Difference between revisions of "HearthstoneRelay/Colors"

Revision as of 00:36, 6 April 2010

The twelfth theme is colors.

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Bright-eye Token (TedPro)

 Earth Aspected
 Manse •
 Trigger: Constant

The bearer of this stone sees all colors more vibrantly, has a deep understanding of the nature of color, and is able to distinguish extremely subtle distinctions and variations in color. This gives a +2 to all Awareness and Investigation rolls for checks related to visual searches or awareness, and a +4 to Craft rolls to create pleasing or harmonious color combinations, as might occur in painting or tailoring.

The Adorning Adornment (Wordman)

 Air Aspected
 Manse ••
 Trigger: Concentration

A particularly attractive faceted gem, this stone is often worn for show. By spending a dice action concentrating on the gem, it's bearer can change it color to her whim. The stone's primary benefit, however, is that once per day the bearer may change the colors of a mundane, inanimate item. This color change requires a dice action of concentration and lasts for a full season, after which the color fades back to its original state within five days. The new color scheme can be as elaborate as the bearer can imagine, including complex patterns, even writing. The item being changed must be touched by the bearer, but may fit the definition of "item" somewhat loosely. For example, "item" can include "the walls of this room" or an item made up of smaller items, such as a chandelier, wagon or suit of armor, though anything larger than a small building cannot be affected.

Radiant Five-Maiden Eye (TedPro)

 Sidereal Aspected
 Manse •••
 Trigger: Once per day, plus Constant

This Hearthstone is normally a deep, clear, glassy gray ovoid. According to the theories of the Sidereals, every person, object, place and situation is governed by one of the Five Maidens, each associated with its own color: Journeys (yellow), Serenity (blue), Battles (red), Secrets (green) and Endings (violet). When asked about a person, object, place or situation, the Radiant Five-Maiden Eye will glow the appropriate color for the subject. The brighter the color, the more dramatic the connection. Furthermore, if the stone is ever placed in the immediate presence (within about ten yards) of the thing it was most recently asked about, it will glow again with the same color and intensity. Once another question is asked, this detection property changes again, but this can be a long time. Sometimes, very contrived or ambitious questions will instead cause the Hearthstone to shatter. Only one question can be asked per day, but the detection effect is constant until another question is asked.

Example: A shovel is used to dig holes to bury things, but it's kind of a tenuous and strange connection, so if asked about a shovel, the Radiant Five-Maiden Eye will glow faintly purple. Until another question is asked, the Radiant Five-Maiden Eye will glow faintly purple when a shovel is nearby. A coup d'etat would be brightly red, a particular poet might be moderately blue, and a lie would be quite green. If asked about a lie, the stone would then glow green in the presence of a lie.

Stone of the Piercing Eye (Telgar)

 Sidereal Aspected
 Manse ••••
 Trigger: Concentration

A small eye-sized orb of opalescent crystal, the Piercing Eye reveals to its owner the true colors of another person, exaggerarating visual clues that show their inner nature and true intentions. A nosy person's face will be marred with an inhumanly large olfactory organ, a stubborn man's jaw becomes a block of granite and a coward's stomach will glow yellow. The effects of this stone's power are activated at whim and last for a minute unless shut off with a simple thought. Even magical qualities or magically disguised qualities of the person come to light under the gaze of the Piercing Eye.

Color-Eating Jewel (Quendalon)

 Abyssal Aspected
 Manse •••••
 Trigger: Burial

Motes of pale light shift among the layers of this dark, opalescent stone; living beings that peer into its depths soon feel dizzy and weak. If set into an artifact made from any material other than black jade, white jade or soulsteel, the Color-Eating Jewel drains the color from the artifact within seconds. Even after the stone has been removed, color only returns to the artifact after an hour of exposure to the light of the sun or moon. This provides no special benefits other than the normal increase in essence regeneration from a socketed Hearthstone; the jewel’s true power reveals itself only if the stone is buried in the earth.

Once buried, with or without an artifact setting, the Color-Eating Jewel starts to leech all life and color from the lands around it. Each night, this gray affliction expands by ten yards in all directions, creating a steadily growing shadowland. The shadowland stabilizes when it reaches a diameter of one mile. If the stone is unearthed, it breaks, losing its grip on the land; the shadowland then starts to recede at a rate of one yard per day. Otherwise, the shadowland is resistant to anything short of Solar Circle Sorcery.----

Comments

I am a nightmare walking, psychopath-talking king of my jungle, just a gangster stalking. Sorry, I had to say it. -TedPro

Mmm ... interesting stone ... speaking as a nitpicky art major, I'm not entirely down with the idea of mere perception having to do with picking better colour combinations (at least not to the +4 dice level!) I would feel better about that effect if (a) it were far fewer dice or (b) the stone worked instead by attuning the bearer somehow better to colour rather than granting them better perception ... though that might be hard to justify / wrap one's head around. Anyway, probably just a matter of opinion.
~ Shataina

Added "a deeper understanding of the nature of color" to the description. - TedPro

Only with great restraint did I avoid my original name for the Adorning Adornment: "The Fabulous Eye" - Wordman

What, not the Queer Eye? _Ikselam isn't sure the stone should be level 2, but likes the idea.

Added another hearthstone to the relay. It may be powerful enough to be level 4; I am not sure. -- TedPro

Might just be because I'm tired, but... what does the Scene-Painter's Stone actually do? I'm not really seeing how this stone is level 3; I mean hey, the colours sure are pretty, but kinda pointless, yah? - LeumasWhite

It's kind of a universal detector, actually. -TedPro

Hmm, it looks useful to me, although admittedly most useful in a sidereal campaign. The ramifications about flawless detection of abstract concepts is quite amazing though. Ask it about stealth. It glows green... Now you have a 'something or someone is hiding near to me' detector. And, best of all, it does -anything-, although only one at a time. Personally, I'm not sure if it isn't moderately overpowered... although the rather weird usage probably drops it to 3 in the end. What's the range on the detection effect, and is there anything it won't affect? (ie: can you ask it about deathlords, for example?)
-- Darloth

I'll fix range. You're right, it can be used to detect someone being stealthy - it won't tell you where they are or whose side they're on, but it'll say there's someone. Also, its use isn't very subtle - you have to be looking a stone and seeing if it glows, so if you detect something, it'll be kinda clear you detected something. Still, it's definitely useful for a lot of thigns. As far as whether there's anything it won't detect, definitely - if the Storyteller decides it's being used for something too powerful, the Hearthstone breaks instead. -- TedPro

I like the Scene-Painter's Stone, but I can't see what the name has to do with the effect. It sounds like a stone that involves artwork; this is misleading. - Quendalon

Oh, I was going with the idea that it kind of "sets the scene" for an area or situation by establishing which Maiden is governing the scene. Any suggestions for titles? -TedPro

How about "Radiant Five-Maidens Eye"? - Quendalon

Perfect! Changed it. -TedPro

The stuff on this topic is great. I particularly like the "true colours" stone ... really creative! Nicely done, Telgar.
TedPro, all your stuff on the relays has been uniformly amazing. Why don't you have more content up on your page so the rest of us can have more exposure to your ingenuity? :)
~ Shataina

Um, gosh! Thank you. I am all blushing and flattered. I'm still trying to get used to the Wiki interface, actually. I'll try to put some content up soon, then. -TedPro

I second that!
-- Darloth

More thank you and blushing! -TedPro

Rad, Quendalon! So, how does it interact with the housing? Does it still take up a hearthstone setting when buried? Also, pick a new theme for the next Relay! --TedPro

Good points! I've updated the writeup. I'll also pick a new theme shortly. - Quendalon

Maybe you should update the vulnerabilities to "normal shadowland vulnerabilities" (assuming shadowlands are vulnerable to things besides Solar Circle Sorcery)? Unless you want it to be able to create shadowlands that are invulnerable to shadowland weaknesses (which seems a little powerful to me).
~ Shataina

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