Ebonfire Salve

From: Abyssal Shard

Lore: Ebonfire Salve is a potent concoction born from the interplay of dark and abyssal forces. The recipe for this salve is said to have been discovered by a secretive order of shadow-wielders who sought to harness the power of the Abyss and the essence of shadowfire. The combination of the Abyssal Shard, Shadowfire Ash, Umbrafern Extract, Stygian Ooze, and Nightshade Oil creates a unique salve that grants the user temporary protection in the realm of shadows.

Use: Ebonfire Salve is primarily used by adventurers, spies, and those who rely on stealth and shadow manipulation. When applied to the skin, the salve envelops the user in a shroud of darkness, granting them resistance to necrotic damage and the ability to blend into shadows, making it more difficult for enemies to target them. This salve is especially useful for characters who prefer a stealthy approach, allowing them to navigate dangerous environments or engage in covert operations with an added layer of protection.

Tier 1 Stats:

• Resistance to Necrotic Damage: When the Ebonfire Salve is applied, the user gains temporary resistance to necrotic damage, reducing the harm taken from such sources.
• Cloak of Shadows: The salve allows the user to blend into darkness, granting them advantage on Stealth checks while in dim light or darkness and making it harder for enemies to perceive or target them.

Skills:

• Herbalism: Characters proficient in herbalism or with knowledge of exotic ingredients may have an advantage in preparing and applying Ebonfire Salve.

Preparation: Crafting Ebonfire Salve requires careful extraction and mixing of the ingredients. The following components are needed for its preparation: Abyssal Shard (1), Shadowfire Ash (1 pinch), Umbrafern Extract (3 drops), Stygian Ooze (a small dollop), and Nightshade Oil (1 teaspoon). The Abyssal Shard acts as the catalyst, infusing the salve with the power of the Abyss. The ingredients are carefully mixed and ground together, creating a thick, dark salve.

Cost: Due to the rarity and potentially dangerous nature of the ingredients, Ebonfire Salve is considered a valuable and sought-after item. The cost of purchasing or acquiring a dose of Ebonfire Salve can vary depending on factors such as the availability of ingredients, the skill of the alchemist, and the demand in the market. As a rough estimate, a single dose of Ebonfire Salve could cost around 15 to 25 gold pieces.

Tags: Consumable Item, Resistance to Necrotic Damage, Cloak of Shadows, Rare, Shadow Infusion, Necrotic Protection, Stealth Enhancement, Abyssal Catalyst, Dark Alchemy, Concealment Aid, Ritual Component, Dimlight Synergy, Rare Crafting, Shadowfell Adaptation

Where and How the Recipe is Sold: The recipe for Ebonfire Salve is not widely available in common marketplaces due to the nature of its ingredients and the specialized knowledge required to create it. Here are some potential ways in which the recipe and the salve can be obtained:

• Shadowy Black Markets: In shadowy corners of cities, underground networks, or hidden realms, there exist black markets that cater to the trade of forbidden or rare items. Ebonfire Salve may find its way into these illicit markets, where shady merchants, smugglers, or members of secretive organizations deal in dark and mysterious goods.
• Occult Shops and Hidden Alchemists: Occult shops, hidden apothecaries, or reclusive alchemists with a fascination for the arcane and forbidden may possess the recipe for Ebonfire Salve. These establishments are often hidden away in secluded areas, such as forgotten ruins, haunted forests, or the depths of ancient catacombs. Gaining access to their knowledge and securing the recipe may require unraveling riddles, completing quests, or proving oneself worthy of their trust.
• Dark Covenants and Shadow Orders: Secretive organizations, such as dark covens or shadow-wielding orders, may guard the secrets of crafting Ebonfire Salve. Characters may need to seek out these groups, earn their favor, or even infiltrate their ranks to learn the recipe or purchase the salve from their trusted members.

Usage and Environment: Ebonfire Salve finds its greatest utility in environments shrouded in darkness and where encounters with necrotic forces are prevalent. Here are some examples of how the salve is used and the environments in which its effects come into play:

• Shadowy Realms and Haunted Dungeons: Characters exploring dimly lit dungeons, crypts, or realms consumed by shadows can benefit from the protective properties of Ebonfire Salve. The resistance to necrotic damage provides an advantage when facing undead creatures, necromantic traps, or spells with necrotic energy.
• Infiltration and Stealth Operations: Assassins, spies, and thieves who operate in the cover of darkness and seek to remain unseen find Ebonfire Salve invaluable. Applying the salve allows them to blend into shadows, enhancing their stealth capabilities and making it easier to move undetected through guarded areas.
• Necromantic Rituals and Confrontations: In battles against necromancers, dark cultists, or creatures with necrotic powers, Ebonfire Salve provides a protective layer against their malevolent energies. It grants characters an advantage when defending against spells, attacks, or abilities that inflict necrotic damage.
• Shadowfell and Plane of Shadows: Characters venturing into the Shadowfell or the Plane of Shadows, where darkness and shadows hold dominion, can utilize Ebonfire Salve to navigate these dangerous realms. The salve’s effects aid in surviving the perils of these shadow-infested planes and offer protection against the twisted creatures that dwell within.

In these environments, characters seek out Ebonfire Salve as a means of bolstering their defenses against necrotic forces and enhancing their stealth capabilities in shadowy situations. The salve is typically applied before engaging in activities that involve stealthy movement, encounters with necrotic entities, or the exploration of dark and dangerous realms.

Tale of Shadows’ Balm

Long ago, in an era when the sky wept ash and the earth trembled with unseen whispers, there was born a potion of strange and secretive power. In the darkest reaches of the land, where sunlight feared to tread, a cloaked figure known only as The Veiled One wandered. This figure, neither named nor claimed by the songs of mortals, sought to harness the essence of night itself.

Legends claim the Veiled One stumbled upon the Abyssal Shard—a jewel of chaos borne from the void’s breath—and saw in its cold, flickering depths a promise of shadows beyond mere darkness. But shadows do not yield their secrets freely. The Veiled One, cunning and patient, wove a salve from the lifeblood of shadows themselves: ashes from a fire that never warmed, dew from a fern grown in moonless light, oil distilled from plants that whispered poison, and ooze drawn from beneath the still black waters of forbidden lakes.

The crafting was said to last three full nights, where no stars dared shine and where silence itself grew restless. At the first night’s fall, the ingredients were offered to the Abyssal Shard, which cracked and hissed but did not shatter. On the second, it was ground into dust finer than silk, its energies bleeding into the mixture. And on the final night, the Veiled One painted symbols of shadow upon the walls of their chamber. When dawn came, no walls remained, only swirling darkness and the first jar of Ebonfire Salve.

The salve’s power became known among wanderers of the in-between: thieves who feared discovery, warriors who ventured into cursed crypts, and even scholars desperate to survive their studies of forbidden tomes. It was said the salve cloaked the soul in darkness, making one both unseen and untouchable by forces of rot and necrosis. Those who applied it moved as whispers upon the wind, blending with shadows and standing resilient against the cruel touch of death.

But the Veiled One’s wisdom was not endless, and like all gifts of the Abyss, the salve demanded its toll. The more it was used, the thinner the veil between user and shadow became. Many who relied too heavily on its power found themselves drawn deeper into shadow, their faces and names fading until they were no more than myths themselves.

In time, the Veiled One disappeared, as all legends do, leaving behind the recipe for the salve, carved upon the bones of a tree that never bore fruit. The tree was guarded by shadows too deep to dispel, and only the boldest or most desperate sought it.

Moral of the Story: Those who seek the strength of shadows must learn to walk the line between light and darkness. The gifts of the unseen world are great, but they carry with them a price that can claim even the most cunning of souls.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Ebonfire Salve

• Use: When applied, the salve grants resistance to necrotic effects and aids stealth.
• Effects:
  • Advantage (+20%) to Stealth rolls for 1 hour while in dim light or darkness.
  • Resistance to necrotic effects or spells for 1 hour (reduce damage by half).
• Creation Requirements:
  • Mythos Knowledge: Must succeed on a Cthulhu Mythos roll.
  • Skill Check: Alchemy (Hard Success).
  • Time to Create: 3 hours per dose.
• Cost: Rare; found only through occult shops or Mythos-associated sources.

Blades in the Dark

Ebonfire Salve

• Type: Consumable Item (1 Load).
• Effect: When applied:
  • Grants +1d to rolls involving stealth or hiding in shadows.
  • Provides resistance to harm caused by necrotic energy or ghostly manifestations.
• Crafting: Requires Tier III Crafting Crew and access to rare ingredients (Shadowfire Ash, Abyssal Shard).
• Downtime Use: Costs 4 Coin or 1 downtime activity to craft a single dose.

Dungeons & Dragons (5e)

Ebonfire Salve

• (Uncommon, Consumable)
• Use: Applied to the skin as an action. Effects last 1 hour.
• Effects:
  • Resistance: Grants resistance to necrotic damage.
  • Cloak of Shadows: Grants advantage on Stealth checks in dim light or darkness.
  • Duration: 1 hour.
• Creation Requirements:
  • Crafting DC 15 (Alchemy Tools).
  • Ingredients: Abyssal Shard (1), Shadowfire Ash (1 pinch), Stygian Ooze (1 dollop).
• Cost: 150 gp per dose.

Knave

Ebonfire Salve

• Item Slot: 1 slot, consumable.
• Use: Applied to skin, lasting for 10 turns.
• Effects:
  • Resistance to necrotic damage (half damage).
  • +2 bonus to rolls involving stealth or blending into shadows.
• Crafting Cost: Requires a crafting roll (Alchemy, Difficulty 12) and rare ingredients.
• Market Value: Costs 50 coins per dose in specialized markets.

Fate

Ebonfire Salve

• Aspect: “Shroud of Abyssal Shadows.”
• Use: Once per session, the salve can be applied to invoke the aspect for shadowy concealment and protection.
• Effects:
  • Grants a +2 bonus to Stealth rolls in dim light or darkness for the scene.
  • Provides an Armor Rating of 2 against attacks that deal necrotic or shadow-based damage.
• Cost: Rare; requires a Fate Point to activate its full benefits.

Numenera & Cypher System

Ebonfire Salve

• (Level 5 Consumable)
• Effect: When applied:
  • Grants +1 to Armor against damage from necrotic or shadow energy for 1 hour.
  • Provides an asset to all stealth-related tasks for 1 hour in dim or dark environments.
• Crafting: Requires a Level 5 Alchemical Crafting Task, utilizing the Abyssal Shard and three rare shadow-infused components.
• Cost: 200 shins per dose.

Pathfinder (2e)

Ebonfire Salve

• (Uncommon, Consumable, Alchemical Item)
• Usage: Applied to skin as an action.
• Activation: 1 Action (Interact).
• Effects:
  • Grants resistance 5 to negative energy damage for 1 hour.
  • Provides a +2 item bonus to Stealth checks in dim light or darkness for 1 hour.
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Craft DC 20 (Alchemy or Crafting).
  • Materials: Abyssal Shard (1), Shadowfire Ash (1), Umbrafern Extract (3 drops).
• Cost: 150 gp per dose.

Savage Worlds

Ebonfire Salve

• Type: Consumable Potion.
• Effects:
  • Shadow Cloak: Grants a +2 bonus to Stealth rolls in dim or dark areas for 1 hour.
  • Necrotic Resistance: Reduces damage from necrotic or shadow energy by 2 points for the duration.
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Requires Alchemy d8 and access to Abyssal Shard and rare shadow components.
  • Cost: 300 credits or equivalent resources.
• Availability: Rare, found in arcane markets or shadowy black markets.

Shadowrun

Ebonfire Salve

• Type: Alchemical Preparation.
• Effect:
  • Provides +2 dice to Sneaking Tests in dim light or darkness for 1 hour.
  • Grants 6 Armor Rating against necrotic/magical damage for the duration.
  • Duration: 1 hour.
• Availability: 12F.
• Cost: 2,500¥ per dose.
• Special: If applied in a highly magical area, roll Edge (Threshold 2) to avoid unintended side effects, such as flickering auras or attracting spirits.

Starfinder

Ebonfire Salve

• Item Level: 6.
• Price: 2,500 credits.
• Type: Hybrid Consumable.
• Usage: 1 dose.
• Effect:
  • Grants resistance 10 to negative energy damage for 1 hour.
  • Provides a +2 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks in dim light or darkness for 1 hour.
  • If the user rolls a natural 1 on a Stealth check, they are momentarily outlined in dark flames, negating the bonus for 1 round.
• Crafting Requirements: Requires Mysticism (DC 20) and Life Science (DC 20) to craft.

Traveller

Ebonfire Salve

• Type: Advanced Personal Consumable.
• Effect:
  • Provides +1 DM to Recon or Stealth skill checks when in darkness or low light for 1 hour.
  • Reduces damage from radiation, negative energy, or shadow-based hazards by 2 points for the duration.
• Weight: Negligible.
• Cost: 2,000 credits per dose.
• Availability: Rare; only found in regions with access to Abyssal Shards or high-tech alchemy labs.

Warhammer (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay or 40K)

Ebonfire Salve

• Type: Rare Alchemical Item.
• Effects:
  • Provides +20% to Stealth Tests when in dim light or darkness for 1 hour.
  • Grants +2 Armor Points against necrotic or shadow-based attacks for 1 hour.
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Requires access to Abyssal Shard and components worth 50 gc (WFRP) or 500 Thrones (40K).
  • Crafting Test: Trade (Apothecary) or Alchemy Test at Hard (-20) difficulty.
• Availability: Extremely rare; typically found in Chaos-corrupted regions or dark alchemical shops.