Why you’re using cursed items wrong in d&D 5.e
As most of us know, Dungeons and Dragons is full of awesome magic items to entice your players. Have a player who likes to hit stuff? Give them a +1 Longsword and send them on their way. A loot goblin of a player that hoards everything? Boom, give her a bag of holding. Now she can hoard useless items like a real dragon.
But one day when you’re deep in the dark recesses of your local game store, you have an idea. Something so maniacal that your players will never see coming, nor will they be able to adapt to it. The secret weapon that Dungeon Masters hold onto just for the perfect chance at Manipulation.
The Cursed Item.
Seriously though, whether you’ve been inspired by a magical ring forged in a volcano, or something from your favorite D&D actual play, Cursed Items are a fun and engaging way to add intrigue to your game. Cursed items can put players in difficult situations, bring more depth to player characters, and even steer the plot when necessary.
But there’s one big problem. Tons of DMs don’t use these items to do any of these things. Oftentimes it’s a cheap way to jab at your players while offering them with no real reward. Yes you can use cursed items as a gag, but when you trick your players with something that has long standing consequences and no easy solution. It becomes very frustrating to them.
So how should you actually use cursed items then?
Well that all depends on what you’re trying to achieve. It’s important to have a purpose when you put these items into your world, if they’re only there to mess with your players and force them into a side quest to remove the curse, then that can be at best a distraction from the main story, and at worst a fun killer to your players.
The most important thing to remember about cursed items is to give your players choices.
Remember the only thing players can really control in the game is their own character. So if you give a player a crippling curse without any option, you're taking away the one thing they have control over. So how do you give them choices?
Foreshadow that the item may indeed be cursed.
Be sure to leave breadcrumbs so that the players have a hint that what they’re going to pickup may be cursed. You don’t have to spell it out for them, but set up the environment around the item to give them hints.
Don’t put a cursed greatsword in a random chest in the sewers, instead put it on a black altar covered in carvings, then put that altar in a foreboding room hidden in the sewers. This atmosphere shows the players that they’ve stumbled upon something powerful and mysterious.
Giving the players the hint that the item is cursed, gives them the power of choice. Should I pick up this greatsword? It looks really cool and powerful, but am I willing to deal with any potential consequences? And then when those consequences show their face the player knows that it’s a choice that they made, rather than something you stuck them with.
2. Consider letting your players use Identify to reveal curses.
According to the Dungeon Masters Guide, page 139, “Most methods of identifying items, including the identify spell, fail to reveal such a curse, although lore might hint at it.” With this wording in mind, it would mean that casting Identify on our cursed greatsword, would show the players that it's merely a +1 greatsword. Thus easing their minds that it might be cursed.
This can be all well and good for a gotcha moment, but it still takes away the player's choice. Instead consider letting identify reveal that the item is cursed, but not reveal what the curse specifically is. This strengthens the player's choice.
You’re also welcome to have identify reveal a hint at what the curse may be. Let’s say our greatsword makes rolling 3 and below a critical miss. Then consider giving the players a snippet like, “Only those who strike with confidence may reap the benefits.”
3. Make the item enticing to your players.
It’s important to know your party and what they’re interested in. A cursed wand of magic missile could be really cool, but if none of the party members are interested in wands then it’s all for nothing. Be sure to tailor your cursed items to your party's needs, so that they’re more likely to take it, even if it has a negative effect.
Maybe your rogue has been failing stealth checks recently, and is frustrated. Dangling some cursed boots of elvenkind is sure to get that player interested in what you’re offering. When that player attunes to the boots, and realizes they only work when in shadows, and make them louder in daylight, They’ll be more willing to accept the consequences and even change their playstyle around them.
4. Avoid curses that completely change a character.
Remember the players only have one thing that they can control, and that's their character's actions. Don’t give players items that completely change who they’re playing. You want to introduce interesting problems, while maintaining fun.
Giving the lawful good town guard a gauntlet that compels them to do evil is fun and interesting, but after a while the player may get sick of losing their free will. Likewise giving the cleric a ring that makes their healing do damage instead, is chaotic and can add a big mix up for your players. But that player built their character like that for a reason.’
It’s important to gauge how your players are feeling, and if they’re having fun with the curse, or if it's an annoying item they feel you’ve trapped them in.
5. Give your players an out when they need it.
If the curse has run its course and the players are sick of it, be sure to give them an out. If that cleric hates the ring and wants to go back to healing, don't put them on a 5 session quest to get rid of it. That's weeks where that player isn’t having fun anymore. Consider giving them several options to get rid of it.
Let’s say there's a priest at the local church who can cast dispel curse, he’ll gladly help you out, for a price. Oh the tavern keeper said that there's a powerful wizard right out of town, maybe he can help you. Be sure to give them an option, it doesn’t have to be easy to get rid of the curse, but if your players aren’t having fun with it, don’t take your time getting rid of it.
If you follow these steps your players are much more likely to have fun with cursed items. Remember it may be cursed but you want to give them good pros and cons. And if you’re sure to give them choices, when the cons inevitably catch up to them, they’ll be the ones to blame.
