Explore Player Curses in New Dungeons & Dragons Supplement

A new Dungeons & Dragons supplement explores options for playing as a cursed character. In the world of Dungeons & Dragons, magic is usually limited to short-term effects. With a few exceptions, most spells and charms only last for a few seconds to a few hours, so players typically only have to deal with short term side effects to harmful spells. Even the Bestow Curse spell has limited effects, lasting only a limited amount of time unless a spellcaster uses their ninth level spell slot to make it permanent. However, a new DMs Guild supplement takes a new approach to curses, approaching them from a thematic and roleplaying perspective.

Ishavar's Guide to Curses is a new 33 page supplement by Matej Budimir that contains five new races, four new subclasses, and an expanded ruleset for blessings and curses. The biggest change presented by Ishavar's Guide to Curses is that spells like Remove Curse or Greater Restoration no longer automatically remove a curse on a player or object. Instead, the spellcaster makes a spellcasting ability to check to see if their spell works, with a DC determined by the potency and power of a curse. As a DM, I particularly enjoyed this approach to curses - it offers the potential of more potent consequences for touching a cursed idol or running afoul of a hag rather than a detriment that can quickly be reversed by a third level spell.

The guide also contains five new playable races, each of whom are "cursed" in some way. In addition to new monstrous races like the Harpy, Medusa, and the Undead, there's also a new Ashen race who have a fundamental connection to the Elemental Plane of Ash and can set their body ablaze once per day.

Ishavar's Guide to Curses is a great supplement that offers an intuitive set of rules for DMs and players that are looking for more challenging and meaty curse options. With plenty of new material for players, this guide should give D&D fans a lot of cool ideas when planning out their next character.

Ishavar's Guide to Curses is available for $7.95 on the DMs Guild.