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Time 721 of the Ember Keeper

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by

Dale
in

The Time 721 of the Ember-Keeper is a heavy, soot-stained bronze pocket watch that possesses no internal gears or springs. Instead of a ticking hand, the face contains a miniature, suspended vortex of glowing charcoal embers. Lore dictates that these devices were first forged by the Chrono-Smiths of the Ash Islands to assist explorers in maintaining vital heat sources during the Perpetual Frost Era. The watch does not measure the passage of seconds across the world but rather localizes the temporal state of a flame. By anchoring a fire in its most vigorous moment of growth, the user can ensure that a budding spark survives the initial, fragile stages of ignition. It is often carried by scouts and woodsmen who must build fires in damp or wind-swept environments where a single gust could normally extinguish a fledgling flame.

  • Slot: Belt
  • Weight: 0.8 lbs
  • Material: Soot-stained Bronze, Magically Preserved Embers
  • Tier: 1
  • Rarity: Common
  • Skills Gained while Openly Worn: The avatar gains proficiency in Fire-Starting and Weather Survival. The wearer feels an instinctive pull toward the driest kindling within a thirty-foot radius.

Passive Magic

  • Stasis Spark: Any non-magical flame ignited by the wearer within five feet of the item is temporarily locked in its current state of combustion. This prevents the fire from being extinguished by natural winds or light rain for the first five minutes of its existence.
  • Thermal Anchor: The wearer’s body temperature remains stabilized at a comfortable level as long as they are within ten feet of a fire they personally started, resisting the effects of mundane cold environments.

Activable Magic

  • Temporal Kindle (Active): The possessor can use an action to concentrate on a small, flickering flame. The magic accelerates the “future” of that flame, causing it to consume fuel and expand at triple the normal speed for one minute, effectively turning a small spark into a roaring campfire in seconds.
  • Rewind Cinder (Active): Once per day, the user can touch a pile of cold ash that was part of a fire they built within the last 24 hours. The item rewinds the local time of the ashes, restoring one glowing ember that is hot enough to reignite a new fire immediately without the need for a conduit or skill roll.

Tags Time, Fire, Utility, Chronomancy, Survival, Tool, Bronze, Belt-item, Tier-1, Chronomancy, Heat, Gear, Metal, Ancient, Portable, Non-electronic, Common, Attuned, Passive, Active

The Time 721 of the Ember-Keeper is primarily obtained through trade or discovery within the industrial hubs and frontier outposts of Saṃsāra. Because it is a tier 1 item of common rarity, it is frequently found in locations where explorers and laborers congregate before venturing into the uncharted islands or ruins.

  • Acquisition through Discovery: Many of these items are recovered from the ruins of old civilizations found in the backwoods and jungles. Adventurers often find them inside soot-covered lockers or within the workshops of abandoned steam-factories. Since the item is made of durable bronze, it survives the decay of time quite well, often requiring only a simple cleaning to function again.
  • Acquisition through Crafting: Chrono-Smiths and Alchemical Artificers in the larger metropolises produce these watches using magical circuits and captured elemental embers. A character might obtain one by commissioning a smith in a city with high magic flow, providing the raw bronze and a small fee for the temporal enchantments.

The shops where such an item is bought and sold are diverse, reflecting the mixed Middle-Age and Renaissance aesthetic of the world.

  • General Gear Outfitters: These shops are common in walled towns and larger cities. They resemble cluttered warehouses filled with leather goods, bronze tools, and steam-powered components. In these establishments, the Time 721 of the Ember-Keeper is sold as a standard survival tool for scouts. The cost in a General Gear Outfitter typically hovers around 15 Silver.
  • Alchemical Boutiques: Located in the more affluent districts or floating cities, these shops are cleaner and more organized, often smelling of ozone and sulfur. They focus on items that utilize magic crystals and elemental essences. Because these shops cater to a more specialized clientele, the presentation is higher, and the cost is usually around 18 Silver or 9 Nickel depending on the local currency preference.
  • Frontier Trading Posts: These are found on the edges of dangerous wilderness areas or in small island communities. These shops are often the only source of supplies for leagues, creating a seller’s market. In a frontier post, the item might be sold for as much as 25 Silver, or the merchant might demand a trade of equal value in rare monster parts or salvaged scrap metal.
  • Scrap and Salvage Yards: In the dark cave systems or the industrial sectors of metropolises, salvage hunters sell items they have recovered from ruins. These shops are the best place to find a used or “previously attuned” watch. Because the buyer assumes the risk of the item’s condition, the cost is lower, often around 10 Silver or 2 Electrum.

The process of buying and selling involves the Mind’s Eye. A merchant will often allow a potential buyer to examine the item’s stats passively to verify its tier and properties. Conversely, when a character sells a watch to a shop, the merchant will use their own Mind’s Eye to ensure the magical circuits are intact and the temporal embers are not depleted. If the item is being sold by an avatar, they can expect to receive about half of the suggested market value in Silver or Gold, depending on the tier of the shop and the desperation of the merchant. Transactions are always conducted with physical coins, as no electronic banking or online systems exist in this world.

In the world of Saṃsāra, the Time 721 of the Ember-Keeper is utilized in various environmental contexts to gain tactical advantages during confrontations or to secure a position against hostile forces. Its ability to manipulate the temporal state of a flame allows an avatar to weaponize heat or create defensive barriers that would otherwise be impossible with mundane fire-starting methods.

  • In a defensive capacity within a Somewhat Safe Area, such as a walled city during a night watch, an avatar can use the item to maintain a perimeter of “Stasis Spark” torches. Because these flames are locked in a temporal state of vigorous combustion, they cannot be extinguished by a sudden magical gust of wind or a torrential downpour created by an adversary. This ensures that the avatar’s Mind’s Eye is never blinded by total darkness, allowing them to maintain their doubled Armor Class and see the basic stats of incoming threats without the risk of being plunged into a shadow-based ambush.
  • In an offensive role within Normal Areas like a forest or jungle, the “Temporal Kindle” activation is used to create sudden environmental hazards. An avatar can toss a simple lantern or a handful of lit kindling toward an opponent’s position and immediately accelerate its future state. Within seconds, a small flicker becomes a roaring pillar of fire that consumes the surrounding foliage. This forces foes to reposition or take damage from the heat, effectively controlling the battlefield and allowing the avatar to dictate the flow of the engagement through thermal intimidation.
  • When navigating an Unsafe Area such as a damp cave or a shoreline, the item provides a defensive thermal buffer. By utilizing the “Thermal Anchor” passive, an avatar can stand in the middle of a shallow pool of water while holding a small torch and remain unaffected by the numbing cold of the environment. This prevents the physical sluggishness associated with hypothermia, ensuring the avatar maintains their full mobility and reaction speeds even when their Armor Class is halved by the regional safety level.
  • Offensively, the “Rewind Cinder” ability can be used for psychological warfare or tracking. If an avatar discovers the cold campfire of a foe, they can restore a glowing ember from the dead ash. This ember can be used to ignite a “Silver Fire” enhanced arrow or projectile. By utilizing the heat of a restored cinder, the avatar can launch a surprise attack that uses the enemy’s own previous fire against them, potentially catching the target off guard while they believe their trail has gone cold.
  • During a siege or a large-scale confrontation in a metropolis, the item is used to defend vital steam-powered infrastructure. An avatar can place the watch near the pilot lights of a steam boiler. The “Stasis Spark” ensures that even if the boiler room is flooded or subjected to pressure fluctuations, the elemental fire remains constant. This prevents the mechanical power transmission of the building from failing, keeping the gears, shafts, and pulleys moving so that defensive steam-traps and automated turrets remain operational against invaders.
  • In a direct offensive strike, an avatar can use the “Temporal Kindle” on a specialized alchemical fire-pot. By accelerating the combustion of the chemicals within the pot just as it impacts a target, the resulting explosion is significantly more intense than a standard chemical reaction. This creates a localized burst of heat that can melt the mundane gear of a tier-1 foe or cause significant distraction, allowing the avatar to follow up with a weapon attack while the enemy is overwhelmed by the sudden temporal surge of the flames.

Perception of Activation:

  • User’s Perspective: Upon engaging the “Temporal Kindle” or “Rewind Cinder” functions, the possessor feels a sudden, sharp increase in the weight of the bronze watch against their hip. As concentration deepens, the internal suspended embers begin to rotate with increasing velocity, creating a faint gyroscopic pull that the user can feel through their clothing. The metal of the watch case does not grow hot, but a phantom sensation of warmth begins to radiate from the user’s sternum, spreading outward to their fingertips. Visually, the user sees thin, translucent golden threads of light—temporal ley lines—connecting the face of the watch to the target flame or pile of ash. These threads vibrate at a frequency that the user perceives not as sound, but as a rhythmic thrumming in their marrow.
  • Observer’s Perspective: To a bystander, the activation is marked by a distinctive metallic “clink” as the internal embers lock into a new rotational pattern. The soot-stained bronze of the watch begins to glow with a faint, amber luminescence, casting long, flickering shadows on the ground regardless of the ambient light level. The air immediately surrounding the watch ripples and distorts, similar to the heat haze seen above a sun-baked road. If the “Temporal Kindle” is used, the observer sees the target fire expand with unnatural, jerky movements, as if several minutes of growth are being compressed into a stuttering, high-speed visual. There is no accompanying increase in smoke, only a sudden, violent surge in the brightness of the light and the roar of the flames.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions: Avatars with high-tier memories or those sensitive to the flow of magic perceive a localized “stretching” of the environment. The Mind’s Eye reveals that the area around the fire is being pulled from the future, leaving a slight temporal vacuum that manifests as a brief, chilling breeze flowing toward the flame. Those with telepathic abilities might hear a sound like a distant, echoing grandfather clock ticking at an impossible speed. Furthermore, the “smell” of the magic is perceived as aged parchment and ozone, a sharp contrast to the natural scent of burning wood. To the magically attuned, the target flame appears to have a secondary, ghostly silhouette that shows the fire’s state several minutes into the future.
  • Positives: The primary benefit is the absolute certainty of ignition and maintenance. The user experiences a heightened sense of calm and environmental control, as the chaotic variables of wind and moisture are bypassed by the temporal lock. This provides a significant psychological advantage in survival situations, as the “Thermal Anchor” ensures the user’s physical coordination remains peak. The acceleration of the fire also allows for the rapid deployment of steam-powered equipment or the immediate creation of a defensive light source to ward off creatures sensitive to sudden brightness.
  • Negatives: The activation causes a temporary “temporal nausea” in the user once the concentration ends, manifesting as a brief feeling of being out of sync with one’s own movements for a few seconds. Additionally, the localized temporal distortion is highly visible to anyone with even limited Mind’s Eye capabilities, making it impossible to use the item stealthily. The aggressive acceleration of a fire can also lead to the rapid depletion of available fuel; a fire that would normally burn for hours may consume all its wood in twenty minutes if the temporal state is not carefully managed, potentially leaving the avatar in total darkness sooner than anticipated.

Blueprint for the Chrono-Sync Firebox

  • Materials Needed:
    • 12 ounces of High-Grade Bronze (must be free of lead impurities)
    • 1 ounce of Alchemically Stabilized Charcoal (pre-soaked in elemental fire essence)
    • 1 small pane of Tempered Quartz (to serve as the viewing lens)
    • 3 feet of Silver Wire (drawn to a thickness of 0.5mm for magic circuit tracing)
    • 1 pinch of Sand from a Time-Dilation Zone or a ruined desert hourglass
    • 2 drops of Dragon-Salamander oil (used for lubricating the temporal pivot)
  • Tools Required:
    • A Steam-Driven Precision Lathe (for housing fabrication)
    • Etching Needles tipped with Diamond (for tracing internal circuits)
    • An Elemental Forge (capable of maintaining a constant temperature of 1000°C)
    • A Conduit of Magic (such as a wand or a rule-breaker’s focal point)
    • Calipers and a Micrometer (calibrated to the nearest micron)
  • Skill Requirements:
    • Tier 1 Metalworking: Proficiency in bronze casting and precision lathing.
    • Tier 1 Alchemical Infusion: Ability to handle and stabilize elemental fire essences without accidental ignition.
    • Basic Chronomancy Theory: Understanding of localized temporal anchors and the “future-state” of combustion.
    • Mind’s Eye Proficiency: Necessary for visualizing the invisible flow of magic circuits during the etching process.
  • Crafting Steps:
    • Begin by casting the bronze into a circular pocket-watch housing. Once cooled, use the steam-driven lathe to hollow out the center, leaving a mounting rim for the quartz lens.
    • Using the etching needles and silver wire, trace a concentric geometric pattern on the interior floor of the housing. This pattern must act as a magic circuit designed to trap and loop temporal energy.
    • Place the stabilized charcoal embers into the center of the housing. Use the magic conduit to initiate a “Passive Stasis” spell, ensuring the embers remain suspended and do not touch the bronze walls.
    • Carefully sprinkle the time-dilation sand over the silver circuits. The sand will adhere to the silver, acting as a temporal insulator to prevent the magic from leaking out of the device.
    • Apply the Dragon-Salamander oil to the top hinge and the winding knob. While the knob does not turn gears, it acts as the physical interface for the avatar to “wind” the temporal threads.
    • Fit the tempered quartz lens over the embers and seal the edges with a thin bead of molten bronze.
    • To complete the process, perform a 10-minute ritual attunement while the item is still warm. During this ritual, the crafter must use their Mind’s Eye to ensure the internal embers begin their perpetual rotation, indicating the temporal loop has successfully closed.

Burning Clock which Defied Falling Cold

Long ago, when the sky was a different color and the islands of Saṃsāra were but seeds in the belly of the Great Deep, there existed the First Smith, whose name has been eaten by the wind. In those days, the Sun became weary and forgot to walk across the heavens. The Great Cold descended, a frost so heavy it broke the backs of the mountains and turned the breath of the living into jagged glass.

The people huddled in the ribs of the world, crying for the Red Flower of Heat. But the wood was wet with the tears of the clouds, and the sparks of the flint were weak, dying before they could taste the dry grass. The Smith, seeing his kin turning into statues of salt and ice, reached into the Great River of Then and Now. He pulled out a handful of Tomorrow and stuffed it into a box of copper and tin.

He spoke to the spark: “You shall not be a memory of the past, but a promise of the future.” He took the embers of the last hearth and placed them within the box. Because the box contained Tomorrow, the fire did not know how to die, for it was always waiting for the next moment to arrive. When the Smith held the box near the damp logs, the logs became confused; they thought they were already old and dry, and so they surrendered to the flame with a roar like a lion of gold.

However, the Smith grew proud. He attempted to turn the knob of the box to find the Day of the Great Ending, wishing to steal the heat of a thousand summers at once. The box shrieked with a voice of grinding metal. The Smith’s hands became soot, and the box vanished into the mists, reappearing only to those who seek to nurture the spark rather than consume the world. The translated scrolls say: “He who holds the hour of the flame must not try to eat the sun, lest the sun find him made of wax.”

Fragments of the text suggest that the Ember-Keeper was not a man, but a gestalt of many minds who dreamed of a warm morning. They forged seventy-and-one companions to the original clock, spreading them across the 73 lands so that no soul would ever be forced to sleep in the bite of the frost again. Many of these clocks were buried when the islands shifted, waiting for the Mind’s Eye of a new avatar to see their amber heartbeat beneath the dirt.

Moral of the Story: It is better to anchor a single spark in the present than to burn all of tomorrow for a moment of glory.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: Chronos-Relic of the Hearth

  • Description: A heavy bronze pocket watch with a swirling ember vortex inside.
  • Skill – Art/Craft (Technical Survey) or Science (Physics): A successful roll allows the investigator to understand the temporal nature of the device.
  • Special Mechanic – Stasis Spark: Spend 1 Magic Point (MP) to anchor a small fire. For the next hour, the fire cannot be extinguished by non-magical wind or rain.
  • Special Mechanic – Temporal Kindle: Spend 3 Magic Points (MP) and make a POW roll. On a success, a small flame instantly grows to the size of a campfire. On a Hard Success, the fire provides a +10% bonus to any nearby Survival rolls involving warmth.
  • Special Mechanic – Rewind Cinder: Spend 5 Magic Points (MP) and 1D4 Sanity points. The user restores a flame from dead ashes. This counts as a “supernatural encounter” for those witnessing it for the first time.
  • Armor: None.
  • Weight: 0.8 lbs.

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: The Spark-Winder’s Chronometer

  • Item Type: Fine Arcane Implement (1 Load)
  • Tier: 1 (Fine Quality)
  • Mechanic – Passive: While this item is equipped, you have Potency when taking action to start a fire in harsh conditions (rain, high winds, or underwater).
  • Mechanic – Active: You may expend a Special Ability use or take 2 Stress to perform a “Flashback” where you previously “set” a fire to burn perfectly. This fire ignores the “Limited Effect” of bad weather or lack of fuel for one scene.
  • Mechanic – Rewind: You may tick a 4-clock (Temporal Fatigue) to instantly reignite a cold hearth. When the clock is full, the item is inactive until you perform a downtime activity to “re-wind” the embers using the Attune action.

Dungeons & Dragons (2024 Edition)

Unique Name: Chronometer of the Eternal Ember

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item
  • Rarity: Common
  • Attunement: Required
  • Slot: Waist (Belt)
  • Properties:
    • Stasis Spark: While wearing this watch, any nonmagical fire you light within 5 feet of you is immune to the effects of natural wind and rain for 10 minutes.
    • Thermal Anchor: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against the effects of Extreme Cold as long as you are within 10 feet of a campfire you started.
    • Temporal Kindle: As an Action, you can target a Tiny nonmagical flame within 10 feet. The flame immediately grows to fill a 5-foot cube. This fire consumes fuel at 3x the normal rate. Once used, this property can’t be used again until the next dawn.
    • Rewind Cinder: As an Action, you can touch a pile of ashes from a fire that burned out within the last 24 hours. A single ember reignites. This ember can be used to start a new fire immediately without a check.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: The Ash-Heir’s Watch

  • Item Type: Relic
  • Slots: 1 Slot
  • Quality: 3/3 (Uses represent the stability of the temporal embers)
  • Mechanic – Passive: You automatically succeed on any check to start a fire unless conditions are magically suppressed.
  • Mechanic – Skill: While worn, you gain a +1 bonus to WIS checks related to foraging or surviving in cold climates.
  • Mechanic – Active: Once per day, you may cast the following “Spell” (no book required):
    • Chrono-Flame: A fire you touch is frozen in time for 1 hour. It provides light and heat but does not consume fuel and cannot be put out.
  • Wound Mechanic: If this item is in a slot that receives a Wound, the bronze casing cracks and the embers vanish. The item must be repaired by a master smith and “re-fueled” with elemental essence before it can be used again.

Fate Core / Fate Condensed

Unique Name: The Pocket-Chronos Tinderbox

  • Type: Extra (Costs 1 Refresh)
  • Aspects: Tied to the Future of the Flame, Bronze Echo of the Chrono-Smiths
  • Stasis Spark: Once per scene, you may use the item to place a Time-Locked Fire situation aspect on a flame you have started. This aspect comes with one free invoke and cannot be removed by mundane weather or environmental effects (like rain or wind) until the scene ends.
  • Thermal Anchor: You gain a +2 bonus to Physique or Will rolls to resist the effects of extreme cold or environmental exposure as long as you are carrying the item and are near a heat source.
  • Temporal Kindle: You may spend a Fate Point to immediately turn a small spark or candle into a Roaring Conflagration. This fire acts as a Great (+4) obstacle for anyone trying to pass through it and deals 2 stress to anyone starting their turn within it.
  • Rewind Cinder: By spending a Fate Point, you may find a “lingering heat” in a place where a fire once was, effectively allowing you to restart a fire instantly without needing to roll or have materials, even if the ashes are cold.

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: Chrono-Thermal Regulator

  • Level: 1d6 (Tier 1)
  • Form: A heavy, ancient bronze disk with a transparent synth-glass center showing trapped, rotating embers.
  • Effect:
    • Passive: The user is trained in Survival tasks related to finding fuel and starting fires.
    • Stasis Spark (1 Intellect point): A flame started by the user is “locked.” For the next hour, it cannot be extinguished by wind, rain, or low oxygen.
    • Temporal Kindle (3 Intellect points): The user accelerates the time of a small fire. The flame immediately expands to fill a 10-foot area (Short range). This deals damage equal to the Artifact’s level to anything caught in the expansion.
    • Rewind Cinder (2 Intellect points): The user touches cold ash and pulls an ember from the recent past (up to 24 hours). This allows for the immediate ignition of a new fire.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Roll upon using an active effect).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition Remaster)

Unique Name: Ember-Keeper’s Chronometer

  • Item Level: 1
  • Price: 15 gp (Adjusted to PF2e economy)
  • Usage: worn (belt); Bulk: L
  • Traits: Magical, Transmutation, Fire
  • Description: This soot-stained bronze pocket watch houses a miniature vortex of glowing charcoal.
  • Stasis Spark (Passive): When you use the Survival skill to light a fire, the fire is magically protected. For 10 minutes, it is unaffected by non-magical wind and precipitation.
  • Thermal Anchor (Passive): You gain a +1 item bonus to saving throws against environmental cold effects.
  • Temporal Kindle [Action] (Envision, Fire): Frequency: Once per day. Effect: You target a tiny non-magical fire within 30 feet. The fire instantly grows to a 5-foot square. Creatures in the square take 1d6 fire damage (DC 15 Basic Reflex save). The fire consumes fuel at triple the normal rate.
  • Rewind Cinder [Action] (Manipulate): You touch the remains of a fire that went out within the last 24 hours. You magically restore a single ember, allowing you to start a new fire without a toolkit or check.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: The Hourglass Hearth

  • Type: Magic Item (Relic)
  • Weight: 1 lb
  • Stasis Spark: Any fire started by the user ignores penalties from Rain or Wind. It cannot be extinguished by natural means for 10 minutes.
  • Thermal Anchor: The user gains a +2 bonus to Vigor rolls made to resist Cold Hazards.
  • Temporal Kindle: As an action, the user may make a Focus or Spirit roll. On a success, a Small Burst Template centered on a tiny flame becomes a roaring fire. Anyone inside must make a target’s Agility roll or take 2d4 damage. On a Raise, the damage increases to 2d6.
  • Rewind Cinder: Once per day, the user can spend a Benny to “find” a hot ember in any pile of ashes less than a day old. This allows a fire to be started instantly.
  • Negative (Minor Curse): If the user rolls a Critical Failure on any roll involving the watch, they suffer a level of Fatigue from “Temporal Nausea” as their internal clock desyncs for 1d6 rounds.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Unique Name: The Chrono-Anchor Focal Watch

  • Item Type: Magical Focus (Alchemical)
  • Object Resistance: 9 (Bronze and high-magic refinement)
  • Stasis Spark: When the user initiates a fire using a mundane tool or spell, they may spend 1 Minor Action to “anchor” the flame. The fire ignores environmental visibility or extinguish penalties from wind or rain for a number of minutes equal to the user’s Magic Rating.
  • Thermal Anchor: While carrying this item, the user adds +2 to their dice pool for any Survival tests involving cold environments or fatigue resistance against freezing temperatures.
  • Temporal Kindle: The user may spend a Major Action and 1 Edge to accelerate the combustion of a nearby flame. The fire immediately expands by a number of meters equal to the user’s Magic Rating. Targets within the area take 3P (Fire) damage with an Elemental Effect (Fire).
  • Rewind Cinder: The user may perform an Astral Projection or Perception check (Threshold 3). On a success, they locate a “temporal echo” of a fire in a pile of ash, allowing them to draw out a physical ember that lasts for 1 minute.
  • Syntax Note: This item functions as a Tier 1 alchemical focus and does not require a datajack or commlink, as it is purely magical.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Unique Name: Ember-Loop Chronometer

  • Item Level: 1
  • Price: 250 Credits
  • Bulk: L
  • Traits: Magical, Fire, Tech (Low)
  • Stasis Spark (Passive): You gain a +2 item bonus to Survival checks to start fires. Fires you start are immune to the extinguished condition caused by non-magical atmospheric effects (like thin air or light rain) for 10 minutes.
  • Thermal Anchor (Passive): You gain Cold Resistance 2. This resistance only applies to environmental cold hazards, not cold-based weapon damage.
  • Temporal Kindle [Two-Actions]: You target a Small or smaller non-magical fire within 30 feet. The fire explodes into a 10-foot burst. Creatures in the area take 1d6 Fire damage (Reflex DC 13 for half). The fuel for the fire is consumed immediately after this burst.
  • Rewind Cinder [Action]: You touch a cold fireplace or ash pile. You use the item to pull a burning coal from the past. You can use this coal as a light source (10-foot dim light) or to start a new fire without a survival kit.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: The Ancient Bronze Heat-Sync

  • TL (Tech Level): 0 (Primitive materials) with anomalous Magic/Psionic properties.
  • Weight: 0.5 kg
  • Stasis Spark: When camping in a vacuum, thin atmosphere, or extreme weather, any fire started with this device ignores the usual Difficulty DM penalties for “Extreme Environment.” The fire will continue to burn even in 100km/h winds.
  • Thermal Anchor: The wearer counts as having one additional level of “Cold Protection” gear while within 3 meters of a fire they have started. This stacks with Vacc Suits or Cold Weather Clothing.
  • Temporal Kindle: By succeeding on a Psionic (Awareness) check at 10+, the user can force a small fire to flare. This acts as a distraction or a signal that can be seen for 10 kilometers. If used as a weapon, it deals 1d6 damage to anyone in the same square.
  • Rewind Cinder: The user may spend 1D minutes searching old ashes. On a successful Recon check (1D6+Skill), they find a “Temporal Hot-Spot” which provides 100% success for the next fire-starting attempt in that location.

Warhammer (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition)

Unique Name: The Chrono-Smith’s Ticking Ember

  • Item Type: Magical Artifact
  • Encumbrance: 0
  • Traits: Durable, Fine, Magical
  • Stasis Spark: Any fire lit by the wielder is considered “Blessed by the Smith.” It cannot be doused by non-magical means (including the Rain of Life spell) for a number of Rounds equal to the user’s Willpower Bonus.
  • Thermal Anchor: The wielder gains a +10 bonus to all Endurance Tests made to resist the effects of Exposure or the Cold condition.
  • Temporal Kindle: As an Action, the user may make a Channeling (Aqshy or Ghyran) Test. For every +2 Success Levels (SL), a small fire expands to cover an additional 2 yards. Anyone caught in the area suffers a Hit with a Damage of 4, ignoring AP from leather or wood-based armor.
  • Rewind Cinder: Once per day, the user can spend a Fortune Point to automatically succeed on a Survival Test to start a fire, even if they have no fuel, by “rewinding” the local air to a state of heat.
  • Misfire: If the user rolls a 99 or 00 when using this item, the embers desync. The user suffers a Minor Miscast and the watch becomes cold for 24 hours.