GearAscendancy.com

Psionic 712 of the Hollow Echo

—

by

Dale
in
  • Lore
    • The Hollow Echo was originally developed by the “Silent Engineers” of the subterranean megacities, where the constant vibration of steam pipes and the psychic chatter of millions of souls can become overwhelming.
    • These engineers applied psionic principles to create a field of “Absence”—not a physical invisibility, but a cognitive void that encourages the minds of others to simply look elsewhere.
    • It is often said that wearing the 712 feels like standing in a room where everyone has forgotten you were invited; you are physically present, yet psychically absent from the local narrative.
  • Detail Stats
    • Tier: 1
    • Rarity: Common
    • Slot: Neck (Amulet/Choker)
    • Material: Brushed lead-glass housing with a suspended, slow-pulsing quartz crystal submerged in alchemical mercury.
    • Weight: 0.5 lbs.
    • Durability: Moderate (Glass casing is reinforced but susceptible to heavy blunt force).
  • Skills Gained While Openly Worn
    • Stealth (Psychic): The avatar gains proficiency in moving through crowds without being remembered or noticed by casual observers.
    • Insight (Emotional Dampening): The ability to remain calm and analytical in high-stress social or combat situations, shielding the wearer from emotional contagion.
  • Passive Magic
    • Static Field of Uninterest: While the item is worn, creatures with a lower Tier than the wearer must actively concentrate to remember the wearer’s specific facial features or clothing details once they leave the line of sight.
    • Psychic Insulation: Provides a minor buffer against mental noise. The wearer can sleep soundly even in the noisiest industrial zones or crowded barracks, as the item filters out the “ambient thoughts” of nearby sentient beings.
  • Activable Magic
    • Pulse of Non-Existence (Active): Once per long rest, the wearer can touch the lead-glass housing to initiate a 1-minute burst of total psychic absence. During this time, the wearer is ignored by feral creatures and non-possessed NPCs unless the wearer takes a hostile action or makes a loud noise. (Requires 1 minute of concentration to activate).
    • Thought-Bridge (Silent): The wearer can transmit a single, simple emotion or 3-word phrase to another sentient being within 30 feet. This does not allow for a full conversation but serves as a “nudge” in the target’s mind. (Requires a Silent action).
  • Tags
    • Psionic, Tier 1, Neck Slot, Stealth, Mental Shield, Common, Absence, Communication, Item, Saṃsāra, Psychic, Passive, Low-Frequency, Cognitive, Void, Lead-Glass, Tier-1, Non-Detection, Etherialization, Focus, Subtle

Acquisition of the Psionic 712 of the Hollow Echo

In the sprawling islands of Saṃsāra, obtaining an item of “Absence” typically requires navigating the physical and social layers of industrial society. Because this item relies on lead-glass and refined mercury rather than rare monster parts, it is often found where engineering and psionic disciplines intersect.

  • Industrial Salvage: Adventurers often find these items in the lockers of retired steam-gate engineers or within the ruins of abandoned subterranean administrative offices. Because the item encourages people to forget its existence, it is frequently overlooked during initial looting of ruins, sitting undisturbed on a shelf for decades.
  • Apprenticeship Hand-me-downs: Since the item is considered Tier 1 and “Common,” it is a frequent graduation gift for acolytes of the Silent Engineers. A character might obtain one by performing a service for a local guild or by finding a discarded unit in the “scraps bin” of a psionic workshop.
  • Barter and Trade: Due to the “sellers’ market” nature of Saṃsāra, an avatar might trade a high-quality set of steam-valves or a collection of Cyno-Saurian teeth to a traveling merchant who has grown tired of the item’s psychological dampening effect.

Venues of Commerce

The buying and selling of psionic gear occurs in specific environments that can handle the delicate nature of lead-glass and mercury-based magic circuits.

  • Subterranean Cog-Bazaars: Located in the damp, vibrating tunnels of megacities, these shops are usually cramped stalls lit by flickering magic-flow lamps. The air is thick with the smell of ozone and hot oil. Here, the Psionic 712 is sold as a utility tool for workers who need to endure the mental strain of the deep caves. The shopkeepers are often “Rule Breakers” who use their own hand gestures as conduits to test the mercury resonance of the items they sell.
  • Lead-Glass Ateliers: These are more refined establishments found in the mid-levels of skyscrapers or floating cities. They specialize in “Cognitive Engineering.” The windows are thick to block out external noise, and the items are displayed on velvet cushions inside brass-framed cases. In these shops, the item is marketed to the wealthy as a “Social Shield” to help them navigate political intrigue without being easily recalled by rivals.
  • Salvage Exchange Depots: Found near the docks of the 73 island countries, these are chaotic warehouses where items are bought and sold in bulk. The Psionic 712 might be found in a bin of “Miscellaneous Neck-wear.” The seller here likely does not understand the psionic properties and may sell it as a simple lead-glass trinket.

Economic Valuation and Costs

As value is determined by the seller and the local availability of lead-glass and mercury, the cost of the Psionic 712 of the Hollow Echo fluctuates significantly based on where the avatar stands.

  • In a High-Production Industrial Hub: In cities where lead-glass is manufactured in mass quantities, the item is relatively accessible. A seller might ask for 80 Silver or 16 Electrum. If the seller is eager to clear inventory, they might accept a mix of silver and copper.
  • In a Remote Jungle Outpost: Because the item must be shipped via airship or zeppelin, the cost increases due to the risk of transport. A merchant in a hidden ruin camp might demand 12 Gold or even 2 Platinum if they believe the buyer is desperate for a way to hide from the local feral predators.
  • At a Refined Atelier: In a megacity skyscraper, the presentation and “guaranteed resonance” of the item command a premium. The price here is often expressed in gold, typically ranging from 15 to 25 Gold depending on the aesthetic quality of the brushed glass housing.
  • At a Salvage Exchange: If the buyer uses their Mind’s Eye to identify the item’s true nature before the seller does, they might walk away with it for as little as 50 Silver or a handful of Nickel coins, though the “buyer beware” principle applies—the mercury might be settled or the glass slightly cracked.
  • Trade for Sustenance: In desperate regions, a seller might bypass metal coins entirely, demanding three high-quality meals (valued for their 1 HP restoration) and a set of steam-pulleys in exchange for the device.

In the world of Saṃsāra, the roleplay of “Absence” through the Psionic 712 of the Hollow Echo depends heavily on the atmospheric density of the environment and the tiers of those present. Because the item manipulates cognitive perception rather than physical light, its utility shifts between social environments, industrial hubs, and the feral wilderness.

Defensive Roleplay Applications

The defensive use of “Absence” is centered on the concept of being “psychically frictionless.” The goal is to ensure that even if an avatar is seen, they are not registered as a threat or a point of interest.

  • Social and Political Environments: In a high-society skyscraper gala or a crowded trade hub, defense is about avoiding the “weight” of social scrutiny. An avatar roleplays this by moving through conversations like a ghost. When a guard looks their way, the avatar does not hide; instead, they maintain a neutral, uninteresting posture. The item encourages the guard’s mind to slip past the avatar. Roleplay involves describing how the avatar’s voice sounds “hollow” or “distant,” making it difficult for others to engage them in confrontation or remember their face for a later bounty.
  • Industrial and High-Noise Zones: In the vibrating heart of a steam-factory, the 712 acts as a shield against the psychic clutter of thousands of workers. Defensively, the avatar uses the item to “dim” their own presence within the magic flow. If a steam-pipe bursts or a mechanical failure occurs, the avatar can remain calm while others panic, as the “Psychic Insulation” filters out the surrounding fear. Roleplay focuses on the avatar’s uncanny stillness amidst the roaring gears and hissing valves.
  • Feral Wilds: Against creatures like the Cyno-Saurian Aquila 842, defense is the art of becoming part of the background noise. Since these monsters hunt by detecting the “pressure” of a soul, the 712 allows the avatar to “flatten” their psychic signature. An avatar might roleplay holding their breath not to hide their scent, but to synchronize their mind with the “Absence” of the lead-glass focus, hoping the predator’s Mind’s Eye registers them as a mere rock or a dead steam-vent.

Offensive Roleplay Applications

Offense through “Absence” is counter-intuitive; it involves using the lack of presence to gain a tactical advantage. This is the “Psychic Ambush,” where the strike comes from a direction the target’s mind had already dismissed.

  • The “Unseen Hand” in Combat: In an offensive skirmish, an avatar utilizes the “Pulse of Non-Existence.” They don’t just attack; they wait until the target has psychically “deleted” them from the priority list. Roleplay describes the avatar stepping into the target’s blind spot—not because the target can’t see them, but because the target’s brain has decided the avatar is not “real” enough to worry about. The offense concludes with a sudden, jarring manifestation of force that breaks the “Absence” with maximum impact.
  • Psychic Sabotage and Manipulation: Using the “Thought-Bridge,” an avatar can offensively plant seeds of doubt. In a negotiation or a tense standoff, the avatar transmits a 3-word phrase like “The valve leaks” or “He is lying” into a target’s mind. Because of the item’s “Absence” property, the target often believes the thought was their own. The roleplay emphasizes the subtle manipulation of the target’s internal monologue, leading them into a mechanical or social trap without realizing they were pushed.
  • Infiltration of Guarded Perimeters: Offense can also be the proactive removal of barriers. An avatar roleplays walking directly through a guarded steam-gate. As the guard’s eyes track across the room, the avatar times their movement to match the guard’s rhythmic blinking or the “ebb” of the local magic flow. By the time the guard realizes someone has passed, the avatar has already reached the mechanical power transmission shafts to initiate sabotage.

Impact of Tier Levels on Roleplay

  • Against Lower Tiers: The avatar feels like a god of shadows. The “Static Field of Uninterest” is so strong that the avatar can almost walk in plain sight. Roleplay is confident and bold; the avatar treats the environment as if it were empty.
  • Against Equal Tiers: The roleplay becomes a “duel of focus.” The avatar must be careful; if they draw too much attention or stay in one place too long, the target’s Mind’s Eye might “snag” on the mercury vibration of the lead-glass. Roleplay involves tension, careful movement, and a constant awareness of the “shimmer” in the lead-glass housing.
  • Against Higher Tiers: The “Absence” is thin and fragile. The higher-tier entity can “feel” the void where a person should be. Roleplay here is desperate and cautious. The avatar knows they are being watched by something that can see through their lead-glass shield, and they must use the item only for a fleeting second of distraction to escape.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Visual Perception: The alchemical mercury within the lead-glass housing begins to rotate in a counter-clockwise vortex, casting a faint, rhythmic azure glow that pulses in synchronization with the wearer’s heartbeat.
  • Tactile Perception: A localized drop in temperature occurs against the skin of the neck as the item draws thermal energy to power the psionic field. This is accompanied by a fine, high-frequency vibration that feels like a swarm of microscopic insects humming against the collarbone.
  • Auditory Perception: A soft, metallic “clink” resonates within the glass as the quartz crystal settles into its active position, followed by a persistent low-frequency drone that sounds like steam escaping from a distant, muffled pipe.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP):
    • Cognitive Silence: The chaotic “psychic static” of the surrounding world—the ambient emotional echoes of nearby souls—is suddenly cut off, replaced by a profound, internal silence.
    • Spatial Detachment: The wearer experiences a brief sensation of “vertigo in reverse,” as if their physical body has become slightly less anchored to the floor, creating a feeling of being a mere observer rather than a participant in the physical space.
    • Thought-Weight: When utilizing the Thought-Bridge, the user feels a slight pressure behind the eyes, as if pushing a physical object through a thick liquid toward the target’s mind.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Visual Perception: To a casual observer, the wearer seems to “flatten” visually. While they are still physically visible, the eye tends to slide past them as if they were a piece of uninteresting background architecture or a smudge on a steam-vent.
  • Auditory Perception: Sounds made by the wearer, such as footsteps on a metal floor or the rustle of clothing, seem to lose their directionality, making it difficult for an observer to pinpoint exactly where the noise originated.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP):
    • Memory Decay: If an observer looks away from the activated item, they find it difficult to immediately recall the color of the wearer’s hair or the specific shape of their face; the memory feels “greasy” and difficult to grasp.
    • The “Void” Instinct: Highly sensitive creatures or avatars may feel a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease or a “cold spot” in their Mind’s Eye, though they cannot easily identify the wearer as the source.

Positives

  • Psychic Shielding: The item provides absolute relief from the overwhelming mental noise of high-density megacities and industrial zones.
  • Tactical Invisibility: It allows for movement through guarded areas where physical hiding is impossible, relying on the cognitive failure of the guards rather than physical concealment.
  • Emotional Stability: The dampening effect prevents the wearer from being affected by magical fear, mass panic, or the emotional outbursts of others during delicate negotiations.

Negatives

  • Thermal Drain: Prolonged activation can lead to localized frostbite or extreme fatigue as the item continues to leach body heat for energy.
  • Social Erasure: If the item is activated during a friendly interaction, the user may find that allies unintentionally ignore them, forget to include them in plans, or lose track of their presence in a chaotic skirmish.
  • Overwhelming Silence: The transition from the “Cognitive Silence” back to the normal psychic noise of Saṃsāra can be jarring, leading to temporary headaches or disorientation when the item is deactivated.

Blueprint for the Psionic 712: The Hollow Echo Construction

  • Materials Needed
    • Leaded-Glass Ingot: One high-clarity ingot, specifically treated to dampen external light and absorb psychic vibrations.
    • Alchemical Mercury: 50 milliliters of purified mercury infused with silver-fire residues to act as a conductive fluid for thought-waves.
    • Suspension Quartz: A single, naturally faceted quartz crystal, no larger than two centimeters, to serve as the psionic resonator.
    • Copper Magic-Circuits: A spool of fine copper wire, etched with microscopic runes, for the internal rotational mechanism.
    • Brass Housing Components: Precision-tooled brass plates and a sturdy neck-ring to contain the glass and internal components.
    • Steam-Condensed Distillate: A small vial of water captured from the exhaust of a High-Magic boiler to serve as a coolant during the glass-blowing phase.
  • Tools Required
    • Glass-Blower’s Pipe and Kiln: Capable of reaching temperatures high enough to fuse leaded-glass without shattering the internal quartz.
    • Fine Jewelers’ Pliers: For the intricate shaping and placement of the copper circuits.
    • Precision Steam-Lathe: Required to mill the brass housing to exact tolerances for a hermetic seal.
    • Mind’s Eye Focusing Lens: A specialized tool to verify the alignment of the psionic resonance during the mercury infusion.
    • Alchemical Soldering Iron: Used to bond the copper circuits to the lead-glass casing.
  • Skill Requirements
    • Crafting (Glassworking): Proficiency in handling delicate leaded-glass and creating internal voids.
    • Engineering (Steam & Mechanical): Knowledge of rotational power systems to ensure the mercury vortex functions correctly.
    • Psionic Theory: An understanding of “Absence” and cognitive dampening to properly attune the quartz crystal.
    • Alchemy: Competence in handling infused mercury and soldering magic-flow circuits without causing a mana-short.
  • Crafting Steps
    • Step 1: The Core Resonance: Begin by cleaning the suspension quartz in the steam-condensed distillate. Once purified, use the Mind’s Eye to identify the crystal’s natural “frequency of silence” and mark the poles where the copper circuits will attach.
    • Step 2: Circuit Integration: Carefully wrap the copper magic-circuits around the quartz. These wires must be coiled in a specific counter-clockwise pattern to facilitate the “Absence” field. Solder the ends of the wires to the base of the brass housing.
    • Step 3: The Glass Enclosure: Heat the leaded-glass ingot until it is malleable. Using the pipe, blow a small, hexagonal chamber. Before the glass cools, insert the quartz-and-circuit assembly into the center. This requires extreme precision to avoid melting the copper or cracking the glass.
    • Step 4: Mercury Infusion: While the glass is still warm but firm, use a fine needle to inject the alchemical mercury into the chamber. The mercury must surround the quartz without touching the copper wire directly, creating a fluid buffer for the psychic vibrations.
    • Step 5: Sealing and Housing: Hermetically seal the glass chamber using a final drop of molten lead-glass. Once cooled, fit the glass into the precision-milled brass housing. Secure the housing with small brass screws and attach the neck-ring.
    • Step 6: Attunement: Place the finished item near a low-pressure steam vent. As the item warms, the mercury will begin to rotate. The crafter must then perform a Silent chant to bind the item’s “Absence” property to the quartz resonator, completing the 712.

Man Who Was Not and Glass of Frozen Breath

In the epoch when the mountains were yet soft like the dough of the baker and the islands of Saṃsāra were but a single scattered thought of the Dreaming God, there existed the First Un-Maker. The story-plates of the deep-sink cities, eroded by the salt-winds of nine millennia, speak of a Great Clerk of the Copper Gears. This man, whose name is rendered in the ancient glyphs as a “Gap in the Sound,” worked in the service of a King who wished to count every soul in the multiverse.

The Clerk was burdened by the noise of the many. In that time, the souls arriving from the beyond were loud with the screams of their past lives. The psychic flow was not a river, but a flood that broke the dams of the mind. The Clerk sought a way to become as the space between the gears—present for the turning, but untouched by the friction.

He traveled to the Throat of the Steam, where the elemental fire and the elemental water first shook hands. There, he found a pool of Silver Mercury that did not reflect the stars. He took a stone of Transparent Thought (the quartz of the deep) and encased it in a bubble of Lead-Glass, which the ancient translation describes as “The Eye that Refuses to See.”

The Clerk placed the bubble about his neck. The unknown tongue of the first people suggests that as the mercury began its rotation, the Clerk’s shadow detached itself and ran into the woods, for it no longer had a master to follow. He walked back into the King’s megacity, through the gates guarded by the Iron-Eyed Sentinels. The Sentinels looked at him, and their minds became like a polished mirror; they saw the bricks behind him, they saw the dust at his feet, but they did not see the man.

The poorly translated scrolls say the Clerk lived in the King’s palace for forty years. He ate from the King’s table, but the King never set a place for him. He slept in the King’s chambers, but the King never felt the weight on the rug. He was the “Absence that Dines,” the “Ghost that Breathes.” He watched the political intrigue, the whispered betrayals, and the clank of the mechanical power systems, but he was never a witness, for no one could bear the memory of his presence.

However, the “Magic Flow” began to ebb. The Lead-Glass started to leach the warmth from the Clerk’s very blood. The ancient text warns of the “Price of the Void.” One morning, the Clerk realized he had forgotten his own name, for he had not heard it spoken in a generation. He went to the Great Mirror of the King, and the mirror showed only the empty air and the steam-vents on the far wall.

He tried to scream, but the sound was “swallowed by the glass.” He ran to the streets, grabbing the hands of the avatars, but they merely wiped their palms as if they had touched a damp mist. He had become so absent that the world had accepted his non-existence as a fundamental law of physics. The story-sticks of the jungle-dwellers claim he eventually wandered into a steam-generator and became part of the vapor itself—a soul made of lead-glass and mercury, forever looking for a memory to call home.

The Artificers of the later ages found the bubble of glass in the ashes of the first boiler. They copied the copper circuits and the mercury swirl, but they limited the power, for they feared the total erasure of the self. They called it the 712, a mere fragment of the original “Gap in the Sound.”

Moral of the Story: To be forgotten by your enemies is a shield, but to be forgotten by yourself is a grave; he who hides too well in the shadows may find that the light no longer knows how to find him.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu

Amulet of the Cognitive Void

  • Item Type: Artifact
  • Sanity Cost: 1 point to activate
  • Magic Points: 2 per activation
  • Duration: 1D10 minutes
  • Mechanics:
    • When the mercury vortex is activated, any individual attempting to track, identify, or recall the wearer must succeed on an Extreme INT roll. Failure indicates the wearer is treated as a background detail and immediately ignored.
    • Psychic Shielding: The wearer gains a +20% bonus to rolls made to resist mental intrusion or social influence.
    • Thermal Drain: At the end of the duration, the wearer must pass a CON roll or suffer 1 point of damage from localized freezing.

Blades in the Dark

The Ghost-Glass Locket

  • Tier: 1
  • Quality: Fine (Psionic/Arcane)
  • Load: 0 (Worn as jewelry)
  • Mechanics:
    • Psychic Absence: You may expend 1 Stress to activate the locket for a scene. While active, you gain +1d to Prowl rolls when moving through a crowd or a guarded area. NPCs of Tier 1 or lower will not remember your presence unless you engage in loud or violent action.
    • Thought-Bridge: You may whisper a short thought to a nearby ally or NPC. If the NPC is Tier 1, this functions as a Sway attempt with Improved Effect, as they believe the thought is their own.
    • Side Effect: After the mission, if the locket was used, the wearer takes -1d to any Downtime activity involving social carousing or gathering information, as people struggle to remember them.

Dungeons & Dragons

Choker of the Hollow Echo

  • Wondrous Item: Common
  • Armor Class: No bonus
  • Attunement: Required (Worn)
  • Mechanics:
    • Static Field: While wearing this item, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in plain sight or blend into a crowd.
    • Pulse of Non-Existence: As an action, you can activate the choker for 1 minute. Creatures with an Intelligence score of 10 or lower have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to notice you. If you attack or cast a spell, this effect ends.
    • Psychic Insulation: You have advantage on saving throws against being Charmed or Frightened.
    • Cold Snap: If the item is active for more than 10 minutes in a single day, the wearer takes 1d4 cold damage every minute thereafter as the mercury leeches body heat.

Knave

Void-Glass Amulet

  • Item Slot: 1 (Neck)
  • Armor: +0
  • Quality: 3 (Leaded Glass)
  • Mechanics:
    • Uninterest: NPCs and monsters must make a WIS save to remember your face or description after you leave their presence.
    • Pulse (1/Day): You become effectively invisible to all non-magical creatures for 10 minutes. This effect breaks if you run, scream, or strike a foe.
    • Mental Buffer: You are immune to magical sleep and confusion effects while the amulet is worn.
    • Fragile: If you take a heavy blow to the chest (Critical Hit), the glass shatters, releasing the alchemical mercury and dealing 1d6 damage to the wearer while destroying the item.

Fate

Amulet of the Hollow Echo

  • Aspects:
    • Function: Cognitive Void and Mental Shielding
    • Flaw: Physically Draining Cold
  • Stunts:
    • Psychic Absence: Because I am wearing the Hollow Echo, I gain a +2 to Stealth rolls made to blend into a crowd or move through guarded areas where cover is unavailable.
    • Thought-Bridge: Once per session, I can use my focus to create a “Planted Thought” advantage on a target within my zone. This thought is perceived by the target as their own internal monologue.
    • Mental Insulation: I can use my Will to defend against social or mental attacks with a +2 bonus, as the mercury vortex absorbs psychic pressure.
  • Cost of Use: If I use the Pulse of Non-Existence to automatically succeed at a Stealth overcome action, I must take a 1-shift physical hit representing the thermal drain on my body.

Numenera & Cypher System

Psionic Resonator 712

  • Level: 1d6 + 1 (Typical Level 3)
  • Form: A lead-glass pendant containing rotating alchemical mercury.
  • Effect:
    • Passive: While worn, the difficulty of all Stealth tasks is decreased by one step.
    • Active (Action): The wearer can activate the mercury vortex to become “psychically invisible” for 10 minutes. During this time, the difficulty of all tasks to notice, remember, or track the wearer is increased by two steps for all creatures.
    • Psychic Buffer: The wearer has +1 Armor against Intellect damage.
    • Depletion: 1 in 1d20. On depletion, the alchemical mercury settles and becomes inert; the item requires a refill of silver-fire residue and steam-condensed distillate to function again.

Pathfinder

Hollow Echo Amulet (Psionic Item 712)

  • Item 1
  • Price: 15 Gold (Varies by island availability)
  • Usage: Worn, neck; Bulk: L
  • Traits: Psionic, Magical, Invested
  • Description: This lead-glass amulet hums with a low-frequency vibration that dampens the presence of the wearer.
  • Activation [One-Action]: (Concentrate); Effect: You gain a +2 item bonus to Stealth checks to Hide or Sneak. This bonus increases to +4 when you are in a crowd of at least 10 people.
  • Activation [Two-Actions]: (Concentrate, Pulse); Frequency: Once per day; Effect: You become psychically absent for 1 minute. You gain the effects of the Invisibility spell, but only against the senses of creatures with an Intelligence of -2 or higher. Feral creatures or mindless constructs are unaffected.
  • Thermal Drain: If the Pulse is used, you become Clumsy 1 for 10 minutes as your muscles stiffen from the cold.

Savage Worlds

The 712 Hollow Echo

  • Type: Wondrous Item
  • Rank: Novice
  • Attributes:
    • Psychic Absence: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to Stealth rolls. Furthermore, anyone attempting to use Notice to spot the wearer suffers a -2 penalty as their mind slides off the avatar’s image.
    • Mental Shield: The item provides +2 Armor against mental or psionic attacks and adds +2 to rolls made to resist Social Influence.
    • Thought-Bridge: The wearer can spend a Benny to send a 3-word message to anyone within 10″. This message is heard in the target’s own voice.
  • Special Rules:
    • Thermal Drain: On a critical failure of any Stealth or Spirit roll while wearing the item, the mercury leeches too much heat. The wearer suffers one level of Fatigue that can only be recovered by a Long Rest near a heat source.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Psionic-Link: The 712 Null-Pendant

  • Type: Focus (Qi or Sustaining equivalent)
  • Availability: 3R
  • Cost: 8,000¥ (Equivalent to 80 Silver / 12 Gold conversion)
  • Mechanics:
    • Cognitive Masking: The pendant provides a +2 dice pool bonus to Stealth tests against living observers. This is a mental manipulation effect that prevents the observer’s brain from registering the wearer as a priority.
    • Psychic Buffer: The wearer gains a +1 bonus to their Defense Rating against any Mana-based or Mental spells and powers.
    • Thought-Bridge: By spending a Minor Action, the wearer can transmit a single sensory impression or short phrase (3 words) to a target within 10 meters.
    • Thermal Leech: If the pendant is active for more than one Combat Turn, the wearer must resist 2S damage (unfilterable) at the start of each subsequent turn due to the extreme drop in local temperature.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Psionic 712 Hollow Echo (Level 2 Magic Item)

  • Usage: Worn (Neck)
  • Bulk: L
  • Price: 450 Credits
  • Description: A lead-glass housing containing a mercury vortex that dampens the wearer’s psychic signature.
  • Passive: You gain a +1 item bonus to Stealth checks.
  • Active [One-Action] (Psychic, Visual): Once per day, you can trigger a Pulse of Non-Existence. For 1 minute, you gain the “Hidden” condition from all sentient creatures, even if you do not have cover or concealment. This effect ends if you make an attack or perform a loud action.
  • Thought-Bridge [Reaction]: When a creature within 30 feet makes a Will save, you can transmit a distracting thought. The creature takes a -1 penalty to that saving throw.
  • Thermal Draw: Using the Pulse causes you to become “Sickened 1” from the cold until you spend an action to warm your neck.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Hollow Echo Psionic Focus

  • TL: 12
  • Cost: Cr5,000
  • Required Psionic Talent: Telepathy 0 or Awareness 0
  • Mechanics:
    • Psychic Absence: Any creature attempting to Notice or Recon the wearer must pass an Average (8+) EDU or INT check. If they fail, the wearer is simply not remembered as being present.
    • Shielding: The focus provides a +1 DM to all rolls made to resist psionic assault or telepathic intrusion.
    • Thought-Bridge: The user may spend 1 Psionic Strength point to send a short, 3-word message to any sentient creature within Medium range.
    • Constraint: The item is fragile (Glass casing). If the wearer takes damage from a fall or a melee attack, roll 2D. On a 10+, the glass shatters and the mercury is lost.

Warhammer (Age of Sigmar: Soulbound)

The 712 Glass of Absence

  • Rarity: Common
  • Complexity: DN 4:2
  • Slot: Neck
  • Traits:
    • Unseen Presence: While wearing this amulet, the Difficulty of Awareness Tests made to spot you is increased by one step. This effect does not work on mindless Undead or Automatons.
    • Mental Fortress: You gain a +1d6 bonus to any Soul Tests made to resist being Charmed, Frightened, or controlled by hostile magic.
    • Thought-Bridge: As a Free Action on your turn, you can project a simple emotion or a very short phrase to a creature within Short range.
    • The Cold Price: If you use the amulet to automatically succeed on a Stealth (Body) Test, your Speed is reduced by one category (e.g., Fast to Normal) until you take a Rest near a heat source.