Beggar's Curse of the Sea (5e Curse)
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Beggar's Curse of the Sea[edit]
A long time ago, a certain beggar was spurned by passing nobles of haughty status. The beggar was told to go drink the sea if he was so poor and thirsty. The town's populace laughed along with their high and mighty. When the beggar's corpse was found the next day, washed ashore, no one paid attention. Then, suddenly, strange illness came to fill the town, supposedly from a wish the beggar made to curse them all for their uncaring attitude toward the poor. Following that slew of illness, the town by the sea became ruled under a sort of dour mood from the dead. Many of the townspeople have left, while the nobles were left to ruin. It is a dying town born of a dead man's wish, one outsiders would do well to avoid.
Pronouncement[edit]
Entering the town cursed by the dead beggar earns the wrath of the curse, specifically if someone carries any money on their person. If they carry arms or just non-currency objects, the curse overlooks them. However, certain symbols of wealth, like jewelry, are subject to this curse. This curse targets specifically humanoids.
Burden[edit]
When cursed, until resolved, the cursed creature's belongings all become useless, crusted with barnacles and sea scum until unusable and unrecognizable. Their bodies also become stiff, as though dried with salt. All their movement speed becomes capped 15 feet and they cannot benefit from features or traits that allow them to take additional actions in a turn, like the fighter's action surge.
Additionally, they feel dehydrated and cannot benefit from drinking water to fulfill their daily water requirement. Creatures that do not need to drink are immune to the exhaustion this effect incurs, though they will feel thirst.
If the cursed creature can cast spells, they find themselves vomiting salty sea water whenever they use a verbal component.
Resolution[edit]
The beggar's curse can be broken by casting remove curse with a spell slot of 6th level or higher while outside the town perimeter. The cursed creature must succeed a DC 15 Charisma saving throw when the spell is cast. On a successful save, the curse ends immediately. On a failed save, it can be repeated after 1 week passes.
Alternatively, throwing all of the curse victim's possessions into the sea adjacent to the town perimeter will resolve the curse.
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