"Mind your manners, friend. Before you refuse me service it would be wise for you to remember that I was once a Stone Dwarf the same as yourself. My family is not certain where this affliction comes from or how to cure it, but I can warn you that if you attempt to close that door again, you will taste a fraction of my torment. Are you prepared to risk that?"

Aramis Goldeye, moments before becoming wanted for murder

Cursed Ones are the victims of a bizarre affliction that has no known cure. Cursed Ones begin their lives as normal members of any of the other races of the Wildlands. However, around the age in which they reach puberty, a bizarre change overcomes them.  They become weak and ill. Their flesh begins to die on their bones, and on some, disappears completely. The process is slow and painful and lasts until they reach adulthood. When it is completed the person resembles a walking corpse, though they are not fully dead.

Their spirit and mind are still present and they retain their own personality (such as it is after going through such torment). But they are no longer fully a part of the natural world but their living spirit keeps the body from becoming fully undead. The Cursed Ones’ bodies are now corrupted by Chaos and can channel it freely, though Healing magic is now lethal to them. Their semi-undead physiology makes them completely immune to both disease and poison. Normally passive animals are often known to attack Cursed Ones for no apparent reason.

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of a Cursed One transformation is the fear and enmity of others. Many folk fear Cursed Ones as agents of Chaos and treat them as nothing more than undead monsters. Others simply fear them for their horrific appearance. It is common opinion that Cursed Ones are victims of a magical disease and not to be persecuted, but it happens anyway.

Many Cursed Ones embrace the change and are capable of becoming the most powerful necromancers in the realms. While some Earth scholars howl in protest over this, many a town has been saved by a Cursed One’s skillful use of chaos magic. Of equal note are the towns that have been destroyed in the same fashion.

Speculation on the origin and cure for the affliction is far reaching and often far fetched. In common knowledge, no one has ever been cured, and many have been destroyed in the attempt. The condition is often attributed to a curse placed on the parents of the child.

Advantages: Immune to many effects and spells (see below) Do not bleed out when at -1 Body Points Healed by necromancy. No Body damage from casting necromancy Limbs regenerate at sunset. Strength +1 after sunset (damage bonus applies to only 1 weapon) Fully affected by helpful undead spells. Can call Last Act of Vengeance		Makeup: Black makeup around both eyes (Optional) Other undead features Note: Like all characters, Cursed Ones may not wear fangs Although Cursed Ones were formerly one of the other Races, to avoid confusion, do not wear other racial makeup requirements (No pointed ears, hair stripes, tusks, racial tattoos, etc.) These features all disappear in the process becoming a Cursed One.
Disadvantages: Healing spells cause damage. Caster takes 1 Body Point of damage from casting healing. Daylight causes Weakness from 6am to 6pm Fully affected by detrimental undead spells.

Cursed Ones may not father or bear children once the curse takes effect. Any spell that normally heals damage instead causes Body Damage to Cursed Ones. By the same token, any Cause damage spell heals Cursed Ones by its stated amount instead of injuring them. The following spells affect Cursed Ones as if they were undead:

Destroy Undead: 70 points of Body Damage
Harm Undead: 30 points of Body Damage
Help Undead: Heal (up to) 30 points of Body Damage
Sanctuary: Full effect, Cursed One has no effect on character with melee weapons
Trap Undead: Character is under a Pin effect that Strength will not break out of
Release Undead: Will remove the effects of a Trap Undead spell

A Cursed One who is reduced to -1 Body Points does not bleed out. They will lie unconscious indefinitely until someone delivers a Killing Blow to them, First Aid is applied to them or until their Body Point total is raised to 1 or more by magic. First Aid works normally on Cursed Ones. Cursed Ones may still “choose to die” at any time once they are at -1 Body Points if they desire (such as if they feel no one is going to find them lying in the woods and they would rather get back in the game than lie out there all night)

If a Cursed One has a limb severed, it will regenerate fully at the next sunset.

During daylight hours, Cursed Ones suffer a Weakness effect (-4 damage to all weapon attacks). After dark however, their Strength is improved and they can call 1 extra point of damage with all melee weapons. This is an increase to weapon damage for one weapon.

Immune to Disease/Poison: While Cursed Ones take “No Effect” from diseases or poisons, if the effect is delivered as a carrier attack (i.e. a claw that calls “2 Disease”, or a weapon that calls “2 Weakness Poison”), the cursed one takes the damage portion but ignores the disease/poison effect (In the aforementioned examples, the Cursed One would take 2 points of normal damage, but ignore the poison/disease). Do NOT call out “No Effect” to these attacks; the correct response is to roleplay the damage.

Cursed Ones also take full effect from Acid. Acid is not considered a poison.

Last Act of Vengeance: Perhaps the most frightening aspect of a Curse One is the Last Act of Vengeance. If a Cursed One is slain, the Cursed One can choose not to resurrect. Instead, they will arise that night (from a resurrection juncture) to take Vengeance on one of his slayers. The player must inform a marshal of their decision, who will confirm the decision.

This act is final, for the Cursed One can never resurrect again after summoning this power.

The Last Act of Vengeance is called upon only one character. The Cursed One has until sunrise to locate this character and slay him. The Cursed One may not affect any other character during this time and is immune to attacks or effects from any character other than their chosen target. Upon rising for their Last Act of Vengeance, the Cursed One has full power, all Body Points, and used skills and spells are reset. The Cursed One remains active until the sun rises or the target is slain. Once the Last Act of Vengeance is over, the Cursed One is forever destroyed.

If the Cursed One successfully slays their target with a Last Act of Vengeance, they pour out some of the Chaos corrupting their spirits into the target, forcing them to suffer an Earth’s Weakening, increasing the likelihood that the target will be forever destroyed as well.

Note: If a player who is the target of a Last Act of Vengeance goes out of game for reason during the night he is being hunted, the Cursed One finds the strength to return on the next game night to complete the task.

Strength:
Cursed Ones have supernatural Strength during the game night (6pm-6am).  Certain feats of extraordinary strength are possible.  These are may include pushing heavy objects around, opening doors, winning contests of strength, adding to damage to weapons, and dragging unconscious people while running.  Generally these feats are role-playing in nature, and require a marshal to arbitrate what is and what is not possible.  Their Strength does not confer the ability to rip free from confining spells and effects including Pin, Bind, or Web (as such would require +2 or greater Strength). 

Combat damage from supernatural Strength works in the following way:  A Cursed One selects one weapon hand to have the +1 Strength.  Only that one limb increases the damage from weapons wielded in that hand.  Here are examples:

1. A Cursed One fighting with a Longsword (that does normally 2 damage) calls 3 Normal
2. A Cursed One fighting with a polearm (that does normally 3 damage) calls 4 Normal
3. A Cursed One is fighting with a Longsword (primary hand) and Shortsword (secondary hand).  Both swords normally do 2 damage.  The primary hand calls 3 Normal, and the secondary hand calls 2 Normal.  The +1 Strength bonus does not apply to both hands; only to the primary hand.

Weakness:

A Cursed One suffers Weakness as the spell effect during daylight hours (6am-6pm).  During that time, all physical attacks from the Cursed One suffer a -4 damage penalty, to a minimum of 0.  If a Cursed One is targeted by an additional Weakness spell or effect, that effect is taken as normal.  The reduced damage remains at -4, but the Weakness does not fade with the passing of the sun, but instead is removed as normal.  There is no way to remove the Weakness inspired by sunlight during the game day.