Artifact Quirks

Tool Quirk Table (1d100)

Magic is the furthest thing possible from exact science. While various Magical Girls can reach the same destination, their paths to reach it vary greatly, and when two do the same, it is not the same. When Venenum are asked to provide a source of healing for a squad deep in enemy territory, one may give them a tome of healing spells, another a wand, yet another an abacus which activates by moving the pieces, for another it might be a pop-up pencil that writes on the wounded skin, the next gives them a harmonica that needs to be played for the effect, one more simply gives them a bunch of healing potions, and the last comes with a plastic plate of ten one-use cream capsules which are to be drunk, in coffee or raw.
All these Tools will be mostly the same mechanically, but they may have some... quirks.

Whenever you create a tool with a particular set of charges and a particular power in them for the first time, roll once on this table per each 5 Karma of the Power involved, but at least once. You may roll an additional time if you are using multiple powers to create the tool, such as Made With Love, but you don't have to.
Once the Quirks are determined, you have created a 'blueprint'. Next time you create the same kind of a tool, you are just copying that blueprint, and the quirks will remain the same. During downtime, you may use a Research action to reroll any Quirks on up to three previous blueprints you already have, creating an alternate version of the same tool. By doing this, the old model is not lost, and you can recreate it at any time.



1-10%	The item has a striking appearance.
[1-2] Extremely tacky and kitchy; [3-4] Extremely plain and nondescript; [5-6] Extremely spikey, gothic and edgy; [7-8] Extremely overdesigned and full of contraption bits; [9-10] Extremely worn-looking.

11-15% 	The item has a very pronounced color.
[1] White; [2] Black; [3]Blue; [4]Red; [5]Green; [6]Yellow; [7]Purple; [8] Brown; [9]Silver; [10] Gold.

16-20%	The item features a specific material:
[1]Metal; [2] Wood; [3] Shell (Chitin or calcium); [4] Silk; [5] Plastic; [6] Glass; [7] Stone (perhaps cheap gems); [8] Bone; [9] Leather; [10] Familiar remains, such as skin.

21-25% 	The item bears special writing in maker's [1-4]Native Language; [5-8]Universal/Learned Language; [9-10] Witch Script:
[1-2] ...which describes its functions perfectly right. [3-4] ...which describes its functions slightly wrong. [5-6] ...which describes its functions completely wrong. [7-8] ...which is the author's signature and very recognizable stamp. [9-10] ...which contains classified information, and mustn't be seen by civilians.

26-30% 	The item is supernaturally attractive to someone, and will make them want to have it and play with it if noticed:
[1-2] To birds; [3-4] To small mammals; (rats, cats) [5-6] To large mammals; (dogs, monkeys, not humans) [7] To insects; [8] To lizards, snakes; [9-10] To children under the age of 10.

31-35%	The item is supernaturally repulsive to someone, and will make them want to destroy it if noticed, or run from it.
[1-2] To birds; [3-4] To small mammals; (rats, cats) [5-6] To large mammals; (dogs, monkeys, not humans) [7] To insects; [8] To lizards, snakes; [9-10] To children under the age of 10.

36%-40%	The item's temperature is not room temperature.
[1-2] Cold to touch; [3-4] Warm to touch; [5-6] Hot enough to boil nearby liquids (weapon:+1d10 damage die); [7-8] Cold enough to freeze nearby liquids (weapon:+1d10 damage die); [9-10] Opposite of room temperature on Celsius scale.

41-45% The item causes minor spatial anomalies in its vicinity.
[1-2] It has a strong magnetic pull; [3-4] It 'breathes', emiting breeze and causing low weight objects, up to a sheet of paper, to roll around; [5-6] It causes nearby vegetation and loose wiring to slowly turn in its direction; [7-8] It causes nearby water to shift and become somewhat turbulent; [9] It also casts Mold Matter beneath the user when used, resulting in a small pit; [10] It has a 20% chance to cause the 'Spatial interference' Clairvoyance Complication effect when used.

46-50% The item catches and/or emits a signal, which can be noticed through specific methods.
[1-2] It catches radio waves and sometimes emits song-like or conversation-like sounds; [3-4] It causes nearby wi-fi and phone data to run slowly; [5-6] It falsely pings as a Familiar or other Witch-like being; [7] It falsely pings as a Soul Gem; [8-9]; It randomly records and sometimes parrots regular-frequency sounds from its vicinity, including the user's conversations; [10] It emits a low screeching noticeable by Culexus, Incubators, and others with the ability to Pulse.

51-55%

56-60%

61-65%

66-70%

71-75%

76-80% The item takes a toll on the user:
[1-2] Makes them extremely hungry (eat a meal within 1 hour or suffer an exhaustion penalties; [3-4] Inflicts a fitting social skill effect (like Intimidate, Taunt, or Charm towards itself) determined at time of making, [5-6] It causes the user to become dizzy, drunk, or gives a headache (1d10 Per damage until Emotion reset) [7-8] Makes them very sleepy (Grit check to resist, or suffer exhaustion penalties if they awake regardless) [9] [10] Costs 1G to activate.

81-85% 	The item cannot just be used by anybody. Instead, it can only be used:
[1-2] ...by the maker; [3-4] ...by a specific person decided by maker when rolling this quirk; [5-6] ...by Magical Girls; [7] ...by characters roughly of the maker's ethnicity; [8] ...by characters with a specific Knowledge training at 3, matching the maker's, decided by maker;  [9] ...by adults; [10] ...by males.

86-90% 	The item bears an additional Magic Pattern. If it already would bear one, it bears both. If this is an artifact weapon, apply it to every attack.
[1] Fire; [2] Lightning; [3] Water; [4] Ice; [5] Earth; [6] Wind; [7] Drain; [8] Sacred; [9] Witch; [10] Blank.

91-95% 	The item produces an unintended side-effect when used. Weapons feature a sealing sheath, produce such effects when unsheated first time a day.
[1-2] A thundering bang at 40 Noise - as loud as a gunshot. [3-4] A fitting effect from Terraform/Hostile Terrain, applied on the user's square and adjectant ones (15x15m) [5] Withering nearby plants. [6] Sending nearby vermin into a frenzy; [7] Drain 1G from every Tool and Container within 30m and add it to this tool; [8] A weak anti-magic field, sealing all Maintain actions on the user. [9] An instance of Blast Body active on the user until their next turn; [10] A roll on the Karmic Phenomena table.

96-98% 	The item is faulty, and has a 20% chance to just release energy when used.
In case of damaging powers, it causes an explosion centered on user, dealing the damage, but behaving as an explosion. In case of Heal, as above, but the pulse heals damage instead. GM may rule other effects if appropriate, released from the user's square, depending on the stored power - for example, Spatial Push may push nearby objects and characters away a few squares. In any case, the item is not destroyed this way.

100% 	The item is alive, and has a personality, perhaps due to being infused with someone's soul. It communicates telepathically when held. Living Tools are not destroyed when reduced to 0G or Countered, and recover 1G per week, though they can still be destroyed with the Unmake power. Its form may be changed from the usual, eg. a scroll becomes a tome, a potion becomes a metal flask. When this result is rolled, it is only applied to a single instance of the tool, and the maker will roll a new quirk for their next attempts. The same blueprint can never be replicated, only a similar one without this quirk.
[1] It wants to be used, and gives suggestions. [2] It does not want to be used, and complains. [3] It is kind, and socially aware. [4] It is mean and abrasive. [5] It seeks a way to become more than just an item.


(maybe Vanus should get a pick between a rechargeable 10-charge tool and a CG gun...)