World Builder Blog

This month’s RPG Blog Carnival theme is “Curses! Cursed Items, Spells, and Campaign Stories,” chosen by Johnn Four over at Roleplaying Tips. This is one of my favorite themes yet!

On Tuesday I posted my first entry for the carnival and showed off 20 cursed weapon properties that can be added to any magic or mundane weapon. Now I’ve got another 80 curse properties that can be added to various items. Some of the information from Tuesday’s post is repeated here for you convenience, if you’ve already seen that one, skip down to the armor table.

Designing Curses – You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

When it comes to cursed items, I find it helps to mix the good in with the bad. For instance demon armor on page 165 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide has a lot of beneficial properties, but also has a curse associated with it – the user cannot remove the armor without a remove curse spell after donning it and and suffers penalties against demons in combat. This presents an interesting conundrum for the player. Should the character wear the armor to gain its awesome infernal benefits, but know that whenever its time to doff a 3rd-level spell better be waiting and that combat with demons is extra deadly? Or is it better to wear some normal armor without awesome magic claws and a bonus to AC?

I understand wanted to create a purely cursed object with no benefits whatsoever, but once the players get over the shock and surmount the curse, then the item is pretty much done. If the item has some sweet benefits they may keep that bad boy and that makes the game and the item’s story more layered.

With that in mind I’ve created a bunch of cursed magic item properties which can be added to any existing magic items (homebrew or published). Of course, if you prefer to have a purely cursed item for your game, go ahead and simply add a cursed property or three to an existing item.

Cursed Item Properties

When giving a magic item (or a non-magical item) to your players, you may choose to add a cursed property to the item. These cursed properties are in addition to any other properties the item may already have. To give an item a cursed property, first determine if the item is a weapon, armor, spellcasting focus, consumable magic item, or non-armor wearable item (such as rings, cloaks, boots, etc.). Then roll or pick a cursed property for the item on the appropriate table.

Cursed Armor Properties

d20	Property
1	While wearing this armor, ranged weapon attacks have advantage on attack rolls against you.
2	While wearing this armor, ranged spell attacks have advantage on attack rolls against you.
3	You cannot doff this armor without a remove curse spell or similar magic.
4	While wearing this armor, creatures of a specific type (DM’s choice) have advantage on attack rolls against you.
5	While wearing this armor, you are vulnerable to a specific type of damage (DM’s choice).
6	While wearing this armor, you have disadvantage on Charisma ability checks.
7	This suit of armor weighs three times as much as it normally would.
8	While wearing this armor, you have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws against spell effects.
9	Whenever you are hit with a spell attack while wearing this armor, roll a d20. If the result is a 1, the armor casts fireball (spell save DC 15) centered on you.
10	Whenever you are hit with a spell attack while wearing this armor, roll a d20. If the result is a 1, the armor summons a challenge rating 2 or lower hostile fiend who immediately attacks the wearer. The specific fiend is up to the DM.
11	While wearing this armor, your speed is reduced by 10 feet.
12	While wearing this armor, you have disadvantage on Constitution saving throws against poison and exhaustion.
13	While wearing this armor, any creature which knows your name and is trained in Arcana can also determine your exact location as an action if they are on the same plane as you. If they are on a different plane, they learn which plane you are on.
14	While wearing this armor, you have disadvantage on all Strength saving throws.
15	While wearing this armor any potions you drink become a strong alcohol. You gain the effects of the potion, but are also poisoned for 1 hour.
16	While wearing this armor, spells which restore hit points only restore half their normal value.
17	While wearing this armor, each time you are hit with a melee weapon attack, you take 5 extra damage of the attack’s type.
18	When you are hit with an attack that is a critical hit while wearing this armor, you take an extra 15 damage of the attack’s type.
19	When you are hit with an attack that is a critical hit while wearing this armor, you become paralyzed until the end of your next turn.
20	Roll twice on this table.

Cursed Consumable Item Properties

d20	Property
1	When this item is consumed, you must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or gain a random form of long-term madness.
2	When this item is consumed, you teleport 30 feet in a random direction (determined by the DM).
3	When this item is consumed, you become vulnerable to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for the next 8 hours.
4	When this item is consumed, you are polymorphed (per the spell polymorph) into a challenge rating 1/2 or less beast (DM’s choice).
5	When this item is consumed, one of your sworn enemies who has lost track of you instantly knows your location and is able to teleport to you.
6	When this item is consumed, you gain a random lingering injury.
7	When this item is consumed, all other consumable items of its specific type (e.g. scroll of fireball, potion of healing) become deadly poison to you. If you ever consume another of these items you take 5d10 poison damage and are poisoned for the next hour.
8	When this item is consumed, you have disadvantage on all saving throws for the next hour.
9	When this item is consumed, you have disadvantage on all attack rolls for the next hour.
10	When this item is consumed, attack rolls against you have advantage for the next hour.
11	When this item is consumed, you automatically fail any Strength and Dexterity ability checks you make for the next hour.
12	When this item is consumed, you automatically fail any Wisdom and Charisma ability checks you make for the next hour.
13	When this item is consumed, you must speak aloud your every thought for the next hour.
14	When this item is consumed, you are blinded for the next hour.
15	When this item is consumed, you are defeaned for the next 8 hours.
16	When this item is consumed, you fall prone and cannot get up until you make a DC 15 Strength saving throw as an action.
17	When this item is consumed, you gain a level of exhaustion.
18	When this item is consumed, you are charmed by the creature closest to you for the next hour.
19	When this item is consumed, you see all humanoids as hostile aberrations for the next hour.
20	Roll twice on this table.

Cursed Non-Armor Wearable Item Properties

d20	Property
1	While wearing this item you can only read, write, speak, and understand a single language (DM’s choice).
2	If you wore this item at any point during a combat encounter, after the encounter you must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or gain a random form of short-term madness.
3	While wearing this item, you have disadvantage on saving throws against evocation spells, and a spellcaster casting an evocation spell as an attack which includes you as the target has advantage on the attack roll against you.
4	If you are hit by a critical hit while wearing this item, make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. If you fail the save you are polymorphed (per the polymorph spell) into a random challenge rating 0 creature for 1 minute (DM’s choice).
5	While wearing this item, you can only see in black and white, all food tastes bland, and all music sounds like horrible, grating noise.
6	While wearing this item, you die after only two failed death saving throws.
7	While wearing this item, you have disadvantage on all Charisma saving throws.
8	While wearing this item, you have disadvantage on all Intelligence saving throws.
9	While wearing this item, you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws against enchantment and illusion spells and similar effects.
10	While wearing this item, you cannot speak.
11	While wearing this item, after every long rest you gain a new lingering injury. Any old lingering injuries you have gained from the item disappear when a new one is gained this way.
12	While wearing this item, you are considered surprised during the first round of any combat encounter.
13	While wearing this item, opportunity attacks made against you have advantage.
14	While wearing this item, it costs your entire movement to stand up from prone and moving through difficult terrain causes you to move at quarter speed.
15	While wearing this item, you gain two extra flaws associated with your background.
16	While wearing this item, you have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) and (Insight) checks and your passive Wisdom (Perception) score takes a -5 penalty.
17	While wearing this item, you cannot read, write, or use tools.
18	While wearing this item, you take twice as much damage from falling.
19	While wearing this item, a magic illusion makes it appear as if your flesh is rotting and falling off your body.
20	Roll twice on this table.

 Cursed Spellcasting Focus Properties

d20	Property
1	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, you take 1 psychic damage which cannot be reduced in anyway.
2	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the focus automatically casts sleep, centered on you.
3	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the focus automatically casts dispel magic on you and every ally within 10 feet and uses your statistics to cast the spell.
4	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the focus automatically casts magic missile at your closest ally within range.
5	Whenever you are hit with a specific damage type (determined by the DM) the focus releases a magic shockwave. Creatures within 10 feet of the focus (including you) must succeed a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 force damage and are knocked prone.
6	Creatures of a specific type (determined by the DM) have advantage on saving throws against spell you cast using the focus. You have disadvantage on spell attacks made against the same creature type when using the focus.
7	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the focus automatically casts silence centered on you.
8	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, a glob of sticky magical goop is release from the focus and you are restrained by this glob until the end of your next turn.
9	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the focus releases a flash of blinding light and you are blinded until the end of your next turn.
10	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the focus automatically casts hypnotic pattern (spell save DC 15) centered on you.
11	Creatures of a specific type (determined by the DM) are immune to 6th level spells and lower cast using this focus.
12	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the focus summons 2d4 hostile mephits who immediately attack you.
13	Creatures of a specific type desire this focus, can sense it and determine its exact location when they are within 100 feet of it, and try to steal it.
14	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, the spell you cast is replaced with another random spell of the same level from the wizard’s spell list. To determine the spell, consult the spell list and appropriate spell level, roll a d20 and count down the list until you reach the number you rolled, moving back to the top of the list to continue counting if the number you rolled is greater than the number of spells listed for that level. If you land on the same spell the caster was attempting to cast, use the spell listed after that one.
15	While you wield this focus, you lose the benefit of any darkvision you may have and dim light counts as darkness for you.
16	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, you must succeed a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or gain a form of short-term madness.
17	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, you must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
18	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, you must succeed in a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or become deafened.
19	Whenever you cast a spell using this focus, roll a d20. If you roll a 1, your highest level remaining spell slot is consumed.
20	Roll twice on this table.

Cursed Weapon Properties

d20	Property
1	When you score a critical hit with this weapon, it deals 1d12 psychic damage to you. This damage cannot be reduced in any way.
2	After attacking with this weapon for this first time it becomes grafted to one of your hands. While the weapon is grafted to you, you cannot drop or sheathe it and you cannot be disarmed. In addition any ability checks you make which require the use of both hands are made with disadvantage. Only a remove curse spell or similar magic can undo the grafting.
3	When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon, roll the weapon’s damage as if you had hit. Instead of the creature you attacked taking the damage, it heals for the damage amount you rolled.
4	When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon, you become poisoned until the end of your next turn.
5	When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon, you become blinded until the end of your next turn.
6	When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon, you become frightened of the creature you attack until the end of your next turn.
7	When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon, you become incapacitated until the end of your next turn.
8	This weapon only deals half damage to creatures of a certain type (chosen by the DM).
9	You have disadvantage on attack rolls made in sunlight with this weapon.
10	Whenever you miss an attack with this weapon, you fall prone.
11	When you draw this weapon it cannot be put away or dropped until it has damaged a creature. While the weapon is drawn and hasn’t dealt any damage yet, you cannot be disarmed. In addition any ability checks you make which require the use of both hands are made with disadvantage.
12	If you carry any other weapons on your person while you wield this weapon, attacks made with this weapon are made with disadvantage.
13	Each time you draw or pickup this weapon you take 1d6 psychic damage. This damage cannot be reduced in any way.
14	When you use this weapon to attack an enemy while you can see another enemy of a higher challenge rating, you have disadvantage on the attack roll.
15	This weapon cannot reduce a creature to 0 hit points. If a damage roll made with the weapon would normally reduce another creature to 0 hit points, that creature is instead reduced to 1 hit point.
16	When you roll a natural 1 with this weapon, you are charmed by the enemy you attacked until the end of your next turn. The creature you are charmed by is aware of this effect.
17	When you attack a creature with a higher Strength score than you with this weapon, the attack roll has disadvantage.
18	Creatures not native to the Material Plane are drawn to your weapon and wish to claim it for themselves.
19	In a combat encounter when all of your enemies are defeated, if you are carrying this weapon, you must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or see all conscious allies as hostile enemies for one minute. You can repeat this saving throw at the end of your turn, ending the effect on a success.
20	Roll twice on this table.

PDF

How would you like the information above in a handy-dandy PDF? Ok you got it! The links below have just the information above in one document and the cursed item properties along with the other 200+ magic items I’ve designed in another document.

Cursed Item Properties

All Magic Items

These documents will live forever on the Free Game Resources section of this site so if you ever need them again, go there to find them alongside monsters, D&D fifth edition rules modules, backgrounds, spells, adventures, and more.

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