One of the symbols fills with a faint werelight and a spectral image of it washes over the mouth of a living target as the hourglass etching within the crystal seems to animate, counting down an hour.
When used on a person, they find their memory has filled with strange recollections of learning a language they didn't previously know, in a place they have never been. No details of this other life are gleaned, and when the hour is over, the magic fades and the memories and language are lost.
When used on an animal, they are able to speak as a human would, with a young woman's voice(regardless of the animal's age or gender)
Finally, when used on a memento possessed by a dead creature at the moment of it's death, a spectral form of the creature is called forth from the object, and is able to speak with the bearer while the magic holds, before dissipating
After the death of River Lodestar, Alan has used his study of timelines to link back to hers through one of her crystals, and in so doing has infused it with the power to recall those once lost from the instant before their death to commune with the living world.
River, conversely, had used these crystals to enter the minds of creatures, and "borrow" their forms for a time.
While Alan's magic is distinct from River's, he was able to borrow a bit of her ability to connect with other minds. Using this crystal, one can reach back into their past and gather the memories of a language the bearer knows, how they learned it and have spoken it for years, and can place just that part of themselves temporarily into the mind of another. they become able to understand and even speak in this tongue until the magic fades.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Sapient being, human, Creature, or Dead target within 50 feet. For dead targets, you must possess their an object the target physically posessed at the time of their death. Roll a single D10 as a critical failure check. If you roll a 1, the Effect fails, and you are struck mute.
The target can communicate in your language for the next hour.
You may only use this Effect once per target per day.
The bracelet on my wrist transforms into the blade in a slithering, almost wet manner, denoting from the sword's gimmick of it being alive. Once it has rested on my hand, it relaxes into shape, the shape being of a short sword with a crossguard, a small crystal in the pommel of the blade and with a simple silver glint on the actual blade.
My first-ever attempt at artifice, it is a simple sword with nothing too special about it besides its ability to condense in size.... Except for a few things:
• The ever changing formless handle that changes size and shape depending on the way I need to grip it, sometimes the blade grows long or shorter depending on how many hands are holding it.
• the small crystal on the pommel. It is in fact not for decoration but it is a small exposed part of the sword's true form, one that can sense my life force and can draw itself back to me within a certain range.
• a side of the sword that is sharpening and serrated, purely designed with the intention of tearing through armour that can't be cut in one go.
• the blue essence inside the blade's fuller. It is actually more of my life force that has been conjoined with the blade permanently hence why it works best with me, though I don't deny the idea that if it were taken in my death that it'd be willing to accept anyone else as its master.
• and finally, in its bracelet form, it has a single magical crystal, I suppose it's for keeping the blade in that form unless needed.
This Artifact can be used as a sword / axe. It is roughly the same size as a sword / axe but can be collapsed into a bracelet and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.
Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +5 Weapon Damage. The target's fully effective
This item is a living thing. When targeted, it counts as a Living Creature in addition to its other target types. If destroyed or abandoned for more than two days, it dies and becomes unusable.
You also gain the following effects:
This device can find any unusual energy in an area.
Expend a point of Battery and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 500 feet At the end of your investigation, roll Perception + Investigation at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
Possession of this Artifact causes the following Trauma to manifest over the course of a day: compulsion to never leave a teammate behind or harm a teammate. If you lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next month.
The necklace consists of a thin metal chain and a teardrop pendant filled with the ash of a vampire. Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that both the chain and the droplet are slightly transparent, and there is no hole through which the necklace pierces the pendant.
Through a ritual, the incorporeal form of a vengeful specter was bound to the ash of a vampire. The undead remains combined with the incorporeal body create an artifact that lends undead resilience to the user.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You have 3 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. 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 or shredded, and it always provides a minimum of 2 Armor regardless of any Armor penetration. Your Armor cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
Upgraded with Level 5 self-driving.
This Artifact can be used as a Shelby Cobra 427. It is roughly the same size as a Shelby Cobra 427 but can be collapsed into Toy Car and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.
This Shelby Cobra 427 has breakneck acceleration and a high maximum speed. Any roll to pilot this vehicle receives +2 dice.
You also gain the following effects:
A selection of several plants that promote healing - like, *really* promote it - which can be blended down into a dose of thick, slightly coppery red liquid. Unfortunately, the sensation of all your bones and flesh quickly snapping back into place can be... Disquieting.
Now available with or without pulp!
(This artifact uses the Chemistry secondary skill in place of Science if the user has it.)
Expend a point of Battery and spend 15 minutes. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Your target must also Exert their Mind to activate this Effect. Your target must make a Trauma roll when you activate this Effect. Choose a specific Injury on your target that has not yet been treated with this Effect and roll Intellect + Science at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, the Injury is reduced in Severity by your Outcome. If you reduce its Severity to 0, the Injury is fully healed. Otherwise, it is partially healed and will heal the rest of the way at its natural rate.
This counts as a successful Makeshift Stabilization if the Injury was not already Stabilized; any Battle Scars caused by the Injury will remain.
The spy can do up their passport to take on the appearance of any valid form of identification they may need.
This Artifact can change its appearance. When not transformed, it is roughly the same size as a passport and just as difficult to conceal.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action to activate. This Artifact changes its appearance into an Object within the category of forms of identification. 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.
Companions gawk at the sheer size and quantity of the equipment the survivalist stores in the Bug-out Bag, but when they open it, they find only a standard set of survival gear. Only when the survivalist opens it is its true capacity revealed.
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.
The survivalist has depended on the Bug-out Bag for so long, they've formed a powerful bond with the pack. This bond renders the pack unbreakable, and grants the survivalist an understanding of what direction it's in at all times.
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.
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 255TE "Lancer" Rife fires an extremely deadly spike of plasma at its targets. It comes standard with a volume control, allowing the soldier to mute its normally fearsome lightning crack report for stealth missions. When not in use, it can collapse into a small metal disk that can fit into any utility belt.
This Artifact can be used as a rifle. It is roughly the same size as a rifle but can be collapsed into a metallic disk and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.
Attack by rolling Dexterity + Firearms, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +5 Weapon Damage.
You also gain the following effects:
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: