Bard Magic • Spell Reference

Bestow Curse Spell

The Burdened Fortune

An engraving shows executioners carrying a woman on a ladder toward a pyre, with a crowd and church behind them — *Supplice de Anne Hendricks, brulé à Amsterdam en 1571*. The page’s retained historical illustration.

Bestow Curse turns a touch into a lasting burden on a creature’s abilities, attacks, or actions. The permitted effects and ways to end them depend on the edition.

Bestow Curse at a Glance

School	Necromancy
Bard level	2024 / 2014: 3; legacy: absent from standard Bard lists
Range	Touch
Purpose	One chosen curse effect
Duration	Modern: varies by spell slot; legacy: permanent
Browse	Cleric spells • Cleric class

Spell Rules by Edition

5.5e / 20245e / 2014Pathfinder 1eD&D 3.5e

Bestow Curse — 5.5e / 2024

Bard and Cleric spell level 3. Edition source.

Spell	Level 3 Necromancy (Bard, Cleric, Wizard)
Casting Time	Action
Range	Touch
Components	V, S
Duration	Concentration, up to 1 minute

You touch a creature, which must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become cursed for the duration. Until the curse ends, the target suffers one of the following effects of your choice:

Choose one ability. The target has Disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability.
The target has Disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
In combat, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns or be forced to take the Dodge action on that turn.
If you deal damage to the target with an attack roll or a spell, the target takes an extra 1d8 Necrotic damage.

Using a Higher-Level Spell Slot. If you cast this spell using a level 4 spell slot, you can maintain Concentration on it for up to 10 minutes. If you use a level 5+ spell slot, the spell doesn’t require Concentration, and the duration becomes 8 hours (level 5–6 slot) or 24 hours (level 7–8 slot). If you use a level 9 spell slot, the spell lasts until dispelled.

Bestow Curse — 5e / 2014

Bard and Cleric spell level 3. Edition source.

Spell	3rd-level necromancy (Bard, Cleric, Wizard)
Casting Time	1 action
Range	Touch
Components	V, S
Duration	Concentration, up to 1 minute

You touch a creature, and that creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become cursed for the duration of the spell. When you cast this spell, choose the nature of the curse from the following options:

Choose one ability score. While cursed, the target has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws made with that ability score.
While cursed, the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
While cursed, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it fails, it wastes its action that turn doing nothing.
While the target is cursed, your attacks and spells deal an extra 1d8 necrotic damage to the target.

A remove curse spell ends this effect. At the GM’s option, you may choose an alternative curse effect, but it should be no more powerful than those described above. The GM has final say on such a curse’s effect.

At Higher Levels. If you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the duration is concentration, up to 10 minutes. If you use a spell slot of 5th level or higher, the duration is 8 hours. If you use a spell slot of 7th level or higher, the duration is 24 hours. If you use a 9th level spell slot, the spell lasts until it is dispelled. Using a spell slot of 5th level or higher grants a duration that doesn’t require concentration.

Bestow Curse — Pathfinder 1e

Not on the standard Bard spell list; Cleric spell level 3. Edition source.

School	Necromancy [Curse]
Level	Adept 3, Antipaladin 3, Arcanist 4, Bloodrager 4, Cleric 3, Medium 2, Mesmerist 3, Occultist 3, Oracle 3, Shaman 3, Sorcerer 4, Spiritualist 3, Warpriest 3, Witch 3, Wizard 4
Casting Time	1 standard action
Components	V, S
Range	touch
Target	creature touched
Duration	permanent
Saving Throw	Will negates
Spell Resistance	yes

You place a curse on the subject. Choose one of the following.

–6 decrease to an ability score (minimum 1).
–4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks.
Each turn, the target has a 50% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action.

You may also invent your own curse, but it should be no more powerful than those described above.

The curse bestowed by this spell cannot be dispelled, but it can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell.

Bestow curse counters remove curse.

Bestow Curse — D&D 3.5e

Not on the standard Bard spell list; Cleric spell level 3. Edition source.

School	Necromancy
Level	Cleric 3, Sorcerer/Wizard 4
Components	V, S
Casting Time	1 standard action
Range	Touch
Target	Creature touched
Duration	Permanent
Saving Throw	Will negates
Spell Resistance	Yes

You place a curse on the subject. Choose one of the following three effects.

–6 decrease to an ability score (minimum 1).
–4 penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks.
Each turn, the target has a 50% chance to act normally; otherwise, it takes no action.

You may also invent your own curse, but it should be no more powerful than those described above.

The curse bestowed by this spell cannot be dispelled, but it can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell.

Bestow curse counters remove curse.

Edition Differences

Bard access	Bard 3 in 2024 and 2014. Neither Pathfinder’s standard Bard list nor the 3.5 core Bard list includes this spell.
Saving throw	Modern: Wisdom. Legacy: Will, with spell resistance.
Lost action	2014 wastes the target’s action on a failed turn-start save. 2024 forces Dodge instead. Legacy uses a 50% chance to take no action.
Duration	Modern base casting: Concentration, up to 1 minute; higher-level slots extend it and level 5+ removes Concentration. Legacy: permanent until removed.
Custom curses	2014 and the legacy versions expressly allow equally powerful alternatives under the referee’s judgment. The 2024 spell text lists four fixed choices.
Dispel and removal	Legacy text explicitly prevents ordinary dispelling and names curse-removal spells. The 2014 text expressly mentions Remove Curse; use your edition’s rules for removing curses.

Using Bestow Curse

Choose the burden that supports the encounter: weaken a crucial ability, make attacks against the caster less reliable, interfere with actions, or increase the caster’s damage under the modern rules. Only the selected option applies; the spell does not grant every curse effect at once.

A touch-range casting requires access to the target, and a failed initial saving throw is needed before the curse takes hold. Higher-level modern slots can turn a brief combat effect into an obstacle that lasts beyond the encounter. In the older rules, permanent duration still permits the specifically listed remedies.

Agree on any custom curse before using a version that allows one. Its severity should match the listed effects. A narrative demand, omen, or visible mark can explain the curse in the story without quietly adding new mechanical penalties.

Bestow Curse in the World

A broken oath, a stolen heirloom, or a feud between travelling performers can become more than a rumour when a curse follows the offender. Finding its caster may reveal why it was bestowed, while finding a healer with the right remedy can draw the party into a second dispute over repayment or reconciliation.

Rules Sources and Licensing

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