How do you handle Cursed items?

I am homebrewing a 5e campaign and plan to have a cursed item or two. My plans was to put the Curse in the item properties, but then I realized once the party IDs the item, the Curse information will be visible. Fine if the item is un-IDed, but no good once IDed. Do most folks just keep track of the Curses outside FGU and relay that information to your players?

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Originally Posted by TungstenShark

I am homebrewing a 5e campaign and plan to have a cursed item or two. My plans was to put the Curse in the item properties, but then I realized once the party IDs the item, the Curse information will be visible. Fine if the item is un-IDed, but no good once IDed. Do most folks just keep track of the Curses outside FGU and relay that information to your players?

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Once a player attunes to a cursed item (or ID's the item through some spell or its just IDed) then by the very nature of the rules that item is "known" to be cursed. That is part of what ID means. ID can happen because you just have them already know it - or a spell is cast to ID it - or its attuned. Either way - ID means they know what it is IMHO. And you just make sure they cannot unequip it. You can hide effects from players if you want simply by making them GM only visible.

Identifying an item does not reveal a Curse. In the D&D mechanics I mean...obviously checking an item is IDed in FGU reveals everything. So they could cast Identify on an item for example and learn all about it, except the fact it is Cursed. And even once equipped and they realize it is Cursed, the bearer might not want other party members to know it is Cursed.

I think I have answered by own question on how to handle.

Create two of the item - one with the cursed infor and the other without. Give out the non cursed one in a treasure parcels. At the same time prepare any effects that will happen to the player with the cursed iten in the effects dialog and click the hidden button before applying those effects to the player. The player will not know they have the effects on them but will eventually realise that something isn't right. Once they do realise that the item is cursed then swap out the cursed item for the one you gave them first.

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Originally Posted by Zacchaeus

in the effects dialog and click the hidden button before applying those effects to the player

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Not a bad idea! By "hidden button" do you mean in the combat tracker?

He's talking about on the effects list, top right button on the FG desktop. There is an "eye" icon that makes an effect hidden or visible to the players.