Notes

Curse Name: Phantasmagoria

Type: Baleful (Rare)

Description: This haunting curse weaves an intricate tapestry of illusion and madness around its unfortunate victim. From the moment it takes hold, the world becomes a twisted realm of shifting shadows and deceptive mirages. Whispers in the wind and fleeting apparitions torment their senses, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. The curse conjures vivid hallucinations, making friends appear as enemies, and turning familiar landscapes into labyrinthine nightmares. Doubt and mistrust become constant companions as the afflicted one questions the authenticity of every experience, their mind forever trapped in a mesmerizing dance of phantasmal delusions. To escape the clutches of the curse, they must unravel the enigma of their own perceptions, lest they descend into the maddening abyss of eternal confusion.

Effect: This curse has the following harmful effects:
• When the item is equipped and attuned, with each kill that has taken by this items user, "Item Name" absorbs the lost souls of the fallen enemies. The user rolls for DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On failing save, causing the items release a mist like some on the item, and increase the wearer's attack and damage bonus by +1 but reducing all of his saving throw amounts -1, up to a 5 stacks, resetting each day.
• After a threshold is reached in one day, the item would curse and bind itself to the wearer, making its effects resets, but replaces its place with hollowing nightmares. After the curse is activating permanently, as the wielder harnesses more power, their own soul becomes intertwined with the hammer's dark magic. The curse begins to manifest in a series of escalating stages:

• Whispering Shadows: After a 5 kills with this item, the wielder starts to hear faint whispers in their mind, causing mild paranoia and restless nights. The whispers grow louder with each subsequent kill, making it harder for the wielder to concentrate outside of battle.
• Borrowed Strength: As the wielder's kill count reaches to 10, they become more dependent on the souls trapped within this item. The wielder gains an even greater boost to their combat abilities but begins to feel weaker and more fatigued when not in combat. They become increasingly reliant on the items's power, experiencing a reduction in strength and dexterity outside of battle. All STR and DEX scores halves directly as well as with the users speed, But the user gains +5 to attacks and damage.
• Soulbound Servitude: Once the wielder reaches a significant threshold of 15 kills, their connection to Soulrender deepens further. The wielder's life force becomes inextricably linked to the hammer, and they begin to experience physical and mental changes. Their physical appearance morphs to reflect the twisted, ethereal nature of the trapped souls, and their mind becomes clouded by the constant whispers and tormented voices. Target gains disadventage to Wisdom saving throws.
• Soul's Embrace: If the wielder continues to slay, reaches kill count to total of 20 and accumulate souls without breaking the curse, their soul merges with the hammer permanently. The wielder's body disintegrates, leaving behind only a spectral form bound to an item. The item becomes a sentient, malevolent entity with the consciousness and memories of the fallen wielder. It seeks to claim new souls and wreak havoc, driven by its insatiable thirst for bloodshed.

How to Remove: This item is impervious to magical effects and damage, even without the exception of a remove curse spell, which would normally detach the seal from its wearer and unattune from them automatically. But for this lost souls, there is a solution. The user can use "Soul Cage" spell to this item for removing the curse. After removing the curse, item backs to its normal magical form.