Difference between revisions of "Artifacts/AmbisinisterArtifact3"

Revision as of 22:35, 10 October 2005

Harmonic Disruptor
Author ~ Ambisinister
Artifact Level ~ 2+ (minimum 3)
Material ~ Star Metal and Special
Commitment ~ Special

Sidereals in favor of the Usurpation sought to grab every edge they could against the powerful Solars, and the Harmonic Disruptor was developed as a result of this. The intent of the Disruptor was to provide assassins with a small window of time to strike in which an exalt would lose access to his artifacts.

The device is comprised of two parts: A starmetal sphere about the size of a billiard ball and a small, starmetal sliver which would be built into another artifact. Someone wishing to utilize the Harmonic Disruptor would keep the sphere and give the modified artifact to someone else. The modified artifact is identical to an unmodified artifact of the same type. Its secondary function is all but hidden within the essence structure of the artifact. The Disruptor was most commonly hidden in gifts by a Solar's Sidereal advisors. A skilled artisan (at least four dots in craft artifact and lore)may be able to detect the secondary function of the modified artifact by making a Perception + Craft: Artifact roll of difficulty 10. If they employ All Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight to aid them, the difficulty drops to 5.

In order for the Disruptor to affect its target, the target must attune themselves to the modified artifact. Once the target is attuned, the bearer of the sphere can activate the Disruptor at any time, so long as he is within 50 yards of the modified artifact. Activating the Disruptor is a reflexive action which costs 10 motes and counts as the activator's charm use for the round. Upon activation, the sliver embedded in the modified artifact sends out what amounts to a high frequency essence pulse which grounds itself through the artifact's wielder. This essence pulse temporarily knocks the target out of phase with his attuned artifacts and disorients him. Mechanically, once the Disruptor is activated several things occur simultaneously: The target immediately loses attunement with the modified artifact. Furthermore, any hearthstone set in the modified artifact instantly shatters. The target's attunement to all other artifacts is temporarily disrupted for a number of rounds equal to (7 - the target's permanent essence). Finally, the target must make a Wits + Essence roll at a difficulty of (2 + the number of artifacts he temporarily loses attunement to) to resist the disorientation of the essense pulse. If he fails he suffers a -4 penalty to all pools. If he succeeds the penalty is reduced to -2. In either case the disorientation lasts for (7 - the target's permanent essence) rounds.

Because the target looses his attunement to the modified artifact, the Disruptor can only be used once. In order for it to be applied again the vicitm would have to re-attune himself to the modified artifact.

Surety
Author ~ Ambisinister
Artifact Level ~ 3
Material ~ Orihalcum Daiklave
Commitment ~ 7 motes

Crafted by the first age smith Leo Bendath for his circle mate, the reknowned duelist Clarion Asbury. In keeping with his utilitatrian design sense, he did little to embellish on the elegance inherent in a simple blade. The back of the blade is crafted in black jade, representative of the sea Asbury loved so much. The blade's name was inlaid into this portion of the sword. Bendath felt that the only suitable inlay material for the daiklave's name would be white jade with its connection to stability. In order to allow Asbury to duel against opponents of all walks, Bendath created his blade so that it could at strike any being. So long as Asbury's skill was up to the challenge, his blows would not be hindered by the doubt caused by an ambiguous target. He built two hearthstone sockets into the daiklave's hilt. The first is a standard, orihalcum setting and lies on the blade side of the crossguard. The other is a special setting place in the center of the crossguard. The setting itself is comprised of all five types of jade set in a ring. This represents the support, trust and steadfast dedication of the solar's terrestrial allies. When a hearthstone is properly set into this setting a thin filligree of moonsilver emerges to keep the stone in place. This is indicative of the loyalty and companionship of the solar's lunar mates. What makes this second setting so special is that when a hearthstone of an elemental or lunar aspect is set into it, it imbues the blade with the same supportive qualities of the lunar and terristrial exalted. The grip is wrapped in the skin of the Star Shark, the same shark which is rampant upon the Asbury coat of arms. In place of a traditional pommel there is a ring. Suspended from the ring are four charms, each representing Asbury's circle mates: a steel cog-wheel for Bendath, an tiny onyx replica of Piety's hammer, a lapis mask for Madeline, and a crystal sphere full of mercury in Mercy's honor.

Surety:
Spd +5 Acc +4 Dam +5L Def +4
PC:Spd +8 Acc +4 Dam +6L Def +4 Rate 6

Powers: Level the Playing Field
Cost:5m 1wp, reflexive, duration: one scene-
When this power is activated, the blade negates all environmental penalties which would prove a hinderance to its wielder striking his targets. This includes things like poor visibilty, weather, and fighting invisible opponents. Wound penalties are not an environmental factor. In addition, the blade will strike dematerialized beings when this power is active. Note: This power does not enable its wielder to see or detect invisible or dematerialized entities, only to strike at them should he become aware of their existence through other means.

Loyalty's Bond
no cost, permanent.-
If an elemental or lunar aspected hearthstone of at least level 2 is placed into the second hearthstone setting this power activates. While active, this power prevents the blade from being removed from the service of it wielder by any means save the willful consent of its owner. Surety can never be disarmed or taken from its attuned owner in anyway. Likewise, its attunement will never break and the blade will never falter in its service. Should the wielder intentionaly drop the blade or leave it somewhere this power will not allow him to summon it to his hand (he will need other magics for this feat). While this power is in effect, no benefit can be derived from the hearthstone as its energies are being tapped to power this effect. The only way to turn off the effect and regain use of the hearthstone is to remove it from the setting.

Void's Desire
Author ~ Ambisinister
Artifact Level ~ 3?
Material ~ Soulsteel
Commitment ~ ??

I'm going for the powerful cursed weapon whose benefits questionably balance against its drawbacks. Not sure how to balance the damn thing power wise though

Void's Desire:
PC:Spd +? Acc +? Dam +? Def +? Rate ?

Powers:

Oblivion Consumes All- Permenant
Void's Desire constantly yearns to devour the life and essence of all things. Whenever its wielder enters combat he must succeed at a temperance check to not draw and wield Void's Desire. The weapon's hunger is so great that it is almost impossible to miss with it. Whenever an attack with Void's Desire would miss as a result of an opponent's defensive actions or equipment, the wielder must immediately buy down their foe's defensive successes at a rate of 1 mote per success. This process stops when the wielder is hitting with at least 1 success. If the wielder has no more essence, then temporary willpower will be expended at the rate of 1 point per 4 successes. If the wielder has no willpower left, then health levels will be expended at the rate of 1 lethal health level per 3 successes. Void's Desire can and will kill its wielder through use of this power. Any motes drained by the weapon are consumed by the weapon and never given to its wielder.

Vitality Feast- Permenant
Whenever something is slain by Void's Desire, it immediately generates a number of motes of essence equal to the victim's total health levels plus his permenant essence x 5. Half of these motes, rounded up, are consumed by Void's Desire. The remaining motes are given to the wielder. The wielder of Void's Desire must succeed at a difficulty 2 temperance roll to avoid killing someone while wielding this weapon.

Comments

I think you'll find Stormbringer...*cough*... Void's Desire is artifact 4, at the very least. I'd say 5 myself. Also, what does it do when it encounters a perfect parry... presumably just bounces, yeah?

Also, does the 'any motes drained' apply to charms? What if an abyssal used Slashing Ghost Talon or Crimson Banquet Method with it?
-- Darloth

That is correct, anything like HGD or SSE avoids the attack no problem. In this case the weapon won't even bother trying to siphon energy to power the effect.

I wasn't sure how to handle that. I'm flip flopping between either giving all the motes stolen from such an effect to the abyssal (in SGT's case the damage inflicted) while letting the essence drained by the weapon (the abyssal's permenant essence) stay in the weapon, or having the weapon steal half the motes, rounded up, from any mote stealing charms the abyssal cares to employ in addition to keeping all the essence it drains itself.

Incidentally, what's Stormbringer? Have I mistakenly ganked someone else's artifact idea? -Ambisinister

It's not quite identical, actually, but Stormbringer is one of a pair of very famous swords from the Elric saga, by Michael Moorcock. Stormbringer steals the life of anything it kills, and if it feels like it grants strength and power to the user because of this, although if it can't get enough souls then it is also perfectly happy to kill allies or feed off the wielder. It's N/A than this thing... imagine what would happen if you combined this sort of effect with Void Mirror, and that's closer. But when I saw your sword, it reminded me strongly for some reason... They're pretty good stories, perhaps you should go have a look if you're interested.

As to the artifact itself, I think it should drain half the motes from essence-stealing charms for itself... However, if you could implement some sort of simple pool where it stores these, and then spends those for auto-sux instead of instantly draining the user, that would give an incentive to kill extras and such before unleashing a now powered up sword against your main opponent. Not sure if you're going for that sort of effect, but it's a suggestion all the same.
-- Darloth

Me Likey Harmonic Disruptor =) Seems to me like these would have been one of the things that even allowed the Solars to be overthrown in the first place, especially since their Trusted Advisors, the Sids, were the ones who used them. Kind of a "Oh No, the DBs! Master, you must meet them on the Battlefield!" "Hokay, lemme grab my gear... *tromptromptromp*" "Oh By the way master... (presses detonator) have fun getting 5h1tstomped!" ~ Brig