From: jdelisle@udel.edu (J. G. Delisle)
Subject: Re: Cursed Items - Why?
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: magic items, cursed items, wizards
Organization: Boyz from the Dwarf
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 01:58:00 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.005616.9419@lclark.edu>, ross@lclark.edu (Anthony Ross) writes...
>	OK, given the amount of time, effort, money, etc... needed
>to contruct a magical item, why would a mage be making a cursed one?

	You can think of a couple explanations. First, the mage didn't create
the item properly (ie, failed the final roll for the item). Instead of a vorpal
sword, the mage created a Cursed Berserker. Second, the items would be useful
as items of assination. A Necklace of Strangulation would be an effective way
to eliminate someone (as long as it can't be traced). Third, the mage is
extrememly chaotic, and gets kicks out of making such items. Fourth, if
the mage is coerced into making an item, what better revenge than making
a cursed item that "seems" to work correctly, but then fails in battle; the
mage couldn't be blamed for the wielder's bad luck, since the item worked so
well before. Lastly, the mage could have nothing better to do (quite possible
in the case of an undead spellcaster), and wants to have some fun.

>I can see a few very special instances where it makes sense to put
>forth the effort, such as:
> 
> [story of deceitful wizard deleted]
>	But...that's pretty rare. More often the function of cursed
>items in most published scenarios is to have them mixed in with the
>hoard just discovered by the adventurers just to add a little danger
>or whatever.  What sort of mega-wizard would sit aruond for weeks

	The same logic could be applied to normal magic items; who leaves a
perfectly good suit of plate mail +3 sitting around (someone who can't wear it),
and why not use the sword +5 against the adventurers approaching? No magic items
should be in a hoard... if they're valuable, any intelligent creature would
be using them! That means that cursed items would be wielded as well...

>wasting time and resources constructing items he can chuck in his 
>vault on the off-chance that some persky PCs are going to kill him
>and access his vault? The wizard would have to be rather unstable for

	That depends on how good the DM is. All magic items are created with
purpose (except in the case of an immortal/long lived mage, like a lich). For
a wizard to create _any_ magic item without reason is poorly planned story-
telling. Any NPC wizard run by a DM with a positive IQ would have magical
spells and traps guarding his vault, possibly a (summoned?) monster of some
sort. A standard cursed item could take out one, maybe two PCs, depending on
their skill, level, and the item in question. And iron golem, or an summoned
(and captive) outer planar creature could easily mop the dungeon with a low to
mid-level party.

>him/her to do so. I don't see how any dying wizard would gain satisfaction
>from this arrangement.

	Why is the wizard dying? Only level 12+ wizards can create "real" magic
items (as opposed to scrolls), so he/she could have spells like Chain 
Lightning, Death, Feeblemind, Magic Jar, Phantasmal Killer, etc. Unless the 
party is way more powerful than the wizard, or the DM is being easy (or just
dumb), a wizard will almost always have an advantage in his own home. You
can't assume every wizard will sit around waiting for adventurers to kill him,
or that they all think alike.

	Joe Delisle

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