Crafted Artifact

Akira’s Top Suit

Created by Harold Polk, given to Akira Han.
“The Best Uniform”

In the clandestine world of espionage, where shadows whisper secrets and the line between ally and adversary blurs, there exists a lawyer turned spy, a master of subterfuge with a power as unique as their dual life. This individual, known only to a select few, possesses an extraordinary ability to infuse mundane spy equipment with unparalleled capabilities, transforming them into artifacts of immense tactical value.

On a night draped in secrecy, our spy enters a nondescript room, the air thick with anticipation. Around them, an array of common espionage tools lay scattered across a workbench—each item a silent witness to missions past and yet to unfold. With a practiced eye, the spy selects a compact surveillance device, its appearance unremarkable, its potential untapped.

As their hands envelop the device, a faint glow emanates from their fingertips, casting an ethereal light in the dimly lit room. The air hums with unseen energy as the spy focuses their will, channeling their unique power into the heart of the gadget. Under their touch, the device begins to transform, its form becoming sleeker, its essence imbued with a power that defies conventional understanding.

This Artifact has been upgraded.

This Artifact 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 mind and may drop it. If they choose to hold or use it, they immediately receive the following Trauma: I plead The Fifth -Roll a mind to speak to the police. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma 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.

When “The Firm’s Uniform” is activated, the transformation it undergoes is both subtle and imbued with an air of professional gravitas. The artifact, perhaps initially resembling a nondescript piece of legal attire or accessory, begins to shimmer with an ethereal gloss reminiscent of the polished sheen on a lawyer’s briefcase or the gleam of a well-maintained courtroom. This visual cue is brief, serving as a prelude to the transformation, much like the opening remarks in a meticulously prepared legal argument.

As the item changes, its edges blur momentarily, mimicking the effect of pages flipping rapidly through a legal tome, searching for the right precedent or statute. This transition is smooth and deliberate, echoing the precision and confidence of a seasoned attorney presenting their case. The new form materializes with the precision of a well-drafted contract, each detail snapping into place with the finality of a judge’s gavel.

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

Spend a Quick Action to activate. This Artifact changes its appearance into an Object within the category of Clothing. 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.

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Community Artifacts

The Golden Ring of Gyges

Created by Vel, given to Emily Miller.
A ring of gold. It has elvish inscribed on it. There is elvish inside it as well. The phonetic pronunciation of Emily.

The artifact, a ring of metal, shimmers slightly, spreading a mist that hides the user slowly disappear into nothing as its user rubs the inscription along the artifact. A bit of Elvish from J.R.R. Token, but saying something different.

"Keep me secret, keep me safe"

Vel made this artifact with a ritual pulling on the long history of legends of artifacts of invisibility.

The ring of Gyges is the first, and the one Vel picked the name for
The second is the helm of hades, the source of the mist that powers the effect.
The last, and the most well known, the one ring, and tempered by the other two stories

Vel starts by casting the metal for the base of the artifact, typically a ring. As Vel does so they tell extracts of the story of the ring of Gyges

Vel then lets the ring cool, surrounding it in steam as they talk about the stories of the helm of hades.

Vel finally carves in elvish the words into the ring. The patterns are common enough that the ring looks recognizable as something akin to the one ring, drawing power from people's conception of that. The specifics of the wording serve as another specific bit of meaning, anchoring the power of the ring in the point of time when the ring was harmless, and connecting it to the other 2 stories of less malevolent effects.

Notes:

[So my thought process for this is that the most well known ring of invisibility and symbol of invisibility is the ring from Lord of the Rings.

When trying to impart an effect, Vel doesn’t want to make a ring that destroys lives and minds. So, the other stories, and the words in elvish are a way of anchoring the power Vel gets from the big story, pulling the other stories of similar tools, and using them to divert the effects the one ring is supposed to have.

I could probably switch to just the Greek stories to make it a little cleaner, but I think if you are making a ring of invisibility using the cultural understanding of rings of invisibility, you need to address the one ring, or it will slip in.]

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.

  • 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.

Khaladrian Amulet

Created by Vector "Yora'tu" Kertan, given to Polamedes.
The crystal is held by some wires that can be placed on the forehead. Not really a piece of art, but nerds can find it perfect.

A blue crystal of Aqua aura embedded in a headpiece on where third eye would be. When focused on it helps user to move and otherwise interact with their surroundings with mind itself.

It slightly glows reacting on wearers thoughts and goes bright when used properly to affect reality.

A crystal popped from an old trinket for a game said to be real thing actually happened to be not that far from false advertisement. Unique way of artificially coating dumortierite quartz with gold gave the crystal potential to become functional.

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

You can interact with things that are within 10 feet without needing to physically touch them or be near them. Any rolls made for Actions taken in this way use a Mental Strength of 2 in place of your Brawn rating, a Mental Agility of 2 in place of your Dexterity, and otherwise use your own Attributes and Abilities.

Telekinetic actions have the following restrictions and behaviors:

  • Line of Sight: You must be able to visually observe anything you interact with, and any actions that you are taking will end if their target moves out of sight.
  • Unarmed Combat: You cannot deal damage through unarmed combat or thrown objects with this Effect, though you may still grapple with targets.
  • Weapons: You cannot wield weapons effectively in combat.
  • Fine Tools: You are otherwise limited to actions that a normal human could do with their bare hands.
  • Maintaining Focus: You must maintain Concentration while taking Actions in this way. If you are Injured or interrupted, you must roll Mind at Difficulty 9 to maintain Concentration. If you fail, you cannot engage in telekinetic actions for the next 6 - Intellect rounds.
  • Levitation: If you are strong enough to lift yourself, you may levitate up to within 10 feet away from the ground. Movement is limited to 5 feet per Round.
  • Multiple Items: You can only interact with one thing or take one Action at a time.

  • Any telekinetic actions which interact with Animate targets may require contested rolls at GMs discretion.

Street skaters

Created and held by Sally router.

Skates that are black with pink wheels and when using this ability, they glow a rapid pink and it looks like a pink trail is left behind her

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 tripled.

If your last Action was used for an all-out sprint or you are already accelerated, you may spend an Action to accelerate without a roll, adding 150 feet/Round (not affected by your speed bonus) to your sprint speed, to a max of an extra 300 feet/Round. As long as you stay at these speeds, you may use this distance per Round as your Free Movement.

Any terrain you traverse while accelerated must be passable by a standard vehicle at similar speeds. Stopping, turning sharply, or decelerating more than 150 feet/Round must be performed as an Action. Failing to decelerate with an Action (whether because of an obstacle, sudden unfavorable terrain, an Injury, or other event) deals 3 Damage which Armor does not reduce.

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: weak stomach. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of the next day.

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

  • 150 feet/Round is approximately 33 mph.
  • Any Encumbrance penalty to your movement still applies, but you do not suffer from any sort of exhaustion.
  • Damage from a collision depends on your speed at the time, as well as what you hit. GM's discretion, but generally moving faster than a car on the freeway and hitting a dense, solid object like a wall or a tree should be lethal. Mundane armor will not apply, but any supernatural forms of protection will.

Thorn, The Royal Sword

Created and held by Artemis Hale.
A shining, flawless silver longsword with a golden pommel and guard, an etching of a phoenix on the blade.

When being called to my hand, the blade glows a soft golden color before instantly being teleported to my hand. If struck, the foe is covered in an ethereal flame, not hot to the touch nor otherwise painful, though their armor is sundered.

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.

The Dramatis Personae

Created and held by Paige Price.
A little booklet bound in black leather with the words 'Dramatis Personae' inlaid in silver.

Focused on your target, you hold out The Dramatis Personae as it flips open to a random page, ink writhing across the page to coalesce into a language the holder understands.

Information in the booklet follows the following format:
Name, Aliases, etc ................................................A Role
Name, Aliases, etc ................................................A Role
Name, Aliases, etc ................................................A Role
etc...

Expend a point of Battery and spend 2 Actions. Select a Sapient target within 20 feet. At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Occult at Difficulty 6.

You learn all the following information about your target:

  • You learn the target's name, nicknames, screen names, and aliases.
  • You learn their 'role' in the current Contract or Move. This might be a relevant occupation like A Mechanic or their purpose in the current context such as A Sacrifice. May potentially reveal a Contractor's archetype or paradigm, whichever is more relevant, when they aren't acting as A Contractor.

The quality and specificity of information gained depends on your Outcome.

You cannot investigate the same target 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.

Stock Artifact Crafting Gifts

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:

  • Naturally Resistant: Any time you make a Mind resistance roll, the individual who you are resisting must Exert their Mind, or your resistance succeeds automatically.
  • Clash Of Wills: If you fail to fully resist an Effect, your Outcome is considered to be 0.

  • 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.

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:

  • Survivor: You are immune to all non-Alien diseases.
  • All Brawn No Brain: You suffer a -2 dice penalty on Mind resistance rolls.

  • 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.