A curst was a creature that had been cursed into a never-ending state of undeath.[3][5][1][2][4]
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.[6]
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]
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. Unlike other undead, they were not hurt by contact with holy water.[3][1]
Ecology
Cursts did not have a diet at all, somehow being sustained by their curse. They often only appeared on their own.[3] They seemed to dwell in dark, underground environments, such as Undermountain.[4]
History
It was unknown exactly how, but during the Godswar of 1358 DR, many killed in areas of wild magic turned into cursts.[1][7] Around the same time, those fighting off Myrkulytes were also turned into these mad, undead beings.[1]
Notable Cursts
Appendix
Appearances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 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 3.6 3.7 3.8 Warning: edition not specified for Canticle
- ↑ 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 5.6 5.7 Ed Greenwood (October 1979). “The Dragon's Bestiary”. In Timothy J. Kask ed. Dragon #30 (TSR, Inc.), p. 43.
- ↑ 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.