Quote from: mcbobbo;754387Putting the D&D world in context for a minute, it seems that 'adventurer harassment' would be a thing for villains to do.

Or even irate villagers... how many farmers' daughters left pregnant in the wake of those noble questing agents of fortune? Farmer convinces local druid to put a curse on a sword... hides it near some local ruins.

Quote from: Simlasa;754406Or even irate villagers... how many farmers' daughters left pregnant in the wake of those noble questing agents of fortune? Farmer convinces local druid to put a curse on a sword... hides it near some local ruins.

PCs rolling merchants and sages for their pocket change.
You can bet some of them are going to seek revenge in subtle ways since brute force tends to fail against adventurers half the time.

Hell in real life game programmers have sat down and coded into their games traps for cheaters. Some pick-your-path and solo adventures have false entries in them to trap cheaters.

One of the posts above points out real life tombs trapped with "Kill you horribly AFTER you leave with my stuff" traps. Not kill you before you take my stuff... Kill you After.

So why wouldnt a fantasy type do the same?

If you are trying to figure out the rationale behind a revenge item or scheme, i think you also want to keep in mind that people don't always act rationally or in the most efficient way. A cursed item intended for revenge, could in fact be very poorly conceived by the designer, a massive waste lf resources, yet also totally believable because people do waste money and effort on bad ideas.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;754414If you are trying to figure out the rationale behind a revenge item or scheme, i think you also want to keep in mind that people don't always act rationally or in the most efficient way. A cursed item intended for revenge, could in fact be very poorly conceived by the designer, a massive waste lf resources, yet also totally believable because people do waste money and effort on bad ideas.

Oh so totally true.

Oh heres another great reason for a cursed item.

Artistic statement. Its supposed to be a +1 axe. But it is so elaborate and unweildy that its acting like a -1 item. AND the artist enchanted it to ALWAYS be used so everyone would see their grand masterwork.

Or.

Someone was making a +X item and botched it and didnt tell the person its for because they didnt want to lose their head.

A -1 or even -2 penalty can be barely notable in action if the interference is subtle rather than blatant.

Quote from: Omega;754419Someone was making a +X item and botched it and didnt tell the person its for because they didnt want to lose their head.

A big bin of botched magic items after finals at the local college of magic, left out back for disposal... stolen away under moonlight by nefarious types and peddled to unwary travelers.

Quote from: mcbobbo;754386<...snip....>
Neat what non-magic using people can do, isn't it?  Imagine what they'd be capable of with as many spells as gold can buy...

all well and good and people like to speculate and the fabled tomb of the dragon emperor and all that is great stuff but ... you canna change the laws of physics

Mercury reacts with most halogens to form salts and it reacts with aluminium and aluminium compounds. All of which means a pool of mercury isn't going to stay a pool for 2000 years. Likewise arrow traps and  complex mechanics aren't going to last long.
If there are traps about in tombs then they will rely on simple physics like weight on tipping points and the like and even these will be prey to the vagaries of minor earth tremors and the like.

Quote from: Simlasa;754406Or even irate villagers... how many farmers' daughters left pregnant in the wake of those noble questing agents of fortune? Farmer convinces local druid to put a curse on a sword... hides it near some local ruins.

really ? I mean really ....

If a bunch of farmers revenge fantasy is to pay a load of money to a bloke who will curse an item that they can hide so that a group of "adventurers" might happen by and find it and be mildly inconvenienced by it for a short period of time then they certainly lack imagination.
Especially when the same bag of gold could be used to hire a man to take care of said adventurers.

First off I loathe the concept of a world where "adventurer" is actually a job description. But mostly this is simply ridiculous.

As I stated cursed items of the ilk of Stormbringer I like an item with a dark purpose that carries a weighty Doom. All good.
I can see that a specific item might be created for a specific task a blade that always misses created as part of a matched set of blades for a duel or something but D&D cursed weapons aren't like that they provide a minor disadvantage..
Trapped scrolls with explosive Runes and bottles of poison are well and good but these things don't end up in treasure hordes they are specific and need to be placed.
As for the daft humour for 12 year olds Marley Cat is spot on there.

So I guess so far I remain unconvinced.

Thinking back, I guess we just assumed everything was some terrible cursed item until we found out otherwise, thus why spells like divination and such. Unless you killed some boss and took their weapon then you knew it had some positive power usually.

But like pornography, the daft humor of 12 year olds is known when you see it.

Similar complaints can be leveraged against examples in just about every facet comprising an RPG adventure, as 12 year olds have both the time and inclination to be so prolific. I'm sure there's cringe worthy version of castles, taverns, NPCs, monsters, metaplot, etc. out there. As arguments go it is pretty shallow — ooh, someone might fashion a pile of shit out of this tool, if only the tool could be stopped...

Quote from: Opaopajr;754534But like pornography, the daft humor of 12 year olds is known when you see it.

Similar complaints can be leveraged against examples in just about every facet comprising an RPG adventure, as 12 year olds have both the time and inclination to be so prolific. I'm sure there's cringe worthy version of castles, taverns, NPCs, monsters, metaplot, etc. out there. As arguments go it is pretty shallow — ooh, someone might fashion a pile of shit out of this tool, if only the tool could be stopped...

So curse someone with a blade then never hits its target.
Curse them with a weapon that deals to its wielder what it deals to its opponent. Curse them with a suit of armour that when the last buckle is tied boils the body of the incumbent and burns it away to dust. Curse them with a the kiss of a gypsy or the tender embrace of a shade of a love long lost. But don't curse them with a blade then gets -1 to hit or a girdle that changes their sex.

Quote from: jibbajibba;754537So curse someone with a blade then never hits its target.
Curse them with a weapon that deals to its wielder what it deals to its opponent. Curse them with a suit of armour that when the last buckle is tied boils the body of the incumbent and burns it away to dust. Curse them with a the kiss of a gypsy or the tender embrace of a shade of a love long lost. But don't curse them with a blade then gets -1 to hit or a girdle that changes their sex.

Someone gets it thank God!

As I said in my first post in this thread make it make sense in setting and if it's really nasty get player buy in. Remember I had a cursed item that literally changed me from a F/M to a straight fighter with none of the perks in 2e for 2 LEVELS!7 th

Quote from: jibbajibba;754532really ? I mean really ....

If a bunch of farmers revenge fantasy is to pay a load of money to a bloke who will curse an item that they can hide so that a group of "adventurers" might happen by and find it and be mildly inconvenienced by it for a short period of time then they certainly lack imagination.

They're farmers, and they didn't pay the druid, who likes a good joke/comeuppance as well as the next guy... and they know the 'travelers' will hear of it and go after it because Old Zeke will be sure to mention amongst the local legends that he'll tell the 'travelers' next he spots them in the tavern.

QuoteEspecially when the same bag of gold could be used to hire a man to take care of said adventurers.

There is no 'bag of gold'... and no one in town is willing to go toe-to-toe with a bunch of armed transients.

QuoteFirst off I loathe the concept of a world where "adventurer" is actually a job description.

Me too, that's why I use the word 'traveler'

Quote from: jibbajibba;754537So curse someone with a blade then never hits its target.
Curse them with a weapon that deals to its wielder what it deals to its opponent. Curse them with a suit of armour that when the last buckle is tied boils the body of the incumbent and burns it away to dust. Curse them with a the kiss of a gypsy or the tender embrace of a shade of a love long lost. But don't curse them with a blade then gets -1 to hit or a girdle that changes their sex.

Someone gets it thank God!

As I said in my first post in this thread make it make sense in setting and if it's really nasty get player buy in. Remember I had a cursed item that literally changed me from a F/M to a straight fighter with none of the perks in 2e for 2 LEVELS! And not low level either.

... so you're saying don't be a 12 year old doofus. OK, productive, I guess.

Quote from: jibbajibba;754527all well and good and people like to speculate and the fabled tomb of the dragon emperor and all that is great stuff but ... you canna change the laws of physics

Mercury reacts with most halogens to form salts and it reacts with aluminium and aluminium compounds. All of which means a pool of mercury isn't going to stay a pool for 2000 years. Likewise arrow traps and  complex mechanics aren't going to last long.
If there are traps about in tombs then they will rely on simple physics like weight on tipping points and the like and even these will be prey to the vagaries of minor earth tremors and the like.

That's all well and good.  So maybe they don't last 2000 years.

Did Hollywood make them up, then, since they only lasted 200 years?

(You know, the point of the rebuttal?)