|
Objects of incredible power and danger, relics are the mysterious artifacts of the west that can make a normal man into a magical powerhouse... Scroll down, or choose one of the following: The Cross of Martin Luther Olympia Springs Relics Hercules' Bow |
 |
History
Martin Luther was a Christian Reformist from Germany many centuries
ago who's many disputes with the all powerful church of that period
made him famous for standing up for his own beliefs no matter
what the cost - in the end he was excommunicated from the church
but hailed as a heroic rogue and visionary after his death. The
crucifix that he carried around with him most of the time was
blessed by the powers that be and still exists today. Many believe
it was brought over from Europe to America early in the 18th century
as it passed hands from the Germans to the French then to the
British and finally onto the Americans.
Appearance
An oaken cross about 1 foot long with the arms of the crucifix
extending 4 inches either side. It is actually very plain, just
a hunk of aged wood basically and the only distinguishing features
are the letters "I" "N" "X" "S"
carved across the horizontal member
Power
The Crucifix has several astonishing powers when used in the hands
of the pure of heart:
1) The bearer of the Cross recieves a +4 bonus to all Faith rolls. This includes rolls to invoke Miracles.
2)This Holy Relic strikes fear into the hearts of unholy abominations. The relic, and it's bearer, have a Terror factor of 9 against the undead, evil cultists, and any other "intelligent" agents of darkness. An evil creature may substitute it's Spirit for it's Guts in this case if it desires
3) If anybody thinks to use the cross as a weapon then it inflicts a whopping STR+4d10 damage in combat (using the Fightin:Club aptitude to hit in the first place) against "evil" targets. Be very conservative when labelling something as "evil", an evil person or being is someone who is an agent of darkness or the Reckoners, not just a mean bank robber. Against non-evil targets the cross does only STR+1d4 damage
Taint
The Cross of Martin Luther is actually possesed by the spirit
of Martin Luther himself - hence the incredible powers of the
relic! Martin's spirit is here for one reason only, to fight all
that is evil and un-Godly, and he will not have the bearer of
his crucifix running around commiting any kind of crime or sin.
Every time the bearer of the cross attempts to commit what Luther
deems a "sin" (this includes lying, cheating, harming
a non-evil human being, murder, soliciting with whores, getting
too personal with women in general and anything else you can think
of!) he must first win an opposed Spirit roll with Martin Luther's
spirit (which has a Spirit total of 5d12+8!!!). If the cross bearer
is successful then Luther may not intervene. If Luther wins then
he stops the cross bearer from being able to commit the sin and
saps him of 1d6 wind as punishment (regained at 1 per hour). If
the cross bearer ever goes bust on his Spirit roll then Luther
actually takes control of the mortal vessel for 1d20 minutes and
may do as he wishes in that time.
Another drawback of owning the cross is that it tends to have
a mind of it's own (well Luther's mind anyway!) and sometimes
becomes attached to the bearer. If the cross is thrown away it
will reappear again at the next convenient moment. It will only
change hands if Martin Luther, or some other higher power, wants
it to...
History
The Lash of the Penitant was used by Pontias Pilot to lash Jesus
Christ in an attempt to appease the mobs who would see him crucified.
The Bible suggests to us that he failed in his bid...
The Lash was then filled with the Wrath of God and given a power
of it's own to inflict pain on mortal man at the slightest touch,
reminding him of the pain that his own sins have caused unto others
The Lash has now cropped up in the Weird West having being taken
from a museum in France by an unknown theif. Has the Lash been
liberated by a religious organisation intent on owning the Holy
Relic or has it simply been stolen by some power hungry madman?
Appearance
The grip of the Lash is made from gold and has the inscription
"Repent, ye sinners" written in Latin along the side.
Otherwise it is very much like an ancient version of a bullwhip
- except that the blood of Christ has stained it red...
Power
DamageEvery time a target is struck by the Lash (using the Fightin':Whip
or Lariat aptitude) they take no damage from the weapon, as it
is too aged to be of much use. Instead they take imaginary damage
equal to STR+1d6 with wind damage caused at a rate of 1d10 per
imaginary wound instead of 1d6 per wound as the target feels the
pain that all of their own sins have caused unto others. No physical
wounds appear on the target - it is all within the confines of
their mind as their body burns and sears with the agony of a severe
lashing. Consequently all wound penalties to dice rolls caused
by the lash are doubled. If the lash causes 2 imagined wounds
then the target suffers -4 to his dice rolls due to the extreme
suffering he endures. The Blessed and other "innocents"
such as children may resist this imagined damage on a Spirit (5)
roll - the pain of their own sins being less than most. The imagined
wounds subside and disappear after 3d6 minutes
Madness On top of this the pain suffered is enough to drive any
normal person quite mad. Every imagined wound caused by the Lash
signifies the victim must pass Spirit(5) check to avoid having
to roll on the Dimentia table, the agony having an effect upon
the victims very psyche if they are not mentally strong enough
to resist the pain. Passing the Spirit test means a roll on the
Dimentia table is not required
Taint
The Lash's power does not come cheaply. Every time the wielder
of the Lash of the Penitant strikes an opponent with the relic
they will suffer horrible flashbacks of the lashings of Christ
the next time they sleep, represented by suffering a single night
of Night Terrors as described under the Hindrances section of
the main Deadlands rulebook, per usage of the Lash. Whoever owns
this item of power is probably easily identifyable by the large
bags under their eyes...
Hercules' Bow
When Hercules started stomping around ancient Greece, he left
all kinds of relics in his wake. One of the most powerful is his
bow. Used to kill scores of monsters in Herc's days, he passed
it to Philoctetes when he died. Phil later used the bow to kill
Paris during the Trojan War, the nail in Troy's coffin.
Appearance:
A huge longbow made from a pair of ram's horns.
Power:
In order to use this incredible weapon, a person must have at
least a 3d12 strength. Without such strength, the bow cannot be
strung. In the right hands, however, this huge bow is truly devastating,
dealing STR+3d10 damage. It has a speed of 2, range of 10, and
is so huge it provides a defensive bonus of +1 in hand to hand
combat.
Taint:
The owner of Hercules' Bow becomes supremely confident in his
own abilities, gaining the Big Britches hindrance. Also,
the owner becomes rude and uncultured, a total slob. This is a
3 point habit.
Hercules' Arrows
These are the arrows Hercules used to kill many monsters, centaurs,
and other things during his many quests and adventures. Although
there were once dozens of these arrows, they have been used by
various heroes throughout the centuries, and by 1877, only three
remain.
Appearance:
Three long arrows with brass heads, and golden eagle feathers
for fetching. The arrowheads are covered with a black slime.
Power:
These arrows are covered in the blood of the Hydra. This ichor
is as deadly now as it was when Hercules took it ten thousand
years ago. Any creature that comes in contact with the blood immediately
takes 3 wounds to the guts every round unless it makes an incredible
(11) Spirit roll. Each success on this roll negates one
wound for that round's damage. Also, the poison is incredibly
painful; all rolls made while the poison is circulating are at
a -8 (except for the Spirit roll). This incredible poison
bypasses any armor or clothing except things made of brass. Once
the poison is in effect, only magic can cure it, though any attempts
at this are at a -4, due to the magical nature of the poison.
As awesome as this is, there is only enough poison on each arrow
for them to affect one creature; after that, it's just an old
arrow.
Taint:
None, except for the incredibly dangerous nature of the arrows.
Any time someone tries to speed load one of these arrows, they
must make a fair (5) Nimbleness roll. Failure means the
poor sap has gotten the poison on himself. Too bad.
Lion's Claw Knife
When Hercules killed the Nemean Lion, the cat's skin was so tough
that the only things that would cut it were it's own claws. Herc
made a cloak out of the hide, an invincible armor. This cloak
has long since vanished into history, but before it did, someone
made a set of knives out of the claws, still attached to the paws.
These knives have a supernaturally sharp edge that can cut through
armor like a hot knife through butter. Five of them exist.
Appearance:
A large claw, set into an ornate bronze handle. The claw curves
forward, making the blade into a small sickle of sorts.
Power:
Lion's Claw Knives ignore all armor, except for armor provided
by magic spells or enchantments. Other than that, treat the weapon
as a small knife.
Taint:
None, though the awkward shape causes a -2 to all attack rolls.
Achilles' Armor
This is the armor Vulcan forged for Achilles' after Paris took
the set Patroclus had borrowed. (Paris took the armor off of Pat's
corpse.) It is made of adimantium, and infused with the mighty
Greek's boundless rage and bloodlust.
Appearance:
The armor consists of a breastplate, arm and leg bracers, and
a greek style helmet. They appear to be made of bronze, though
they are much lighter than bronze could ever be. Also, the armor
is covered in dried blood that cannot be washed off.
Power:
Achilles' Armor has an Armor Value of 5 over a person's entire
body, as long as that person is wearing every part of it. Broken
up, each piece only provides protection to the body part it covers.
(breastplate: guts, bracers: 50% of arms or legs, helmet: 50%
of head) Also, a person wearing any piece of the armor does not
need to make Guts checks in battle.
Taint:
Anyone wearing a piece of Achilles' Armor becomes a vessel for
Achilles' rage. They gain the Bloodlust, Grim Servant O' Death,
and Vengeful hindrances. They must avenge any slight
against them, and will go to any length to do so. Also, the wearer
gets the "Achilles' Heel;" when hit in the right leg,
roll a d6. On a 1, the heel is struck, and the character dies
if the attack causes a wound. Armor does not protect this point.
Perseus' Sword
This is the blade Perseus used to cut the head off Medusa. It
has since become a potent decapitator.
Appearance:
A short curved short, a bit larger than a Bowie knife. The grip
is made of leather, and has no handguard.
Power:
The sword does STR+2d8 damage, with a speed of 1 and DB of +1.
Whenever the sword connects on a target, the hit location roll
is increased by +5, unless a shot was called. If the sword hits
the head, it deals an extra wound level that cannot be negated
with fate chips, and decapitates the target if it deals a maiming
wound.
Taint:
The owner of Perseus' Sword gains a five point Yearnin'
to hunt monsters, and must make an Hard (9) Spirit to avoid
attacking a truly monstrous creature (this does not include normal
Walkin' Dead or Harrowed). Also, a creature without an obvious
head cannot be harmed by the sword.
Perseus' Shield
This is the polished bronze shield that Perseus saw the face of
Medusa in. The shield was later returned to Athena, but has recently
popped up again. The magic surface of the shield dispels all illusions,
showing the truth in the reflection.
Appearance:
A large round shield, made of bronze. The front of the shield
is polished and highly reflective.
Powers:
Besides functioning as a normal shield, the reflections in the
shield's surface are free from magical illusions.
Taint:
This relic has the same taint as Perseus' Sword. The effects of
both items are not cumulative.
Perseus' Bag
When Perseus cut Medusa's head off, he put the beast's noggin
into this bag, protecting him from it's deadly gaze.
Appearance:
A red felt bag about the size of a basketball, with leather straps.
Powers:
The bag can hold an infinite number of items. As long as an item
can fit into the mouth of the bag, it'll go in. Once in, an item
can be drawn out at will by the person who put it in. For another
person to remove a particular item, they have to make an Onerous
(7) Spirit roll. This assumes the person knows the item's
in there; if not, the item can't be removed.
Items in the bag are held in stasis, locked in the state they
entered the bag in. For example, an ice cube put in the bag will
still be frozen when it is removed, regardless of time or temperature
changes. However, anything living put into the bag is instantly
killed when it is closed. The bag also shields the outside world
from any properties of items put in it, even if the bag is open.
This includes heat, cold, radiation, etc, as well as magical effects.
Taint:
Items put into the bag are actually placed into the Hunting Grounds.
As a result, things can happen to items left in the bag for too
long. Every 24 hours, the Marshall should draw 3 cards from a
complete action deck. If the Red Joker is drawn, an item at random
disappears, taken by some spirit, while the Black Joker taints
a item at random. Exactly what happens in this case is up to the
Marshall. Also, any gizmos put into the bag have their Reliability
dropped by 1.
One last thing: though not a taint per se, one annoying quality
of the bag is that, while the size of the items in it are irrelevant,
the weight remains. This can make the bag incredibly heavy, especially
if you're trying to bring your ghost rock strike home...
Got any comments, suggestions, ideas? Send em' to me at Smilingbandit2@yahoo.com!
1999 Smiling Bandit Productions. All rights Reserved.