Post/Author/DateTime	Post
1 ton ghost 02-09-08, 03:24 PM	ok, well my g/f finally got w/ the program and realized how terribly effective this spell is. ironically, she had it all along, and it was a domain spell to boot. but i digress. anyway, employing it in combat, she opted for the "50% do nothing this round" and it worked to horrific effect (still upset about my villain there). however, i mentioned, "The Book of Vile Darkness has alternative curses if you want to mix it up." she was of the opinion to keep the combat train rolling (everyone was very psyched as a good endgame was in site) and went for the plain vanilla 3.5 curses. upon later reflection, she found one of the alternative curses via Bestow Curse in BoVD was both blindness and deafness. i'm thinking, damn, that's pretty powerful and am finding it a little sketchy. inevitably, i know she's going to bust this out, just a matter of time. my concern is that since it's a 3.0ed publication, should i allow it? are there alternative 3.5 curses under that spell's aegis? recommendations? thoughts? ideas?
Tedronai 02-10-08, 01:54 AM	Considering that Blindness/Deafness is, itself, a 3rd level spell, and inflicts only one of those conditions per casting (and is otherwise effectively identical to Bestow Curse), I would suggest that such an effect should be beyond the power of this spell.
Heros_Backpack 02-10-08, 06:27 AM	If you want a list of 3.5 variant curses, there's a list in Dragon 348.
1 ton ghost 02-10-08, 02:18 PM	thank you gnetlemen, it's been an education
Empirate 02-12-08, 07:05 PM	A while ago, I made a list of many more alternative effects Bestow Curse may have in my campaign. It gives you a choice of either duplicating another spell's effect, or applying two minor curse-like effects to the target, or applying one major effect. I re-post it here for those interested: I handle Bestow Curse to be able to duplicate the effects of the following spells (among others), subject to the usual limitations of Bestow Curse (touch range, duration permanent, only one target, undoable by Remove Curse, etc.): -Contagion -Blindness/Deafness -Doom -Reduce -Ray of Enfeeblement (only it's not a ray) -Sleep (no HD limit, can be woken normally) -Charm Person (curse of love, in this case. It's a classic, works like a Potion of Love) -Enthrall -Tasha's Hideous Laughter (with intervals as long as the usual spell duration, though) -Entangle (without being stationary, though) -Cause Fear (no HD limit) -Ray of Fatigue (only it's not a ray) -Touch of Idiocy Instead of these effects, I'd allow any two of the following minor effects - they make your life difficult, but don't confer much in the way of numerical penalties: -Lose the ability to speak -Constant Hiccupping/stuttering -Warts, Boils and Pimples all over the face -Constant annoying Pain, like cramps or toothache -No longer grows (obviously only interesting when afflicting children) -Impotence/Infertility -Bad Luck: Loses all games of chance, suffers a minor mishap at least once a day -Stinks like rancid cheese -Loses all hair -Nose changed to that of a pig -Ears changed to those of a mule -Nobody seems to ever hear a piece of advice given by the cursed, nor any words of love or comfort -Loses the ability to laugh or smile, as well as the ability to weep -Smells especially tasty to all kinds of predators, is detectable by the scent ability at ten times the normal range -All normal animals abhor the cursed -All plants wilt at a touch -Turns all metals to lead with a touch -All food and drink spoils ten times as fast when within 30' fo the cursed -Loses the ability to feel pain -Loses the abilitly to smell and taste, or all food and drink tastes bad More powerful, non-spell, effects (only one of these applies): -Takes more damage from piercing and slashing attacks: Treat these as wounding weapons -Healing spells only have half effect -Takes 50% more damage from one energy type on a failed save -Gains SR equal to 11+CL against all spells that require a willing target (can drop SR as usual, but requires a standard action) -Must make a Concentration check (DC 15+spell level) to successfully cast a spell -Treat as if violated code of conduct: Must Atone to use class features (spellcasting for clerics, lay on hands for paladins and so on) -Gains immunity to Remove Curse (only interesting when other curses are heaped on the poor victim) -Gains immunity to one spell that requires a willing target -Gains the involuntary Rage ability of a Wolverine or Badger -Gains severe allergy to metal, or water, or something equally common Have fun!