Legendary Artifact

The Book of Evil

Created and held by Za'id.
A pocket-sized book bound in human skin, with gold trimmings, red thread, and thin pages that are densely filled with Archaic Hebrew diagrams and spells.

Observers find that they get a headache when looking directly at the user. They have trouble focusing on them, and just see the book itself clearly when doing so.

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 partially obscured from being noticed by sight. All attempts to detect you using sight are rolled at a -3 dice penalty, and all attempts to detect you where sight would assist are rolled at -1 penalty. Anyone who detects you cannot determine any visual details about you beyond your general shape.

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.

  • 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.
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Community Artifacts

Medical Bag

Created and held by Marina.
a leather-bound expandable case that always seems to be filled with odd bottles, jars, and gauze, despite how many were used previously

a leather-bound expandable case that always seems to be filled with odd bottles, jars, and gauze, despite how many were used previously

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

All Stabilizations you attempt are considered Proper Stabilizations.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Sterile: Sanitary conditions no longer matter during medical care. Your patients will never suffer an infection or toxic shock during treatment, even if you are performing surgery in a sewer. You may preserve harvested body parts indefinitely.
  • Surgeon Extraordinaire: You may perform any mundane surgery in at most 5 minutes without inflicting or worsening an Injury, and recovery time is reduced to an hour.

  • All stabilizations being proper stabilizations applies to stabilizations from other Effects such as Heal Wound.

Reversible Shades

Created by emivvv and orphaned. Held by test
What's it take to get a little air away from the Paparazzi? Snap those black legs back, and be amazed as your clothes and figure change to something a little less conspicuous. The Cameras Love You, Baby.

A rigid, titanium body, laid into a traditional hickory handle. Subtle rubber grips.

A replaceable steel head - swing it, and it makes a keen noise.

The head spikes out cruelly, seizing and twisting itself into the wood - gripping its fibers closely to itself tighter and tighter - pulling itself into the bricks behind - until it snaps.

And then it lets go, and sidles away with bits of bone and tenderized viscera matted in its head.

OAUgh fuck, an allegory

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 +5 Weapon Damage. The target's Armor is reduced to 1/2, rounded up against this damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Pin: If you Injure the target with an attack, the target is “pinned” to that location as long as your weapon remains in that spot. The target cannot remove the weapon.

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

Throw a punch at his head.
It connects, but... It feels solid. And your hand feels wet. Look at it.

3 Nails crucifying your mangled palm.

You gain the following benefits as long as 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 or shredded, and it always provides a minimum of 2 Armor regardless of any Armor penetration. Your Armor 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.

Any time your Armor prevents damage, your total Armor rating is temporarily decreased by 1. Whenever you go two Rounds without preventing any damage, it is restored back to its full value.

  • Armor recharging happens automatically and does not require an Action.

A rigid, titanium body, laid into a traditional hickory handle. Subtle rubber grips.

A replaceable steel head - swing it, and it makes a keen noise.

The head spikes out cruelly, seizing and twisting itself into the wood - gripping its fibers closely to itself tighter and tighter - pulling itself into the bricks behind - until it snaps.

And then it lets go, and sidles away with bits of bone and tenderized viscera matted in its head.

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 +5 Weapon Damage. The target's Armor is reduced to 1/2, rounded up against this damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Pin: If you Injure the target with an attack, the target is “pinned” to that location as long as your weapon remains in that spot. The target cannot remove the weapon.

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

Sucats other helping hand

Created by Terra Abaddon, given to Iryna Vorobyova.
Silver pendant given to Sucat Wrapped around a shillelegh
Crafted by Patrick Oneal

a user, perhaps inspired by the lore of the leprechaun, holds a shillelagh, a traditional Irish wooden walking stick. With a sense of wonder and anticipation, they mimic the actions of the mythical leprechaun and tap the shillelagh on the ground. The moment the stick contacts the surface, something extraordinary happens.

The ground beneath their feet begins to shimmer and swirl, opening up to reveal a glowing portal. It’s as if the tap of the shillelagh has unlocked a hidden, mystical doorway. The user, filled with a mix of excitement and a hint of apprehension, finds themselves suddenly dropping through this portal.

As they fall, the world around them transforms. Colors and lights blend in a kaleidoscope of hues, creating an ethereal tunnel around them. The sensation is otherworldly, as if they’re traveling through a conduit of magic and ancient energy.

Suddenly, the journey comes to an end as they emerge from a hole in the ground in a completely different environment.

Exert your Mind and spend 15 minutes. Select a Location within your line of sight.

You are transported directly to the chosen Location. Anyone who is touching you as you Travel will be brought along with you. You must wait an hour before activating this effect again.

If you traverse any Hills and Mounds for one minute, you may activate this Effect and travel to the edge of any other Hills and Mounds that you’re aware of, regardless of range.

  • 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.
Crafted by Terra Abaddon

Julian Vasquez lays on the black top, spit on his forehead as Jason and Jessica walk away laughing. The need for justice fills his heart and he looks down at his Amulet, Paranoias amulet. he grabs it and red light glimmers through his hands. He calls out for Paranoia and his calls are returned. A demonic figure blood across his body bursts from the floor grabbing Jessica by the throat and using its twisted claws to shape Jessica's face into that of a pigs. Julian smiles, justice is served.

Exert your Mind and Spend an Action to activate. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Roll a single d10, Difficulty 4. If you fail or botch, the Effect fails and you cannot activate it again for an hour. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. The target may roll Body, Difficulty 7, as a Free Action to resist.

If you succeed, the target receives a new Battle Scar of your choosing, limited by the contested Outcome:

  1. A Minor Battle Scar E.g. an aesthetic-only body modification (a disfigured face, a pig's tail), impacted hand or foot, or vocal changes that complicate communication
  2. A Major Battle Scar E.g. a disabled/removed hand or foot, an inability to speak, an impacted major sense, removal of a minor sense, impacted movement.
  3. A Severe Battle Scar E.g. a disabled/removed arm or leg, deafness, aesthetic changes that are nearly impossible to conceal.
  4. An Extreme Battle Scar E.g. removal/disabling both hands or both legs, blindness, a full-body deformation that leaves the target humanoid but makes it difficult to use clothes, vehicles, and equipment designed for humans.
Refer to the stock Battle Scars on the Character Sheet for specific systems.

  • If this Effect fails due to the Unreliable check, you must still pay any associated activation costs.
  • You may opt to inflict a Battle Scar that is less severe than what your Outcome allows.
  • Remember: A Contractor’s Body rating is reduced by 1 for each Battle Scar after their fourth.
  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

Grimoire

Created and held by Meredith.
A leather bound book about the size of an A4 notebook.

A handbound leather notebook, with weathered pages and many leather carvings over its surface.

This Artifact is indestructible.

If this Artifact is lost, in tact, and in no one’s possession, it finds its way back to you during the next Downtime.

You are always aware of the direction and distance to this Artifact.

If this Artifact is touched by someone other than you, you are alerted and learn the toucher's appearance, direction, and distance at that moment. You may use a single investigation Effect on them once at any range.

Comfort WareTech Suit

Created and held by Ware.
A discreet powered exo-skeleton meant to be worn under clothes. Helps its wearer with combat tasks, mobility, and communication. Has the same peer-to-peer encryption features as most other WareTech suits, but is lacking any of the rest of the mundane tech.

A thin disc of plasma materializes in the user's hand from the device's glove, which can then be thrown to splatter against its target. It seems to eat through anything it splatters against, and only the device wrapped around the hand protects the user's fingers from a similar fate.

The plasma thrower has its own power source which is used not just to create the plasma itself, but also as a beacon for Ware's Extra-Dimensional Translator device - allowing the rest of the artifact to be Translated to her personal space until it is called for again.

This Artifact produces ephemeral projectiles that can be used as a shuriken. It is roughly the same size as a shuriken but can be collapsed into a bracelet and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.

Attack by rolling Dexterity + Athletics, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +0 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Magic Quiver: Instead of throwing this Artifact, it is an object that produces an endless supply of temporary throwable objects. For example, bracers that allow you to throw ethereal javelins, or a sack of throwing rocks that doesn’t shrink when you withdraw one.
  • 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.

  • If there is not enough free space to expand the object, it cannot be expanded. You cannot expand this Object as an attack.
  • Created projectiles last only until they strike their target and cannot be shared or stockpiled.
  • Reminder: additional Weapon Damage granted by this Effect does not stack with any other bonus to Weapon Damage. Instead the largest bonus is used.

When wearing the artifact, it connects through the base of your skull and glows slightly there when activating its defenses.

A small disc plugs into the brain stem of the user, similar in appearance (when plugged in) to a "data-jack" type device. It allows anything with the correct kind of plug (Anything Ware has created, or modified to work with it after the fact) to monitor brain activity, and upon removal seals up the area with anesthetic and surgical glue.

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:

  • Compartmentalizing: You can take a maximum of 1 Mind Damage per Round.

  • If you have an Effect that allows you to Exert your Mind more than once per Round, each Exertion still causes one Mind Damage.
  • 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.

When activating this effect, a little finagling is required to get the prototype to actually work - but once it's active, the artifact uses prediction technology to put itself in the way of danger, and actively protects the wearer: Either moving them out of the way or blocking hits for them with the light shimmer that outlines the exo-skeleton under their clothes.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Roll Intellect + Crafts at Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, you create a barrier around yourself, 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.

  • Effects which circumvent Armor completely also circumvent your barrier.

Stock Legendary Artifacts

The Bug-out Bag

No hiker would bat an eye if they saw someone wearing this 80 liter backpacking pack in the backcountry. Those who look closer find it's made of a curious mix of modern materials and what appears to be rawhide stitching.

This Artifact holds 5 times what it normally could inside of it. Objects stored inside are weightless.

Living things can be stored in this Artifact. They will have access to anything else inside and may attempt to break free, damaging or destroying the Artifact in the process.

If this Artifact is destroyed, things inside may get out, and it will cease to function until it is repaired.

When scanned or investigated without opening, the contents of this container appear normal and unremarkable.

If anyone other than you opens the container, it appears empty. Others can still destroy it to get at the contents.

  • A container of holding cannot be placed inside another created by the same Gift.
  • There is no cost to use this container.

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.

  • "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.

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.

Dazzle Glasses

This Effect activates whenever you are recorded. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a Non-Sapient Object within 20 feet no larger than a duffel bag (35 liters). Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. Roll Perception + Culture Difficulty 6.

If your Outcome is 4 or higher, the target will be completely destroyed and can no longer function, though it may still be repaired. If your Outcome is less than 4, the target will be partially damaged, and any attempts to use it will suffer a dice penalty equal to your Outcome.

  • When triggered, the Effect activation resolves immediately after the triggering Action. It is not Reaction speed.
  • The penalty from an object being damaged will stack with itself if a target is hit multiple times, but the object is destroyed when it reaches a total penalty of -4.
  • 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 Coffin

"The Coffin" is a black, alligator-skin briefcase made to look like its namesake. The interior is coated in red, quilted leather. It is quite a bit larger on the inside, appearing to stretch backwards like a dark passageway.

This Artifact holds 5 times what it normally could inside of it. Objects stored inside are weightless. Unless you are storing something commonly found in coffins, this Artifact behaves as its mundane counterpart. This Effect cannot be used unless you are storing something commonly found in coffins.

Living things can be stored in this Artifact. They will have access to anything else inside and may attempt to break free, damaging or destroying the Artifact in the process.

If this Artifact is destroyed, things inside may get out, and it will cease to function until it is repaired.

When scanned or investigated without opening, the contents of this container appear normal and unremarkable.

On a Downtime, you may change this Artifact from one type of container to another. Maximum once per Downtime.

If anyone other than you opens the container, it appears empty. Others can still destroy it to get at the contents.

  • You cannot change the container's type if you are not in possession of it.
  • A container of holding cannot be placed inside another created by the same Gift.
  • There is no cost to use this container.