Magical Item (very rare, requires attunement)[edit | edit source]
The fingers of flaying are a powerful magical item that increase the damage the wearer causes with daggers. While wearing the pair of gloves, damage from a dagger is increased from 1d4 to 3d4 when used in a melee attack. This damage also bypasses any resistance or immunity to piercing damage, unless the target does not have nerves. (This does not work against most constructs or undead.)
Unless you have attuned to the item, or are a DM considering using it, please do not read the spoilers below.
This item is cursed. The curse has multiple effects: a character who puts the gloves on immediately attunes to them. If they are already attuned to the maximum number of items, this adds to the prior attunements, and on the next rest, the character will "choose" to un-attune from one of their previous items. While attuned to the gloves, a creature's alignment changes to Neutral Evil, and the character is overcome with an irresistible urge to cause pain to others. This urge manifests however the character sees fit, but failing to cause damage to another creature each day prevents a character from being able to benefit from a long rest until they deal damage. A remove curse spell cast on the gloves or the wearer will suppress the effects for an hour and allow them to be removed, but will not remove the curse from the item.
If characters pursue more significant efforts to remove the curse, either the remove curse spell itself, or additional divination magic cast on the gloves can reveal a method to do so, as described in spoiler 2.
For information on spoiler 2, first check spoiler 1.
Removing the curse is possible, but only if the gloves are soaked in the blood of a celestial or holy water for 48 hours. Once the curse is removed, the gloves still carry an enhancing function, and now cause a dagger held in them to deal 2d4+1 piercing damage and count as a magical weapon for damage resistance/immunity.
