I like the concept of cursed items, but in practice I have a hard time executing them believably at my table. It often seems arbitrary, like I’m punishing the players simply because I’m an antagonistic DM (which I’m not…usually).

So I have a proposal for a type of curse that I think is easier to run effectively. I don’t know where I heard the idea originally. I doubt I came up with it on my own. But here it is:

Taking, attuning to, or unlocking an item either releases an entity that is set on your destruction, or inspires in them the desire for revenge.

I don’t necessarily need this to be magical. Maybe it’s a priceless family heirloom, and the family happens to be lycanthropes. Or maybe it’s a Rahkshasa’s last vestige of a long-lost lover. In taking the item, you inspire a thirst for revenge in them.

I could also see this as being plot-based. Maybe the party needs the magical crown of the king to complete the ritual that will send the demon lord back to the Abyss, but in doing so, they’ll be banished or hunted by the kingdom.