Fun curse ideas for your dnd 5e characters
I think a good curse should always have some situation where you can use it to your advantage. A brief moment when it can become a boon rather than a bane. So having said that, here are some curse ideas.
Ever-changing Age
Every time you finish a long rest roll a d6. On a 1-2 your body is childlike, you are one size smaller than normal and look like a child version of yourself. On a 3-4 your body resembles your actual age, no penalties nor boons. On a 5-6 your body is old, your speed is reduced by 10 ft and you look like an old version of yourself.
Sleep Polymorph
When you fall asleep your body changes into the form of a CR 0 beast. You can choose the beast when you obtain this curse, or it can be random every time. Only by seeing sunlight/daylight you return to your true form.
Temporary Statue
When you stay completely still for 10 seconds you become a stone statue of yourself. You can move at any time to end the effect. If you stay a statue for 10 minutes, you become petrified until next dawn. While petrified you don't need to eat, drink or sleep.
Slippery Feet
All surfaces are slippery for you, when you take the dash action make a DC12 dexterity saving throw. If you fail you fall prone and don't get the benefits of the dash. If you succeed, you can move twice your speed as part of your dash.
Sentient Shadow
Your shadow becomes sentient, during the night it can detach from you and the DM controls its actions. You don't have a shadow as long as it doesn't come back to you. While your shadow is attached to you it behaves as a regular shadow.
While detached, the shadow has your same stats and class and racial features and spells. It also gains the following features.
- A climbing speed equal to your speed
- Vulnerability to radiant damage
- Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, bludgeoning and necrotic damage
- Immunity to poison damage
- Immunity to the exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone and restrained conditions.
- Amorphous: The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing
- Shadow Stealth: While in dim light or darkness, the shadow has advantage on stealth checks
- Daylight Weakness: While in sunlight or light made by the daylight spell, the shadow has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks and saving throws
- Daylight Sensitivity: If the shadow is illuminated by sunlight or light made by the daylight spell, the shadow takes 10 points of radiant damage
- The shadow is a Fiend
The shadow doesn't get access to your magic items.
The DM decides the personality of the shadow. Ideas: the manifestation of the host's repressed feelings, a shadowy friend, an entity working for an elder god.
Deck of cards
Every d20 roll is replaced by a deck of 10 cards numbered from 1 to 10. Instead of rolling a d20, take the card at the top of the deck and multiply its result by 2, if the card is a 5 or less also substract 1.
Mood of the Day
At the start of every long rest roll 1d6 two times and consult the following table:
| 1d6 | Stat |
|---|---|
| 1 | Strength |
| 2 | Dexterity |
| 3 | Constitucion |
| 4 | Intelligence |
| 5 | Wisdom |
| 6 | Charisma |
