Café de Nuit

So i'm gonna curse one of my players. This is gonna be the final word of a minor boss in our current adventure, and i'd like it to be a nice annoying curse.
I want it to have a way to be cleansed ofcourse (beside remove curse, that i think i will not allow, it would be too easy).
The party is composed of Cleric, mage, ranger and barbarian.
Actually it depends on how the scene will turn out. If a character say or do something that angers the boss he will be the target of the curse. Otherwise if everybody/anybody do anything particular the curse will be on the one who land the final blow.
I'm writing this 'cause it's my first curse on players and i'd like to hear your best curses.
I dont want to disable them 2 much, but it's a curse, so it should be quite annoying for whoever get it.
I was thinking about something like Bad luck curse. something like "For the rest of your life bad luck will be at your side." Every day i'll roll for something unluck (also depends on situation. If he gamble, he lose money. if i roll it may be some insect eat his ration, he get often sick, he lose things, his items ruin faster since he only buy faulty items. etc).
We are playing Touch of Death and Isu will land the curse so it would be nice if you suggest a nice curse and a proper cleansing method. THanks!

While I have no specific insight about originality in curses, I do have a little advice.

1. The way to lift the curse should IMO be in the wording, even if it's a puzzle or cryptical. I.e. not "for the rest of your life" but stuff like "Till the Jade dragon dies for the 7th time" or something.

2. On bad luck:
The way bad luck was dealt mechanically in a couple of tables was: The DM made 1-2 "1d20 bad luck rolls" secretly at the start of each day. Then, at some point the DM exchanges the bad luck roll with one of the player as long as the DM's roll is lower than the player's.

What system are you playing under?

If it's 5E and you want to go annoying with the curse then consider giving them disadvantage on rolls that are used to determine the outcome on something that the PC in question holds dear, or thoroughly enjoys (or, what the boss thinks the PC enjoys or holds dear). IE gambling, whoring, skills competition, weapon maintenance, outdoor skills such as firebuilding, etc.

If not using 5E then consider incorporating the disadvantage rules (or something similar): https://5thsrd.org/rules/advantage_and_disadvantage/

Basically it's two rolls for the check in question, and the PC has to take the lowest roll (thus increasing the odds for failure).

It's not a surefire way of playing the bad luck aspect of the curse, but it's a nice random one. Or, slow burn, if you plan on the PC carrying it for a while...

All that being said, if you want a more generalised bad luck curse (which will be more nagging/effective/applicable) then you already have and gave your answer..

I agree with alhoon; the curse should have an escape clause. That's how curses normally work in Ravenloft (Remove Curse normally only allows the temporary suppression of a curse in Ravenloft). Also, I don't think curses should be thrown in just to be annoying, unless by being annoying they serve a greater purpose like building up to something else. I would go for a curse that was unsettling or stinging in a "ouch, that stings" sort of way. The curse should also reflect the circumstances and characters involved- ironic punishment and all that stuff.

That being said, Ill luck might manifest as something horrifically going wrong at random intervals when tasks are failed, so they'll have to live with the uncertainty that brings upon them.

Regarding curses and their escape clauses: I don't think every curse needs to have one, for not every curse needs to be epic, fairy tale, poetic justice, etc. Some curses can be lain by petty folk, plain and simple. Or for that matter, curses can be lain by plain and simple folk. So there's no real need to cookie cut curses in Ravenloft.

Some players might like to play a cursed character. If that's the case then let em. Don't be in a rush to break it. Keep it "forever".

Some players may think they want to play a cursed character, and although they may enjoy it at first they may lose interest in the concept. In that case, break the curse.

Really it all depends on the player's fun factor.

If you want to drop a curse on your group then initiate a group conversation about curses in general to help you see which players may be interested and which players aren't. From there you can design the appropriate curse, strength of curse, and for yourself you can contingency an "out", just in case the novelty of being cursed becomes stale or frustrating for the player. This contingency doesn't have to leave your head, but have a thought for it. But you don't even really need to do that: the solution will come to those that put the effort in. Or, you can always fudge it.

Examples of "fudge outs": emotional resonance, the fuel behind the curse, was weak to begin with. It burned out with time. Or, a family member of the one behind the curse contacted their spirit and helped them find peace with themselves. This acceptance of their wicked ways cancelled the curse. Or, the character just loses the curse. No explanation. I mean really. Would they go around grilling sages and other sych metaphysical folk as to why they are no longer cursed? :p

When designing a curse you should forget about everything but character and group dynamics (player fun). Design a curse, whatever it may be and by whatever means necessary, for the sake of story. Their story.

Keep that in mind and you can never go wrong...