So. The stereotypical Lovecraftion madness trope, and the accompanying system of Sanity Scores is.. Well in my opinion it’s not very interesting or tasteful most of the time. Seeing something alien to your worldview won’t turn someone into a sputtering cultist of whatever that thing is, and such systems rarely really model what’s going on in the fiction.
Hence, my rules for Corruption. Corruption represents your character being warped and twisted by the weirdness they encounter.
Corruption and Curses
Every character starts at Corruption Level: 0. The first time a character reaches 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 Corruption Points, they gain a Corruption Level. Corruption maxes out at 100, and Corruption Level at 10.
A character takes additional damage from all sources of damage equal to their Corruption Level. Every time a character gains a Corruption Level, they gain a Curse. Either a random one from the Curse Table below, or a specific one from the source of the Corruption Level. At Corruption Level 10, your first Curse is upgraded into a Final Curse. A Final Curse is calamitous and removes your character from the game, at least as a player character. Of course, they often do so by turning said Character into a monster.
Anything that would drain levels now gives the victim X Corruption Points, where X is equal to twice the levels it would have drained. Cursed Items may give Corruption Points every time they are used.
A Curse is made of four components. It’s name, it’s ability, it’s drawback, and the form it takes as a Final Curse. A curse’s ability must always be active or have an active benefit, which should give more Corruption when used.
Removing Corruption
Any spell that returns Negative Levels can remove Xd4 Corruption Points, where X is equal to [Spell Level] or [Magic Dice]. Drinking holy water will remove a point of Corruption for every liter consumed.
Corruption Levels and Curses cannot be removed. Such a deep warping of one’s self cannot be truly undone. Not by mortal hands. And even if they would be removed, it just means a new Curse, new Corruption, can fill that hole.
Random/Example Curse Table
1: Curse of the Drowned
Ability: When you touch someone, you can gain a point of Corruption to make them Save. On a failed save, their lungs are filled with water.
Drawback: You cannot swim. If you enter water, you plummet to the bottom at incredible speeds.
Final Curse: You instantly drown, and your corpse rises again an hour later as an undead NPC, flesh soaked to your rotten bones. Anyone within 10’ of you has to save versus the Curse’s ability every turn.
2: Minor Vampirism
Ability: Your tongue becomes a mosquito like proboscises. You can attack someone with it to drink their blood. This deals 1d6 plhs [Corruption Level] damage, and heals you an equal amount of HP. If this would heal you above your max HP, gain that much corruption.
Drawback: You must kill someone by feeding every week or die.
Final Curse: Your body starts to shake and crack. In an hour you will become a NPC and crawl out of your old body as a True Vampire, a blood hungry and mosquito-like monster that regenerates incredibly quickly. The beast will attempt to devour and convert as many mortals as it can find.
3: Demon Arm
Ability: Your left arm turns black, the flesh on it twists and writhes, with crimson claws for fingers. The arm has a 10’ reach, and the claws deal 1d6. The arm can devour anything that fits into the palm of it’s hand, absorbing it into your flesh, giving you a point of Corruption every time you do so.
Drawback: If your Demon Arm is exposed to sunlight, it burns and starts to smoke, making you lose [Corruption Level] Max HP for the rest of the day.
Final Curse: Your cursed flesh devours your body as the arm swells. You turn into an eternally hungry demon which heals 1 HP every minute, making it immortal. It does not regenerate under sunlight. The cursed arm now resembles a mass of crimson worms in the shape of a clawed arm(20’ reach, 2d6 damage, same devouring as the Ability).
4: Midas Flesh
Ability: Your flesh takes on a golden sheen. You can consume wealth to heal yourself. For every silver you consume, you heal 1 HP and gain 1 Corruption.
Drawback: Your flesh starts to grow heavy and burdensome. Lose [Corruption Level] movement.
Final Curse: You instantly die and turn into a golden statue. Your statue is worth [Your Max HP times 10] Gold. The first [your level] beings to touch your corpse must Save or suffer the effects of your Final Curse.
5: Body Thief
Ability: When you make eye contact with a creature, you gain up to [Corruption Level] Corruption to possess it for that many minutes. When you do so, your body falls asleep, and if it dies, you die as well.
Drawback: Your body is weak and frail. Your physical stats are reduced by [Corruption Level] to a minimum of 1.
Final Curse: Your body dies, and you become a hateful, body-stealing, and ever hungry spirit NPC. You possess the nearest creature, and whenever you possess a creature, the body you leave dies.
6: Eyes of the Gorgon
Ability: Your eyes turn into grey orbs. When you make eye contact with a creature, you can gain X Corruption, where X is equal to its HD, to make the creature save. If they fail the save, they are turned to stone for [Corruption Level] days.
Drawback: You become cold blooded. Unless you spend an hour warming up, every roll you make in a day is made with disadvantage.
Final Curse: You start to shed your skin. In an hour you will emerge from your old skin as a Gorgon NPC. A Gorgon is a monster with the upper half of a sapient species, the lower half of a serpent, and snakes for hair. Anyone who looks upon a Gorgon risks being turned to stone (Every time someone looks at a Gorgon, they must save or be turned to stone) . The Gorgons are filled with a terrible hunger for petrified flesh and wealth.
Author’s Note
While the example curses are more Fantasy then Lovecraftian, I imagine it should be easy to come up with Curses that fit that genre. Simply focus on Curses that warp the mind and draw attention from whatever eldritch nightmares infest your settings.
I’m probably going to make a Book of Curses at some point as well. And some classes that play with Corruption.
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