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Ancient Artifact Ideas

Ran Targas

Ran Targas

SOC-14 1K
Peer of the Realm
Any ideas for new and interesting Ancient artifacts other than weapons? I'm trying to flesh out a Ancient research site without starting another pan-galactic war.

Just a few goodies I've thought of so far:

a) Zero energy power supply - transparent sphere in an dodecahedron shaped metal frame, makes neat crackling sounds and sphere glows when activated, transmits power via cut crystal on top

b) Null entropy storage cubes - Igloo cooler of the Ancients

c) Portable particle shield generator - 1m tall pyramid with crystal apex, creates 10m inpenetrable sphere

d) Remote viewing device - oval shaped disk with mirrored surface attached to small base, ring around viewer glows when activated (just like my wife's make-up mirror), relays images from fist sized crystals resting in slots on base
 
Originally posted by Ran Targas:
Any ideas for new and interesting Ancient artifacts other than weapons? I'm trying to flesh out a Ancient research site without starting another pan-galactic war.

Just a few goodies I've thought of so far:

a) Zero energy power supply - transparent sphere in an dodecahedron shaped metal frame, makes neat crackling sounds and sphere glows when activated, transmits power via cut crystal on top

b) Null entropy storage cubes - Igloo cooler of the Ancients

c) Portable particle shield generator - 1m tall pyramid with crystal apex, creates 10m inpenetrable sphere

d) Remote viewing device - oval shaped disk with mirrored surface attached to small base, ring around viewer glows when activated (just like my wife's make-up mirror), relays images from fist sized crystals resting in slots on base
Click to expand...
Hello.
I assume you mean.
a - broadcast or beamed power suply (would work but should need to be powered from an external suply otherwise will need fuel).
b - Slaver stasis cube.
c - Partical weapons dont work very well in atmosphere and if its only 10m across its got to be a personal force shield (man,tank vehicle).
d - Not a tv with remote viewing. (possibly a meson type tv, something like the Ultra ray in Doc Smiths Lensman series.
What about a CHOAM machine (you put in Carbon,Hydrogen,Oxygen,Amonia and Methane and out comes food not very appealing food but it will keep you alive (think gruel)should probably be found in the Ort cloud sending shippments to a deserted planet).
BYE.
 
perpetual motion engine?

Molecular Reorganizer?
(transmuter, magic wand, etc...)

Genetic Resequencer device? ( The Vargr Maker)

Mass Psionic Focusing Crystal (channels power of a large group of sophont's minds, The Ancient's Internet? )


(A mass produced in its day, small but powerful computer the size of a ring... The Ancient's Laptop?)

Jump Space Portal... ( a portable hole, ala Wile E. Coyote.. small, like a meter in diameter. The Ancient's Backpack? )

hmmm...
 
how about a device that allows non psionics to use the ability of telepathy. given that there is a psi shield helmet already and devices that allow you to detect lifeforms, you could have minature devices in the form of jewellry that perform the same function as shield and let you read the thoughts of others. a device that is useful, decorative and unobvious as to the function of it. of course there would have to be a transition perion while you adjusted to it. you could allow similar devices for other psionic powers particularly teleportortation. these devices could tap into a powersupply from an alternate dimension similar to lionel deffries idea for a beamed power supply.
if the energy from such a supply could be detected or the lore surrounding such jewellry was known your character could become the target for many groups after the items
 
Some of the few that I have used over the years:

a walking stick that turns into a portable forcefield (used for rainy weather)

nanobots that are in pill format to cure any physical ailment or corrective surgery by body adjustment

"living" metal with built-in psionic computer ~ allowing a piece of metal to morph into any shape (as a child's toy)

3D computer chess set that creates a surrounding complete vision of the "battle" between the pieces. Gives the illusion of being transported without leaving the room, each battle attuned to the player's mind, reliving a particular moment.


a stasis cocoon for transporting alien species
a Man Portable Terraforming Device ~ actually that one is stolen from Fading Suns
 
Folding frame that opens a doorway to a pocket universe 8 kilometers in diameter when it's unfolded.

Gates to alternate realities with different laws of physics.

The Glove. A device that allows you to put your hand through solid barriers.

A belt that creates a barrier that absorbs kinetic energy and radiates it as energy in the infrared spectrum (heat). Drop like a meteor from orbit and land on your feet unharmed. Of course everything around the landing point is scorched for hundreds of yards.

A living Vacc Suit. Resembles a dark gelatinous mass of tissue. Recycles oxygen like a rebreather.

A living spaceship.

:cool:
 
Gentlemen,

How about an Ancients artifact that does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING? It hums or beeps every now or always feels warm to the touch but, as near as anyone can figure out, it doesn't do a thing.

Everyone wants the artifact, it's from the time of the Ancients after all. Everyone will do anything, up to and including killing, to possess it. At the end of the day however, the artifact doesn't actually do a damn thing.

IMHO, the Ancients and their artifacts are a completely overused part of the GM's bag of tricks; much like magical objects in D&D when you get right down to it.


Sincerely,
Bill
 
Here's one: a "Universal Reset Button," which lies in a room at the literal bottom of Hell.

SJ Games has Warehouse 23, which has an inventory of wierd stuff...
 
How about "The Holy Handgrenade?"

Pull the pin and count to three... Do not count to five, as that is after three. Do not count to two, unless on thy way towards counting to three. Onst thou reaches three, throw the Holy Handgrenade to your target.
 
I totally agree about over use of Ancient artifacts as plot devices, specifically weapons. I try to Paranoia-ize any Ancient technology my group finds, making their usefulness very limited.

Thus, the subject of this post. Ancient utensils (sporks?), clothing, packaging, etc. would be extremely valuable to researchers but not to the average Imperial citizen. Because market value would be low, fencing any items found would involve negotiating with local Imperial universities or ministries (read bureaucratic nightmare). This kind of roleplaying is bread and butter to a GM like me.

And Lionel, I believe your CHOAM machine need only be a CHON machine as ammonia and methane can easily be produced from Carbon, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen. Great idea though, I think I'll use it. Hmmm, this machine could be attached to the exhaust vent of a ship's fuel skimmer and use the junk filtered out as base components. Nothing like lining up for chow next to the jump drive.
 
How about an Ancient starship (it doesn't have to be Droyne: surely there were other elder races) which operates according to psionic control? TNE's "Fire, Fusion & Steel" featured design sequences for a psionic star drive: why not take it a step further and have a vessel with no obvious controls or star drive because EVERYTHING was meant to be run by telepaths. INI or the IISS might get hard data on the location of such a find, but the race is on to keep it out of Zho hands. If the Joeys reverse engineered the ship it might spell the end of the Imperium in the Marches...
 
How about LBB's. There ancient artifacts, and everybody wants them.
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Small, Square thingy that shows droyns in weird poses with enigmatic equipment, some "text" and what has been determined to be "numbers".

Every Academics want them, Every University want them, the IISS and the rest of the Imperium want them because it can show what the ancient looked like and what ty could be doing/using.

What they didn't realize is that they're only Ancient "Collectible Trading Cards"
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Just finished reading Charles Sheffield's Summertide, the first book of the Heritage Universe series. Boy, talk about inspiration for the Ancients and their wonders. See if you can pick up a copy!
 
Some acient stuff that we found:

Portals, they are large discs that are dimesionally attached to each other. You can walk through one and end up in another planet, etc. The discs can be moved around. We put one on a swamp planet and hooked a hose up to it for fuel one time.

Black Globe Armor, a black sphere that is a force field that absorbs all kinds of energy. Just look out when it overloads!

Tholian Web Armor, ok we borrowed this from Star Trek's Tholians. Basically a golden web of energy that absorbs kintentic energy, light, lasers, explosions, etc. It moves like an ameoba with a false foot and it is psionically controlled. You can form claws with it, and use it as an elevator to move around and break stuff with it. Along with the armor we found a web gun that puts a golden web sphere around any target and then you can crush it to the size of a ping-pong ball or use it to capture stuff.
 
Me, all I want for my ship is a hypercube. Think how cool that would be. It sits in the cargo hold of your ship...say a big, 10 meter cube. From the outside.
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The cube is powered by a hyperspace generator. Inside are 162 identical rooms connected like the faces of a d6. Each are 10 meters square with a 10 meter high ceiling. Each has a door in each of its 4 walls...think how much more storage space that would make...or a set of suites for passengers...or.... :D

Thats the Ancient device I'm looking for.
-MADDog
 
John Varley's null-field vacc uit (which comes with it's own built in limitation, the need for the user to be nude and unable to carry anything!)
 
An ore processor - Dump raw ore into the near end and the processed materials come out the far end in each of their elemental forms. Thus sand goes in, and silicon and oxygen come out! Simple, right? Commercially viable, right? But wait, there's more! :eek:

The danged thing also works in reverse... :confused:

Put the silicon in the far end, along with a few purified dopant elements, and voila! Pentium CIX's come out the near end! :D

All that's required is a sophisticated enough command and control system (CCS) to run it, which BTW is nowhere in sight. ;)

As soon as imperial scientists determine how to program this one-of-a-kind find, they'll start making some real neat-o TL20 items. That is, if they can get the thing to stop emitting that toxic nerve gas...
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Originally posted by Keklas Rekobah:
An ore processor - ...and the processed materials come out the far end...
Click to expand...
Why would I want a machine to make paddles for watercraft??


-MADDog

(yeah...I'm loopy from inhaling all that green dust from installing the engineered flooring in my closet yesterday...)
 
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