A spellbound rune weapon is a type of weapon that possesses magical properties and is infused with runes. Runes are ancient symbols that hold significant power and can be used to enhance the abilities of a weapon. To create a spellbound rune weapon, a skilled enchanter or rune master must inscribe specific runes onto the weapon. These runes can be carved into the surface or engraved using magical ink. The type and combination of runes used will depend on the desired effects and abilities of the weapon. Once the runes are successfully inscribed, the weapon becomes imbued with magical energy.

Casting a Darker Shadow: Elevating Curses in D&D 5E

Curses are a staple in all Fantasy media. Whether it turns a heart to stone, blights a land, or makes your death tied to the petals of a rose, they often play a role. Role-playing games are no exception, especially Dungeons & Dragons. 5th Edition has a few areas where curses pop up, but they are far from consistent. Sometimes they even feel a bit lacking. But in this RAW Review, we will look at all of them. We will talk about the official instances of curses, what they do well, what they struggle with, and how we can improve in those areas (with a sneak peek at material you can grab for your table!). So buckle in, as we look at Curses!

Limited Curses

In D&D 5E, curses make their presence known, but interestingly, there’s no universal rulebook for them in most core material—Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft being a notable exception, but we’ll get into that later. So what do we see in 5th Edition? Well, there are three specific types of curses to look out for: Lycanthropy, Curses Attack Effects, and Cursed Items.

Were-beast in Faerun

Source: Magic the Gathering by Andrea De Dominicis

In the world of horror, Lycanthropes are a must-have, serving as a transformative curse that often kicks in against the creature’s will and forces them to act on their animal instincts. D&D 5E embraces this tradition, offering a whole menagerie of Were-creatures to terrify your players.

You have the traditional Werewolves, as well as Werebears, Wererats, Wereboars, and even Weretigers (I am sure anyone familiar with Curse of Strahd will think I’m missing one, but: Spoilers).

The section on The Curse of Lycanthropy, found in the Monster Manual, is one of the more in-depth sections on curses. Lycanthropy can most commonly come from being bitten by a were-creature and failing a Constitution saving throw, which gives the victim a choice. They can either embrace the curse, giving into their new bestial spirit, or try to resist it and maintain their old identity.

Either choice notes that during a Full Moon (the frequency of which can vary by setting and number of moons in said setting) “the curse becomes too strong to resist, transforming the individual into its beast form — or into a horrible hybrid form that combines animal and humanoid traits”.

This entry goes on further to talk about Lycanthropy in a Player Character. It once again notes the saving throw needed to avoid being cursed, as well as what happens if the humanoid embraces the curse, as well as specifics on alignment changes. The character changes are:

• Werebear. Strength of 19 if not already higher, and +1 to AC when in Beast or Hybrid form. Natural attacks gained use Strength.
• Wereboar. Strength of 17 if not already higher, and +1 to AC when in Beast or Hybrid form. Natural attacks gained use Strength. The Charge trait uses Strength and Proficiency Bonus.
• Wererat. Dexterity of 15, if not already higher. Natural attacks gained use Strength or Dexterity, whichever is highest.
• Weretiger. Strength of 17 if not already higher, and +1 to AC when in Beast or Hybrid form. Natural attacks gained use Strength. The Pounce trait uses Strength and Proficiency Bonus.
• Werewolf. Strength of 15 if not already higher, and +1 to AC when in Beast or Hybrid form. Natural attacks gained use Strength.
  

As noted, the DM has the authority to decide whether an alignment change results in the PC being placed under the DM's control until the curse is removed or lifted. Players can cure this curse through a remove curse spell for those afflicted and wish for a natural born lycanthrope.

Curse Attacks

Source: Magic the Gathering by Anna Pavleeva

A few of the official monsters have a curse attached to their stat block, most commonly an additional effect of an action. One of the more iconic creatures is the Mummy or Mummy Lord . Mummies have, in popular culture, often been tied to some sort of curse. Either the curse gave them their unlife, or they are paired with a curse guarding what they are protecting.

In the Mummy Stat blocks, under the Rotting Fist attack, we have the mechanics for mummy rot. This requires a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. Upon a failure, the cursed target can’t regain hit points, and maximum reduces by 10 every 24 hours. If the cursed creature’s maximum goes to 0, the target dies and turns to dust. This is a fairly painful curse that could easily wipe out a low level spellcaster.

The remove curse spell or “other magic” can remove this curse. While the book does not provide any clarification on other magics, this most likely refers to dealing with the mummy entirely in order to remove the curse, which is outside of the statblock, in the Ending a Mummy’s Curse section, which states :

“More commonly, a mummy can be sent back to its endless rest by undoing the transgression that caused it to rise. A sacred idol might be replaced in its niche, a stolen treasure could be returned to its tomb, or a temple might be purified of despoiling bloodshed.”

Cursed Items

Source: Magic the Gathering by Aaron Miller

Finally, we have what might be the most iconic for Dungeons & Dragons and fantasy as well, Cursed Magic Items. Critical Role will remember Campaign 1, and how one of the main characters struggled with a cursed magical item. The item in question influenced and eventually pushed the victim to more and more bloodthirsty acts in order to feed its power. Outside of this, these items are not all too rare, and have their own section in the DMG.

The Dungeon Master’s Guide talks about Cursed Items in the Treasure section, noting that

“Most methods of identifying items, including the identify spell, fail to reveal such a curse, although lore might hint at it. A curse should be a surprise to the item’s user when the curse’s effects are revealed.”

So this means that even with the power of the identify spell, curses will often go undetected, only arising when an unaware victim attunes themselves to the object.

In the core Dungeons and Dragons 5E material, there are around 20 items that are considered “cursed”. Some of the more commonly known items are the Berserker’s Axe and (one of my personal favorites) the Shield of Missile Attraction .

As specified in most the official cursed items and in the DMG, cursed items cannot be willingly unattuned unless the victim breaks the curse first. So once a character has attuned to their cursed item, they will have to stick with it until they can resolve it.

Most commonly, the remove curse spell is noted as one way, though any of the more powerful items (anything considered an artifact, for example) will often take much more to resolve.

Curse Thoughts

The three types of curses in D&D 5E serve different purposes but also share some interesting overlaps:

• Combat Connection: Both Lycanthropy and Mummy Rot are combat-related conditions. They aren’t just your run-of-the-mill injuries; they pack an extra cursed punch.
• Double-edged Sword: Cursed Items and Lycanthropy offer a blend of boon and bane. Whether they’re more beneficial or detrimental depends on how you use them. For instance, you might revel in the strength of your new magical sword, but be less thrilled about its requirement to draw humanoid blood—friend or foe—each time it’s unsheathed
  

Despite these differences and overlaps, there’s one unifying factor: all three types of curses can be lifted with a Remove Curse spell.

This 3rd level spell, accessible by Clerics, Paladins, Warlocks, and Wizards, requires an action and no material components to either end the effects of a curse or, with a cursed item, unattune a cursed item from a player, allowing the item to be removed. So any 5th level full caster will have access to this spell. So if you have a party with a Wizard, Cleric, or Bard, that means that late tier 1/early tier 2 play.

Put, I really dislike this spell. Curses feel like they have the potential complication that leads to its own story, or provide a risk/reward situation that a character has to grow to accept. But most spellcasters can remove even the most ancient of afflicted lycanthropes in 6 seconds with some words.

I think this system has its benefits. There are a few benefits to making Curses something that players can remove by trading a resource. You won’t risk slowing or diverting a game because of the impact of a curse. You also won’t have to worry too much about a curse potentially causing a TPK.

I think this spell works well for Cursed Items. With how the official material approaches them, cursed items act more like traps that the party might have to handle during an encounter. It creates a situation where the party might not want to gamble on a brand new sword or wand for fear of having drawbacks. If they do, they then have to decide if removing the problem is worth a 3rd level spell slot, which is a valuable resource. That means a potential spirit guardians or fireball goes away for the sake of fixing something.

The spell also does not end a curse on a cursed item, just removes it from a player entirely. So this spell is not fixing an item in any way, just removing the problem.

But my opinion still stands. I think as written, the original versions of curses are a little weak and easily overcome. I want to have options to make these things mean something. Luckily, Wizards of the Coast had the same feeling, and had a new idea for Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.

Van Richten’s Update

The fantastic horror supplement VRGTR brought a more horror-centric theme by providing alternate rules for curses. There are many changes here, notable change mentioned at the very beginning, stating that “Spells at the characters’ disposal might relieve these curses’ effects temporarily but can’t lift them completely. The price must be paid”.

The book gives us an impressive layout for building your own curses.The section breaks curses down into three parts: Pronouncement, Burden, and Resolution.

Pronouncement

This section focuses on the narrative elements of the curse, specifically how the dangers and effects of the curse are conveyed to the victim, such as a warning inscribed on the tomb of an ancient king. The goal here is to make sure the character can know what they are walking into.

Burden

The Burden is the effect the curse causes. This section notes these effects will happen immediately, though a player may not notice them until later on if they are more specific.

Resolution

The Resolution goes over the general idea of how a curse can be ended, again focusing on the narrative elements. Perhaps the character has to “return the slab”or otherwise make amends to the entity they have wronged. If this is not something well understood, then research, both mundane and magical, can help with that.

This section also talks about how remove curse plays into these new, more powerful curse options. A spell like remove curse or greater restoration can only suppress these more specific and dramatic curses, with the former suppressing the symptoms for 1 hour and the latter for until the victim finishes a long rest. The book even notes that Death will often end a curse, but not always.

Once the runes are successfully inscribed, the weapon becomes imbued with magical energy. This energy can be used to empower the weapon, making it more powerful, increasing its durability, or granting it additional abilities. For example, a spellbound rune weapon might increase the wielder's strength, allow the weapon to deal elemental damage, or provide protection against spells and curses.

A More Dangerous Curse

There is also a section also talks about Persistent Curses. These curses will often have effects that linger beyond the initial resolution, and require further work to expunge. The suggestion the book provides is casting the remove curse spell, and meeting a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. Upon a failure, the curse remains and the players can try again the check in a specific interval, usually a month.

A spellbound rune weapon requires a skilled user to fully utilize its potential. The wielder must have a deep understanding of the runes inscribed on the weapon and how to activate their effects. This often requires studying ancient texts, gaining knowledge from magical sources, or receiving training from experienced enchanters. In addition to their practical benefits, spellbound rune weapons often carry symbolic and cultural significance. In many fantasy settings, these weapons are seen as legendary artifacts, passed down through generations or found in ancient ruins. They are often associated with great heroes, mythological figures, or powerful organizations. Spellbound rune weapons are highly sought after by warriors, adventurers, and magic users alike. Their ability to amplify one's combat prowess and provide unique abilities make them a valuable asset in any battle or quest. However, creating such weapons is a complex and time-consuming process, requiring great skill and magical knowledge. Thus, spellbound rune weapons are often rare and highly valued items..

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