Laying a curse upon another individual is not a small matter in Ravenloft. Dire words invoke the energies of the dark powers themselves, something too horrible for most people to even consider. Still, some are drawn or pushed to that choice, either by their own weaknesses or by the wrongs inflicted upon them. Types of Curses Three basic types of curses exist in the Demiplane of Dread, each horrible in its own way. When measured against the dark oaths of Ravenloft, the magical curses of the AD&D game shrivel in comparison. As a general rule, an individual can suffer the effects of only one curse at a time. Otherwise, a truly evil brute (the type of person who makes for an excellent antagonist in any adventure) would quickly become crippled with an abundance of curses. What a waste of a perfectly good villain! Therefore, no curse can affect a character if he already suffers from one of equal or higher strength. However, a more powerful curse always supplants a lesser one. An important note to make at this point concerns the domain lords. By definition, each of them labors under the most horrible curse of all - ruling a domain in Ravenloft. Thus, any curse that the players might wish their characters to lay upon a domain lord is doomed to failure. Spellcatser's Curses This type of curse is the most common but least powerful of the three. It includes such spells as Allisandro's binding curse (Wizard 9), ancient curse (Priest 7), divine curse (Priest 6), geas (Wizard 6), limited wish (Wizard 7), quest (Priest 5), and wish (Wizard 9). Bestow curse (the reverse of the 3rd-level priest spell remove curse) is too insignificant to even count as a curse in the Demiplane of Dread. Many other spells also qualify as curses in Ravenloft, including feeblemind, polymorph other, and similar spells of negative and permanent natures. Into this category falls the case of the hag who transforms a handsome prince into a toad for rejecting her advances. The decision of whether a spell is being used as a curse falls, of course, to the Dungeon Master. He should consult the guidelines in the "Curses Laid by Player Characters" section at the end of this chapter before allowing any player character to invoke such powerful magic. Anyone who holds a cursed object also falls under this category of curse. Though such curses can be quite severe and all but inescapable, some cursed objects are not worth the attentions of the dark powers. The holder of a sword -1 has no right to complain about this insignificant curse, which only reduces his chances to hit an enemy in combat. Even someone wearing a ring of contrariness should consider himself quite fortunate compared to some of the more severe curse victims found in Ravenloft. Self-Induced Curses This fairly traditional type of curse includes all manner of afflictions brought about by the inner desires and lusts of individuals. No outside agents are responsible for what happens to affected characters; they have only themselves to blame. Ravenloft's classic example of this type of curse lies in the case of Strahd von Zarovich, who so hungered for eternal life that he sacrificed his own brother and drove the woman he loved to seek death. He was simultaneously "rewarded" with a transformation into an undying vampire lord and cursed to suffer eternally for his evil actions. Few, if any, in Ravenloft bear a heavier curse than Strahd. Self-induced curses are some of the most interesting and can easily spice up most adventures. They can transform an otherwise drab and lifeless nonplayer character into an individual that the players will long remember. Perhaps the best examples of this type of curse can be found in the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Self-induced curses actually break into two separate types. The first contains the consequence of a life poorly lived. A man who spends his time hoarding coins in his counting house and eagerly stripping the unfortunate of their meager possessions might well end up wearing the heavy chains of a curse. Many ghosts suffer from this type of curse, such as Jacob Marley in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The second type of self-induced curse manifests from a single act of evil, so vile that it earns the attention of the dark powers or some other supernatural being. In Ravenloft, such a curse may be invoked by simply entering sacred chambers uninvited or undertaking vile acts such as grave robbing. In Har'Akir, one of the easiest ways to become cursed is to violate one of the tombs that house the mummified remains of the pharaohs. Such acts might bring down a curse that lingers for days, weeks, years, or even generations. Curses of Vengeance Curses of vengeance are the most traditional type. When someone horribly wrongs another, sometimes the Mists of Ravenloft give form to the victim's hatred and fury, and a curse descends to drape the offender in a shroud of evil. This is also commonly called a "Vistani curse", as they are noted for their ability to invoke this dark and sinister magic. Countless stories use this sort of curse very effectively. Similarly, they can be very useful to Dungeon Masters of the RAVENLOFT game. The most common form of this type of curse comes about due to the suffering of an innocent person. For example, a man is convicted of a murder he did not commit and sentenced to be hanged. On the gallows, he points out the man who framed him for the crime and issues a scalding condemnation for this dark act. Few feel pity for the true criminal when he begins to suffer from a series of mysterious calamities. A curse of this nature can also be laid by an enemy who sees his own defeat as a great wrong. The important factor in weaving a curse is not whether a wrongful act has actually been committed, but whether the victim perceives he has been wronged. Curses of this type make a great parting shot for a villain on the edge of utter defeat. Consider a group of adventurers that has driven a dark necromancer to the edge of a volcanic precipice and are about to force her into the fires and end her reign of terror. Just as a gleaming, obsidian-tipped arrow sinks into her chest and she topples backward, the wizard might lay a deadly curse on the heroes who bested her. Were the adventurers right to destroy the foul necromancer? Certainly. However, in the mind of their opponent, they were meddlesome travelers who had no right to interfere with her plans. Similarly, this type of curse can be employed by those who feel that they have been wronged when no slight was ever intended. A beautiful woman who feels that her younger sister is blossoming into a splendor finer than her own might view this as an act of calculated evil (if her sister knew her place, she would dress plainly and spend more time praising the beauty of her elder sibling). In fact, the younger girl might have no idea that her sister feels this way. She might even attempt to model herself after her older sibling, whom she sees as far more attractive than she could ever be. Nevertheless, if the older girl decides that she has been wronged, her wrath can bring down a curse on her sister. Because they can be cast upon the innocent, these are perhaps the darkest of curses.

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