Cursed Items that "Resemble" Other Items

[oakesspalding]

How do people deal with cursed items that "resemble" benign items?

For example, in Greyhawk, a Loadstone "appears to be a Luckstone", which in turn is an item "resembling" a Stone Controlling Earth Elementals. But how would the characters know these things? Would, for example, a spell or a sage falsely identify such an item as the one it resembles? Or is it rather that the characters are presumed to know just enough about the happier item to be so tricked (and thus the appropriate spell or the well-chosen sage might set them right)?

Some cursed items are so deadly-e.g., a Poisonous Cloak "indistinguishable from others which are magical" but that kills instantly with no saving throw-that one envisions either a lot of random death or paranoid party members that never touch anything that radiates magic.

Perhaps the relative proliferation of such items in Greyhawk was a reaction to characters in the authors' campaigns having the Magic Item lists memorized. But that doesn't alter the dilemma.

Or maybe the most dangerous "bummers" are mainly meant for a super sadistic Tomb of Horrors style adventure.

Thoughts?

[Deleted]

The purpose is to keep players from going 'A cloak! Whee! It's an Elven Cloak.'

Dying Earth has several examples of cursed magic items. When your wizards are experimenting with making magic items, there will be failures.

[Red Baron]

It prevents a magic item overload. If your fighting man already has a cool talking sword, then don't be greedy and grab another, because it might eat your brain.

[Finarvyn]

Sept 22, 2013 20:38:59 GMT -6 @gronanofsimmerya said:

When your wizards are experimenting with making magic items, there will be failures.

Nice. This actually explains a question I've had for a while: "Why would wizards take so much time to make so many cursed magic items?" When you think of it as failure in an attempt to make something nice, it all makes more sense.

[Vile Traveller]

Perhaps cursed items should be more common in that case ... after all, it's tricky getting these things right.

[talysman]

Well, you could also have items be cursed occasionally by their last owner as they die. Like in Nethack.

[Lord Cias]

Sept 23, 2013 11:25:34 GMT -6 talysman said:

Well, you could also have items be cursed occasionally by their last owner as they die. Like in Nethack.

I like that!

[Red Baron]

I'm not going to hunt down the thread, but someone suggested that a clever wizard would fabricate his magic items so that they are cursed for everyone using them other than the wizard that made them. obviously every wizard isn't powerful or clever enough to do this.