Holding her palm up, a gap in the environment expands to the size of a subway tunnel, warping the space around it, and train tracks lay themselves down in front of the tunnel. Shortly after, the Dead Line comes barreling through.
(The train pamphlet always remains when the Dead Line is expanded, merely acting as the focus for it's summoning.)
The gaps that the tunnel to the Dead Line can be things such as the mortar between bricks, the ridges between bark, or vacant alleyways. The Dead Line runs through all things.
This Artifact can be used as a subway train. It is roughly the same size as a subway train but can be collapsed into a train pamphlet and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.
This subway train has tracks which lay themselves down in front of itself (never taking more than a 12 degree curve) and dissapear shortly after, standard subway cars, reinforced doors, an engine room with a pilot's seat, a car with a large table and a locker wall, a cowcatcher on the front, the classic fixings of a subway car including an intercom system, standard electrical outlets, and a nice hat hook for a conductor's cap. Any roll to pilot this vehicle receives +2 dice.
You also gain the following effects:
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: Codependence. If the pamphlet is removed from your posession or destroyed beyond repair, you must roll self-control to take any action whatsoever as you become sluggish and unresponsive. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.
Charlie feeds a ticket into a slot in the front compartment of the Dead-Line, and the spectral train pulses with a resonant pressure felt by the souls of those around it. The environment begins to warp and split around it, twisting and extending in unnatural ways before settling into it's new form.
The railways are Charlie's playground, and she will frolic in them however she pleases.
Exert your Mind (unless you are Sculpting) and spend an Action. Select a Location within 50 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the Dead-Line's front car is currently summoned. You must use up a subway ticket in order to activate this Effect.
Select one of the following alterations to create out of subway tracks and concrete originating at the target:
The alteration begins to form when you activate this Effect and finishes forming on your initiative in the next Round. Until it finishes forming, it is not guaranteed to function.
This alteration lasts indefinitely but may be prematurely destroyed or altered. Your alterations may be broken through with appropriate tools. Anyone attempting to break through must roll Brawn + a relevant Ability. A cumulative Outcome of 6 across all attempts breaks a hole large enough to move through. See the extended system text for GM guidance on various tools.
You may sculpt your walls, domes, or tunnels as you create them, without any additional activation time or cost.
[Rolls using Intellect + Trains]
Charlie sits beside her target and leans against them while closing her eyes. As Charlie naps, she begins to glow with an ethereal energy which spreads to the target and closes their wounds. If the Dead Line is summoned, the energy can be seen seeping from the walls of the vehicle. If it is not summoned, the energy can be seen emanating from the train pamphlet that Charlie clutches in her hand.
The Dead Line is a ferry for the dead to the afterlife. Or at least, it was supposed to be. Charlie's existence is a wrench in that plan, and so she can transfer a person's departed vitality back to them.
Exert your Mind and spend 1 minute. Select a Living or Animate target within arm's reach. Choose a specific Injury on your target that has not yet been treated with this Effect and roll Intellect + Drive 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.
When Tethered, the Dead Line shifts temporarily into a more spectral form that allows it to float next to Charlie's physical body, surrounded by a ghostly aura.
The Dead Line saps away the vitality of those who attempt to touch it with malice in their hearts, threatening to tear the very souls from their bodies.
Charlie is merely a puppet for the Dead Line, one which hasn't yet achieved it's true form. Her experience as a puppet has given her a passion that she would never have felt otherwise.
The motto of The Dead Line, engraved by Charlie herself onto a small plaque in the conductor's compartment, is as follows:
"For as many paths as our passengers walk down, many rails we must lay down in turn."
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.
Those who disrespect public transport 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.
Whenever this Artifact is unattended and within 300 feet of its true owner, it will fly back to them. When not held or stowed, it floats beside its true owner, moving with them. While within 10 feet, the true owner does not need to touch it to use it.
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.
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: Nightmares: Falling into the void - Your sleep is plagued with horrible nightmares. At the start of each Contract and each time you fall asleep, make a Self-Control roll. If you fail, you take one Mind Damage. If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.
From the outside, the Dead Line appears to have two cars. A front car with a passenger compartment and the conductor's seat, and a back car with some storage. The Dead Line's back door leads into another car which shouldn't exist, and then another, and then another.
Up to ten total cars exist in the Dead Line proper and, should Charlie deem so, a given car can loop around forever on itself to prevent anyone inside from escaping.
Looking out the window in one of the faux storage containers shows an infinite dark expanse with glimmering lights passing by in the far distance, and occasionally moving past the window at high speeds as the Dead Line rumbles forth infinitely.
This Artifact holds 5 times what it normally could inside of it. Objects stored inside weigh their normal amount.
Living things can be stored in this Artifact. They will have access to anything else inside but cannot break free.
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.
On activation, a large sphere appears around the user, of which then conforms to their shape. Attacks towards the user are fired at by a jolt of electricity, which slows down the attacks. The usage of electricity is also to help the user by sending an electric shock to their nervous system, causing them to instinctively dodge attacks.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Roll Dexterity + Athletics at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around yourself, which absorbs the next Outcome + 2 Damage. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. This Artifact may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
The barrier will fall after two hours, 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.
Andrew's lucky rope will never break. He knows anytime someone messes with his rope.
This Artifact cannot be broken.
If this Artifact is used by someone other than its creator, its creator is alerted and learns the user's appearance, direction, and distance at that moment. The creator may use a single investigation Effect on them once at any range. The user gets the feeling that they are being watched.
When the owner of the case opens it, there seems to be a much larger storage inside with filing cabinets and named sorting. For anyone else it just seems to be your average briefcase.
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.
When the briefcase is swung it leaves behind a swishing sound that is much loader than it should be, almost like it is much heavier than it looks.
This Artifact can be used as a club / improvised weapon. It is roughly the same size as a club / improvised weapon and just as difficult to conceal.
Attack by rolling Brawn + Melee, Difficulty 6. Successful attacks deal Contested Outcome +3 Weapon Damage.
You also gain the following effects:
Eight runes are scratched into the metal surface of these containers on the outside corners, and eight on the inside. When activated, a faint werelight outlines them as the container shrinks and morphs into a metal cigarette case with a runic design in the center. Activating this expands the container back to its full size. From inside, the runes glow faintly for as long as the container is shrunk(this does not provide illumination, but indication)
Mike has leaned in on his new employment and marked a number of the various containers from the ship with runes at the interior eight corners which anchor the inner space of the container in place, while opposing runes on the outer corners allow his imbued magic to spatially compress and transform the outside. The cigarette case form is just a jab at his boss's smoking habit.
This Artifact can be used as a container. It is roughly the same size as a Shipping Container but can be collapsed into Cigarette Case and concealed. Collapsing or expanding it costs a Quick Action.
Your Shipping Container has a normal storage capacity, but can be collapsed down to a pocket-sized version without losing any internal storage. You cannot access the contents while it is collapsed. Objects stored inside are weightless.
Living things can be stored in your Shipping Container. They will have access to anything else inside and may attempt to break free, damaging or destroying the Shipping Container in the process.
If your Shipping Container 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 your container appear normal and unremarkable.
Kevins Friends call to him and ask him for his support. He steps from a portal behind them and lifts them up on his back and they ride him as he gallops forward bringing his friends to safety.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. This Effect cannot be used unless This power can only to flee from danger.
Lasts 1 minute. Whenever you use your Movement, after all other calculations, the distance you may travel is tripled.
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: Compulsion to be Heroic (helping the innocent and friends even to your detriment). If they lose possession of this Artifact, the Trauma heals over the course of the next day.
The Predatory Raiment has a cloak feature that allows its owner to hide themselves and their equipment with active camouflage. When viewed, they look like a slightly shifted and shimmering version of the surrounding environment.
You gain the following benefits as long as you are not at all wet and you are wearing this Artifact.
You and everything you are carrying is obscured in one of the following manners. You may Spend an Action to change the way in which you're concealed.
While this Effect is active, any Effect that would obscure you or your equipment specifically from other, additional senses fails automatically.
If someone discovers you, this Effect will not help you hide from them for the next minute. This Effect does not end early when you activate an obvious Effect, attack, or receive an Injury.
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:
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.
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). Your target should be intuitively based on the triggering event. 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.
The De-Neuralizer is a small silver device that can emanate a bright flash of light. Any being that looks into it with uncovered eyes has their most recent period of the their memory set into a highly over-writable state for a moment. While in this state, their memories may be overwritten at will.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Select a Location within within arm's reach. All Sapient targets within 20 feet are affected. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is looking directly into the device with uncovered eyes. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6. The target may resist by rolling Mind at Difficulty 7.
If the contested Outcome is positive, the most recent 1 hour from your target’s memory is either replaced with new memories or forgotten entirely. This is recorded as a Condition. The level of detail and completeness of the alteration depends on your Outcome. If you fail, the target realizes that you are attempting to alter their memories.
The period is chosen either by time (i.e. “last Friday night”) or by reference to a specific event (i.e. “when the murder occurred”).