The Cup of Suffering is a wondrous item for Dungeons and Dragons.  It imposes an effect similar to that of the spell power word painThe cup does not have the same limitations as that spell though.  It can affect a creature immune to charm, and outside of combat, the effects persist for longer. This item also has the potential to affect multiple targets.

cup of suffering
I asked Bing Copilot for a goblet that would be painful to drink from. I think it nailed it.

Cup of Suffering

Wondrous Item, very rare

This ornate goblet appears to be made of gold inlaid with a silver pattern of barbed wire.  When the command word is uttered, any creature that drinks from the cup is wracked with crippling pain after 10 minutes. The pain lasts for 8 hours.

While the target is affected by crippling pain, any speed it has can be no higher than 10 feet. The target also has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, other than Constitution saving throws. Finally, if the target tries to cast a spell, it must first succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or the casting fails and the spell is wasted.

If the target is in combat it can make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, the pain ends.

This item is useful in a number of settings.  The Cup of Suffering may be used as part of a social encounter to remove an NPC from a situation or complete some other story related goal. The cup is likely to miss it’s target, or affect multiple targets if care isn’t taken. That could lead to some unfortunate drama. This scenario could, of course, be flipped on the players. A traitorous noble could invite them to a drink, and then imprison them while they are subdued.

A wily party could also propose to share a drink with their enemies prior to combat.  They might have to find a way to induce them to drink, say with certain enchantments. An orcish warlord and his leaders could be put at a pretty serious disadvantage as the result of a friendly drink from the Cup of Suffering…

Now that you’re done here, maybe you need some other unique items?


0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *