When channelling energy into it, the shield splits into millions of metal filings which soak into the skin and clothes of the target, leaving a grey gemstone and granting a first line of defense. If hit, it will sound and feel like hitting/breaking through a sheet of metal.
When the barrier is broken or runs out, the shield transforms back.
This shield is said to have been forged by the god Vulcan and gifted to the hero Aeneas, the mythical progenitor of Rome.
Even with modern equipment it is not fully understood whether the power of the shield is magical or technological or a combination of the two.
This artifact was loaned to one Jacob Sterns by the British Museum.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Animate target within 20 feet. Roll Dexterity + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome + 4 Damage. 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.
While being worn, the golden tattoo's on my arms glow even brighter. As attacks draw near, a faint golden barrier shimmers in front of the object and a jet of golden flame, which varies in intensity based on how forceful the attack was, lashes out in the direction of the attack. However, with enough force, the object can push through. Knives seem to be able to pass without triggering this effect... for better or worse.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You have 4 Armor, which reduces incoming damage from all sources of physical attack except attacks from a knife. 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 penetration. It cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
When you take Damage from a source which is within 5 feet, deal back as much Damage as your Armor prevented.
The ring fills the body with warmth, reminding the user of what they love most. It also lashes out at whoever or whatever cast the mind exertion roll and they must overcome the ring's will to activate their effect on the user.
You gain the following benefits as long as the armor of the ring isn't shredded and the user is holding a knife and you are wearing this Artifact.
You get +2 dice to any Mind resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:
My mind races with new information. I can understand when somebody is about to move, not just from their stance or their facial expression... Their very own mind and muscular strain and tremor gives away their reaction, and their fear is palpable.
You gain the following benefits as long as the shield remains unshredded and you are wearing this Artifact.
Your senses are enhanced in the following way.
Any senses which have been heightened cannot be overloaded. Battle Scars you receive cannot affect these senses. If one of these senses does become suppressed, you may Exert your Mind to end the effect.
The wielder of this sword is given a fierce, and demanding look in their eyes. Especially when around aberrations, as its steel sears their flesh, burning away their impurity.
This sword was said to be forged from rare metals found with a meteorite that struck the British Isles many centuries ago. First wielded by an Unarmed Hero who used it to fell a dark army, he used this blade on many great quests. In his old age it’s said that he travelled into a cavern and died by impaling himself with the weapon.
This Artifact can be used as a sword / axe. It is roughly at least twice as large as a sword / axe and cannot be concealed on your person or disassembled for storage.
Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +4 Weapon Damage.
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: Aberrant Vanquisher. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.
You also gain the following effects:
He moves with a speed that feels less like running and more like vanishing. There is an eerie stillness to his acceleration, as if the world itself forgets him for a moment. His body answers to strange instincts — joints bending with impossible grace, steps soundless, breath invisible even in the cold. Frost seems to cling to the edges of his presence, a silent chill that numbs the senses of those nearby. Though he trains and sharpens his body like any fighter, something deeper stirs beneath the flesh — something ancient and alien to mortal blood. His passage leaves no trace but a fading shimmer, as if he is merely a spirit brushing past. Those who see him move speak in whispers afterward, uncertain whether they witnessed a man or a phantom called forth by the winter itself. Whatever the truth, his speed is a warning, not a gift.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
Whenever you use your Movement, after all other calculations, the distance you may travel is doubled.
Riku's words are not entirely his own. Inherited from his mysterious maternal lineage is gift: the ability to command others with nothing but his voice. Yet his blood sings with more than one song. As he speaks, unseen voices that echo his supernatural heritage and whispers of the parasite form a composite, kaleidoscopic layer beneath his words. Every order he gives carries a strange harmony: slight shifts in tone, conflicting enunciations, a discordant choir behind his intent. When his voice carries an order, the temperature drops perceptibly; his breath condenses into pale mist, and frost may gather on nearby surfaces. The air grows heavy with the weight of his authority and his words grip the minds of listeners, bending their wills under the pressure of something both beautiful and terrifying.
Exert your Mind and spend at least one Action. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. Your target may be actively engaged in Combat. Communicate a command to your target. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If the contested Outcome is positive, your target will be compelled to follow your command to their best understanding of the letter and spirit of the command until they have completed it or for your Contested Outcome in hours. You cannot issue another suggestion to the target until 10 minutes after they have completed the first command or 10 minutes after a failure.
The target is unaware that they are under supernatural influence and feel they are acting of their own free will. If you fail, they realize that you were attempting to influence them supernaturally with your command.
Your command can be an order to take an immediate Action and a conditional request. You cannot order a target to "do nothing," and they are free to take other Actions as they fulfill your request. Your command cannot be obviously self-destructive. The Effect ends if following your command would cause a target to cross one of their Limits in a way that would necessitate a Trauma roll.
You may activate this Effect as a Reaction to contest any Action a valid target is taking, reducing their Outcome by your own. Your command has no impact beyond disrupting their Action. This interrupts Concentration.
A beam of white light surrounds the bullet in transit, striking with supernatural speed and force.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a target within 300 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is a magical being. You must use up a bullet in order to activate this Effect. Roll Intellect + Firearms Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.
If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 4. Armor is fully effective against this Damage.
You may use this Effect to Defend against any melee, projectile, or firearm Attacks within range or Clash against any Attack targeted at you. Using it to Defend deals no Damage but does not cost Exertion.
You may choose to have this Effect Damage all targets in a perfectly straight line up to its maximum range.
The target suffers a -3 dice penalty for the next hour or until the Injury is healed. This dice penalty does not stack multiple times on the same target.
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.
When Winter Fang's glittering string is drawn, an ice arrow crystalizes nocked and ready to fire. These ice arrows melt quickly after piercing their foes, leaving deadly wounds instead of evidence.
This Artifact can be used as a bow. It is roughly at least twice as large as a bow and cannot be concealed on your person or disassembled for storage.
Attack by rolling Dexterity + 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:
The airship of solitude is the mad scientist's lair and preferred mode of travel. Not only does it include a full science laboratory, it can be collapsed into an incredibly small canvas cube and easily transported. The mad scientist may pilot the ship alone or rely on its autopilot features for ultimate convenience.
This Artifact can be used as a blimp. It is roughly the same size as a blimp but can be collapsed into a phone-sized canvas cube and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.
This blimp has full science laboratory, bullet-proof envelope, and ample parachutes. Any roll to pilot this vehicle receives +2 dice.
You also gain the following effects:
The "Reaper" Assault Helmet is the signature piece of the Future Soldier's arsenal. It has a sleek, design and is made of a mysterious matte-metallic alloy. The wearer's face is exposed normally, but when activated, a blue holographic visor flickers to life in front of the eyes. This HUD contains information about the soldier's ammunition and shield status, but more significantly can detect enemy combatants. Anyone nearby who is holding a weapon is painted with a red dot that follows them in real time. This allows the Future Soldier to fire at painted targets in the dark, detect ambushes lurking around corners, and grants an overall tactical advantage.
Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action.
You automatically detect all people wielding weapons within 300 feet of you for the next hour. This includes any who come within range during the duration. You have a sense of how many valid targets are nearby, as well as their distance and direction.
The lightning bracers can be activated to summon a thunderbolt into the wearer's hand. Throwing these thunderbolts makes an incredibly loud boom. Once a thunderbolt is in hand, the wearer can throw as many as they wish. The electricity from these bolts will jump between nearby targets.
This Artifact produces ephemeral projectiles that can be used as a javelin.
Attack by rolling Brawn + Athletics, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +3 Weapon Damage.
You also gain the following effects:
The Predatory Raiment has a cloak feature that allows its owner to hide themselves and their equipment with active camouflage. When viewed, they look like a slightly shifted and shimmering version of the surrounding environment.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are not at all wet and 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.
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. This Effect does not end early when you activate an obvious Effect, attack, or receive an Injury.