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 be scary, but is there anything too scary about a laughing curse or a sneezing fit?
Well, you'd be surprised how some small, mundane curses can really cause big problems over the course of a campaign. A minor curse gone wrong can create some unexpected and sometimes even insurmountable problems in the long run, even though they may seem simple. These are some minor curses that you should definitely watch out for.
A lustful curse
Material wealth is your priority
This simple minor curse will cause any player character to become obsessed with material wealth. This seems negligible to me since most players may not even know their characters are greedy for material. Since advanced players are used to being motivated by gold or magical weapons, this curse seems redundant.
Once it overwhelms them and changes their alignment due to their greed, you'll see the main problem here. In addition to becoming evil because of this, they can derail the entire campaign and seek the next prize.
Grunting fever
A magical contagion that will make you laugh
Similar to Tasha's Hideous Laughter, this curse will make you feverish, but it will also give you uncontrollable laughter. Sure, a fever is bad, but it's easy to manage. What else you'll have to deal with is uncontrollable laughter.
Don't consider a secret mission, a serious conversation, or any intimate moment of seriousness with an NPC because you'll end up laughing uncontrollably in their face. You cannot talk your way out of any situation because you will just laugh at everything, even death.
The Curse Of Sneezing And Choking
Don't accidentally suffocate
Similar to Dust of Sneezing and Dust, the curse that would cause this seems simple. At random intervals or at specific times you specify, a player with the curse will end up sneezing and suffocating at certain intervals.
This curse is minor until it happens at the wrong time. Sneezing and choking during a big boss fight or in a cave or underwater scene can mean certain death. It's all about timing with this one, so it ends up being a big pain.
Curse of Gluttony
You can't stop
This curse forces the afflicted to eat any food they see in front of them. Whether the food is good or bad, whether you like it or not, you will be forced to eat whatever food is placed in front of you.
Whether the food and drink is cursed or poisoned, or whether you're full to bursting and unable to eat a single bite, you'll be compelled to keep going as long as it's in your vicinity. Drama ensues when you eat something you shouldn't.
Curse of Disappearance
where did you go
Of course, invisibility is a great asset. In most cases, there is nothing wrong with being able to turn invisible when necessary to perform certain actions. What happens when this invisibility turns into disappearance? This curse will cause your players to disappear randomly and most likely at the most inopportune times.
Without knowing when they disappear or for how long, it can cause big problems as to where they disappeared to or what the conditions are. Are they invisible? Are they on a different plane? who knows
A clumsy curse
Don't walk the tightrope
Similar to the Ring of Clumsiness, the Clumsy Curse would grant players a penalty on Dexterity checks, especially Acrobatics and Athletics. While for small, since most players who don't rely on Dexterity will have their initiative affected at worst, high stakes situations make this a major problem.
Holding a legendary item without dropping it, crossing a falling bridge, grabbing a rare gem are just too many areas where things could go wrong, especially if you had to deal with another cursed item on top of that curse.
Curse of Sensory Enhancement
Blessings And Banes
At first, you might think that the curse of sensory enhancement is a blessing in disguise. The curse itself will enhance your character's senses and grant advantage to checks using the senses.
Of course, the curse also doubles your other senses, including pain. Each time you hit, you take additional damage. It will be like someone is always critical hitting you, doubling your damage and keeping you in pain despite your advantage.
Curse of Oblivion
what were you doing again
This curse seems obvious, but it doesn't become significant until you realize how much your character has to lose. Depending on how intense the curse is, how many times you forget important information at the perfect moment.
Whether the curse restores their memories when it's too late or keeps them permanently until the curse is removed is up to the DM. However, failure to remember 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.
- Franchise name
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Publishing Co
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Wizards of the Coast
