Author Topic: The Items  (Read 1935 times)

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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The Items
« on: September 13, 2012, 11:54:47 AM »
THE ITEMS
 Akashic items are deeply connected to the Akashic Records, widely sought after by technicians and other seekers of mysteries.  Ambitious characters can ever craft their own.  Akashic items grant abilities to a character that she could never otherwise have or complement her existing capabilities in uncanny ways.  Some akashic items are intelligent---a few dangerously so.
 Chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master's Guide describe the many sorts of magic items that enhance a campaign.  Akashic items are likewise classified into categories: magatama, gohei, ofuda, and esoteric items.  A few akashic items are of such rarity and power that they belong to a category of their own: artifacts.  Artifacts may be minor (extremely rare but not one-of-a-kind items) or major (each one is unique and extremely potent).
 Magatama: A magatama resembles a comma-shaped stone, often with a hole through the middle for usage on a necklace or other piece of jewelry.  It stores tama that can be used later by any technician or akashic creature.
 Gohei: A gohei is a long wooden wand with two paper streamers tied to the end.  All gohei contain a technique within, and a small pool of tama to power it.
 Ofuda: An ofuda is a slip of paper covered in akashic symbols.  An ofuda contains a single technique, and just enough energy to use that technique once.  Unlike magatama and gohei, ofuda are cheap, mass-producible, and require little in the way of akashic talents to use.
 Esoteric Items: This catchall category includes jewelry, tools, masks, clothing, and many more.

USING ITEMS
 To use an akashic item, it must be activated, although sometimes activation is accomplished simply by  putting it on (such as a pair of boots or a mask).  Some items, once they are carried or worn, function constantly.  In most cases, using an item requires a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
 Activating an akashic items is a standard action unless the item description indicated otherwise.  The usage time of a technique is the time requires to activate the same technique in an item, unless the item description specifically states otherwise.
 Technique Trigger: This is the activation method for gohei.  It requires the special knowledge of technique usage that a character of the appropriate class would know, and the formation of the appropriate command thought.  Any technician can use a technique trigger item.  The user must still determine what technique is stored in the item before she can activate it.
 Command Thought: If no activation method is suggested either in the akashic item description or by the nature of the item, assume that a command thought is needed to activate it.  Command thought activation means that a character mentally projects a thought, and the item activates.  No other special knowledge is needed.
 Sometimes the command thought to activate an item is mentally imprinted within it and is whispered into the mind of a creature who picks it up.  Other items are silent, but a Knowledge (akasha) or Knowledge (history) check might be useful in helping to identify command thoughts.  A successful DC 30 check is needed to come up with the command thought in this case.
 The technique analysis identification reveals command thoughts.
 Techniques stored in command thought items are usually not augmented, because the technician level of such an item is assumed to be the minimum possible to use the stored technique.  However, certain items may specify a higher technician level than necessary.  With such items, the technique stored is assumed to be augmented to the maximum allowed by the technique and technician level.
 Use-Activated: This type of akashic item simply has to be used to activate.  Use activation is generally straightforward and self-explanatory.
 Many use-activated items are objects that a character wears.  Items that one wears are practically always continually functioning items.  A few can only be activated after the wearer meets some condition while the item is being worn.
 Unless stated otherwise, activating a use-activated akashic item is either a standard action or not an action at all and does not provoke attacks of opportunity, unless the use involves performing an action that provokes attacks of opportunity in itself.  If the use of the item takes time before an akashic effect occurs, then use-activation is a standard action.  If the item's activation is subsumed in its use and takes no extra time, use-activation is not an action at all.
 Use activation doesn't mean that if you use an item, you automatically know what it can do.  You must know (or at least guess) what the item can do and then use the item to activate it.
 Techniques stored in use-activated items are usually not augmented, because the technician level of such an item is assumed to be the minimum possible to use the stored technique.

Saving Throws Against Akashic Item Techniques
 Akashic items produce akashic techniques.  The DC of a saving throw against a technique from an akashic items is always 10 + the converted level of the technique or effect + the ability modifier of the minimum ability score needed to use that level of technique.  For example, a technique with converted level 3rd's save DC would be 10 + 3 (for having a converted level of 3rd) + 1 (for needed at least 13 in a relevant ability score to use a technique with converted level 3rd), for a total of 14.  Another way to figure the same number is to multiply the technique's converted level by 1-1/2 and add 10 to the result.
 Most item descriptions give saving throw DCs for various effects, particularly when the effect has no exact technique equivalent (making its converted level otherwise difficult to quickly determine).

Damaging Akashic Items
 An akashic item doesn't need to make a saving throw unless it is unattended, it is specifically targeted by the effect, or its wielder rolls a natural 1 on her saving throw.  Akashic items should always get a save against techniques or spells that might deal damage to them---even against attacks from which a mundane item would normally get no chance to save.  All types of akashic item saves---Fortitude, Reflex, and Will---are calculated the same way: the item's saving throw bonus equal 2 + 1/2 its technician level (round down).  The only expection to this rule are intelligent akashic items, which make Will saves based on their own Wisdom scores.
 An akashic item, unless otherwise noted, takes damage as a normal item of the same type.  A damaged akashic item continues to function, but if it is destroyed, all its akashic power is lost.

Repairing Items
 Some akashic items may take damage over the course of an adventure.  It costs no more to repair an akashic item with the Craft skill that it does to repair its nonakashic counterpart.  The re:assemble technique can repair a damaged---but not completely broken---akashic item.

Intelligent Items
 Some akashic items have an intelligence all their own.  Only permanent akashic items (as opposed to those that are single-use items) can be intelligent.
 Akashic items that have intelligence tend to have been intentionally created with intelligence, and are often members of a set of similar intelligent items.
 See Intelligent Items on page 268 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for more information.

Cursed Items
 ome akashic items are cursed.  Cursed items might be particularly dangerous to the user, or they might be normal items with a minor flaw, an inconvenient requirement, or an unpredictable nature.  Akashic items are rarely cursed on accident.
 See Cursed Items on page 272 of the Dungeon Master's Guide for more information.

Charges and Multiple Uses
 Some items are limited in the amount of tama they contain.  Unlike magic or psionic items, all tama-containing items slowly recharge their tama.  As such, such items are rarely found missing tama.
 As a side-effect of this, akashic items containing tama have the same market value no matter how much tama they have remaining.  Only the very desperate or pressed for time will ask about tama remaining when purchasing an akashic item.
 Some items, such as ofuda are single-use and expendable.  Such items can often be found in sets or groups.  For example, it's very common to come across a clip with more than one ofuda.

AKASHIC ITEM DESCRIPTIONS
 In the following sections, each type of akashic item, such as magatama or ofuda, has a general description, followed by the descriptions of specific items.
 General descriptions include notes on activation and other information.  The Armor Class, hardness, hit points, and break DC are given for typical examples of some types of akashic items.  The Armor Class assumes that the item is unattended and includes a -5 penalty for the item's effective Dexterity of 0.  If a creature holds an item, use the creature's Dexterity modifier as an adjustment to Armor Class in place of the -5 penalty.
 Some individual items, notably those that simply store techniques, don't get full-blown descriptions.  Simply reference the technique's description in The Techniques.  Assume that the technique is used at the minimum level required to use it, unless you choose to make the technician level higher for some reason.  Doing so increases the cost of the item; see Table 7--33: Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Value, page 285 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, substituting "spell" for "technique" and "caster level" for "technician level" as appropriate.  The main reason to make the technician level higher, of course, would be to increase the potency of the technique.
 Items with full descriptions have their abilities detailed, and each of the following aspects of these items is summarized at the end of the description.
 Aura: Most of the time, a see the supernatural technique will reveal the icon associated with an akashic item and the strength of the aura an item emits.  This information (when applicable) is given at the beginning of the item's notational entry in the form of a phrase such as "Strong meteor."  See the see the supernatural technique description for more information.
 Technician Level: The next entry in the summary indicated the level of the creator (or the technician level of the techniques placed within the item, if this level is lower than the actual level of the creator).  The technician level provides the item's saving throw bonus, as well as range and other level-dependent aspects of the techniques of the item (if variable).  It also determined the level that must be contended with should the item come under the effect of an analysis disassemble technique or a similar situation.  This information is given in the form "TL x," where "TL" is an abbreviation for technician level and "x" is an ordinal number representing the technician level itself.
 For gohei and ofuda, the creator can set the technician level of an item at any number high enough to use the stored technique and not higher than her own technician level.  For other akashic items, the item itself determines the technician level.  In this case, the creator's technician level must be as high as the item's technician level (and prerequisites may effectively put a higher minimum on the creator's level).
 Prerequisites: Certain requirements must be met in order for a character to create an akashic item.  These include feats, techniques, and miscellaneous requirements such as level.  The prerequisites for creation of an item are given in the summary immediately following the item's technician level.
 A technique prerequisite can be provided by a character who knows the technique, or through the use of a a technique-like ability that produces the desired technique effect.
 It is possible for more than one character to cooperate in the creation of an item, with each participant providing one or more of the prerequisites.  In some cases, cooperation may even be necessary, such as if one character knows some of the techniques necessary to create an item and another character knows the rest.
 If two or more characters cooperate to create an item, they must agree among themselves who will be considered the creator for the purpose of determinations where the creator's level must be known.  (It's sensible, although not mandatory, for the highest-level character involved to be considered the creator.)  The character designated as the creator pays the experience points required to make the item.
 Typically, a list of prerequisites includes one feat and one or more techniques (or some other requirement in addition to the feat).  When two techniques at the end of a list are separated by "or," one of those techniques is required in addition to every other technique mentioned prior to the last two.
 Market Price: The gold piece value, given in the summary following the word "Price," represents the price someone should expect to pay to buy the item.  The market price of an item that can be constructed with an akashic item creation feat is usually equal to the base price + the price for any components (special materials or experience point expenditure).
 Weight: The notational entry for many items ends with a value for the item's weight.  when a weight figure is not given, the item has no weight worth noting (for the purpose of determining how much of a load a character can carry).

Akashic Item Names
 Technique-storing items---gohei and ofuda---have names that simply reflect the technique stored within them, such as a gohei of vector blade or a ofuda of re:storation.  In the game world, these can be replaces with more sophisticated or evocative names.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2013, 08:32:59 PM by Hanako Tachibana »
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Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: The Items
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2012, 12:19:30 PM »
MAGATAMA
 Magatama store tama that technicians can use to pay for using their techniques.
 Physical Description: A magatama consists of a comma-shaped stone, often with a hole through the center to allow it to be strung onto a necklace or similar item of jewelry.  The stone is often semi-precious, with jade being popular, and gives of a faint glow.  A typical magatama has AC 7, 10 hit points, a hardness of 5, and a break DC of 21.
 Activation: The user must merely hold or have the magatama on her person for a period of at least 10 minutes (which is long enough to attune oneself to the item).  Thereafter, the owner can use tama stored in the magatama to use techniques she knows.
 The maximum amount of tama a magatama can store is never more than 20.  It can store only as much tama as its original maximum, set at the time of its creation.  when a magatama's tama is used up, the glow of the stone dims.  The tama in a magatama recovers at the rate of 1 tama an hour.
 A use cannot directly replenish her personal tama pool from those stored in a magatama (nor can she refresh the tama in a magatama with her own tama).  In addition, a user cannot draw tama from more than once source to use a technique.  See Akashic Magic for more information.

Maximum Tama Storage     Market Price
1     100 gp
2     400 gp
3     900 gp
4     1,600 gp
5     2,500 gp
6     3,600 gp
7     4,900 gp
8     6,400 gp
9     8,100 gp
10     10,000 gp
11+     100x(tama2) gp

 Faint to strong universal; TL equal to maximum tama storage; Craft Magatama.

GOHEI
 Gohei contain a single technique and a pool of tama to power that technique.  Each gohei contains enough tama to use the stored techniques three times (at a tama cost appropriate for the gohei's technician level).  For example, a gohei of hexed hex would typically contain 3 tama, but a similar gohei with a technician level of 5th would contain 9 tama.
 A gohei that contains a fundamental does not contain tama.
 Physical Description: A typical gohei is a long wooden wand with two paper streamers tied to the end.  A material other than wood can be used for the wand, but the paper streamers are a necessity.  A typical gohei weighs one pound, has AC 7, 5 hit points, a hardness of 5, and a break DC of 16.
 Activation: Gohei use the technique trigger activation method, so using a technique from a gohei is usually a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.  (If the technique being used has a usage time longer than 1 standard action, however, it takes that long to use the technique from a gohei.)  The user must be a technician, even if she knows the command thought.  Additionally, to activate a gohei, a character must hold it in hand and either point or shake the gohei in the general direction of the target or area to be affected.
 Gohei are normally created at the minimum technician level requires to use the technique, but gohei can be created at a higher technician level.
 A gohei's wielder can augment the technique contained within the gohei, but their tama capacity when doing so is capped at the tama capacity of the gohei (as determined from its technician level) or the wielder's tama capacity, which ever is lower.
 Using a technique from a gohei requires the expenditure of the appropriate amount of tama from the gohei.  The wielder cannot use their own tama to pay this tama cost.  Once the tama within the gohei is depleted, the gohei cannot be used until it recovers.  The tama in a gohei recovers at the rate of 1 tama an hour.
 A gohei that contains a fundamental works slightly differently.  Such a gohei can be used as many times per day as the fundamental contained within could be used at the gohei's technician level.  For example, a gohei of record access with technician level 1st could be used once per day.

Converted Technique Level     Market Price
1st     750 gp
2nd     4,500 gp
3rd     11,250 gp
4th     21,000 gp
5th     33,750 gp
6th     49,500 gp
7th     68,250 gp
8th     90,000 gp
9th     114,750 gp

 Aura appropriate to contained technique; TL equal to minimum technician level necessary to use contained technique at its converted level; Craft Gohei.

OFUDA
 An ofuda contains a single technique, and can only be used once.
 Physical Description: An ofuda is a slip of paper covered in akashic symbols.  Some ofuda are always covered in symbols, on others the symbols only show when the ofuda is being used.  A typical ofuda has AC 7, 5 hit points, no hardness, and a break DC of 11.
 Activation: Ofuda use the command though activation method.  The user need not be a technician, though she must know the command thought.  Once activated, the ofuda must either be pressed to or thrown at the target or area to be affected.
 Ofuda are normally created at the minimum technician level requires to use the technique.  An ofuda's wielder cannot augment the technique contained within the ofuda.  However, ofuda can be created at a higher technician level than required to use the technique.  In this case, the ofuda that holds an augmentable technique is augmented, to the limit of the technician level and the technique's augmentation maximums, if any.

Converted Technique Level     Market Price
1st     25 gp
2nd     150 gp
3rd     375 gp
4th     700 gp
5th     1,125 gp
6th     1,650 gp
7th     2,275 gp
8th     3,000 gp
9th     3,825 gp

 Aura appropriate to contained technique; TL equal to minimum technician level necessary to use contained technique at its converted level; Craft Ofuda.

ESOTERIC ITEMS
 This is a catchall category for any akashic item that doesn't fall into the other groups.  Anyone can use an esoteric item (unless specified otherwise in the description).
 Harmonic Matrices: Each of these small crystals contain a complex akashic pattern.  When incorporated into a harmonic server, these crystals grant additional properties to the communication network provided by the harmonic server.  Any character connecting to a harmonic server with harmonic matrices incorporated is immediately aware of what matrices are incorporated.
 Log Matrix: A harmonic server with an incorporated log matrix can record up to 24 hours of telepathic communication.  A log matrix can be set to record only public communication or both public and private communication.  Any character who connects to a harmonic server with a log matrix incorporated into it is aware of what the matrix is recording.
 All log matrices require a particular password or passphrase to access their records from within the channel.  Access can also be gained by using the psychometry technique on the physical matrix itself.  Once access has been gained, a character can view, edit, and delete the matrix's records.
 Reseting the access password or wiping the matrix's memory requires the matrix to be unincorporated from its harmonic server and allowed 1 hour to reconfigure before it can be reincorporated.
 Faint star; TL 1st; Craft Esoteric Item, psychometry; Price 2,500 gp.
 Sensor Matrix: A harmonic server with an incorporated sensor matrix can transmit sensory data alongside telepathic speech.  In order to transmit sensory data, a character must be in a private channel within the harmonic server and must use the sensor mote, wide area search, or all-seeing eye techniques.  The character can then transmit the senses received from the sensor mote to every other character connected to the same private channel.  A character does not need to use sensor mote or similar techniques to receive this data.
 Faint moon; TL 1st; Craft Esoteric Item, sensor mote; Price 2,500 gp.
 Ward Matrix: A harmonic server with an incorporated ward matrix requires a particular password or passphrase to connect to.  This password or passphrase can be changed after a ward matrix is created, but the matrix must be unincorporated from its harmonic server and allowed 1 hour to reconfigure before it can be reincorporated.
 Faint sun; TL 1st; Craft Esoteric Item, skeleton key; Price 2,500 gp.
 Harmonic Repeater: This complex construction of metal and crystal serves to extend the akashic communication networks created by harmonic servers.  A harmonic repeater can be attuned to a harmonic server with a successful Astrology check.  The DC for this check is based on the distance between the repeater and the server it is being attuned to.  Once a harmonic repeater has been attuned to a harmonic server, characters can connect to the harmonic server the repeater is attuned to through the harmonic repeater.  When connecting to a harmonic server in this fashion, use the distance between the character and the repeater for the Astrology check DC instead of the distance between the character and the server.
 Faint moon; TL 1st; Craft Esoteric Item, shortwave communication; Price 2,500 gp; Weight 40 lb.
 Harmonic Server: This complex construction of metal and crystal serves as the core of akashic communication networks.  A harmonic server can be learned much as an amala terminal can be (see The Techniques).  Once learned, a character can connect to a harmonic server by using shortwave communication, broadband communication, or harmonic communication and succeeding on an Astrology check.  The DC for this check is based on the character's distance to the harmonic server, and is given in The Techniques.  Only characters using harmonic communication can connect to harmonic servers on other planes, and such a connection suffers the same time delay that interplaner communication via harmonic communication usually suffers.
 This connection functions as a communication channel, allowing the character to telepathically communicate with any other characters connected to the same harmonic server.  Unlike with shortwave communication and related techniques, a character cannot connect other characters to a harmonic server.
 Characters connecting to a harmonic server via broadband communication or harmonic communication can, at any time, choose to create a private channel within the server, allowing for private communication.  A character can invite any other characters on the server into their private channel.  The invited characters do not need to connect to the server via broadband communication or harmonic communication.  No character can create more than one private channel at a time.
 Moderate moon; TL 7th; Craft Esoteric Item, broadband communication; Price 10,000 gp; Weight 200 lb.
 Portable Terminal: This clay prayer wheel functions as a movable amala terminal (see The Techniques).  A portable terminal can be learned and terminal schematics can be created just as with an amala terminal.  A portable terminal requires an hour to attune to a place, after which it can be used just as any other amala terminal.  It cannot be moved once attuned without breaking the attuning.
 Moderate moon; TL 7th; Craft Esoteric Item, skip through amala; Price 2,500 gp; Weight 40 lb.

SPECIAL MATERIALS
 In addition to akashic items with embedded powers, some substances have innate special properties.
 Kouseki: Kouseki is a crystalline material drawn from the Sea of Tama within the Akashic Records.  It is a white, iridescent substance that shares many of the properties of steel.  It possesses an almost glass-like sheen and feel, and glimmers with a sharp blue light when exposed to the sun.  Kouseki behaves much like steel under high temperatures, and can be beaten, poured, and forged as steel can.  As such, kouseki can be made into nearly any item.  However, kouseki behaves more like glass at room temperature.  Kouseki is more resilient than glass, and can flex much like steel can, but a force that would cause steel to permanently deform will cause kouseki to shatter.  Kouseki naturally breaks into small, regular cubes, the edges of which are not sharp enough to cut.
 Kouseki can be used in place of metal in weapons and armor.  The resulting weapons or armor possess the properties of a similar masterwork steel weapon or armor, expect for visual appearance.
 Weapons and armor made of kouseki cost the same amount to make as their masterwork counterparts.  Any item could potentially be made with kouseki.  Kouseki shares many of its properties with metals, and as such druids cannot wear it.
 Kouseki has 20 hit points per inch of thickness and a hardness of 10.  Kouseki weighs as much as steel.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2013, 05:53:32 PM by Hanako Tachibana »
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