Rifts China 1

eggs, no milk from cows and goats, no birth of new animals, fe­ Duration of Curse: 4D6 weeks, but even a four week drought
tuses miscarry and animals ready to give birth within I D4 is enough to destroy or damage one entire season of crops
weeks see their young stillborn. (stunted size, poor quality and half the usual amount).

If cast upon a man, he becomes impotent, infertile and suffers Special Way to Lift the Curse: It is common knowledge that
from low self-esteem. It is worse for a woman, because she can­ if the curse cannot be lifted by any other means, killing the vic­
not conceive, and if already with child (under 24 weeks), the fe­ tim of the curse (the one who has brought them suffering) as a
tus dies (miscarries) within I D6 days. If the fetus is older than human sacrifice to the evil force responsible immediately stops
24 weeks, the woman suffers from horrible back and stomach the drought and brings rain. Even villagers of a good alignment
pains for 2D6+20 days before the child is delivered weeks early, will consider this remedy if they are desperate, especially if the
dead. The sense of loss is terrible. cursed character is doing nothing or little to fix the problem
himself. Diabolic and vengeful ghosts and demons love this so­
Penalties : Beside the obvious, reduce M.A. and M.E. by half, lution.
P.E. and P.B. by 1 0%, and adjust any attribute bonuses accord­
ingly. Skill performance is also - 1 0%. Curse of Feebleness

Duration of Curse: 5D6 weeks. The accursed becomes very weak and easily tired. Fatigues
twice as quickly as usual, and is physically spent after modest
Note: This curse may be more appropriate as a plot device in exertion.
which a Non-Player Character (perhaps an important lord or no­
ble) hires the player characters to rid him or his wife of this Penalties : Reduce P.S., P.P., P.E., and Spd attributes by half
curse, requiring the group to fmd the demon or ghost responsi­ (also reduce attribute bonuses accordingly). Reduce S.D.C. by
ble and get it to lift the curse one way or the other. half, and attacks per melee round are - 1 . Skill performance takes
twice as long as it should and the character needs to rest often.
Curse of Delirium
Duration of Curse: 2D6 weeks - an eternity for a warrior, ad­
The victim' s mind is fried with fever, making the character venturer or someone who relies on hard labor for survival (i.e.
delirious and confused. farmer, woodcutter, soldier, and most ancient occupations).

Penalties: All combat bonuses of the accursed are reduced to Curse of Fever
zero, the number of attacks are reduced by half, Spd is reduced
by half, and all skills are performed at only 3 0%. Worse, the The victim ofthis curse falls ill with fever.
character is out of his head, meaning he doesn't always remem­ Penalties: -3 on initiative, -2 to strike, parry, dodge or dis­
ber the people he knows, often mistaking them as strangers or arm, fmds it difficult to think clearly (-20% on skill perfor­
people from his past. He relives the past and forgets what is go­ mance), and feels weak and sluggish, wants to sleep. When the
ing on in the present and thinks he' s living in a different place or fevered character falls asleep it is a deep slumber and he doesn't
period (typically the past, but sometimes the future or a fantasy hear even loud noises around him, only shaking the character
world). Furthermore, he will think the one who cursed him is his wakes him up. Must drink water or fluids (including soups and
best friend, mistakes ghosts for the living, and is often oblivious teas) to avoid dehydration. Fever and dehydration doubles the
to danger around him. penalties and reduces P.P.E., I.S.P., P.S. and Spd by half.
Duration of Curse: 2D6 weeks.
Duration of Curse: I D6 weeks.
Curse of Fleas
Curse of Drought
The cursed individual is suddenly infested with fleas, lice or
This curse causes the rain to skip the victim' s land/crops, other tiny, biting insects associated with uncleanliness. The ori­
causing 2D4x 1 O% of the crops, fruit and vegetation to wither gin of the infestation being a curse, even baths, shaving one's
and die from lack of water. Brush fIres and dust storms may also hair and normal medical treatments are ineffective at getting rid
result from the ultra-dry and hot conditions. Though all of the of them.
victim' s land holdings are not destroyed, damage always starts
with the most valuable. In addition, underground wells and Penalties: Reduce M.A. by half and P.B. by 1 0% because the
streams (temporarily) run dry, making water a desperately character is constantly scratching, and the tiny insects can be
needed resource. Note: If the cursed character doesn't own any seen crawling and hopping on the victim ' s body, which is gross.
land himself, the curse will fall upon his family or hometown, or In addition, the victim of the curse is - I on initiative and -1 to
current place of habitation, but people will suffer. Good charac­ strike, parry, and dodge, as well as -5% on the performance of
ters will want to remove the curse as quickly as possible so in­ skills due to the distraction and irritation of the bugs.
nocent people and animals don't suffer. Selfish and evil
characters may not care, unless the people affected demand they Duration of Curse: 4D6 weeks.
do something . . . or else.
Curse of the Forefather
Penalties : None to the individual himself, the ramifications to
his holdings, family, workers and neighbors, however, may be Out of nowhere, the cursed victim is harassed and faces po­
devastating. All will know he is cursed and ultimately responsi­ tential punishment for some sin/crime/shame committed by one
ble for their troubles (the demon or ghost will make sure of that)
and this could cause damage to his reputation, cause people to
shun him and worse (see Special Way to Lift the Curse).

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