Ankh of Karmic Balance

From: Path of Eternal Cycles

Lore: The Ankh of Karmic Balance is an ancient and revered artifact that holds great significance in the Tæloraḥn religion. According to the lore, it was bestowed upon the world by Ƭaḷūvahr, the Vāhrðān, as a symbol of the cosmic law of karma and the pursuit of balance in all things. The ankh is believed to be a manifestation of the eternal cycles, where actions and their consequences are interconnected and inevitable.

Followers of Tæloraḥn revere the Ankh of Karmic Balance as a potent tool to uphold justice and restore balance. When invoked by a devout follower, the ankh temporarily channels the energy of negative actions back to their source, allowing the wrongdoer to experience the consequences of their deeds. It is seen as an embodiment of divine justice, ensuring that actions and intentions are met with appropriate repercussions, thus promoting harmony and karmic accountability.

Attributes and Effects:

• Temporarily redirects negative energies or harm directed towards the wearer back to the source.
• Promotes karmic accountability by reflecting the consequences of actions upon those who initiated them.
• Enhances the wearer’s ability to maintain inner balance and emotional composure.

Specific Tier One Stats:

• Karmic Reflection: The ankh grants the wearer a chance to reflect a portion of the harm received back to the attacker.
• Balance of Emotions: Provides a bonus to the wearer’s mental resistance and emotional stability.

Requirements: To be able to use the Ankh of Karmic Balance, one must be a devout follower of the Tæloraḥn religion, exhibiting a strong understanding of the principles of karma and a deep commitment to promoting balance and justice.

Cost: The Ankh of Karmic Balance is considered a rare and powerful artifact, and it is not readily available for purchase. Instead, it is usually passed down within the ranks of high-ranking priests, esteemed spiritual leaders, or renowned champions of Tæloraḥn, bestowed upon those who have proven their devotion to the principles it embodies.

Tags:

• Religion: Tæloraḥn
• Artifact: Sacred Ankh
• Karmic: Reflection, Accountability
• Lore: Cosmic Balance, Divine Justice
• Rarity: Rare
• Additional: Retribution, Equilibrium, Judgment, Consequence, Divine Reckoning, Resonant Justice, Reflective Warding, Cosmic Retribution, Harmonious Will, Fatebound

Where and How it Might Be Sold: The Ankh of Karmic Balance is rarely sold in conventional markets or shops. Instead, it is typically found within the most sacred chambers of Cyclotheons, guarded by high-ranking priests or spiritual guardians. The ankh might also be discovered in long-forgotten ruins or ancient sanctuaries, waiting for a worthy follower to claim it.

Environment and Use in Combat: The Ankh of Karmic Balance is used in environments where justice and balance are paramount. In combat, devout followers of Tæloraḥn wield the ankh as a potent defensive tool. When faced with adversaries who seek to cause harm or imbalance, the wearer invokes the ankh’s power to redirect the negative energy back to the attacker, reflecting the consequences of their actions upon them. This serves as a powerful deterrent and reminder of the cosmic law of karma, encouraging adversaries to reconsider their harmful intentions. Additionally, the ankh’s influence over emotions and mental stability helps the wearer maintain a clear mind, enhancing their strategic thinking and decision-making during battles.

Perception of Activation:

• User’s Perspective:
  • Sight: The ankh glows with alternating waves of sapphire and amber light, forming shifting patterns of balance. A translucent ring of energy surrounds the artifact, pulsing in harmony with the user’s heartbeat.
  • Sound: A resonant chime, neither loud nor soft, fills the air, akin to the toll of an unseen celestial bell. Faint whispers, resembling echoes of past judgments, murmur at the edge of perception.
  • Touch: A weightless warmth spreads through the user’s hands and chest, as though a greater force steadies their spirit. Any lingering tension dissipates as a sense of equilibrium settles within.
  • Taste: A fleeting hint of cool metal lingers on the tongue, followed by a subtle, bittersweet flavor, like aged incense and forgotten oaths.
  • Smell: The air carries a scent of burnt myrrh and fresh morning dew, an unusual but comforting combination evoking the duality of judgment and renewal.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions:
    • A sudden clarity envelops the mind, allowing the user to perceive karmic threads linking themselves to those around them.
    • Actions—both past and present—feel heavier, as if every choice carries a weight unseen before.
    • The sensation of unseen hands adjusting an invisible scale, balancing fate in real time.
    • For a fleeting moment, the user experiences a ghostly impression of past wielders standing beside them, silent but observant.
• Observer’s Perspective:
  • Sight: The ankh’s glow extends outward, forming an ephemeral, symmetrical aura around the wearer, shifting colors in response to nearby actions.
  • Sound: A deep, low hum resonates from the artifact, momentarily drowning out other ambient noises before fading into the background.
  • Touch (if attempting to grasp it): A sudden but gentle resistance, as if an unseen force weighs the observer’s intent before allowing contact.
  • Smell: A faint but unmistakable scent of aged parchment and temple incense lingers in the air, subtly shifting with movement.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions:
    • The presence of the ankh creates an almost imperceptible pressure in the room, as if an unseen balance is constantly being adjusted.
    • Those with attuned senses may feel their own karmic weight subtly shifting, affecting their awareness of past choices.
    • For those who have committed grave injustices, a momentary dizziness or feeling of being “watched” may occur.
• Positives:
  • Grants the user an enhanced sense of fairness and clarity, allowing them to act with greater wisdom and resolve.
  • Reflects harmful actions back upon the source, deterring unjust violence or deceitful intent.
  • Creates an aura of peace and balance, making it easier to resolve conflicts without violence.
  • Strengthens emotional resilience, preventing external influences from overwhelming the user’s judgment.
• Negatives:
  • The weight of karmic perception can become overwhelming, making trivial decisions feel momentous.
  • Users may become fixated on maintaining absolute balance, struggling with choices that require moral ambiguity.
  • Prolonged exposure to karmic reflections may cause distress, as the user begins to perceive echoes of past misdeeds they had once ignored.
  • Those who seek to manipulate fate may be repelled by the ankh’s presence, creating unintended tensions with influential figures.

Crafting Recipe: Ankh of Karmic Balance

• Materials Needed:
  • Celestial Gold Ingot (1 lb.) – A purified metal known for its ability to channel divine energy, often retrieved from sacred ruins or Cyclotheon vaults.
  • Gem of Dual Resonance (1) – A rare sapphire-amber gemstone that naturally shifts between two colors, symbolizing karmic balance.
  • Runed Silver Filament (2 ft.) – Thin strands of silver engraved with divine inscriptions, used to weave the flow of karmic energy through the ankh.
  • Sacred Inscription Powder (3 oz.) – A fine blend of crushed meteoric stone and sanctified ash, used to etch symbols of equilibrium.
  • Ethereal Binding Thread (1 spool) – A mystical thread spun from the echoes of past judgments, harvested in places of deep spiritual reverence.
  • Incense of Divine Harmony (5 sticks) – Used to cleanse and attune the artifact, ensuring it is properly aligned with the cosmic cycle.
• Tools Required:
  • Celestial Forge – A forge capable of refining sacred metals without corrupting their divine essence.
  • Runesmith’s Engraving Tool – A precision etching device, capable of inscribing delicate karmic symbols into metal.
  • Fateweaver’s Lens – A special magnifying glass that reveals the flow of karmic energy, aiding in the alignment of the gem.
  • Blessed Tongs of Equilibrium – Used to manipulate the ankh during forging without disrupting its balance.
  • Ritual Consecration Bowl – A vessel filled with purified water, used to finalize the ankh’s spiritual attunement.
• Skill Requirements:
  • Advanced Metallurgy (Expert Level) – Required to shape and refine celestial gold without damaging its intrinsic properties.
  • Runic Inscription (Master Level) – Necessary to carve precise karmic runes that allow the ankh to reflect energy properly.
  • Divine Infusion (Adept Level) – Needed to attune the artifact to cosmic balance, ensuring it responds to karmic influence.
  • Spiritual Alignment (Intermediate Level) – Required to properly bind the energies of the ankh without creating instability.
• Crafting Steps:
  • Forging the Ankh’s Frame:
    • Melt the Celestial Gold Ingot in the Celestial Forge, carefully maintaining a balanced temperature.
    • Shape the metal into the form of an ankh, ensuring symmetrical proportions to enhance karmic equilibrium.
    • Allow the frame to cool naturally under moonlight for one full night.
  • Engraving the Karmic Symbols:
    • Using the Runesmith’s Engraving Tool, carve the sacred symbols of balance and reflection along the ankh’s surface.
    • Apply Sacred Inscription Powder into the engravings and channel focused energy to activate the runes.
  • Embedding the Gem of Dual Resonance:
    • Position the Gem of Dual Resonance at the center of the ankh’s loop.
    • Use the Fateweaver’s Lens to ensure the gemstone is aligned with the flow of karmic energy.
    • Secure it in place with Runed Silver Filament, wrapping it in a pattern that enhances energy redirection.
  • Binding the Ethereal Threads:
    • Weave the Ethereal Binding Thread around the ankh, ensuring it properly channels the flow of cause and effect.
    • Chant the Tæloraḥn Rites of Equilibrium as the threads are set, anchoring the artifact’s purpose.
  • Final Consecration and Activation:
    • Place the completed ankh in the Ritual Consecration Bowl filled with purified water.
    • Burn Incense of Divine Harmony, allowing the smoke to pass over the artifact for one full hour.
    • Meditate over the ankh, reciting an invocation to attune it to the Eternal Cycles of Karma.
    • Once the ritual is complete, anoint the ankh with a final drop of purified water, solidifying its balance.

Completion: The Ankh of Karmic Balance is now complete. It stands as a sacred artifact of justice, ensuring that all actions return to their source, maintaining the balance of fate.

Hand That Casts, Hand That Catches

Long ago, when sky not yet weary and land still remembered its first name, there was a ruler whose hands weighed heavy with the gold of many and the blood of more. This ruler, whom all feared but none loved, was called Væzha of the Unshaken Throne. His voice was iron, his laws stone, and his wrath the fire that left naught but ash.

It was said in those days that the stars themselves turned their gaze when Væzha spoke, for his words bent the lives of men as wind bends tall grass. He took what pleased him, cast aside what bored him, and broke what defied him. No debt was paid but in suffering, and no kindness was given but for favor thrice returned. The priests whispered that such things could not stand forever, but Væzha laughed, for what god would dare weigh his hand against his own?

One night, beneath a moon whose light wavered like a dying candle, an old woman came to his palace gates. She bore no name, nor kin, nor wealth, only a staff worn smooth from long travels and eyes that had seen too much. She asked to stand before the Unshaken Throne, and because Væzha’s guards were weary of their own dull lives, they let her pass.

When she stood before Væzha, she did not kneel, nor did she bow. Instead, she raised her staff, and in her other hand, she held a simple ankh, its gold dull, its edges worn. She spoke in a voice neither loud nor soft, neither kind nor cruel.

“O great Væzha, whose word turns rivers and whose blade cleaves mountains, do you know the hand that casts is also the hand that catches?”

Væzha laughed, for what ruler needs the words of an old woman? “The hand that casts,” he said, “holds power. The hand that catches is weak, begging for mercy.”

The woman’s eyes did not blink. “Then take this,” she said, and she placed the ankh upon his palm. It was light, as though it held nothing at all.

But then the weight came.

Væzha felt it first in his fingers, then in his arm, then in his chest. A great force, unseen but known, wrapped around his soul and did not let go. His breath caught. His eyes clouded. He saw himself, but not as he had wished—no crown, no throne, no adoring people. Instead, he stood where the beggar stood, where the slain had lain, where the broken had wept. He heard the voices of those he had cast aside, and their hands grasped at him as his own had once grasped at them.

He fell to his knees. His voice, once unshaken, cracked. “What… what is this?”

The woman did not smile. “The weight of all things,” she said, and she turned, and she left.

For days, Væzha could not rise. The ankh remained in his grip, burning with neither flame nor heat. His body withered as hunger gnawed, but his mind bore the greater pain. The visions did not fade. The cries did not cease. The weight did not lessen. The hand that had cast had caught its due.

On the seventh night, the moon high and full, Væzha stood. He took the ankh and walked from his palace. The guards did not stop him, for his face was no longer that of the ruler they feared. He wandered through the streets, through the alleys where shadows remembered his cruelty, through the fields where the bones of his greed lay buried. And for each step, the weight lessened, but never fully.

It is said that Væzha walked until the last of his days, seeking to mend that which he had broken, though some wounds are beyond repair. The ankh remained with him, guiding his path, until he too was but another whisper on the wind.

And so, the Ankh of Karmic Balance was known, not for its power, but for its lesson: that no hand, no voice, no ruler stands above the turning of the great cycle. And those who forget this truth, as Væzha did, will learn it in ways they do not wish.

Moral of the Story: The hand that casts is also the hand that catches. No action is without its weight, and in time, all debts are paid.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Artifact: The Ankh of Karmic Balance

• Type: Mythos Artifact
• Powers:
  • Karmic Reflection: When the wearer is harmed, they may roll Power (POW) x5. On success, the attacker suffers half the damage dealt.
  • Balance of Mind: Grants +10% to Psychology and Occult rolls when assessing moral or spiritual dilemmas.
  • Judgment’s Toll: If used repeatedly for vengeance, the wearer must make a SAN check (1d4/1d8 loss) as the ankh reveals the weight of their own past misdeeds.
• Drawbacks:
  • Karmic Repercussions: Once per session, the Keeper may introduce an event where the wearer’s past actions return to haunt them.
  • Fated Burden: Prolonged use makes it harder to ignore ethical dilemmas. The wearer may hesitate in combat or suffer moral conflicts.
  • Availability: Found in ancient ruins, Cyclotheon temples, or in the possession of cultists who seek to wield divine judgment.

Blades in the Dark

Item: Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Fine Mystical Item)
• Load: 1
• Effect: The ankh allows the user to redirect harm back to its source. Once per score, the wearer may resist a Harm consequence and instead transfer it back to the attacker, though the effect may be subtle rather than direct violence.
• Special Ability – Cosmic Judgment: Once per session, the wearer may ask the GM a question about a character’s true intentions, receiving a brief vision of their karmic burden.
• Devil’s Bargain Variant: The GM may introduce a karmic event where past choices resurface with consequences, regardless of the wearer’s current actions.
• Drawbacks:
  • Moral Weight: If used for unjust reasons, the wearer gains +1 Stress each time they reflect harm.
  • Unshakable Burden: NPCs attuned to the cycle may recognize the artifact and seek to challenge the wearer’s right to hold it.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

• Wondrous Item, Very Rare (Requires Attunement by a Devout Follower of the Tæloraḥn Religion)
• Enhancement: Grants a +1 bonus to Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks when mediating disputes or assessing truth.
• Karmic Reflection (Reaction, 1/day): When struck by a melee attack, the wearer may force the attacker to take half of the damage inflicted (rounded down, no save).
• Weigh the Soul (1/day): As an action, the wearer may cast Zone of Truth (DC 16) or Detect Thoughts (DC 16) without expending a spell slot.
• Drawbacks:
• Burden of Judgment: If the wearer uses the ankh to reflect damage on a creature who does not deserve it, they suffer 1d4 psychic damage as the artifact warns against misuse.
• Cosmic Consequence: If the wearer repeatedly abuses the ankh’s power, the DM may introduce narrative consequences, such as omens, hauntings, or moral dilemmas.

Knave

Item: Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Rare, Mystical)
• Effect: The wearer gains +1 to Wisdom saves and may once per day force an attacker to take half the damage they deal to them.
• Passive Ability: The wearer can sense imbalances in fate, gaining subtle knowledge about whether an action is just or unjust.
• Limited Judgment: Once per session, the wearer may ask the GM a Yes/No question about the fate of a person or situation, receiving a cryptic but truthful response.
• Drawback:
  • Each time the wearer uses the ankh to punish without reason, they suffer a -1 penalty to Intelligence checks for one hour as they struggle with its burden.
  • If the ankh is misused for selfish gain, karmic forces may intervene in unpredictable ways (determined by the GM).

Fate Core

• Aspect: “The Scales Must Always Settle”
• Invokes: Gain a bonus when using the ankh to assess truth, enforce justice, or reflect harm upon the wicked.
• Compels: The wearer is bound by karmic law and cannot ignore moral dilemmas; inaction may lead to unseen consequences.
• Stunt – Karmic Reflection: Once per session, the wearer may invoke the ankh to redirect an attack’s consequences onto its source instead of suffering the full effect.
• Stunt – Judgment’s Gaze: When interrogating or assessing a person, the wearer may roll Empathy instead of Investigate to determine their true intentions, as the ankh reveals their karmic burden.
• Drawback: If the wearer misuses the ankh for personal gain, they must roll Will (+2 difficulty) to avoid suffering visions of their own unresolved karma, which imposes a temporary aspect of “Burdened by the Past.”

Numenera & Cypher System

• Artifact (Level 7, Depletion: 1 in 1d20 per major use)
• Effect – Reflect Harm: Once per session, when the wearer takes damage, they may spend 3 Intellect points to reflect half of the damage back to the source.
• Effect – Karmic Awareness: The wearer gains +1 asset on all Intellect defense rolls and Insight-based tasks when determining truth or moral alignment.
• Effect – Weigh the Soul: The wearer may ask the GM one Yes or No question per day about a person’s past actions and receive a cryptic but truthful answer.
• Drawback – Unrelenting Balance: If the wearer refuses to act in a situation that requires justice, the GM may impose an Intellect-based penalty for the next hour as karmic forces weigh heavily upon them.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Worn Item, Rare, Divine, Abjuration)
• Bulk: Light
• Activation: 1 Reaction (Trigger: The wearer is attacked in melee, 1/day) – The wearer may force the attacker to take half the damage they dealt (Will Save DC 18 negates).
• Passive Effect: Grants a +1 item bonus to Perception and Diplomacy when resolving disputes or sensing deception.
• Judgment’s Echo (1/day): The wearer may cast Zone of Truth (DC 18) or Detect Alignment without expending a spell slot.
• Drawbacks:
  • Karmic Burden: If the wearer uses the ankh against an innocent, they suffer 2d6 mental damage and become Stupefied 1 for one hour.
  • Unavoidable Consequence: If the wearer frequently ignores moral dilemmas, the GM may impose divine intervention, altering their fate in unforeseen ways.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Magic Item, Legendary)
• Abilities:
  • Karmic Reflection (1/session): If the wearer takes damage, they may force the attacker to suffer half the damage dealt (Spirit roll negates).
  • Divine Judgment: Gain +1 to Notice and Persuasion rolls when detecting deception or negotiating moral conflicts.
  • Premonition: Once per session, the wearer may ask the GM for insight into a person’s fate, receiving cryptic but useful guidance.
• Drawbacks:
  • Weight of Fate: If the ankh is used for revenge rather than justice, the wearer suffers Fatigue (1 level) until they atone.
  • Marked by Karma: Those who have upset the balance of fate (villains, criminals, or rival mystics) will instinctively recognize the wearer and may seek to eliminate them.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Magical Artifact, Awakened Item)
• Type: Focus (Rating 3), Abjuration
• Essence Cost: 0.5
• Effects:
  • Karmic Reflection: When the wearer is hit by a melee attack, they may roll Willpower + Intuition (Threshold 3) to reflect half of the damage back to the attacker (ignores armor).
  • Truth-Seeker: The wearer gains +2 dice to Judge Intentions and Assensing tests when analyzing a person’s moral alignment.
  • Balance of Mind: The wearer reduces all penalties from emotional trauma or stress by 1.
• Drawbacks:
  • Karmic Debt: If the wearer misuses the ankh (e.g., reflecting harm on an innocent), the GM may impose a Bad Luck (2) quality for the next in-game session.
  • Astral Disturbance: The ankh resonates with karmic energy, making it easier to track via Astral Perception (+2 dice to assensing tests against the wearer).

Starfinder

Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Wondrous Item, Level 9, Hybrid, Divine & Mystic)
• Slot: Neck
• Price: 18,000 credits
• Effects:
  • Karmic Recoil (Reaction, 1/day): When struck by an attack, the wearer can force the attacker to take half of the damage dealt (Will Save DC 18 negates).
  • Insight of Judgment: The wearer gains +2 insight bonus to Sense Motive and Mysticism checks when evaluating a person’s karmic balance.
  • Echo of Consequences: Once per day, the wearer may cast Augury or Zone of Truth (DC 18) without expending spell slots.
• Drawbacks:
  • Unseen Burden: If the ankh is misused for self-serving purposes, the GM may impose a temporary -1 penalty on Charisma-based skill checks, as fate subtly shifts against the wearer.
  • Marked by the Cycle: Karmic-sensitive beings (such as divine entities, spirits, or certain AI) will recognize the wearer, leading to potential unexpected encounters.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Artifact, Mystical Relic)
• Effects:
  • Premonition: Once per session, the wearer may reroll any failed skill check related to Awareness (Recon, Investigation, etc.), keeping the better result.
  • Fatebound: The GM may, at their discretion, offer the wearer a reroll on any roll, but accepting it comes with a narrative complication tied to their past or future destiny.
  • Eternal Insight: Gain a +1 DM to any one roll involving cultural, historical, or philosophical knowledge per adventure.
• Drawbacks:
  • Temporal Disorientation: After using Premonition, the wearer must roll 2d6 vs. 8+, adding their Intelligence modifier. On failure, they suffer a -1 DM to all Intelligence-based checks for 1 hour due to mental strain.
  • Karmic Entanglement: The ankh draws the attention of fate-linked entities, such as mysterious benefactors or enigmatic adversaries.

Warhammer (Wrath & Glory, 40K RPG)

Ankh of Karmic Balance

• (Archeotech Relic, Esoteric, Divination)
• Tier: 3
• Keywords: Xenos, Relic, Abjuration
• Abilities:
  • Glimpse Beyond Time (1/session): The wearer may attempt a DN 5 Insight test to receive a cryptic warning of a future event, granting them a +1 bonus on a related test later that session.
  • Threads of Fate: Once per session, the wearer may reroll a failed Willpower or Awareness test, taking the second result.
  • Unseen Hand: When the wearer rolls a Complication, they may instead shift it onto another non-player character, representing fate’s shifting tides.
• Drawbacks:
  • Warp Echoes: When using Glimpse Beyond Time, roll 1d6. On a 1, the wearer experiences visions of the Warp, suffering 1 Shock from the strain.
  • Fated Target: The wearer is more likely to be noticed by Psykers, daemons, or fate-weaving individuals, drawing both reverence and fear.