```metadata title: Traps & Curses Showcase description: '' tags: [] systems: [] renderer: V3 theme: 5ePHB ``` {{frontCover}} {{position:relative,top:-20px # Traps & Curses ## by Ariadne's Codex of Strings ___ }} {{banner 5th Edition Compatible}} {{footnote Several Cursed Items and Deadly Traps to add to your Dungeon! }} ![background image](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1187163129176674314/anonymous_a_cursed_blade_magical_cursed_sword_magical_item_fant_01d123ad-047e-4194-93fa-79bed0c4ac18.png?ex=6595e2d2&is=65836dd2&hm=ae655ee8ddd55507daa418d19b15de84cbad9ef412992262a6feb101b7e79747&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=3394&height=4092){position:absolute,top:-100px,left:-28px,height:120%} \page {{imageMaskCorner32,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:75%,--rotation:0 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185326095889862686/tomfarlane_a_half-opened_book_with_several_magical_glyphs_on_it_3be4937f-adf6-4b58-9fbc-4cb9dcf4f28f.png?ex=658f33f3&is=657cbef3&hm=ce05c15aa6eb836bb19d8a25c846c1965a6c7f781f8bfd29986c532237a73094&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=902&height=902){height:44%,left:-60px,top:-100px} }} {{imageMaskCorner32,--offsetX:50%,--offsetY:-70%,--rotation:22 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185327374406013059/tomfarlane_a_small_white_rat_in_the_floors_of_a_library_fantasy_ba564201-2bc3-4003-b4b6-d3f7f012a7d1.png?ex=658f3524&is=657cc024&hm=1947e03902cb95533f3c4d4ab092821090d4015d84db6c0fcd4b6fed28ef201d&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=902&height=902){height:143%,right:200px,bottom:-190px} }} {{imageMaskCorner32,--offsetX:50%,--offsetY:-70%,--rotation:22 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185327374406013059/tomfarlane_a_small_white_rat_in_the_floors_of_a_library_fantasy_ba564201-2bc3-4003-b4b6-d3f7f012a7d1.png?ex=658f3524&is=657cc024&hm=1947e03902cb95533f3c4d4ab092821090d4015d84db6c0fcd4b6fed28ef201d&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=902&height=902){height:43%,right:-60px,bottom:-190px} }} ![separador](https://png.pngtree.com/png-clipart/20220706/ourmid/pngtree-decorative-line-separator-black-lines-png-image_5687462.png) {width:205px,mix-blend-mode:multiply,transform:rotate(0deg),position:absolute,top:383px,left:120px,opacity:80%} {{watercolor6,top:-100px,left:230px,width:700px,background-color:white,opacity:150%}} {{watercolor6,top:-100px,left:-330px,width:700px,background-color:white,opacity:150%}} :::::::::::: ## Traps & Curses : The Eternal Athenaeums are filled with all kinds of deadly traps and dormant curses, waiting to be sprung and awakened by unsuspecting delvers. An interesting fact about the Underside? Its abominable inhabitants only account for about one third of the exploration casualties. The rest are all ancient hazards with little to no sentience or intentionality, forgotten but still as lethal as the day they were first placed. : These are some of the most common traps to be found in the eternal Athenaeums. ::: #### Glyph of Transmogrification : **Type:** Magical trap. : **Description:** Widely considered to be a "warning shot" used by ancient mages to protect their tomes and spellbooks, these runes temporarily transform those who activate it into objects or creatures. Most commonly, they are designed to turn unwelcomed readers into rats or worms. : Every time you read a particular Glyph of Transmogrification, its effects get longer and more difficult to resist. On average, a book protected in this way has a glyph every five pages, give or take. : **Usually Found Within:** The pages of books that have original spells, rituals, alchemical recipes, or equally important and secret knowledge. : **Detection:** Glyphs of Transmogrification is hidden in plain sight, disguised as a letter, symbol or other graphism inside of the trapped book. To detect it without activating it, a creature must succeed on a Wisdom (perception) or Intelligence (arcana) check against the glyph's DC when they first glance at the page where it is hidden. This check should only be rolled if the character has a passive perception of 15 or higher or somehow expects a trap to be laid within the pages. : **Activation & Effects:** Every Glyph of Transmogrification is unique. When a creature attentively reads a Glyph of Transmogrification (knowingly or not), they activate its magic. Seeing or glancing through it does not activate it. A creature that activates a Glyph of Transmogrification must succeed a Charisma saving throw -- determined by the rarity of the glyph -- or be transformed into a new form; often a rat or worm. : All of your statistics are replaced by those of your new form. This transformation is much more significant than it seems at first glance: instead of wrapping your true form with a false one, it compresses your mind, soul and body into a lesser version of itself. This way, even though you are effectively turned into a rat, you retain your personality, including your emotional proclivities, sympathies and antipathies towards friends and foes, and, to a lesser extent, your plans and objectives. : The first time you are transformed, the transmogrification lasts for one minute. The next, it lasts for one hour. After that, it lasts for a day, then a week, then a month, and finally, it becomes permanent, though a casting of remove curse ends the transformation at any point. : Because this transformation is not a false form but a compressed version of your true one, death while under the effects of a Glyph of Transmogrification is equivalent to death under normal circumstances. : **Dispelling:** Glyphs of Transmogrification are extremely difficult to dispel, as they are only vulnerable to fire damage -- a method that ends up destroying the rest of the book along with the glyphs. A highly perceptive magician can detect the glyphs one by one and burn them off with a candle, given enough time. A more common workaround is the casting of *antimagic field* or other abjuration effects that temporarily nullify the glyphs and allow for a thorough inspection of the book. : The level of the abjuration effect depends on the strength of the transmogrification glyph. :: {{descriptive ##### Glyph of Transmogrification Table {{column-count: | Glyph Rarity | Glyph's DC | Level Required to dispel | |:----------------|:--:|:--:| | Common | DC 12 | 3rd | | Rare | DC 16 | 5th | | Very Rare | DC 20 | 7th | | Legendary | DC 25 | 9th | | Artifact | DC 30 | Cannot be dispelled. | }} }} {{footnote The Eternal Athenaeums}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{imageMaskCorner36,--offsetX:50%,--offsetY:75%,--rotation:-6 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185335610764963960/tomfarlane_an_insane_warrior_red_eyes_back_turned_grabing_his_h_3a08dc4d-78fd-45b1-92df-f123edbf37c3.png?ex=658f3cd0&is=657cc7d0&hm=fc805be5de7cb1ea9a910d927c3fa2f57edf2bbf0c029010f2d85ff4b6b0cde9&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=1353&height=902){height:53%,top:-150px,left:210px,transform:scalex(-1)} }} {{imageMaskCorner36,--offsetX:-20%,--offsetY:95%,--rotation:-50 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1181425099820253274/1182084966159491133/black.jpg?ex=658ca3ea&is=657a2eea&hm=b29c46edbb81bcaf5104d8fa81e768395e575215d05fd0ccc50cbdc09864addf&=&format=webp&width=629&height=472){height:100%,top:-130px,left:00px,transform:scalex(-1)} }} {{imageMaskCorner36,--offsetX:50%,--offsetY:-90%,--rotation:0 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1181425099820253274/1182084966159491133/black.jpg?ex=658ca3ea&is=657a2eea&hm=b29c46edbb81bcaf5104d8fa81e768395e575215d05fd0ccc50cbdc09864addf&=&format=webp&width=629&height=472){height:160%,bottom:-300px,left:-0px,transform:scale} }} {{imageMaskCorner36,--offsetX:-15%,--offsetY:-94%,--rotation:50 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1181425099820253274/1182084966159491133/black.jpg?ex=658ca3ea&is=657a2eea&hm=b29c46edbb81bcaf5104d8fa81e768395e575215d05fd0ccc50cbdc09864addf&=&format=webp&width=629&height=472){height:160%,bottom:-300px,left:-40px,transform:scale} }} :::::::: #### Curse of Foreboding : **Type:** Equipment curse. : **Description:** When creatures of great magical power become pathologically paranoid for long periods of time, an interesting phenomenon sometimes arises. A piece of magical equipment they own, such as their armor, weapons or clothes, can become imbued with their obsession, carrying the deep paranoia onto the psyche of future bearers. : **Usually Found Within:** Magical items that can be worn. : **Detection:** Creatures will instinctively feel a slight sense of foreboding when first grabbing or equipping an item with this curse, but they will also feel that the item at hand is the key to safety against this premonition. A successful Intelligence (arcana) check against the Curse DC reveals that the sentiment is being magically fabricated by the item. Casting *Identify* on it reveals the curse and its effects. : **Activation & Effects:** When you attune to a magical item with a Curse of Foreboding, you are powerless to remove it. : For the first week, the symptoms are mild, merely a tug at the back of your mind that calls you to doubt the words of everyone, including friends and allies. The world simply seems a bit less... trustworthy to you. : On the second week, you start to believe people want to steal your cursed item. You have disadvantage on Charisma checks as you become increasingly more retracted and obsessive, and you cannot willingly target the item with abjuration magic. : By the third week, you feel that the only thing protecting you from certain doom is the cursed item. You have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws, and automatically fail performance and insight checks. For every minute that you spend away from the item, you take 1 psychic damage that cannot be reduced in any way. The damage can’t reduce your hit points below 1. \column :::::::::::::::::::::::: **Dispelling:** Caught in the first week, the curse is easily dispelled with a casting of *Remove Curse*, which will cause the malediction to subside for one hour, allowing the bearer to relinquish the item. : On the second week, the bearer's soul will fight against the abjuration, attempting to maintain attunement. They must make a Charisma saving throw against the spell save DC of the caster, resisting the cleansing on a success. : By the third week, the paranoia becomes ingrained into the wearer. Even if the attunement is successfully broken, the creature will remain afflicted for one week, over the course of which it will do anything to recover the item. : Foreboding curses are a special type of curse that cannot be made more powerful by enchantments or arcane skill. It instead grows in power with their bearer, until eventually, it outlasts them. {{descriptive ##### Curse of Foreboding Table {{column-count: | Curse Time | Rarity | Curse DC | |:----------------|:--:|:--:| | 1 Week | Common | 14 | | 1 month | Rare | 18 | | 6 months | Very Rare | 22 | | 1 year | Legendary | 26 | | 10+ years | Artifact | 30 | }} }} {{footnote The Eternal Athenaeums}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:36%,--rotation:180 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185725185668694129/tomfarlane_a_tankard_of_elemental_magic_a_laboratory_glass_vat__31c50334-9749-4309-9653-d36702a8e67b.png?ex=6590a7a1&is=657e32a1&hm=983f4956a77fb7bf151ad2160083d2562cbc43e59eeae2bc9f9939ad42bb4c4c&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=3394&height=4092){height:145%,left:-00px,top:-0px} }} {{imageMaskCorner25,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:20%,--rotation:0 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185725185668694129/tomfarlane_a_tankard_of_elemental_magic_a_laboratory_glass_vat__31c50334-9749-4309-9653-d36702a8e67b.png?ex=6590a7a1&is=657e32a1&hm=983f4956a77fb7bf151ad2160083d2562cbc43e59eeae2bc9f9939ad42bb4c4c&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=3394&height=4092){height:105%,left:-160px,top:-70px} }} {{imageMaskCorner25,--offsetX:-50%,--offsetY:50%,--rotation:0 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185725185668694129/tomfarlane_a_tankard_of_elemental_magic_a_laboratory_glass_vat__31c50334-9749-4309-9653-d36702a8e67b.png?ex=6590a7a1&is=657e32a1&hm=983f4956a77fb7bf151ad2160083d2562cbc43e59eeae2bc9f9939ad42bb4c4c&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=3394&height=4092){height:105%,left:-160px,top:-70px} }} : {{descriptive,position:relative,top:440px ##### Glyph of Conjuration Table {{column-count: | Glyph Rarity | Trap DC | Level Required to dispel | |:----------------|:--:|:--:| | Common | DC 12 | 3rd | | Rare | DC 16 | 5th | | Very Rare | DC 20 | 7th | | Legendary | DC 25 | 9th | | Artifact | DC 30 | Cannot be dispelled. | }} :: ##### Elemental Tankard Statistics Tankards are Large or Huge objects. They are immune to psychic and poison damage. They can be either in the open or hidden, and can contain any substance, from water to lava. Tankards can also house live creatures in display. There's a tale about a tankard full of scorpions... : {{column-count: | Tankard Rarity | HP & AC | Damage Resistance Variance | |:----------------|:--:|:--:| | Reinforced Glass | 40/14 | Vulnerability to bludgeoning and cold damage. | | Stone | 55/16 | Resistance to piercing and slashing damage. | | Metal | 80/18 | Resistance to fire, bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. | | Obsidian | 110/20 | Immunity to fire, cold, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage that isn't adamantite. | | Adamantine | - | Cannot be destroyed by regular means. | }} }} \column {{position:relative,left:30px,top:130px #### Elemental Tankard : **Type:** Magical trap. : **Description:** Simple but deadly, this magical trap teleports whoever activates it to a tankard of elemental magic nearby, where the victim meets a swift demise. It usually involves a vat of acid, but it can take the form of a lava chamber, a room of poison gas, or even a water tank filled with sharks. Some ancestral wizards have a lot of fun thinking of increasingly ridiculous ways in which this trap can be set up. : **Usually Found Within:** Old laboratories, dungeon rooms, even inconspicuous hallways. The activation glyph could be anywhere; doors, pillars, floors... Often, they are found in tiles facing puzzles, as a way to punish those that answer incorrectly. They can be affixed to a lever, a wrong button, or even a valuable magic item. : The elemental tankard itself is often nearby, either in the middle of the room or disguised as a background piece of machinery. It can also be concealed beneath the floor, or in an adjacent room, but never farther than 240 feet away. : **Detection:** Creatures under the effects of a *detect magic* spell or other effect that can sense magic can see the conjuration glyph and trace it to the tankard in a faint line of connective arcana. : **Activation & Effects:** The glyph has a condition under which it will activate. A creature that activates the glyph must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against the Trap DC or be teleported into the Elemental Tankard. : Some tankards kill whoever is teleported inside of them almost instantly -- a tankard filled with lava, for example. Some, however, allow for a fail-safe design, such as a vat that slowly fills with acid, to give the triggering creature a chance to escape. In these types of traps, there is usually a magical word or other solution that releases the creature from the tank. : **Dispelling & Disabling:** The Elemental Tankard itself can always be destroyed, in which case the conjuration glyph is disabled. A powerful enough casting of Dispel Magic can be enough to disconnect the teleportation glyph from the tank itself. : The level of the abjuration effect depends on the strength of the glyph. }} {{footnote The Eternal Athenaeums}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:4%,--rotation:270 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1187070579539452017/tomfarlane_a_ruined_church_fantasy_art_fantasy_concept_art_fant_4a9c63d5-f002-4a3e-af9c-3b864d4133b4.png?ex=65958ca0&is=658317a0&hm=378ccd1005b97f6902b7462e341c5d1a66af194cb503c310bd52926eb9ce4363&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=3601&height=4001){height:100%,left:260px} }} {{position:relative,top:-10px,left:-20px #### Sacrificial Sentience : **Type:** Equipment curse. : **Description:** An evil awareness to be found within many of the weapons abandoned in the Underside, which bolsters your lethality... at a price. : **Usually Found Within:** Magical weapons that possess a +1, +2 or +3 to hit and damage rolls. : **Detection:** When you first grab a weapon with this curse, you will experience a violent flash that lasts less than a second, depicting the death of the item's previous owner. An *identify* spell reveals this equipment curse and its specific effects. While using it, it is clear that each critical hit comes easier than the last. : **Activation & Effects:** When you attune to a weapon with the Sacrificial Sentience curse, you are unable to end the attunement, but you are under no obligation to keep using it. The weapon will introduce itself, revealing its sentience and stating its intention to help the user "find the right mark". : In addition to any effects the weapon might have aside from its Sacrificial Sentience, a creature attuned to it has an increased critical range depending on the Curse Rarity. : The weapon's cursed properties are empowered by critical strikes. For every critical hit rolled with this weapon, it gains a charge, up to a maximum of 10 charges. When the bearer rolls a natural one on an attack roll with the weapon, it will attempt to absorb the wearer's vitality. : The bearer must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 10 + 3 for every charge the weapon currently has, up to a maximum DC of 30. On a failure, they take necrotic damage equal to 10 times the amount of charges the weapon holds. On a success, the bearer takes only half damage and the weapon loses all charges. If this damage reduces the attuned creature to 0 hit points, they are killed instantly, and the weapon gains an additional +1 to hit and damage rolls. If the weapon is already at +3, it becomes a ***Curseblade*** instead. : : **Dispelling & Attunement:** A curse of Sacrificial Sentience can only be dispelled by destroying the magical item that houses the evil awareness causing it. Depending on the power of the item, this could be a very difficult process, which is why many of these are simply abandoned or locked away. : If the weapon is abandoned or kept at least 120 feet away from the bearer for a week, the attunement is broken, rendering the blade free to find another bearer. }} \column {{top:800px,position:relative,descriptive,left:40px ##### Curse of Sacrificial Sentience Table {{column-count: | Curse Rarity | Weapon Bonus | Critical Hit Range | |:----------------|:--:|:--:| | Common | - | 19-20 | | Rare | +1 | 19-20 | | Very Rare | +2 | 18-20 | | Legendary | +3 | 17-20 | | Artifact | Curseblade | 15+ | }} }} {{footnote The Eternal Athenaeums}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:4%,--rotation:270 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1181425099820253274/1182084966159491133/black.jpg?ex=658ca3ea&is=657a2eea&hm=b29c46edbb81bcaf5104d8fa81e768395e575215d05fd0ccc50cbdc09864addf&=&format=webp&width=780&height=585){height:127%,top:-00px,left:-00px} }} {{imageMaskEdge,--offset:4%,--rotation:270 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1187163593834254376/tomfarlane_a_cursed_blade_magical_cursed_sword_magical_item_fan_0f0a0533-fb5d-495c-a387-f2360be54762.png?ex=6595e341&is=65836e41&hm=2d1c2b9367df87bb784c4e9fe6f880a9d0ae619b86dcb8d68204365926975a6d&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=1002&height=1002){height:100%,top:-00px,left:-110px} }} {{monster,frame,text-align:center,top:90px,width:300px : # Curseblade : {{position:relative,top:-10px *Any melee weapon, Artifact (requires attunement)* : *This accursed weapon carries the souls of dozens, or perhaps hundreds of previous wielders, with which it brought death and destruction to anything that stood in its path. This blade is a reminder of the ancient, destructive powers of the Underside, as it doesn't have a purpose other than bringing misery and death into the world.* : *Why would someone create such a curse? Such an artifact? Perhaps, in the wars of old, a Curseblade was a necessary evil, a means to an end. Today, these forsaken artifacts continue their eternal carnage, changing hands the moment the bearer shows a sign of weakness. This may have been a failsafe, a way to ensure one creature wouldn't hold such an artifact for long...* : *The cunning wizards or elder tacticians designed the curse, however, are long dead, and their monstrous creation remains, leading armies, blessing great warriors, turning nations to rubble... before ending the conqueror.* : *"Do not fail me" it seems to whisper. In the hands of a skilled fighter, a Curseblade is akin to weapon of mass destruction. However... everyone makes mistakes, sooner or later.* : You gain a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. In addition, the weapon ignores resistance to its main damage type. For example, a sword ignores resistance to slashing damage, while a lance ignores resistance to piercing damage instead. : This weapon scores a critical hit on a roll of 15-20. In addition to the *Curse of Sacrificial Sentience* effects, this weapon attempts to kill you at the faintest sign of weakness. When you drop below half your total hit points, you must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, your soul is absorbed by the weapon and you are instantly killed. On a success, you are immune to the Curseblade's sacrificial sentience for the next 24 hours. This includes critical failure effects. }} }} {{footnote The Eternal Athenaeums}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{imageMaskEdge4,--offset:5%,--rotation:90 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185353117940858972/tomfarlane_a_doorway_to_a_room_door_at_the_end_of_a_corridor_du_30b39e60-7da2-4493-8902-a46158d11c6e.png?ex=658f4d1e&is=657cd81e&hm=207b00e318a64ec85bb14fd96442f89b8a0d101056412554647f51f4c5c50dd2&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=3601&height=4001){height:100%,left:-170px} }} {{top:840px,position:relative,descriptive,left:-40px ##### Astral Doorway Table {{column-count: | Enchantment Rarity | Trap DC | Level Required to Dispel | |:----------------|:--:|:--:| | Very Rare | 16 | 5th level or higher | | Legendary | 20 | 9th level | | Artifact | 30 | Teleports the Caster. | }} }} \column {{position:relative,top:-15px #### Astral Doorway : **Type:** Magical trap. : **Description:** An artful combination of subtle teleportation magic and detailed illusory images, this trap is set to prevent creatures from entering a room. : A victim will walk through a seemingly normal doorway, only to find themselves walking into the void of the Astral Sea, stranded without a way back. The illusion holds up to physical inspection -- a creature putting a hand through the door will feel the illusory contents of the room, and any scent or noise that should come from within magically protrudes as well. : The illusory room may be a copy of the actual room the trap protects, or something entirely different. : **Usually Found Within:** The doorways to important rooms, such as vaults, hoards, and laboratories. Occasionally found in other kinds of entries, such as hatches or windows. : **Detection:** Creatures under the effects of a *detect magic* spell or other effect that can sense magic can see the illusory nature of the image in the doorway, as well as a faint aura of conjuration magic behind it. Another way to see that something is off is to throw an object into the room, which will promptly disappear, leaving no trace. : **Activation & Effects:** Once you fully walk through a passage trapped in this way, conjuration magic will start wrapping around you, visible in slight gold streaks of light forming around your body. A perception check against the Trap DC can reveal this and give you time to act. If you are still within the illusory room at the start of your next turn, you must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against the Trap DC or be banished to a random location within the Astral Sea. : If you succeed, you must roll the saving throw again at the start of your next turn if you are still within the illusory room. Each time you roll this saving throw after the first, the DC increases by 4. : **Dispelling:** Some Astral Doorways have no dispel condition, but most of the powerful casters who place them make one, just in case they want to enter the room again in the future without expending high level magic to do so. : Most often, it will be a hidden book-lever (an Underside classic), a word that needs to be spoken, or a type of object that needs to be thrown through the doorway. This makes the trap somewhat susceptible to divination magic, but you need to be aware there even is a trap before attempting that. The trap can also be dispelled with abjuration magic, depending on the trap's rarity. Some powerful Astral Doorways have a built in safeguard able to teleport a creature attempting to dispel it! }} {{footnote The Eternal Athenaeums}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page :::::::::::::: #### Curse of Aging : **Type:** Item curse. : **Description:** Of the myriads of curses that can be found within the forgotten bookshelves of the athenaeums, few are as dreadful as a curse of aging. These enchantments form in magical items that have been abandoned for ages, forgotten by the world in derelict dungeons and vaults. : Carrying with them a profound grudge towards sentient beings, a sort-of primeval sentience takes hold of the relic, with the sole purpose of subjecting anyone who would pick them up to a small fraction of their eternal wait, their accursed perception of time. Curses of Aging act faster than most other curses, desperate to drain a creature of its years. : **Usually Found Within:** Magical and nonmagical items of all types. Curses of Aging are one of the few curses that can be found within mundane items, such as a gem, a dull pendant, a rusty iron knife... In fact, most Curses of Aging are attached to a seemingly harmless antique. Items with this curse always look extremely old and barely functional, though faintly magical. : **Detection:** Curses of Aging are the most subtle of curses. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (arcana) check reveals that the item is truly ancient and carries strange forgotten magic. Casting Identify on it reveals the curse and its effects. : **Activation & Effects:** When you attune to a magical item with a Curse of Aging, you are powerless to remove it. When you start carrying an item with this curse on your person, you begin to age rapidly, at a rate determined by the curse's rarity. Your body feels tired, and you gain a point of exhaustion after every long rest. \column :::::::::::::: The old item, in contrast, starts to appear in better shape. An ancient coin slowly loses its rust, a dull blade recovers its edge, a broken clock begins to tick again. These changes begin to be noticeable by a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check after the first hour. They become plainly obvious to after 8 hours. : Even after discarding an item with a curse of aging, the item continues to drain the years of the creature within a mile. Creatures that are ageless or do not age are not affected by this curse. : **Dispelling:** Curses of Aging cannot be dispelled, as they carry the latent omniturgical magic that permeates the Underside in a very concentrated manner. They can only be dulled for a time, determined by the Curse's rarity, by a casting of the *Remove Curse* spell. During this time, the item returns to its original form and the target recovers the years that was taken from them. Otherwise, even after the item is a mile away from the bearer, the aging caused by the curse is permanent. A casting of *Greater Restoration* on an afflicted creature recuperates 5 years of drained time. : If the item is cast far enough away from the bearer while dulled by a Remove Curse spell, the bearer fully recovers from the curse, regaining their lost years. An item with a Curse of Aging will appear newer after taking the years of a creature, but will inevitably go back to its old and decrepit form after a few days pass. : Some Curse rarities cannot be dulled by the Remove Curse spell. : {{descriptive ##### Curse of Aging Table {{column-count: | Curse Rarity | Aging Rate | Casting of Remove Curse | |:----------------|:--:|:--:| | Common | 1 month/hour | Dulls the item for 1 week | | Rare | 3 months/hour | Dulls the item for 1 day | | Very Rare | 6 months/hour | Dulls the item for 1 hour | | Legendary | 1 year/hour | - | | Artifact | 5 years/hour | - | }} }} {{imageMaskEdge2,--offset:35%,--rotation:180 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185596735872041112/tomfarlane_an_old_decrepit_item_forgotten_antique_in_a_derelict_56b6028f-5bd1-42c7-9e57-3393d7e0e629.png?ex=65903001&is=657dbb01&hm=2d756a30c3d1db1e43bff6a1d3ffdb3caac1554dc1fa565db751420d011fa096&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=2084&height=4092){height:39%,top:-120px} }} {{imageMaskEdge5,--offset:35%,--rotation:0 ![](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1105488303710543923/1185596735872041112/tomfarlane_an_old_decrepit_item_forgotten_antique_in_a_derelict_56b6028f-5bd1-42c7-9e57-3393d7e0e629.png?ex=65903001&is=657dbb01&hm=2d756a30c3d1db1e43bff6a1d3ffdb3caac1554dc1fa565db751420d011fa096&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=2084&height=4092){height:39%,} }} {{footnote The Eternal Athenaeums}} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page {{backCover}} # That's all, Folks! : We hope you enjoyed this little excerpt from The Library of Underside. This December issue is our seventh entry into this burgeoning universe we call the Codex of Strings. If you want to see more of us, we have a lot more content in our site: www.codexofstrings.com : We would like to extend a big *THANK YOU* {{width:1px}} to all of our patrons, who make these entries possible and give us starving creatives some stability in this ever-fledging world. : These commendable Threadmaster-tier Patrons have climbed through the ranks of our organization, and are the lifeblood of this project: ##### **-- Dakota Hinton** ##### **-- Richard J Shepard III** ##### **-- Asin Samay** ##### **-- John Doe** ##### **-- Davin Pacheco** ##### **-- Kristian Meling** ##### **-- Gavin Pacheco** : A Special thank you to our Stringweavers! ##### **-- Steven Zillinski** ##### **-- Zack Byers** Got any feedback? Ideas? Suggestions? We have an email! 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