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Item Of Power Master List

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Sanctaphrax:

--- Quote from: Deadmanwalking on January 04, 2013, 07:15:08 PM ---That seems to make that second point of Refresh a really shitty investment. It's reasonable, but if doing that, I'd almost never make an item that used -2 Refresh explicitly for that.
--- End quote ---

I would, if the thing being boosted was important to my character.

Sometimes you just really want to hit hard, or research well, or whatever. And then it can be worthwhile to to invest deeply in something that offers diminishing returns.


--- Quote from: Deadmanwalking on January 04, 2013, 07:15:08 PM ---Usually, they stack to some degree. But that's not exactly viable in this case...and I bring it up because I'd expect something well over 50% of characters who grab that sword to want to be able to Riposte (an excellent Stunt) without it
--- End quote ---

I get where you're coming from, but this is a systemic issue that needs a systemic fix. No point providing a special solution just for this one item.


--- Quote from: Deadmanwalking on January 04, 2013, 07:15:08 PM ---True...that +4 just seems excessive. Nothing else gives that big a bonus on attacks for only a single Refresh, no matter how conditional.
--- End quote ---

An IoP wand that grants 2 Refinements can give +4 offensive (element) control as long you have the wand. That's actually less conditional. So there's something else that gives that big a bonus, though I admit it's a cheap example.

And the flat +2 bonus would give +2 to Riposte attacks. This ought to be better than that.


--- Quote from: Deadmanwalking on January 04, 2013, 07:15:08 PM ---If they know about it (by no means a sure thing, most enemies you'll get at least one chance to pull this trick on) and you're an idiot, yeah. Really, as soon as they don't attack (certainly if they don't for two or three rounds), you know the jig is potentially up and make an attack or maneuver of your own.
--- End quote ---

Attacking people using full defence is generally a losing game anyway when you can just navel-gaze/attack other people until they stop it.

Honestly, I don't expect this ability to get much use. Full defence isn't good. It takes a really huge boost to make it worthwhile.


--- Quote from: Deadmanwalking on January 04, 2013, 07:15:08 PM ---And I noted how conditional it was...it just still strikes me as off. Not exactly too powerful, just wrong on some level. Too specific and too powerful within its specialty at the same time...making it either gamebreaking or useless. I hate powers like that, or at least ones like this that are active as opposed to passive, since the PCs can then apply them in the moments when they're gamebreaking, and ignore them the rest of the time at little disadvantage.
--- End quote ---

Fortunately, this isn't an active ability. It's a reactive ability, at least in part. So players don't really get to decide when they use it.

Sanctaphrax:
Having thought about it some more...regardless of balance issues, I don't like Never Strike In Anger much. Suggestions for improving/replacing it would be appreciated.

That aside, here's the second batch of edited items.

SILVER STRINGS [-2]
Description: The Silver Strings are a set of musical strings made of pure, untarnished silver that glitter faintly with a holy light.
Musts: You must have excellent moral character and an aspect related to your possession of this item.
Skills Affected: Performance.
Effects:
[-0] Purpose. The Silver Strings exist to spread peace and to protect the innocent from supernatural evil. They cannot be used deceptively, or to harm anyone who has not harmed an innocent within the sight of their current bearer. Furthermore, they cannot be used to forge a mortal contract. If the bearer violates the purpose of the Silver Strings, the strings immediately produce a discordant twang (causing any Performance roll using them to fail) and unstring themselves. The bearer will not be able to restring the Silver Strings until he proves his faith again.
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a set of strings for a musical instrument. Their number, length, and the exact key of the strings varies, but is always appropriate to the chosen instrument of their current bearer.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual predicated upon perverting its purpose. This indestructibility extends to the instrument the strings are in, if they're in an instrument.
[+1] One-Time Discount. The Silver Strings are easy to hide, especially when not strung.
[-1] Protective Muse. The Silver Strings are a subtle weapon against evil. By playing an instrument strung with the strings, their bearer can use Performance to perform maneuvers and blocks opposing supernatural mental influence.
[-1] Holy. The Strings are a powerful holy symbol. The touch of an item strung with them is like the touch of a cross, holy water, or another symbol of faith backed by the belief of its wielder.
[-1] Good Vibrations. The Silver Strings are of exceptional quality. When played in keeping with their purpose, they add two to any Performance roll made using an instrument stringed with them.

Doubled the bonus from Good Vibrations to bring it in line with a stunt. Removed Protective Muse's ability to violate the action economy, which let me remove the FP cost. Then did a bunch of reformatting.

MARCI'S ROLLER SKATES [-1]
Description: A pair of pink and white rollerskates created as a gift for Marci, the spoiled neice of a powerful wizard. They're cursed to torment their wearer in humiliating ways, because Marci's uncle was incredibly petty.
Musts: You must have an aspect related to your possession of this item. It's going to be compelled in curse-related ways. A lot.
Skills Affected: Athletics, Performance
Effects:
[-0] Purpose. The skates were created to punish their wearer. As such, they move around (bringing their wearer with them) in whichever way is most likely to hurt and humiliate the wearer. The skates also resist removal; before they can be taken off they first must be soaked for 2 hours in a public fountain consecrated with an American coin from 1972 (since they were made during 1972 in America) and dried off with werebear fur.
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a set of roller skates. You can skate with them.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature.
[+2] One-Time Discount. These roller skates might be easy to hide if they were removable. But they're not, so they're really obvious.
[-2] Magical Skating. When sprinting, the wearer of Marci's Roller Skates adds three to their Athletics and may rollerblade over all terrain, including water, as though it were flat smooth concrete.
[-1] Skate Pro. The wearer adds two to their Performance skill when using it to rollerblade.

The "punishment" and the non-removability seemed like value-neutral Aspect things to me, so I made them that way. I increased the one-time discount, though, because wearing rollerblades is pretty obvious to everyone. I also clarified that Magical Skating lets you move over water, because that seemed cool and balanced to me.

JABIR IBN HAYYAN'S GRIMOIRE [-1]
Description: You possess the grimoire of the mad artificer Jabir ibin Hayyan who sought knowledge at the cost of his sanity. Tread lightly when retracing his path to knowledge, lest it plunge you into the same madness which took him.
Musts: You must have the Thaumaturgy power and an Aspect related to your possession of this item.
Skills Affected: Lore.
[-0] It Is What It Is. The Grimoire is a large, ancient tome.  A caster may spend Focus Item slots to use the Grimoire as a focus item.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature.
[+2] One-Time Discount. It's a really big book. In fact, it probably wouldn't fit in a backpack.
[-1] Greatest Artificer of Merlin’s Age. The Grimoire contains extraordinary alchemical insights. It grants two Thaumaturgy specializations which must be spent on Crafting strength or frequency. These are subject to all normal limitations applied to Specialization bonuses, and the resulting set of specializations must be legal both with and without the specializations from the Grimoire.
[-1] The Mind of a Madman. This Power is identical to Demonic Co-Pilot. The demon is Jabir, and his agenda is the acquisition of unlimited knowledge and power.
[-1] Methods of Madness. You may boost the power of an enchanted item or potion upon use. This bonus may not exceed your Lore skill, but may increase the power of the item beyond your Lore x2. Doing this allows the Grimoire to make a mental attack against you, with an accuracy equal to the total power of the item and a weapon rating equal to the amount you added to its power. Mental consequences that result are set by the GM, in line with Jabir’s agenda.

I considered altering Methods Of Madness, but I couldn't think of anything good so I left it more-or-less as-is. I let people pick their own consequences from The Mind Of A Madman because I didn't see why The Mind Of A Madman should be worse than Demonic Co-Pilot.

THE STAFF OF PHIBUS [-3]
Description: A powerful staff once belonging to an ancient but powerful politician and businessman. A man who was said to at one time have owned all the farms in the world.
Musts: You must have an aspect related to your possession of this item.
Note: Depending on the Powers of the character wielding it, the Refresh cost of The Staff Of Phibus may vary.
Skills Affected: Conviction, Discipline, Lore.
Effects:
[-0] Purpose. The staff is known for it's accelerated growing properties, and for spiritual enhancement.
[-0] It Is What It Is. Its a six foot tall staff made of a distinct but unique type of wood. Weapon 1.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature.
[+2] One-Time Discount. A staff is rather large and difficult to hide.
[-4] Staff of Growth. The Staff Of Phibus grants access to the Plant Magic Sponsored Magic Power.
[-1] Nature Channel. The Staff Of Phibus is a +2 Plant Magic control focus. It applies to offensive and defensive evocations and to thaumaturgy. This effect consumes the focus slots from Plant Magic. If the wielder of the staff doesn't get all four focus slots from Plant Magic, they must invest their own focus slots in The Staff Of Phibus to replace them.

Since this game doesn't include rules for plant growth and I really doubt most people know what multiplying growth rates by 100 would do, I replaced Staff Of Growth with Sponsored Magic. This had the added benefit of making Nature Channel easier to stat.

And here's Plant Magic:

PLANT MAGIC [-4]
Description: You draw upon the power of the world's plant life. It's a pretty simple form of magic, but a powerful one.
Sponsor: The collective ur-mind of all plants everywhere.
Agenda: Plants are not smart enough to have an actual agenda, but as a general rule plants like growing and dislike dying.
Evocation: Plant evocations work by creating and manipulating plants. Surprise!
Thaumaturgy: Plant Magic can be used to cast rituals that have to do with plants. It can make plants grow, give plants magical properties, create plant matter out of nowhere, turn people into plants, and so on.
Evothaum: Spells that make plants grow can be cast with Evocation's speed and methods using Plant Magic.
Extra Benefits: You get the Echoes Of The Beast Power, with plants as your beast. This adds one to your Alertness and Survival skills in plant-rich areas and lets you talk to plants.

Sanctaphrax:
Third batch.

Two items left. Not coincidentally, they're the ones that I don't think I have any real chance of fixing.

SWORD OF JUSTICE [-5]
Description: The magical sword of Nemesis's Emissary. Each bearer of the sword finds that when he or she first touches it, it transforms to fit their tastes, skills and aptitudes. It is always a finely made sword no smaller than a gladius and no larger than a claymore.
Musts: You must have a High Concept or Template appropriate for a being chosen by Nemesis.
Skills Affected: Weapons, Stealth, Athletics.
Effects:
[-0] Divine Purpose. This sword was created to bring balance to the scales of justice and therefore can only be wielded against creatures that have seriously wronged someone. The sword will not harm an innocent at all and if the 'wrongs' inflicted by a character do not merit death (as determined by the Goddess herself), the sword will not kill them.
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a sword. It's currently a beautiful swept hilt rapier, but that could change if somebody else picks it up. Regardless, it is and will remain weapon 3.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual predicated upon perverting its purpose.
[+2] One-Time Discount. A sword is a tricky thing to conceal.
[-3] All Creatures Fear Justice. When facing an opponent, the wielder of the Sword Of Justice may spend a fate point to ignore that opponent’s defensive abilities (Toughness based ones, primarily), as well as any mundane armor the foe has, for the duration of the scene.
[-1] Holy. While the deity that created the sword may not be the Christian one, this weapon is none the less a holy artifact. Its touch is like that of holy water or another symbol of faith backed by the belief of the wielder.
[-1] Cloak Of Shadows. Vengeance, even holy vengeance, is often best performed under cover of darkness. As such, the Sword Of Justice makes its wielder at home in the night.
[-2] Inhuman Agility. This Power is identical to Inhuman Speed.

Increased the weapon rating to 3, because an IoP should be among the best mundane weapons available. Made Inhuman Agility into Inhuman Speed because they're almost exactly the same anyway.

MOUSTACHE OF AUTHORITY [-3]
Description: A well-groomed moustache, with the style varying from person to person. It radiates pure commanding authority.
Musts: You must have an aspect related to your possession of this item.
Skills Affected: Presence, other social skills.
Effects:
[-0] Purpose. The moustache exists to grant its wearer authority and leadership.
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a moustache.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an item of power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature. If shaved, it is simply detached from its owner's body and can then be attached to any vacant upper lip.
[+2] One-Time Discount. The moustache commands attention. You'd have to be some sort of ninja to hide it.
[-1] Because the 'Stache Says So. With such glorious facial hair, it's clear that you're a natural born leader. Bearers of the Moustache of Authority get +2 to their Presence skill for establishing themselves as authority figures.
[-1] Marked by the 'Stache. Such a magnificent moustache gives you an obvious advantage in social conflict. All social rolls are made at +1 when made toward those who recognize the power of the 'stache. Which is pretty much everybody "in the know". Concealing the Moustache is difficult, and all attempts to do are restricted by Discipline. Any stressful activity will cause the concealment to fail.
[-2] The 'Stache Bows To No One. Few have the ability to get the better of you when you have such gravitas as conferred by this item. The bearer of the Moustache of Authority has armour 1 against all Social attacks, and has 2 extra Social stress boxes.

Given the effects of Marked By Power, there's no way a bonus of less than 2 was appropriate. Also an Item of Power must be an actual item, not a body part. Abused my position as list editor to impose Canadian spelling.

SPHERE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN [-3]
Description: A very mysterious sphere. Glows brightly and appears to be a source of infinite energy.
Musts: You must have an aspect related to your possession of this item.
Skills Affected:
Effects:
[-0] It Is What It Is. It is a small glowing sphere.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature. Since it's not clear what its nature is, it would be difficult to perform such a ritual.
[+2] One-Time Discount. The sphere glows brightly and as such is essentially impossible to conceal.
[-5] Energy Reroute. Tapping into a portion of the mysterious energies of this object, you are able to power a few abilities at a time. The combined cost of the abilities may not exceed the refresh cost of this item. You may take a full round action to change which abilities are powered. The powered abilities may be selected from the following list: Guns Akimbo (a Guns Stunt that lets you wield a second gun in order to add half its weapon rating to that of your first gun) [-1], Wings [-1], Inhuman Speed [-2], Inhuman Strength [-2], Inhuman Toughness [-2], Killer Blow [-1], The Whole Nine Yards (a Guns Stunt that lets you make spray attacks with any gun) [-1], Supernatural Sense [-1 or -2], Target-Rich Environment [-1], Potent Ranged Natural Weaponry [-3].
Upgrades:
[-varies] Untapped Power. With time and study, you may unlock access to more power from this object. You may add refresh points to this item to increase the amount of Powers you may use at once with Energy Reroute.

Couldn't find a good way to model the energy blast so I just folded it into the Energy Reroute ability. Removed some pointless-seeming restrictions from The Whole Nine Yards, and removed the note about the sphere toughening up technology since that seemed like the kind of effect that shouldn't be given for free.

THE PEACEMAKER OF JESSE JAMES [-3]
Description: You possess the Colt .45 of the infamous Jesse James. This weapon was cursed by an unknown hoodoo doctor after Jesse James killed his father. This gun is cursed to be passed on to the firstborn of each successive generation of his bloodline.
Musts: You must be a firstborn descendant of Jesse James, represented as a high concept, to inherit the Peacemaker. If any other creature wields this weapon, it functions as a normal gun.
Skills Affected: Guns, Discipline.
Effects:
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a six-shot revolver. Weapon 3.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature. Furthermore it cannot be hexed and will never jam.
[+1] One-Time Discount. A revolver is fairly easy to hide.
[-3] All Creatures Are Meant To Die. This is the truest purpose of the Peacemaker, to make sure that its target is deader than dirt. When facing an opponent, the wielder may take one point of Sponsor debt in order to ignore the target's defensive abilities (it may satisfy whatever "the Catch" is), as well as any mundane armor it may be wearing, for the duration of the scene. Debt taken this way will generally be discharged by Compels to shoot someone.
[-1] Shooting Frenzy. This Power is identical to Blood Drinker except that it works at range and that whether you feel the urge to attack someone has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with whether somebody looks like an easy target.

The mechanics for this thing were basically a more complicated version of ACaEBG and Blood Drinker. I removed some of the extra complexity.

Sanctaphrax:
Okay, I'm actually pretty happy with this one. Surprised myself with that.

Modular Adaptations is a maybe-too-powerful application of Variable Abilities, my Modular Abilities expansion.

Energy-Purge is just Human Form attached to four Inhumans and some It Is What It Is stuff.

This edit was a broad nerf of a bunch of stuff that was overpowered or not compatible with the rules or both.

TACTICAL EXTREME ENVIRONMENT BATTLE SUIT [-7]
Description: In the year 2058, a powerful mechanized battle suit will be invented by Novatech. They'll sell it for 893,700,000 per suit, and only 400 of the most elite soldiers in the United States Armed Forces will be allowed to use it. Its main component will be malleum, a quasi-miraculous protean biometal that reacts to human brainwaves. For some reason, one of those suits has travelled back in time and is present in the present.
Musts: You must have an aspect related to your possession of this item.
Skills Affected: Weapons, Might, Fists, Endurance, Stealth.
Effects:
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a high-tech battle suit that bonds to the host and almost impossible to remove. It weighs little and provides both excellent protection and deadly integrated melee weaponry. Armour 3, weapon 3.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature.
[+2] One-Time Discount. It is a highly advanced, futuristic, full-body suit that is made up of several components that won't be discovered or invented for several decades. As such it is quite conspicuous.
[-2] Inhuman Toughness. The malleum in the suit incorporates itself into its operator's bones, increasing bone density and strength.
[-2] Inhuman Recovery.The malleum in the suit repairs both the operator's body and the suit if any damage is sustained.
[+2] The Catch. The suit is very tough, but its protection is ineffective against anti-tank weaponry.
[-7] Modular Adaptations. The suit can operate in three different modes. Changing between modes requires a full action.
-Amp Mode The malleum in the suit flows into the operator's muscles. This mode grants Supernatural Strength and Inhuman Speed.
-Cloak Mode: The suit bends light around itself as the malleum in the suit flows into the operator's nerves. This mode grants Inhuman Speed, Enhanced Invisibility, and True Aim.
-Armour Mode: The malleum in the suit hardens greatly, enhancing the suit's protective qualities. This mode grants Supernatural Toughness and makes the suit armour 5.
Upgrades:
[-6] Energy-Purge. The suit grows even more powerful when upgraded and charged with massive amounts of energy. As long as the suit was plugged into a major energy source (an industrial electrical socket will do) for at least an hour since the last time this effect was used, the suit's operator can choose to activate this ability. Doing so increases their Strength, Speed, Toughness, and Recovery by one level. Furthermore, it grants them access to energy weapons built into the suit which are mechanically equivalent to assault rifles and grenade launchers.

Sanctaphrax:
This might not be balanced, but I think it's the best I can do.

I'm tempted to use Sponsor Debt for the deck instead of FP...thoughts?

DECK OF TRICKS [-3]
Description: A deck of cards. Drawing one causes you to gain abilities both magical and mundane. This is pretty useful, but since there's no way to predict what abilities drawing a card will give you it's not the most reliable item.
Musts: You must have an aspect related to your possession of this item.
Skills Affected: Many.
Effects:
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's an old deck of 52 playing cards plus jokers.
[+1] One-Time Discount. A deck of cards is a small item and an easy one to hide.
[-4] Luck Of The Draw. Every card in the deck, including the jokers, has a unique set of abilities attached to it. The abilities of a card always cost 3 Refresh total, if a skill at your skill cap is worth 1 Refresh. As a standard action, you may draw a random card from the deck. You are granted the abilities attached to the card you draw for the rest of the scene. Drawing a second (or a third, or a fourth, etc...) card in the same scene costs a Fate Point and erases any abilities a previous card may have given you. At the end of a scene in which you drew a card, you may spend a Fate Point to retain the granted abilities for an additional scene.

Example cards:

* Evocation (Air power Specialization)
* Gaseous Form
* Channelling (fire) + Refinement (the card is a focus giving +2 offensive fire power and control)
* Driving + Scholarship + Ghost Speaker
* Diminutive Size + Inhuman Strength
* Investigation + Psychometry + Quick Eye (stunt)
Anyway, that's all of the items. I'll leave these up for a couple of days and then if there are no problems to address I'll update the list.

I would greatly appreciate it if you were to read over these items to see if there are any issues with them.

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