At first glance, they are nothing more than stylish, unassuming shoes. But hidden within them is a potent secret, revealed only to those who know where to press. A discreet button activates an ancient mechanism, causing slender, tooth-like projections to emerge, resembling the fangs of a vampire. These teeth gently anchor into the wearer’s ankles, creating a connection that feels less like an intrusion and more like a merging of beings.
As this bond takes hold, the shoes undergo a remarkable transformation. They darken to an almost supernatural black, becoming one with the shadows. The once ordinary material takes on a new texture, akin to a living creature, but without any conspicuous glow or light. This absence of luminescence is crucial, maintaining the element of stealth that is vital for a creature of the night.
Empowered by this unique connection, the wearer finds their abilities significantly heightened. The shoes facilitate effortless navigation through complex environments – slipping through crowded spaces, running assuredly in complete darkness, climbing vertical surfaces with ease, and moving undetected in the shadows. Each movement becomes a whisper in the night, silent and unseen.
However, such power is not without its limitations and risks. The shoes are sensitive to sunlight and require concentration to activate. Once their magic fades, the wearer experiences a temporary but significant reduction in their agility, a reminder of the ephemeral nature of such enchantment. Additionally, the invocation of this ancient magic is not without danger; a misalignment between wearer and artifact can result in physical harm, a testament to the balance required to wield such potent forces.
Exert your Mind and spend two Actions performing the following ritual: You Press a button on the shoes and teeth appear anround the top inject themself into the ankles securing themselves to the feet. Next Blood begins flowing through them causing them to have a black appearance with blue veins appearing in the shoes.. This Effect cannot be used unless Can not be used unless it is nighttime and the sun is down. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted.
You may move easily and without a roll in any of the following situations. Lasts 2 hours.
As long as this Effect is active and you are traversing a terrain it covers, your movement speed is doubled.
After this Effect ends, you cannot move quicker than a walk (15 feet per Round) for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour.
When you activate this Effect, roll a single D10. if the result is 5 or lower, you receive a Severity-1 Injury and a Minor Battle Scar.
A small backpack with a pattern of feathers. Activating it makes wings pop out, Flush with the users back, and using their movement to control the direction and speed.
The sound of the jets blowing, slowing and controlling the fall is quiet, relying on the wings in addition to the jet to keep Owl aloft.
Owl's first gift, and a start on her building her suit. It relies on her understanding of tech to make a quiet and compressed Jetpack that allows her to fly free.
O.W.L. originally stands for Observe. Warn. Locate.
Owl has taken it on her self for it to mean. Owl Wants to Live
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. This Effect remains active for two hours.
As long as you are conscious, you are immune to falling Damage and may hover in place mid-air. Additionally, you may glide as you fall, traveling 35 feet horizontally for every 10 feet you fall. While gliding, you fall at a minimum speed of 10 feet per Round.
You are subject to the following effects while gliding:
The ruby in the middle of the necklace shines real bright and blocks any incoming damage.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You have 6 Armor, which only reduces damage taken from Bullets, Shrapnel. Any armor piercing effects from Bullets, Shrapnel are ignored. Armor from multiple sources does not stack.
Your Armor cannot be destroyed or shredded, and it always provides a minimum of 2 Armor regardless of any Armor penetration. Your Armor cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
You chase each bond after bond like it's all you'd ever want, not knowing it was always meant to be fleeting. The beauty of life and serendipity escapes you as you insist on pinning the red string of fate upon each and every milestone.
Now, it has made it to your gifts as well. They are tethered to you by what may be an invisible string, and eventually you are bound to be connected to so many that you become a network of promises. The visuals remind you of an evidence board, beautiful in its ordered chaos, soon to be smothered in red.
This item has been promised to you. Do not let anyone take it away.
Never again.
On the red string:
Koriol, ever the artist, weaves in crimson strings. They wrap around and through the artifact, pinned down in the same manner that one would install 10 locks on a door. He's slipping. He needs a safety net. This will have to do. Soon enough the strings appear to vanish, but deep down we all know... it was meant to be.
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.
If this Artifact is used by someone other than its true owner, its true owner is alerted and learns the user's appearance, direction, and distance at that moment. The true owner may use a single investigation Effect on them once at any range.
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.
A wide smile spreads across my face as the Amethyst sparkles, dazzling the target into submission. This fixture on my teeth is imbued with a forceful magic that makes me appear that much more enticing, how could a charming man such as myself ever wish harm upon them?
In the hands – or rather, on the tooth – of its possessor, the Smile of the Ascended Ace becomes a conduit for mesmerizing influence. A wide grin adorned with the sparkling amethyst, coupled with a few choice words, can sway hearts, bend wills, and alter the course of destinies. Yet, as with all things of such potency, there comes a price.
For those who dare to wield the Smile of the Ascended Ace, a peculiar battle scar manifests over time. A burn mark, shaped in the likeness of an ace of hearts, emerges upon the skin, glowing with an ethereal light and causing a stinging sensation whenever its wearer indulges in deceit at the gambling tables. This scar serves as a reminder of the consequences that accompany the misuse of such formidable power.
Despite the allure of its abilities, the Smile of the Ascended Ace remains both a blessing and a burden to its bearer. Its influence can shape fortunes and sway the course of events, yet it demands caution and restraint lest its wielder succumb to the temptations of absolute control. In the cosmic dance of power and consequence, this legendary artifact stands as a testament to the delicate balance between influence and responsibility.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) 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 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 Effect ends if you are stunned, fall asleep, go unconscious, are incapacitated, die, or if your total Stress ever exceeds 5.
Possession of this Artifact causes the following Battle Scar to manifest over the course of a day: A Burn Mark in the Shape of an Ace of Hearts that Glows and Stings Whenever He is Cheating at a Table Game. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of the next day.
The mad scientist can craft steel helmets that protect their wearers from mental influence and attack.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You get +0 dice to any Mind resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:
This device is a piece of chrome the size and shape of the back of a spoon. When placed against the skin, small hypodermic needles sprout from the device and attach it to the user's bloodstream. There, it filters and releases lifesaving drugs into the bloodstream, granting complete immunity from contracting new diseases and added resiliency in all other cases.
WARNING: The immunizing drugs have been shown to reduce inhibitions in test subjects.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You get +2 dice to any Body resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects: