Implementing the Hexblade's Curse

[Paris.Crenshaw]

After finally getting the Scout class finished (with lots of help from the community, here), I'm moving on to my next class conversion...the Hexblade. I've updated the class itself for PFRPG (you can see it and a few other classes here: Pathfinder Non-Core Classes

I've got the spell list finished and have the Hexblade Curse ability displaying and updating the number of charges per day as the character progresses. (I even got the Arcane Resistance ability showing the Charisma bonus, minimum +1, added to saves vs. spells and spell-like abilities!)

What I'd like some advice on is the following:

1) How do I set up a function that will allow me to impose the Hexblade Curse (i.e., the associated penalties) on an enemy in the combat tracker? Do I need to create a new condition or is there a better way to do that?

Here's the ability description:

Hexblade’s Curse (Su): Once per day, as a free action, a hexblade can unleash a curse upon a foe. The target must be visible to the hexblade and within 60 feet. The target of a hexblade’s curse takes a –2 penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls for 1 hour thereafter. A successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 hexblade’s class level + hexblade’s Cha modifier) negates the effect.
At every four levels beyond 1st (5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th) a hexblade gains the ability to use his curse one additional time per day, as indicated on Table 1–1. Multiple hexblade’s curses don’t stack, and any foe that successfully resists the effect cannot be affected again by the same hexblade’s curse for 24 hours.
Any effect that removes or dispels a curse eliminates the effect of a hexblade’s curse.
Greater Hexblade’s Curse (Su): When a hexblade attains 7th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by a target of the hexblade’s curse becomes –4 instead of –2.
Dire Hexblade’s Curse (Su): When a hexblade attains 19th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by a target of the hexblade’s curse becomes –6 instead of –4.

2) Once I have that, I'll need to know the best way to handle the Greater Hexblade Curse and Dire Hexblade Curse. They are listed as separate abilities in the text version of the class, but they are really just modifications of the original ability. They don't increase the number of uses per day, but increase the penalties, instead.

Anyone have any thoughts they'd like to share?

[Mathias]

I wouldn't make it a condition, just a regular adjustment, but creating an adjustment for the effect is exactly how to make it easy to apply to characters in combat.

Adjustments have the option to show a selector that the user can use to set the amount of the adjustment. In this case, the selector represents the amount of penalty to apply - set the minimum to -6 and the maximum to -2, hope the user doesn't leave it at -3 or -5, and apply the penalty selected to the attacks, saves, skill checks, weapon damage (HL doesn't support recording modifiers to ability checks).

The Sickened condition has a script that alters attacks, saves, skill checks, and weapon damage, so you can copy that script, and then copy the script of something with an adjustment amount selector (like one of the generic bonus things) to see how to incorporate the adjustment.

[Paris.Crenshaw]

I did it! And it worked!

One thing, though. Do you think it's worth adding the penalty to all ability checks into the script? If so, how should I do that?

It seems to me that if an ability applies a penalty to all attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and ability checks, then the easiest way to do that might be to simply apply a -2 penalty to every ability modifier.

Would applying a temporary adjustment to Constitution also take away a character's hit points? The would be the only thing unaffected by the hexblade's curse.

[Mathias]

Applying that penalty to the ability modifier would then go on to alter the number of uses for class abilites that depend on the bonus. It would also alter spell DCs, concentration checks, and many other things that aren't supposed to be affected by the ability.

[Paris.Crenshaw]

Oh, yeah. I forgot.

Then the curse description should be sufficient for the ability check penalty.

Thanks, again, Mathias. You are obviously very dedicated to helping us out.