Legendary Artifact

The Scribe's Favor

Created and held by Mike Carson.
A silver-flecked feather Quill imbued with magic by the Sleeping Scribe. Its nib is marked with runes carved by Mike (ᛐᛒ)

The user touches the quill to a target and a drop of ink deposits, spreads, and draws a rune the user is holding a picture of in their mind related to the desired effect on a corresponding part of the target's body. At the end it absorbs into their skin and disappears, imbuing them with an appropriate power. The rune appears in their mind and strains it somewhat, as with a traumatic experience.

The quill has slumbered like its creator, and learned from its master. Now it awakens to aid him in rapidly boosting his and others' abilities.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living target within arm's reach. The target can easily Resist.

You may add one augmentation to your target. Each augmentation counts as a Trauma and can have exactly one of the following Effects:

  • Specialized: You receive +2 dice to a particular non-combat, non-Effect Action.
  • Environmental Adaptation: You do not suffer harm from heat, cold, pressure, or lack of oxygen in a particular environment, provided that challenge normally exists in that environment.
  • Implanted Tool: You have access to the functionality of some common Device at all times. The selected Device can be no larger than a motorcycle helmet.
  • Armor: You have 2 Armor at all times. As always, Armor from multiple sources does not stack.
  • Pouch: Part of your body functions as a hidden pocket. It can hold no more than a briefcase (15 liters).
  • Zippy: Your Free Movement is increased by 10 feet.
  • Maws and Claws: Your unarmed attacks do +2 Weapon Damage instead of -1.

The augmentations you provide are not outwardly visible nor obvious.

You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.

  • Remember: A Contractor’s Body rating is reduced by 1 for each Battle Scar after their fourth.
  • You may not augment targets with pouches or implanted devices that are larger than they are.
  • Targets without Body ratings may have a maximum of 4 augmentations.
  • Example environments for adaptation: space, all saltwater, all fresh water, all water under 50 feet deep, all water deeper than 50 feet, the jungle, radioactive areas, a specific alien world, etc.
  • 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.

The Scribe's Favor has absorbed enough silver ink to change its nature, turning its feather silver colored. When touched to a device, much like it does with flesh, a drop of its ink spreads out, forming a runic design that becomes an integral part of the device's fit and finish, clearly visible but looking as though it belongs, and remaining for 24 hours before fading. While so marked, items are immensely stronger, as well as simply being better at their intended uses. Cars drive smoother and never run out of gas, pots or utensils are easier to cook with and seem to make better food. Tools work smoother and make repairs easier. Even Mike's "Attitude-Adjusting Wrench" seems to hit harder, especially on beasties with some special weakness.

Its user, however, feels the weight of its origins...

Exert your Mind and spend 1 Action. Select a non-Alien Device within arm's reach. Cannot be used to improve Armor.

Lasts the next day. Your target receives 2 extra dice to all actions taken for its intended use. Attacking with an upgraded weapon grants +2 Weapon Damage instead of additional dice. While it is upgraded, the item cannot be destroyed.

Upgraded weapons count as any material your opponent might be particularly vulnerable to. Upgraded Armor cannot be circumvented by called shots. Upgraded Devices do not run out of fuel or energy.

Anyone who touches this Artifact will notice it warping their body and may drop it. If they choose to hold or use it, they immediately receive the following Battle Scar: The Drowsy Scribe - The Sleeping Scribe's artifact pulls your body toward slumber (Attempts to put you to sleep succeed automatically. A restful sleep requires 10 hours for you. +2 difficulty to wake you from sleep and on perception checks while sleeping). If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of the next day.

  • "Destroyed" in this context means "prevented from functioning for its primary purpose", so for instance, an upgraded land mine would still explode as normal if triggered, even though it cannot be "destroyed" and a car's windows may still be broken.
  • Reminder: additional Weapon Damage granted by this Effect does not stack with any other bonus to Weapon Damage. Instead the largest bonus is used. The same is true for extra dice.
  • Extra dice from this Effect do not apply to Gift activation rolls.
  • 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.
Print / PDF
Learn about charlatans - Hide fake ads

Community Artifacts

Nine-Stringed Bass

Created and held by Zhu Gāngliè.
A nine-stringed bass guitar used by Zhu Gāngliè. A reformed version of the Nine-Toothed Rake

A large, 9 stringed bass guitar, notably durable and wielded like a club.

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

Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +5 Weapon Damage.

Possession of this Artifact causes the following Battle Scar to manifest over the course of a day: Tinnitus. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of the next day.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Bane: Injuries dealt to demons are increased by 2 Severity levels.
  • Blade Breaker: If you successfully Defend against a melee attack or if an opponent is unsuccessful at Defending against your melee attack, you may break your opponent's weapon.
  • 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.

Chetming's Ring

Created and held by Mythkong.
A silver ring that was worn by my deceased brother, Chetming.

Whenever attacked, I manage to take a lot less damage than I should, purely out of my sheer will to not let down my brother Chetming.

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

You have 4, which reduces incoming damage from all sources of physical attack except Frost. Armor from multiple sources does not stack.

You may spend an Action or Reaction and Exert your Mind to double your Armor rating for one Round.

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.

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

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: Paranoia. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.

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

Whenever Will of the Brotherblood activates, a large puff of red and yellow smoke surrounds Mythkong. Within the smoke, you see a towering figure peer at you.

Chetming looks strikingly similar to Mythkong, but with one key difference. They are much.. MUCH bigger than him.

This Effect activates whenever Entering/Being in combat. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event.

You transform into Chetming for 3 minutes. You have access to all of your Powers while you are Chetming, 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 Brawn is increased by 2 and your Charisma is increased by 2. Your Stress is reduced by 2.

You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.

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: Uncontrollable Anger. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.

  • When triggered, the Effect activation resolves immediately after the triggering Action. It is not Reaction speed.
  • Attribute bonuses from multiple sources do not stack. Instead the highest bonus is used.

VSC Circuit board

Created and held by Devonia.

The metal choker emanated a loud, attention grabbing voice when the 6ft sewn together human turned to them. he said in a intimidatingly deep tone "Where is the suitcase" as he trudged over to the guards, his knuckles crackling menacingly.

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

You may understand and communicate to Creatures and humans as if you are fluent in a relevant language.

This also includes understanding any recorded communications from the relevant targets, including writings, scent trails, etc.

  • Communing with creatures does not grant them intellect but does allow you to converse with them.
  • The target of "human" refers to any target that speaks a human language.
  • When reading written communications, you get no information beyond what the writer was intending to communicate.

the last part of Devonia's history is now virtually indestructible thanks to tampering with it and researching the company from where it came from. it also seems to hum a bit whenever it's used to translate speach

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 the true owner of this Artifact ever dies, it immediately disappears. At least one week later, it will appear to Must have Aspects of the Crucible and reveal its power to them. They become its new true owner.

  • If there is no available Next of Kin, it will wait two months and then appear to a random person. If multiple next of kin are appropriate, the GM will decide randomly.
  • "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 Choker will unclip from the back, slowly folding and shifting itself into a metal throwing axe lined with a metal grip, and a single bladed axe head with a fireman spike on the other hand

This Artifact can be used as a throwing axe. It is roughly the same size as a throwing axe but can be collapsed into a Choker and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.

Attack by rolling Brawn + Athletics, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +3 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Not Quite Flying: You may Exert your Mind and use up your Movement to “follow” any attack using this weapon, traveling right next to its point of impact.
  • Return: When you throw this weapon, you may opt to have it return to your possession at the end of the attack. Whoever threw this artifact last may use an Action to recall it from up to 100 feet away, attacking one target in its return path as they do so.

  • If there is not enough free space to expand the object, it cannot be expanded. You cannot expand this Object as an attack.
  • The attack must be the primary form of attack for this 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.

With all the Chaos of life, there ARE ways to identify their various forms and trails, what they leave behind from their influence and the mark that forms from it, life takes all kinds of forms,

Place the fragment of the Crucible on the ground, and focus. it shall pulse orange, linking with the various living and animate entities, and you shall see through their senses, how they perceive the world differently from yours....

Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 500 feet At the end of your investigation, roll Intellect + Animals at Difficulty 6.

You learn the following information about the area:

  • You learn where exactly creatures and people live within the area, and what sorts of creatures they are.
  • You learn how heavily trafficked the area is, what sorts of Animate beings have moved through the area and when.
The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.

You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.

  • 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.

Golden embers flicker off of the Crucible's piece, affected by the Apotheosis. As long as Devonia has this flickering torch, they will continue, and will embrace their own pain, for others, and for fixing what was broken

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

Your Stress from Injuries and Mind Damage is reduced to 0.

Stress from Injuries acts as a dice bonus instead of penalty.

The Enmity Rifle

Created and held by Randal Rex.
A gift from Ares. A modified jet black hunting rifle forged for large game and presumably imbued with some godly goodness. For slaying everything from fiendish goblins to chaotic kaiju.

If a target is unlucky enough to be shot by Enmity and live to suffer through it (and no other mark is active), the targets bullet-wound will intensely bruise immediately, turning the surrounding flesh a dull magenta. Nearby assorted carrion animals will be attracted to the promise of Enmity's stain.

This Effect activates whenever the target is shot via "Aspect of Enmity". It does not require an Action or Exertion. Select a target within 300 feet. “Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event.

Your target is marked with the Stain of Enmity. The mark can only be discovered with a deep medical inspection or Effect. Removal inflicts a Severity 1 Injury on the target.

You are aware of the marked target's vital status, injuries, direction and distance from you. This lasts for an hour, or until either the mark is removed, or you choose to end the Effect. This Artifact can have up to 1 mark active.

You may activate another Effect through your Mark as though you were standing at its location. This destroys the Mark.

You receive +2 dice to any rolls made against a marked target.

  • When triggered, the Effect activation resolves immediately after the triggering Action. It is not Reaction speed.
  • Marked individuals satisfy the line of sight requirement for targeted Effects.
  • 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.

A gift from Ares. A modified firearm yet to be seen by this age. It's stealthy, concealable, and never runs out of ammo and packs a powerful punch. Perfect for bringing down any size game encountered.

This Artifact can be used as a rifle. It is roughly the same size as a rifle but can be collapsed into a matchbox and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.

Attack by rolling Dexterity + Firearms, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +10 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Any Injury inflicted is considered unstabilized even if its Severity is less than 4. The equipment and roll required to Stabilize it is treated as though it is a minimum of Severity 6.
  • Infinite Ammo: This weapon never runs out of its standard ammunition.
  • 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.
  • Silent Killer: If your shot would kill or incapacitate your target, they make no sound, even incidentally, for the next Round.

  • If there is not enough free space to expand the object, it cannot be expanded. You cannot expand this Object as an attack.
  • 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.

The Enmity Rifle comes with some funny ammo! This extra ammo type can be manifested easily by exerting your mind whilst wielding the weapon. Funny ammo is heavy and can only be shot 40 feet away maximum. Funny ammo takes a couple seconds to explode, and will then delete everything within a 25 ft radius. Have fun!

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Location no further than 40 feet from you and in your line of sight. The area within 25 feet of the chosen Location immediately and obviously becomes imminently dangerous. Anyone in the area has 1 Round to attempt to escape. During the next Round, on your Initiative, roll Dexterity + Firearms at Difficulty 6.

If the Outcome is positive, your blast hits all targets (besides a single chosen species or type of Animate being) within 25 feet of the chosen Location with Damage equal to your Outcome + 10.

Any object destroyed or individual killed in your blast turns to dust. Any parts of structures within your blast radius are destroyed and cannot bear a load or block movement. Your blast leaves a 15 foot deep crater in the ground and deals +1 Damage.

Anyone who takes damage from the blast is knocked back away from the target location by a distance equal to the radius. They must succeed a Body roll, Difficulty 9, or be stunned for 1 round.

  • 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.

Leon's special scarf

Created by Bu Fang, given to Leon Vanderblight.
Made of a cotton blend, green with hints of red. At a special bequest, the neckerchief has been made into a scarf.

A Neckerchief is a core part of a chef's kit. Allowing them to cool down from the sweat, providing a way to wipe away sweat, also being able to be used to wrap around wounds and injury, with it, though, one will also find there's another core component to it. Allowing one to wipe their mouths without staining their outfits! This neckerchief, specially designed, can do so much more though, increasing one natural health over time and allowing one to withstand many illnesses and foodborne disease!

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

You get +4 dice to any Body resistance rolls you make. You also gain the following effects:

  • Instant Vitamins: You may Exert your Mind to convert your bonus resistance dice into additional Outcome to any Body resistance roll.
  • Internal Awareness: You are automatically aware of and may diagnose any disease, toxin, drug, or similar which enters your system.
  • Purge Toxins: You may take a Severity-1 Injury to cancel the effect of any non-Alien drug, poison, or toxin in your system, as long as you are aware of its existence.

  • These bonuses apply only to Body rolls made to resist Effects and other supernatural phenomena. They do not apply to other contexts such as attacks made while under the Creature Transformation Effect.

Stock Legendary Artifacts

Personal Shield Generator

The device itself is a metal hexagon that is worn on the belt and glows when active.

Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action or Reaction.

You phase out of reality for up to 4 Rounds. During this time, you cannot perceive or affect the outside world or take any Actions. You cannot move. Nothing can interact with you in any way.

When you activate this Effect, you may limit its duration to a period of your choosing. If you are able, you may also end it as a Free Action on your initiative.

You leave a golden glow shaped like yourself at your location.

  • If you use this Effect to dodge as a Reaction, it succeeds without the need for a roll. Cannot be used as a Desperate Defense.
  • You may use your Free Movement on the Round you phase back in, but you cannot take an Action.

The Airship of Solitude

The airship of solitude is an imposing black blimp. While flying through the air, it is regularly struck by lightning, terrifying those below.

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:

  • Crew of One: You alone may stand in for an entire crew if the vehicle would normally be piloted by more than one.
  • Mind of its Own: This vehicle can move and take Actions without you driving it. It has seven dice for all Drive rolls.
  • No Muffler: Any stealth rolls made to hide your vehicle automatically fail, and any rolls made to notice your vehicle automatically succeed.

  • If there is not enough free space to expand the object, it cannot be expanded. You cannot expand this Object as an attack.

Wipe Memory

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Location within within arm's reach. All Sapient targets within 20 feet are affected. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is looking directly into the device with uncovered eyes. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.

If the contested Outcome is positive, the most recent 1 hour from your target’s memory is either replaced with new memories or forgotten entirely. This is recorded as a Condition. The level of detail and completeness of the alteration depends on your Outcome. If you fail, the target realizes that you are attempting to alter their memories.

The period is chosen either by time (i.e. “last Friday night”) or by reference to a specific event (i.e. “when the murder occurred”).

  • You do not gain mind-reading through this effect, so your ability to alter their memory is limited by your knowledge of what they might know.
  • The target's roll to realize their memories have been altered can be made a maximum of one time per day.
  • 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.

Lightning Bracers

A pair of bronze bracelets that glow with golden energy.

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:

  • Chain Lightning: You may Exert your Mind to perform a chain lightning attack. If your attack succeeds, All targets within 5 feet of your primary target take full Damage. The Damage can “jump” up to 5 times. Each target can be hit only once.
  • 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.

  • 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.

Cloak

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.

  • Hearing: You are completely obscured from hearing. You produce no sounds while this Effect is active. All attempts to detect you via hearing fail. Attempts via other senses where hearing would assist are rolled at -2 dice.
  • 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.