Eclipse – Sample Relics, Part III

   Here we have another couple of sample Relics for Eclipse: The Codex Persona. In this case, we have one reasonable, relatively subtle, and very useful one and one quite outrageous holy weapon that starts off strong and winds up as an atrocity of raw power.

   The Seals of Seigrun:

   Seigrun, a clever shaman, once won a boon from the Trickster, and – being wise in the ways of that cunning spirit – asked merely to be permitted to gather more knowledge on the nature of the Runes, that she might more readily make her own way in the high arts.

   Such was granted to her – although the insights she gathered with the Trickster’s blessing showed a distressing tendency to fade when she turned her attention elsewhere. Still, as catches went, that could have been a lot worse.

   Years later, Seigrun would engrave runic rings for each of her six children – passing on a modest portion of her power and the Trickster’s gift. If they used the seals she had created cleverly and with forethought – as she had taught them – they would find them a priceless aid.

• The powers of the Seals of Seigrun are all Corrupted/the user must invest his or her own CP into the relic to activate it.
• Mana, 2d6, Specialized: only usable for Runecasting, provides no natural magic (4 CP).
• Rite of Chi with +4 Bonus Uses. Specialized: Requires an hour of meditation in a magic circle to perform (4 CP).
• Augmented Bonus/may add Dex Mod to Int Mod for the purposes of determining the rank of Int-based skills, Specialized in enhancing Rune Magic skills only (2 CP).
• Enthusiast with Adaption, Specialized in Rune Magic Skills for Double Effect (2 SP), (2 CP).
• With a net cost of 12 CP, the Seals are 2 CP relics.

   The Seals of Seigrun are at their best in the hands of a high-Int and High-Dex character who likes to plan ahead. Given a few hours to meditate on the Runes, such an individual can use them to pick up effective scores of (Int Mod + Dex Mod +1) in any one pair of Rune Casting and Rune Mastery skills – allowing them to tap into a little bit of almost any kind of magic. If you can figure out what you’re going to need in advance, this can be extremely effective. If the user has invested a few points in Rune Magic and Mana already, a Seal will upgrade their abilities quite noticeably.

   Next up, we have a blatant atrocity…

   Lawgiver:

   Lawgiver is fairly straightforward: it’s a minor celestial spirit, assigned to inhabit and bless a blade so as to accompany and aid heroes of the light in their tasks. Unfortunately, as seems inevitable, such spirits invariably try to reform everyone about them, steer events in the way that they want them to go, and insist that their bearers confront every evil they run across.

   Of course, the fact that such blades are reasonably powerful at first and tremendously powerful later on makes many qualified characters willing to put up with a lot of that sort of thing.

• Lawgiver’s powers are all Corrupted/the user must invest his or her own CP into it to activate it.
• Imbuement with the Focused Modifier (8 CP), Specialized for double effect/the bonuses provided by the blade can only affect itself rather than any similar blade the possessor carries, are limited by how well the bearer is living up to it’s noble ideals, and appear in a fixed order: L2/+1, L4/+2, L6/+1 Holy, L8/+1 Holy, Flaming, L10/+2 Holy, Flaming, L12/+3 Holy, Flaming, L14/+1 Holy, Flaming, Speed, L16/+2 Holy, Flaming, Speed, L18/+2 Holy, Flaming, Speed, Ghost Touch, and L20/+3 Holy, Flaming, Speed, Ghost Touch. No one has recorded what happens beyond level 20.
• Companion (4 CP): Use the Animated Object base – although Lawgiver rarely moves on it’s own other than to block. Lawgiver grants his chosen companion the Grant of Aid ability with +4 Bonus Uses, although this will only work while the user is upholding the noble ideals of the blade (and thus is effectively Specialized. This is the usual 6-CP granted companion bonus).
• Template (4 CP): +4 Int and the 3.5 Half-Celestial Spellcasting abilities (94 CP in total. As usual for a companion, the spell effects which can be accessed depend on the level of the user).
• Transference (4 CP): Provides the sword with 12 CP worth of additional abilities: in this case
  • Returning (6 CP): Lawgiver is essentially indestructible by normal means, although it can be melted down in a forge burning with unholy fire.
  • Block/Melee (6 CP): Once per round Lawgiver will use it’s own Attack of Opportunity (and, of course, the bearer’s reflex save) to attempt to block a melee attack on it’s bearer with a DC 20 reflex check.

   With a base cost of 20 CP, Lawgiver is a 3 CP Relic – and a truly major weapon of the light. Sadly, Lawgiver’s power depends on the power and purity of it’s wielder; it starts off with no bonus, but at level twenty – at least in the hands of a worthy bearer – it’s a +3 Holy, Flaming, Speed, Ghost Touch weapon. It starts off with the ability to cast Sunlight, Protection from Evil, and Bless every so often, and winds up with Resurrection, Holy Aura, and Summon Monster IX.

   On the other hand, while it’s ability to heal a worthy wielder, and to block occasional melee attacks on him or her, does improve with it’s bearer’s level, both of those powers are reasonably effective to start off with. Once the blade FINDS a worthy bearer there’s no use letting him or her get killed before he or she can perform some truly heroic deeds.

   Of course, Lawgiver is also a splendid example of an over-built relic: powers like Companion – especially with the Template and Transference modifiers – are already multiplier-abilities that allow the user to have fairly powerful companions on his or her adventures. Taking those powers through the cost-multiplier of a Relic makes them rather outrageous. If you let someone have such a blade, it may well be the only item they’ll ever really need. It’s equivalent value is probably at least equal to their normal level-based treasure allowance anyway.

   Fortunately for the game master the forces of darkness will desperately want to keep anyone who possesses such a weapon from making it to a high enough level to really use it effectively. A perfect justification for an endless string of assaults and plots targeting the bearer.