Today, a sampling of cyphers and artifacts related to Operation Enigma. For those unfamiliar with the terms, a cyphers is a one-shot item that fills in the role of potions, spells, and the like in the Cypher System; players are encourage to use them by a relatively low limit on how many they can carry at a time. Artifacts are items that can be reused, but most of them have a depletion roll - a check that results in them running out of whatever powers them, or otherwise no longer being functional. Both fill in the characters of the system and give them additional capabilities beyond with their Focus, Role, and Descriptor offer.
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Cyphers
Electron Pulse Amplifier
Level: 1d6+1
This small device, about the size of a dime, attaches to any weapon the user desires upon activation. It causes the weapon to deal an additional 2 electrical damage on a successful hit, the power being provided from extradimensional sources. The effect lasts for 24 hours.
Thaumaturgic Supercapacitor
Level: 1d6
When attached to an artifact of an equal or lower level, this coil of silver-blue wire remains in place until the artifact fails a depletion roll; instead of the artifact depleting, the cypher disintegrates and recharges the artifact. Once attached, the cypher no longer counts against a character's cypher limit.
Digital Linguistic Archive
Level: 1d6
This small flesh-tone chip is used by touching it to the user's spine; it automatically attaches itself, granting the user fluency in a number of languages equal to the level of the cypher (GM's choice).
Proton Bomb
Level: 1d6+3
This small ovoid device has a very obvious red button covered by a clear cover; when the button is pressed and the device thrown, it explodes in a storm of high-energy protons that deal damage equal to the cypher's level to a short range.
Positron Wand
Level: 1d6+2
This slender translucent rod can be activated to project a positron beam at a single target, dealing damage equal to the cypher's level and modifying all their actions on the next round by one to their detriment as the anti-electrons interfere with their nervous system.
Thaumic Accelerator
Level: 1d6+1
This pair of slende silvery half-hoops fit over the user's feet or shoes; when activated, they allow the wearer to move twice in a given round, essentially doubling their speed both in and out of combat. This effect lasts for one hour.
Graviton Control Pack
Level: 1d6
Despite the impressive name, this slender backpack actually allows the wearer to fly at up to 120 mph (193 kph) for the next four hours by means of powerful electromagnetic coils, with a high level of control.
Daemon Drone Device
Level: 1d6+1
When activated, this small black box unfolds into a black mechanical mantis the size of a mid-sized dog, of equal level to the cypher. It obeys whoever activated to the best of its abilities, with the ability to fly up to a short distance every round. After six hours, it powers down and crumbles into rust.
Analysis Engine
Level: 1d6+4
A PDA-sized device, it can be used to access the Internet and numerous restricted networks for a short period, just long enough to serve as two assets on any knowledge skill check.
Bottled Ectoplasm
Level: 1d6+1
This bottle of pale goo can be emptied out and molded into the shape of almost any single device the user wants over the course of a single round; accessing the Internet and the thoughts of the user, the ectoplasm finishes the transformation, becoming a functional replica of whatever was intended with a level equal to the cypher. It cannot create other cyphers, artifacts, or living creatures.
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Artifacts
Holographic Camouflage Unit
Level: 1d6
Appearing as a belt buckle of unusual thickness, this device can sometimes be salvaged from Enigma Agents. When activated, it cloaks the user in a field that renders their usual appearance invisible, replacing it with a generic human figure of vaguely similar shape and skin tone dressed in a sharp black suit, mirrored sunglasses, and absolutely dispassionate expression. It cloaks their voice to a monotone that matches the appearance of the hologram, and when the user lifts their right hand it displays credentials that the built-in computer system judges most likely to impress whoever the user is facing; this serves as two assets for any attempts to impersonate a government or corporate official.
Depletion: 1 in 20
Pyroclastic Rod
Level: 1d6+1
This slender metal baton contains a powerful energy cell and a series of electromagnetic field projectors and lasers that produce a flare of white-hot plasma, dealing damage equal to the artifact level to all targets within a short range.
It has an alternate mode that fires a small encapsulated mass of plasma out to long range at a single target, dealing damage equal to the artifact level as contact ruptures the containment and sprays a gout of plasma over the victim.
Depletion: 1 in 5
Immortality Unit
Level: 1d6+4
This device is activated by applying it to the base of a creature's skull, after which it burrows in painfully (dealing damage equal to the artifact's level) and replaces a portion of the spinal cord. At any point after this, if the person dies, the unit transmits a copy of their genetic code at the time of activation and a full record of their mind up to the point of death to an Operation Enigma reconstruction facility, where the information is used to rapidly grow and imprint a clone body over the course of two weeks; as most of these facilities are well-hidden and only monitored by basic subroutines of Max, the person who wakes in such a facility is unlikely to be bothered on their emergence and return to life. Getting home and convincing people of their story is another matter entirely.
Depletion: --
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And that wraps up the sampling of Operation Enigma devices! While future posts may come back to specific cells and additional creatures of the group, that wraps up this series on the organization; hopefully you've found it useful!
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