Plot Device "It's anything the author needs it to be."

2
An item which can change its appearance.
Used by Alex Scott, Created by Polymorph.

The holder holds the document in their hand, makes a slight flick as they're saying what it is, and then it is that document, just as the plot requires.

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

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.

  • Changing the Artifact’s appearance does not allow you to conceal its Alien nature while any of its other Effects are in use.
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Community Artifact Crafting Gifts

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

Your senses are enhanced in the following way.

  • Sight: You can see perfectly in dark and even pitch-black environments. You suffer no dice penalty due to darkness.
  • Touch: You can identify any material with a touch and immediately find what you are looking for when rummaging, assuming it is actually present. You may withdraw items from your bags with a Quick Action instead of an Action.

Any heightened senses require you to maintain Concentration to use, and do not apply to any passive Perception checks.

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: Crackling Veins - Electricity surges through your arms to enhance the senses, producing a blue glow and the crackle of static under the skin. You take a -2 dice penalty to all Stealth rolls, and direct skin contact with metal surfaces produces an electric spark. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Battle Scar heals over the course of the next day.

  • “Rummaging" means digging through trash, finding a needle in a haystack, etc.

This Artifact cannot be broken.

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

  • "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.

This Artifact can be used as a shotgun. It is roughly the same size as a shotgun and just as difficult to conceal.

Attack by rolling Dexterity + Firearms, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +5 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Expend a point of Battery and spend 1 minute. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Your target takes a Severity 1 Injury. Your target must make a Trauma roll when you activate this Effect.

You may cure any Non-Alien diseases, toxins, or poisons afflicting your target even if you have not diagnosed or fully understood it. You may cure diseases or poisons even if they are not treatable through modern medicine. During treatment, the malady you are treating does not progress or cause additional Damage or other effects.

Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see the target's body visibly shakes with obviously excruciating agony as blood, phlegm, and black and yellow bile are expelled from their pores, mouth, and sinuses.

  • When narrating disturbing content, be cognizant of your group's tone and accommodating to those who would like to "fast forward" through the description.
  • Without some sort of diagnostic Effect, “fully diagnosing” a disease or poison will always require a roll of some sort, frequently Intellect + Medicine, but the specific roll and difficulty is at GM’s discretion.
  • 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.

Those entrusted with the sign of the Napoli family swear more than loyalty they bind themselves to the foundation that holds the family strong. Before the lighter is passed on, the oath is spoken:

"I stand with the Family, in shadow and in fire. I raise no hand, voice, or will against the heart that keeps us whole. I keep what must be kept, cleanse what must be cleansed, and serve what endures.
What is given to me, I hold for us; where I walk, I walk for us; what I claim, I claim in our name.
In doubt, I turn first to kin; in danger, I stand where we stand; and in all things, my steps remain known to the Family, as my hands remain open to them."

Only those who speak these words truly earn the right to carry the lighter. When sparked and sealed, it calls the crew. The truck arrives. Equipped with the finnest weapons (Automatic) .mess is handled. No hesitation.

Exert your Mind and spend two Actions performing the following ritual: Lighting the lighter and calling the crew. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted.

Summon up to 5 Sapient Mafioso at your location. They last for two hours or until they are destroyed. They are controlled by the GM but will follow any commands you give. This Artifact may have at most 5 minions active at a time.

  • Initiative: Minions act directly after you in Combat starting the Round after they are summoned.
  • Combat: Minions roll 7 dice to dodge, Grapple, or make Firearm Attacks. Their unarmed Attacks have 50 feet of range and deal +4 Damage.
  • Body/Mind: Minions have 5 Body. Your minions roll 3 Mind resistance dice.
  • Armor: Minions have 2 Armor.
  • Movement: Minions can move 25 feet per Round as Free Movement and double that when performing an all-out Sprint.
  • Intelligence: Minions have human-level intelligence and can speak your language. They can use equipment, Artifacts, and Consumables. However, they cannot Exert their Mind.
  • Actions: Any Perception checks they make are rolled with 4 dice. Any other roll is made with 4 dice. They can lift and haul as though they have 2 Brawn.
  • Unusual: Minions are not obviously Alien.

After you finish activating this Effect, you cannot move quicker than a walk (max 15 feet per Round) for one minute and suffer a -1 dice penalty for an hour. Exhaustion’s penalty and duration stacks with multiple activations.

  • Minions die if targeted with Energy Transfer (before the Effect resolves) or if an Artifact or Consumable they use would Injure them or cause them to roll Trauma.
  • Exhaustion penalties and duration stack. If you activate this Effect or another Effect with Exhaustion, your penalty will worsen, and the duration is increased by one hour.
  • Your minions may count as additional targeting types based on their flavor. For example: Living, Computer, Creature, etc.

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.