Bestow Curse (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Bestow Curse

The following are variant effects for bestow curse.

1. Alienation The target does not consider any creature its ally, does not grant or benefit from flanking bonuses, is never a willing target of any effect, and cannot voluntarily fail a saving throw or lower spell resistance.
2. Aphasia The target cannot speak, read, or write any language. The target can understand spoken language relating to the situation at hand, but not abstract or distant subjects. The target cannot cast spells with verbal components and cannot use spellbooks, scrolls, and similar written magical devices. The target cannot use or be affected by language-dependent effects and Bluff used to deceive or Diplomacy checks to make requests.
3. Bad Luck Every time the target makes an attack roll or skill check, it rolls 2d20 and takes the lower result. Any time a creature makes a saving throw against one of the target's spells or effects, that creature rolls 2d20 and takes the better result.
4. Calm The cursed creature is forced to remain calm. This stops angry creatures from fighting and joyous ones from reveling, as calm emotions. Creatures so affected cannot take violent actions (although they can defend themselves) or do anything destructive. This suppresses (but does not dispel) any morale bonuses, a bard’s ability to inspire courage, and a barbarian’s rage ability. It also suppresses any fear and confusion effects. Any aggressive action against or damage dealt to the target suspends the curse for 1 minute, allowing actions and effects forbidden or suspended by the curse. An ally of the target can temporarily suspend the curse this way, but must inflict a number of hit points equal to half the target's Hit Dice or succeed on an Intimidate check (DC 20 + targets HD) to do so.
5. Carrier The effect of the most severe disease (highest save DC) on the target is suppressed, but the target cannot be cured of this disease by any means and remains contagious. If the creature contracts another disease, only the disease with the highest save DC is suppressed; the target suffers the effect of any other diseases normally. If the target does not suffer a disease when this curse is inflicted, it automatically contacts filth fever.
6. Day-blind The target treats conditions of normal or bright light as dim light and bright light as darkness. Low-light vision and darkvision do no negate these penalties, but work normally in dim light and darker conditions.
7. Fatigue Target suffers the fatigued condition. Whenever the target becomes fatigued from some other source, the target is exhausted for the period it would normally be fatigued. Targets immune to the fatigued conditioned are immune to this curse.
8. Hallucinations The target has a 50% miss chance on all attacks, and anyone can use Stealth against the target.
9. Hemophilia This spell causes any existing wounds that the target possesses to bleed profusely. If the creature’s current total hit points are less than its maximum, the target takes 1d6 points of bleed damage each round. A successful DC 15 Heal check or any spell that cures hit point damage negates the bleeding until the next time the target takes hit point damage.
10. Honesty The target cannot lie, dissemble, or use trickery. It suffers a -20 penalty on Bluff and Sleight of Hand checks. The DC of Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks to make the target reveal secrets gain a +10 circumstance bonus.
11. Identity All of the target’s facial features, vocal cues, and identifying physical traits change, transforming the target into an unremarkable member of its race and a gender selected by the caster. Any Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perception, or Sense Motive check to affirm the target's identity has a DC of 30.
12. Infirmity The target is sickened. In any round when the target attempts to take a standard or full-round action, there is a 50% chance the target is nauseated and must change their action accordingly.
13. Locked Gaze The target is compelled to look at the caster of the curse and only at them. The caster gains a +4 bonus on Charisma-based skill checks and on the save DC of gaze attacks and enchantment spells against the target. The target is distracted on Perception checks and all creatures except the caster gain concealment against the target. Blind creatures and creatures with all-around vision are immune to this curse.
14. Obvious The target suffers a -10 penalty on Stealth checks, and must make a Stealth check each round to remain hidden, even if conditions would not normally require a check. Survival checks to track the creature gain a +10 bonus.
15. Painless The target cannot feel pain. It does not realize how hurt it is, the GM should secretly track damage, ability damage, and ability drain for the target. The creature's survival instincts are impaired, causing a -2 penalty to AC and all saves. The target cannot be tortured and is immune to penalties from pain.
16. Reverberation This curse reflects the force of weapons used by the target of the curse, causing the weapon to break. After making a successful weapon attack, the weapon the target used must make a Strength check (DC is the weapon's hardness) or the weapon gains the broken condition. If the weapon already has the broken condition, it breaks. Creatures using missile weapon attacks, natural attacks, or unarmed strikes are unaffected by this curse.
17. Selective Invisibility You name or point at a creature. This creature becomes imperceptible to all the target's senses except touch. This includes exceptional senses like blindsense, blindsight, scent, or tremorsense. See invisibility does not let the target perceive the creature, but true seeing does.
18. Silence The target is affected by a targeted silence effect and cannot make or hear any sound whatsoever. All sound is stopped: Conversation is impossible, spells with verbal components cannot be cast, and no noise whatsoever issues from or can be heard by the target. The target is immune to sonic or language-based attacks, spells, and effects and gains a +4 bonus on Stealth checks, but suffers a -4 penalty on Perception, and any sound-based Perception check automatically fails.
19. Spell The target suffers the effect of one of these spells, chosen then the curse is inflicted. This is a permanent necromancy (curse) effect, with a range of touch and allowing a Will save to negate. Spell curses never have a partial effect; either the target is cursed, or it is not. An effect that would counter a spell instead suppresses the curse as long as the countering effect remains.
    1. anticipate thoughts,
    2. aversion,
    3. compassionate ally,
    4. fairness (no symbol appears),
    5. false belief,
    6. haze of dreams,
    7. imbue with aura,
    8. inflict pain,
    9. isolate
    10. jealous rage,
    11. jitterbugs,
    12. mad hallucination,
    13. reckless infatuation,
    14. shamefully overdressed,
    15. stage fright,
    16. touch of mercy,
    17. twisted space.
20. Staggered Target suffers the staggered condition.
21. Terror Target suffers the shaken condition. Whenever the target suffers any fear condition from some other source, the target is terrorized for the period it would normally suffer that fear effect. A target that is immune to fear or mind-affecting effects is immune to this curse.
22. Venerable The target suffers the effects of venerable age; -6 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution, +3 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Any effect that negates age penalties suppresses all effects of this curse.
23. Vertigo The target cannot fly and is nauseated whenever it stands up. Treat the target as prone when sitting.
24. Youth Target gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity and a –2 penalty to all other abilities. The target is not taken seriously and suffers a -20 penalty on Diplomacy checks to make requests. Any effect that negates age penalties suppresses the Dexterity bonus of this curse.

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