Curse-Handed (5A)

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The greatest of treasures have the most potent protections that forever mark the fools who dare trespass in sacred places or attempt to purloin beloved relics. These intruders are often rogues, and while some avoid the mystical repercussions of their ambitions others suffer the consequences. Those that survive their folly often never forget it but sometimes they are forced to remember it every moment, their bodies changed by ancient magic. A clever opportunist can find the silver lining of even the darkest cloud however, turning their punishment into a gift.

Greyhawk With all the cursed tombs, ancient magic, and insane temples of Greyhawk, this rague archetype ought to be reasonably common.

Source Cursed Warrior Archetypes in En5ider 490 by John Krifka.

Subclass Features

Cursed Arm

At 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you acquire a curse that turns one of your arms into a monstrous and freakish limb. The exact nature of what your cursed arm looks like is determined by the GM and the source of your curse, but most people find it disturbing and it makes it easy to identify who you are. Attempts to sever your cursed arm and grow a healthy regular limb with Regeneration, the use of Heal, ritual magics, and even Wish fail to remove your curse.

Your cursed arm can be used as a weapon with the finesse quality that inflicts 1d4 bludgeoning. At 8th level your cursed arm’s damage increases to 1d6 bludgeoning, and at 16th level your cursed arm’s damage increases to 1d8 bludgeoning.

Jockeying

Also at 3rd level, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to grapple a target that you hit with an unarmed strike using your cursed arm, and you gain advantage on attack rolls against a creature you are grappling. In addition, you gain a climb speed equal to your speed as long as the hand on your cursed arm is free.

Conceal Cursed Arm

Beginning at 9th level, you gain enough control over your curse to conceal it for a time. You can use an action to draw the supernatural power of your cursed arm back up into a tattoo-like mark of your choosing on your shoulder. While you are concealing your cursed arm in this way you must concentrate (as if concentrating on a spell), and you gain no benefits from your cursed arm for the duration.

Sentient Arm

Also at 9th level, your cursed arm gains a personality and ability scores as if it were a sentient magic item. It has an alignment that matches yours, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores equal to 10 + your proficiency bonus, communicates by speaking, and has hearing and darkvision to a range of 120 feet. Whether or not your cursed arm has a conflict or special purpose is determined by the GM.

Empowered Arm

Starting at 13th level, your cursed arm grows in power. You gain advantage on Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Acrobatics), Wisdom (Perception), and Charisma (Intimidation) checks.

Capture Magic

At 17th level, the potent magic that has transformed you becomes hungry for more. When you are targeted by a spell, if the hand on your cursed arm is free you can use your reaction to absorb the magic. The spell's effect on you is negated and you gain temporary hit points equal to 5 × the spell’s level (minimum 3).

See Also

• Warped Warrior, a similar fighter archetype.