Ancient Artifact Ideas

[Keklas Rekobah]

... 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.

For that matter, the OPer could take any magic item from AD&D, give it a power switch, make it flash, beep, change color or whatever when operating, and call it an Ancient Artifact.

Clarke's Law ... it's not just for FRPGs anymore!

 

[kafka47]

My favorite use for artifacts is something that looks absolutely like an AD&D artifact, say, Staff of the Magi but does nearly absolutely nothing save be extendable walking stick. One has to remember, as much as the Ancients were technologically in excess of the Imperium and our perceptions, they still had need for the mundane everyday things that make up modern life even if the application of it was super-sophicated ie harnessing mini-black holes in a vacuum cleaner designed to implode if the containment field was compromised...

 

[JustinInOz]

Rescue the Ancients

I am a big fan of making Ancients artifacts incomprehensible.

I have been ever since reading Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky Brothers.

If you have not read it and are considering inclusion of any Ancients artifacts in your game, do so immediately. You will not be dissapointed. Your artifacts will not be DnD magic items any longer.

 

[stealth]

"Roadside Picnic" reminds me of "The Missing Room". Thanks for mentioning it, it was fun to read about it. One day, I may even read it.

When I make my artifacts, I go utilitarian. "The Inventory Gun", for example, teleported the target to a stasis warehouse 400,000 years in the past. The target vanishes, and an inventory reciept slowly settles to the ground in it's place.

Players have also found the Skitzelbrang (posted here), a man portable terraforming device that is broken. Also, a piece of mood-activated weather control jewelry that is the ignition key for a time machine (storms power the machine). A Zero stone (it turns energy points into psi-points, but can only use power from a starships lanthanum jump-drive capicitors, so you have to fire up your jump drives to use it, but it can enslave a city).

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Water you lookin at?

1. A vessel that can hold about 4 liters of fluid, and made of an unidentifiable organo-ceramic composite. When filled with water, the contents automatically increase in temperature to precisely 100°C for three minutes, then drop to 70°C, and remain there for no less than 12 hours. There is no apparent power supply, but there is a removable lid and a small spigot near the bottom. If the water is examined, it will be found to be sterile, although any solid material will still remain. This device is useful for making ground water potable.

2. A 'Y'-shaped piece of an unidentifiable organo-ceramic composite. When the shortest two 'branches' are grasped, the person holding the item will feel a 'pull' in one direction. Following this 'pull' will eventually lead the person to water. The strength of the 'pull' is proportional to both the proximity and quantity of the body of water. Thus, the same sensation that leads a person to a liter of water 3 meters away will also lead them to a large reservoir several kilometers away. There is no apparent power supply.

3. A large object (~30 cubic meters), looking like a dozen giant potted lillies and made of an unidentifiable organo-ceramic composite without an apparent power supply. The lower portion includes a compartment that can easily accommodate the container mentioned above. When the container is installed, and the item is left outdoors, the container will accumulate approximately 4 liters of water within 24 hours. The environment must have ATM and HYD ratings from 4 to 8 each.

 

[lastbrowncoat3]

quantum mirror

what about the mirror in star gate that has a small controller that you can cause the device (big one) to open an alternate reality, hey to make it even cooler if you press a button on the controller it can extend to take in an entire ship! (up to lets say 3000 tons) gets its power from subspace and can only do 1 "jump" every 10 minutes. takes up 1 ton of space. if want to use an backward engineered version can take apart but cant be put back together, have player roll 1d6 dice and add 2X engineering level (0 and below count as +1) if if you get 7or 8 plus you learned to successfully make a new version, but it takes up 10 tons in all and you can sit around while workers make and sell this drive... yay for you. or you can destroy all the notes (or not) and have the only one of its kind drive!

from,
The Last Browncoat

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Anti-Battery - A device that's roughly the size, shape, and color of an ostrich egg, and that causes all power sources within 1D x 10 metres to operate at half-efficiency (Inactive power sources are not affected). Thus, batteries would last half as long, radio and radar would lose half their effective range, power plants would be able to support only half their rated load, maneuver drives would lose half of their 'G' rating, jump drives would lose half of their jump rating (taking you half-way there), and energy weapons would do half damage. The Anti-Battery emits no light, sound, or vibration, and operates at the ambient temperature. Thus, it is indetectable as a device, and is easily mistaken for a decoration or large paper-weight. (This device was used by the Ancients to regulate their power sources).

Onyx Bugbear - This object is roughly 10cm tall, and resembles a six-limbed cross between a beetle and a bear, and seems to be carved from greenish-black stone. When held closely, its "quantum vibratory electromagnetic resonance effect" causes the person holding it to feel only a sensation of deep, peaceful serenity. That is, the person feels no fear, no anger, no desire, and no anxiety. The person is in a state of perfect comfort. Unfortunately, this causes the person holding the Onyx Bugbear to lack motivation to do anything - even for performing even the most necessary of bodily functions! Removing the Onyx Bugbear from the possession of the person will restore their normal emotiona state within 1D hours. However, beginning 1D hours after that, and lasting for another 2D hours, the person will become extremely emotional as he or she goes into 'withdrawal' from the Onyx Bugbear's effects, becoming increasingly unstable as his or her mood swings wildy. Roll 1D per minute for effect: 1 - Mania; 2 - Despair; 3 - Rage; 4 - Lust; 5 - Terror; 6 - Catatonia. The withdrawal symptoms can be relieved by returning the Onyx Bugbear to the person, and then avoided by slowly removing the object from his or her presence. (This device was used by the Ancients as a tool for psychotherapy patients).


These two devices should be found together...

 

[Cryton]

The Curiosity: Found in the Regina Museum of Antiquity (or whereever you as the GM see fit) is a small black box with a big red button. Also found at the Ancient site where it was found was a telepathic warning beacon (since destroyed in attempts to figure out how it worked) that repeated "dont press the red button" over and over again.

The box and its button are seemingly indestructible and as of yet, no one has pressed the button because of an acute sense of nervousness and anxiety that un-psi shielded sophonts feel when around the device (within about 3m).

For GMs: When the box is in the presence of an unshielded telepath, the red button will begin to flash ominously, and until the telepath re enables his psi-shield, the box will "follow him around" appearing nearby (within 3m) when no one is looking, arriving as if by magic, flashing and spreading its feelings of dread. It will appear every time the telepath drops his psi-shield, flashing ominously, until such a time as it is exposed to another unshielded telepath, at which point it will follow the new telepath around. Distance does not seem to be an issue for the box, crossing rooms or parsecs to re-appear in its boned telepaths presence.

When the button is finally pressed, the box hums for a moment and then goes dead, seemingly doing nothing. Which in fact is all it will ever do as the machinery it was designed to activate was destroyed over 300 000 years ago.

As for my players, when they pressed the button, and nothing obvious happened save the red light going out, they however began blaming the box for everything that went wrong (mis-jumps, equipment failures due to lack of maintenence, ect.), or was weird in my game. It was a source of endless amusement for me as a GM.

 

[Enoki]

Another might be a more permanent or semi-permanent version of the stones in Stargate Universe. That is, a pair of some sort of ancient devices that transfers the holders consciences between their bodies when simultaneously held... regardless of distance.....

This could have very interesting results for players as they might find one device only to touch it and end up half way across the galaxy in another body in unknown circumstances etc., and have no clue how they got there.....

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Another might be a more permanent or semi-permanent version of the stones in Stargate Universe. That is, a pair of some sort of ancient devices that transfers the holders consciences between their bodies when simultaneously held... regardless of distance.....

This could have very interesting results for players as they might find one device only to touch it and end up half way across the galaxy in another body in unknown circumstances etc., and have no clue how they got there.....

REF: "So you've both touched the device, have you?" (rattlerattleroll) "Now trade character sheets!"

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Broken Droid: When found, the device appears as a severely battered, trash-can like object. Close inspection (easy task) will reveal a means of locomotion, several forms of sensory apparatus, and manipulative limbs. Repairing the device (difficult task) will reactivate it. However, once a day, a random sub-system in the driod will either fall off or fail to operate. If the repair is not made in 24 hours, then another failure will occur. If no attempt is made to repair the droid, it will cease to operat completely when all sub-systems have failed. Repairs vary in difficulty between 'easy' and 'difficult' for each sub-system, but are never 'impossible'. No matter how many times each sub-system is repaired, there is always the chance that it will fail again, especially when put to use. The droid communicates in beeps and mournful whistles.

This droid was used by the Ancients as an instructional tool in Robotics. Every day, the students were presented with a different failure, and had 24 hours to fix it or face 2 failures the next day. Otherwise, this droid serves no useful function.

 

[Major B]

This droid was used by the Ancients as an instructional tool in Robotics. Every day, the students were presented with a different failure, and had 24 hours to fix it or face 2 failures the next day. Otherwise, this droid serves no useful function.

Now that's just evil. I have to use it.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Now that's just evil. I have to use it.

Just to be 'nice', you may want to give the Broken Droid the robotic equivalent of Steward-0, and allow it to respond to voice commands ("Swab Deck", "Run Vacuum Cleaner", et cetera) just so that it isn't completely useless.

Then again, do any of your player's characters speak Ancient?

];-)

 

[HiverLord]

Now that's just evil. I have to use it.

Not only use it, you have to record the session on video when the players find it... too fun!

 

[DaveChase]

Broken Droid:
...

This droid was used by the Ancients as an instructional tool in Robotics. Every day, the students were presented with a different failure, and had 24 hours to fix it or face 2 failures the next day. Otherwise, this droid serves no useful function.

Hmm, so how long before

A player with no Robotic skill that continues to fix the robot gets Robotics Skill Lvl 0
A player with Robotic skill lvl 0 gets skill level 1
etc

Actually this sounds like a quite useful device, if one only knows about it.

Plus as a twist the robot might want to help the player get it self fixed. It has been a student learning device so long that it might actually take a 'liking' to the player that fixes it over and over again, especially if the player is 'kind' to it.

Dave Chase

 

[Enoki]

REF: "So you've both touched the device, have you?" (rattlerattleroll) "Now trade character sheets!"

Worse: (roll).... Hum... Well, here's your new character stats... and by the way you are now on planet xyzzy six sectors from where you were...... Oh, if you are wondering, you are in the middle of some sort of exotic dance in a smoky club.....

 

[DaveChase]

Worse: (roll).... Hum... Well, here's your new character stats... and by the way you are now on planet xyzzy six sectors from where you were...... Oh, if you are wondering, you are in the middle of some sort of exotic dance in a smoky club.....

Sounds like someone has been watching to much StarGate: Atlantis

Dave Chase

 

[Enoki]

Sounds like someone has been watching to much StarGate: Atlantis

Dave Chase

Actually, it is not an uncommon plot device in science fiction.... After all, Hollywood's writers are hardly a highly creative bunch..... :devil:

Of course, you can always do the random time / location teleporting gate too. This is another common plot device. You step through and end up at some random place / time. How many times have you seen that one?

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Hmm, so how long before A player with no Robotic skill that continues to fix the robot gets Robotics Skill Lvl 0; A player with Robotic skill lvl 0 gets skill level 1; etc

Standard rules on daily self-study apply.

-----< This Section Added Later >-----

(From LBB2, Page 42)

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Limited personal development and experience is possible in the sense of increasing abilities and skills. Such potential for increases is possible in four specific areas, only one of which may be attempted at one time: education, weapon expertise, other skills, and physical fitness.

In each field, the character selects a four-year program of self-improvement, dedicating his or her endeavors in something like obsession...

The rest of the paragraph details the procedure, including dice rolls.

-----< End of Added Section >-----

Actually this sounds like a quite useful device, if one only knows about it.

Hah! IF they figure it out!

Plus as a twist the robot might want to help the player get it self fixed. It has been a student learning device so long that it might actually take a 'liking' to the player that fixes it over and over again, especially if the player is 'kind' to it.

I designed it as a dumb-bot. Once fixed, it would wander around aimlessly, avoiding obstacles, and reacting to sudden changes in its sensor range - light, movement, noise, and acceleration, for example - with whistles, beeps and flashing LEDs. I gave it a built-in atmospheric tester (like the one from 'Shadows') that was calibrated to Ancient norms. This could have been a clue, if the players hadn't kept trying to 'MacGyver' the poor thing.

(This was basically a 'Heathkit' version of R2D2, only not so smart.)

 

[jatay3]

A piece of jewelry downloaded with the soul of mysterious and ancient being that corrupts everyone who owns it and must be destroyed before it destroys the universe?

Oh wait, already did that one.