Cursed
For an unfortunate few a Hero’s journey can only progress after taking on a great burden or after an unfortunate event. The Noble Calling of these Heroes is tainted by the curse they have incurred. But it is said that the greatest trials are given to the strongest individuals. These Heroes have their accomplishments tempered by their affliction as they struggle with their curse’s effects. Many of these Hero’s find at the end of their journey that they would not be the same person without their curse and view it as a double-edged sword that aided them as much as it hindered them. At certain points in their journey they can choose to resist or embrace their curse, changing their countenance and heroic powers greatly.
Cursed Journey: A Cursed Hero’s Journey is centered on the cause of their Curse. Their main tenet is to move forward in spite of their Curse.
Roll 1D10 to determine the cause and nature of your curse. Or you can discuss with your DM and choose one that works well with the tone and content of the current campaign. An intrinsic part of your curse is that you are unable to speak to others about the nature of your curse.
| 1D10 | Curse’s Cause | Curse’s Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A powerful Fey or Hag has cursed you for a wrong you may or may not have done. | You are now completely enthralled with someone forbidden or taboo and thoughts of them consume your dreams and thoughts. You are permanently Charmed by the target and you cannot lie to them and are unable to feel romantic feelings for anyone else. |
| 2 | An evil Fiend has marred your soul in an attempt to halt your heroic journey. Their efforts infect you with the Curse of Wrath causing you to go berserk. | At times your mind is filled with a rage that seems to swallow you up. Whenever another creature damages you, you must succeed on a DC 15 WIS saving throw or go berserk. This berserk state ends when you start your turn and there are no creatures within 60 ft of you that you can see or hear. While berserk, you regard the creature nearest to you that you can see or hear as your enemy. If there are multiple possible creatures, choose one at random. On each of your turns, you must move as close to the creature as possible and take the Attack action, targeting the creature. If you’re unable to get close enough to the creature to attack it, your turn ends after you’ve used up all your available movement. If the creature dies or can no longer be seen or heard by you, the next nearest creature that you can see or hear becomes your new target. |
| 3 | A vengeful long dead being cursed you for trespassing in their resting place. | Your flesh has withered and you have the appearance of a frightful Undead. Your appearance is so frightening that all who gaze directly on you must make a DC 15 WIS save and on a failed save are filled with fear and seek to attack you or otherwise run away and seek aid if so inclined. |
| 4 | A being of unfathomable origin has spoken words that your mind could not comprehend and the effect has stained your existence with an object of alien origin. | After hearing the vile words of the being, you found yourself in possession of a mirror made of a green metal that is soft to the touch but cannot be harmed or leave your person. The dark surface of the mirror shifts and seems watery. When you go to sleep or are otherwise Unconscious roll 1D4 and on a 1, your soul is trapped in the mirror and a chaotic being takes possession of your body. The being is a dark reflection of you that does its best to lie, sabotage, or perform bizarre acts while you look on in despair. For reasons unknown the being seems incapable of causing direct harm to yourself or others. The mirror is Immune to all damage and cannot be more than 5 ft away from you. |
| 5 | A mysterious monster has bitten you, leaving a silvery/black mark that refuses to heal or fade. | Regardless of your race you become a Medium sized humanoid monstrosity that is 9 ft tall and weighs 300 lbs. Your face is skull-like and filled with rows of sharp teeth. You have two large twisting horns on your head and you are covered in thick black/brown fur and your fingers and toes end in cruel claws. For one hour each day you can return to your original form as an action, any equipment you are holding and wearing vanishes with your beastly form leaving you naked. You cannot access your Hero features in humanoid form. Creatures of your original race view you with extra hate and disdain in your beast form giving you advantage on Intimidation checks against them and disadvantage on all other CHA based checks on them. You can still Attune to magical items specific to your original race. |
| 6 | An ornate music box came to life in your presence and played a tune of misfortune and now cannot leave your person. | Your voice was stolen from you. You cannot speak aloud unless you spend 30 seconds winding the music box after which a haunting melody plays for 30 seconds during which you can speak though your voice sounds eerie and uncanny. You can wind the music box three times per long rest after which its winding key will refuse to turn. The music box is Immune to all damage and cannot be more than 5 ft away from you. |
| 7 | Being that distorted reality stole your tongue and switched it with another and vanished with a cackle. | Your tongue is no longer your own and often betrays you. When you speak roll 1D8 and for the next minute the following occurs. You can make a DC 15 WIS save to keep your mouth shut or you can bite your tongue hard dealing you 1D6 Piercing damage rendering you unable to speak for 1 hour. 1: You speak the exact opposite of what you intended. Persuasion checks become Intimidation checks, Deception checks become the truth or vice versa and Performance checks have disadvantage. 2: Your speech becomes an incomprehensible babble. 3: You speak horrid truths, make offensive remarks, or breath out vile threats. 4: The end of each of your sentences becomes the wrong pineapple. 5-8: Nothing occurs, you speak normally. |
| 8 | A blank tome once touched sucked away much of your memories and filled their pages with them and then became sealed tight. | You no longer know your name, any information about your family or loved ones, as well as what occurred within the last 1D20 years though you know that you are a Hero and are aware of what happened to your memories and know details directly pertinent to your heroic journey. You lose one random proficiency in a tool, language, or skill. Any attempt to relearn this information fades after one hour though you can be convinced of similar information with a DC 20 Persuasion check (For example, that your name (Robert) is Bobby or “R” or that your family who died in a carriage accident instead were lost at sea). |
| 9 | A shadowy being ripped away your shadow and then dove into the space it occupied and remains there still. | Your shadow sometimes acts on its own without warning. Your shadow is controlled by your DM and can interact with the world in the following ways: It can manipulate an object, open an unlocked door, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. It cannot make an attack, activate a magical item, or exert more than 10 lbs of force. |
| 10 | An amulet or other piece of jewelry fused to your flesh. | The cursed item modified your age. You now appear as you would as if you were a decrepit and haggard old version of yourself. Creatures of your same race or are aware of the upper limits of your race’s age range view you as weak and on the verge of death and will attempt to prevent you from doing dangerous or strenuous activities unless the individual is otherwise inclined (For instance, an Evil Aligned Tiefling if that is your race may not care if you are hurt or killed). |
Subclass Features
Resist or Embrace
At certain points in your journey you are presented with the choice to resist or embrace the curse you have been afflicted with. This choice cannot be changed until another turning point in your journey. Your choice will affect the abilities present from your Noble Calling.
Heroic Presence
You gain protections from good or evil depending on if you resist or embrace your curse. Your choice is represented in your Heroic Presence.
Resist: If you resist your curse you fight evil, this manifests with your eyes becoming a rich and gentle gold color unless you are directly under the thrall of your curse. You gain Resistance to Necrotic damage and the Frightened condition. You also have a 1D6 bonus to Persuasion checks.
Embrace: If you embrace your curse you tap into the powers of darkness, this manifests with your eyes becoming dark and brooding. You gain Resistance to Radiant damage and the Charmed condition. You also have a 1D6 bonus to Intimidation checks.
Limit Break- Cursed Sign
Cursed Heroes are unique, their curses swallow up the negative effects of using their Limit Break. It is unknown if this is on purpose or a pleasant side effect of your curse. Many Cursed Heroes struggle with their Limit Break, often feeling guilty for using it. You can use your action and your hands make a Cursed Sign on their own accord as you impart a piece of your curse. Each creature of your choice within 60 ft of you that can see you must make a WIS saving throw DC 8 + your CHA modifier (Minimum 1) + your Proficiency Bonus and on a failed save you choose one of the following curses to apply to them for the next minute.
You choose one ability score, the target has disadvantage with ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score.
The target has disadvantage on attacks against you.
The target must repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns and on a failed save its action that turn does nothing.
The target takes an additional 1D8 Necrotic damage from attacks that originate from you.
The target is Charmed by you. A creature Charmed this way becomes very verbose and honest, unable to keep secrets unless by omission.
You can use this feature once per long rest.
Turning Point
You can resist or embrace your curse at this time.
Heroic Spirit
Your Heroic Spirit changes drastically whether or not you are resisting or embracing your curse. If you are resisting your curse a gentle white aura surrounds you that you can dismiss at will no action required. If you are embracing your curse an unsettling black aura surrounds you that you can dismiss at will no action required.
Resist: Your gentle nature is preserved allowing you to bring comfort to those around you. You can use your action to end the Charmed or Frightened condition on a creature. Alternatively, you can use your action to touch a creature and give it temporary hit points equal to your Hero level + your CHA modifier (Minimum 1).
Embrace: Your vile nature is brought forth allowing you to invite rot into the lives of others. You can use your action and touch a creature, the target must make a CON saving throw DC 8 + your CHA modifier (Minimum 1) + your Proficiency Modifier and on a failed save are Poisoned. A creature Poisoned this way acts in a self-destructive way and uses its bonus action or reaction each turn (Its choice) to make an unarmed attack on itself.
Turning Point
You can resist or embrace your curse at this time.
True Limit Break- Cursed Sigil
Your curse's power grows alongside your own to your benefit or detriment. You can trace a Cursed Sigil on a target within 5 ft of you when you use your Limit Break feature. If you trace the Sigil on an object, each creature that can see the object has disadvantage on WIS saving throws from your Limit Break feature. If you trace the Sigil on a creature, if the creature fails its WIS saving throw against your Limit Break the duration of the effect becomes 1 hour.
You can use your Limit Break feature three times per long rest.
Final Turning Point
At this critical point in your journey you can resist or embrace your curse for the last time.
Legendary Attack- I Curse Thee!
Your curse has fully matured and has become an aspect of every part of your life. The curse takes on a life of its own and seeks to preserve its existence by protecting its host. You can use an action and the curse speaks on its own using its great power to undermine and destroy your enemies. Each creature of your choice within 60 ft of you that can hear or see you must make a WIS saving throw DC 8 + your CHA modifier (Minimum 1) + your Proficiency Bonus and on a failed save have one of the following effects for the next minute
Choose two creatures that failed the saving throw or one creature that failed the saving throw and one other creature the targets that failed the saving throw have disadvantage on attack on targets that are not the creature you designated and must repeat the saving throw in order to move further than 30 ft away from their target.
The target has an iron mask with spikes on the inside clamped on their head. The target takes 3D10 magical piercing damage and is Blinded for the duration of the effect. The target is Blinded regardless if it has senses other than its eyes such as Tremorsense or True Sight or is Immune to the Blinded condition.
The target’s eyes become clouded and their mind becomes Charmed. A creature Charmed this way must use its action before moving each turn to make an attack on a target other than itself of your choice you mentally chose. The target can act normally on its turn if you choose no creature or there are no creatures within reach.
You regain the use of this feature after using your Limit Break feature.