Scourge

A scourge is an extremely powerful form of bestow curse.

Crime and Punishment
Author Keith Baker
Series Campaign Style
Publisher Atlas Games
Publish date 2003

Transmutation [Judicial Curse]

Level: Cleric 7, Inquisitor 7, Justice 8, Sorcerer/Wizard 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Special (4 miles/level + 4 miles/point of ceremonial force)
Target: One living creature
Duration: Permanent (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

It can be cast over a vast distance; as a result, it is often used to punish heretics and criminals who cannot be brought to face justice. As it is a judicial curse, the saving throw of the spell can be increased through the use of ceremonial force.

When you cast scourge you can choose to duplicate any of the effects of malediction, or you can select one of the following effects:

• Aging – The victim ages one year at the start of each day. The victim may be sentenced to lose ten years of her life in prison – but it will only take ten days.
• Barren Touch – Any food or drink touched by the victim spoils. Any plants he tills die. Any Heal checks he makes automatically fail, and any cure spells he casts have a 50% chance of becoming inflict spells of the same level.
• Ignominy – Anyone who comes into contact with the victim will forget any noble or valorous deeds she has done, while clearly remembering any crimes she has committed or mistakes she has made. People will attribute the character’s greatest achievements to other people (other party members, for example, or legendary heroes). If the curse is lifted, these memories will return.
• Ostracism – The victim is surrounded by an aura that causes all NPCs to have a hostile attitude towards him. This also results in a permanent -6 penalty to the victim’s Charisma score, to a minimum score of 1. People can’t explain why they don’t like the victim – he just seems suspicious and hateful. NPC allies and friends can resist this somewhat, but will still find the character strangely repellent; they may suspect that he has been replaced by a doppelganger. In addition, any sort of spell used to detect alignment will always respond with the alignment most hostile to the caster, and discern lies will always show the victim as lying.
• Poverty – Any precious metal that the victim touches turns to lead.
• Prohibition – You specify a specific action that the victim cannot take. ‘Do not lie’ or ‘Do not physically hurt humans’ will work; impossible or broad requests like ‘Do not breathe’ or ‘Never hurt anyone in any way’ will not. Any time that the victim attempts the prohibited action, she must make a Will save (using the DC of the scourge). If she succeeds, she can perform the action unhindered; otherwise she is wracked with extreme pain and stunned for 2d4 rounds. You can come up with similar effects with your GM’s permission.

A scourge cannot be dispelled or removed with break enchantment. You may choose to release the victim from the scourge at any time – although in the case of the curse of aging, this will not restore lost years to the victim. remove curse can end the scourge, but only if its caster level is at least two levels higher than your caster level; miracle or wish will also work. Breaking the curse using any of these spells will restore the years lost to mystical aging. Finally, when you cast the spell you must declare a set of circumstances that will cause the curse to be broken. Depending on the reasons for inflicting the scourge, this could range from ‘Save an innocent man from death’ or ‘Submit to Kheshite justice,’ to ‘Defeat the demon lord Xarglbarg’ or even ‘Find true love.’