OSR: Class: Curse-Eater Wizard

Some ideas from Iron & Ink's post here.

Nikola Matkovic

Starting Equipment: spellbook, ink and quill. Both your smallest fingers or one eye are missing (and devoured).


The line between a curse and an enchantment is almost invisible. Curse-Eaters are wizards who specialize in personal and forbidden magic. They are widely reviled by the Church and by other wizards, for their powers inevitably corrupt and twist the spells of others. 


Perk

You can take 1 MD from an adjacent wizard’s pool and add it to your spell. They know you have done this. On a 1-3, the MD returns to their pool (as normal). If the MD does not return, you can choose to either heal the wizard for 1d6 HP or inflict 1d6 magic damage. 


Drawback

Barring exceptional circumstances, you cannot enter a good afterlife. Domesticated animals fear you.


Cantrips

1. Touch a creature or object to discover if it is cursed (i.e. if it has a negative but hidden magical effect applied to it). You can roll under Intelligence to divine the nature of the curse.
2. Touch a recently deceased person, perform a 10 minute ritual, and Save. If you pass, you take all their sins upon yourself. They arrive in the afterlife with only their positive deeds remembered.
3. Spit to crack all non-magical mirrors within 50’. Calm water will ripple. Other reflective surfaces may crack or darken.

Lucas Roussel

Curse-Eater Wizard Spell List


1. Fingerbreaker

R: 100' T: creature of [dice]x2 HD or less D: 0

The target of this spell must have fingers. You snap your fingers and your target's fingers crack, break, and bend. They take [sum] damage and must immediately Save or drop whatever they are holding. You can choose to have the target take no damage, but they get +2 to their Save. 


2. Deflect Spell
R: 100' T: spell D: 0

You may cast this spell as a reaction. Save, with a bonus equal to [sum]. A roll of 20 always fails. If you succeed, an incoming spell is deflected to [dice]x10’ away. The incoming spell must target you or a point within 10’ of you.


3. Crush Flames

R: [dice]x20' radius T: area D: 0

Mundane flames in the area of this spell are extinguished with a great deal of smoke. Torches fill a 10’ cube with smoke, bonfires fill a 30’ cube with smoke. Wind dissipates the smoke in 10 minutes. If you cast this spell with 3 or more [dice], living creatures lose 1 HP per round while they remain in the smoke.


4. Transfer Disease

R: touch T: two creatures D: 0
Touch a diseased creature and a healthy creature. [Dice] diseases move between targets. If the recipient is unwilling they get a Save. If the disease is magical it also gets a Save.


5. Forget

R: 10’ T: creature of [dice]x4 HD or less D: 10 minutes

Target creature must Save or get the last 10 minutes. They may recall vague details but not useful information.


6. Enfeebling Sigil

R: touch, 50' T: object D: [sum] rounds

A writhing arcane symbol appears on an object you touch. Any creature within 100' of the sigil who looks at it must Save or be reduced to Strength 1 for [dice] rounds. Nothing can cause their Strength to drop lower than 1 while they are under the effects of this spell. The symbol vanishes after [sum] rounds. If you invest 3 [dice] or more, you can instead set the duration of this spell to permanent, provided no one looks at the sigil. Once it is seen, the duration becomes to [sum] round as usual. 


7. Abjure

R: 100’ T: creature or object D: [sum] rounds

Name and point at creature or object. The target cannot approach within [dice]x10’ of you for the duration of this spell. The target can Save once at the start of the duration to negate. 


8. Drain Life
R: 50' T: creature D: 0

Target living creature takes [sum] damage, Save for half. You heal for ½ [sum]. It costs 2 HP to remove 1 negative HP and 4 HP to remove one Fatal Wound.


9. Cure Wounds

R: touch T: creature D: 0
Target creature heals [sum] HP. It costs 2 HP to remove 1 negative HP and 4 HP to remove 1 Fatal Wound. This spell cannot restore lost limbs, remove injuries, or cure diseases.


10. Remove Curse

R: touch T: creature or object D: 1 hour / permanent

Up to [dice] curses or diseases are removed from the target. If [sum] is greater than 12, the effect is permanent.


11. Cloudkill

R: 30’ T: [dice] 10’ cubes D: 24 hours
Summon a cloud of ghastly yellow-green vapour. Creatures of 2 HD or less in the cloud are instantly slain (no Save). Creatures of 3 to 5 HD must Save or die each round. Creatures of 6 or more HD must Save or take 3d6 damage each round. The cloud is heavier than air and slowly drifts. It moves 10’ per round in a gentle breeze. A strong wind disperses the cloud in 10 minutes.


12. Death Ward

R: touch T: self D: [sum] days
Designate a date up to [sum] days in the future. You cannot die until that date. You can be hideously mangled, burned, mashed, spread across the cobbles, or torn apart, but your soul will still remain in your body (or its remains) until the date designated. On that date, you automatically fail all Saves.









Curse-Eater Wizard Mishaps
1. MD only return to your pool on a 1-2 for 24hrs.
2. Take 1d6 damage.
3. Random mutation for 1d6 rounds, then Save. Permanent if you fail.
4. Blind for 1d6 rounds.
5. Agony for 1d6 rounds.
6. Spell targets you (if harmful) or an enemy (if helpful) or fizzles (if neutral).

Curse-Eater Wizard Dooms
1. You are transported to Hell for 24 hours. You aren't tortured, but you are carefully examined and audited before being returned.
2. You cannot enter sanctified spaces. Touching silver inflicts 1 damage per round. Silver weapons deal 2x damage to you.
3. 1d4 angels and 1d4 demons, plus any religious figures they can find along the way, descend upon your location to drag you bodily to Hell.