The blade of the scalpel gains an ethereal shimmer as it is activated: the nano-machines composing its tip surge into the subject and begin to painlessly (but violently) tear apart and viscerally replace the targeted system and area. It is gruesome and horrific to watch the drawn out thirty-minute transformation of sinew, flesh and bone be made into synthetic counterparts by way of microscopic factories made of biological matter.
…The aftermath is initially disorienting and nauseating - the unnatural feelings of synthetic augmentation can potentially traumatize those afflicted. It may take time and therapeutic assistance in order to overcome these issues.
The nano-machines within are given a command alongside the patient - if the patient breaks protocol, the machines revert the augmentation.
Exert your Mind and spend 30 minutes. Select a Living or Animate target within arm's reach. Your target must make a Trauma roll when you activate this Effect. The target can easily Resist.
You may add one augmentation to your target. Each augmentation counts as a Battle Scar and can have exactly one of the following Effects:
The augmentations you provide are not outwardly visible nor obvious.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation will almost certainly be disturbed to see Excess flesh (or material) is rapidly excised and cannibalized for mechanical alteratives. Waste not, want not..
A beautiful low-pitched G String piece of classical music is played with The Golden Fiddle (the piece being played is Air on G String by Johann Sebastian Bach). This produces a giant transparent-ish shield, with a clef insignia in the middle, to form from the fiddle.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. Roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier extending out 15 feet from yourself, which absorbs 2 times the next Outcome + 2 Damage. Only applies to attacks which originated outside the 15 foot radius, and protects anyone who is within that radius. You may choose to create a bubble barrier. If you do, no physical objects or entities can pass into your bubble until the barrier is broken, but you and the barrier cannot move. Any Damage absorbed by the barrier is reflected back to the attacker, up to a maximum of the Barrier Strength Parameter’s bonus. Their Armor applies in full. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. This Artifact may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, 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.
When in compact state, Filo appears as an antiquated fountain pen, having engraved "La Pluma" across its body. After performing three consecutive twirls, the pen bursts with ink into a bastard sword, with "La Espada" engraved on the body.
"Really, I don't want it. Only talks in Spanish about books, and will beg, BEG for you to give him a puff of your cigarette. Belonged to some writing nerd. But it's loyal, and will help you keep any foes where you want them to. Use it how you will, and there's no returns if you get tired of it!"
-The Talent, before giving The Rambling Blade to Julio.
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 pen and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.
Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +4 Weapon Damage.
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:
The small charm opens its mouth to reveal rows of sharp, broken, wooden teeth as it snaps hungrily at the nearest extremity as it exclaims "Feed me!" and attempts to satiate its unending hunger for blood. For those willing to part with some of their vital essences willingly though will find that it comes with its boons. Once the spirit is temporarily satiated it can use its power to call upon the nature spirits in the area. The Kodama that answers its call are far more helpful than the spirit within the charm and will answer questions about the area to the best of their ability. Though their specialty lies in the knowledge of the supernatural, and the threats that they have to avoid within the area they can answer specific questions if asked and will usually render the answer out in the form of a minute-long play.
Exert your Mind and spend a minute. Investigate an area with a radius of up to 1 mile You must use up A katashiro in order to activate this Effect. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means. At the end of your investigation, roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6.
You learn the following information about the area:
You cannot investigate the same area more than once per day.
The Norinco NSR12 has the following specifications:
Chinese self-designed semi-auto sniping rifle in the caliber of 12.7mm.
Caliber: 12.7x108mm
Muzzle velocity: 825 m/s
Barrel length: 480 mm
Overall length: 1450 mm
Net weight: <14.5 kg
Capacity: 5 rds.
Accuracy: R1000<=48cm
Rifling: 8pcs./380mm
This rifle was once wielded by the infamous Chinese assassin Wúshēng Dǎjí - anyone familiar with this weapon will recognize it as such.
This Artifact can be used as a Heavy Sniper Rifle. It is roughly the same size as a Heavy Sniper Rifle and just as difficult to conceal.
Attack by rolling Dexterity + Firearms, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal 3 Weapon Damage +1 Bonus Damage. The target's Armor is reduced to 1/2, rounded up against this damage.
You also gain the following effects:
Luci's inherent map-making skills may not be the most prime, but with the assistance of this artifact, her scouting abilities are premier. Using the map created by Dance of the Shadow, Luci can pinpoint any area on the map, cover the page with ink, and manifest a live constantly moving image comprised of ink that moves and snakes along the page on its own to simulate what's going on in that location as if she was standing there herself.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. This Effect cannot be used unless the area has been investigated or properly mapped out to a thorough degree. You must use up 1 liter of ink in order to activate this Effect. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means.
You may perceive things within 1 mile of you with perfect clarity as though there were no walls or obstacles blocking your view for the next 30 minutes.
Others near you may choose to observe what you are perceiving by looking at Luci’s sketchbook.
You may perceive through up to 15 feet of material. The Difficulty of all Perception rolls made through a wall are increased by 1 per wall.
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.
This Artifact's creator is always aware of the direction and distance to this Artifact.
Dazzle Glasses are advanced "black-tech" espionage gear. They can be styled as any sort sunglasses. When the wearer is recorded, they will quickly flash a non-visible laser into the recording device, destroying it after only a moment of footage is taken.
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). 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.
Standard issue in the Future Soldier's home time, the Personal Shield Generator (PSG) projects a protective energy barrier around the body. It absorbs damage far better than traditional armor, but its battery is quickly drained. When depleted, the PSG must spend a few seconds recharging.
When struck, the normally-invisible field of the PSG flashes, revealing a bright yellow honey-comb pattern encasing the body.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You have 6 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack.
Your Armor cannot be destroyed, and it always provides a minimum of 2 Armor regardless of any Armor penetration. It cannot be circumvented with Called Shots.
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.
The Scepter of Ang-Kapal is a gruesome device fashioned to look like a skeletal arm clutching a glass eye. When used, blood from the person holding is drawn into the eye where it swirls with dark energy. The eye turns to a nearby corpse and shudders, reviving the creature. The creature does not retain any of its memories or personality, but it is absolutely loyal to whoever is holding the scepter.
The Scepter of Ang Kepal has the unfortunate side effect of driving its owner mad.
Take a Severity-1 Injury and spend one minute. Select a Dead target within arm's reach with at least half its skeletal structure remaining. You must make a Trauma roll when you use this Effect. Its Difficulty cannot be reduced by any means.
Your target rises as an Animate being. The raised creature is totally mindless, with no memory of its past life or hint of its old personality. They cannot communicate. They will follow any command you speak.
The creature lasts for eight hours or until it dies again. It is revived at full health. Any Injuries it had in life are not accounted for when determining its penalties or progression towards re-death, though they may affect its ability to perform certain actions at GM's discretion.
Raised creatures have their Abilities set to the same that they were in life. Their Charisma and Intellect are set to 1, but their Dexterity, Brawn and Perception are the same as they had in life. A raised creature cannot use any Effects.
Destroying one of your zombies requires a called shot to the head or heart. All other Injuries zombies suffer result in Battle Scars only, limiting their mobility and effectiveness in other ways.
Your revived targets deal 2 Weapon Damage with their unarmed attacks.
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 can be used as a container. It is roughly the same size as a 80 liter backpacking pack and just as difficult to conceal.
Your 80 liter backpacking pack holds 5 times what it normally could. Objects stored inside are weightless.
Living things can be stored in your 80 liter backpacking pack. They will have access to anything else inside and may attempt to break free, damaging or destroying the 80 liter backpacking pack in the process.
If your 80 liter backpacking pack is destroyed, things inside may get out, and it will cease to function until it is repaired.
Only you may open and close the container. Others can still destroy it to get at the contents