning if only wiping it off with cloth or other materials (which are probably in need of cleaning themselves afterwards). A simple dousing or application of create water or prestidigitation won't do it. Remove curse can remove the sewage coating from the staff. Creatures succeeding on their save are immune to that instance of stench, but not a separate reoccurrence from another use of the staff.
The wielder must make an additional Fortitude save when the curse triggers or be nauseated for one round per charge of the ability used, possibly at a penalty if sickened.
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