Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells - Arcane Artifacts

Besides the astonishing technological artifacts that can change the lives of many, there also exist arcane devices created by and for the use of sorcery and psychic powers. No one really knows their origin or purpose, but many believe they were either created by the Galactic Overlords during the Cleansing Wars or were brought to our universe by entities from the Void, in an effort to corrupt sentient species with their power.

These objects, differently from technological devices, have some form of sentience and a purpose. They provide great powers to their users, but they also charge a great price, especially from those that defy their wishes and purposes.

Because of their uniqueness, we won’t present here a list of defined arcane artifacts, but a set of tables intended to help Overlords create their own artifacts for his campaign.

Creator

One of the defining elements of a arcane artifact is its creator. As said before, these objects possess sentience, and it’s intelligence and personality are derived from their creators. If the Overlord already possess a specific creator for said artifact in mind, he can use the Intellect score of that creator and a strong trait of his personality to use for the artifact. Otherwise, he can roll 3d6 to define the Intellect score of the object, and a d20 on the table below to define who is the creator.

1d20	Artifact Creator
1	A dead and forgotten god from another dimension that still lives in the artifact.
2	A alien sorcerer that came from the Void.
3	A long dead sorcerer that turned the Void inside him into light.
4	The first Galactic Overlord as he first experimented with the forces of the Void.
5	A sentient star that wishes to consume the whole universe.
6	A traitor of the Order of a Thousand Suns who has been erased from all records.
7	A servant of a Galactic Overlord who sacrificed his soul and sanity to take his place.
8	A star spirit who fought a war with the forces of the Void.
9	A demon, bent on corrupting this universe, like as he did on his dimensions.
10	A powerful sorcerer who lives inside the greatest black hole in the universe.
11	A dark matter elemental with sentient mind and a desire to destroy all matter.
12	A sentient planet, who wants revenge against the Galactic Overlords.
13	The Machine God, emperor of the Machanis Sector, who despises living beings.
14	The Undead Queen, who controls a fleet of Skull Ships that ravages the Outer Regions.
15	The imagination of the last survivor of an alien species who is comatose.
16	A moon who acquired sentient when millions of sentients were killed and their blood absorbed by its soil.
17	An interdimensional sorcerer stuck in this universe that has become crazy.
18	A sentient psychic crystal that knows everything that has happened, is happening and will happen.
19	The Void itself, trying to get a stronger footing in the universe.
20	The collective minds of a world destroyed during the Cleansing Wars.

Purpose

An artifact is always created for a specific purpose. No one would go through such ordeal without a very good reason.

Therefore, when creating a arcane artifact for his campaign, the Overlord must define a purpose for it, one that can drive the campaigns and lead to further adventures, and present tough choices. If need be, the Overlord can roll a d66 on the table below to define the artifact’s purpose.

d66	Artifact Purpose
11	Kill a important individual or roll a d6: (1) A Void Lord; (2) a Galactic Overlord; (3) an alien mystical spirit; (4) a star god; (5) the Machine God; (6) the Undead Queen.
12	Attack an organization or roll a d6: (1) The Order of a Thousand Suns; (2) Barbarian Legion of the Outer Regions; (3) the Forces of the Void; (4) the Voiders; (5) the Pirates of the Ghost Sector; (6) the Claws of the Red Sun.
13	Destroy a culture or roll a d6: (1) humans; (2) androids and other machines; (3) Trekkats; (4) Szarians; (5) an specific alien species; (6) all non humans.
14	Destroy an object or roll a d6: (1) a weapon from the Cleansing Wars; (2) all the Solar Blades; (3) the Star Destroyer; (4) the Void Claymore; (5) the Helm of the Cosmic Despair; (6) another rolled artifact.
15	Attack a place or roll a d6: (1) the first temple of the Order of a Thousands Suns; (2) the Heart of the Void; (3) the Ghost Sector; (4) the Greatest Black Hole in the universe; (5) the Diamond Star; (6) another dimension.
16	Destroy immaterial force or roll a d6: (1) hope; (2) love; (3) light; (4) darkness; (5) individuality; (6) evil.
21	Discover a path or roll a d6: (1) to the Heart of the Void; (2) to the Ghost Sector; (3) to the universe’s core; (4) to the tomb of the first sorcerer; (5) to the first temple of the Order of a Thousand Suns; (6) to another dimension.
22	Find an important individual or roll a d6: (1) the last surviving knight of the Order of a Thousand Suns; (2) the Redeemed, a Galactic Overlord who abandoned his ways; (3) the Immortal; (4) the King of the Crystal Knights; (5) the Ghost Emperor; (6)  The Void Bringer.
23	Find a place or roll a d6: (1) the Tomb of the Undead Queen; (2) the Fortress in the Black; (3) the nest of the Great Devouring Worm Mother; (4) the first temple of the Order of a Thousand Suns; (5) the Seclusion of the Star Oracle; (6) the Ghost Sector.
24	Find an artifact or roll a d6: (1) the Helm of Cosmic Despair; (2) the Tome of Infinite Void; (3) the Hourglass of Continuum; (4) the Forge of Stars; (5) the Life Machine; (6) another rolled artifact.
25	Find a resource or roll a d6: (1) Solar Crystals; (2) a Star Plant; (3) Star Dust; (4) Void energy; (5) untainted food; (6) life energy.
26	Find a power: (1) eternal life; (2) resurrection; (3) become a god; (4) go back in time; (5) be omnipresent; (5) control the will of others; (6) love.
31	Capture an important individual or roll a d6: (1) a Galactic Overlord; (2) a living energy lord; (3) the Great Devouring Worm Mother; (4) the Blood Pirate King; (5) the Living Star; (6) the last surviving knight of the Order of a Thousand Suns.
32	Steal energy or roll a d6: (1) life energy; (2) from a star; (3) from the environment; (4) from fire and warmth; (5) from the Void; (6) from another dimension.
33	Steal knowledge or roll a d6: (1) about the origins of the Galactic Overlords; (2) about the Order of a Thousand Suns; (3) about the Void; (4) about another dimension; (5) about the Machine God; (6) about the Voiders.
34	Imprison creature or roll a d6: (1) devouring worms; (2) void spiders; (3) ghost panthers; (4) Void bats; (5) vacuum phants; (6) star falcons.
35	Steal immaterial force or roll d6: (1) willpower; (2) intelligence; (3) happiness; (4) dreams; (5) fear; (6) free will.
36	Steal object or roll d6 (1) the Serpent Destroyer; (2) the Golden Gauntlet; (3) the Time Crystal; (4) the Star Diamond; (5) the Opener of Gates; (6) the Kaleidoscope of Dimensions.
41	Protect important individual or roll a d6: (1) a Galactic Overlord; (2) the last knight of the Order of a Thousand Suns; (3) the Star Oracle; (4) the Living Star; (5) the Machine God; (6) the Undead Queen.
42	Protect organization or roll a d6: (1) the Seventh Sanctum of Stars; (2) the Order of a Thousand Suns; (3) the Free Souls of the Inner Sun; (4) the Invisible Academy; (5) the Barbarian Legions of the Outer Regions; (6) the Dimensional Watchers.
43	Protect place or roll a d6: (1) the universe’s core; (2) the first temple of the Order of a Thousand Suns; (3) the Caverns of Many Universes; (4) The First World; (5) the Ghost Sector; (6) the Void.
44	Protect object or roll a d6: (1) the Forge of Stars; (2) the Void Claymore; (3) The World Ender; (4) the Gate Opener; (5) a great weapon from the Cleansing Wars; (6) the last Solar Blade.
45	Protect secret or roll a d6: (1) that can destroy a star; (2) that can destroy the Galactic Overlords; (3) that can open a passage to the Void forever; (4) that can close all portals to other dimensions; (5) that can open a passage to a safe dimension; (6) that can awaken a dead star god.
46	Protect culture or roll a d6: (1) the Utopia Beyond the Stars; (2) humans; (3) Cyberians; (4) Trekkats; (5) Szarians; (6) the Lone Hunters of the Void.
51	Discover the weakness of an enemy or roll a d6: (1) of a Galactic Overlord; (2) of the Great Devouring Worm Mother; (3) of a Void demon; (4) of the Undead Queen; (5) of the Star Crusher; (6) the Immortal.
52	Discover a new world or roll a d6: (1) the capital world of the Ghost Sector; (2) the First World; (3) the Living World of Sarth; (4) the Energy World of Zziss; (5) the Deathless World; (6) the World in Between Universes.
53	Discover a way back from a planet or roll a d6: (1) a world inside a black hole; (2) a world about to explode; (3) a world at constant war; (4) a world drained of all its life; (5) a world of pure energy; (6) a prison world.
54	Discover a new power or roll a d6: (1) to control other people’s minds; (2) how to resurrect a loved one; (3) how to avoid death; (4) how to create life; (5) how to give and take away sentience; (6) how to travel to other dimensions.
55	Discover the truth about a myth or roll a d6: (1) the creation of the universe; (2) the origin of sorcery; (3) the godhood of Galactic Overlords; (4) the origin of the Order of a Thousand Suns; (5) the passages to the Void; (6) the destiny of a black hole.
56	Discover a knowledge or roll a d6: (1) how to create a Solar Blade; (2) how to destroy a Solar Blade; (3) how to kill a Galactic Overlord; (4) how to become a Galactic Overlord; (5) how to close a gate to the Void; (6) how to close a black hole.
61	Survive the wrath of an enemy or roll a d6: (1) a Galactic Overlord; (2) a Voider warlord; (3) the Undead Queen; (4) a Crime Lord; (5) the Ghost Emperor; (6) the Overmind of the Khrizars.
62	Survive a crash on a planet or roll a d6: (1) on an asteroid field being sucked by a black hole; (2) a planet on the brink of destruction; (3) a desert world with insectoid beasts; (4) a world of dark matter; (5) the Deathless World; (6) a world full of Voiders.
63	Escape the persecution of an organization or roll a d6: (1) the Punishers of the Galactic Overlords; (2) the Ghost Hunters; (3) the Free Pirates of the Dead Zone; (4) the Barbarian Legions of the Outer a Regions; (5) the Order of a Thousand Suns; (6) the Bringers of the Void.
64	Escape a cult or roll a d6: (1)(1) the cult of the local Galactic Overlord; (2) the Cult of the Devouring Great Worm; (3) the Cult of the Faceless God; (4) the Cult of the Undeath Star; (5) the Cult of Wise Nebula; (6) the Cult of the Raging Cosmos.
65	Survive a cosmic disaster or roll a d6: (1) the death of a star; (2) the collision of 2 black holes; (3) the collision of two planets; (4) the ascension of a Galactic Overlord( (5) the opening of a breach to the Void; (6) a nebula storm.
66	Survive the coming of the Void or roll a d6: (1) the Cleansing Wars; (2) the Birth of a Star; (3) the Rebellion of the Machines; (4) the Return of the Star Gods; (5) the Great Liberation; (6) the Dreadful Awakening.

Power and its Cost

These arcane artifacts possess astonishing powers, capable of defying the reality around them. They are a great boon to their users, but they also charge a hefty price of them.

When the Overlord is creating such artifacts, he has a great leeway to give it some powerful effects, but he had also an obligation to make it charge a price for them. The greater the powers, the greater the costs.

The Overlord should also create these costs based on the powers itself, making the whole artifact thematically cohesive. An artifact that makes its owner invisible will also make those he cares for forget who he is, or will make others ignore his presence even when not invisible. Another one that makes a character control the minds of others makes him an arrogant tyrant.

Below we present a small sample of powers and costs that the Overlord can use to generate his artifacts and to inspire the creation of additional powers and costs.

d66	Power	Cost
11	The user can become invisible at will, even while attacking opponents in combat.	Each time the artifact is used, the character receives one invisibility token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, he has to make a Luck Roll every time he wants to be noticed or remembered by someone.
12	The user can control the minds of others with a Willpower test. He can control a number of people equal to his Level at the same time.	Every time the artifact is used, the user accumulates a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score he has to make a Willpower test to avoid treating others like inferiors.
13	The user becomes capable of entering a state of destructive rage, gaining a Positive Die on all melee attacks, inflicting an additional d6 dice of damage on any melee attack, and can make an additional attack per round. Every round, the character must attack someone in melee, or move closer to attack someone if there is no one in close range. Once activated, this state will only stop with a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the number of rounds in which the character has been in rage.	Every time this artifact is used, the character receives a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, he becomes incapable of controlling his rage, and must pass a Willpower test to avoid entering in a rage, like the power.
14	The user can teleport to known locations with a Intellect test, and to locations to which he has a symbolic token with a Intellect test made with a Negative Die.	The character receives a token every time the artifact is used. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, he won’t be able to stay in the same place for long. After the first day in a place, he will need to make a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the amount of days he has stayed in the same place not to teleport somewhere else.
15	The user becomes immortal, at least against normal diseases, the ravages of time, and mundane damage. However, he is still vulnerable to sorcery, psychic powers and other non mundane effects. Additionally, he is vulnerable to a specific kind of attack the Overlord will specify.	Every time the artifact is used the character receives a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character becomes reckless and uncaring. Whenever the character would avoid doing something because of the risks to himself or others, he needs to make a Willpower test, or proceed with the risky action, no matter the consequences.
16	The character can read the mind of everyone within medium distance, effectively making it impossible to surprise him, or to deceive him.	Every time the artifact is used, the character receives a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, he cannot stop listening to other thoughts and has trouble differentiating them from his own. Whenever he is performing actions that require concentration and there are other sentients nearby, he receives a Penalty Die.
21	The user can become immaterial, partly shifting to the Void. This allows him to ignore mundane damage and traverse walls and other physical obstacles.	Each time the artifact is used, the character accumulates a token. Once there are more tokens than the character’s Willpower score, the character runs the risk of getting lost in the Void every time the artifact is used. This is represented making a Luck Roll each time he becomes immaterial. If he is unlucky, he becomes stuck in the Void.
22	The user can change his appearance at will, even resembling other species and species individuals. Anyone who suspects he is not who he seems must succeed on a test against the character’s Intellect.	Each use of the artifact gives a token to the user. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, he starts losing the sense of himself. Each time he uses the artifact, he needs to make a Willpower test or believe he is someone else entirely.
23	The user can drain the life of other living beings to strengthen himself. By touching a target, he inflicts 1d6 + Level points of damage and adds the same amount to any of his Attributes for a full turn.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character becomes addicted to consuming life energy. Every day he doesn’t use this power he must make a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the total number of day he has been without consuming life energy. Failure means he will use this power on the next living being he sees until he kills said creature.
24	The user can absorb Void energy to empower his own powers, such as his sorcery of psychic powers. Every time a power is used against him, he can make a Resistance test (even when that is not normally allowed). If he succeeds, the power is nullified and he absorbs its PL. He can then use those PL to manifest his own powers without making any tests.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character becomes addicted to consuming Void energy. Everyday he doesn’t absorb an amount of PL in Void energy equal to his Level he loses 1d3 points of Attributes. These points can be regained normally through rest if he absorbs enough PL in Void energy to equal his Level.
25	The character can shoot powerful energy rays against his enemies at will, making a ranged attack and inflicting 1d6 points of damage per Level to targets within long range.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character starts to have difficulty in controlling this raw energy power coursing through his body. Every time he uses this power he must make a Luck Roll not to make an additional attack to a nearby attack.
26	The user can bring others back from the dead, sacrificing a point of Attribute for each Level of the deceased individual. These sacrificed points are never healed again.	The cost is already specified by the power use. The character needs to sacrifice some of his life to bring others back from the dead.
31	The user can manifest the False Friendship power at will and with a Position Die to everyone within medium range.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character becomes addicted to being the center of attention. In every social interaction in which he character isn’t the center of attention, he must make a Willing test or will do whatever he can to become it, effectively losing the focus of the conversation.
32	The character is considered to have all academic professions as part of his Concept, making him an expert in many fields of knowledge.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character becomes arrogant and will usually ignore other opinions. Whenever the characters has to change his opinion to another supported by another individual, he must succeed at a Willpower test.
33	The character can look into the past of a location with a Intellect test with a Difficulty determined by how long something has happened. No Difficulty for something that happened some days ago. Difficulty 2 for something that has happened weeks ago. Difficulty 4 for months ago. Difficulty 6 for years ago. Difficulty 8 for decades ago. Difficulty 10 for centuries ago, and so on.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character can become lost in the past. Everyone time the character uses the power, he has to make a Willpower test not to believe he is in that said time, losing connection to the reality around him.
34	The user can assume the form of a powerful inhuman creature of 10 HD chosen by the Overlord. This lasts for as long as the user wishes to keep that form.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character has difficulty returning to his real form. Thereafter, every time the user assumes the creature form he has to make a Willpower test or remain in that form forever.
35	The user doesn’t need to rest as the rest of mortals. Instead, he only needs to meditate for a full turn to enjoy the same benefits as a full long rest. He can only benefit from this once a day though.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character runs the risk of not awakening from his meditations. Every time he meditates thereafter, he needs to make a Willpower test or be lost in his dreams.
36	Can project his consciousness to any place he has ever been or to which he has a token. He needs to make a Intellect test to do so and must concentrate the whole time.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character can lose the sense of where he really is. Thereafter, any time he tries to use the artifact and fails the Intellect test, he projects his consciousness to some other terrible place and witness a terrible scene, making him lose 1d6 Sanity points
41	The character becomes capable of seeing invisible objects and creatures, including those of dark matter.	Each session in which the character’s uses the artifact, he accumulates a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, he acquires a new Complication, indicating he sees things that are not actually there.
42	The character becomes capable of acting twice per round, as he acquires supernatural speed and competence.	Each scene in which the character uses the artifact gives him a token. Once he accumulates more tokens than his Physique score, he ages 1d6 years every scene he uses the artifact.
43	The character can glimpse in the future as long as he spends a full hour concentrating on it. The Overlord will then narrate a future event that is proper going to happen and would affect him or his close allies.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character becomes addicted to contemplating the future. Every time the artifact is used thereafter, the character needs to make an Intellect test to come back to his own time, avoiding being stuck in the future.
44	The character can divide himself in up to as many “copies” as he has Levels. All of them share the same pool of Vitality points though, and consequences to one affect all the other “copies”.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character can start to develop multiple personalities and lose control of his copies. Thereafter, each use of the artifact requires a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the number of “copies” created. Failure means the copies become autonomous, and the character loses control over them.
45	Can turn back in time up to 1d6 turns per Level with a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the amount of d6 turns traveled back.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character can become stuck in an endless loop, repeating the same period of time over and over. Thereafter, each time the artifact is used, if the character fails the Willpower test, he goes back in time, but os stuck there, repeating the same period forever. Always returning to the same moment.
46	Can communicate telepathically to anyone within sight, even when not sharing a language in common.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character can become unable to communicate to others, lost in his own thoughts. After that, every use of the artifact requires the
51	The user can create illusions over an area up to long range. The illusion can change as long as he concentrates and it can hide creatures inside of it. Anyone with a good reason to doubt the veracity of the illusion can make an Intellect test to resist it.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character can become lost in his own illusion, preferring to live there than on the real world. Then, every time the artifact is used, the character must make a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the number of turns in which the character keeps the illusion active.
52	The user can create an invulnerability shield around himself and up to a number of allies equal to his Level. Nothing can hurt those inside the shield, but they cannot harm anything outside it either. When using this power, the character must make a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the number of rounds the user wants to keep the shield up.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character can become stuck in this shield forever. Thereafter, every use of the artifact requires a Luck Roll, and an unlucky character becomes imprisoned in the invulnerable shield for the rest of his days.
53	The user becomes capable to heal all wounds and diseases affecting a touched target immediately.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character will start spreading the corrupting influences of the Void. Every time someone is healed after that, they acquire a Corruption.
54	The user can open portals to other places, allowing a number of individuals equal to his Level to travel instantly. The user must have been to said places before, or possess a token linked to the destination.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character runs the risk of being taken to the Void dimension. Thereafter, every use of the artifact asks for a Luck Roll, and an unlucky roll means that the portal leads to the Void without the user knowing.
55	The artifact eliminates the necessity of food and water of its owner. He can survive indefinitely without the ingestion of nutrients.	Each adventure in which the character benefits from this artifact, he must make a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the total number of adventures without eating. A failure means the character becomes addictive to food, as it is now merely a source of pleasure. He acquires this addiction as a new Complication.
56	The user can control the Great Devouring Worm Mother and all of her offspring with a Willpower test.	Every use of the artifact gives the character a token. Once he has more tokens than his Willpower score, the character becomes susceptible to fall under the control of the Great Devouring Worm Mother herself. Every time the artifact is used thereafter, the character receives a Penalty Die to the Willpower test and, if he fails, he is now under the control of the Worm Mother.
61	The user becomes capable of harming a Galactic Overlord with this artifact if it is a weapon, or with any of his normal attacks if it’s not.	The possession of said artifacts draws the attention of the Galactic Overlords. The character acquires a Complication linked to this fact and is hunted by them for now on.
62	The user can summon a powerful entity from the Void with a Willpower test. This entity has a minimum of 10 HD and several Special Abilities.	Once summoned, the creature will require a payment for her services, even if the payment is the soul of the user himself. The artifact owner will need to negotiate the terms of service with the entity.
63	The user can consult a Void entity, probing it’s corrupted wisdom for secrets and terrible truths. This can lead to the automatic learning of a new power.	Every time the artifact is used, the owner needs to make a Willpower test with a Difficulty equal to the number of powers learned through the artifact. Failure means he loses 1d6 Sanity points.
64	The user can destroy an entire planet using the artifact. This is usually a one use only artifacts, and need to be planted at the target planet before it can be activated.	After the planet is destroyed, the user will need to make a Willpower test every time he sleeps. Failure means he has nightmares with all the souls he killed in the destruction of said planet and cannot rest for that night. A Fumble means he is possessed by the soul of one of the victims.
65	The user can infuse matter with life energy taken from himself. By sacrificing a permanent point of Physique or Agility, he creates a creature of an amount of HD equal to the number of points sacrificed. Depending on the matter used, the creature can possess various Special Abilities and Weaknesses.	The power already specifies a cost for using the artifact.
66	By sacrificing his own liberty and succeeding in a Willpower test, the user can imprison an enemy for eternity. Both of them can only be freed together by someone who finds the artifact	The power already specifies a cost associated with the use of the artifact.

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