Quote from: jhkim;1045010Regarding cursed items in general -
In fairy tales, there are often arbitrary magic effects, but one thing is that they are somewhat predictable because they follow moral/ethical principles. Curses usually come from breaking moral/ethical laws, and the best way to avoid them or cure them is to behave according to principle. In a game, that could potentially come across as moralizing from the GM. If the group buys into that from the start as an accepted part of the genre, though, then it's more workable.

I totally agree with this. Moreover, when the reason given is "to keep the players on their toes", I think that there is more than a whiff of meta-gaming on the GMs part.

How would curse items come into being?

Well apart from the rather dubious "just for shiggles and wickedness" there could be a whole list of "good intentions" that would lead to the calamity of their existence.

The case in the OP is the Girdle of Femminity/Masculinity. Of course theis need not have been made as a cursed item at all. It is , after all, a very useful item given the right circumstance. Remember that it is  a one-use item and the very fact that even a Wish spell can be ineffective in reversing its effect suggests that its creation was not artificial but possibly miraculous.

Here are is a possible explanation.

A king of an ancient patriachal society had only daughters and made great sacrifices to the his partron diety for a miracle so that his legacy would live on in his name through a male heir. In answer to his prayers the belt was granted. Upon his death his the will and testament commanded his daughters to choose his successor but none of his daughters would agree to become men. Instead, the eldest and wisest of them became the first queen in a long line of great queens. Fearing the wrath of the Patron Diety should they destroy the divine gift, it was locked in a vault and passed into legend until, a millenia after the kingdom had fallen into ruin, a band of adventurers deep in the ancient ruins, came across an innocent looking belt amongst a stash of gold, gems and weapons of power.

This last line allows the players a chance to suspect something. If they go to a sage, library or generally do their research, they will learn of the mighty and divine nature of the belt. If not, and they just stick it on. Well, fuck 'em.

Quote from: Mike the Mage;1045107The case in the OP is the Girdle of Femminity/Masculinity. Of course theis need not have been made as a cursed item at all. It is , after all, a very useful item given the right circumstance. Remember that it is  a one-use item and the very fact that even a Wish spell can be ineffective in reversing its effect suggests that its creation was not artificial but possibly miraculous..

Corellon is like, "I'm TRYING to make Girdles of Giant Strength, okay? Cut me some slack here."

Quote from: Krimson;1045177Corellon is like, "I'm TRYING to make Girdles of Giant Strength, okay? Cut me some slack here."

Never get a Seldarine to do Dvergar's job. (Dwarven Proverb)

c.f. The elf thought Megingjörð was a dance! (example of traditional Dwarven Humour)

I don't get this. I've always maintained that a cursed item was either the result of failed magic item creation or was deliberately created to fuck over someone the magic-user or cleric hated.

Quote from: jeff37923;1045218I don't get this. I've always maintained that a cursed item was either the result of failed magic item creation or was deliberately created to fuck over someone the magic-user or cleric hated.

... or whimsy, or ire, of the very active gods present. Mythology on earth is replete with celestial vindictiveness, (or moral lessons, your pick ,).

Quote from: jeff37923;1045218I don't get this. I've always maintained that a cursed item was either the result of failed magic item creation or was deliberately created to fuck over someone the magic-user or cleric hated.

They can be that, but they could be just something that somebody created for some specific job.

Amulet of Inescapable Location- is surely a great boost to scrying if given to the right target.
The Bag of Devouring- now if handled with caution, this is a great way to get rid of bodies and unwanted things, plust makes a great assasination tool
Chime of Hunger- provided you wear earplugs or use some other protection, this could be an exceptionally potent weapon. Especially around animals.
Cloak of Poisonousness- was used to kill Hercules, iirc
Crystal Hypnosis Ball- originally a perfectly good crytsal ball until the Big Bad got a hold of it. c.f. Palantir
Helm of Opposite Alignment- used in NE and CE people, this is immensly, Godlike powerful.
Jewel of Attacks and Periapt of Foul Rotting- two great ways to punish/catch thieves
Mirror of Opposition- easily weaponised once in careful hands
Rug of Smothering- cool way to assasinate enemies. Just remember where you left it.

Quote from: Mike the Mage;1045244They can be that, but they could be just something that somebody created for some specific job.

Amulet of Inescapable Location- is surely a great boost to scrying if given to the right target.
The Bag of Devouring- now if handled with caution, this is a great way to get rid of bodies and unwanted things, plust makes a great assasination tool
Chime of Hunger- provided you wear earplugs or use some other protection, this could be an exceptionally potent weapon. Especially around animals.
Cloak of Poisonousness- was used to kill Hercules, iirc
Crystal Hypnosis Ball- originally a perfectly good crytsal ball until the Big Bad got a hold of it. c.f. Palantir
Helm of Opposite Alignment- used in NE and CE people, this is immensly, Godlike powerful.
Jewel of Attacks and Periapt of Foul Rotting- two great ways to punish/catch thieves
Mirror of Opposition- easily weaponised once in careful hands
Rug of Smothering- cool way to assasinate enemies. Just remember where you left it.

Right. Some of these cursed items are in the right hands tools and not cursed at all. Least to the maker/user.

Quote from: Mike the Mage;1045244Amulet of Inescapable Location- is surely a great boost to scrying if given to the right target.

This was probably made for a child. Everyone knows a child like this.

Quote from: Mike the Mage;1045244The Bag of Devouring- now if handled with caution, this is a great way to get rid of bodies and unwanted things, plust makes a great assasination tool

You could make a fortune in Waterdeep as a one man sanitation company.

Quote from: Mike the Mage;1045244Helm of Opposite Alignment- used in NE and CE people, this is immensly, Godlike powerful.

Somewhere a Druid is saying, "I don't think it's working."

Quote from: Mike the Mage;1045244Rug of Smothering- cool way to assasinate enemies. Just remember where you left it.

Originally designed to use on fires.

Bowl of Watery Death: an attempt to make a portable swimming pool gone horribly wrong.

Backbiter Spear: an attempt to make a back scratcher gone horribly wrong. Unless you are a troll or demon. Probably just tickles to them...

Cursed Scrolls: Well the idea looked good on paper...

Cursed Armour: The crafter hated descending AC! Or is that ascending? er, which edition is thi-oh hell... :eek:

Shield of Missile Attracting: obviously made for a masochist. Or made by an acupuncturist? Both?

Bowl of Watery Death

Or the story of The Doom of the Kings of [Island Kingdom]

The Deity of the Sea blessed the Island Kingdom of [name here] blessed an island people because they respected the sea and its life. The modest population were spared most of the storms and were led by mermaids and the like to pearls and sunken treasures. THeir wealth attracted invaders and pirates and so the Deity gave them two Bowls of Commanding Water Elementals: one to the high priestess, one to the king. The 12 HD elementals made short work of pirate ships and invading fleets. However the king became greedy and began to pursue innocent vessels using the elemental under his command to send sailors and traders to a watery death and plunder their cargo. The priestess warned the king that the Deity was angry at this abuse of his gift but the king ordered the priestess arrest and siezure of her Bowl. Rather than give up the second Bowl, she threw it into the sea before the soldiers found her. The king in his rage ordered her bound and thrown in the sea with it to drown. The Diety of the Sea then brought divine justice on the king by changing the kings bowl to a Bowl of Watery death in which the King met the fate of his victims the next time he tried to use it. And so the line of kings was broken and the people lost the blessing of the Water Diety. The King's Bowl is said to have been thrown into the sea as a cursed object but rumours of one, or maybe two of these objects being found by divers or beach combers are heard in port taverns.

Quote from: Mike the Mage;1045244Mirror of Opposition- easily weaponised once in careful hands

We put the Ring of Contrariness on an opposite from the Mirror and ended up with a decent henchman.

In the Albion campaign my players once found a ring that would make you fall asleep when you put it on. They used remove curse to take it off, and after that kept it to disable opponents they wanted to capture alive.

Quote from: RPGPundit;1046585In the Albion campaign my players once found a ring that would make you fall asleep when you put it on. They used remove curse to take it off, and after that kept it to disable opponents they wanted to capture alive.

Sounds like something that could become known as the "Ring of Cosby."

Quote from: RPGPundit;1046585In the Albion campaign my players once found a ring that would make you fall asleep when you put it on. They used remove curse to take it off, and after that kept it to disable opponents they wanted to capture alive.

It's stories like these that make me ask, "What's the point of 'Cursed' items if they're useful?"  That's not a curse, that's an effective tool.

Hell, even if you don't want to use them for capturing, imagine a healer with a bunch of these.  Hell, every hospital would love to have a few to keep those idiots from trying to get up and undoing stitches or otherwise slowing their healing down.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;1046695Hell, every hospital would love to have a few to keep those idiots from trying to get up and undoing stitches or otherwise slowing their healing down.

Actually, you want to promote early mobility once the injury is stable (which it should be if it is stitched).