Engraving

Engraving is a technique to write temporary magic runes on an item. Engravings wear out, but any highly skilled craftsman can learn engraving, so engravings are a somewhat common technique for enhancing equipment. In general, cheap items can hold 0 engravings, basic items can hold 1, and fine or very fine items can hold 2. Small items (bulk -1 guns or weapons dagger sized or smaller) can hold 1 less engraving, while large items (bulk -4 guns or broadswords or larger weapons) can hold one more. Each engraving must be unique from any other engraving on the same item.

Engraving is an IQ/H skill, specialized by craft skill, with a prerequisite of that craft skill-15.

Engraving requires $150 in materials per day spent engraving. The engraver's time is usually valued at $150/day. Any engraving can be empowered by a 1 CP soulstone chip; this makes weapon engravings last for 500 attacks and allows armor engravings to repair at 5 DR/day, up to a total of 10xDR repair. Having a piece of equipment with soulstone engravings is flashy and gives +1 to reactions from anyone with Status 2 or less if the owner is Status 2 or less.

It is possible for a highly skilled engraver to engrave multiple enhancements at the same time in a way that allows an additional engraving. This cannot be done on an item that is already full of engravings. It takes an engraving skill roll at -6, - the number of engravings being added, + the maximum of number of engravings on the item, -3 x the number of existing engravings, to do this successfully, and failure wastes all the materials and time.

*Example*: Nicole has a fine Colt SAA with Burning Strike engraved on it. A fine Colt SAA can normally hold 2 engravings, but she would also like Arching Shot and Silent Attack engraved on it. Her engraver rolls against Engraving (Gunsmith) at -6 for the attempt, -2 for the two new engravings, +2 for the maximum number of engravings, and at another -3 for the existing engraving - a total of -9. Even a master engraver is likely to mess this up.
An item that cannot normally hold an engraving can be engraved with a single use engraving at cost of a standard engraving. For weapon engravings on ammunition, the cost and time taken is increased by 50%, but 50 pieces of ammunition can be engraved at that cost in that time.

*Example*: Nicole can get her Deringer (a Bulk -1 pistol) engraved with a single use of Fatiguing Strike for $300 in materials and the cost for 2 days of labor. Alternately, she could get 50 rounds of ammunition engraved with Fatiguing Strike for $450 and the cost for 3 days of labor.

### Weapon Engravings

A weapon can be engraved with any imbuement skill. It takes 1 day to engrave per level of Imbument required. The imbuement automatically activates when the weapon is used to attack. Weapon engravings last for 50 attacks.

Weapon imbuements are treated as having Skill-16, a +2 technique appropriate for the imbuement if applicable, and the No Nuisance Rolls Perk. The technique is chosen at the time of engraving and cannot be changed.

### Armor Engravings

Most armor engravings provide a specific, constant effect that is diminished with use until the engraves fades. Some armor engravings are Burn-out: these engravings start with an activation of 16 and can be activated by taking a Concentrate maneuver and rolling under the activation. On success, the activation is reduced by 1 and the engraving remains active as long as the user concentrates and for 2d seconds after they stop concentrating. On failure, the level of the engraving's advantage(s) goes down by 0 and the engraving fades if all the levels go to 0.

Any armor can be engraved with:

* ablative DR (forcefield) against crushing damage from falls. Maximum DR is armor DR + 30; every 15 points of DR takes a day to engrave.
* semi-ablative DR (forcefield) against a specific, occasional threat. Maximum DR is armor DR + 10; every 5 points of DR takes a day to engrave.
* semi-ablative DR (forcefield) against an element: acid, electricity/lightning, heat/fire, ice/cold, poison/venom, or sound. Elemental armor is limited to DR + 5, and every 5 points of DR takes 2 days to engrave.
* Doesn't breath (Oxygen Storage 100x). This gives the wearer HTx100 extra seconds of breath in any situation, but the extra seconds of breath are never replenished. The engraving fades when the extra breath is gone. 1 day to engrave.
* Silence N and Camouflage N (forcefield). Burn-out. N/2 days to engrave.

Clothing and naked flesh (ie, tattoos) count as large, basic armor and can hold 2 engravings. Engravings cannot be stacked among armor, clothing, and skin - any of the three may have its engravings active, but all others are inactive and reactivating them takes a Concentrate maneuver. Different pieces of armor or clothing can have different engravings, but only a single piece of clothing or armor can be eligible for activation at time, chosen when the armor or clothing is put on.

Engraved tattoos are a 1 point injury that cannot be healed while the engraving has at least 1 DR remaining or is otherwise capable of being activated. There is no way to change out engraved tattoos: a person has a single skin.

### Utility Engravings

An Artist (Calligraphy) expert can learn Engraving (Calligraphy). The primary calligraphy engraving is the seal, magical markings that demonstrate a document is true, accurate, and authorized by whoever granted the document. A seal engraving can be verified by an authenticator engraving, but each verification attempt erodes the engraving until it fades. Existing seals can be recopied onto the same document, extending their use. A seal that lasts for 50 verification attempts takes 1 day to engrave, one that last 80 attempts takes 2 days to engrave, and every additional 20 attempts takes another day. Sealed documents are somewhat uncommon, but important documents such as certified checks, diplomas, real estate deeds for large properties, and contracts between large businesses are routinely sealed.

A Professional Skill (Glassblowing) expert can learn Engraving (Glassblowing). The primary glassblowing engraving is the authenticator engraving, which can be used to verify that a sealed engraving is authentic. The authenticator engraving fades each time it attempts to verify a possible seal engraving, and has the same time to create as a seal engraving. The authenticator engraving is commonly engraving on a loupe, and authenticator loupes are common tools in any office that expects to need to verify sealed documents on a regular basis.

### Common Engravings

Bullet Ward
Provides DR 10 (Semi-Ablative, Forcefield, Limited vs metal piercing). Can be done on any armor. 2 days of work, $600 from an engraver.
Heavy Bullet Ward
Provides DR 15 (Semi-Ablative, Forcefield, Limited vs metal piercing). Requires a DR 5 armor. 3 days of work, $900 from an engraver.
Brawler's Shield
Provides DR 10 (Semi-Ablative, Forcefield, Limited vs flesh crushing but not grappling). Can be done on any armor. 2 days of work, $600 from an engraver.
Feather Fall
Provides DR 30 (Ablative, Forcefield, Limited vs falling crushing). Can be done on any armor. 2 days of work, $600 from an engraver.
Blacksmith's Apron
Provides DR 5 (Semi-Ablative, Forcefield, Limited vs heat/fire). Can be done on any armor. 2 days of work, $600 from an engraver.
Superior Thief's Shroud
Provides Silence 6 and Camouflage 6 (forcefield). Burn-Out. 3 days to engrave, $900 from an engraver. It is generally illegal to use this engraving without permission from the property's owner or to use it to attack USC citizens or residents from ambush.