Curses in Dungeons & Dragons aren’t always as scary as they sound. Sure, when there’s a curse that requires the user to attempt to destroy their friends and party members, things can get scary, but is there anything too scary about a laughing curse or a sneezing fit?
Well, you’d be surprised just how some minor, mundane curses can truly cause some major issues throughout a campaign. The wrong minor curse can create some unexpected and sometimes even unbeatable issues in the long run, despite how simple they may seem. These are a few minor curses you should definitely look out for.
The Covetous Curse
Material Wealth Is Your Priority
This simple minor curse will make any player character become obsessed with material wealth. It feels minor as most players may not even know their characters are covetous of material. Since advanced players are used to being motivated by gold or magical weapons, this curse seems superfluous.
As soon as it overwhelms them and changes their alignment due to their greed, you’ll see the major issue here. Aside from potentially becoming evil due to this, they can derail the entire campaign, searching for the next prize.
Cackle Fever
A Magical Contagion That Makes You Laugh
Similar to Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, this curse will force you to get a fever, but also give you uncontrollable laughter. Sure, the fever is bad, but it can easily be taken care of. What you’ll still have to deal with is the uncontrollable laughter.
Don’t consider a stealth mission, a serious conversation, or any intimate moment of seriousness with an NPC, as you’ll end up uncontrollably laughing in their face. You can’t talk your way out of any situation, as you’ll just laugh in the face of everything, even death.
Curse Of Sneezing And Choking
Don’t Choke By Accident
Similar to the Dust of Sneezing 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 minor until it happens at the wrong moment. Sneezing and choking during the big boss fight, or in a cave or an underwater sequence, could mean certain death. It’s all about the timing with this one, making it a major pain in the end.
The Gluttonous Curse
You Can’t Stop Yourself
This curse forces those 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’ll be forced to eat whatever food is put in front of you.
Whether the food and drink are cursed or poisoned, or whether you’re full to bursting and couldn’t eat a single bite, you’ll be forced to keep going as long as it’s within your vicinity. The drama ensues when you eat something you aren’t supposed to.
Curse Of Disappearance
Where’d You Go?
Of course invisibility is a great boon. In most instances, there’s nothing bad about being able to become invisible when necessary to accomplish certain deeds. What happens when that invisibility turns into a disappearance? This curse will have your players disappear randomly, and most likely at the most inopportune times.
With no telling when they’ll disappear or for how long, this can create some major issues with where they’ve disappeared to or what the conditions are. Are they invisible? Are they on another plane? Who knows?
The Clumsy Curse
Don’t Walk A Tightrope
Similar to the Ring of Clumsiness, the clumsy curse would give players a penalty on Dexterity checks, especially for Acrobatics and Athletics. While minor, as most players who don’t rely on Dexterity will, at worst, have their initiative impacted, high-stakes situations make this a major issue.
Holding onto a legendary item without dropping it, crossing a falling bridge, catching a precious gem, there are far too many areas in which 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 sensory enhancement curse to be a blessing in disguise. The curse itself will enhance your character’s senses, granting advantage on checks used with senses.
The curse, of course, will also double your other senses, including pain. You’ll be taking extra damage on every hit. It’ll 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 Forgetfulness
What Were You Doing Again?
This curse feels self-explanatory, but it won’t become major until you realize just how much your character is up to losing. Depending on how intense the curse is, the number of times you’ll 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. However, being unable to remember important information at the right time can halt a campaign in its tracks.
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Player Count
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2+
- Age Recommendation
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12+ (though younger can play and enjoy)
- Length per Game
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From 60 minutes to hours on end.
- Franchise Name
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Publishing Co
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Wizards of the Coast
