Legendary Artifact

Esperachius

Created and held by Ellis McGruber.
A longsword with a gilded hilt. There is a roughly forged nail that has been hammered into the base of the pommel.

The wielder's time spent with the sword Esperachius has deepened their faith and helped them to rise above concerns of the flesh or the mind. They are no longer held back by injury or distraction of any kind, choosing instead to persevere and act in accordance with the Lord.

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

Your Stress from Injuries and Mind Damage is reduced to 0.

If you are Stunned, asleep, drugged, or otherwise made unconscious for any reason other than being Incapacitated, you may Exert your Mind to wake up. Any penalty which was caused by this condition is removed.

Any dice penalty from Exposure or being stunned, diseased, sleepy, dizzy, sick, distracted, or similar is reduced to zero. Does not affect penalties from Effects you activated.

Esperachius is a blessed sword, and cannot be easily used or held by the enemies of the Lord. Should it ever be stolen, lost, or misplaced, the wielder will feel a painful tugging in it's general direction, and will struggle to maintain their sanity until they are reunited with the sword.

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.

Demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities cannot hold or use this Artifact. They take a Severity 1 Injury each Round they touch or possess of the Artifact. It cannot be prevented or healed by any means until one day after they relinquish possession.

This Artifact's true owner is always aware of the direction and distance to this Artifact.

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.

  • "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.

The wielder may perform great miracles by treating and curing poisons and diseases. To do so, however, they require a ceremonial dedication (or often re-dedication) to the service of God. This takes fifteen minutes, during which the wielder and the patient pray together while performing some ritualistic bloodletting with Esperachius. The bloodletting wounds burn with holy, golden fire, attacking the sinful disease or poison and expelling it from the body.

Spend 15 minutes. Select a Living target within arm's reach. Your target takes a Severity 1 Injury.

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.

You may treat Alien maladies and curses. If there is some method to cure them, you learn what it is. If the malady does not provide its own means of curing it, it is cured.

This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 1.

  • 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.

The mighty sword Esperachius was forged from the very nail used to hang Jesus upon the cross. This is a blessed sword, and the Lord's will channels through it. It will never fully strike a creature not damned or tainted by a demonic presence, though the edge is still sharp enough to cut ordinary flesh. However, against those enemies the Lord has condemned to die, the wielder may sally forth with divine speed and smite them down with a ferocious blow.

This Artifact can be used as a sword / axe. It is roughly at least twice as large as a sword / axe and cannot be concealed on your person or disassembled for storage.Unless it is being used against a demon, vampire, devil, or other unholy entity, this Artifact behaves as its mundane counterpart.

Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +8 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Any Injury inflicted is considered Unstabilized no matter its Severity. The roll required to Stabilize it is treated as though it is a minimum of Severity 6. These wounds do not heal naturally, though Effects may still be used to heal them.
  • Bane: Injuries dealt to demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities are increased by 2 Severity levels.
  • Dark Harvest: Whenever you inflict an Injury with Severity 4 or greater on a Living target, you may reduce an Injury on yourself by 1 Severity. If the Injury kills the target, you may instead reduce an Injury on yourself by 3 Severity.

  • This Artifact cannot be disguised or morphed with other Effects like Shape-Changing object.
  • 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 Lord protects you from evil. You are bathed in a glowing golden aura of Faith, marking you as one of the Lord's servants to any with knowledge of such things. Any attacks from Demons or creatures which are demonically tainted are slowed by your aura of Faith, often failing to reach you at all. Should one of their attacks make it through, the act of coming so close to a holy person hurts them just as much.

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

You have 6 Armor, which only reduces damage taken from demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities. Any armor piercing effects from demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities are ignored. 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.

  • This Effect’s Armor rating cannot be increased by any other Effects.

The wielder chants the psalms and thrusts Esperachius straight up into the air. The area around them becomes consecrated by the Lord and is bathed in a bright golden flame, smiting the enemies of the Lord and knocking them away.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. The area within 25 feet of you immediately and obviously becomes imminently dangerous. Anyone in the area has 1 Round to attempt to escape. During the next Round, on your Initiative, roll Charisma + Occult at Difficulty 6.

If the Outcome is positive, your blast hits all targets (besides a single chosen species or type of Animate being) within 25 feet of you with Damage equal to your Outcome + 2. If you botched the activation roll, you will also take full Damage from the blast, otherwise it will not hurt you.

Anyone who takes damage from the blast is knocked back away from you by a distance equal to the radius. They must succeed a Body roll, Difficulty 9, or be stunned for 1 round.

  • 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.

The wielder whispers a quiet prayer to the Lord, holding Esperachius in their hand. For a while afterwards, all nearby demonic beings become revealed. Ellis noticeably glows with golden holy light, while any unholy beings he detects appear to him to be visibly and profusely sweating blood.

Exert your Mind and spend an Action.

You automatically detect all demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities 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.

If no demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities targets are within 300 feet of you, and then one enters range, you automatically detect it, even if this Effect is not active.

Any demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities detected while this Effect is active are “marked”. You will continue to detect them until the Effect ends, no matter how far away they move. You will also continue to detect them after the Effect ends, so long as they remain within 300 feet of you.

You learn basic information about why each detected being is being detected. For example, if you detect Criminals, you may learn how many crimes they have committed and what type.

You receive a name for each being you detect.

All demons, vampires, devils, or other unholy entities who you can sense are equally able to sense you.

  • This Effect does not satisfy the line of sight targeting requirement for other Effects.

If the wielder stabs Esperachius through the heart of an unholy creature, it will instantly die, but it's eternal soul will be redeemed by it's death.

Spend an Action. Select a Living target within arm's reach. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is a demon, vampire, devil, or other unholy entity, and has a heart. Roll Dexterity + Melee Difficulty 6. The target may contest by rolling to Dodge or Defend as a Reaction, Difficulty 6.

If the Contested Outcome is positive, the target takes that much Damage plus 4. The target's Armor is completely ignored.

If a Living target would suffer an Injury Severity 5 or greater from this Effect, they die.

This Gift cannot have more than 3 Drawbacks, and its Gift Cost is capped at 1.

  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.
  • Your target must be within line of Effect. There must be no substantial obstructions between you and your target.

The wielder of Esperachius will find that their injuries rapidly heal themselves, flesh knitting back together as if stitched with bright golden threads.

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

Any Injury you receive heals quickly, reducing its Severity by one level every 10 minutes. Any Injuries you receive while this Effect is active do not deteriorate over time. However, any Battle Scars caused by such an Injury will remain unless it is Properly Stabilized as normal.

The Lord allows the wielder to see perfectly in all conditions. Their sight cannot be hampered, and can see perfectly in darkness, though everything appears to be in a golden sepia-tone.

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.

Any senses which have been heightened cannot be overloaded. Battle Scars you receive cannot affect these senses. If one of these senses does become suppressed, you may Exert your Mind to end the effect.

  • Examples of overloading a sense include: an explosion causing temporary deafness, a bright light causing blindness, a sedative causing numbness, etc.
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Community Artifacts

kimber 1911

Created and held by Grebber.
stronk ass gun

a big strap innit

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

Attack by rolling Dexterity + Firearms, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +6 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • You may spend a Quick Action to change this firearm's base stats into those of any other basic firearm.
  • 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.
  • Silencer: The report of any shots you fire may be made silent at will.

  • Changing this weapon's base type affects its range, Weapon Damage, concealability, and roll. Other mechanics of the chosen base firearm (such as the tripod requirement for sniper rifles) apply.
  • 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.

Iron Fist

Created by Victoria Bellenara, given to Faira Lenora McDougall.
Currently At home.
Cloth boxing wraps covered in blood splatter

...

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

Attack by rolling (Dexterity or Brawn) + (Melee or Brawl), Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +7 Weapon Damage.

You also gain the following effects:

  • Blade Breaker: If you successfully Defend against a melee attack or if an opponent is unsuccessful at Defending against your melee attack, you may break your opponent's weapon.
  • Lasersaber: Given time, you may demolish any object or wall. To destroy 1 cubic foot of material: spend 1 Action for material demolishable with a crowbar or sledgehammer, and 2 Actions for other materials (like steel).
  • 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.

Breaking stuff

Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Object or Construct Object within arm's reach no larger than an SUV (4,000 liters). You cannot target objects which are currently in someone else’s possession. Roll Brawn + Brawl Difficulty 6. Sapient targets may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 8.

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.

When activating this Effect, you may spend an extra minute and maintain Concentration. If you do, it has no Exertion cost, and you may destroy an object which has up to 3x larger dimensions, or up to 27x larger volume than the normal maximum size.

When a target is destroyed, it sends shards flying. Anyone within 5 feet of the object rolls 4d10 at Difficulty 6 and takes damage equal to the Outcome. Can be reacted to.

  • The penalty from an object being damaged will stack with itself if a target is hit multiple times, but the object is destroyed when it reaches a total penalty of -4.
  • 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.

Mason Berkman's SEAL

Created by Louis Dupont, given to Mason Berkman.
A wind up gameboy like contraptration that provides radar pings to the location of nearby energy clusters and artifacts

The next in Louis's foray into computer science is a little cartridge for his SEAL units. Simply retrieve one from your pack, and slam it into the machine and it'll perform an automated hack of the targeted device! Though fingers that are too fast may find themselves encountering a slight bug, as mashing the input as you input the cartridge has been known to cause the device to encounter a null error and hack itself, but, we promise we're working on that!

Exert your Mind and spend 1 minute to activate. Select a Computer within arm's reach. Does not work on Alien technology. Roll a single D10 as a critical failure check. If you roll a 1, the Effect fails, and you disable the artifact for a downtime as it hacks itself.. Roll Dexterity + Technology, with the Difficulty set by the GM depending on the security of the system you are hacking. Sapient targets can resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 6. The hacking roll and their defensive roll are both Difficulty 6.

If you succeed, you may issue a single command to the targeted system. This command must have a specific outcome or be a request for specific login credentials. The command you issue must be within the machine's current capabilities. For example, you cannot order a standard security camera to grow legs and walk around.

You may issue a "self-destruct" command that leaves the hacked system's hardware inoperable, even if that machine had no such functionality previously.

Every hack you make leaves behind A gif of a seal clapping and arfing. in the system as a personal "calling card" that informs anyone who uses the system that the hack occurred.

  • You can target yourself if you qualify as a valid target by the other requirements.

With a little elbow grease and 21st century know how, this artifact can help you find all sorts of strange things while out on a journey. Through the science that founded radar combined with a little magic, this item can find all sorts of strange things hidden in the world around you and when you are out and about on the hunt you'll be glad you brought your SEAL.

Louis's introduction to the contracting world being so rife with artifacts has made him question what else may be out there, and curious to find more, he's begun digging into ways to do so. This gift is the harbinger's answer to his request for a way to sate that curiosity.

Exert your Mind and spend at least two Actions performing the following ritual: Transcribing details about the area into the scanner to activate. You must maintain Concentration while activating this Effect, and it fails if you are interrupted.

You automatically detect all Artifacts and Supernatural Energy Concentrations within 50 feet of you for the next ten minutes. You have a clear sense of both the distance and direction towards any detected items. You get details of what each detected item is, as if you've glanced at each object.

Even if there are no Artifacts or Supernatural Energy Concentrations within 50 feet of you, you become aware of the direction the closest one is in, as well as a rough sense of its distance from you.

While this Effect is active, you are at -2 dice to all Actions and cannot Concentrate.

The Nocturne Grimoire

Created and held by Jackson Abberline.

Ink, like black tendrils of liquid shadow, writhe and twist through the body. It weaves its way down the right arm, inscribing ancient runes into the flush and imbuing the body with dark knowledge. From this point on, the right arm is malleable. It can extend up to 30ft, as well as reforming itself from the elbow down into a crude, curved blade made of bone. It can even create shards of bone which can be pushed from the palm and flung like knives.

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

You gain an additional limb that functions as a standard human arm and hand.

Each additional limb you posses can take one Quick Action per Round without incurring a -2 dice penalty to your main Action. Any Battle Scars that affect or remove your additional limb will heal in a single week.

Your extra appendage can be used to attack in exactly the same manner as a Throwing Knives and Curved Blade.

Your extra appendage can stretch to reach an additional 30 feet.

  • You may stretch or retract your limbs once per Round on your Initiative.

The Ogon's Welding Suit

Created and held by The Ogon.
Thick leather suit and apron with an advanced welding mask.

The asbestos filled leather suit and mask is incredibly fire resistant.

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

You have 6 Armor, which only reduces damage taken from fire. Any armor piercing effects from fire are ignored. 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.

Beyond just fire protection the welding suit offers fantastic protection against other attacks using ceramic ballistic plates and other types of armor under it's leather surface.

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

You have 4 Armor, which reduces incoming Damage. Armor from multiple sources does not stack. Called Shots may circumvent your Armor, depending on its coverage.

You may spend an Action or Reaction and Exert your Mind to double your Armor rating for one Round.

The visor has several visual sensors built into it.

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.
  • Thermal: You are able to "see" heat signatures within your line of sight.

Any senses which have been heightened cannot be overloaded. Battle Scars you receive cannot affect these senses.

  • Examples of overloading a sense include: an explosion causing temporary deafness, a bright light causing blindness, a sedative causing numbness, etc.
  • Your thermal vision allows you to judge temperatures of surfaces fairly accurately as long as they are within livable temperatures.

Stock Legendary Artifacts

Winter Fang

A massive bow made of solid ice.

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:

  • Infinite Ammo: This weapon never runs out of its standard ammunition.
  • Leave No Trace: Your projectiles crumble or vanish after impact, leaving no meaningful trace of your assault beyond the wounds they leave. If your attack would kill or incapacitate your target, they make no sound, even incidentally, for the next Round.

  • This Artifact cannot be disguised or morphed with other Effects like Shape-Changing object.
  • Reminder: additional Weapon Damage granted by this Effect does not stack with any other bonus to Weapon Damage. Instead the largest bonus is used.

Selkie Skin

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.

  • When triggered, the Effect activation resolves immediately after the triggering Action. It is not Reaction speed.
  • Creature Stats
    • Medium (large house cat up to human) Body 3. Brawn 1. Dexterity 3. Fall damage reduced by 1.
    All creatures get +3 dice to any non-combat Action that they are naturally adapted for. All creatures Medium and larger may attack by rolling Body, dealing +0 Damage (+1 for “predators”). Gms and Playgroup leaders can apply other bonuses and effects to specific animals.
  • Animals that are quicker than humans (like dogs) have 50 feet of Free Movement. Animals that are very slow (like turtles) have 0 feet of Free Movement.
  • You cannot transform if there is not enough room to do so.
  • The form you take must have the same stats and abilities as a single, extant animal of the relevant size.

Umbrella Identification

This Artifact can change its appearance. When not transformed, it is roughly the same size as a passport but can be collapsed into a wallet and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.

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.

  • If there is not enough free space to expand the object, it cannot be expanded. You cannot expand this Object as an attack.
  • Changing the Artifact’s appearance does not allow you to conceal its Alien nature while any of its other Effects are in use.

255TE "Lancer" Rife

A metallic disk that, with the press of a button, expands into a futuristic-looking rifle.

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:

  • Silencer: The report of any shots you fire may be made silent at will.

  • If there is not enough free space to expand the object, it cannot be expanded. You cannot expand this Object as an attack.
  • 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.

Personal Shield Generator

The device itself is a metal hexagon that is worn on the belt and glows when active.

Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action or Reaction.

You phase out of reality for up to 4 Rounds. During this time, you cannot perceive or affect the outside world or take any Actions. You cannot move. Nothing can interact with you in any way.

When you activate this Effect, you may limit its duration to a period of your choosing. If you are able, you may also end it as a Free Action on your initiative.

You leave a golden glow shaped like yourself at your location.

  • If you use this Effect to dodge as a Reaction, it succeeds without the need for a roll. Cannot be used as a Desperate Defense.
  • You may use your Free Movement on the Round you phase back in, but you cannot take an Action.