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Item 4105 of Alarm

—

by

Dale
in

Lore: This item traces its origins back to the makeshift camps of the deep-forest scavengers, specifically to a paranoid sentry known as Bastian the Sleepless. Bastian was terrified of the stealthy, silken-footed predators of the woods and found standard tripwires too unreliable in the damp undergrowth. He designed this item by combining a simple brass warning bell with a fragment of a resonating magic crystal. Initially built to wake only the wearer with a physical vibration, the item’s magic proved too potent to contain, resulting in an artifact that aggressively demands the attention of everyone nearby when danger approaches. It is now a staple accessory for novice adventurers and paranoid merchants traveling dangerous roads.

Description: The item takes the form of a thick, dark leather choker. Attached to the front is a small, highly polished brass bell. However, the bell contains no metal clapper. Instead, a tiny, glowing blue magic crystal is suspended by a web of fine silver wires within the brass housing. When the item senses danger or is activated, the crystal vibrates at an incredibly high frequency, striking the brass to produce a sharp, piercing chime. The vibration transfers directly through the leather and into the wearer’s collarbone, making the alert physical as well as auditory.

Stats

  • Tier: 1
  • Rarity: Common
  • Armor Check (AC): 1
  • Slot: Neck Slot
  • Resilience: 8
  • Health Points: (Avatar’s Maximum HP) + 8

Skills Gained (Openly Worn)

  • Perception: +1 temporary skill point. The constant, faint hum of the blue crystal against the collarbone keeps the wearer’s senses sharp and attuned to sudden environmental changes.
  • Survival: +1 temporary skill point. The wearer gains an instinctual knack for identifying the most secure locations to rest or set up a defensive perimeter.

Passive Magics

  • Proximity Tremor: The blue crystal acts as a localized magical radar. If a creature with hostile intent approaches within 15 feet while the wearer is resting, distracted, or visually impaired, the bell begins to vibrate rapidly against their throat, granting a +1 bonus to resist surprise attacks and ambush mechanics.
  • Sleeper’s Vigil: The item vehemently rejects unnatural lethargy. While the choker is worn, the avatar becomes immune to Tier 1 magical sleep effects. If a mundane or magical sleep effect attempts to overtake them in a hostile environment, the bell emits a sharp physical jolt to keep the “Mind’s Eye” open.

Active Magics

  • Piercing Clarion (Normal Casting): As an action, the wearer channels a small burst of mana into the crystal, forcing the bell to ring with deafening intensity. All allies within a 60-foot radius are instantly awakened from natural or magical sleep. Additionally, the sudden adrenaline spike grants those allies a +5 foot bonus to their movement speed during their first turn of combat.
  • Ward of the Sentry (Ritual Casting): By pacing a closed perimeter of up to 30 feet and physically tapping the bell at the cardinal points over the course of one minute, the wearer creates an invisible, magical tripwire. If this boundary is crossed by a creature larger than a small rodent, the bell emits a localized, high-pitched screech that only the wearer and the intruder can hear. This deals 1d4 sonic damage to the intruder and instantly alerts the wearer to the exact point of the breach.

Tags: originally made by: Bastian the Sleepless, modified by: none, accessory, neck slot, choker, brass bell, blue crystal, sentry, wakeful, loud, vibration, ward, tier 1, common, paranoid, early-warning, resonating, chime, leather, ambush-prevention, high-frequency, insomnia, silver-wire, sonic, guard

Procurement and Marketplace Circulation of the Alarm Choker

The acquisition of Item 4105 of Alarm is highly accessible due to its common rarity and practical design. Originally crafted by forest scavengers, the design has propagated rapidly across the lands of Saṃsāra, becoming a staple tool for those who spend their lives on the road or in the wilds. An avatar might acquire this vigilant choker through several common avenues:

  • Caravan Scavenging: These chokers are frequently found in the remains of abandoned campsites, ruined merchant wagons, or the overgrown watchposts of fallen fortresses.
  • Guild Initiation: Mercenary companies, adventuring guilds, and large merchant conglomerates often issue these to their newest recruits. It ensures the novice guards do not fall asleep on their watch and can easily alert the veteran fighters if a camp is breached.
  • Novice Crafting: Because the integration of the blue crystal and the brass bell requires only foundational magical tuning, apprentice enchanters and leatherworkers often craft these chokers to practice their trade before moving on to complex artifacts.

Merchant Venues and Specialized Shops

Because it is a tool of survival rather than a weapon of war, the choker is primarily traded in logistical and travel-focused commercial hubs.

  • Adventuring Outfitters and Caravan Suppliers: Found near the grand gates of major cities or at bustling crossroads, these shops smell of canvas, oiled leather, and dried rations. The chokers are typically hung on wooden pegs right next to the bedrolls and tinderboxes. Merchants here sell the item by physically flicking the bell near the buyer’s ear to demonstrate the sharp, physical vibration of the crystal. In these reliable establishments, the cost is typically a fair 150 to 200 Silver (or 1.5 to 2 Gold).
  • The Night Markets and Smuggler’s Dens: In the shadowed alleys or underground bazaars, this item has a complicated reputation. Thieves and assassins generally despise the choker, as the loud chime is a liability to their stealth. Consequently, when criminals loot these off caravan guards, they are eager to offload them quickly. They are often kept inside muffled velvet bags during the transaction to prevent accidental chiming. Here, an avatar can buy them at a steep discount, usually ranging from 80 to 120 Silver.
  • High-End Enchanters and Jewelers: In the pristine, heavily guarded districts of floating city-states or metropolises, these items are sold more as novelties or basic home-security wards for paranoid nobles. The leather is often swapped for pristine velvet, and the brass polished to a mirror shine. The merchants sell them in padded, sound-proofed display boxes. The aesthetic upgrade marks the price up significantly, costing anywhere from 250 to 300 Silver (2.5 to 3 Gold).

Trade Values and Economic Realities

The resale value of the Alarm Choker fluctuates wildly depending on the immediate threat level of the environment.

  • In Safe Areas (Tripled AC): Inside the heavily fortified walls of a capital city or a heavily warded banking guild, the threat of ambush is non-existent. Merchants view the item as an obnoxious noise-maker and will offer a meager 40 to 60 Silver to take it off an avatar’s hands.
  • In Dangerous Areas (Halved AC): Out in the wild frontiers, deep in the labyrinths, or at remote logging camps where nocturnal predators prowl, the choker is worth its weight in gold. Desperate travelers, exhausted miners, or terrified sentries will gladly pay a premium of 100 to 140 Silver for a used, scratched choker just to guarantee they survive the night.

The Symphony of Survival: Roleplaying the Alarm Choker

Roleplaying the use of Item 4105 of Alarm requires the avatar to adopt a mindset of perpetual vigilance, bordering on paranoia. Because the magic interfaces directly with the wearer’s physical senses via the vibrating crystal, the character is fundamentally connected to their environment’s threat level. The roleplay emphasizes sudden, physical reactions to unseen stimuli and the tactical use of deafening sound.

Offensive Roleplay: The Vanguard’s Clarion

While inherently designed for protection, the choker can be weaponized as an aggressive initiation tool. The wearer utilizes the sudden shock of sound and adrenaline to overwhelm opponents.

  • In Labyrinths or Dungeon Breaches: When preparing to ambush a room of enemies, the avatar roleplays the Piercing Clarion. Before kicking down the door, the player describes the avatar gripping the brass bell and forcefully channeling mana into it. The resulting deafening chime is roleplayed as a tactical flashbang, jolting the entire party with adrenaline and allowing them to surge into the room with their movement bonus before the enemy can react to the breach.
  • In Dark Alleys of Skyscraper Metropolises: When hunting a target known for stealth, the avatar uses the Proximity Tremor offensively. The player describes their avatar walking into a seemingly empty alley, feigning ignorance or distraction. As the crystal begins to hum aggressively against their collarbone, the avatar roleplays pinpointing the hidden assassin through the vibration alone, turning a potential ambush into an immediate, aggressive counter-attack.
  • During Boarding Actions on the Endless Ocean: In the chaos of ship-to-ship combat, the avatar uses the bell to coordinate the strike team. The player roleplays the avatar leaping onto the enemy deck and triggering the bell not to wake allies, but to cut through the roar of cannons and clashing steel. The sharp physical ring acts as the ultimate combat cadence, aligning the party’s aggressive push.

Defensive Roleplay: The Paranoid Sentry

Defensively, the choker dictates the avatar’s resting habits and their spatial awareness. The roleplay focuses on the physical toll of never truly resting and the absolute trust placed in the vibrating crystal.

  • In the Deep Wilderness or Deathly Areas (Zero AC): When making camp in hostile territory, the avatar meticulously sets the Ward of the Sentry. The player describes the avatar walking the perimeter, their hand permanently resting on the brass bell, tapping it at specific intervals to weave the invisible tripwire. During the night, the roleplay highlights the avatar’s jumpiness; when the ward is breached, the avatar doesn’t just hear a noise—they describe the painful, high-pitched screech in their ear that causes them to violently snap awake, weapon already drawn.
  • In Somewhat Safe Walled Towns (Doubled AC): Within a crowded tavern or inn, the choker becomes a social liability. The player roleplays the Sleeper’s Vigil as an irritating curse. The avatar attempts to sleep, but the bell constantly hums or jolts them due to the rowdy patrons downstairs or a harmless drunk stumbling too close to their door. The avatar is described as sleep-deprived and irritable, often keeping a hand clamped over their throat to physically muffle the bell’s vibrations.
  • In Underwater Population Centers: The aquatic environment dramatically changes the nature of the alarm. The player roleplays the bell’s sound as muted, but the physical vibration of the Proximity Tremor as vastly magnified by the water density. The avatar relies entirely on feeling the hum through their collarbone, acting as a human sonar system to detect predatory movement in the dark, crushing depths before it enters visual range.

Perception of Activation:

  • User’s Perspective
    • Activation begins with a sudden, localized freezing sensation against the throat, immediately followed by a violent, high-speed vibration that rattles the collarbone and teeth.
    • A sharp, piercing chime erupts, but it feels as though the sound is originating from inside the skull rather than the external environment, causing an instant, involuntary spike of adrenaline.
    • The wearer experiences a “cold sweat” reflex—a sudden clarity of mind that aggressively banishes all feelings of fatigue, drowsiness, or distraction.
    • A metallic, ozone-like tang coats the back of the tongue as the blue crystal rapidly discharges its kinetic mana.
  • Observer’s Perspective
    • Observers witness the polished brass bell blur into a vibrating haze, moving so fast it appears to split into multiple translucent afterimages.
    • A deafening, shrill ringing cuts through all ambient noise, sharp enough to cause bystanders to instinctively wince or cover their ears.
    • The blue crystal inside the bell strobes with a brilliant, crackling sapphire light, casting frantic, dancing shadows across the wearer’s neck and jaw.
    • The wearer’s physical reaction is abrupt and often violent—a sudden flinch, a gasp for air, or an immediate snap into a defensive combat stance.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions (Mind’s Eye and Beyond)
    • True Sight: To those viewing the magical weave, the activation looks like a stone dropped in a still pond. A spherical shockwave of jagged, sapphire-blue kinetic energy violently ripples outward, temporarily scattering ambient background mana.
    • Tremorsense: Creatures attuned to vibrations feel a sudden, high-frequency “screech” travel through the air and the ground, distinct from the rhythmic thumping of footsteps—it feels like a physical wire snapping under immense tension.
    • Soul Sight: The wearer’s soul-vessel is seen undergoing a violent transition. The soft, drifting colors of sleep or relaxation are instantly overwritten by a harsh, glaring white-blue spike of pure defensive intent and heightened anxiety.
    • Blind Sight: To those relying on echolocation, the ringing bell creates a massive, blinding flare of sonic energy that obscures all fine details within a sixty-foot radius, replacing the environment with a wall of pure noise.
  • Positives
    • The physical jolt and adrenaline spike ensure absolute immunity to being caught off-guard or sleeping through an ambush, granting immediate combat-readiness.
    • The deafening volume serves as an excellent psychological deterrent, often frightening off easily spooked predators or startling hidden assassins into making a mistake.
    • The physical vibration provides a reliable warning even if the wearer is magically deafened or submerged in water.
  • Negatives
    • The violent vibration against the throat is deeply uncomfortable and can leave raw friction burns or localized bruising on the collarbone after prolonged activations.
    • The volume of the chime can cause temporary tinnitus or minor sonic disorientation for the wearer and nearby allies, making immediate verbal communication difficult.
    • Activating the item instantly broadcasts the wearer’s exact position to every entity within earshot, completely destroying any chance of a stealthy retreat.

Schematic for the Resonating Sentry’s Choker

Materials Needed

  • 1 Strip of Heavy Dark Leather: Must be thick and rigid enough to transfer vibrations directly to the bone, preferably from a beast known for its thick hide.
  • 1 Hollow Brass Bell: High-quality and highly polished. The internal clapper must be carefully removed without scratching the inside of the dome.
  • 1 Sliver of Sapphire-Blue Resonance Crystal: A magic crystal naturally attuned to kinetic energy or sonic frequencies. It should hum faintly when squeezed.
  • 1 Spool of Fine Silver Wire: Used to conduct the localized mana and suspend the crystal. Silver is required to prevent magical interference.
  • Brass Rivets and a Heavy Buckle: For securing the choker tightly around the neck.

Tools Required

  • Heavy-Duty Leather Awl and Waxed Thread: For sizing the choker and attaching the bell mount.
  • Jeweler’s Pliers and Tweezers: Essential for weaving the delicate silver wire inside the cramped space of the brass bell.
  • Acoustic Tuning Hammer: A small, specialized hammer used to test the resonance of the brass dome.
  • Arcane Calipers: To precisely measure the distance between the suspended crystal and the brass walls to ensure maximum vibrational impact.

Skill Requirements

  • Leatherworking (Trained): Minimum level 1 to ensure the choker fits snugly against the collarbone without restricting airflow or blood circulation.
  • Magical Crafting (Trained): Minimum level 1 to properly weave the silver wire and attune the crystal’s “Proximity Tremor” without causing it to shatter.
  • Fine Motor Skills: High precision is required to suspend the crystal perfectly in the center of the bell.

Crafting Steps

  • Sizing the Choker: Measure the heavy leather against the intended wearer’s neck. It must sit exactly over the collarbone. Punch the holes for the buckle and set the brass rivets, leaving a reinforced mounting point at the front of the throat.
  • Preparing the Bell: Remove the clapper from the brass bell. Polish the interior to a mirror shine to ensure the sonic waves can bounce without friction. Use the tuning hammer to strike the outside, listening for a clear, sustained pitch.
  • The Silver Web: Cut several lengths of fine silver wire. Using the jeweler’s pliers, anchor the wires to the inside top of the bell. Carefully weave them into a tiny, taut net designed to hold the crystal.
  • Suspending the Shard: Place the sapphire-blue crystal into the silver net. Adjust the tension of the wires until the crystal is suspended exactly in the dead center of the bell. It must be close enough to strike the brass when it vibrates, but not touching it while at rest.
  • Attuning the Ward: Channel a slow, steady stream of mana into the silver wire while gently tapping the outside of the bell. The crystal should begin to absorb the kinetic energy and glow. Whisper the standard incantations for wakefulness and proximity awareness into the bell’s dome to set the magical triggers.
  • Final Assembly: Stitch the prepared bell securely to the front mounting point of the leather choker. Fasten the choker around an acoustic testing dummy (or a very brave apprentice) and simulate an ambush to ensure the crystal strikes the brass with sufficient, violent force.

Bastian Who Does Not Do Eye-Closing and Throat-Ring of Great Startling

In the cycles of the long-ago suns, within the boundary of the Place of the Many Tall Trees Where the Light is Eaten, there was a man of the dirt-walking. The mouth-sounds used to know him were Bastian. Bastian was a gatherer of the lost things, walking the dangerous wood-shadows where the ground is always wet with the tree-sweat.

Bastian was a man possessed by the great trembling of the mind. He carried the heavy fear of the beasts known as the Paws of No Sound. These were the tooth-cats that wore the shadows on their fur and possessed the Fangs That Kiss the Neck in the Dark. Bastian desired to keep his life-blood inside his body-vessel. He attempted to build the string-traps. He tied the thin ropes to the trees and attached the falling-rocks, but the wet-dirt of the forest made the ropes soft, and the Paws of No Sound were possessing the cleverness of the evil spirits. They stepped over the string-traps with the laughing silence.

The greatest enemy of Bastian was not the tooth-cats, but his own body-meat. When the sky-fire went into its hole and the moon-cheese was bright, the heavy sleep-sickness would attack Bastian. He attempted to drink the bitter-water of the roasted brown beans. He attempted to push the sharp wood-thorns into his leg-meat to cause the waking-pain. But the brain-sponge always surrendered to the dark dream-water.

Bastian grew a great anger at his own eye-doors for closing. He declared a war upon the quietness. He walked to the place where the earth is broken, and he pulled from the stone a blue crystal of the shaking-magic. This rock was full of the kinetic-sickness. If a man held it, the rock would try to escape the fingers with the tiny buzzing.

Next, Bastian found a ruined walking-house of the old merchants. From this broken wood-box, he stole a cup of the yellow-metal, the brass, which was used to make the noise for the pulling-beasts. Bastian removed the hanging-tongue from the inside of the metal cup, for it was too slow. He took the skin of a thick-beast and cut it into a belt for the breathing-pipe.

With the tools of the small-pinching, he took the silver spider-strings and wove a catching-net inside the brass cup. He forced the shaking blue rock into the silver net. The rock was trapped. It hovered in the middle of the empty metal room, very angry.

Bastian performed the speaking of the intent. He did not use the sweet-sounding magic words. He used the words of the ultimate paranoia. He spoke to the blue rock: “You are the hater of the quiet-walking. You are the enemy of the sleep-sickness. When the bad intentions come close to the body-meat, you must throw the panic.”

He strapped the heavy thick-beast belt around his neck-pipe. The brass cup rested against his speaking-bone. The blue rock hummed with the tiny anger.

The sky-fire went into its hole. The shadows became the rulers of the dirt. Bastian sat against the tree of the wide-roots. The heavy sleep-sickness attacked his brain-sponge. He tried to fight, but the eye-doors closed. The dream-water rushed in. Bastian was in the nowhere-place.

From the bushes of the sharp-leaves, the Paw of No Sound arrived. The tooth-cat smelled the life-blood of Bastian. It stepped over the soft string-traps. It made no sound, not even the whisper of the wind-breath. The tooth-cat moved to the distance of the three-men-tall. It prepared to give the kiss of the fangs.

But the blue rock of shaking-magic felt the bad intentions. The rock remembered the words of the ultimate paranoia. The rock lost its mind.

It began to vibrate with the speed of a dying fly’s wings. It slammed into the walls of the brass cup. It did not make a polite noise. It made the sound of the yellow-metal screaming in the agony of the sudden-striking. Because the cup was tied to the neck-pipe, the sound did not just enter the ear-holes. The sound traveled through the speaking-bone and exploded inside the brain-sponge of Bastian.

It was the earthquake of the flesh. Bastian did not wake up with the slow stretching. He woke up with the violent throwing of the limbs. The fast-blood of the panic flooded his body-vessel. He screamed the waking-scream, grabbing his sharp-metal-stick and swinging it at the shadows.

The tooth-cat, possessing the ears of the great sensitivity, was struck by the brass-screaming. The cat believed a demon of the thunder had been born on the chest of the dirt-walker. The cat threw away its cleverness and ran into the bushes with the messy noises of the pure terror.

Bastian stood in the wet-dirt, breathing the heavy air. His collarbone was bruised from the jumping metal. His ear-holes were filled with the phantom ringing. His heart was attempting to break his ribs. He was not resting, but he was not eaten. The throat-ring of great startling had murdered the quiet.

In the many cycles after, Bastian did not sleep the good sleep. He walked with the twitching eyes and the jumping hands. He became a maker of the throat-rings. He sold them to the merchants of the pulling-beasts and the guards of the sleeping-camps. The men of the camps hated the sudden screaming of the yellow-metal, and they hated the bruises on their neck-pipes, but they loved the keeping of their life-blood.

The moral of the story: He who chains the screaming thunder-stone to his breathing-pipe will never be kissed by the teeth of the silent shadow-cats, but he will also forget the sweet taste of the peaceful dream-water forever.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Sentry’s Resonating Choker

  • Item Type: Artifact (Weird Science / Mythos Adjunct)
  • Description: A heavy leather collar with a clapperless brass bell. A blue crystal inside vibrates with high-frequency intensity when danger is near.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Sanity Cost: 0 (but 1/1D3 if the alarm triggers a phobia of loud noises).
    • Passive (Vigilant Pulse): The wearer gains a +20% bonus to Spot Hidden and Listen rolls specifically to detect sneaking intruders or hidden threats within 15 feet.
    • Passive (Insomniac’s Shield): The wearer cannot be affected by mundane or magical sleep-inducing agents while the choker is worn.
    • Active (Clarion Burst): By spending 1 Magic Point, the wearer can force the bell to chime. All nearby allies are instantly awakened, and any “Faint” or “Dazed” conditions are removed.
    • The Cost: If the alarm triggers, the wearer must pass a CON roll or suffer a -10% penalty to all skill rolls for 1 hour due to ringing ears and localized throat bruising.
  • Syntax: Occupies the neck slot.

Blades in the Dark

The Spark-Gap Alarm Collar

  • Item Type: Fine Gadget (Utility)
  • Description: A reinforced leather choker designed for “Bluecoat” sentries or paranoid smugglers. The blue crystal hums when the “vibe” of a room turns hostile.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Tier: 1 (Fine Quality)
    • Load: 1
    • Passive (Anti-Ambusher): When you roll to Survey a location to detect a trap or an ambush, you take +1d.
    • Active (Sonic Wake): You may spend 1 Stress to trigger a deafening chime. This instantly clears the “Dazed” or “Unconscious” status from any ally within earshot.
    • Complication: The alarm is loud. If it triggers (manually or by passive detection), you immediately lose the benefit of any “Hidden” or “Infiltrating” position.
  • Syntax: A specialized item often used during the Gather Information phase or while on Sentry duty.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Item 4105: The Clarion Choker

  • Wondrous Item, Common
  • Description: A thick leather choker featuring a polished brass bell with a suspended sapphire-blue crystal. It hums with a faint, comforting warmth until triggered.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Passive (Sentry’s Intuition): You gain a +2 bonus to Passive Perception and cannot be surprised while you are conscious.
    • Passive (Restless Guard): You cannot be put to sleep by the Sleep spell or similar Tier 1 magical effects.
    • Active (Piercing Clarion): As an action, you can cause the bell to ring. Every creature of your choice within 60 feet that is naturally or magically asleep instantly wakes up. Those creatures gain a +5 foot bonus to their walking speed until the end of their next turn.
    • Active (Ward of the Sentry): You can cast the Alarm spell as a ritual, but the “alarm” is always an audible, high-pitched screech originating from the choker itself.
  • Syntax: Requires Attunement.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Bastian’s Screaming Bell

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item (1 Slot)
  • Description: A brass bell on a leather strap. It has no clapper but screams when it senses blood-lust nearby.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Armor: +1 (Neck protection).
    • Passive (Ambush Sense): You gain Advantage on Saves to avoid being surprised or trapped.
    • Passive (Wakefulness): You are immune to all sleep-based magic.
    • Active (Deafening Chime): Once per day, you can trigger the bell to emit a sonic blast. All enemies within 20 feet must make a CON Save or be stunned for 1 round.
    • Penalty: The bell is sensitive. Any time you roll a 1-3 on a Stealth Save, the bell chirps, revealing your location.
  • Syntax: Occupies 1 equipment slot.

Fate (Core/Condensed) The Vigilant Sapphire Choker

  • Item Type: Extra / Personal Stunt
  • Description: A dark leather collar with a clapperless brass bell. A blue crystal within hums with kinetic energy, serving as a metaphysical tripwire for the wearer.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Aspect: Wired for the First Strike. This aspect can be invoked for a +2 bonus on any Notice or Athletics roll made to detect an ambush or react to a sudden change in the environment. It can be compelled by the GM to make the wearer irritable from sleep deprivation or to have the bell ring at an inconvenient time, alerting enemies to the wearer’s presence.
    • Stunt (Bastian’s Jolt): Because I have the Vigilant Sapphire Choker, I gain a +2 to Notice rolls when I am asleep or distracted. Additionally, I am immune to any magical effects intended to put me to sleep.
  • Syntax: Functions as a constant passive benefit, with the “Ward of the Sentry” ability roleplayed as a Create an Advantage action using the Notice skill.

Numenera & Cypher System Resonant Sentry Collar

  • Item Type: Artifact (Level 1d6)
  • Description: A heavy neck-wrap of thick hide and ancient brass. A suspended sapphire shard within vibrates in the presence of hostile intent.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Level: 1d6
    • Form: Neck-worn accessory.
    • Effect (Passive): The difficulty of all Initiative tasks and all Defense tasks against ambushes is eased by one step. Additionally, the wearer is immune to all Level 1–3 effects that cause sleep or unconsciousness.
    • Effect (Active): By spending 2 Intellect points, the wearer can trigger a Sonic Clarion. This emits a pulse of sound that wakes all allies within short range and grants them an asset on their next task performed within one minute.
    • Depletion: 1 in 1d20. (Upon depletion, the silver wires snap and the crystal loses its resonance).
  • Syntax: This counts against the character’s artifact limit.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition) Item 4105: Choker of the Sleepless Sentry

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item, Level 2
  • Description: This thick leather collar holds a clapperless bell. Inside, a blue crystal suspended by silver wire pulses with a faint light that intensifies when danger is near.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Usage: Worn (Neck); Bulk: —
    • Traits: Magical, Invested, Abjuration, Sonic.
    • Passive (Sentry’s Vigil): While invested and worn, you gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks made for Initiative and to Perception checks to notice hidden or sneaking creatures. You gain a +2 circumsatance bonus to Will saves against effects that would cause you to fall asleep.
    • Activate (Single Action – Interact): You strike the bell. A wave of sonic energy pulses outward in a 30-foot emanation. Any ally in the area who is asleep (natural or magical) is instantly awakened.
    • Activate (10 Minutes – Ritual): You perform a Ward of the Sentry. This functions as the Alarm spell (2nd Level), but the alarm is always audible and emits from the choker itself.
  • Syntax: Standard Pathfinder 2e formatting for an invested worn item.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition) The Bastian Bell

  • Item Type: Arcane Device / Armor
  • Description: A polished brass bell on a leather choker. It creates a physical vibration against the wearer’s throat when hostility is nearby.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Rank: Novice
    • Armor: +1 (Neck protection).
    • Passive (Danger Sense): The wearer gains the Danger Sense Edge. If they already have it, they gain an additional +2 to Notice rolls to detect traps or ambushes.
    • Passive (Wakeful): The wearer is immune to the Slumber power and similar sleep-based effects.
    • Power (Clarion Call): The device has 5 Power Points. The wearer can spend 1 PP to cast the Relief power, but only to remove the “Exhausted” or “Fatigued” condition caused by sleep deprivation or magical lethargy.
  • Syntax: Power Points recharge at a rate of 1 per hour as the crystal absorbs the wearer’s kinetic movement.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

The Sentry’s Resonance Collar

  • Item Type: Awakened Curio / Dual-Natured Accessory
  • Description: A heavy leather choker with a brass housing. The sapphire shard inside is magically active, responding to the “emotional spikes” of those intending harm toward the wearer.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Passive (Anti-Ambush): The wearer gains a +1 dice pool bonus to Perception tests to detect hidden enemies or traps.
    • Passive (Neural Jolt): The item provides a +2 dice pool bonus to resist any magical effect or toxin that induces sleep. If the wearer is successfully put to sleep, the item triggers a physical vibration that allows a second resistance test at the start of the next Combat Turn.
    • Active (Acoustic Flare): As a Minor Action, the wearer can force the bell to chime. This creates a localized sonic disruption that adds a -1 penalty to any magical or technological “Listen” or “Eavesdrop” tests within 20 meters.
    • The Cost: The “Loud” tag is permanent. If the alarm triggers, the wearer automatically fails any Stealth tests for that Combat Turn.
  • Syntax: Occupies the neck slot; requires the wearer to be “Awakened” or for the item to be magically attuned to the user’s bio-signature.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Item 4105: Sapphire Clarion Choker

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item / Tech-Magic Hybrid (Level 2)
  • Description: A fusion of primitive leather-working and advanced kinetic resonance technology. The crystal is suspended in a vacuum-sealed brass housing to amplify vibrations.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Usage: Worn (Neck); Bulk: L
    • Passive (Early Warning): You gain a +2 item bonus to Perception checks to notice hidden creatures and to Initiative checks. You cannot be surprised while conscious.
    • Passive (Bio-Alarm): You are immune to the Sleep spell and any non-lethal poison or effect that causes the “Unconscious” condition (unless you are reduced to 0 HP).
    • Active (Clarion Burst – Standard Action): You trigger a sonic pulse. All sleeping allies within 30 feet are awakened and gain a +1 status bonus to AC against the next attack targeting them before the start of your next turn.
    • Active (Perimeter Ward – 1 Minute): You set a digital-magical tripwire in a 20-foot radius. This functions as Alarm, but the notification is a physical jolt to your neck-guard.
  • Syntax: This item has the Invested, Magical, and Sonic traits.

Traveller (2nd Edition – Mongoose)

Resonance Warning Choker

  • Item Type: TL 12 Survival Gear
  • Description: A high-tech collar utilizing a synthetic resonance crystal. It was designed for surveyors on hostile frontier worlds who must sleep in unsecured environments.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Tech Level (TL): 12
    • Passive (Sensor Link): The choker monitors local atmospheric vibrations. The wearer gains a +1 DM to all Recon and Tactics (Naval or Land) checks when determining surprise or initiative.
    • Passive (Stim-Trigger): If the wearer’s heart rate drops into a “sleep state” while a hostile bio-signature is detected within 10 meters, the choker delivers a mild, non-damaging electric and sonic jolt. This automatically wakes the wearer.
    • Active (Distraction Chime): The bell can be manually triggered to emit a high-decibel screech. Any creature within 5 meters must pass a DEX (Endurance) check or be distracted, suffering a -1 DM to their next action.
  • Syntax: Worn on the neck. Requires a small power cell (lasts for 1 year of continuous standby).

Warhammer (Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition / 40k Imperium Maledictum)

Bastian’s Vigilant Throat-Guard

  • Item Type: Minor Artifact / Scavenger’s Protection
  • Description: A thick, grime-covered leather collar with a brass bell that hums with a nervous blue light. It smells of old sweat and static electricity.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Traits: Loud, Reliable.
    • Passive (Sentry’s Instinct): The wearer gains a +10 bonus to all Perception Tests involving hearing or feeling vibrations. The wearer also gains the Sixth Sense Talent; if they already possess it, they gain a +10 bonus to the Test when it triggers.
    • Passive (Warding the Dreams): The wearer gains a +20 bonus to all Tests to resist the effects of sleep-inducing spells, mutations, or poisons.
    • Active (Sudden Clarion): The wearer can strike the bell as a Free Action on their turn. Any ally within 12 yards who is suffering from the Stunned or Unconscious condition (unless at 0 Wounds) may immediately attempt a Cool Test to remove the condition.
    • The Price: If the alarm triggers during a night’s rest, the wearer does not recover any points of Fatigue for that rest period due to the violent nature of the waking jolt.
  • Syntax: Worn around the neck. The bell’s chime can be heard clearly across 100 yards of open terrain.