FrivYeti/PillarSun

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The Pillar Of The Sun

Artifact 4, Commit Special

Speed 6, Accuracy Special, Damage Special, Defense Special, Rate Special, Tags 2

If encountered unattuned, this staff appears to be a short, bent, and rusted staff of tarnished orichalcum. It is only once it is attuned that its power becomes manifest, for it draws its strength not from Essence, but from Virtue. Constructed during the Primordial War (according to legend, by Gaia herself), the staff is useable only by the greatest of heroes. During the First Age, it laid in the hands of a Zenith caste Solar named Kant Truespeaker, who wielded it to great effect against the enemies of Creation. However, Kant grew tired of violence, and placed the staff somewhere secret over a century before the Usurpation. Its current whereabouts are unknown.

The staff's exact appearance, once attuned, depends greatly on the person holding it. It is a simple club in the hands of this who are not virtuous, stretching to become a seven-foot staff of brilliant gold in the hands of the virtuous. Symbols lining its sides declaim the virtues of the holder through elaborate parables (an Intelligence + Lore roll can be made by observers to discover the Virtues of the wielder; three successes give which Virtues are at 3 or higher, while six gives exact ratings.)

The powers of the staff are also based on the Virtues of the wielder, as follows:

• Compassion hones the staff's power, ensuring that it will strike only when needed. The staff's base damage is equal to 4 + (the character's Compassion x2). In addition, the staff has an Overwhelm rating equal to its user's Compassion. If the character's Compassion and Essence are both 4 or higher, it instead increases minimum damage by 1 die. Finally, if the character's Compassion is 4 or greater, she may choose to deal Bashing or Lethal damage at will before each attack.
• Conviction hones the staff's strikes, channeling the character's devotion into her attacks. The staff's Accuracy is equal to its wielder's Conviction score. In addition, if the character has Conviction 3 or greater, the staff has the Reach and Disarm tags. Finally, if the character has Conviction 4 or greater, the staff has the Piercing tag.
• Temperance increases the speed with which a character recovers from blows, enabling her to strike with more frequency. The Speed of the staff is equal to 7 - (half Temperance, rounding up). In addition, the Rate of the weapon is equal to (Temperance -1). Finally, if the character has Temperance of 4 or greater, she halves external penalties for Showing Off (round down), and may choose to deal no more than a certain amount of damage on successful blows freely.
• Valor enables the staff to react quickly and effectively to incoming attacks, allowing brave souls to turn aside their own doom. The staff's Defense is equal to the character's Valor rating. In addition, if the wielder has a Valor of 3 or greater, the staff can be wielded more easily - it loses the 2-Handed tag. Finally, if the wielder has a Valor of 4 or greater, the staff reinforces her sense of self. Once per action, if she successfully parries an attack with a base die pool of 10 or greater, she recovers 1 mote of Essence.

The staff's attunement is also a function of Virtues. The base attunement cost of the staff is 10 motes; however, every Virtue rated at 4 or more by the wielder reduces attunement by 1 mote. In addition, if the wielder has any Virtues rated at 5, she reduces attunement by a further 1 mote. A character with any Virtue rated at 1 may not attune to the Pillar at all. The Pillar is an orichalcum weapon, but does not gain orichalcum Magical Material bonuses. However, anyone attuning to it without harmonizing with the orichalcum receives only the Speed, Accuracy, Damage, Defense, and Rate effects; all others are not granted.