Unstable Magical Artifacts
Magical innovation in Alwaus presses forward with each passing year, with technological advancements like Silverline Sails and Arcane Nodes seeing compounding developments in the last few centuries alone. But some techniques and methods of artifcating have been lost to the ages, or even outright banned by [The Eternal Empire for being too dangerous for mass development. High level enchantment is not without it's risks, and reckless or overly ambitious enchanting will create powerful yet unstable artifacts. While these items are far too dangerous and rare to see wide spread use across Alwaus, if someone is brave or desperate enough to risk controlling one or goddess forbid multiple unstable magical artifacts they will soon find themselves wielding an unnatural amount of magical power.
Buying and Selling Unstable Magical Artifacts
Such items are almost never for sale, at least not in conventional stores. The being said, a determined shopper may find the occasional peddler who may have contacts to purchase or sell a few powerful trinkets. There is even rumors of secret and highly protected vaults where multiple unstable artifacts are being safely stored and if one is able to find the location of such a vault they may be able to purchase, or even steal some of the most powerful artifacts in Alwaus. Either course of action would certainly bring with it a a great cost, either in silver or risk. Those that have the resources and ability to collect and store multiple unstable artifacts would need to be both incredibly wealthy and powerful, and would be sure to protect their treasure with the highest level of security possible.
Those who spend their life studying unstable artifacts spend most of their time in libraries or in the field. While these artifacts are almost never publicly displayed or sold, there are always rumors of strange artifacts and weapons being stumbled on in remote areas of Alwaus. A determined scholar might comb through seemingly mundane and ancient tomes in effort to find passing reference to artifacts that may offer great power to those in the present. Those with more bravery than ambition may instead choose to simply delve into the dark and forgotten ruins of Alwaus, venturing into long forgotten Alvain and Kinderstärke ruins in search for ancient treasures. While most ruin looters delve in search of silver, they may instead stumble onto a strange cloak that seems to disappear into the shadows of the night, or perhaps an elaborate necklace they shimmers with a strange emanating glow. In either case the robber would certainly need to find someone qualified to identify the artifact, and the average human is not capable of determining what powers have been woven into an artifact.
In any case, if someone discovers a potential seller of unstable magical artifacts, the likelihood of them having incredibly rare items is low. Most sellers are simply adventurers or ruin looters looking to offload their latest treasure, or even criminals looking to fence the strange object they stole from a noble's estate. When looking for such a seller or buyer for an antifact, the player may search for a specific object by making a Streetwise(article:60938334-adc6-445b-9b1b-16a65ad7ec03) check with the difficulty equal to half the items rarity rounded up. (This will almost always be a Formidable (ddddd) check.) As the market for potentially illegal artifacts is so niche, it is rare for a buyer to pay a Player more than half an item's price for an item a player is wanting to sell, but conversely are unlikely to sell an item to the players for less than half the price, however a desperate enough party is likley to be flexible, and normal @[Selling and Trading rules should be used in those situations.
Some items are simply too rare and powerful to be purchased or sold to even those who specialize in unstable artifacts. In those cases the artifacts are simply too expensive or too unstable to be sold to all but the most influential and grandiose of collectors, with there being likely less a hundred potential buyers in all of Alwaus. When looking to find someone to purchase an unstable artifact of rarity of 11 or higher the player must make a a Formidable (ddddd) Streetwise check with the difficulty upgraded once for each level of rarity above 10. A search of this kind would take weeks or even months to complete even if they check itself is succesful.
When making a Streetwise check to find a seller, succeeding on the check ensures the player can find someone with unstable artifacts to sell, but not necessarily the one they are looking for in particular. With the GM's permission, a t on a successful check can be spent to ensure the exact item the player is looking for is for sale, albeit not necessarily at a price the player can afford.
Conversely, when looking to find sell an unstable artifact that the player character already has, succeeding on the Streetwise check will ensure they find a buyer willing to pay 10% of the item's listed price. If the check is successful and produces a t, it may be spend to ensure the buyer will pay up to 25% of the listed price instead. t t can be spend to ensure the buyer will pay 65%.
Handling Unstable Magical Artifacts
The power infused into a unstable magical artifact is simply too much for the physical vessel of the object to contain. Such objects are destined to self-destruct eventually, and the early histories of the Alvain and Kinderstärke are littered with stories of the disastrous results of creating and wielding objects with unsafe magical enchantments. An item can sit dormant for millennia before suddenly detonating with enough force to destroy half a city block. The wide variety of enchantments infused into each artifact means the nature and result of it's instability is hard to measure and predict, and as such one who chooses to wield of more unstable artifacts must accept that they are and those around them are in constant risk of a unwarned and horrifying death. The inherent danger of an unstable artifacts only multiplies when grouped with other objects with unstable enchantments. The sheer nature of their power means nobody can predict how they will react with another artifact, especially when staying in close proximity for an extended period of time. The residuial resonance these artifacts leaves in the arcanosphere is undetectable to mortals, but can lead to unpredictable and devastating consequences.
While there is still much unknown about the nature of unstable enchantments, evidence seems to point that those will weaker spirits are more susceptible to the negative effects of unstable artifacts. Each unstable artifact has an instability rating on it's item information page. At the start of the game, each player character can safely carry unstable magical artifacts who's collective instability rating does not exceed their Instability Threshold. Unless the GM indicates otherwise, at the start of the game, player characters has a starting Instability Threshold of 3. This threshold increases by 1 with every 50 experience points earned after character creation. The Instability Threshold is a measure of a character's knowledge and experience dealing with magical artifacts, and more importantly is a measure of the inner resolve and focus of their spirit.
A player character may, at any time, carry a number of unstable artifacts with a collective instability rating equal or less than their Instability Threshold, however once their instability threshold exceeds their threshold they become Unstable.
At the start of an encounter, or as soon as a player character becomes Unstable during an active structured encounter, the GM rolls a percentile dice (D100) for each Unstable character, adding 10 to the result for each Instability level they are exceeding their threshold by. Then, for each roll, check the effects on the table below:
It's important to note that the effects on this chart start very light, and will only greatly impact the party after 100. That is due to how Instability Ratings function. Since you add 10 to the roll for each Instability Rating above the Instability Threshold, and not for each item, depending on what the party has found in a dungeon or at the end of an adventure, it is not uncommon for character to temporarily exceed their Instability Threshold by 3, 5, or even 7, until they can either find someone to purchase the artifacts, or simply use their unstable consumable items.
While the nature of Unstable Artifacts makes collecting large amounts of them dangerous, locations that are determined to store multiple artifacts can take safeguards to prevent major catastrophes from happening. A location can be surrounded by powerful arcane enchantments that dampen and even repel the Arcanosphere from a small area. This severely weakens the arcane signatures of Unstable Artifacts while also making it harder for spellcasters to interfere with the objects through magical means. Often a special sizeable object, often a statue, obelisk, or even monolith is the centeral focus point for the Arcane Dampening Field, and destroying the focus will often weaken or even collapse the dampening effect.
When an area is under the effect of an Arcane Dampening Field, all but the most powerful Unstable Artifacts within it are considered as if they had an Instability Rating of 0. The artifacts also do not retain their special abilities while within the dampening field. Additionally, a character who tries to cast a spell inside an Arcane Dampening Field increases the difficulty of their check by a number equal to the rating of the dampener's effect.
Buying and Selling Unstable Magical Artifacts
Such items are almost never for sale, at least not in conventional stores. The being said, a determined shopper may find the occasional peddler who may have contacts to purchase or sell a few powerful trinkets. There is even rumors of secret and highly protected vaults where multiple unstable artifacts are being safely stored and if one is able to find the location of such a vault they may be able to purchase, or even steal some of the most powerful artifacts in Alwaus. Either course of action would certainly bring with it a a great cost, either in silver or risk. Those that have the resources and ability to collect and store multiple unstable artifacts would need to be both incredibly wealthy and powerful, and would be sure to protect their treasure with the highest level of security possible.
Those who spend their life studying unstable artifacts spend most of their time in libraries or in the field. While these artifacts are almost never publicly displayed or sold, there are always rumors of strange artifacts and weapons being stumbled on in remote areas of Alwaus. A determined scholar might comb through seemingly mundane and ancient tomes in effort to find passing reference to artifacts that may offer great power to those in the present. Those with more bravery than ambition may instead choose to simply delve into the dark and forgotten ruins of Alwaus, venturing into long forgotten Alvain and Kinderstärke ruins in search for ancient treasures. While most ruin looters delve in search of silver, they may instead stumble onto a strange cloak that seems to disappear into the shadows of the night, or perhaps an elaborate necklace they shimmers with a strange emanating glow. In either case the robber would certainly need to find someone qualified to identify the artifact, and the average human is not capable of determining what powers have been woven into an artifact.
In any case, if someone discovers a potential seller of unstable magical artifacts, the likelihood of them having incredibly rare items is low. Most sellers are simply adventurers or ruin looters looking to offload their latest treasure, or even criminals looking to fence the strange object they stole from a noble's estate. When looking for such a seller or buyer for an antifact, the player may search for a specific object by making a Streetwise(article:60938334-adc6-445b-9b1b-16a65ad7ec03) check with the difficulty equal to half the items rarity rounded up. (This will almost always be a Formidable (ddddd) check.) As the market for potentially illegal artifacts is so niche, it is rare for a buyer to pay a Player more than half an item's price for an item a player is wanting to sell, but conversely are unlikely to sell an item to the players for less than half the price, however a desperate enough party is likley to be flexible, and normal @[Selling and Trading rules should be used in those situations.
Some items are simply too rare and powerful to be purchased or sold to even those who specialize in unstable artifacts. In those cases the artifacts are simply too expensive or too unstable to be sold to all but the most influential and grandiose of collectors, with there being likely less a hundred potential buyers in all of Alwaus. When looking to find someone to purchase an unstable artifact of rarity of 11 or higher the player must make a a Formidable (ddddd) Streetwise check with the difficulty upgraded once for each level of rarity above 10. A search of this kind would take weeks or even months to complete even if they check itself is succesful.
When making a Streetwise check to find a seller, succeeding on the check ensures the player can find someone with unstable artifacts to sell, but not necessarily the one they are looking for in particular. With the GM's permission, a t on a successful check can be spent to ensure the exact item the player is looking for is for sale, albeit not necessarily at a price the player can afford.
Conversely, when looking to find sell an unstable artifact that the player character already has, succeeding on the Streetwise check will ensure they find a buyer willing to pay 10% of the item's listed price. If the check is successful and produces a t, it may be spend to ensure the buyer will pay up to 25% of the listed price instead. t t can be spend to ensure the buyer will pay 65%.
Handling Unstable Magical Artifacts
The power infused into a unstable magical artifact is simply too much for the physical vessel of the object to contain. Such objects are destined to self-destruct eventually, and the early histories of the Alvain and Kinderstärke are littered with stories of the disastrous results of creating and wielding objects with unsafe magical enchantments. An item can sit dormant for millennia before suddenly detonating with enough force to destroy half a city block. The wide variety of enchantments infused into each artifact means the nature and result of it's instability is hard to measure and predict, and as such one who chooses to wield of more unstable artifacts must accept that they are and those around them are in constant risk of a unwarned and horrifying death. The inherent danger of an unstable artifacts only multiplies when grouped with other objects with unstable enchantments. The sheer nature of their power means nobody can predict how they will react with another artifact, especially when staying in close proximity for an extended period of time. The residuial resonance these artifacts leaves in the arcanosphere is undetectable to mortals, but can lead to unpredictable and devastating consequences.
While there is still much unknown about the nature of unstable enchantments, evidence seems to point that those will weaker spirits are more susceptible to the negative effects of unstable artifacts. Each unstable artifact has an instability rating on it's item information page. At the start of the game, each player character can safely carry unstable magical artifacts who's collective instability rating does not exceed their Instability Threshold. Unless the GM indicates otherwise, at the start of the game, player characters has a starting Instability Threshold of 3. This threshold increases by 1 with every 50 experience points earned after character creation. The Instability Threshold is a measure of a character's knowledge and experience dealing with magical artifacts, and more importantly is a measure of the inner resolve and focus of their spirit.
A player character may, at any time, carry a number of unstable artifacts with a collective instability rating equal or less than their Instability Threshold, however once their instability threshold exceeds their threshold they become Unstable.
At the start of an encounter, or as soon as a player character becomes Unstable during an active structured encounter, the GM rolls a percentile dice (D100) for each Unstable character, adding 10 to the result for each Instability level they are exceeding their threshold by. Then, for each roll, check the effects on the table below:
| Total Value | Effect (Remember to add +10 for each excess Instability Level) |
|---|---|
| 01-59 | Quiet Hum : Nothing Happens. Yet... |
| 60-89 | Strange Headaches : The character suffers 3 strain. |
| 90-99 | Spontaneous Dizziness : The character is disoriented until the end of the encounter. |
| 100-115 | Unrelenting Fatigue : Until the end of the encounter, the character gains 1 wound for every time they gain a number of strain. |
| 116-129 | Physical Breakdown : The character immediately suffers 5 wounds. |
| 130-139 | Arcane Mutation : The character immediately suffers a Critical Injury, adding +30 to the result. |
| 140-149 | Arcane Pulse : The item with the lowest instability level (chosen by the player if there is a tie) explodes, dealing 12 damage to the character and everyone engaged with them. Those engaged with the character (but not themsleves) may make a Hard (d d d) Coordination or Resilience check, and reduce the damage by 1 for each uncancelled s result. The artifact is not destroyed but the GM may determine the item is damaged a step. |
| 150-159 | Artifact Detonation : The item with the lowest Instability Rating carried by the character (chosen by the player, if tied) is removed from the game, and the character suffers the Horrific Injury Critical Injury as per the Critical Injury Chart. |
| 160-174 | Arcane Vortex : The two items with the lowest Instability Rating carried by the character (chosen by the player, if tied) fuse and create a vortex in the Arcanosphere, preventing everyone nearby from moving for a short while. Every character within short range from the vortex is immobilized and staggered for the next 2 rounds. |
| 175-189 | Drain of Life : The two items with the lowest power level carried by the character (chosen by the player, if tied) degrade to their most basic arcane essence, ceasing to exist physically and instead their essence feeds on the character’s life force. They suffer 1 wound at the start of each of their turns until the end of the encounter. If they become incapacitated due to exceeding their wound threshold, they also suffer a Critical Injury at the start of each of their turns. |
| 190-199 | Enforced Stability : A burst of cacophonous sounds irradiates from the character for a split second. All the magic items they are carrying lose their magic properties. Weapons and armor affected this way become their closest mundane counterparts, as determined by the GM. |
| 200-210 | Rapture : The items combust into magical multicolored flames that burn for milliseconds, consuming the character and everything they are currently carrying. The character is irrevocably dead, and all of their belongings, gone. However, the sudden burst of colors is quite the spectacle, even if a short-lived one. |
| 211+ | Annihilation : The instability of the items has reached critical mass and all Unstable Artifacts within long range detonate, annihilating their carriers and everyone and anything within extreme range. |
While the nature of Unstable Artifacts makes collecting large amounts of them dangerous, locations that are determined to store multiple artifacts can take safeguards to prevent major catastrophes from happening. A location can be surrounded by powerful arcane enchantments that dampen and even repel the Arcanosphere from a small area. This severely weakens the arcane signatures of Unstable Artifacts while also making it harder for spellcasters to interfere with the objects through magical means. Often a special sizeable object, often a statue, obelisk, or even monolith is the centeral focus point for the Arcane Dampening Field, and destroying the focus will often weaken or even collapse the dampening effect.
When an area is under the effect of an Arcane Dampening Field, all but the most powerful Unstable Artifacts within it are considered as if they had an Instability Rating of 0. The artifacts also do not retain their special abilities while within the dampening field. Additionally, a character who tries to cast a spell inside an Arcane Dampening Field increases the difficulty of their check by a number equal to the rating of the dampener's effect.
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