Dust of Attestation 45 – GearAscendancy.com

From: Chronicleaf 73

A complex alchemical powder created to imbue a mundane object with a psychic echo of its immediate surroundings, allowing it to be “read” by those with the Mind’s Eye.

Ingredients:

One Chronicleaf leaf, carefully dried within 12 hours of harvesting
A pinch of powdered Scryer’s Crystal
Three pinches of salt from a desiccated sea

Activation of Magic and Roleplay: This is an act of meticulous craftsmanship. The character must first carefully dry the Chronicleaf leaf over a low, magical heat source, a process that requires constant attention to prevent the temporal energy from dissipating. Once it is brittle, they place it into a mortar and pestle made of stone or bone.

The roleplay is in the deliberate, rhythmic grinding. With each turn of the pestle, the character must focus their will, not on destroying the leaf, but on transforming its essence. As they grind, they add the powdered Scryer’s Crystal to focus the temporal energy, and the ancient salt to bind it into a stable, physical form. The activation of magic is subtle. A low, vibrational hum emanates from the mortar. The air shimmers faintly above the bowl, and the resulting powder—a fine, teal-colored dust—seems to absorb and deaden sound around it. The character is not just crushing an herb; they are weaving its magical properties into a new substance.

To use the dust, the character takes a pinch and carefully sprinkles it over an inanimate object they wish to question—a rusted sword, a crumbling tome, a locked door. As the dust settles, the magic activates fully. Each mote of dust flashes with a silvery light for an instant before becoming inert. A psychic “imprint” of a key historical moment related to that location is now bound to the object. A character using their Mind’s Eye on the object will now not only see its physical stats but also receive a single, clear, static image from the past—the face of the person who last held the sword, the sigil on the cover of the tome when it was new, or the key that last turned in the lock.

Lore of the Dust of Attestation-45

While the Seer’s Infusion was born from a scholar’s desire to safely witness the river of time, the Dust of Attestation was created out of a need for immutable proof. Its origins lie not with cloistered academics, but with an ancient order of arbiters and investigators known as the Justicars of the Ashen Vault. The Justicars were tasked with resolving disputes and solving crimes where memory was fallible and witnesses could be swayed by lies or fear. They found the visions granted by fresh Chronicleaf to be too chaotic, too emotional, and too open to personal interpretation to be presented as objective fact in a judgment.

The order’s greatest alchemist, a man named Archivar Corbinian, sought a way to tame the Chronicleaf’s power. He theorized that if the Seer’s Infusion was like drinking from a raging river, he needed to invent a way to capture a single, perfect drop of it in crystal. He spent decades experimenting, realizing that the herb’s temporal energy needed not only a focus but also a binder.

His breakthrough came from combining three key principles. First, by carefully drying the Chronicleaf leaf, he found he could stabilize its temporal energy, changing it from a flowing current into a static charge. Second, the powdered Scryer’s Crystal acted as a magical lens, capable of taking the entirety of a chaotic event and focusing it down into a single, representative visual moment. Finally, the salt from a desiccated sea—a place where time itself had seemed to stand still for millennia—acted as the perfect magical mordant. It could bind the focused temporal image to the physical essence of another object, making it stick.

Corbinian had not created a window into the past, but a method of psychic photography. The Justicars would use the Dust of Attestation to make an object bear witness. A murdered man’s locket could be made to show a perfect, static image of his killer’s face. A forged treaty could be made to reveal the image of the true seal it was meant to bear. A rusty key found in a dungeon could be made to show the face of the last person who turned it in the lock. The name “Dust of Attestation” comes from this function: it forced an object to attest to its own history, providing a single, undeniable piece of evidence. With the fall of the Justicars, the formula for the Dust was scattered, becoming a legendary and invaluable tool for detectives, spies, and treasure hunters.

Dust of Attestation-45

Tier: 1 Type: Alchemical Powder (Single Use)

Stats Gained (Temporary):

Heightened Scrutiny: The act of focusing and interpreting the imprinted image sharpens the user’s observational faculties. For the next hour, the user gains a +1 bonus to all checks involving appraisal, investigation, or discerning falsehoods.
Object Empathy: The user develops a minor, instinctual connection to the object they dusted. They gain an innate sense of the object’s general purpose or the strongest emotion associated with it (e.g., “this was a tool of great pride,” or “this dagger was used in anger”).

Skills Gained (Temporary):

Actionable Insight: The knowledge gained is clear and direct. The user gains Advantage on the next single skill check they make to act upon the specific information revealed by the vision. For example, if the vision reveals the face of a thief, the user would have Advantage on a subsequent check to spot that person in a crowd or to persuade the city guard of their identity. This bonus must be used within one hour.

Effect:

Temporal Imprint: The primary effect is to imbue a single, non-magical, inanimate object with a psychic echo. To see this echo, a character must use the Active Activation of their Mind’s Eye (“identify”) while focusing on the object. Doing so reveals a single, static, silent, visual image of a key moment from the object’s past related to its current location. The image is a perfect, unmoving snapshot (e.g., the face of the last person to wear an amulet, the symbol on a banner before it rotted away). The magical imprint on the object lasts for one hour before fading completely. The dust has no effect on living creatures or actively shielded magical items.

Duration: The imprint lasts for one hour. The temporary stat and skill bonuses for the user also last for one hour.

Tags: Consumable, Alchemical, Divination, Historical, Utility, Tier 1, Focus, Touch, Psychic, Necrotic, Elemental, Social, Charm, Fear, Resistance, Fragile, Artifact, Fiendish

Recipe: Dust of Attestation-45

A formula for the discerning investigator to whom a fleeting vision is insufficient. This powder does not show you the past; it compels an object to bear the indelible stain of its own history, creating a single, perfect testament for those with the sight to see it. It is an act of precision, not passion—the creation of a key, not the opening of a door.

Ingredients Needed

Primary Reagent: One (1) whole, unblemished Chronicleaf leaf. The leaf must have been harvested with a non-metallic blade and be no more than 12 hours old. The temporal energy within becomes too volatile for this process after this window.
Focusing Agent: One (1) precisely measured pinch of finely powdered, high-clarity Scryer’s Crystal. The crystal acts as an arcane lens, collapsing the chaotic temporal data into a single, static image.
Binding Agent: Three (3) pinches of salt harvested from a geologically ancient, desiccated sea bed. This salt, suffused with the echo of stillness, is the only known substance that can bind a temporal charge to a physical object.

Tools Required

Drying Surface: A flat, non-metallic, and non-flammable surface. A clean slate tile, a large ceramic dish, or a pane of obsidian is ideal for the delicate drying process.
Heat Source: A source of low, gentle, and indirect heat. The embers of a fire, a magically controlled flame held at a distance, or an alchemical warmer are necessary. Direct heat will incinerate the leaf and its magic.
Grinding Implements: A non-metallic mortar and pestle. One carved from a single piece of stone (such as marble or granite) or dense, petrified wood is required to avoid grounding the magical charge.
Measuring Tools: A set of precise alchemist’s scales and measuring spoons to ensure the exact quantities of the crystal and salt are used. Imprecision can lead to a blurred or unstable image.
Storage Container: A small, perfectly dry, and airtight non-metallic container. A sealed ceramic vial, a lead-lined wooden box, or a pouch made of magically treated hide is needed to preserve the dust’s potency.

Skill Requirements

Primary Skill: Proficiency with an Alchemist’s Kit. This represents the manual dexterity and practical knowledge required to handle the delicate reagents and control the complex process.
Knowledge Skill: The ability to understand the arcane principles at play. This requires a successful Arcana check (a moderate DC, determined by the GM) to properly time the addition of the agents and focus the energies.
Focus: The creation process is an hour-long, meticulous ritual that requires absolute, uninterrupted concentration. If the alchemist is distracted or takes damage during this time, the process fails, and the rare ingredients are wasted.

Preparation Steps

Step 1: The Drying (Temporal Stabilization) Place the fresh Chronicleaf leaf flat upon your drying surface. Position this surface over the source of indirect heat. This is a test of patience. You must watch the leaf constantly, waiting for it to lose its moisture and become brittle, like a dry autumn leaf. The silvery glyphs upon its surface will slow their movement and seem to “lock” in place. If the leaf begins to blacken or curl from too much heat, its temporal charge has been destroyed. This process takes roughly 20 minutes.

Step 2: The Grinding (Transformation into a Medium) Once the leaf is perfectly brittle, place it into the stone mortar. Begin to grind it with the pestle. Your intent must not be to simply crush it, but to transform it. Use a slow, circular, deliberate motion. Focus your will through the pestle, feeling the leaf’s physical structure break down into a coarse, dark-teal powder.

Step 3: The Focusing of the Echo When the leaf has become a coarse powder, add the single, measured pinch of powdered Scryer’s Crystal. As you continue to grind, you will feel a subtle change. A low, vibrational hum will emanate from the mortar, and the air above it will begin to shimmer as if in a heat haze. You are now grinding the very concept of a moment into the physical medium.

Step 4: The Binding of the Image Continue grinding until the powder is exceptionally fine. Now, add the three pinches of desiccated sea salt, one at a time. With the addition of the salt, the humming will cease, and the air will clear. The powder will seem to absorb the sound around it, and its color will lighten to the final, signature teal. The temporal charge is now focused and bound, stable and inert until it is used.

Step 5: The Collection and Storage The Dust of Attestation is now complete. Using a non-metallic tool, carefully scrape the fine powder from the mortar and pestle into your airtight storage container. Be meticulous, as one leaf yields only a single dose. Seal the container immediately. The dust will remain potent indefinitely as long as it is kept perfectly dry and sealed.

The recipe for the Dust of Attestation-45 is a piece of highly specialized, functional knowledge. Unlike the more philosophical Seer’s Infusion, this recipe is a tool, and its trade reflects its practical, and often dangerous, applications.

Where and How the Recipe is Sold

The formula for the Dust of Attestation is not found in public libraries or common alchemical guilds. Its circulation is limited to circles that prize proof, secrets, and tangible evidence above all else.

1. Syndicates of Verifiers and Inquisitors’ Guilds

Environment: These are professional, often stark and intimidating, establishments. Think of a high-end detective agency or a private security firm’s headquarters. The environment is clean, secure, and business-like, smelling of oiled leather, cleaning solvents, and the faint, sterile scent of magical wards. Transactions occur in a private, sound-proofed consultation room.
How it is Sold: The recipe is treated as a professional certification or a piece of proprietary technology. A buyer must prove their credentials—they might need to be a licensed investigator, a ranking member of a city watch, or an agent of a noble house with a legitimate need. The sale involves a magically binding contract, often with clauses forbidding the unauthorized reproduction of the formula. The recipe is provided as a perfect, authenticated copy, sometimes etched onto a thin sheet of slate or specially treated vellum to prevent forgery.

2. The Alchemist-Artisan’s Hidden Workshop

Environment: Tucked away in a city’s artisan or espionage district, this is the workshop of a master craftsman who specializes in tools for the discerning spy, thief, or investigator. The shop is small, cluttered with strange instruments, lenses, and half-finished projects. The air smells of chemical reagents, ozone, and the grinding of stone. The alchemist is a secretive and paranoid professional.
How it is Sold: The transaction is a consultation between two professionals. The alchemist will want to know the buyer’s intent, not for moral reasons, but to gauge their competence and ensure their creation won’t be used foolishly and traced back to them. The price is high, but the alchemist may be open to bartering for other rare ingredients or sensitive information. The recipe is a hand-written copy from the alchemist’s personal notes, often including their own annotations and improvements.

3. Clandestine Auctions and Information Brokers

Environment: This is the most dangerous venue. The sale happens in the shadows—a secret auction in a sewer cistern, a dead-of-night meeting in a graveyard, or through a coded exchange with a faceless broker. The environment is thick with tension and the implicit threat of betrayal.
How it is Sold: The transaction is swift, anonymous, and purely financial. The recipe is a valuable commodity, likely stolen from a guild or a private workshop. It is sold to the highest bidder with no questions asked and no guarantees. The copy is often old, possibly damaged, and could even be a clever fake. Payment is demanded in untraceable, high-value assets like platinum ingots, flawless diamonds, or potent magical items.

Cost and Value

The recipe’s cost reflects its power to generate undeniable truth, a commodity more valuable than gold in a world of lies and illusions.

Cost of the Recipe:
- From a professional Syndicate or Guild, a licensed and authenticated copy of the recipe would cost no less than 25 to 35 Platinum Pieces. This is a massive investment, representing the price of a cornerstone trade secret.
- From a master Alchemist-Artisan, the price might be slightly more negotiable, around 20 Platinum Pieces, but likely supplemented with a difficult favor or a rare ingredient.
- On the Black Market, a stolen copy might go for 15 Platinum Pieces, a “bargain” that comes with the significant risk of it being fake, incomplete, or leading back to very angry original owners.
Value of the Recipe:
- Judicial Value: Its ability to provide objective evidence is unparalleled. It can exonerate the innocent, condemn the guilty, and solve “locked-room” mysteries with a single image. An owner of this recipe can become the most sought-after (and feared) private investigator in a city.
- Intelligence Value: For spies and political entities, the recipe is a weapon. It can be used to verify intelligence, uncover double agents by dusting a dropped message, or confirm the authenticity of a treaty or royal decree.
- Economic Value: The owner can sell the service of using the dust. A single application of Dust of Attestation to solve a noble’s inheritance dispute or a merchant’s theft problem could command a fee of 20 to 25 Gold Pieces, making the recipe a highly profitable long-term investment.

Use of the End Results

The end result, the physical Dust of Attestation, is a single-use tool applied to a specific problem to get a specific answer.

Criminal Investigation: A city guard captain is found dead in his office, a dagger in his back. The characters are hired to find the killer. They apply the Dust to the dagger, and using the Mind’s Eye, see a perfect, static image of the killer’s face at the moment they plunged the blade.
Verifying Authenticity: A collector acquires a helmet claimed to have belonged to a legendary general. To verify its provenance, the characters dust the helmet. The Mind’s Eye reveals an image of the helmet being worn by the famous general on the battlefield, confirming its authenticity and immense value.
Counter-Espionage: An ambassador is suspected of passing secrets. A character manages to apply the Dust to the wax seal of a letter the ambassador sent. The resulting image doesn’t show the ambassador’s signet ring, but that of a known spymaster, proving the betrayal.
Dungeon Puzzles: The party finds a complex series of levers in a dungeon, with no clue as to the correct combination. They find a Chronicleaf nearby and create the Dust. Applying it to the main lever reveals an image of the last person to use it, their hand frozen in the act of pulling the correct sequence of smaller levers.
Thievery and Infiltration: A clever thief wants to replicate a key to a vault. They can’t steal the key, but they manage to get close enough to sprinkle the Dust on it. Using their Mind’s Eye, they get a perfect, detailed image of the key’s teeth, allowing a master locksmith to create a flawless copy.

Perception of Dust of Attestation-45

Sight (Visual Perception)

What is Perceived / Description: The avatar sees an exceptionally fine, pale teal powder. It is flecked with microscopic crystalline specks that don’t glitter but seem to absorb and hold light, giving the dust a subtle, internal luminescence. When poured, it flows not like a cloud of dust but with the cohesive, heavy quality of a liquid, like a stream of fine sand. It appears sterile, precise, and unnaturally beautiful.
Positives: Its unique appearance is an unmistakable confirmation that the recipe was created successfully. It looks valuable and potent, a substance of clear alchemical mastery. Its smooth, fluid-like movement makes it appear easy to control and pour precisely.
Negatives: The faint, internal glow, while subtle, makes it very difficult to use stealthily. Applying a faintly glowing powder to an object in a dim room is a conspicuous act. Its fineness also makes it vulnerable; a sudden gust of wind or a careless sneeze could disperse the entire single dose, wasting it completely.

Touch (Tactile Perception)

What is Perceived / Description: The dust feels unnaturally cool and silky, with a surprising weight for its volume. It has a distinct static quality; when a pinch is taken, it rests on the fingers but does not cling, wanting to fall away cleanly. It feels utterly dry and frictionless.
Positives: The texture confirms its purity. The static, non-clinging quality is a boon for its intended use, allowing for precise application without leaving a messy residue on the user’s hands.
Negatives: The unnatural cold is deeply unsettling, a physical reminder that this substance is not of the normal world. It feels alien, like touching something that has been fundamentally altered by powerful, non-elemental magic.

Smell (Olfactory Perception)

What is Perceived / Description: The dust gives off a faint, sterile, and ancient scent. It is a dry, mineral smell, like crushed stone from deep underground, mixed with the sharp, clean tang of ozone and a faint, saline hint of a long-dead sea. There is no trace of organic or living scent.
Positives: The unique scent is a final confirmation of its identity and purity. Being inorganic, it is highly unlikely to attract the attention of foraging animals or unintelligent beasts.
Negatives: The sterile, ozone-heavy scent can be slightly acrid and irritating to the nostrils if inhaled. It is a profoundly unnatural aroma, the smell of a place where time and life have ceased, which can be deeply disconcerting.

Hearing (Auditory Perception)

What is Perceived / Description: One of the most striking qualities of the dust is its effect on sound. When its container is opened, it seems to absorb ambient noise, creating a small pocket of muted silence. The dust itself is completely silent; it makes no sound when poured and lands on a surface without a whisper.
Positives: The sound-dampening effect naturally creates an atmosphere of focus and concentration, which is ideal for the delicate task of applying it to an object.
Negatives: The unnatural quiet is a significant tactical disadvantage. It creates a bubble of auditory blindness, making it impossible for the user to hear the approach of a guard, a lurking creature, or any other imminent danger.

Magical Perception (Aura)

What is Perceived / Description: Unlike the raw energy of a potion, the Dust of Attestation has a perfectly stable and inert magical aura. It does not feel like a void, but rather like a latent potential—a tightly coiled spring of temporal magic, waiting for a trigger. The power is focused, precise, and contained. It is a tool at rest.
Positives: Its stable aura confirms that it is not volatile and is safe to carry without risk of accidental discharge. A magic-user can immediately identify it as a finished, reliable tool rather than a chaotic or unpredictable substance.
Negatives: The sheer density of the contained power is palpable and can be intimidating. It feels like holding a perfectly stable magical capacitor that could discharge with immense force if the binding principles were to fail.

Temporal Perception

What is Perceived / Description: Holding the dust feels like holding a piece of perfect stillness. It does not slow or warp time around it; rather, the dust itself seems to exist in a pocket of absolute temporal stasis, completely divorced from the normal flow of time.
Positives: This sensation of absolute stasis is a clear confirmation of the dust’s stability. It feels permanent and reliable, assuring the user that its potency will not fade over time as long as it is kept sealed.
Negatives: The feeling of touching something that is outside the river of time is profoundly alien and can be mentally jarring. It is a sensation of absolute inertia that can cause a fleeting sense of vertigo or dissociation in the user.

Empathic/Psychic Perception

What is Perceived / Description: The dust is psychically inert and silent. It has no emotional resonance of its own. It is a perfectly blank slate, a clean mirror waiting to receive an impression. It projects an aura of absolute, sterile neutrality.
Positives: This neutrality is ideal for its purpose as a tool of objective evidence. It will not color the user’s judgment with residual emotions from its creation. To an empath, its psychic silence can be a refreshing moment of peace.
Negatives: For an empath accustomed to the constant hum of life and emotion, this absolute psychic void can be as jarring as a deafening sound. It feels fundamentally empty and soulless, which can be deeply unsettling.

Mind’s Eye Perception

What is Perceived / Description:
- Passive Activation: The Mind’s Eye instantly identifies the substance as “Dust of Attestation” and provides the tags: “Consumable, Alchemical, Utility, Divination, Tier 1.” A flash of innate understanding accompanies it: “Imprints a historical image onto an object.”
- Active Activation (“Identify”): A successful “Identify” action reveals its precise function: [Effect: Applies a single, static visual echo to a non-magical object.], [Activation: Echo is revealed by using ‘Identify’ on the target object.], [Duration: Imprint fades after one hour.]
Positives: This is the most reliable way to understand the tool’s exact function, limitations, and method of use, removing any guesswork.
Negatives: While the inert dust is safer to Identify than the volatile infusion, there is still a risk. A particularly powerful or unfocused “Identify” attempt could accidentally discharge the dust’s latent temporal charge, causing it to flash and become useless inert powder before it can be applied, wasting the rare and valuable item.

Archivar Corbinian and Unlying Dust

It is told in the cracked scrolls that the Justicars of the Ashen Vault were judges of great import, and their word was as heavy as stone. But they were vexed, for their greatest tool was the Chronicleaf, and the Chronicleaf was a thing of feelings. When they made the tea of echoes, it showed them the rage of a killer, but not his face. It showed them the sorrow of a theft, but not where the jewels were hidden. The truth of the heart it showed, but the truth of the hand was often a shadow.

And the greatest of their alchemists was Archivar Corbinian, a man whose patience was a great, deep well. A case was brought before him of two brothers who fought over the will of their father. One brother said the will was true. The other said it was a forgery. Corbinian brewed the Seer’s Infusion from a leaf found on the father’s grave, and the vision showed him only great sadness and the feeling of betrayal. But which brother was the betrayer? The leaf did not say. The feeling told a story, but the story had two endings.

Corbinian went to his workshop, and his mind was a forge. He said, “The river of the past is a mighty thing to drink from, but it is muddy with feelings. I do not wish to drink the river. I wish to catch a single drop of it and turn it to ice, so all may see its shape.”

He took a fresh Chronicleaf, but he did not put it in water. He laid it upon a flat, cool slate and with a gentle heat, like the breath of a sleeping dragon, he pulled the water from its body. He made its memory hard. He turned its flowing power into a sleeping power.

Then he crushed the dry leaf in a stone bowl. Into the dust, he put a sliver of Scryer’s Crystal, which is said to be the teardrop of a star. This crystal knew how to take a big story and make it a small picture, clear and true. He ground them together, and the air hummed with a quiet power.

But the memory-picture was wild. It would not stay. So Corbinian sought a binder. He traveled to the great salt flats, a sea that had died so long ago that time itself had forgotten it. This salt, he knew, held the memory of perfect stillness. He took three pinches of this ancient salt and ground it into the dust. And the humming stopped. The power was not gone. It was now caught. It was a coiled snake, sleeping.

He returned to the hall of judgment with his pale, teal dust. He took the will, the paper that told the lies or the truth. He sprinkled a pinch of the dust upon the father’s signature. The dust flashed with a soft, silver light, and then was gone.

The Justicars looked upon the will not with their eyes, but with their Mind’s Eye, their inner sight. They did not see a vision of sorrow. They saw a picture. It was a picture that did not move. It was the father’s old hand, holding a quill, and at his side was the hand of the younger son, steadying his father’s. The lying brother was not in this picture. The paper had been made to speak its one true moment.

And so the judgment was made, and it was true. Corbinian called his creation the Dust of Attestation, the Dust of True-Telling, for it made an unliving object bear witness to its own past.

Moral of the Story: A heart can feel a thousand different truths, but a fact has only one face.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu, 7th Edition

Powder of Resonant Memory

A fine, pale teal dust of occult origin, believed to be derived from the Chronica folium, a plant that grows only in locations psychically scarred by intense emotion or tragedy. When applied to an object, the powder attunes it to the lingering psychic residue of its immediate environment, creating a static “photograph” of a past moment. Only those with a trained or naturally sensitive mind can perceive the imprinted image.

Game Mechanics: Crafting this powder requires an obscure alchemical formula (found only in rare texts like the De Vermis Mysteriis or similar esoteric tomes) and a successful Hard (1/2 skill) Occult or Pharmacy roll. The process takes one hour of uninterrupted work.

To use the powder, an investigator spends one round carefully sprinkling a dose onto a single inanimate object. The powder is consumed in the process. Another investigator (or the same one) may then attempt to perceive the imprint. This requires a successful Psychometry skill roll or, for those without the skill, a Hard (1/2 skill) POW roll.

Critical Success: The imprinted image is perfectly clear and detailed, revealing a crucial clue. The investigator understands its context instinctively. Witnessing the event, however sanitized, costs 0/1d2 Sanity points.
Success: The investigator sees the static image clearly enough to gain a useful clue (the face of a culprit, a symbol on a wall, etc.). The psychic echo is jarring. This costs 1/1d3 Sanity points.
Failure: The investigator fails to perceive the image, seeing only a faint, meaningless shimmer on the object.
Fumble: The investigator’s mind makes a direct, uncontrolled connection with the psychic trauma. They are slammed with the full emotional and sensory horror of the event. They gain no clue, lose 1d4/1d6+1 Sanity points, and the Keeper should inflict a Bout of Madness.

The imprint on the object fades after one hour.

Blades in the Dark

Still-Dust

A pinch of pale, glowing teal dust, refined from the rare Chronicleaf by a complex alchemical process. When you sprinkle this on an object, it doesn’t show you the past—it forces the object to remember. The dust creates a static, silent image within the object’s spiritual essence, a perfect memory of a single moment, waiting for a sensitive soul to look. It’s a favorite tool of Whispers who prefer their ghosts to hold still.

Game Mechanics: Still-Dust is a rare Alchemical consumable. Crafting it requires a special formula and the Chronicleaf as a rare ingredient.

When you apply Still-Dust to an object and Attune to it to perceive the imprinted memory, you make an action roll. The GM will describe the potential psychic risk.

On a 6: The image is a perfect, still photograph of a key moment. You get a clear answer or a vital clue.
On a 4/5: The image is mostly clear, but there’s a complication. The GM chooses one: the image is slightly distorted or missing a key detail; you take 2 Stress from the psychic feedback; a nearby ghost is drawn to your intrusion and takes notice.
On a 1-3: You get a confusing, fragmented image that offers no help, and you suffer a serious consequence. The GM chooses one: the psychic backlash inflicts level 2 Harm (“Wrenched Mind”); a powerful or angry ghost immediately manifests; you attract the attention of a demonic echo tied to the object.

The imprint lasts for about an hour before the ghost field reclaims the memory.

Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition

Dust of Truth’s Imprint Wondrous item, rare

This small, sealed ceramic pot contains a single dose of a fine, pale teal powder that feels cool to the touch and smells of ozone and ancient stone. The dust is created through a complex alchemical process involving the rare Chronicleaf herb.

You can use an action to sprinkle this dust on a single inanimate object, such as a weapon, a door, or a book. The powder is consumed in the process. For the next hour, the object is imbued with a silent, static, visual echo of a single, significant moment from its past related to its current location.

To see this echo, a creature must use its action to touch the object and make a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check. On a success, the creature sees the historical image clearly in its mind. The image is a perfect, unmoving snapshot of a single instant and provides a direct, useful clue (such as the face of the person who last held the object, the correct position of levers in a puzzle, or the sigil on a banner before it was destroyed). The identify spell automatically reveals the image.

Knave, 2nd Edition

Witness Dust Potion, 1 Slot

A small, sealed bone vial containing a single dose of fine, pale teal powder. It smells of ozone and old rocks. When sprinkled on an inanimate object, the object becomes imprinted with a single, silent, unmoving image of a key moment in its history.

To see the imprinted image, you must touch the object and make a WIS save. If you succeed, the GM describes the image you see in your mind. If you fail, the psychic feedback is jarring; you take 1d4 damage to your WIS (which recovers after a full rest) and see only a confusing blur. The imprint on the object fades after an hour.

Fate Core System

The Object’s Testimony

This is not an item with stats, but a potent narrative tool. The “recipe” is a difficult process that allows a character to create a single dose of a fine, teal powder. Sprinkling this dust on an object doesn’t just reveal the past; it forces the object to bear witness, creating a new, undeniable fact about its history that can be introduced into the scene.

Game Mechanics: Creating the dust is a significant challenge, likely requiring a character to Overcome a high difficulty using Crafts or Lore, assuming they have the rare ingredients.

Using the dust is an action. Once the dust is applied to an inanimate object, the player whose character used it can immediately choose one of the following options:

Create an Advantage: The user sprinkles the dust and perceives a static image. The player creates a new, fact-based Situation Aspect on the object itself. Examples include Bears the True Royal Sigil, Imprinted with the Killer’s Face, or Shows the Safe’s Combination. The character who created the Aspect gets two free invocations on it instead of the usual one, representing the clarity and irrefutable nature of the evidence.
Declare a Story Detail: By spending a Fate Point, the user can do more than create an Aspect; they can declare a concrete, actionable detail about the past. This is a powerful narrative declaration. For example, “I sprinkle the dust on the murder weapon. The image I see is of Baron von Hess holding it, and there’s a specific, unique gemstone missing from his signet ring that must have fallen off nearby.” The GM should accept any plausible declaration, making it an immediate, established fact in the scene.

The imprint created by the dust is considered an irrefutable piece of evidence within the narrative for the remainder of the scene.

Numenera & Cypher System

Mnemonic Particulate (Cypher)

A small, non-metallic pouch containing a single dose of a fine, pale teal powder that feels cool to the touch. The dust is a form of psycho-reactive material that, when applied to an object, forces its molecular structure to resonate with a single, potent memory-imprint from its past.

Level: 1d6+1 Usable: An action to sprinkle onto a single, inanimate object. Effect: The dust is consumed and creates a temporal imprint on the target object that lasts for one hour. A creature can then use an action to touch the object and attempt to perceive the imprint. This is an Intellect-based task with a difficulty equal to the cypher’s level.

Success: The user’s mind is filled with a single, static, silent visual image of a key moment in the object’s history (the face of its last user, a map it was once compared to, etc.). The GM provides a clear and useful clue.
Failure: The user perceives only a confusing blur of psychic energy. In addition, the jarring feedback inflicts Intellect damage equal to the cypher’s level (ignoring Armor). The GM might also offer a GM Intrusion, suggesting the psychic noise attracts unwanted attention.

Pathfinder, 2nd Edition

WITNESSING DUST ITEM 4 RARE ALCHEMICAL CONSUMABLE DIVINATION Price 20 gp Usage held in 1 hand; Bulk L Activate [one-action] Interact

This small, sealed bone pot contains a single dose of a fine, pale teal powder that smells of ozone. When you sprinkle this dust on an inanimate object, it momentarily flashes with a silvery light, imbuing the object with a static echo of its own history. The powder is consumed in the process.

For the next hour, the object bears a temporal imprint. Any creature can use an action to Interact with the object (by touching it) to attempt to perceive the imprint by attempting a DC 18 Perception or Society check (the GM determines which is more appropriate for the image’s context).

Critical Success You see the imprinted image with perfect clarity and understand its context. You gain a key piece of information, and for the next 10 minutes, you gain a +1 item bonus to skill checks made to act upon that information.

Success You see the imprinted image clearly and gain a key piece of information.

Failure You are unable to perceive the image, seeing only a faint, meaningless shimmer.

Critical Failure You perceive a distorted and misleading image, and the psychic feedback leaves you stupefied 1 for 1 minute.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

Proof Powder Weight: —; Cost: 250

A single dose of a fine, cool, teal-colored dust kept in a sealed ceramic vial. When sprinkled on an object, this alchemical substance forces it to “remember” a key moment from its past, making that memory visible to those with the senses to perceive it.

Game Mechanics: Using the powder is an action. It is consumed in the process. The target object is now imprinted for one hour.

A character may then touch the object and use an action to make a Notice roll at a –1 penalty to perceive the imprinted memory.

Critical Failure: The psychic feedback is a shock. The character learns nothing and is automatically Distracted and Vulnerable.
Failure: The character cannot perceive the memory.
Success: The character sees a single, unmoving, silent image of a key moment in the object’s past, gaining a useful clue.
Raise: The vision is exceptionally clear and provides additional context. The character immediately gains a Benny, representing their sudden insight.

Shadowrun, 6th World

Mnemonic Imprint Powder

A dose of pale teal, crystalline powder stored in a magically inert, airtight container. This alchemical preparation is a favorite among magical investigators (“dowsers”) and corporate intelligence operatives. When applied to an object, the powder reacts with the local mana and the object’s astral signature, creating a static, temporary psychometric imprint of a significant event. This allows an assensing-capable individual to get a “snapshot” of the past.

Game Mechanics: Mnemonic Imprint Powder is a single-use Alchemical Preparation. Crafting it requires a formula and a successful Alchemy + Magic [Astral] (6, 1 hour) Extended Test. The Chronicleaf herb is a necessary rare reagent.

Type: Contact Activation: Simple Action to apply the powder Effect: When the powder is applied to an object, it becomes astrally resonant for one hour. A character capable of assensing may use a Simple Action to make an Assensing + Intuition [Astral] (4) Test to perceive the imprinted image.

On a Success (1-2 net hits): The character sees a clear, static image of a key moment, gaining a useful clue.
On a Great Success (3-4 net hits): The image is exceptionally clear and contains a subtle but important detail that might otherwise be missed (e.g., the reflection in a victim’s eye, a specific model number on a device). The character gains 1 Edge.
On an Extraordinary Success (5+ net hits): The vision is a perfect snapshot, and the character gains a flash of psychic context for the image. The GM provides a crucial piece of information. The character gains 2 Edge.
On a Glitch: The image is distorted by astral static, providing a garbled or misleading clue.
On a Critical Glitch: The psychic feedback is a jarring assault. The character gains no information, is immediately Disoriented, and the uncontrolled astral disturbance has a high chance of attracting a local spirit (often an angry one).

Availability: 14R Cost: 1,200 nuyen per dose

Starfinder Roleplaying Game

Resonance Dust Level 4 Hybrid Item Price 300 credits Bulk L

This small, sealed canister contains a single dose of a fine, pale teal powder that feels unnaturally cold. The dust is a hybrid of magically resonant minerals and psycho-reactive nanites. When applied to an object, the nanites attune the object’s quantum signature to a single, significant temporal echo, making it “remember” a moment from its history.

Game Mechanics: As a standard action, you can apply the Resonance Dust to a single, inanimate object, consuming the powder. For the next hour, the object is imbued with a static, silent, visual echo.

Any creature can use a standard action to touch the object and attempt a DC 16 Mysticism or Perception check to perceive this echo.

On a success, the creature sees a clear, unmoving image of a key moment in its mind, gaining a useful piece of information as determined by the GM.
On a failure, the creature fails to perceive the image. A creature can only attempt this check once per object.
If you fail the check by 5 or more, the psychic feedback is jarring, and you are off-target until the end of your next turn.

The identify spell automatically succeeds on this check.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Psychometric Substrate

A single-use, self-adhering patch containing a micro-dose of a highly controlled, synthetic compound derived from a rare, genetically-engineered flora. The compound forces a localized cascade failure in causality, causing an object’s quantum state to briefly display a “photograph” of its own past. Due to its unpredictable nature and the risk of synaptic damage, the Substrate is highly illegal outside of certain intelligence and research circles.

Game Mechanics: TL: 14 Cost: Cr 15,000 (Black Market) Legality: Highly Illegal (Law Level 11+)

Applying the patch to an object is a significant action. The patch remains active for one hour. A character must then touch the object to attempt to perceive the imprint. This requires a Difficult (10+) EDU or Psionics (any) check.

Effect 4+ (Exceptional Success): The image is perfectly clear and provides unexpected context. The Referee provides a crucial clue.
Effect 2-3 (Success): The user experiences a clear, static image of a key moment from the object’s past. The Referee provides a useful clue.
Effect 0-1 (Marginal Success): The image is distorted and confusing. The Referee provides a cryptic or incomplete clue, and the neural feedback is taxing, inflicting 1D temporary EDU damage.
Effect -1 or less (Failure): The feedback is a chaotic psychic storm. The user learns nothing useful and suffers 1D permanent EDU damage from synaptic scarring. There is a chance (8+) the user develops a new, negative mental quirk (paranoia, phobia, etc.) related to the experience.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition

Ashes of Attestation

A pinch of fine, pale teal dust, said to be created by the ritualistic burning of the rare Gravebloom petal in the presence of ancient sea salt and powdered warpstone-scryer’s crystal. It is a tool of inquisitors and obsessive scholars who are willing to risk their sanity and souls for an undeniable glimpse of the truth. When sprinkled upon an object, it forces the object to briefly manifest a silent, unmoving echo of its past for those willing to look.

Game Mechanics: Rarity: Very Rare Enc: 0 Price: 12 GC

A character can use an action to apply the Ashes to a single, inanimate object, consuming the dose. For the next hour, the object is tainted with this echo. A character may then touch the object and make a Challenging (+0) Lore (History) or Perception Test to see the vision.

On a Success: The character sees a clear, static image of a key historical moment. The GM provides a useful clue. The act of forcing one’s sight upon the past is an unnatural one; the character gains 1 Corruption point.
On a Failure: The character sees a confusing, disturbing image and learns nothing useful. The psychic intrusion still scars the soul; the character gains 1d2 Corruption points.
Astounding Failure (Fails by 4+ SL) or Ulrican’s Fury: The character is slammed by a horrifying vision of pure chaos and tragedy related to the object. They gain no information, take 1d3+1 Corruption points, and must immediately make a Test to resist gaining a Minor Mental Corruption.