Curses: Ring of the Ghostly Choir and Egil's Magnificent (5e)
Cursed items have long been a staple of fantasy stories and games. Whether a magical ring that turns its wearer invisible (and has a mind of its own) or a sentient sword capable of drinking souls¸ such items pose a difficult question for the story's protagonist: do they wield the item for its power in spite of the trouble and grief it inevitably brings? Unfortunately with most such relics¸ accepting the power all but requires accepting the curse. Once the character gives in to this Faustian bargain¸ they cannot later change their decision. In fantasy adventure games¸ a cursed item typically reveals its curse as an unpleasant surprise. Assuming the character survives this discovery¸ one remove curse spell allows them to ditch the item and forget it. This process can reduce the cursed item to little more than a one-shot "gotcha" designed to make life difficult for the character for a short time. What if the cursed item offered sufficient benefit to entice the character into keeping it in spite of its downside¸ such that they do not seek a remove curse? Here are two cursed items from Egil's collection. The first¸ the ring of the ghostly choir¸ gave Egil access to the ghosts of long-deceased bards. The other item¸ Egil's magnificent wardrobe¸ helped the great bard to take on any acting role¸ albeit at a cost to her sanity.