Curses in Dungeons & Dragons aren't always as scary as they sound. Sure, when there's a curse that requires the user to try to destroy their friends and party members, things can get scary, but is there anything too scary about a laughing curse or a sneeze?
Well, you'd be surprised how some minor, everyday curses can really cause some big problems during a campaign. The wrong minor curse can create some unexpected and sometimes even insurmountable problems in the long run, despite how simple they may seem. These are some minor curses you should definitely look out for.
The covetous curse
Material wealth is your priority
This simple minor curse will cause any player to become obsessed with material wealth. It feels small because most players may not even know their characters are hungry for materials. Since advanced players are used to being motivated by gold or magical weapons, this curse seems redundant.
As soon as it overwhelms them and changes their alignment due to their greed, you will see the big problem here. Besides potentially turning evil because of this, they could derail the entire campaign and look for the next prize.
Tile fever
A magical contagion that makes you laugh
Similar to Tasha's Hideous Laughter, this curse will force you into a fever, but also give you uncontrollable laughter. Of course the fever is bad, but it can be easily taken care of. What you still have to deal with is the uncontrollable laughter.
Don't consider a stealth mission, a serious conversation, or any serious intimate moment with an NPC, because you'll end up uncontrollably laughing in their face. You can't talk your way out of any situation, because you'll just laugh in the face of anything, even death.
Curse Of Sneezing And Choking
Do not suffocate in an accident
Like the dust of sneezes and choking, the curse this would bestow seems simple. At random intervals, or at specific times you decide, a player with the curse will, at intervals, end up sneezing and choking.
This curse is small until it occurs at the wrong moment. Sneezing and choking during the big boss fight, or in a cave or underwater sequence, can mean certain death. It's all about the timing with this one, which makes it a huge pain in the end.
The gluttonous curse
You can't stop yourself
This curse forces the afflicted to eat any food they see in front of them. Whether the food is good or bad, or whether you like it or not, you will be forced to eat whatever food is put in front of you.
Whether the food and drink is cursed or poisoned, or you're full to the brim and couldn't eat a single bite, you'll be compelled to keep going as long as it's in your vicinity. The drama happens when you eat something you shouldn't.
Curse of Disappearance
Where did you go?
Certainly invisibility is a great blessing. In most cases, there is nothing wrong with being able to turn invisible when necessary to perform certain actions. What happens when that invisibility turns into a disappearance? This curse will cause your players to disappear randomly, and probably at the most inopportune times.
Without saying when they will disappear or for how long, this can create some big problems with where they have disappeared or what the conditions are. Are they invisible? Are they on another plane? Who knows?
The clumsy curse
Do not walk on a tightrope
Similar to the Ring of Clumsiness, the clumsy curse would give players a penalty on skill checks, especially for acrobatics and athletics. Although less so, since most players who don't rely on dexterity will at worst be affected by their initiative, high stakes situations make this a big problem.
Holding on to a legendary item without dropping it, crossing a falling bridge, capturing a precious gem, there are way too many areas where things could fail, especially if you had to deal with another cursed item on top of this curse.
Sensory enhancement curse
Boons And Banes
At first, you might think the curse of sensory enhancement is a blessing in disguise. The curse itself will enhance your character's senses and grant advantage on checks used with the senses.
The curse will of course also double your other senses, including pain. You will take extra damage on each hit. It will be as if someone is always hitting you with a critical success, doubling your damage and keeping you in pain despite your advantage.
Curse of Oblivion
What did you do again?
This curse feels self-explanatory, but it won't loom large until you realize how much your character is about to lose. Depending on how intense the curse is, how many times you will forget important information at the perfect time.
Whether the curse will return their memories when it's too late or keep them permanently until the curse is removed is up to the DM. But not remembering important information at the right time can stop a campaign in its tracks.
- Original release date
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1974
- Number of players
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2+
- Age recommendation
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12+ (although younger can play and enjoy)
- Length per game
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From 60 minutes to hours straight.
- Franchise name
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Publishing Co
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Wizards of the Coast
