Project Description

Sinclair’s Library’s cursed archetypes are alternative curses to the system standard’s, which replaces a player’s abilities with new cursed abilities over time and as the player levels up.

Design Focus

Fix the issue cause by the spell remove curse, which made curses meaningless and inconsequential. The alternative curse system had to be impactful and engaging enough to be memorable for both GM and players.

Difficulties

The Consuming Curses were a delicate balancing act. First, the balance between upsides and drawbacks for the player, to tempt the players to engage without becoming a boon rather than a curse. And second the balance between the player's agency over their own character and the Game Master's agency over the story and consequences of the curse over the player's character.

Solutions

Finding that balance was a multistep process. First, removing the curse had to take time and effort. Time to allow the Game Master to weave a narrative around the curse before it was lifted, and effort to create a point of friction and push the player to give a look at the alternative, not removing the curse at all. Second, since the curses are taking some character options away from the player, the path to removal had to be clear and precise from the moment of contraction, and within full control of the player, so that while contracting the curse was inflicted upon them, its progression and impact did not feel arbitrary and unclear. And finally, the curses' gifts and stains had to give something and take something else away in an equivalent exchange, so that it made the afflicted character different, rather than stronger or weaker than the rest of the party members.