Bestow Major Curse (Priest Spell)

By touching a creature, the caster bestows a major curse upon it. The caster can choose any effect from the list of major curse effects (see list). The creature is allowed a saving throw vs. spell; success negates the curse. Neither dispel magic nor remove curse can rid a creature of this effect. Only a wish or remove major curse is an effective remedy. The spell requires some personal possession of the creature (this is not consumed in the casting).
The reverse of the spell, remove major curse, counters any of the major curse effects.
Notes: Very rare spell, used by evil priests. (Updated from Dragon Magazine.)
==Major Curse Effects==
* Aging
* Age Regression
* Agonizing Pain
* Alter Gender
* Alter Race
* Alter Sub-Race
* Amnesia
* Aura, Antipathy
* Aura, Attraction
* Blindness
* Breathing Air
* Breathing Water
* Conditional Death
* Conditional Petrifaction
* Confusion
* Deafness
* Deafening Voice
* Disfigurement
* Gelatinous Form
* Growth
* Halitosis, Deadly
* Insanity
* Lycanthropy
* Multiple Personalities
* Muteness
* Polymorph
* Shrinking
* Touch, chilling
* Touch, flora wilting
* Touch, petrifaction
* Touch, poison
* Touch, scorching
* Touch, shocking
* Touch, withering
* Undeath
* Vulnerability
* Weakness
* Withering
===Effect Explanations===
Aging: This curse ages the subject 10–60 years, or the demihuman equivalent. Only the disadvan­tages of aging are acquired in this process.
Age Regression: This curse makes the subject age rapidly backward, to the age of 16 minus 2d8 for a human, or the demihuman equivalent. The regres­sion might be nearly instantaneous, or might take place over a number of days or weeks.
Agonizing Pain: The PC is wracked by continual pain. This reduces Dexterity reaction time, attack rolls, and any saving throws involving Dexterity all by 6 points. Hit points are reduced by 25% so long as the curse is in effect. Furthermore, any spellcasting has a 50% chance of failure.
Alter Gender: The permanent change of one's sex can be most disconcerting.
Alter Race: Changes the subject's race; an elf can become a dwarf; a human a halfling etc.
Alter Sub-Race: This change involves an alteration within the same genus, as in a change from grey elf to high elf or wood elf to drow. Note the sub races of humanity fall into this category, as well.
Amnesia: This is a total loss of memory (but not survival and self-preservation skills associated with being an adult).
Aura, Antipathy: The aura causes creatures around the subject to have hostile feelings towards him. Charisma is virtually 10 points lower than normal even among close friends and family. All reaction checks register as hostile.
Aura, Attraction: Aside from attracting the un­wanted affection of everyone the subject comes in contact with, the cursed individual might be caught in the middle of an armed confrontation between two such creatures wanting his or her attentions. Note that it is not healthy for some creatures to be too friendly toward the accursed (needle men etc.)
Blindness: Much like the spell of the same name, this cannot be dispelled by any means other than a wish or a remove major curse spell.
Breathing, Air: Imagine its effect on a sea dweller especially if the recently cursed person or creature is underwater at the time the spell is cast.
Breathing, Water: This works the same as the air breathing curse but affects those dwelling on land and breathing air.
Conditional Death: If the cursed person does a certain act, he dies. The caster decides the trigger, which must be both voluntary and unnecessary for survival. For example, sneezing is involuntary, breathing and eating are necessary, but eating meat is not. Depending on the nature of the casting the subject may or may not know the nature of the problem.
Conditional Petrifaction: If the cursed person does a certain act he turns to stone. The caster de­cides the trigger. For example, the PC might turn to stone if he is exposed to direct sunlight. Depending on the nature of the casting of the curse the accursed may or may not know the nature of his problem. A stone to flesh spell dispels the effect of this curse.
Confusion: Under extreme stress (frequently the case while adventuring), the accursed acts as if under the effects of a confusion spell.
Deafness: Aside from the communication prob­lems, a deafened spellcaster has a 25% chance of spell failure if casting a spell with a verbal compo­nent. The accursed is more easily surprised (95%) unless looking exactly in the right direction.
Deafening Voice: Every word that leaves the sub­ject's mouth is deafeningly loud. A whisper sounds like 10 men shouting, a yell like a flight of dragons roaring.
Disfigurement: This is a serious deformation of the cursed person's body. This might affect move­ment, fighting ability, or the reaction of others.
Gelatinous Form: The accursed becomes a virtual blob. Spellcasting and weapon use are all but im­possible.
Growth: Being giant-sized isn't a problem? It is up to the DM whether the subject's clothing and gear grow with him.
Halitosis, Deadly: This atrocious case of bad breath has an effect equal to that of a cloudkill spell on any creature within 10 feet of the subject's mouth and standing in front of the subject.
Insanity: Anyone attempting to remove this curse by any other means is also affected unless a suc­cessful saving throw vs. spell is made. If successful, a second saving throw is required against confusion, as the spell of the same name.
Lycanthropy: This is the familiar age-old curse. The caster chooses what type of were-creature the accursed becomes.
Multiple Personalities: The cursed person might mistakenly assume the curse is temporary amne­sia. Each of the resulting 3-12 personalities has no knowledge of the others' existence nor any recol­lection of memories gained by them.
Muteness: Aside from the communication prob­lems, this eliminates the ability to cast spells that have a verbal component.
Polymorph: Only a wish or a remove major curse spell can return the subject to normal; a poly­morph other spell or similar effect fails.
Shrinking: This curse turns a man-sized person into a pixie-sized person, and so on.
Touch: Several different major curses involve the effect of the subject touching another. While some effects may be beneficial in combat, they virtually eliminate social interaction. If this type of curse is used to achieve a temporary combat advantage (and removed afterward), the DM can inflict sec­ondary effects, such as having the subject nause­ated and unable to perform any actions for 1d4+1 turns after the curse is removed. In any case, gloves or gauntlets do not prevent the touch curse's effects from being transmitted. DMs may even extend the “touch” to any physical contact not just hands.
Touch, Chilling: The accursed person's touch causes 1d10 points of freezing damage. This cannot harm undead or creatures immune to cold. While this can be used as a weapon, it causes problems in normal social interaction.
Touch, Floral Wilting: This is sure to attract the hos­tile attention of nature lovers, druids, and forest dwellers, and end any career plans in gardening or horticulture.
Touch, Petrifaction: The accursed can turn flesh to stone by a simple touch. As with other touch curses the target of the spell has no control over whom is petrified by his touch. While this may seem a benefit in combat, it soon proves to be a curse.
Touch, Poison: The accused's touch is instant death. The creatures touched get a saving throw vs. death magic but at a penalty of -4. Undead are not af­fected.
Touch, Scorching: The subject's touch causes 1d10 points of fire-based damage and ignites any ex­posed combustibles. The subject's normal clothing and equipment are not immune to the effects of the flames that envelope his hands.
Touch, Shocking: The subject's grasp delivers a jolt of electricity to the person or creature touched. This causes 1d10 points of electrical damage. Combustibles on or in close proximity to the sub­ject are ignited.
Touch, Withering: The accused's touch becomes ex­actly like that of a staff of withering.
Undeath: This is believed to be how skeleton warriors originated. The subject instantly be­comes an undead creature, but retains all intelligence and former abilities. The accursed is under the caster's control unless the caster does not so specify, or the caster dies. A resurrection spell re­verses the curse. The undead subject may be unable to function in daylight or his body may begin to decay or desiccate.
Vulnerability: The subject will weaken and die if exposed to some substance for too long a time. The DM decides how the details are applied.
Weakness: The subject is unable to do much for himself. Constant attention by another is neces­sary for daily survival.
Withering: Regardless of how much is eaten or if magical items are employed (such as a ring of sus­tenance), the subject continues to lose weight until he perishes from starvation.
Category:Priest Spells
Category:Spells from Priest's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells