Legendary Artifact

bag gun

Created and held by Thomas Taylor.

The bagman's power infused with Thomas' revolver which causes it to emit more smoke than usual, with even the bullets being encased in smoke.

This Artifact can be used as a handgun. It is roughly the same size as a handgun and just as difficult to conceal.

Attack by rolling Dexterity + Firearms, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +9 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Infinite Ammo: This weapon never runs out of its standard ammunition.
  • Keyhole: Any bullet that kills your target tumbles through their body and may strike a target in a 90 degree angle behind them. Any damage beyond that needed for the kill is applied to the secondary target.
  • Shredder: If you successfully hit your target, the value of any Armor they are wearing is reduced by 2. For material armor, this penalty lasts until it is repaired. For intrinsic armor, it lasts until the end of Combat and any relevant wound is healed.
  • Silencer: Shots you fire can be made silent at will.

  • Excess keyhole damage does not reapply the weapon's damage bonus and is affected by Armor as normal. The secondary target may React to the tumbled bullet if they have a Gift which lets them do so.
  • Reminder: additional Weapon Damage granted by this Effect does not stack with any other bonus to Weapon Damage. Instead the largest bonus is used.
  • Rifles are +1 Difficulty to use in melee range. Sniper Rifles are +3 Difficulty to use without a tripod or in melee range. Setting up a tripod takes an Action.
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Community Artifacts

Bracer of Overt Vindication - B.O.W

Created and held by Edgar J. Hyde.
A slender black box that when pressed against one's wrist will clamp down and attach itself to the user's wrist, expanding out the wings of a bow, with a blue energy line acting as the bowstring.

The artifacts unfolds outward into the limbs of a bow, with a light-blue energy line that acts as a string to connect the two. The user can then pull on the energy line, causing it to shift colors and turn darker, until finally it is released and a arrow of blue energy is fired at the target.

Arrows are comprised of Hard Light and function and behave like normal arrows, apart from being able to produce a faint glow.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact and engaged in combat with this Bow.

Your attacks with this Bow have their base Difficulty set to 6, are no longer limited by your Brawn, and deal +3 Bonus Damage. Armor is fully effective against this damage. Reloading is considered a Free Action.

  • Reminder: Bonus Damage stacks with Weapon Damage, but does not stack with any other Bonus Damage. Instead, the highest Bonus Damage is used.

Stinger slinger

Created and held by Fastherra gosta.
A slingshot made out of pure gold with edged designs in it

When she fires this pink energy flows into the edged designs, and it surrounds the nail being shot

This Artifact can be used as a slingshot. It is roughly the same size as a slingshot and just as difficult to conceal.

Attack by rolling Ninja + Athletics, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +3 Weapon Damage. Attacks do not require a successful called shot to do damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Virtuoso's Vessel: When using this Device for its primary purpose, you always roll a minimum of 8 dice. Excludes Effect activation rolls.

  • Reminder: additional Weapon Damage granted by this Effect does not stack with any other bonus to Weapon Damage. Instead the largest bonus is used.

Ring of Mind Shielding

Created and held by Norman.
A small silver ring with a symbol of a brain engraved on it.

The Changeling holds their finger up, a ring glowing deep purple as the mental influence of their attacker sputters and fails.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.

You get +2 dice to any Mind resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:

  • Acute Self-Care: You may heal any Traumas and Mind Damage received in the last 24 hours by converting an existing Trauma into a permanent Condition. If you have no existing Traumas, you may take a new permanent Condition instead.
  • Been There, Done That: If you succeed a Mind resistance roll, subsequent attempts to use that same Gift or supernatural ability on you for the next day will fail.
  • Force of Will: You may Exert your Mind to increase the Outcome of a Mind resistance roll by 2.

Anyone who touches this Artifact will notice it warping their mind and may drop it. If they choose to hold or use it, they immediately receive the following Trauma: Mad Ramblings - RITZ GET OUTTA MY HEAD! (You receive -2 dice on all Perception rolls involving hearing and have a hard time distinguishing words in loud situations). If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.

  • Acute Self-Care does not work with augmentations or Traumas without downsides.
  • These bonuses apply only to Mind rolls made to resist Effects and other supernatural phenomena. They do not apply to Trauma rolls or self-control rolls.

Sundered Promise

Created and held by Raine Sullivan.
An elaborate, custom-made wedding ring heavily themed after a centipede. There is a single round gemstone of black opal embedded in its head, as if resembling an eye. It glitters in a dazzling array of blues and greens.

When the Artifact owner decides to embody their grief, they and everything that was equipped by them - except for the Artifact itself - suddenly turns to water, which naturally splashes to the ground. The Artifact falls down as well, always landing in at least some of the water created by this. Slowly, the water begins to pull itself towards the Artifact, the gemstone eye of which had started to glow with increasing brightness, and soon even the water itself lights up with a cyan shimmer as if filled with bioluminescent algae. The longer the Artifact has been accumulating this phantasmal glow-water, the greater its shimmer becomes, and the more the Artifact's undulations quicken.

Eventually, the Artifact owner and the Artifact itself complete their merger. The result is an otherworldly, ephemeral centipede the size of a scarf, wearing the now-enlarged, dark purple-brown Artifact as its exoskeleton and having equally-dark gray metallic mandibles, legs and antennae made up of the cyan phosphorescent water which was finally collected fully, and a mint-colored, glowing, lantern-esque eye. The main body of it is covered by a thin film of glow-water as well.

When returning back to human form, the Artifact portion of the creature simply coils up and begins to gradually shrink, while the water loses all glow and collapses. The latter progressively coalesces over time, loosely forming the Artifact owner in their fetal position, equipped with everything they were equipped with originally. Then, the shrunken Artifact uncoils and swims through the watery figure, ending up curled around the left hand's ring finger. As it locks into place, a glowing wave spreads from that point all across the figure's surface and reverts all the water back into its original materials.

If anything attempts to interrupt either transformation before it finishes, the waters involved in it lash out at the target with shining, piercing stabs.

The Artifact owner remains transformed even beyond this Effect's duration, reverting only when they elect to end the Effect manually as a Free Action. Instead, this Effect's duration simply dictates how long the Artifact owner is able use to their Active, Targeted, and Trap Powers while transformed. To regain access to the usage of the aforementioned Power types, the Effect must be reactivated.

Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend an Action.

You transform into an abyssal centipede for 30 minutes. You have access to all of your Powers while you are an abyssal centipede, and you can use your equipment. Your Battle Scars, Injuries, and physical Liabilities are carried over between forms. Reverting from your Alternate Form cannot cause your existing Injuries to kill you. Instead, you remain Incapacitated.

While transformed, your Dexterity is increased by 2 and your Perception is increased by 2. You do not suffer any Stress while transformed.

Your alternate form is its own deadly weapon. Unarmed attacks made in your alternate form deal +3 Weapon Damage (instead of the typical -1).

You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.

Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see a growing, undulating, supernatural centipede.

Anyone who touches this Artifact will notice it warping their mind and may drop it. If they choose to hold or use it, they immediately receive the following Trauma: Whispering Waves. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.

  • Reminder: Weapon Damage from multiple sources does not stack. Instead, the highest value is used.
  • When narrating disturbing content, be cognizant of your group's tone and accommodating to those who would like to "fast forward" through the description.
  • Attribute bonuses from multiple sources do not stack. Instead the highest bonus is used.

Whenever the Artifact is called by its true owner to return to them, its gemstone eye glints and begins to glow as the rest of the Artifact's body darkens until it becomes wispy and shadow-like. The eye flashes brightly a single time, and then the Artifact lunges 'forward' - though, since the Artifact is curled up, the lunge is merely a rapid rotation of its body as the head attempts to chase down the tail. While this happens, there is a gradual increase in the Artifact's wispiness, and it essentially dissolves into nothingness during the sudden burst of movement. Moments later, a glowing mint-colored spark nigh-instantly traces the circumference of the Artifact's true owner's left ring finger, coalescing into the gemstone eye as the rest of the Artifact assembles from shadowy mist.

This Artifact cannot be broken. If this Artifact is lost and in no one else’s possession, it finds its way back to its true owner during the next Downtime.

By default, the creator of this Artifact is its true owner. The true owner may formally bequeath this Artifact onto another person within arm’s reach, after which they are its true owner. If the true owner dies or is destroyed, their ownership ends. If this Artifact has no true owner, anyone may spend one day attuning to it to become its true owner.

This Artifact's true owner is always aware of the direction and distance to this Artifact.

If this Artifact is in no one else’s possession, its true owner may Exert their Mind and spend two Actions to bring it to themselves.

This Artifact's true owner must have it with them to have restful sleep. They cannot regain Mind or Source while separated from this Artifact.

  • "Cannot be broken" means that damage cannot render the Artifact's Effects unusable, nor can it cease to be used for its primary mundane purpose, if it has one.

When the Artifact owner attempts to shroud themselves from danger, they use their eye's lantern-light to detect ripples, currents and various other eddies in the environment around them. This dizzying array of glinting and partially unnatural phenomena is then complimented by the Artifact owner's own glow-water brightening for a split second. The former, through the Artifact owner's efforts, is temporarily hidden until the right moment. Any incoming harm beyond that point which manages to disturb the illusion also reveals the force and, in turn, causes it to lash out.

Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action. This Effect cannot be used unless you are an abyssal centipede. Roll Perception + Stealth at Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, you create a Barrier extending out 15 feet from yourself, which absorbs 2 times the next (Outcome +4) Damage. Only applies to attacks which originated outside the 15 foot radius, and protects anyone who is within that radius. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. This Artifact may only have 1 active barrier at a time.

The barrier will fall after two hours, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.

  • Effects which circumvent Armor completely also circumvent your barrier.

The Artifact owner's myriad of phantasmal limbs offer mobility greater than even that of the centipedes they mimic.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are an abyssal centipede and you are wearing this Artifact.

You may move easily and without a roll in any of the following situations.

  • Amphibious: You are able to move about in liquids using standard Movement rules rather than any special swimming rules.
  • You are able to exist and move without putting any weight on anything you are currently on top of or clinging to. When moving in such a manner, you move at your normal movement speed.
  • Spider Climber: You are able to climb on and cling to any surface without regard for the ordinary rules of gravity. You climb at your normal movespeed.

The Artifact owner's unnatural physique and their equally-intricate movements allow for effortless mitigation of incoming damage, turning would-be precise strikes into simple glancing blows. Additionally, some of their watery limbs lash out at nearby attackers in retaliation.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are an abyssal centipede and you are wearing this Artifact.

You have 4 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack.

Your Armor cannot be destroyed, and it always provides a minimum of 2 Armor regardless of any Armor shredding or penetration. It cannot be circumvented with Called Shots. When shredded, it returns to full potency in one hour.

Any Injury received from Damage that was reduced by this Armor is considered Makeshift Stabilized and will not degrade further, and any Battle Scar caused by them is reduced by 1 level. You may attempt a single Proper Stabilization on such Injuries.

When you take Damage from a source which is within 5 feet, deal back as much Damage as your Armor prevented.

  • This Effect’s Armor rating cannot be increased by any other Effects.

Whenever the Artifact's owner focuses their attention onto someone whom they wish to impede, the intensity of their eye's beam of lantern-light momentarily increases as it burns open a multitude of watery holes across the illuminated portions of the target. Though this process is nearly painless, it is uncomfortable and rather gruesome to watch. A moment later, an infinitely long, glowing, wispy centipede phantasm appears as it leaves from one of the aforementioned holes and begins entering and exiting every other hole, one by one, restricting the target's movements all the while. If the target is successfully petrified in the process, a thin film of glow-water spreads all over the target's body as well, originating from each of the holes which glisten from within.

Once the bindings are made to disperse - be it through the intent of the Artifact's owner or due to the target breaking free of their own accord - the centipede phantasm dissolves into thin air, and all of the watery holes close up and disappear.

Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action. Select a target within 45 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless you are an abyssal centipede, the target is within your eye's beam of lantern-light and you keep the target at the center of your cone of vision throughout the entirety of the Effect. If line of sight is broken, the Effect ends prematurely. Roll Perception + Alertness at Difficulty 6. the target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.

If you succeed, your target will be restricted at their location by an intangible, ethereal binding. They cannot move to a new location, and, if your Contested Outcome was greater than their Mind divided by 2, they are encased and cannot take any physical Actions until they break free.

Restricted targets may attempt to break the binding and escape by spending an Action and rolling Mind at Difficulty 7. Breaking free requires a total cumulative Outcome equal or greater than the original Contested Outcome.

You may use this Effect as a Reaction to contest any physical Action a target is taking. Excess Outcome does not restrict the target. This interrupts Concentration.

Your bindings affect intangible beings like ghosts.

You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.

Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see your eye's beam of lantern-light burn open watery holes across the illuminated portions of the target, through which an infinitely long, glowing, wispy centipede phantasm can be seen entering and exiting as it restricts the target's movements.

  • When narrating disturbing content, be cognizant of your group's tone and accommodating to those who would like to "fast forward" through the description.
  • For entities whose movement could be considered an attack (e.g. a kaiju), the GM may rule that they are merely slowed instead of fully restricted.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

Blacksmiths Artifacts

Created and held by Henry Avery.
A collection of magic items made by a blacksmith

A plain looking gold ring, with a hidden inscription that glows under the light of fire. The inscription is in old Norse, but reads: One Ring to Rule them All, and in the Darkness, Bind Them. Upon slipping on the ring they will turn completely invisible.

Curse of the Ring: When in danger or an uncomfortable situation, roll Self-Control to resist putting the ring on and running away. If you try to get rid of the ring roll self-controll as well

You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.

You and everything you are carrying is obscured in one of the following manners. You may Spend an Action to change the way in which you're concealed.

  • Sight:You are completely obscured from sight. All attempts to detect you via sight fail. Attempts via other senses where sight would assist are rolled at -2 dice.

While this Effect is active, any Effect that would obscure you or your equipment specifically from other, additional senses fails automatically.

If someone discovers you, this Effect will not help you hide from them for the next minute. Activating a targeted or obvious Effect, attacking, or being Injured ends the Effect. When the Effect ends, it is disabled for one minute.

Anyone who touches this Artifact will notice it warping their mind and may drop it. If they choose to hold or use it, they immediately receive the following Trauma: Curse of the Ring. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.

  • GMs should use their discretion when determining the exact impacts of this Effect, particularly in conjunction with environmental factors. Standing still against a complex background may render you impossible to detect, and footprints in snow may make it easy. A chance to detect you is not guaranteed.

A small snake keychain made out of steel, and inlaid with copper. Upon looking closer it resembles the world snake.

If the user of the keychain focus, and maintains that focus, they can pick up on heat signatures.

Some of the cooler snakes in this world do in fact have heat vision. Jörmangandr, the world serpent, is one of these cool snakes.

Disclaimer: picture is not mine, belongs to Saulforged. He is a pretty cool blacksmith on instagram.

You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.

Your senses are enhanced in the following way.

  • Thermal: You are able to "see" heat signatures within your line of sight.

Any heightened senses require you to maintain Concentration to use, and do not apply to any passive Perception checks.

  • Your thermal vision allows you to judge temperatures of surfaces fairly accurately as long as they are within livable temperatures.

Stock Legendary Artifacts

The Skeleton Key

At first glance, this appears to be a standard, modern house key made of ivory. A close observer might compliment its skull-shaped head or usual material. No one would suspect it to be one of the Thief's most prized possessions: The Skeleton Key.

Spend an Action.

You may lock, unlock, and/or open any number of doors, containers, knots, or locks within arm's reach of you. Cannot be used on Alien technology.

If you successfully operate a lock, you may choose to destroy it, rendering it inoperable.

  • Operating some locking mechanisms through this Effect may have a secondary effect, such as a turn-key ignition on an older or cheaper car causing it to start or stop. Note that the locking mechanism itself must satisfy the standard targeting requirements (including line of sight), not just the vehicle.
  • Any mechanism that requires a key, keycard, key fob, or combination may be considered locked, at the GM's discretion. This Effect may be used on doors and containers secured with control panels or other electronic locks, but not computer security systems at large.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of sight, or within range of another sense if more fitting for the Gift's flavor.

Umbrella Identification

This Artifact can change its appearance. When not transformed, it is roughly the same size as a passport but can be collapsed into a wallet and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.

Spend a Quick Action to activate. This Artifact changes its appearance into a chosen Object. This lasts until you decide to end the Effect, which may be done as a Free Action.

The new object's appearance can mimic specific items (such as a particular painting, a certain person’s ID, etc), but must be of a similar size and weight to this Artifact.

The new appearance is illusory; it will hold up to scrutiny, but its composition is not altered and it gains no new functionality. Any attempt to use it for a function which it cannot perform (for instance, making bread look like a knife and then trying to stab someone) will cause the illusion to fail or allow a Perception check to see through the illusion, at the GM's discretion.

When used as identification and scanned, the scanner will act appropriately and bring up appropriate generic information. Further searches for the identity in the computer will turn up no results. This will not open security doors on its own.

  • If there is not enough free space to expand the object, it cannot be expanded. You cannot expand this Object as an attack.
  • Changing the Artifact’s appearance does not allow you to conceal its Alien nature while any of its other Effects are in use.

The Axe of Legend

This electric guitar has one edge sharpened into a deadly blade. It can be used as either sort of axe.

This Artifact can be used as a sword / axe. It is roughly the same size as a sword / axe and just as difficult to conceal.

Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +4 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Mjolnir: You may call your weapon back to your hand as a Quick Action if it is within 50 feet of you. Can only be used on melee weapon that you have wielded in the past hour.
  • Shredder: If you successfully hit your target, the value of any Armor they are wearing is reduced by 2. For material armor, this penalty lasts until it is repaired. For intrinsic armor, it lasts until the end of Combat and any relevant wound is healed.

  • Reminder: additional Weapon Damage granted by this Effect does not stack with any other bonus to Weapon Damage. Instead the largest bonus is used.

Umbrella Identification

This Artifact can change its appearance. When not transformed, it is roughly the same size as a passport and just as difficult to conceal.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action to activate. This Artifact changes its appearance into an Object within the category of forms of identification. This lasts until you decide to end the Effect, which may be done as a Free Action.

The new object's appearance can mimic specific items (such as a particular painting, a certain person’s ID, etc), but must be of a similar size and weight to this Artifact.

The new appearance is illusory; it will hold up to scrutiny, but its composition is not altered and it gains no new functionality. Any attempt to use it for a function which it cannot perform (for instance, making bread look like a knife and then trying to stab someone) will cause the illusion to fail or allow a Perception check to see through the illusion, at the GM's discretion.

Selkie Skin

This Effect activates whenever you are submerged in salt water. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event.

You transform into small for two hours or until you choose to end the Effect. See the Extended System text for stats.

While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you cannot use your Active, Targeted, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms with you.

Injuries and Wound Level are carried over between forms. However, transforming can never kill you; you merely remain Incapacitated until your Injuries are sufficiently healed.

  • When triggered, the Effect activation resolves immediately after the triggering Action. It is not Reaction speed.
  • Creature Stats
    • Medium (large house cat up to human) Body 3. Brawn 1. Dexterity 3. Fall damage reduced by 1.
    All creatures get +3 dice to any non-combat Action that they are naturally adapted for. All creatures Medium and larger may attack by rolling Body, dealing +0 Damage (+1 for “predators”). Gms and Playgroup leaders can apply other bonuses and effects to specific animals.
  • Animals that are quicker than humans (like dogs) have 50 feet of Free Movement. Animals that are very slow (like turtles) have 0 feet of Free Movement.
  • You cannot transform if there is not enough room to do so.
  • The form you take must have the same stats and abilities as a single, extant animal of the relevant size.