A curst was a creature that had been cursed into a never-ending state of undeath.[3][5][1][2][4]
Description[]
Cursts were humanoids with deathly white skin and deep black eyes. These creatures were somewhat mad, behaving very strangely in their day-to-day life, as well as combat. In this form, they could never age.[5]
These cursed creatures would often wear dark leather armor, and were sometimes infected with rot grubs.[3][5]
Cursts had no sense of smell.[6]
Creation & Destruction[]
Creatures would become curst if put under the bestow curse spell by a powerful and evil caster, and then followed up with the wish spell. The only way to end the evil state of undeath, and cease being a curst, was to have the curse removed. The curse could be removed by finding one able to cast remove curse, or a scroll with the same spell.[1] Another way to end the curse, though it would also kill the curst in the process, was to cast the undeath to death spell.[7] Once released from its undeath, a curst could not be raised or resurrected.[6]
Personality[]
Cursts held no loyalty for their creators, and would only serve them if they believed they would be rewarded with release from their undeath. Most cursts tended to prefer darkness and quiet over the alternatives.[1]
A curst rarely retained their intelligence or personality in its entirety. Only about 11% of curst retained their minds completely.[6] Regardless, all cursts were at least slightly mad. Approximately once every few hours, a curst would suddenly behave erratically and irrationally for several seconds, engaging in behaviors ranging from staring off into space to breaking into song to drawing on nearby walls. While engaged in this manic break, a curst could not be distracted or disuaded from its new activity by anything.[1]
If a curst was released from its undeath, it crumbled to dust with a smile on its face.[1]
Combat[]
These undead creatures often attacked as they would have in life, except if they used thrown or ranged weapons. If they did not have weapons, or lost them somehow, they would rake with their claws and bite with their teeth.[5] However, as a humanoid became a curst, they became far more naturally armored and gained great resistance to spells, a form of regeneration, and a large amount of resistances. However, they lost all the magical abilities they had when they were alive.[1]
A portrait of a curst.
When cursts were defeated in combat and even utterly destroyed, they still would not die, due to their vile curse. After the combat encounter, they would become paralyzed and slowly regenerate, until they were back to their standard health. If an attacker believed it best to dismember the curst, this too would have no lasting effect, as their appendages would simply grow back, and likewise they were simply not affected by attempts to burn or freeze their bodies. Unlike most other undead, they were not hurt by contact with holy water and could not be turned.[3][1]
Ecology[]
Cursts did not have a diet at all, somehow being sustained by their curse. They often only travelled alone,[3] and seemed to prefer to dwell in dark, underground environments, such as Undermountain.[4]
Uses[]
The dust left behind by a curst's true destruction was a source of alchemical research in the mid-to-late 14th century DR. One wizard, Uidos of Telflamm, determined that this dust could increase the duration of certain magical effects, namely the slow spell, the hold person spell, and other paralysis-causing spells.[6]
History[]
It was unknown exactly how, but during the Godswar of 1358 DR, many killed in areas of wild magic turned into cursts.[1][8] Around the same time, those fighting off Myrkulytes in Waterdeep were also turned into these mad, undead beings.[1] They continued to haunt the sewers and halls of Undermountain for at least a decade afterward.[6]
As of 1372 DR, a powerful curst—who had been a formidable fighter in life—was known to frequent the Tower of Skulls in Ormath, seeking Kelemvor's aid to release him from his undead state.[1]
Notable Cursts[]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- The Ruins of Undermountain • Dungeon #73: "Mere of Dead Men: Eye of Myrkul"
- Video Games
- Neverwinter Nights
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 James Wyatt, Rob Heinsoo (February 2001). Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn. Edited by Duane Maxwell. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 87. ISBN 0-7869-1832-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 165. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Ed Greenwood (1989). Shadowdale. (TSR, Inc.), p. 46. ISBN 978-0880387200.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ed Greenwood (1991). “Undermountain Adventures”. In Steven E. Schend ed. The Ruins of Undermountain (TSR, Inc.), p. 23. ISBN 1-5607-6061-3.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Ed Greenwood (October 1979). “The Dragon's Bestiary”. In Timothy J. Kask ed. Dragon #30 (TSR, Inc.), p. 43.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Monstrous Compendium included in Ed Greenwood, Steven E. Schend (July 1994). City of Splendors. (TSR, Inc.), p. 1. ISBN 0-5607-6868-1.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Erik Mona (May 2002). Faiths and Pantheons. Edited by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 220. ISBN 0-7869-2759-3.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 124. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (March/April 1999). “Eye of Myrkul”. In Christopher Perkins ed. Dungeon #73 (Wizards of the Coast) (73)., pp. 22–53.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Christopher Lindsay, Sean K. Reynolds (June 2007). Expedition to Undermountain. Edited by Bill Slavicsek. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 152–153. ISBN 978-0-7869-4157-5.