Curst are unfortunate creatures who have been placed under
a curse that will not let them die. They are of humanoid race,
almost invariably (98%) of pure human
stock. In the process of
becoming Curst they lose any magical or psionic abilities they
may have possessed, although other abilities (such as strength
bonuses or thieving skills) are unimpaired. Alignment becomes
Chaotic Neutral, and their skin becomes very white; their eyes
glitter. They gain the power of superior infravision (90’) and
prefer darkness to light, although the latter has no adverse affect
upon them. Thus they frequent subterranean regions. They apparently
retain no sense of smell, and (although they retain prior
linguistic knowledge) tend not to speak.
The horrible existence of these beings usually destroys their
minds (if not their cunning). Curst retain their original intelligence
only 11% of the time, and there is an 05% chance every turn (not
cumulative) that any Curst will act irrationally — i.e. breaking off
a
fight to caper, sing, draw with a finger on a nearby wall, or merely
stare at something.
Curst can only be destroyed by removing the curse that binds
them to their hateful existence (cf. Remove Curse). They are
immune to psionic attack and mind-related spells (such as
Charm, Sleep, Hold, and ESP) and are similarly unaffected by
cold- and fire-based attacks and the life-energy draining effects of
various creatures. They can be struck by all weapons, and (save
for weapons which do additional damage due to heat or cold)
these have normal effect. When Curst are reduced to zero HP,
they fall to the ground, paralyzed, and lie there until their wounds
have healed (at the rate of 1 HP per day, unless magically healed,
i.e. by a kindly/foolish cleric). If Curst are dismembered or
mutilated, they will regenerate new limbs, organs, etc. with no
additional loss of time — so that when they reach full HP, they will
be whole once again. Curst are not, strictly speaking, Undead,
and thus cannot be turned. Holy water does them no damage.
Curst do not age.
Curst fight with normal weapons, and in battle will often
snatch up weapons from the fallen if these are superior to their
own. However, they never make use of missile or thrown weapons (save as
crude clubs), fire, or magical rods, staves, rings, or
artifacts. Often (46%) they will be armed with magical Swords of
Cold, faintly glowing blades which do 1D6+3 damage and
radiate a 5’ radius chill that inhibits fire, prevents oil from igniting,
etc. If weaponless, Curst can bite, kick and claw savagely, doing
1-2 HP of damage per attack.
Curst tend to favour leather armor, and usually wear cloaks
and boots. Their garb is always of a dark color. Occasionally
(15%) the bodies of Curst are infested with Rot Grubs (q.v.) and
when so afflicted they will have 1D6 fewer HP, although fighting
skills will be unaffected. Note that the grubs will be seeking a
better meal.
Creation of a Curst is accomplished (by an evil magic user or
cleric of sufficient power) by means of a Bestow Curse spell and a
full Wish spell. The spell caster must physically touch the victim,
successfully casting the Bestow Curse as he or she does so, and
within four rounds commence casting the Wish spell. The DM
must determine the necessary wording, which may well be
learned only through costly research. Curst are in no way under
the control of their creator, nor will they serve that person unless
it
will enable them to find the mercy of death through removal of
the curse. Often, coming to know their cruel doom, they will attack
their creator, hoping that he or she will be forced to destroy them
in self-defense. In rare cases they may cooperate with party
members to this end. Once destroyed, Curst cannot be resurrected or
animated to become Undead. Their bodies crumble
rapidly into dust, which may be of value to magic users or
alchemists.
| Dragon | - | Monsters | - | Dragon #30 |