Cursed items

Cursed items carry a bargain written into a single pairing, a strong bonus joined to a drawback that cannot be removed. The pairing is marked Cursed on the item card, and it arrives only on found gear, since no craft ever produces one.

A cursed piece is always worth more than it costs you, but the cost is real, so read the card before you wear one. The pairing is part of the piece's identity, and like a signature it never climbs through tempering and never rerolls, as described on Tempering. Beyond the pairing the piece is ordinary, so its other rows temper and its suffix binds like any other gear, as described on Equipment.