Curse of Barkskin Binding

Rhyme:
"For wronging the woods soon you will be forced to park,
With this amulet I will cover you in tree bark."

Trigger: This curse is inflicted by a forest spirit, druid, or fey entity -possibly in retribution for harming nature, killing animals, or desecrating a grove.

Effect (Stage 1):
The cursed PC’s skin begins to roughen slightly - like dry bark. Initially just in patches. After a week or so:

• Their Charisma score is reduced by 2 (minimum 5) as they grow increasingly rigid and strange-looking.
• They gain +1 natural AC as their skin toughens.
• Any healing magic they receive restores 1 fewer hit point than normal (nature resists the magic).

Escalation (Stage 2 - 2 Weeks+):
The bark spreads. Their movement becomes halting and stiff.

• Movement is reduced by 10'.
• They begin suffering disadvantage (or -2 penalty) on Dexterity checks and saves.
• They feel increasingly drawn toward forests—losing 1d3 hours per day to “wandering urges” unless restrained or succeeding a Wisdom save.

Climax (Stage 3 - 3 Weeks +):
They must make a Save vs Spells daily. On a failure, they stop where they are and begin rooting into the soil.

• If they fail 3 times total, they become a Barkbound, a tree-like creature:
  • Paralyzed, slowly transforming into a sentient tree, fully fused to the forest.
  • Can only be freed by powerful magic: remove curse, greater restoration, or by returning the forest's favour.