Most ven seek Artifacts from the ruins of the sorcerer-kings. Such items give a ven power, prestige and influence. The noble caste finances groups of ven brave enough to dare the ork-haunted ruins, hoping they’ll return with such items.
Not all return.
A small party of ven crawling through an ancient ruin. The smell of ork everywhere. Darkness. Stench.
But the torches reveal a glimmer on the wall. An ancient sword, covered in dust and cobwebs. A blackglass mirror, miraculously intact. Tylvarae. These are Artifacts, pieces of history thought long buried with the secrets of the sorcerer-kings, recovered by the ven. In ven literature, these things are spoken of with awe and reverence. And more than a little fear. Artifacts are not things to be trifled with.
Consider stumbling across an atomic bomb. You don’t know how it works. You don’t know what might set it off. You don’t know if the shielding leaks. You don’t know anything. Sure, you now have access to power—unspeakable power—but you really don’t know what to do with it. How it works. What you shouldn’t do. No clue at all. This is the sensation the ven feel coming across the Artifacts of the sorcerer-kings. Objects of power great and terrible. Unknown.
After all, one of these things blew up the world.
These rules present you with the ability to build your own Artifacts. Some of them are simple things. Magical tools left behind by their enigmatic creators. But others… who knows what they may be.
These Artifacts are all different. Different qualities, different shapes, different capabilities. Each is a puzzle, waiting to be unlocked. Some are traps.
Scratch that. Most are traps.
Many Artifacts also seem to have minds of their own, whispering to the ven who holds them. And no matter the ven, using an Artifact always—always—brings ruin to the hand that wields it.
Values & “DOOM!”
Finding an Artifact calls for a Wisdom risk. The usual target number and wagers. Success indicates you have found an Artifact. Each wager allows you to assign a Value to your Artifact. Values equal power. Each Value listed below increases the potency of your Artifact… but also increases the danger.
Each Artifact also has at least one rank of Doom. When a ven finds an Artifact, the GM rolls one die. Secretly. The roll equals the Doom of the Artifact.
Doom represents the inevitable ruin that follows those using the Artifacts of the sorcerer-kings. In all the stories, anyone who picks up one of these things gets whacked by the fate hammer. Even the ven recognize hubris, and in ven literature, meddling in the affairs of the sorcerer-kings is the very definition of dangerous pride.
At his own discretion, the GM may, at any time, declare “DOOM!” He does so after a roll. After Doom has been declared, the player in question automatically rolls 9, regardless of his true roll or any other bonuses. Comes up just a little short. Just not enough.
(I recommend pointing at the doomed individual and in your scariest voice, declare the “DOOOOOOOM!”)
Any Artifact only has so much Doom. When the GM uses the last Doom, the Artifact in question shatters, breaks or otherwise becomes useless.