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Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand

—

by

Dale
in

Lore

  • Born from island traditions where storytellers, carvers, and tattooists learned to replicate ancestral marks so precisely that even elders had to look twice.
  • The Borrowed Hand was never meant to deceive for profit, but to preserve continuity when the original maker was absent, dead, or lost to the sea.
  • Over generations, the totem’s use drifted from preservation into imitation, and from imitation into forgery, though it still refuses to copy meaning—only form.
  • Elders say the ancestors tolerate its existence because it reveals how easily people trust symbols without understanding them.

Description

  • A palm-sized totem carved from layered driftwood and dark shell, shaped like an open hand pressed flat.
  • Fine grooves trace finger lines, nail edges, and knuckle whorls, filled with soot-black resin and pale chalk.
  • When active, the surface subtly reshapes, imitating textures such as ink strokes, seal impressions, fiber grain, or tool marks.

Rarity and Tier

  • Common
  • Tier 1

Slot

  • Trinket (glove-laced charm, wrist-bound totem, or document-weight; must be openly worn)

Skills Gained While Openly Worn

  • +1 Forgery, Disguise, or Replication-related checks
  • +1 Sleight of Hand, Fine Craft, or Precision Work checks

Passive Magical Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • The wearer intuitively understands the physical motion required to reproduce marks, signatures, stamps, or symbols they have closely observed.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Paper, parchment, hide, bark, ink, clay, wax, and carved surfaces feel distinct and readable, revealing how they were worked.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Micro-movements are subtly corrected, reducing shakes, uneven pressure, or accidental deviation during delicate work.

Activatable Magical Effects

  • Form Echo (2/day):
    • After studying a mark, seal, or written sample, the totem briefly “remembers” its shape, granting heightened accuracy when reproducing it once.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/day):
    • By chanting softly and pressing the totem to a surface, the wearer may adjust texture, pressure, or stroke depth to better match the original medium.
  • Witness Blur (1/day):
    • For a short period of focused work, casual observers find it difficult to notice that replication is occurring, perceiving the action as routine or unremarkable.

Roleplay Notes

  • The totem cannot invent new symbols convincingly; it only borrows what already exists.
  • It grows cold when copying marks tied to oaths, burial rites, or ancestral ownership.
  • Overuse may cause the wearer to lose confidence in their own handwriting or artistic identity.

Tags
TribalMagic, Totem, Ritual, Forgery, Imitation, Ancestral-Form, Precision, Nonviolent, Cultural-Artifact, Symbolic, Craft-Focused, Signature-Mimicry, Seal-Replication, Texture-Matching, Ink-Sympathy, Hand-Discipline, Subtle-Deception, Cultural-Marks, Stroke-Control, Non-Destructive, Observational-Craft, False-Continuity

How this item might be obtained

  • Granted quietly by an island elder or ritual artisan after the avatar proves they can faithfully reproduce ancestral patterns without altering their meaning, often as part of record preservation or lineage restoration.
  • Earned through service to a council or clan tasked with restoring damaged treaties, weathered carvings, or incomplete ceremonial records where accuracy mattered more than authorship.
  • Recovered from a shuttered scribe-house, tattoo lodge, or seal-keeper’s hut where the totem was left behind after its original bearer refused to misuse it.
  • Crafted jointly during a night-long ritual of observation and imitation, where the avatar must copy sacred marks under supervision without being told which details matter most.

Shops where it might be bought and sold

Ancestral Record Houses

  • Communal buildings where histories, marks, seals, and agreements are preserved and maintained.
  • The totem is offered only to those who claim a role in preservation, mediation, or sanctioned replication.
  • Sales are often accompanied by warnings about misuse and cultural consequences.
  • Typical cost ranges from 7 to 10 silver, reflecting common rarity but restricted access.

Ritual Craft Lodges

  • Workshops where carvers, tattooists, scribes, and symbol-makers work alongside spirit-keepers.
  • The item is demonstrated by copying a simple mark rather than described verbally.
  • Buyers may be required to show an example of their own handwork before purchase.
  • Cost usually ranges from 6 to 9 silver, sometimes lowered if the buyer contributes materials or labor.

Island Archive Exchanges

  • Semi-formal marketplaces near council halls or ports where ceremonial tools and record-keeping items change hands.
  • The totem is classified as a replication aid, not a deception device.
  • Transactions are logged, and misuse can damage the buyer’s reputation.
  • Cost commonly ranges from 8 to 12 silver depending on provenance and craftsmanship.

Traveling Artisan Caravans

  • Mobile groups of scribes, artists, and ritualists moving between islands and gatherings.
  • The totem may be traded for completed work, restoration services, or sworn discretion rather than coin alone.
  • When sold for currency, cost generally ranges from 5 to 8 silver.

Private Mediator or Advocate Suppliers

  • Discreet shops supplying tools to negotiators, treaty-writers, and dispute resolvers.
  • The totem is sold as a means to maintain continuity when originals are unavailable.
  • Buyers are expected to understand the legal and cultural risks of imitation.
  • Cost typically ranges from 9 to 13 silver due to discretion, demand, and limited supply.

Roleplay use by environment

Island villages, council halls, and record houses

  • Defense:
    • The totem preserves continuity when original records, seals, or marks are damaged, preventing disputes from escalating due to missing documentation.
    • Ancestral Muscle Memory allows the wearer to restore worn symbols accurately, protecting agreements from being challenged as invalid.
  • Offense:
    • Faithful replication of authoritative marks can be used to test whether others truly recognize legitimacy or merely respond to symbols.
    • Presenting a flawless copy can expose corrupt officials who rely on appearances rather than substance.

Ports, docks, and trading hubs

  • Defense:
    • The totem helps recreate lost manifests, cargo seals, or identification marks after storms, theft, or sabotage, protecting livelihoods.
    • Material Familiarity reveals whether documents were altered recently, allowing defensive verification before accepting terms.
  • Offense:
    • Temporary replication of trade marks or travel papers can be used to gain access long enough to uncover fraud or smuggling networks.
    • Witness Blur reduces scrutiny during delicate copying in crowded, watchful environments.

Urban settlements and bureaucratic centers

  • Defense:
    • The totem enables discreet restoration of damaged notices, permits, or civic markings without alerting hostile observers.
    • Steady Borrowed Hand prevents telltale errors that could invalidate defensive paperwork.
  • Offense:
    • Accurate duplication of seals or signatures allows infiltration of restricted areas to gather information rather than cause harm.
    • Surface Sympathy ensures copied marks match official mediums closely enough to withstand casual inspection.

Remote islands, ruins, and abandoned sites

  • Defense:
    • The totem assists in reconstructing partial inscriptions or carvings, preserving knowledge that might otherwise be lost to erosion.
    • Replication allows records to be removed without disturbing the original site.
  • Offense:
    • Form Echo enables the wearer to recreate ancient symbols to trigger mechanisms, open sealed paths, or test ritual responses without damaging originals.
    • Borrowed marks can be used to lure hostile guardians into revealing themselves.

Forests, jungles, and wilderness camps

  • Defense:
    • The totem aids in copying trail signs, clan markers, or warning glyphs to maintain safe routes and avoid misunderstandings.
    • Accurate replication prevents accidental violation of territorial boundaries.
  • Offense:
    • Imitated signs can redirect pursuers or mislead hostile groups without direct confrontation.
    • Witness Blur reduces the chance that observers realize signs are being altered or reproduced.

Ceremonial grounds and sacred spaces

  • Defense:
    • The totem allows restoration of ritual markings damaged by weather or conflict, preventing spiritual or social offense.
    • It resists copying marks tied to oaths or burial rites, protecting sacred boundaries.
  • Offense:
    • Controlled imitation of non-sacred ceremonial symbols can provoke dialogue or reveal those exploiting tradition for power.
    • The act of replication itself can be used as a test of cultural understanding rather than deception.

Roleplay emphasis across all environments

  • Defense focuses on preservation, continuity, and preventing conflict caused by lost or damaged symbols.
  • Offense is subtle and nonviolent, relying on imitation, access, and exposure rather than force.
  • The totem emphasizes that symbols hold power because people believe in them, and belief can be examined, protected, or challenged through careful replication.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Sight:
    • The carved hand subtly shifts at the edges, finger grooves tightening and relaxing as if remembering different grips.
    • Fine lines along the palm darken and lighten in sequence, briefly forming the texture of ink strokes, pressed seals, or etched fibers before dissolving back into wood and shell.
  • Sound:
    • A faint, dry rasp like charcoal dragged across parchment can be heard only by the wearer.
    • The sound comes in short bursts, stopping abruptly whenever the wearer hesitates.
  • Touch:
    • The totem feels warmer at the center of the palm and cooler at the fingertips, guiding pressure and motion unconsciously.
    • Resistance changes under the fingers, as though the surface is teaching the hand how firmly to press.
  • Smell:
    • Subtle scents of soot, resin, salt air, and old paper surface briefly, even if none are present nearby.
  • Extrasensory (ancestral and cognitive impressions):
    • A sensation of borrowed motion flows into the hands, not as instruction but as memory replayed through muscle.
    • Shapes are perceived as intent-free forms; the wearer understands how something was made without knowing why.
    • The mind briefly separates identity from action, as if the hand belongs to someone else performing the work.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Sight:
    • The totem’s grooves faintly glow or darken in shifting patterns, like impressions being pressed and released repeatedly.
    • The wearer’s hands move with unusual confidence and consistency, even if they were previously unskilled.
  • Sound:
    • Observers may notice soft scraping or tapping noises that do not clearly match the materials being handled.
  • Presence:
    • The act appears routine or unremarkable, as though nothing unusual is happening, even when careful copying is underway.

Positives

  • Greatly improves precision, consistency, and confidence during delicate replication work.
  • Reduces visible tells such as shaking, uneven pressure, or hesitation.
  • Allows accurate matching of texture, depth, and stroke without conscious calculation.

Negatives

  • Prolonged use can blur the wearer’s sense of their own handwriting or stylistic identity.
  • Emotional detachment may occur, making the work feel mechanical or impersonal.
  • The subtle visual changes may attract attention in highly scrutinized or magically sensitive environments.

Recipe: Rite of the Borrowed Hand

Materials Needed

  • Driftwood collected from a shoreline where tides regularly erase markings
  • Thin plates of dark shell or polished coral, naturally layered and unbroken
  • Fine soot-black resin made from burned plant fiber and tree sap
  • Pale chalk dust ground from limestone, shell, or coral
  • Braided cord of plant fiber or sinew cured with salt and smoke
  • A small quantity of ash from a communal or craft fire
  • Clean fresh water collected at dusk
  • A steady breath offering from the intended wearer, released slowly during focus

Tools Required

  • Fine carving knife or chisel suitable for wood and shell
  • Scraping stone or shell file for smoothing grooves
  • Small mortar and pestle for mixing resin and chalk
  • Soft cloth, leaf, or hide for polishing
  • Weights or clamps made of stone or wood for binding layers
  • Quiet workspace suitable for chanting and uninterrupted focus

Skill Requirements

  • Knowledge of tribal ritual practice or ancestral symbolism
  • Fine motor control and precision carving skill
  • Observational skill for studying marks, textures, and surfaces
  • Ability to maintain calm concentration without rushing

Crafting Steps

  • Select a piece of driftwood shaped by water rather than tools; do not cut it to size beyond minimal shaping.
  • Layer shell or coral onto the driftwood base, binding temporarily until the hand-like form emerges naturally.
  • Carve shallow grooves tracing finger lines, nail edges, and palm whorls, never piercing fully through any layer.
  • Mix soot-black resin with a small amount of ash and press it into deeper grooves; fill finer lines with pale chalk dust.
  • Polish the surface lightly so the fills remain only within the carved lines.
  • Bind the layered form permanently with braided cord, tightening gradually while maintaining even pressure.
  • Rinse the totem briefly with fresh water, then allow it to dry in open air.
  • Perform a low chant while studying a simple mark or symbol, focusing on how it was made rather than what it represents.
  • Release the breath offering over the totem while holding it flat in the palm.
  • Successful crafting is indicated when the surface subtly shifts under touch, briefly mimicking texture without changing shape.

Hand That Was Never Its Own

What follows is taken from a song remembered incorrectly, written down by someone who did not understand why the pauses mattered more than the words. The ordering is broken. The meaning is heavy.

In the age before names were fixed, there lived a maker who had no mark of their own. When asked to sign, they pressed nothing. When asked to carve, they copied what had already been carved. This angered many, for people believed a thing must belong to the one who made it.

The maker watched elders argue over which words were true. Each held a token. Each swore it was old. Each swore it was theirs. The ancestors were silent because no one asked in the right way.

So the maker took wood from the sea that had lost its story many times. They took shell that had been broken and made smooth again. They shaped a hand, not clenched, not pointing, but resting as if waiting to receive something.

They filled its lines with dark and light so it could remember both pressure and release. They did not bless it. They did not name it. They only watched.

When the hand was placed upon stone, it learned stone.
When pressed to bark, it learned bark.
When laid upon skin marked by ink, it learned the weight of living motion.

The elders accused the maker of theft. The maker said nothing. They pressed the hand flat upon the ground where an agreement had once been spoken. The hand remembered the way the seal was made, not the words that sealed it.

When the seal was shown again, some elders wept. Others grew angry. Those who were angry did not understand why.

The maker was asked if the hand could lie. The maker said it could only repeat. They were asked if it could deceive. The maker said deception begins before the hand moves.

The story says the maker disappeared, but the hand did not. It passed quietly between those who restored records, and later between those who wished to change them. Sometimes the hand grew cold and would not answer. Sometimes it shifted willingly and taught without judgment.

The final lines are scratched faintly, as if the writer hesitated: a mark copied perfectly can still be false if the heart believes the copy is the truth.

The Moral of the Story:
That symbols are easy to borrow, but meaning cannot be taken without consequence.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: Ancestral Forgery Totem

Type

  • Enchanted Totem Trinket (worn; must be openly worn)

Attunement

  • 1 minute of calm handling and low chant; only one owner at a time

Passive Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain a bonus die on Art/Craft (Calligraphy), Art/Craft (Carving), or any Forgery-related roll to reproduce marks, signatures, seals, or patterns you have studied closely.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain a bonus die on Spot Hidden or Science (Forensics) when determining how a mark was made (ink pressure, tool direction, fiber grain, stamp depth).
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Ignore one penalty die per scene caused by stress, poor lighting, vibration, or time pressure when performing delicate replication.

Active Effects

  • Form Echo (2/day)
    • After observing a signature, seal, or mark for at least one round, you may replicate it once with heightened accuracy: gain a bonus die on the Forgery roll and reduce the chance of obvious tells.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/day)
    • For one replication attempt, treat mismatched materials as compatible (wrong paper, different ink, imperfect stamp surface): negate one level of difficulty or one penalty die.
  • Witness Blur (1/day)
    • For a short interval of focused work, casual observers overlook that replication is taking place. The Keeper may impose a penalty die on an onlooker’s Spot Hidden to notice the act, unless they are specifically watching for forgery.

Complication

  • If two actives are used in the same scene, the wearer may suffer identity drift: the Keeper can impose a penalty die on one social roll involving personal authenticity (once per session at most).

Blades in the Dark
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: The Counterfeit Totem-Hand

Type

  • Gear (Worn Totem)
    Load: 1
    Requirement: Must be worn openly to function

Passives

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Take +1d to Tinker or Study when replicating marks, seals, signatures, patterns, or toolwork you’ve observed.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Take +1d to Study to identify how something was made or altered (pressure, tool angle, medium mismatch).
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • When forging under stress, reduce the severity of a consequence by one level on a controlled or risky action (GM adjudication).

Actives

  • Form Echo (2 uses per score)
    • Take +1 effect on a single forging action after close observation; you may also create the situational aspect “Perfectly Matched Stroke” with one free invoke.
  • Surface Sympathy (1 use per score)
    • Treat inadequate materials as sufficient; improve position or ignore a quality mismatch for one action.
  • Witness Blur (1 use per score)
    • While you work, casual witnesses treat the act as routine; reduce Heat by 1 for the score if the forgery is central to the plan and no other loud complications occur.

Drawback

  • Echo Saturation
    • Using two actives in the same scene starts a short clock representing stylistic drift; completion causes a complication tied to identity, voice, or personal handwriting.

Dungeons & Dragons (5e, current)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand
Wondrous item, common (requires attunement)

Worn Slot

  • Trinket (wrist-bound charm or document-weight; must be openly worn)

Passive Properties

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • You have advantage on Dexterity checks made with calligrapher’s supplies, painter’s supplies, or woodcarver’s tools to replicate marks, seals, or patterns you have examined.
  • Material Familiarity
    • You gain a +1 bonus to Intelligence (Investigation) checks to determine how a mark, seal, or document alteration was produced.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Once per short rest, you can add 1d4 to a Sleight of Hand check made to perform precise work.

Activated Properties

  • Form Echo (2/long rest)
    • As part of making a forgery, you may invoke the totem’s memory. For that single forgery attempt, you gain advantage on the check and can treat a roll of 9 or lower on the d20 as a 10.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/long rest)
    • When forging with imperfect materials, you can ignore one source of disadvantage or one significant material mismatch for that attempt.
  • Witness Blur (1/long rest)
    • As an action, for 10 minutes casual onlookers have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to notice you are copying or forging, unless they are specifically watching your hands.

Limitation

  • The item assists replication of form; it does not create information you do not have.

Knave (2nd Edition)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: Totem of Replication

Type

  • Magical Trinket (Worn)
    Slots: 1 (must be worn openly)

Passives

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain advantage on checks to copy signatures, seals, symbols, carvings, or tool marks you have studied.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain advantage on checks to judge ink, paper, parchment, wax, clay, wood, or how an alteration was made.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Ignore one penalty per scene caused by stress, poor conditions, or time pressure during delicate replication.

Actives

  • Form Echo (2/day)
    • After brief study, gain advantage on one forging check and produce a near-perfect match.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/day)
    • Treat bad materials as adequate for one attempt; remove disadvantage caused by mismatch.
  • Witness Blur (1/day)
    • Casual observers fail to notice you are forging unless they are actively watching for it.

Downside

  • Style Drift
    • After using two actives in one scene, take disadvantage on the next check where your personal identity, handwriting, or signature matters.

Fate (Condensed / Core)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: Aspect of the Imitating Palm

Type

  • Ancestral Totem (worn replication charm)

Aspects

  • High Concept: Ancestral Totem That Borrows Form Without Meaning
  • Trouble: I Can Copy Anything—Including the Wrong Identity

Stunts

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain +2 to Crafts when copying handwriting, seals, carvings, tattoos, or symbolic marks you have closely observed.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain +2 to Investigate when determining how a mark or symbol was made, altered, or reproduced.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Once per scene, gain +2 to overcome environmental or stress-related opposition while performing delicate replication.

Invocations (Limited Uses)

  • Form Echo (2 per session)
    • Create the situational aspect “Perfectly Matched Form” with one free invoke for a single forgery or imitation attempt.
  • Surface Sympathy (1 per session)
    • Ignore one material mismatch (wrong ink, surface, tool) for a replication-related roll.
  • Witness Blur (1 per session)
    • Create the situational aspect “Routine and Unnoticed” on the scene, usable to avoid scrutiny while copying.

Compels

  • Prolonged use blurs personal style and identity.
  • The totem resists copying marks tied to sacred oaths or ancestral ownership.

Numenera / Cypher System (Discovery / Destiny)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: Ancestral Replication Totem

Artifact Type

  • Subtle Wearable Artifact (Craft / Deception Focus)

Level

  • Level 2

Wear Slot

  • Worn totem or palm charm

Passive Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • The wearer gains an asset on tasks involving forgery, imitation, replication, or precise copying.
  • Material Familiarity
    • The wearer gains an asset on tasks to analyze how marks, symbols, or signatures were produced.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • The first replication task each day ignores one level of hindrance caused by stress, haste, or poor conditions.

Usable Abilities

  • Form Echo (2 uses per day)
    • Reduce the difficulty of one replication task by two steps after close observation of the original.
  • Surface Sympathy (1 use per day)
    • Ignore material mismatch penalties for one replication task.
  • Witness Blur (1 use per day)
    • Reduce the difficulty of avoiding notice while copying or forging by two steps for one scene.

Depletion

  • 1 in 20. On depletion, the totem becomes inert until used in a ritual of restoration or record-keeping.

Pathfinder (Second Edition)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand
Item 1
Magical, Invested, Illusion, Worn

Usage

  • Worn trinket or palm charm; invested

Passive Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain a +1 item bonus to Crafting checks to replicate handwriting, seals, symbols, carvings, or similar marks.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain a +1 item bonus to Perception or Recall Knowledge checks (GM adjudication) to analyze how a mark or alteration was made.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Once per hour, ignore a –1 circumstance penalty caused by stress or poor conditions during a replication attempt.

Activate

  • Form Echo (Two Actions; Frequency twice per day)
    • After observing a mark or symbol, gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the next Crafting check to replicate it.
  • Surface Sympathy (Reaction; Frequency once per day)
    • Trigger: You attempt to copy a mark using mismatched materials.
    • Effect: Ignore one material-related penalty for that attempt.
  • Witness Blur (One Action; Frequency once per day)
    • For 10 minutes, observers must succeed at a Perception check against your Deception DC to notice that replication or forgery is occurring.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: The Imitator’s Totem

Type

  • Worn Ritual Totem

Requirements

  • Must be worn openly; requires focused handling to activate

Passive Benefits

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain +1 to Repair, Thievery, or Performance rolls involving copying, forging, or precise replication.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain +1 to Notice or Common Knowledge rolls to determine how a mark, seal, or document was produced.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Ignore up to –1 in penalties from stress, haste, or poor conditions during delicate work.

Powers

  • Form Echo (2/day)
    • Gain +2 to a single replication or forgery roll after studying the original.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/day)
    • Ignore material mismatch penalties for one replication attempt.
  • Witness Blur (1/day)
    • For one scene, casual observers suffer –2 to Notice rolls to detect forgery or copying unless specifically watching.

Drawback

  • Identity Drift
    • If two powers are used in the same scene, suffer –1 to Spirit-based rolls until the scene ends due to loss of personal stylistic grounding.

Shadowrun (Sixth World Edition)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: Ancestral Imitation Fetish

Type

  • Ritual Fetish (Worn Totem)

Bonding

  • Requires 10 minutes of calm handling and rhythmic chanting
  • Only one bonded user at a time

Passive Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain +1 die on Artisan, Forgery, or Engineering tests involving copying handwriting, seals, stamps, carvings, or symbolic markings you have observed.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain +1 die on Perception or Logic-based tests to analyze how a mark, signature, or document alteration was physically produced.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Ignore 1 die of penalty from stress, poor lighting, vibration, or time pressure during delicate replication work.

Active Effects

  • Form Echo (2/day)
    • Minor Action. After close observation, gain +2 dice on a single forgery or replication test; the result closely matches pressure, stroke order, and depth.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/day)
    • Major Action. Treat mismatched materials (ink, paper, stamp surface) as compatible for one replication attempt; ignore related penalties.
  • Witness Blur (1/day)
    • Minor Action. For one scene, casual observers suffer –2 dice on Perception tests to notice that copying or forgery is occurring unless they are actively suspicious.

Drawback

  • Identity Drift
    • If two active effects are used in the same scene, suffer –1 die on Charisma-based social tests until the scene ends.

Starfinder
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: Ancestral Replication Totem

Item Level

  • 1

Type

  • Hybrid Magical Trinket (Worn Accessory)

Slot

  • Accessory

Passive Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Culture, Profession (scribe), or Engineering checks involving forgery or precise replication.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to determine how a mark, seal, or document alteration was made.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Ignore the first –1 penalty from environmental stress or haste when performing delicate work.

Activated Abilities

  • Form Echo (Standard Action; 2/day)
    • After observing an original, gain a +2 bonus to one check made to forge or replicate it.
  • Surface Sympathy (Reaction; 1/day)
    • Trigger: You attempt replication with imperfect materials.
    • Effect: Ignore one material-related penalty for that attempt.
  • Witness Blur (Standard Action; 1/day)
    • For 10 minutes, casual observers suffer –2 to Perception checks to notice forgery or copying unless specifically watching.

Traveller (Mongoose Traveller, 2nd Edition)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: Ancestral Imitation Totem

Type

  • Ritual Replication Totem (TL-equivalent Adaptation)

Slot

  • Worn accessory

Passive Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain DM+1 on Art, Admin, or Profession (scribe) checks involving copying, forgery, or precise replication.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain DM+1 on Investigate or INT-based checks to analyze how a mark or document was produced.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Ignore DM–1 from stress or time pressure during delicate replication tasks.

Active Effects

  • Form Echo (2/day)
    • Gain DM+2 on one replication or forgery check after studying the original.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/day)
    • Ignore material mismatch penalties for one replication attempt.
  • Witness Blur (1/day)
    • For one scene, casual observers suffer DM–2 on checks to notice forgery unless actively scrutinizing.

Limitations

  • The totem cannot invent new identities; it only reproduces observed forms.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)
Tribal 689 of the Borrowed Hand: The Ancestral Imitator Totem

Type

  • Enchanted Trinket (Worn)

Availability

  • Scarce outside island and ritual cultures

Passive Effects

  • Ancestral Muscle Memory
    • Gain +10 to Trade (Calligrapher), Trade (Artist), or Trade (Engraver) tests when copying handwriting, seals, or symbolic marks.
  • Material Familiarity
    • Gain +10 to Perception or Research tests to determine how a mark, seal, or document alteration was physically made.
  • Steady Borrowed Hand
    • Ignore up to –10 in penalties caused by stress, haste, or poor working conditions during replication.

Activated Effects

  • Form Echo (2/day)
    • Gain +20 to one test to forge or precisely replicate an observed mark.
  • Surface Sympathy (1/day)
    • Ignore penalties from mismatched tools or materials for one replication attempt.
  • Witness Blur (1/day)
    • For one scene, casual observers suffer –20 to Perception tests to notice forgery unless actively watching.

Side Effects

  • Identity Drift
    • After using two activated effects in one scene, suffer –10 to Fellowship-based tests until the scene ends due to loss of personal stylistic grounding.