Race: The Curst

Curst

Related to humans, the curst are a fallen lineage - the remnants of a once-glorious aristocracy brought low by divine wrath. In a forgotten age, their ancestors ruled a decadent and indulgent kingdom that, through arrogance or blasphemy, grievously offended the gods. The punishment was absolute. Their lands were shattered, their legacy erased, and their bloodline forever marked.

Every descendant of that lineage now bears the curse.

The curst are nearly indistinguishable from humans at a glance, capable of displaying the full range of human ethnicities and features. However, each curst carries a visible imperfection - a physical manifestation of divine judgment. These deformities vary widely in severity, from a subtle limp or twisted hand to blindness, withered limbs, or unsettling asymmetry of the face. No curst is born without a mark.

Curst age as humans do through early adulthood, but once they reach later years, their aging slows considerably. Many live as long as half-elves. Among scholars and priests alike, it is widely believed this longevity is no blessing, but rather an extension of the punishment - a prolonged existence in which suffering, bitterness, and memory are given time to deepen.

Psychologically, the curst tend toward rigid thinking, fatalism, and brooding introspection. Many struggle under the weight of inherited shame and social rejection. While not universally cruel, their cultural and emotional tendencies often manifest as cold pragmatism, simmering resentment, or explosive anger. As a result, a significant number drift toward lawful evil alignments, though exceptions certainly exist - often defined by extraordinary resilience or defiance of their lineage.

Curst Racial Traits

• Ability Score Adjustments: +2 Intelligence, –2 Charisma
  Curst minds are sharp, analytical, and often introspective, but their presence is unsettling and their demeanor off-putting.
• Type: Humanoid (Human)
  Curst are treated as humans for any effect related to race.
• Size: Medium
• Base Land Speed: 30 feet
• Bonus Skill Points: Curst gain 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 additional skill point at each level thereafter, as humans do.
• Bonus Feat: Curst gain one bonus feat at 1st level, as humans do.
• Saving Throws: +2 racial bonus on Will saves
  The curse steels the mind even as it erodes the spirit.
• Shadowed Presence (Ex): +2 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks
  A lifetime of being unwelcome has taught the curst how to go unnoticed.
• Cursed Resilience (Ex): Curst are immune to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
  Their minds are closed systems - isolated, hardened, and difficult to reach by magic or emotion alike. (DM Note - This is extremely powerful. See balance note below.)
• Low-Light Vision (Ex): Curst can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
• Deformity: Every curst begins play with a visible physical deformity. This has no default mechanical penalty, but may impose circumstance penalties on social checks at the DM’s discretion depending on severity and context.
• Automatic Language: Common
• Bonus Languages: Any (except secret languages such as Druidic)
• Favored Class: Any
  The curst inherit the adaptability of their human ancestors.

Aging Effects

Curst mature at the same rate as humans but age more slowly in later life.

• Adulthood: 15
• Middle Age: 35
• Old: 93
• Venerable: 125
• Maximum Age: As half-elf (PHB)