Items of Power

“Items of Power” is a catch-all category for abilities that are derived not from the person himself, but from the magical equipment he brings to the table. Champions of the supernatural heavyweights, including the Champions of God, Knights of the Faerie Courts, and other Emissaries of Power, might carry such artifacts to battle, as protection or weaponry.

### **Item of Power** [**-Varies**]

**Description:** You have an item of great power— an artifact that goes beyond the ephemeral items created by spellcasters and alchemists. This is an artifact with an ancient story, often drawing its power from some vast supernatural entity of old.

**Musts:** An aspect directly referencing the Item of Power is required. The Item of Power ability may *not* be taken multiple times—even if the character has multiple items of power. A single instance of the Item of Power ability covers all such items that the character carries.

**Options:** Plenty! An Item of Power is a way to take Minor Abilities, Strength, Toughness, Speed, or some other abilities (subject to approval) at a small discount, gaining back a point or two of refresh based on the nature of the item (see below).

**Skills Affected:** Varies.

**Effects:**

***One-Time Discount [+1 or +2].*** You regain two points of refresh for “externalizing” some of your abilities in the form of the Item of Power. This assumes that the Item of Power is reasonably obvious and easy to detect, like a sword. If the item is difficult to detect, allowing concealment, you only regain one point of refresh. This discount only happens once, even if you have multiple separate Items of Power. The refresh cost of the any abilities “attached” in this way must be at least –3 in the case of the +2 option, or at least –2 in the case of the +1 option. In effect, this says that the net result of taking the Item of Power ability should still decrease your refresh— just less so.

***It Is What It Is.*** The item is often based on a mundane template—a sword, a shield, a suit of armor—and as such may have some armor or damage values completely independent of its supernatural nature. Swords will have damage bonuses like swords, armor will protect like armor. All the same, the item should be obvious as something unusual.

***Unbreakable.*** As an Item of Power, it cannot be broken, save through dedicated magical ritual predicated upon perverting its purpose. How this manifests may vary; the item may be breakable but able to repair itself, or it may simply refuse to be fractured.

***Imparted Abilities.*** Choose a set of abilities that are imbued within and imparted by the Item of Power. Take these abilities normally, recording their refresh cost and noting that they’re part of the Item. Abilities outside of the Minor Abilities, Strength, Toughness, and Speed categories must be examined closely by the GM and may be disallowed. Simply possessing the Item of Power is not enough to use the abilities. Rules must be followed, bargains must be made. Work out the particulars with the GM. While the item may be “loaned” once in a while for a specific single task, it is not an easy thing to do: the owner of the item must pay a fate point for every scene in which he allows another to enjoy its benefits, or the item fails to work for the recipient. The recipient must still obey the rules associated with the Item of Power.

### **Example:**

#### **Sword of the Cross [–3]**

**Description:** You possess one of the three Swords of the Cross, their hilts reportedly forged from the nails that fixed Christ to the Cross. Those bearing the Swords are called the Knights of the Cross.

**Musts:** You must have a destiny or calling to inherit the Sword, represented as a high concept or template.

**Skills Affected:** Weapons, others.

**Effects:**

***All Creatures Are Equal Before God.*** This is the truest purpose of the Swords of the Cross, the ability that makes even ancient dragons take pause when facing a Knight. When facing an opponent, the Knight may spend a fate point to ignore that opponent’s defensive abilities (Toughness based ones, primarily), as well as any mundane armor the foe has, for the duration of the scene. In essence, a Sword of the Cross may take the place of whatever it is that a creature has a weakness to (whatever “the Catch” is on their Toughness powers), on demand, so long as the Knight can spend that fate point—particularly handy when facing ultra-tough Denarians or true dragons. Whatever abilities a creature may have, the job of a Sword of the Cross is creating a mostly even playing field— or something very much like it—between mortal and monster.

***Divine Purpose.*** A Sword of the Cross may only be swung with true selfless purpose in mind and heart; if this is not the case, the bond between the Knight and the Sword is broken and may only be restored by undergoing some sort of trial of faith. When swung without such purpose in mind and heart, the blow does not land (any attack roll automatically fails), the bond is immediately broken, and the sword falls from the wielder’s hand. Basically, the GM and player should look at the description above as a guideline for how to compel the high concept attached to the sword—your character might be tempted to use the sword for selfish reasons, and could either receive a fate point to stay his hand or succumb to the temptation and lose the sword temporarily. If another takes up the sword and swings it selfishly, your Knight is still responsible for how the sword is used, with similar repercussions.

***Holy.*** This weapon is a powerful holy symbol in its own right. Its very touch is like holy water or that of a cross or other symbol of faith backed by the belief of the possessor.

***It’s a Sword.*** A Sword of the Cross always takes the form of a sword, though the precise type of sword may change through the ages. There are only three in existence. As a sword, it possesses the damage and other attributes of any sword.

***True Aim.*** When swung in keeping with its purpose, a Sword of the Cross grants a +1 to the wielder’s Weapons skill.

***Unbreakable.*** As an Item of Power, it cannot be broken, save through dedicated magical ritual predicated upon perverting its purpose.

***Discount Already Applied.*** As an Item of Power, the sword already includes the one-time discount. This means that if the character possesses more than one Item of Power, the one-time discount will *not* apply on that second item. If the Sword of the Cross *is* the second or subsequent artifact the character gains, the refresh cost is –5.