When the Artifact owner decides to embody their grief, they and everything that was equipped by them - except for the Artifact itself - suddenly turns to water, which naturally splashes to the ground. The Artifact falls down as well, always landing in at least some of the water created by this. Slowly, the water begins to pull itself towards the Artifact, the gemstone eye of which had started to glow with increasing brightness, and soon even the water itself lights up with a cyan shimmer as if filled with bioluminescent algae. The longer the Artifact has been accumulating this phantasmal glow-water, the greater its shimmer becomes, and the more the Artifact's undulations quicken.
Eventually, the Artifact owner and the Artifact itself complete their merger. The result is an otherworldly, ephemeral centipede the size of a scarf, wearing the now-enlarged, dark purple-brown Artifact as its exoskeleton and having equally-dark gray metallic mandibles, legs and antennae made up of the cyan phosphorescent water which was finally collected fully, and a mint-colored, glowing, lantern-esque eye. The main body of it is covered by a thin film of glow-water as well.
When returning back to human form, the Artifact portion of the creature simply coils up and begins to gradually shrink, while the water loses all glow and collapses. The latter progressively coalesces over time, loosely forming the Artifact owner in their fetal position, equipped with everything they were equipped with originally. Then, the shrunken Artifact uncoils and swims through the watery figure, ending up curled around the left hand's ring finger. As it locks into place, a glowing wave spreads from that point all across the figure's surface and reverts all the water back into its original materials.
If anything attempts to interrupt either transformation before it finishes, the waters involved in it lash out at the target with shining, piercing stabs.
The Artifact owner remains transformed even beyond this Effect's duration, reverting only when they elect to end the Effect manually as a Free Action. Instead, this Effect's duration simply dictates how long the Artifact owner is able use to their Active, Targeted, and Trap Powers while transformed. To regain access to the usage of the aforementioned Power types, the Effect must be reactivated.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend an Action.
You transform into an abyssal centipede for 30 minutes. You have access to all of your Powers while you are an abyssal centipede, 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 Perception is increased by 2. You do not suffer any Stress while transformed.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
Anyone who witnesses you during this Effect's activation or for its duration will almost certainly be disturbed to see a growing, undulating, supernatural centipede.
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: Whispering Waves. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.
Tam has lined the gloves with a psionicly active material - the gloves glow a purplish glow when in use, but she can feel them from whatever distance. And pull them to her.
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.
If this Artifact is in no one else’s possession, its true owner may Exert their Mind and spend two Actions to bring it to themselves.
At the heart of Jessica's research lies the revelation that crystalline light isn't merely an advanced concept in particle physics, but a manifestation of alien intelligence with its own will to form. Harnessing this phenomenon as a bridge, Jessica can merge alien genetic material with human physiology, yielding disturbing yet powerful biological enhancements. As she channels this ability, crystals of light proliferate across the room and patient, emanating an opalescent glow that shifts and writhes with impossible colors.
The process begins as luminescent crystal tendrils pierce the subject's skin, branching out like glowing veins beneath the surface. Affected areas undergo rapid, unsettling metamorphoses – limbs elongate unnaturally, extra eyes sprout in unexpected places, or skin becomes translucent, revealing pulsating, alien organs. Throughout the operation, the patient experiences intense fever and vivid hallucinations, a harrowing ordeal that subsides after several hours.
These alterations bestow superhuman abilities, with the enhanced flesh eventually conforming to the patient's original shape. However, occasional quivers and the development of colored geometric patterns betray the struggle of alien matter to maintain its new form within the human host. While temporary, the process leaves behind residual changes: faint, glowing skin patterns and fleeting flashes of inhuman perception serve as constant reminders of the tenuous veil between humanity and the cosmic unknown.
Exert your Mind and spend 30 minutes. Select a Living or Animate target within arm's reach. Your target must make a Trauma roll to reap the benefits of this Effect. They may choose to Resist the Effect and not make the roll. 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:
By transplanting a body part from an Alien being, you can grant an intrinsic Effect from that part to the subject. Its power level should be limited to one Gift Point or less.
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 your flesh ripple and split open, revealing a pulsating lattice of crystalline light intertwined with writhing, alien tissue.
Big metal suit helps to protect against damage. Close attacks will be burnt by the stoves. Don't Touch!
You gain the following benefits as long as you are wearing this Artifact.
You have 8 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack. Called Shots may circumvent your Armor, depending on its coverage.
When you take Damage from a source which is within 5 feet, deal back as much Damage as your Armor prevented.
You may activate or deactivate your armor as a Free Action on your Initiative. As long as your armor is active, your movement speed is halved and you suffer -2 dice to all Dexterity and Perception rolls. While deactivated, it offers no Armor.
Over the course of 30 minutes, the user draws a rune 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.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Living 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 Trauma and can have exactly one of the following Effects:
The augmentations you provide are not outwardly visible nor obvious.
You may end this Effect prematurely as a Free Action.
tbd
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 this Artifact is in no one else’s possession, its true owner may Exert their Mind and spend two Actions to bring it to themselves.
This Artifact's true owner must have it with them to have restful sleep. They cannot regain Mind or Source while separated from this Artifact.
The Skeleton Key slips easily into any keyhole and turns without a fuss.
Spend an Action.
You may lock, unlock, and/or open any number of doors, containers, knots, or locks within arm's reach of you. Cannot be used on Alien technology.
If you successfully operate a lock, you may choose to destroy it, rendering it inoperable.
If the Selkie's seal skin is worn close to the body, any contact with salt water will cause them to transform into a seal. While transformed, they have full access to their normal suite of Powers.
This Effect activates whenever you are submerged in salt water. It does not require an Action or Exertion. Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event.
You transform into small for two hours or until you choose to end the Effect. See the Extended System text for stats.
While transformed, you cannot use any equipment (including Artifacts and Consumables), and you cannot use your Active, Targeted, or Trap Powers. However, you can use your Passive Powers. Any equipment you are wearing transforms with you.
Injuries and Wound Level are carried over between forms. However, transforming can never kill you; you merely remain Incapacitated until your Injuries are sufficiently healed.
The Axe of Legend's blade has been imbued with the metal of the dark lord of rock and roll. It shreds chords and flesh. The rock god commanding it may recall it to their hand at will.
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:
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 "Reaper" Assault Helmet is the signature piece of the Future Soldier's arsenal. It has a sleek, design and is made of a mysterious matte-metallic alloy. The wearer's face is exposed normally, but when activated, a blue holographic visor flickers to life in front of the eyes. This HUD contains information about the soldier's ammunition and shield status, but more significantly can detect enemy combatants. Anyone nearby who is holding a weapon is painted with a red dot that follows them in real time. This allows the Future Soldier to fire at painted targets in the dark, detect ambushes lurking around corners, and grants an overall tactical advantage.
Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action.
You automatically detect all people wielding weapons within 300 feet of you for the next hour. This includes any who come within range during the duration. You have a sense of how many valid targets are nearby, as well as their distance and direction.