The Vistani are the most enigmatic of Ravenloft's inhabitants. These wandering gypsies somehow seem to be both separate from and intertwined with everything that goes on in the Land of Mists. They are secretive and insular, keeping themselves isolated from the giorgio, yet provide services and entertainment to those same giorgio when the price is right. The mystery that surrounds them, and their notorious power to curse those who wrong them, cause them to be feared and hated by many, yet their independent spirit and ability to travel the nighttime wilderness without fear lead them to be respected and even admired by many others. They are a people composed of contradictions, and it is unlikely that anyone not of their blood will ever fully understand them.

Appearance

The appearance of the Vistani can be as varied as those of any other people, but certain characteristics are prevalent among them. Their complexions are naturally dark and are often made darker by exposure to the sun. Their hair is almost always dark and is usually deep black. Their eyes are usually dark as well, with brown being the most common shade, though hazel and green eyes are not infrequent.

Lifestyle

The Vistani are a people without a home. They gather together in caravans, the members of which are all part of a single extended family. These caravans wander the Land of Mists, their belongings carried by pack animals or loaded into covered wagons known as vardos. The master of the caravan is called the captain, an adult male Vistani who decides when the caravan makes camp, how long it stays, and where it travels to next. He also delegates responsibility to the other members of the caravan and has the final word in all matters of trade and commerce. Even the captain, however, is subservient to the raunie, the matriarch of the caravan. The raunie is often the oldest female Vistani in the caravan, though this is not always the case. The raunie passes judgment and gives sentence when crimes are committed within a caravan, and her voice is listened to and respected in all matters. The raunie is always a seer of some ability and is usually quite adept.

The Vistani do not tend fields and so have learned to take what food they can from the land itself. They are able to identify plants and animals with remarkable facility and have little trouble locating sources of drinking water. They are not able hunters, preferring to herd cattle and fish to provide meat. They barter and purchase whatever else they need from villages and are not averse to stealing or rustling when times are lean.

The Vistani keep to themselves unless they have something to gain by associating with outsiders. They refer to non-Vistani as giorgio, a word that means roughly "one who is not of the blood." Its usage varies from harshly insulting to mildly patronizing to merely factual. The Vistani as a whole do not hate or dislike giorgio, but they rarely accord them much respect. They simply feel that the giorgio have little to offer besides their coin. To be a giorgio is to be ignorant of the world's mysteries, fearful of the unknown, limited in experience, and dependent on others for survival. To be a Vistana, in their view, is to be none of those things. That the giorgio often fear and hate them is testament to their unenlightened natures. Not every Vistana is capable of being so dispassionate in the face of prejudice, but most Vistani recognize that Vistani are Vistani and giorgio are giorgio, and the two are and always shall be separate. The way things are is the way things are.

In the meantime, the Vistani have no compunctions about cheating, lying, or stealing in their dealings with the giorgio, if they feel such doubledealings are warranted. Vistani laws apply to the Vistani, and giorgio laws apply to the giorgio. This doesn't mean they won't seek justice for a wrong done to them; it just means they won't be surprised when the wrongdoing occurs.

Although those who have crossed them might think otherwise, the Vistani are not an evil people. Nor are they a good people. They simply are, in the same way the woods they travel through simply are. The Vistani see themselves as a part of nature in a way that giorgio do not; in fact, another meaning of the word giorgio is "unnatural." The Vistani and the giorgio may often be at odds, but this does not make one evil or the other good.

Language

The Vistani language is called the patterna. It is an unusual language, a hodgepodge of various humanoid languages and dialects that conveys meanings less with the words spoken than with the intonation and context of the speech. It has a flowing, rhythmic quality when spoken correctly, something for which few giorgio have the knack. The Vistani "script" consists of symbols known as tralaks. Tralaks are carved into trees or scrawled on stones to convey important information to other passing caravans. All tralaks are descriptive, with each one meant to convey a certain quality about the area in which it was written. One tralak is used to warn Vistani of unfriendly giorgio in the area, for instance, while another is used to mark a source of fresh water. The Vistani have little other use for writing, and on the rare occasion when they must write something particularly long or meaningful, they appropriate the script of a giorgio language.

Vistani Powers and Weaknesses

The Vistani are an inherently magical people. Where this magic springs from is unknown, though the Vistani have their own tales on the subject. Their magic certainly does not spring from a divine source, as the Vistani pay homage to no gods. Nor does it resemble arcane spellcasting, as the Vistani have no need for components or spellbooks. The magic of the Vistani seems to be a natural part of their being, even more so for them than for sorcerers. A sorcerer must cast spells, while a Vistana simply acts, and lets the magic take its own course.

Racial Traits

Although the Vistani are humans, they are a very different breed of human. Full-blood Vistani have all the racial traits of humans, with the following exceptions. Vistani receive a +4 bonus to their Wisdom score and a +2 bonus to their Charisma score. They do not receive any ability score penalties. They do not receive an extra feat at first level, instead receiving the various powers described below.

Full-blood Vistani are not recommended as a player character race.

Curses

Vistani curses are legendary. Everyone fears the Vistani for their power to curse their foes, and no one crosses them lightly. Vistani lay curses using the rules in chapter 3. Vistani curses are especially effective; all fullblood Vistani receive the Voice of Wrath feat for free.

The Vistani favor certain types of curses over others. The most common Vistani curse is a "Scar," an embarrassing or frustrating curse that serves as a constant reminder of the folly of injuring the Vistani. Scars are tailored to the individual. For example, a man who prides himself on his wit, and uses it against a Vistana, might find his tongue swelling any time he attempts to be humorous.

Other common Vistani curses include the Poisoned Carrot, a curse that compels the target to pursue something and at the same time renders the goal impossible to enjoy, and the Doombringer, which causes misfortune to follow the victim everywhere. The most feared Vistani curse is the mishamel, which literally causes the target to melt! The mishamel is reserved for the most heinous crimes. It is a lethal curse that at first causes only perspiration for four days. The sweating is mild on the first day but quickly worsens and becomes profuse and repugnant by the fourth. After the fourth day, the victim can no longer recover hit points naturally and must make a Fortitude save (DC 20) each day or suffer 1 point each of permanent Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution damage. When the victim's Constitution finally reaches 0, she melts into a puddle of water and cannot be restored to life by any means.

The Vistani can render their curses even more effective if they possess a focus item. A focus item is an item belonging to the target, such as an article of clothing; a part of the target's body, such as hair or nail clippings; an item the target has handled within the last day; or an effigy or representation of the target. A focus item gives the Vistani a bonus to their curse check. The size of the bonus depends on the quality of the item. A piece of the target's body is worth +4 to the check, while an item belonging to the target is worth +3. An item handled by the target is worth +2, while an effigy is worth only +1.

The Vistani can withdraw their curses at will but almost never choose to do so. However, they almost always include an escape clause within the curse, as it renders the curse more effective. Besides, they believe few giorgio are clever enough to make use of escape clauses anyway.

The Evil Eye

A form of curse unique to the Vistani is the evil eye. Any Vistana can invoke this extraordinary power against an enemy, but females are more adept at this power. A Vistana can use this power up to three times a day.

• Evil Eye (Ex): The evil eye is treated as a gaze attack, save that the Vistana must take a standard action to employ it, and those merely looking at the Vistana are unaffected. The evil eye has one of the following effects, chosen by the Vistana. All saves against these effects are against a DC of 10 + 1/2 the Vistana's Hit Dice + the Vistana's Charisma modifier if the Vistana is a male, or 12 + 1/2 the Vistana's Hit Dice + the Vistana's Charisma modifier if the Vistana is a female.

• Paralysis: The target must make a Will save. Those who fail are paralyzed for 1d4+l rounds. Targets who fail their save by more than 4 are paralyzed for two rounds then go into convulsions that last for three rounds. These convulsions cause 1d8 points of damage each round. After the convulsions stop, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 15). Success means the target falls unconscious, though this state more closely resembles sleep; the target can be awakened easily. Failure means the target dies immediately.

• Fear: The target must make a Will save. Failure means the target is treated as though under the effects of a fear spell. The effect lasts for 1d4+l rounds.

• Domination: The target must make a Will save. Failure means the target is treated as though under the effects of a dominate person spell. The effect lasts for 1d4+l rounds.

• Suggestion: The target must make a Will save. Failure means that the target is treated as though under the effects of a suggestion spell. The effect lasts one day, or until the suggested task is completed.

The Sight

Only slightly less fabled than the evil eye is the Vistani power to see into the past and future. Only female Vistani possess this power; Vistani legends hold that men who seek to tell fortunes invite destruction to themselves and their entire caravan.

The method used by a Vistani seer to tell fortunes is entirely up to the individual. Some Vistani prefer to use crystal balls, while others prefer astrology. The most well-known method of fortunetelling is the tarokka deck, a deck of cards, each bearing a different archetypal image. Each card has a different meaning to the Vistani, and the order and context in which each card is drawn affects that meaning. Tarokka reading is an art form, and the fortunes told by the tarokka can be quite complex and detailed.

In the end, though, the method used by the seer is only a focus. The true power of fortune-telling lies within the individual, and the accuracy of the fortune depends solely on the skill of the seer.

There is one limitation of note on the power of the Vistani Sight. The Vistani as a whole are unable to see their own past and future with any clarity. They can see themselves in the past or future indirectly, while telling fortunes for others, but these moments will be vague and indistinct. Great though their powers are, even the Vistani are unable to know their own destiny.

The Vistani do not like to discuss these matters, but male Vistani with the power of the Sight are born every so often. They are always put to death immediately. A prescient male is known as a Dukkar, and they are believed to be creatures of great evil. The Vistani have several tales of Dukkars who managed to survive to adulthood, and none of them are pleasant.

Mist Navigation

Vistani have the uncanny ability to navigate their way through the Mists that surround and pervade Ravenloft. The Vistani simply direct their caravan into a bank of mist and emerge a few minutes later in another. The intervening distance may be hundreds of miles, and the Vistani can freely travel between the islands, the clusters, and the Core. The Vistani can take travelers with them and are usually willing to do so for a price. As the only beings both able to navigate the Mists and willing to profit from the ability, they are free to command almost any price they wish. The voyages through the Mists are always on target, but not always without danger. Many horrors lurk inside the Mists, and the Vistani have become accustomed to fighting them off.

Tracking Magic

While the Vistani are often skilled at mundane forms of tracking, more impressive is the Vistani power to mystically track individuals across great distances. Common foci for this power are divining rods and lodestones. The ability appears to be infallible no matter the distance to target. If the Vistani want to find you, they will. Magical protection against detection or location can block this power, but the Vistani are clever enough to use indirect methods if necessary, such as tracking down the target's friends or allies.

Static Burn

The Vistani are compelled to stay mobile. This is not a mere psychological compulsion, but is an actual physical affliction. Vistani who stay within a mile of any point for longer than a week begin to fall ill. The illness, resembling a flu or fever, is not life threatening or seriously debilitating, but it is only a symptom of the true problem. After 1d6+1 days of illness, the Vistani loses all of her magical powers, and they can never be regained. These Vistani are known as mortu, a word whose closest translation is "living dead." To the Vistani, the mortu are no longer Vistani, but are instead akin to giorgio. Mortu are despondent and restless at best, mentally unbalanced at worst.

Tasques and Tribes

The Vistani can be divided into three groups, each sharing similar cultures, attitudes, and ways of life. The Vistani call these groups tasques. The three tasques are the Kaldresh, the Boem, and the Manusa. Each tasque is further divided into tribes. The exact number of Vistani tribes is not known for certain, but van Richten's research uncovered seven: three in the Kaldresh tasque and two each in the Boem and Manusa tasques. Information on each tasque and tribe is given below.

Kaldresh

The Vistani of the Kaldresh tasque are generally the most practical of the Vistani, concerning themselves more with crafts and trade than entertainment or mysticism. Kaldreshites tend to be physically fit and well suited for long travel and hard labor. They are pragmatic and somber in both dress and demeanor, eschewing unnecessary ostentation.

The Kaldresh are polite to giorgio and put up with insults and harassment that Vistani of other tasques would not likely suffer. This is merely an extension of their practicality, as they recognize the importance and necessity of giorgio coin. This is not to say that they are friendly with giorgio; they suffer their company but almost never accept them as friends.

• Powers: The Kaldresh are the tasque least concerned with mystical matters, but they are not without powers of their own. They are apparently extremely long lived, and indeed, the Kaldresh believe that they are removed from time altogether. They do not appear to mean this metaphorically, and their powers of fortune-telling would seem to support their beliefs. A Kaldreshite seer is able to see events far in the past or in the future as if they were occurring now, and to the Kaldresh that may indeed seem to be the case. The Kaldresh also have an unusual talent for locating conflict. Wherever blood is about to be spilled in war, it seems as though the Kaldresh have already arrived, ready to sell weapons or provide healing to the soldiers.

Boemians

Unlike the Kaldresh, the Boemians strive for ostentation. They lack the Kaldreshite talents for crafts, so they turn to services instead, and the service they specialize in is entertainment. The Boem flair for entertainment pervades their lives. Boem caravans are constantly accompanied by music. The people sing as they go about their daily business. Their vardos are heavily decorated and their clothing brightly colored. Even giorgio who fear and hate the Vistani cannot help but be entranced by the sounds and sights of a passing Boem caravan.

The Boemians are a passionate people, and their moods shift abruptly. In public, out among the giorgio, the Boemians are charming, lively, and romantic. They are open and friendly but cultivate just enough mystery to leave the giorgio curious and eager. In private, amongst only themselves, the Boemians are dark, angry, and brooding. They lament having to play the clowns for foolish townspeople who despise them. They bitterly deride giorgio for their settled lifestyle, yet they are equally jealous that they have no home to call their own. Boem camps are quiet and tense with a palpable feeling of anger in the air. They do not sing at night as they do in the day, instead telling tales of tragedy and horror. The Boemians are a tormented people, yet every morning they find the resolve to go forth and make merry once more.

• Powers: The Boemians do not take a very mystical view of themselves or the world. They do not see themselves as removed from time as the Kaldresh do, and indeed their life spans appear to be much shorter than those of the Kaldresh. For them, time marches on inexorably and immovably, and no creature is capable of escaping it. This does not mean the Boemians lack the Kaldreshite skill at fortune-telling, however. Indeed, if the past and future are fixed and certain, as the Boem believe, all one has to do is map their course. Boemian seers are often able to see specific moments in the past or future with total clarity, but what lies between then and now may be a mystery. How well a seer guesses what lies between then and now is the true measure of his skill. The Boemians seem to radiate a calming influence on others. Having negative feelings in the presence of a Boemian is a difficult thing to do. Anyone in the presence of a Boemian must make a Will save (DC 15) each round to maintain a negative feeling such as anger, suspicion, or hatred. Those who fail find those feelings suddenly dissipate, scattered by the Boemians natural likability. In game terms, those who fail the save ignore the Boemian's Outcast Rating, reacting to the Boemian as they would to their fellow townspeople. This effect is similar to the charm person spell, and any being immune to that spell is unaffected. Individuals with a specific reason to hate or dislike the Boemian, or Boemians as a whole, get a +4 bonus to their save and need save only once to be immune to the effect for the rest of the encounter.

Manusa

The Manusa are the most exotic and aloof of the three tasques. Their numbers are far fewer than those of the other tasques, with perhaps as few as one caravan representing each tribe. Unlike other Vistani tasques, they do not market goods or services to the giorgio. Seeking out their company is a wasted effort, for they are never found unless they wish to be, and they usually wish to be alone. Even other Vistani find the Manusa impossible to track down. When they are encountered, the Manusa are taciturn and distant. They rarely answer questions, and when they do their responses are cryptic. When they wish to speak, their words are direct and brief, with no time wasted on pleasantries. They care little for their appearance and are often disheveled and dirty as a result. They grow their hair long, and the men do not trim their beards or mustaches. The men dress in simple wool robes and caps, while the women where colorful dresses and scarves. The Manusa appear older on average than most Vistani, and more burned and beaten by the weather. Their eyes are bright and piercing.

• Powers: The known powers of the Manusa are vast, and it is almost a certainty that they possess other powers that remain mysterious. The Manusa appear to be able to manipulate time as if it were plaything. While the Kaldresh stand removed from time, and the Boemians know it as an irresistible force, the Manusa bend it to suit their whims. They can see through time as others might through a window, walk through it as others might through a doorway. They can even take others with them if they choose. Time is so malleable to them as to be almost meaningless. The Manusa also seem to be able to command the very Mists themselves, a power at least as impressive and daunting as their control over time. They can cause the Mists to rise at will and can use them to travel to any part of Ravenloft they wish in an instant. The nature of these powers is a mystery, and it may be best that it remains so. The Manusa do not appear inclined to use their great powers for personal gain; any others who managed to gain hold of their secrets would almost certainly lack their restraint.

The thirst for vengeance carries its own terrible power. When an injustice is committed, the Dark Powers hear the cries of the wronged. If their need for justice is great enough — and if their hatred burns hotly enough — the Dark Powers may respond. Curses carry the cruel and poetic justice of Ravenloft, but they are also evil, and begotten of evil.

This section provides guidelines for laying curses and judging their severity and effects.

Types of Curses

Curses in Ravenloft fall into three basic groups. Adventures are most familiar with the type of curses created by spellcasters — such as a cleric casting bestow curse. In Ravenloft, however, any character can lay a curse; granted by the Dark Powers and fueled by the hatred of the wronged party, these are known as curses of vengeance. Lastly, there are those who willingly or unwittingly draw the forces of wrath down on themselves; these are self-induced curses.

Curses of Vengeance

Curses of vengeance are common in Gothic tales. A curse of vengeance is brought into being when a character believes herself to be wronged and, in her outrage, wishes damnation upon the offender. Even the humblest peasant can call on terrifyingly powerful forces. Examples might include the following:

• The lord of an estate sets his hounds on a young Vistani boy caught poaching. The slain boy's mother promises that the lord will also lose his firstborn. When the man later sires a child, it is born a murderous spirit naga.

• A hedge wizard is falsely accused of murdering children and burned as a witch. Even as the flames lick at her feet, she swears to one day return and destroy the village that wronged her.

Laying a curse of vengeance requires a curse check (see "Laying the Curse," below). A curse of vengeance does not grant the target a saving throw, nor can spell resistance protect against it.

Magical Curses

Magical curses are those spellcasters create through effects like bestow curse or geas. The advantage of curses empowered by magic is that they bypass the curse check, automatically taking effect. However, since they are magical, the victim does receive a saving throw (as listed under the spell description), and spell resistance does apply. Virtually any spell effect with lasting, deleterious effects can appear in Ravenloft's folklore as a curse. Curselike spells like insanity, polymorph other, and unhallow appear in many cautionary tales. However, casting these spells does not incur the curse rules used in this section (although curses of vengeance may mirror their effects).

Self-Induced Curses

In some cases, a curse's invoker and its victim are one and the same person. Driven by inner lusts or obsessions, a character summons the attention of malign forces, voluntarily drawing damnation down upon herself. The most notorious example of a self-induced curse is the tale of Strahd von Zarovich, as told in the Book of Strahd, Desperate to regain what he saw as a wasted youth and steal his younger brother Sergei's fiancee for himself, Strahd made a pact with death and willingly murdered Sergei to seal the bargain. Strahd was granted the youth he desired — the eternal and hollow youth of a vampire — and cursed to be forever haunted by the woman he betrayed. In Ravenloft, these self-induced curses are enforced by the Dark Powers and are called powers checks, which are detailed in the next section. Any character who desires the dark gifts of corruption can willingly fail a powers check, proving her sincerity by performing "Act of Ultimate Darkness."

Crafting the Curse

The first and most important step of invoking any curse is the creation of the curse itself. Every curse is unique and capable of producing nearly any result. The more atmospheric the curse, the better chance it has of gaining the ear of the Dark Powers.

Wording

Let us return to the example of the falsely accused witch. It's not very gripping if her dying words are a trite, "Mark my words, I'll be back! And when I return, you'll all be sorry!" To make matters worse, the vague curse fails to explain how it will take effect. But consider if that same accused witch settled into an unnatural calm once the fire was lit, staring intensely at each face in the jeering crowd, then delivered this speech as the flames consumed her:

"You would burn me in the name of seven slain babes. The blood of your children is not on my hands — but it will be! Seven children from each generation shall I claim! Seven children times seven winters! And once I have claimed my due, I shall be born again — as one of you! As one of your own children, I shall bring ruin to you all!"

This version of the curse is much more impressive. Not only is the hatred and resolve of the character invoking the curse made clear, the curse provides specific guidelines as to how it will take effect.

A curse should also reflect the personality of the invoker and the circumstances in which the curse is laid. A curse invoked by a character wise in the ways of curses, who has time to contemplate her revenge, may use highly stylized or even poetic language. The legendary curse said to guard the tomb of Tutankhamun, "Death Shall Come on Swift Wings to Him Who Disturbs the Peace of the King," is an excellent example. The wronged Vistani mother seeking revenge against the manor lord might present her curse in the form of a rhyme:

You, who slew my only son; You, no better than a snake! Here is wisdom cruelly won: Sire so son, for your own sake.

On the other hand, a character gurgling her last words on the end of a brigand's sword lacks the time for soliloquies. A dying character, or a crude brute, might spit out a curse that is short and sweet. A wronged caliban might hiss, "May the world repay you with all the kindness you've shown me." The offender afflicted with this curse might be cursed with a physical deformity, incurring OR modifiers, whenever she treats other people with rudeness or cruelty.

Game Mechanics

Curses should at least imply specific effects, but they should never directly mention game mechanics. Cursing a barbarian to "lose 2 points of Strength when you most need it" disrupts the setting's atmosphere and should be avoided. However, if the same curse is phrased, "May your strength fail you when you most need it," it achieves the same effect and preserves the flow of the game.

Broad Prohibitions

A curse that simply prohibits a character from using her abilities — such as a curse that robs a wizard of her ability to cast spells or permanently cripples an ability score — often results in causing frustration, not torment. A far more insidious and effective curse allows the accursed to retain her abilities but makes her suffer whenever she uses them. A better curse for the wizard would be to suffer blinding headaches that strike whenever she casts a spell, inflicting 1 point of subdual damage per spell level. Curses that warp, rather than destroy, a character's abilities have a better chance of taking effect.

Crime and Punishment

Curses should be tailored to reflect the offense that provoked them. The most effective curses remind the offender of her transgressions every time they manifest. Our examples of the accused witch and the aggrieved Vistana both provide curses that fit the crime, as does the tale of Strahd von Zarovich.

Further examples of tailored curses could include a brutal thug who commits murder in a fit of rage and is then cursed to transform into a werebeast whenever the rage returns; an opera diva who poisons a rival singer, but then discovers that her singing voice has become shrilly inhuman; or a cowardly soldier who abandons his allies before a battle, and is then cursed to flee forever, suffering nightmares if he sleeps in the same place twice.

Constant vs. Triggered Effects

Curses generally manifest either constant or triggered effects. A constant effect continually plagues the character, with no respite. These effects can include such drastic changes as being polymorphed into another type of creature, permanent blindness, or the curse of undeath. Usually, however, they are much more mild; a severe curse with constant effects may be considered to have "broad prohibitions" and thus has less chance of taking effect.

A triggered effect manifests only under certain conditions, or when the accursed character performs specific actions. An afflicted lycanthrope, forced to transform into a ravenous beast in the light of the full moon, is a classic example of a triggered curse. Further examples might include a rogue who stutters whenever she lies, or a young heir whose alignment will gradually shift to evil if she ever returns to her ancestral estate. The example of the aggrieved Vistana offers another triggered curse: if the manor lord never fathers a son, the curse will never manifest. If the afflicted character can avoid the conditions that trigger her curse, she can still lead a normal existence.

Escape Clauses

Every curse should contain an "escape clause" — a means by which the accursed character can free herself from the effects of the curse. In Ravenloft, magic cannot permanently dispel curses, so the inclusion of an escape clause is vital. In the case of lethal curses like undeath, removing the curse may result in the death of the accursed, but even this is a form of release. Most of the time, though, a curse should offer a more substantial chance of escape.

Escape clauses take one of two forms, avoidance or redemption. Avoidance clauses allow the accursed to stop the curse from manifesting by avoiding the conditions that trigger it. A fighter cursed to lose her strength whenever she wields a sword might switch to another weapon, for example. All curses with triggered effects include an avoidance clause by their very nature.

Redemption clauses offer a way for the accursed to permanently break the curse. A character might be cursed to never see her home again until she has come to the aid of seven Vistani; when she completes those seven good deeds, the curse is lifted. Consider the curse of the accused witch one more time: her curse predicts that seven of the villagers' children will die each winter for seven years, after which the invoker will return to destroy the village. If the villagers — or the heroes they call on for help — can disrupt the pattern of deaths, the curse may be broken. If forty-nine children have not died within seven years, the wrathful spirit will move on to its final rest.

Severity

Once the DM approves or creates the curse, she must judge how powerfully the curse would affect the victim's life. The DM should apply a severity level to each curse, using the guidelines below. Curse severity is divided into five ranks: embarrassing, frustrating, troublesome, dangerous, and lethal. A sixth rank is reserved solely for those curses that bind darklords to their domains and is detailed under "Powers Checks."

Embarrassing Curses

These are the least powerful of curses, used to repay relatively harmless transgressions. They can inflict only minor physical or behavioral changes. The accursed character suffers a +1 modifier to her Outcast Rating whenever the effects of her curse are apparent, but curses of this severity cannot manifest any more serious game effects. A well-known example of an embarrassing curse is the Vistani penchant for staining thieves' hands black.

Examples

• Eyes turn a strange color or glow like embers.

• Minor spasms — facial tic or twitching fingers.

• Hair turns stark white or falls out.

• Open sores or skin blemishes.

• Forked tongue.

• Hands turn black or grow an extra finger.

• Gains a strange habit — bays at the moon, growls

when angry, always shredding something.

• Voice stutters or hisses.

• Hungers for raw meat, bones, or blood.

Frustrating Curses

These curses can interfere with the accursed character's everyday life. They are usually invoked to repay relatively moderate offenses. Frustrating curses can create minor game effects, such as draining Strength. The accursed character suffers a +2 modifier to her Outcast Rating when the effects of her curse are apparent.

Examples

• -2 to an ability score.

• -1 to attack rolls or a saving throw.

• Minor Fear, Horror, or Madness effect.

• Colorblindness.

• Significant physical change: face becomes bestial, fur or scales, hunchback, short tail, grow or shrink up to 1 foot, and so on.

• Voice sounds inhuman.

• Must eat a strange substance once a day: raw meat, blood, gold, soil, and so on.

Troublesome Curses

A curse of this severity dramatically alters the accursed character's lifestyle, though it cannot place the victim in mortal danger. Such curses can create major physical changes or even alter the personality of the accursed. Troublesome curses are usually invoked only to punish major offenses, where the offender has caused serious physical harm. The accursed character suffers a +4 modifier to her Outcast Rating when the effects of her curse are apparent.

Examples

• -4 to an ability score or -2 to two ability scores.

• -2 to attack rolls or a saving throw.

• Moderate Fear, Horror, or Madness effect.

• Deafness.

• Haunted by a victim's ghost.

• Major physical change: vestigial wings, hands become spindly and clawed or resemble paws, change sex, face becomes monstrous.

• Personality change: gain an uncontrollable lust for an object the curse prevents you from obtaining, or ethical alignment change.

Dangerous Curses

These curses drastically alter the accursed character's lifestyle and can impose major physical and/or mental changes. Fortunately, dangerous curses are typically invoked only to repay the most serious of offenses, such as murder or torture. A curse of this severity can often make the accursed character appear monstrous; she suffers a +6 modifier to her Outcast Rating when the effects of her curse are apparent.

Examples

• -6 to an ability score or -2 to up to three ability

scores.

• -3 to attack rolls or a saving throw.

• Blindness.

• Major Fear, Horror, or Madness effect.

• Afflicted lycanthropy.

• Can eat only a strange substance: raw flesh, blood,

bones, and so on.

• Moral alignment change when presented with

objects of desire.

• Polymorphed into an animal: toad, snake, hawk,

and so on.

• Stalked by a monster.

• Rise as an undead creature after you die.

Lethal Curses

Lethal curses are invoked only to punish the vilest of offenses and can shatter the afflicted character's way of life — or even cause her death. The invoker can lay a lethal curse only in a moment of intense emotion, usually grief or rage. The recipient of a lethal curse has often proven that she is beyond redemption. One of the most infamous examples of a lethal curse is the Vistani mishamel, which causes the victim to literally melt. Lethal curses can create immediate, drastic physical and mental changes. The accursed character suffers a +8 modifier to her Outcast Rating when the effects of her curse are apparent.

Examples

• -8 to an ability score, -4 to two ability scores, or -2

to four ability scores.

• -4 to attack rolls or a saving throw.

• Torturous death.

• Immediate, permanent transformation into a monster: hag, undead, construct, and so on.

• Permanent alignment change.

• Must kill once a day or suffer cumulative penalties.

Laying the Curse

Once the curse is created, the DM needs to determine whether it takes effect. All curses must be delivered in some demonstrable way — curses gain their strength from the emotion invested by the invoker. In most cases, the invoker speaks (or shrieks) the curse, loudly and clearly. However, curses are not sonic-based attacks; the target does not need to hear the curse for it to take effect, nor can silence spells prevent a curse from being laid. It is also possible to invoke curses through physical acts, such as inscribing words of warning on a tomb or pouring one's hatred into a cursed magic item.

Magical curses are resolved like any other spell. Curses of vengeance are resolved through a "curse check": a Charisma check modified by the situation. For the DM, the first steps of a curse check are to judge the curse's justification and the drama of the scene.

Justification

Justification is a measure of the Dark Powers' justice, weighing whether or not the target of the curse deserves to become its victim. It measures the severity of the offender's transgression against the invoker's need and desire for vengeance. The more justified a curse, the better chance it has of taking effect.

Note that justification is measured from the invoker's point of view — whether she believes she has been wronged is more important than the truth. A band of heroes may well be entirely justified in storming a villain's lair and striking her down to stop some gruesome sacrifice. But if that villain saw herself as having been terribly wronged — perhaps the sacrifices are preserving the life of a loved one — then her dying curse could still be highly justified. In game terms, justification falls into three categories:

Unjustified: These curses are baseless; the target of the curse does not deserve to be punished, and the invoker knows it. A character who tries to abuse the power of curses by flinging them at every foe she encounters may soon find all of her curses falling into this category. Curses can also be considered unjustified if the invoker tries to punish a minor transgression with a curse of too high severity.

Justified: These curses are generally fair. The invoker has been wronged, the target does deserve some punishment, and the severity of the curse is a good match for the severity of the transgression. Curses that would otherwise be highly justified can slip to this category if the punishment is too severe. The accused witch is a good example: she has been terribly wronged, and the villagers do deserve her wrath. Yet her curse is too monstrous and harms the guilty parties through their innocent children.

Highly Justified: These curses are invoked to repay terrible transgressions. The invoker must have suffered a terrible wrong, and the target must truly deserve to be punished for the crime. For a curse to be highly justified, the offender usually needs to have performed an act worthy of a powers check. The grieving Vistana is an example of a highly justified curse — the manor lord has killed the invoker's son, and he is unlikely to receive justice through any other means.

Drama

Curses that enhance the drama of the scene are more powerful than those that add nothing to the game's atmosphere. Calmly tossing off a curse as though making a quip about the weather carries very low drama.

Meanwhile, a curse delivered in a hysterical display of grief, with the invoker tearing at her hair and weeping uncontrollably, would probably be considered high drama, as would any curse delivered so powerfully that the players all pause from the game for a moment to soak it in. Of special note are curses delivered as the invoker's dying words. If the invoker uses her final breath to spit her outrage and hatred at the target of the curse, the curse will have a better chance of taking effect. The invoker always dies immediately after delivering such a curse, however, even if she might otherwise have been saved. Some sages believe that the invoker somehow channels her life force into the curse itself, adding to its strength. It is known that people who die with a curse on their lips cannot be raised until their dying curse has run its

course.

Making the Curse Check

When one NPC curses another, the DM should usually decide whether the curse takes effect based on one simple question: does it add to the story? An evocative curse that enhances the drama of a scene should take effect, while a lackluster curse should not.

If a player character is involved, either as the invoker or the target of a curse, curses of vengeance are resolved through a curse check. To make a curse check, follow these steps:

1.Craft the Curse. The invoker creates a curse, paying special attention to its wording. An evocative curse is more effective than one that is vague or hastily thrown together.

2. Determine Justification. The DM decides how justified the curse is. This determines the DC of the Charisma check: Highly Justified DC 20 Justified DC 25 Unjustified DC 30

3. Determine Severity. The DM judges the extent of the curse's effects and applies a severity level, ranging from embarrassing to lethal.

4. The Powers Check. The DM rolls a powers check for the invoker. The chance of failure is based on the curse's severity (see the next section, "Powers Checks"). If the invoker fails the powers check, the Dark Powers have heard and responded to her dark desire. The curse has a better chance of taking effect, but the invoker must pay a terrible price.

5. Determine Modifiers. Tally all the applicable curse check modifiers from Table 3-5.

6. Roll the Curse Check. The invoker rolls a Charisma check against the DC set by justification, adding all applicable modifiers. If the curse check succeeds, the curse takes effect.

Lifting Curses

The only way to permanently free an afflicted character from a curse in Ravenloft is through the curse's escape clause. The Vistani can revoke their curses at will, but no other invoker can do so — once the curse takes effect, it assumes a life of its own.

Some spells (like remove curse) can offer temporary relief from the effects of curses, but the accursed character must first succeed at a Will save. For magical curses, the DC of the spell's saving throw is determined normally, but the severity of the curse adds an additional modifier, as shown below.

For example, if an 8th-level cleric with scores of 15 in Wisdom and Charisma casts bestow curse to lay a troublesome curse, the saving throw DC is 10 + 3 (spell level) + 2 (wisdom modifier) +2 (severity modifier), for a final DC of 17. With curses of vengeance, the DC of this save is 10 + 1/2 the invoker's HD + invoker's Charisma modifier + severity modifier. If this same cleric invoked a troublesome curse of vengeance, the save would be DC 18 (10 + 4 + 2 +2).

Curse DC

Severity Modifier

Embarrassing 0

Frustrating +1

Troublesome +2

Dangerous +3

Lethal +6