Mirror of Self-Reflection

From: Numisism

Description: A mirror with an ornate frame adorned with symbols of dualities and opposites. Gazing into the mirror reveals not only one’s physical reflection but also their spiritual and karmic connections.

Magical Properties: The mirror grants insight into the consequences of past actions and the potential outcomes of future choices. It helps followers evaluate their intentions and actions, promoting personal growth and alignment with cosmic harmony.

Lore: The Mirror of Self-Reflection is a relic shrouded in ancient mystique, believed to have been created by the very first disciples of Ledgera as a tool for understanding the intricate dance of actions and consequences. It is whispered that the mirror’s creation was inspired by a celestial revelation granted by Ledgera herself, as a means to encourage her followers to seek enlightenment through self-examination and introspection.

Values and Tier One Stats:

• Insight Bonus: +3 to insight checks related to understanding actions and intentions.
• Duration: 10 minutes of reflection.
• Wisdom Bonus: +1 bonus to Wisdom-based checks and saves.

Skills gained:

• Self-Reflection: Skill in gleaning deeper understanding from introspection.
• Insight: Ability to interpret the mirror’s revelations.

Cost and Requirements:

• Cost: The Mirror of Self-Reflection is a rare artifact that holds deep spiritual significance. It is not commonly sold but rather passed down through generations of devoted followers or entrusted to those who have shown exceptional dedication to cosmic balance.
• Requirements: To unlock the mirror’s magical properties, one must have a firm grasp of Numisism’s teachings, display a commitment to personal growth, and possess a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of actions and their consequences.

Tags:

• Artifact: The mirror is a treasured relic of Numisism.
• Divine: Linked to the divine wisdom of Ledgera.
• Self-Reflection: Referring to the mirror’s ability to reveal insights about one’s actions and intentions.
• Additional: Karmic Resonance, Enlightenment Focus, Truthbound, Mystical Clarity, Cosmic Alignment, Ethical Reflection, Duality Aspect, Celestial Gaze, Harmonious Insight, Fatewoven

Sale and Acquisition: The Mirror of Self-Reflection is not typically sold, as its value transcends material wealth. Instead, it is often handed down within sacred families or granted as a reward to those who have achieved a high level of enlightenment within the Numisism community. It may also be found within Harmonium Sanctuaries, accessible to those who seek to deepen their understanding of cosmic balance.

Environment and Usage in Combat: The Mirror of Self-Reflection is used in contemplative and introspective environments where followers of Numisism gather to seek insights into their actions, intentions, and spiritual growth. It is often used during moments of meditation, personal reflection, or discussions about ethical decision-making.

In combat scenarios, the mirror is used as a tool for maintaining a clear focus and aligning one’s actions with cosmic harmony. A follower may take a moment to gaze into the mirror, allowing it to reveal insights into the potential consequences of their current actions or choices. This enhanced understanding enables the follower to make decisions that uphold the balance between creation and destruction, promoting ethical conduct even in the heat of battle.

The Wisdom bonus granted by the mirror further aids in maintaining composure and making thoughtful decisions during combat. Followers can draw upon the mirror’s insights to choose their actions wisely and strategically, ensuring that their choices contribute to cosmic balance rather than disrupt it. Thus, the Mirror of Self-Reflection becomes not only a practical tool but a spiritual guide for those who wield it in their pursuit of enlightenment and harmonious combat.

Perception of Activation:

• User’s Perspective: As the mirror activates, a shimmering ripple spreads across its surface, distorting the reflection for a brief moment before revealing layers of past and future echoes. The air grows still, as if the world itself is pausing to observe. A subtle warmth spreads through the hands, accompanied by a gentle tingling sensation in the mind, like the unfolding of forgotten memories. The reflection shifts, showing not just the present self but the consequences of past decisions and the possibilities yet to unfold. A faint whisper, neither internal nor external, speaks in an unknown tongue, conveying understanding rather than words.
• Observer’s Perspective: To an outsider, the mirror’s frame seems to pulse with dim, golden light, and the reflection no longer mirrors reality precisely. Ghostly figures and faint afterimages of the user appear and fade, sometimes moving before they do, sometimes lingering behind. The air around the user takes on a charged sensation, making the surroundings feel momentarily detached from time. Those nearby may catch brief glimpses of unfamiliar faces or shadowy impressions of the user’s actions, though distorted and fleeting.
• Positives:
  • Enhances clarity of thought, helping the user understand their choices and consequences.
  • Provides insight into hidden truths and the intentions of others.
  • Instills a deep sense of calm and cosmic alignment, momentarily relieving emotional burdens.
  • Can reveal potential dangers or paths that were previously unseen.
• Negatives:
  • Overuse may cause mental exhaustion, as the weight of revealed truths lingers in the mind.
  • The mirror does not distinguish between certainty and possibility, leading to uncertainty in interpretation.
  • Prolonged viewing may result in an overwhelming flood of visions, disorienting the user.
  • Those with unresolved guilt or regrets may see visions that haunt them long after activation.
• Extra-Sensory Perceptions:
  • Temporal Overlap: The user feels simultaneously anchored in multiple moments, sensing past echoes and possible futures at once.
  • Karmic Resonance: A vibration hums through the body, like the unseen tension of fate adjusting itself.
  • Celestial Murmurs: Whispers, neither loud nor intrusive, seem to emerge from the mirror, carrying insights in a language beyond words.
  • Dimensional Shift: The edges of reality blur, making it unclear where reflection ends and true vision begins.
  • Soul Echo: Those with deep karmic ties to the user may appear within the mirror’s surface, even if they are far away or long gone.

Recipe: Forging the Mirror of Self-Reflection — To recreate an item akin to the Mirror of Self-Reflection, one must harness divine energies, shape materials that resonate with karmic balance, and inscribe sacred symbols into the reflective surface. This process demands both craftsmanship and spiritual attunement.

• Materials Needed:
  • Celestial Glass (1 pane) – A rare, purified glass infused with starlight, obtained from sanctified celestial altars or high-mountain shrines.
  • Silver of Duality (5 ounces) – Silver mined from places where day and night meet, purified through ritual to hold the balance of opposites.
  • Essence of Reflection (1 vial) – A liquid distilled from still, enchanted waters used in sacred meditation rites.
  • Numisian Inscription Ink (1 bottle) – A blend of crushed gemstones, sacred herbs, and silver dust, used for inscribing karmic symbols.
  • Frame of Harmonium Wood (1 set) – Wood harvested from the ever-balanced Harmonium Tree, known for maintaining equilibrium in nature.
  • Elders’ Blessing (1 invocation) – A spoken prayer or ritual granted by a Numisian master, ensuring the mirror retains spiritual clarity.
• Tools Required:
  • Enchanted Engraving Chisel – Infused with divine energy, used to carve intricate symbols into the mirror’s frame and surface.
  • Polishing Cloth of Clarity – Woven from sacred threads, ensuring the mirror’s surface remains unclouded by impurities.
  • Alchemical Furnace – Used to temper the Celestial Glass and bond the Silver of Duality without disrupting its balance.
  • Meditation Chamber – A silent, consecrated space where the mirror must rest undisturbed during attunement.
• Skill Requirements:
  • Artisanry (Expert): Mastery in crafting fine objects, particularly working with glass and precious metals.
  • Insight (Advanced): The ability to interpret and balance the mirror’s energies, ensuring it reveals truth rather than distortion.
  • Divine Attunement (Intermediate): A connection to cosmic harmony, allowing the crafter to align the mirror with Numisian teachings.
  • Runic Inscription (Basic): Knowledge of karmic symbols and their placement to imbue the mirror with its reflective properties.
• Crafting Steps:
  • Purification of Materials:
    • Submerge the Celestial Glass in a basin of Essence of Reflection for a full lunar cycle, allowing it to absorb its meditative energy.
    • Smelt the Silver of Duality in the Alchemical Furnace, ensuring it remains at an exact equilibrium of heat and coolness.
  • Constructing the Frame:
    • Carve the Frame of Harmonium Wood with the Enchanted Engraving Chisel, inscribing symbols representing balance, self-awareness, and karmic alignment.
    • Inlay the Silver of Duality into the frame’s grooves, enhancing its resonance with opposing forces.
  • Binding the Reflection:
    • Carefully polish the Celestial Glass using the Polishing Cloth of Clarity, ensuring it holds no distortions.
    • Place the mirror within the completed frame, sealing it with a thin layer of Numisian Inscription Ink, tracing sacred patterns upon its edges.
  • Final Attunement:
    • The mirror must rest within a Meditation Chamber for three days, absorbing the ambient harmony of the space.
    • On the third day, an elder or master of Numisism must bestow the Elders’ Blessing, activating its reflective power.
  • Completion & Activation:
    • Once completed, the mirror must be exposed to both sunlight and moonlight in equal measure, finalizing its balance.
    • The first gaze into the mirror reveals only flickering shadows of past choices—its full power manifests only when wielded by a soul attuned to cosmic harmony.

With careful crafting and spiritual dedication, the Mirror of Self-Reflection becomes a vessel of insight, guiding those who seek to understand the weight of their actions and the path ahead.

Glass That Knows the Soul

Long before men kept time with the sun’s rise and fall, before names were known, and before roads were walked twice, there was a woman who sought to know what the sky whispered to the stars. She was not a queen, nor a warrior, nor a teller of truths—yet she was seen by all, and by none. The people of the valley called her The One Who Sees, though she had never claimed sight beyond what lay before her.

In those days, the world was not as now, but shifting, uncertain, as though time itself wandered like a lost child. Many walked forward, yet they did not see their steps. They spoke, yet they did not hear their words. They built, yet they did not know why. All things that were, were only because they had been before, and would be again.

The One Who Sees asked, “What is it that guides the hands of the maker? What force shapes the fate of the wanderer? What weight bends the spine of the wicked?” But none who lived could answer. So, she sought the ones who did not live.

Deep in the mountain where the air grew thin, where the sky touched the stone in whispers, she stood before a lake that was not water, but stillness itself. It reflected not the sky nor the self, but all things that had been, and all things yet to be. It was not a lake, nor a pool, nor a thing meant for mortal eyes—it was the Unseen Glass, that which the gods themselves turned away from.

She knelt at its edge and asked, “What must I give to know the weight of my steps?”

And the glass answered—not in words, nor in voice, but in showing her hands as they were, and as they would be. She saw them hold the hand of a child not yet born. She saw them shake with age in a time beyond reckoning. She saw them wrapped in gold, in chains, in blood, in light. She saw them still, in the silence beyond all things.

The One Who Sees understood. To know one’s steps is to carry their weight. To see is to be unable to turn away. But she was not afraid.

She reached into the Unseen Glass, though her fingers met no water. With hands steady, she took a fragment of the glass itself—a piece as thin as a breath, as weightless as regret, as sharp as truth. And with it, she descended from the mountain, and the world changed.

Wherever she went, those who gazed into the glass saw not themselves, but the echoes of their own making. A liar saw the words they had twisted. A coward saw the path they had fled. A warrior saw the blood they had spilled. The lost saw the road they had forsaken.

At first, the people rejoiced. “Now we may see what we have done, and what we may yet do!” they cried. The glass was passed from hand to hand, and all who looked within found themselves faced with the mirror of their own making.

But soon, whispers began. “The glass is cruel,” some said. “It punishes the soul.” Others wept before it, unable to bear what they saw. Many turned from it, saying, “I was better in my own blindness.”

And then came those who sought to bury it.

The priests, the kings, the keepers of law—all feared the glass, for it showed them as they were, and not as they wished to be. They called it a curse, a thing to be broken, cast into the sea, forgotten in the depths of time.

The One Who Sees did not fight them. She did not plead. She did not raise her voice. She merely held the glass before them and asked, “What do you fear?”

But none dared look.

And so, it was decreed that the glass would be hidden away, sealed behind walls of stone and silence. It was too dangerous, too heavy, too much. It was placed in the depths of a great temple, where none but the most faithful would ever gaze into its surface again.

The One Who Sees was forgotten. Her name lost. Her steps unwritten.

Yet the glass remains. And though the temple is now dust, and the walls have crumbled, and the ones who sealed it have long turned to ash, the mirror still waits. For those who seek, for those who ask, for those who dare to see—

It will answer.

Moral: To know oneself is to bear the weight of truth, but only those who face it may choose their path.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Item Type: Occult Artifact
• Sanity Loss: 1D4 upon first use, 1D6 if disturbing truths are revealed.
• Use: By gazing into the mirror for 1D6 minutes, the user may attempt a Hard Psychology or Occult roll to uncover a hidden truth about themselves or another target they have interacted with. Success grants the user insight into a past action or future consequence. A critical success may reveal a cosmic truth beyond mortal understanding.
• Effect:
  • Revelation of Self: Gain a bonus die on any future Psychology or Persuade rolls when interacting with someone whose karmic past has been revealed.
  • Foresight: Once per session, the mirror’s insight allows the user to make a Luck roll to retroactively “predict” an event that may soon occur.
• Drawback: The deeper one peers, the more unsettling the reflections. Prolonged use (more than three times per session) forces a Sanity Check (1D8/1D10 loss) as the user struggles with existential revelations.

Blades in the Dark – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Item Type: Arcane Tool
• Load: 1
• Effect: A mystical mirror that reveals one’s past deeds and karmic ties.
• Abilities:
  • Gaze of Reckoning: Spend 2 Stress to study the mirror and gain insight into a target’s past actions, providing +1d to Consort, Sway, or Study rolls when engaging with them.
  • Echoes of Fate: Once per downtime, the user may meditate before the mirror to clear their mind and remove 1 additional Stress when indulging their vice.
  • Fate’s Reflection: By focusing on their own image in the mirror, the user may spend 2 Stress to gain +1d to a single Resistance roll as they anticipate the consequences of their own actions.
• Drawback: The mirror never lies. The GM may introduce a Devil’s Bargain where the user glimpses an unavoidable fate, leading to potential consequences in future engagements.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition) – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Wondrous Item, Rare, Requires Attunement
• Insightful Reflection: As an action, the user may gaze into the mirror to gain insight into a creature within 30 feet. The user gains advantage on Insight checks against that creature for 1 hour and learns whether they are currently under an illusion, curse, or magical deception.
• Foresight Glimpse: Once per long rest, the user may reflect upon their own path, gaining a +1 bonus to Wisdom-based checks and saving throws for the next hour.
• Karmic Vision: The user may cast Augury once per day by staring into the mirror and contemplating a choice they are about to make.
• Curse of Truth: While attuned to the mirror, the user cannot speak a deliberate lie without feeling immediate discomfort (taking 1 psychic damage per falsehood).

Knave – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Magical Item
• Uses: 3 per day
• Effects:
  • Insightful Reflection: Expend 1 use to gain +2 on any roll related to detecting deception or uncovering hidden motives for the next 10 minutes.
  • Glimpse of Fate: Expend 1 use to gain insight into a past or future event, allowing the GM to provide a hint about an upcoming challenge.
  • Self-Examination: Once per day, the user may gaze into the mirror to remove a temporary mental affliction, such as confusion or fear.
• Drawback: The mirror sometimes reveals unpleasant truths, requiring a Wisdom save (DC 13) to avoid becoming stunned for 1 round due to overwhelming realization.

Fate – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Arcane Relic, Requires an Aspect Related to Wisdom, Fate, or Cosmic Balance
• Stunt: Karmic Glimpse – Once per session, the user may invoke the mirror to gain a +2 bonus to any Overcome action related to uncovering truth, deception, or past actions.
• Stunt: Reflection of Fate – Spend 1 Fate Point to force an NPC to reveal an important detail about their motives, past, or hidden fears. The GM determines the specific nature of the revelation.
• Stunt: Unavoidable Truths – The GM may compel the mirror’s user to confront an unavoidable consequence of their past, gaining insight but also facing a difficult choice. Accepting the compel grants 1 Fate Point but may introduce complications.
• Drawback: The mirror cannot be deceived, and neither can its user. Once per session, the GM may force the user to roll Will (vs. Mediocre +0) to resist an unsettling personal revelation. Failure results in a temporary mental Aspect such as “Burdened by Truth” or “Doubt Lingers.”

Numenera & Cypher System – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Artifact
• Level: 1D6+2
• Depletion: 1 in 1D20 (Check after every use)
• Effects:
  • Gaze of Understanding (Action, 2 Intellect Points): The user gains deep insight into a creature’s past choices, granting 1 Asset on Persuasion or Deception rolls against them for 10 minutes.
  • Echo of Fate (Action, 3 Intellect Points): The user may look into the mirror to glimpse a potential future outcome of a decision. The GM provides a cryptic but useful insight.
  • Reflected Karma (Action, 4 Intellect Points): Once per day, the user may attempt to resist a mental attack or deception by rolling Intellect (Difficulty = Artifact Level) and, on success, reflect the intent back at the source, causing momentary hesitation or confusion.
• Drawback: Prolonged use of the mirror may cause the user to experience brief but disorienting visions of alternate realities (GM imposes a 1-step difficulty increase to the next Intellect action).

Pathfinder 2E – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Wondrous Item, Rare, Divine, Attuned
• Activation: [Two Actions] (Divination, Divine) – The user may gaze into the mirror and receive a karmic revelation about a creature within 30 feet, gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks against deception and Diplomacy checks against that creature for 10 minutes.
• Foresight Glimpse: [Reaction] (Fortune, Divine) – Once per day, when the user is about to make a Wisdom-based saving throw, they may gain a +1 status bonus to the roll as the mirror reveals possible consequences of failure.
• Truth Unveiled: [Two Actions] (Mental, Divine) – The mirror may cast Augury once per day, guiding the user’s decision-making.
• Curse of Reflection: Whenever the user attempts to lie or deceive while carrying the mirror, they must make a DC 18 Will save or experience 1 round of hesitation, causing them to take a -1 status penalty to their next action.

Savage Worlds – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Arcane Item
• Power Points: 5
• Abilities:
  • Revealing Gaze (Action, 2 PP): The user gains +2 to Notice, Persuasion, or Intimidation rolls when interacting with a target after studying their reflection in the mirror.
  • Karmic Echo (Action, 3 PP): The user may force a target to make a Spirit check (TN 6) or suffer Distracted and Vulnerable for one round as they are overcome by the weight of past choices.
  • Fate’s Glimpse (Action, 2 PP): Once per scene, the user may spend 2 PP to reroll any failed Smarts-based roll as they glimpse an alternate path.
• Drawback: Every activation requires a Spirit roll (TN 4). On failure, the user suffers 1 level of Fatigue as they struggle with the knowledge gained from the mirror’s insight.

Shadowrun (6th Edition) – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Legendary Magical Item (Foci, Force 5)
• Category: Divination Foci (Karma & Truth)
• Force: 5
• Effects:
  • Karmic Insight (Simple Action, 1D6 Drain): By gazing into the mirror, the user makes a Judge Intentions + Intuition (3) Test to reveal a significant past action of a target within 10 meters. Success grants +2 dice to Social tests against them for 10 minutes.
  • Reflection of Fate (Complex Action, 3 Edge): The user may focus on their own image in the mirror to receive a GM-determined hint about a future event. This may be vague or cryptic.
  • Truth Unveiled (Interrupt, 2 Edge): When targeted by a deception, illusion, or mind-affecting ability, the user may roll Willpower + Logic (4) Test to resist the effect. A critical success reflects the deception back upon the source.
• Drawback: Prolonged use causes psychic strain, forcing the user to resist 1D3 Stun Damage on every use beyond twice per scene.

Starfinder – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Level 7 Hybrid Item
• Item Level: 7
• Price: 8,500 credits
• Capacity: 5 Charges (Recharges at Dawn)
• Usage: 1 charge per activation
• Effects:
  • Insightful Reflection (Standard Action, 1 charge): The user studies a target within 30 feet, gaining a +2 insight bonus to Sense Motive and Diplomacy checks against them for 1 hour.
  • Augury of Fate (Full Action, 2 charges): Once per day, the user may contemplate a choice in the mirror, functioning as the Augury spell (CL 10).
  • Karmic Gaze (Reaction, 1 charge): When the user is targeted by a deception-based skill check, they gain a +4 bonus to Sense Motive to resist.
• Drawback: If used more than twice per day, the user must make a DC 18 Will save or be shaken for 1 minute due to overwhelming existential awareness.

Traveller (Mongoose 2E) – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Artifact (Ancient Relic, Unique)
• TL: 16
• Effect:
  • Karmic Insight (1D6 Minutes of Focus): The user may roll Insight + Social (8+) to discern a key detail about a target’s past actions, granting Advantage to all Persuasion checks against them for the next hour.
  • Glimpse of Fate (Once per week): The user may focus on their own reflection and roll Intellect + Awareness (10+) to gain a vague but useful hint about an upcoming event.
  • Unveiled Truth (Immediate, 1/week): When targeted by deception, the user automatically succeeds at detecting the lie, but must roll Willpower (8+) to avoid temporary mental stress (-1 to next mental task).
• Drawback: Prolonged use causes mental strain, requiring a 1D3 Stress Test as visions of past and future blur together.

Warhammer 40K (Wrath & Glory) – Mirror of Self-Reflection

• Relict-Class Artifact (Rare, Mystical)
• Tier: 3
• Keywords: Wyrd, Relict, Fatebound
• Abilities:
  • Karmic Vision (Action, 2 Wrath): The user may roll Scholar (DN 5) to perceive a target’s past, gaining +2 bonus to Persuasion and Insight tests against them for the next scene.
  • Reflections of the Immaterium (Reaction, 3 Wrath): The user may resist any mind-affecting ability by rolling Willpower (DN 6). Success reflects the power back to its source with half its original potency.
  • Forewarning (Action, 1 Wrath, 1/session): The user may roll Scholar (DN 7) to glimpse the near future, allowing them to reroll one failed action before the end of the session.
• Drawback: Each use beyond twice per session requires a Corruption Test (DN 4) as the mirror reveals knowledge beyond mortal comprehension.