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Fault Finders Gauntlets 840

—

by

Dale
in

From: Lineage 713 of Qosqo Pacha Peak Forged Ascendants

Description: A pair of heavy-duty, fingerless leather gloves that extend into reinforced bracers. The bracers are made from plates of unpolished obsidian, and the palms are covered in a tough, pebbled hide to enhance grip. The key feature is the sensitivity of the materials; when Kallpa-Rumi places a hand on stone, the gauntlets seem to amplify the natural vibrations, making it easier to detect structural flaws, hollow spaces, or the distant thrum of steam machinery or ley line-pulses, tying into their “Echoes of the Fall” lineage trait.

Lore:

These are not merely gauntlets; they are tactile resonators, crafted in direct response to the lingering trauma of the Rockfall. The unpolished obsidian plates were harvested from a specific, deep-level vein near the Rockfall Memorial, a site where the volcanic glass was flash-cooled not by air or water, but by the cataclysmic, instantaneous release of shattered magical ley lines. This process of “Shock-Quenching” trapped the raw, kinetic echo of the catastrophe within the stone’s magical-molecular structure. The obsidian does not just sit on the bracers; it is alive with a constant, subsonic vibration, a frozen memory of the mountain’s groan.

The pebbled hide of the palms is equally specific, harvested from the Highland “Grip-Lizard,” a reclusive creature that spends its entire life scaling the sheer, unstable cliffs of Andean’s highest peaks. Its hide is not just tough; its pebbled texture is bio-adapted to find and use micro-fractures in stone, giving it a preternatural ability to cling to any surface.

When Kallpa-Rumi, a descendant of the Peak-Forged Ascendant lineage, first donned these gauntlets, the bond was immediate and violent. The “Echoes of the Fall” in their own lineage-memory resonated with the “Shock-Quenched” obsidian, creating a perfect, symbiotic circuit. The gauntlets do not just amplify all vibrations; they filter them. They quiet the background noise of the world and specifically amplify the three things their lineage is attuned to: structural instability (fractures), mechanical rhythms (steam engines), and magical pulses (ley lines). They are a diagnostic tool, allowing the wearer to perform a “seismic” check-up by simply laying their hands on the stone.

Slot: Hands / Bracers (Utilizing the Qosqo-Pacha specialized slots)

Tier 1 Stats:

  • Strength: +0
  • Dexterity: +1
  • Constitution: +0
  • Intellect: +2
  • Wisdom: +1
  • Charisma: +0

Skills Gained:

  • Athletics (Climbing): The pebbled hide provides a direct, tactile bonus to all checks involving climbing or gripping rock surfaces.
  • Perception (Vibrational): The wearer gains a bonus to any Perception check made to listen for movement or activity by placing their hands on a solid surface.
  • Steam Mechanics (Diagnostics): The wearer gains a specialized bonus when diagnosing the function or failure of a steam-powered mechanism through touch.

Passive Magics:

  • Vibrational Attunement: The Shock-Quenched obsidian plates constantly “listen,” passively filtering ambient vibrations. The wearer’s sense of touch is supernaturally enhanced, allowing them to feel the slight give in a loose stone, the grain of a rock, or the thrum of a distant, heavy footstep through the floor.
  • Grip-Lizard Palms: The pebbled hide on the palms and fingers is magically tacky against stone, wood, and metal. This grants the wearer the bonus to Athletics (Climbing) checks and makes it much more difficult for them to be disarmed of a held object.
  • Lineage Resonance (Peak-Forged Ascendant): The gauntlets are bound to the wearer’s lineage. This attunement is what unlocks the +2 Intellect bonus, as the gauntlets translate the raw vibrations into diagnostic data that their Mind’s Eye can interpret. A non-lineage user would only gain the +1 Dexterity and the skill bonuses.

Activatable Magics:

  • Distant Echos (1 use per long rest): By placing both palms flat against a solid, continuous surface (such as a bedrock floor, a city wall, or a large steam-pipe), the wearer can activate this ability. Their senses are projected outward, and for one minute, they receive a “seismic map” of all major vibrations within a one-mile radius. This allows them to detect the general location, direction, and intensity of large-scale machinery, a squad of marching soldiers, an active ley line, or a creature larger than a griffon.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop (3 uses per long rest): The wearer can press their palm to a single, complex mechanical or magical-circuit object (such as a locked chest, a pressure plate trap, or a steam-engine’s junction box). For one minute, they receive a direct, intuitive understanding of its internal workings, as if they are feeling the tumblers click, the gears mesh, or the magic-flow. This provides a significant bonus to their next skill check made to disarm, repair, or bypass that specific object.

Tags: Armor, Hands, Bracers, Tier 1, Qosqo-Pacha, Peak-Forged Ascendant, Geomancy, Perception, Intellect, Climbing, Diagnostic, Obsidian, Lineage-Bound, Vibration Sense, Seismic, Mechanical, Grip, Rockfall, Shock-Quenched, Tactile, Explorer, Ruin, Attunement, Specialist Gear

The Fault-Finder’s Gauntlets (Armor 840) are a specialized artifact, and their sale would be highly dependent on the seller’s knowledge of their true, lineage-bound nature. The item has two distinct values: a high “Utility Value” for any explorer, and a much higher “Legacy Value” for a Peak-Forged Ascendant.

1. The High-End Explorer’s Outfitter

  • Type of Shop: A well-lit, professional, and expensive establishment catering to explorers, surveyors, steam-engineers, and guild-sponsored adventurers. These shops would be found in major hub cities like Peakhold (Qosqo-Suma) or launching-point cities like Puna-Qollas.
  • How It Is Sold: The gauntlets would be displayed in a locked, crystal-fronted case, likely under a tag reading: “Masterwork Tactile Gauntlets.” The shopkeeper, an expert in high-quality gear, would sell it based on its known (non-lineage) properties. They would extol the preternatural grip of the pebbled hide (for climbing) and the +1 Dexterity. They would know it’s magical and would mention its primary, universally-usable powers (Distant Echos, Mechanism Eavesdrop), marketing it as the ultimate tool for a high-paid steam-mechanic, ruin-delver, or saboteur. They would be completely unaware of the “Peak-Forged Ascendant” lineage or the +2 Intellect bonus, dismissing the obsidian as exotic, non-magical reinforcement.
  • Cost (Utility Value): The price is high, reflecting a Tier 1 item with a stat boost, skill bonuses, and multiple activatable magic powers.
    • Cost: 18 Platinum (180 Gold)

2. The Arcane Antiquarian

  • Type of Shop: A dim, dusty, and exclusive shop found in a high-altitude district of Peakhold or a secluded, scholarly enclave. This shop deals not in gear, but in relics and lore. The proprietor is likely an ancient Qosqo-Pacha, a historian, or a specialized mage.
  • How It Is Sold: This item would not be on public display. It would be kept in a warded, lead-lined box in a back room, away from other magical items that might be “deafened” by its constant vibrational echo. The proprietor would have acquired it from an estate or a scavenger, recognized its true nature, and be waiting for the right buyer. A sale here is a quiet, negotiated affair. The proprietor would know of the Peak-Forged Ascendant lineage and would sell the item based on its “Legacy Value,” emphasizing that its full power is locked to a specific bloodline.
  • Cost (Legacy Value): The price is exorbitant. The seller knows this is a perfect, irreplaceable item for a very small, specific group of buyers. The +2 Intellect, on top of all the other abilities, makes it a priceless artifact to that lineage. The seller is banking on this rarity.
    • Cost: 40 Platinum (400 Gold), and the seller would likely demand part of the payment in rare historical artifacts or equivalent lore.

3. The ‘Ruin-Rat’ Black Market

  • Type of Shop: This is not a formal shop but a stall or a blanket laid out in the sprawling, unregulated markets of the megacity cave systems or the steam-tunnel accessways. The seller is a scavenger, a “Ruin-Rat,” or a common thief who likely looted the gauntlets from a body.
  • How It Is Sold: The gauntlets are in a pile with other mismatched armor, salvaged steam-parts, and monster hides. The seller is completely ignorant of its magical properties. They just know the gloves are tough and have a “weird, tingly” feel (from the vibrating obsidian) that they don’t like. They would sell them as “Tough Climbing Gloves” or “Heavy Bracers.” The sale is fast, in cash, and the seller will be looking over their shoulder, trying to offload potentially marked goods.
  • Cost (Ignorant Value): This is the cheapest, highest-risk way to acquire the item. The seller just wants quick coin.
    • Cost: 2 Platinum (20 Gold). A savvy buyer could likely haggle them down, especially by complaining about the “weird shaking” in the stone.

Here is a roleplaying explanation of how the Fault-Finder’s Gauntlets (Armor 840) are used.

Environment 1: A Peakhold Steam-Tunnel System

Defensive Application: Trap Diagnosis

  • Scenario: Kallpa-Rumi is navigating a dark, cramped maintenance tunnel. The air hisses with steam, and the floor is a mess of grating and discarded parts. Ahead, a pressure plate, rigged to a steam-valve, is visible.
  • In-Game Roleplay: The player states, “I’m not stepping on that. I’m getting adjacent to the mechanism and placing my gauntleted hand on the wall-casing of the trap. I’m activating Mechanism Eavesdrop.”
  • How it’s Described: As your palm presses against the cold brass, the gauntlets’ obsidian plates thrum in sync with the hissing pipes. You filter out the ambient noise, and the gauntlets translate the machine’s internal state. You feel the click-hiss of the trigger mechanism—it’s old, and the pressure-pin is rusted and stuck. You also feel a secondary, much stronger thump… a counter-weight behind the wall. You realize the pressure plate isn’t the trigger; it’s bait. The real trap is a weight-sensor in the floor before the plate. You now know to leap over the entire section.

Offensive Application: Sabotage

  • Scenario: Kallpa-Rumi needs to cause a diversion to escape a patrol of Guild Enforcers in the tunnels. A massive junction box controlling the district’s steam-pressure is nearby.
  • In-Game Roleplay: The player says, “I’m running up to the junction box, slamming my hand on it, and using Mechanism Eavesdrop to find the fastest way to break it.”
  • How it’s Described: The gauntlets are almost painful, vibrating wildly with the power flowing through the junction. You receive an instant, intuitive map of its insides. You feel the four primary pressure-governors, but one of them screams in your mind’s-eye—its gear-teeth are already worn. You don’t need to break the whole thing. You draw your Fracture-Pick, and with a single, precise strike aimed at the spot the gauntlets identified, you shatter the governor. The junction erupts in a deafening, non-lethal explosion of scalding steam, filling the corridor and sending the enforcers into disarray.

Environment 2: Unstable Mountain Ruins (Near the Rockfall)

Defensive Application: Preventing a Fall

  • Scenario: Kallpa-Rumi is scaling a high, crumbling terrace wall. A sudden, minor tremor (common in this region) shakes the wall, and her foot-holds break loose.
  • In-Game Roleplay: The player says, “I’m falling! I’m not using an action, I’m just relying on the passive Grip-Lizard Palms to catch me.”
  • How it’s Described: Your boots slip into empty air, and you lurch, a 100-foot drop yawning below. You instinctively slam your hands flat against the sheer stone. The pebbled hide of the gauntlets grinds against the rock and holds. It’s not a magical grip, but a preternatural one; the hide finds micro-fractures and tiny crystals to latch onto. You hang there, a jarring shock running up your arms, but the gauntlets do not slip. You are secure.

Offensive Application: Tracking a Target

  • Scenario: Kallpa-Rumi is hunting a large, dangerous stone-construct that has been preying on explorers. She has lost its trail in a field of rubble.
  • In-Game Roleplay: The player says, “I’m kneeling, placing both gauntleted palms flat on the largest, most stable bedrock I can find. I’m activating Distant Echos to find it.”
  • How it’s Described: You close your eyes and focus, filtering out the world. The Shock-Quenched obsidian plates send your sense of touch outwards, listening through the stone. You feel the wind, the hiss of steam from a distant vent… and then, there. A rhythmic, heavy, grinding step. Not a living creature, but the sound of stone on stone, heavy and mechanical. It’s moving slowly, about half a mile to the east, heading toward the old quarry. You now have its direction and know you can intercept it.

Environment 3: Close-Quarters Combat (In a Cave)

Defensive Application: Detecting an Ambush

  • Scenario: Kallpa-Rumi is in a dark cavern. She’s been fighting a bandit, who has now fled into the shadows. She doesn’t know where he is.
  • In-Game Roleplay: The player says, “I’m standing still, back to a wall, and pressing one gauntleted hand to the cavern floor. I’m using the passive Vibrational Attunement to listen for him.”
  • How it’s Described: The cave is silent. You hear nothing but your own breathing. But the gauntlet feels what your ears cannot. A faint, scraping vibration through the floor… not from the shadows, but from the other side of the wall you’re leaning on. He’s not in the room; he’s in a side-passage, moving to ambush you from behind. You know exactly where to aim your ‘Ruin-Buster’ Pistol when he emerges.

Offensive Application: Disarming an Opponent

  • Scenario: The bandit has gotten the drop on Kallpa-Rumi and is in close-quarters. He swings his metal axe at her.
  • In-Game Roleplay: The player says, “Instead of dodging, I’m going to catch the axe. I’m using my action to make a disarm attempt, empowered by the Grip-Lizard Palms.”
  • How it’s Described: The axe comes down. You don’t try to block it with the obsidian bracers; you move inside the swing and catch the wooden haft with your gauntleted hand. The bandit tries to wrench it free, but the pebbled hide creates a bond of friction that is impossible to break. His eyes go wide as he feels his weapon lock in your grip. With a sharp twist, you snap the haft and tear the broken weapon from his grasp.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

The activation is not a “burst” of power, but a sudden, sharp focusing of the gauntlets’ constant, passive thrum.

  • Tactile (Primary): The moment Kallpa-Rumi wills the activation, a jolt of preternatural, dry cold leaps from the obsidian plates, sinking through the leather and into her hands and forearms. It feels less like ice and more like the deep, unmoving cold from a place that has never seen the sun. Simultaneously, the pebbled hide of the palms feels like it is “sucking” onto the surface she’s touching, creating an uncomfortably intimate, fused bond.
  • Auditory: All external, airborne sound is instantly muffled. Her own breathing, the wind, the hiss of steam—all of it fades into a distant, watery background noise. The only sounds she can perceive are vibrational, transmitted directly from the surface, through her palms, and into the bones of her arms and skull.
  • Extra-Sensory (Vibration): This is the core perception. Her Mind’s Eye is flooded with raw, tactile data.
    • For Distant Echos: This is a broad, overwhelming, and disorienting “shout.” Her consciousness feels like it has become the stone, spreading out for a mile in all directions. She feels a cacophony of motion: the rhythmic, heavy grind of a distant construct, the chaotic, shuffling scramble of a skittering monster pack in a cave, and the deep, slow, powerful thump-thump-thump of a major steam-engine’s piston. It is not a map; it is a live, vibrating “image” of movement, and it is a struggle to pinpoint any single source.
    • For Mechanism Eavesdrop: This is a precise, “narrow,” and intricate “whisper.” Her consciousness feels as if it has been injected into the object. She becomes the lock, the trap, or the engine. She feels the slight wear on a gear tooth, the potential energy coiled in a spring, the void of a hollow space behind a stone, or the click of tumblers falling into place. It is an intimate, perfect, and instantaneous understanding of the object’s internal state.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Visual: The activation is extremely subtle, as it is almost entirely internal to the user. There is no flash of light. Instead, the unpolished obsidian plates seem to darken, as if they are suddenly drinking in the ambient light. They appear flatter, colder, and more “dead” than a moment before. An observer might notice Kallpa-Rumi’s entire body goes rigid for a second, her luminous eyes dimming or going unfocused as her consciousness is diverted.
  • Auditory: The activation is perfectly silent.
  • Extra-Sensory (Observer): A magically-sensitive observer using their own Mind’s Eye would not see a flare of magic. Instead, they would see Kallpa-Rumi’s aura (normally flickering with her own volatile energy) suddenly contract and “flow” down her arms. They would perceive her magical signature sinking into the gauntlets and then extending like a cold, invisible “taproot” or “probe” into the surface she is touching.

Positives

  • Stealthy Activation: The power is completely silent and visually inconspicuous, making it the perfect tool for infiltration, trap-finding, and espionage.
  • Pure Information: The feedback is direct, tactile, and unambiguous. It does not provide cryptic visions; it provides raw data (a gear is worn, footsteps are there).
  • Non-Visual: The abilities function perfectly in complete darkness, or if the user is blinded, as they rely on touch and vibration, not sight.
  • Dual-Mode: It provides both a powerful, long-range “radar” (Distant Echos) and a precise, short-range “microscope” (Mechanism Eavesdrop), making it highly versatile.

Negatives

  • Sensory Deprivation: While active, the user is effectively deaf to the airborne world. They cannot hear an enemy whispering, a non-vibrating alarm, or a shouted warning from an-ally.
  • Total Vulnerability: The user must be stationary and in physical contact with a surface. During the activation of Distant Echos especially, the user is “lost” in a cacophony of sensation, rendering them completely open to a sudden attack.
  • Disorienting: The flood of raw vibrational data from Distant Echos can be overwhelming and difficult to parse, especially in a “noisy” environment like a busy city or an active industrial complex.
  • Unpleasant Sensation: The activation is not pleasant. The jolt of “tomb-cold” is jarring, and the feeling of one’s consciousness being injected into an object or spread thin over a mile is invasive and unsettling.

Recipe: Artificer’s Resonance Gauntlets

Description: A detailed recipe for crafting a pair of heavy-duty gauntlets with bracers, designed to amplify the wearer’s tactile sense to superhuman levels. The final item allows the wearer to feel minute vibrations through solid objects, enhancing their ability to climb, diagnose machinery, and detect structural flaws.

Materials Needed:

  • Gauntlet Base: 2x Yards of High-Quality, Thick Leather (for the gloves and bracer straps).
  • Palm Reinforcement: 1x Cured Hide of a Highland Grip-Lizard (This is the critical component for the palms, known for its pebbled, high-friction texture).
  • Bracer Plates: 4x Slabs of “Shock-Quenched” Obsidian (This is a specialized material, harvested from a volcanic vein that has been subjected to a massive, sudden release of magical energy, such as a ley line-fracture).
  • Insulation: 1x Bolt of Fine, Cured Felt (to line the gauntlets and protect the wearer from the obsidian’s preternatural cold).
  • Fittings: 1x Set of Bronze Buckles and Rivets.
  • Resonance Wire: 1x Spool of Fine, Silver-Plated Copper Wire (for creating the vibration-conducting circuits).
  • Tuning Paste: 1x Jar of Alchemical “Vibration” Paste (A non-setting paste made from powdered crystal, quicksilver, and a non-conductive base).

Tools Required:

  • Leatherworker’s Kit: (Includes skiving knives, awls, heavy-duty needles, and rivet-setting tools).
  • Stone-Shaper’s Kit: (Includes fine-tipped chisels, a resonance-pick, and polishing cloths). Warning: Shock-Quenched Obsidian is brittle and must be shaped, not hammered.
  • Jeweler’s Kit (or equivalent): (For handling the fine Resonance Wire).
  • Geomantic Focus: A personal staff, amulet, or crystal used to safely channel and direct magical energy.

Skill Requirements:

  • Artisan (Leatherworking): Journeyman Level. Required to craft the base gloves and bracers, integrating the Grip-Lizard hide without compromising its texture.
  • Artisan (Stonecrafting): Journeyman Level. Required to safely shape the Shock-Quenched Obsidian plates without shattering them or discharging their trapped energy.
  • Geomancy (Knowledge): Apprentice Level. Required to attune the finished gauntlets.
  • (Optional) Artisan (Steam Mechanics): Apprentice Level. Helpful for understanding how to fine-tune the gauntlets to “listen” to machinery.

Crafting Steps:

  1. Gauntlet Construction: The crafter begins by creating the base, fingerless gloves, and bracer-straps from the thick leather. The felt is used as a liner for comfort and insulation.
  2. Palm Application: This is a delicate step. The Grip-Lizard Hide is carefully cut and stitched onto the palms and finger-pads of the gloves. The crafter must use a specific stitching pattern that does not pierce the pebbled “grip-pads,” which would ruin their tactile quality.
  3. Plate Shaping: The crafter takes the slabs of Shock-Quenched Obsidian and, using their stone-shaping tools, carefully flakes and polishes them into four plates to fit the bracers (two for each arm, one on the back of the hand, one on the forearm). This must be done in a quiet, vibration-free environment, as the stone is highly sensitive.
  4. Circuit Inlay: Before mounting, the crafter must carefully inlay the Silver-Plated Copper Wire. A shallow channel is carved into the back of the obsidian plates, and the wire is set within it, held in place by a small amount of the Tuning Paste. This wire will act as a “vibration antenna,” funneling the tactile data.
  5. Final Assembly: The obsidian plates are carefully mounted onto the bracers, with the wires discreetly channeled through the leather to connect all the plates. The plates are riveted down, creating a complete, internal “vibration circuit.”
  6. Geomantic Attunement: The final step. The crafter must don the gauntlets and, using their Geomantic Focus, channel a small, controlled pulse of their own magical energy into the obsidian plates.
    • Success: A failed skill check results in a jarring, painful thump as the gauntlets’ trapped energy feeds back, potentially stunning the crafter and leaving the item inert.
    • Success: A successful check causes the obsidian plates to thrum with a deep, cold vibration, and the wearer’s sense of touch will suddenly, dramatically, and uncomfortably expand. The gauntlets are now “awake” and their passive abilities are active.
    • Lineage-Specific Result: If this attunement is performed by a Peak-Forged Ascendant, the Shock-Quenched Obsidian instantly recognizes their “Echoes of the Fall” lineage. The vibrations sync, and the wearer feels the gauntlets bond to them, unlocking the full Intellect bonus and the activatable powers. This resonance is permanent.

Parable of Blind Quarry-Man
(From the Collected Whispers of the High Mountain, translator’s note: much meaning is lost)

Listen. In the age after the great shuddering, when the City of Pride (Turrath) was made low, there was a man of the cracked-skin folk. A Peak-Forged one. His name is not known by true sound, but he was called ‘Quarry-Man,’ for he did not build, he only looked at the stone.

This Quarry-Man was afflicted. The echo of the Rockfall was too loud in his head. The breaking of the ley lines was a constant scream in his bones. He could not hear the words of his kin for the groan of the mountain. He could not hold a tool, for the thrum of the new steam-engines felt like hot needles in his skin. He was a man made useless by his great feeling.

He said to the elders, “I am blind by too much seeing. I am deaf by too much hearing. My skin is a burden. How can I serve the Sentinel (Intayra), when the world is a noise that un-makes me?”

The elders, they were wise in their new humility. They said, “If the world is a noise, you must find a way to listen to the one true sound. The Sentinel has not cursed you. The Sentinel has given you the duty of the ear. You must make a tool. You must make… a quiet.”

So the Quarry-Man went from the new city. He went to the place where the sound was loudest: the great scar, the Rockfall. He sought to make his quiet from the noise itself.

He walked for many days. He came to a place, a cave, where the Rockfall had birthed new stone. Not stone of fire, but stone of trauma. A vein of black glass (obsidian) that had been cooled not by water, but by the scream of magic-death. It was Shock-Quenched. When he put his hand near this glass, it did not burn. It was cold. Colder than the peak-snow. It was so cold, it drank the heat from his hand. It drank the noise from his head. He felt, for a moment, silence.

He took this glass. Not with a hammer, for that was a sound. He prayed to the stone, and with his own (obsidian) skin, he resonated with it, and a plate fell loose. He took four plates.

Then, he sought a way to hold the cold. He climbed. He climbed high, into the sheer, unstable cliffs, where even the griffons feared to nest. He climbed until his hands were raw. He watched a creature. A small thing. The Grip-Lizard. It moved on the wall, a wall of glass-ice, and it did not fall. It was a creature of pure holding. It did not use claws. It used friction. It used trust in its own skin.

He waited. For a moon, he waited, until a Grip-Lizard died of age, and he took its hide. He did not hunt it. He would not make a sound of violence. He took the skin of holding.

With the leather of his pack, with the skin of holding, and with the four plates of quiet-cold, he made gloves. Gauntlets. He made the Fault-Finders.

When he put them on, the world changed.

The great, loud scream of the broken world was… gone. The gauntlets drank it. The obsidian filtered the noise. The constant thrum of the mountain, the echo of the fall, it became a low, single note. A hum. He had made his quiet.

He put his hand, now covered in the Grip-Lizard skin, to the cliff-wall. He did not slip. He felt… everything. He felt the small give of the stone. He felt the place where the rock was tired. He felt the lie of the solid wall.

He went back to the new city. He went to the great steam-engine that powered the lifts. The machine was screaming at him, but he put his gauntleted hand on its brass casing.

The gauntlets filtered the noise, and he felt not the scream, but the truth. He felt the tiny, wrong vibration. A gear, in the deep-inside, was cracked. It was one-day-from-breaking. He told the engineer. The engineer laughed. The Quarry-Man, the useless one, the man of noise! But the Quarry-Man just looked at him.

The engineer stopped the machine. He opened the casing. It took a whole day. And there, in the deep-inside, was the cracked gear.

The Quarry-Man was no longer useless. He was the Fault-Finder. He was the one who could put his hand on the pride of the new age, and feel the lie. He used the gauntlets to listen… to find the next Rockfall, before it could be born. He became the ear of the Sentinel, and his quiet was his strength.

The Moral of the Story: The greatest noise is a warning. Only in silence can you find the flaw.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Gauntlets of the Fault-Finder Wondrous Item, Rare (Requires attunement)

These heavy-duty, fingerless leather gloves extend into bracers reinforced with plates of unpolished, cold obsidian. The palms are covered in a tough, pebbled hide.

  • Grip-Lizard Palms: You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to climb. You also have advantage on ability checks made to initiate or maintain a grapple, or to avoid being disarmed.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop: You gain advantage on Dexterity checks made with Thieves’ Tools and on Intelligence checks made to investigate, diagnose, or repair mechanical (including steam-powered) objects or traps.
  • Distant Echos (1/Day): As an action, you can press your palms flat against a solid, continuous surface (such as a bedrock floor or a city wall). For 1 minute, you gain a seismic sense, allowing you to detect the general location, approximate number, and size of moving creatures or machinery in contact with the same surface within a 1-mile radius.
  • Legacy of the Fall (Lineage-Bound): If you are of the Peak-Forged Ascendant lineage and are attuned to these gauntlets, the Mechanism Eavesdrop ability now also applies to magical traps and circuits (allowing an advantage on Intelligence (Arcana) checks to diagnose them). Additionally, the Distant Echos ability recharges at both dawn and dusk.

Blades in the Dark

Fault-Finder’s Gloves Special Item, 1 Load

A set of heavy, fingerless climbing gloves with obsidian plates on the bracers. They thrum with a faint, cold vibration.

  • Grip-Lizard Palms: When you Prowl on a vertical surface or Finesse a foe to disarm them, you gain +1d to your roll.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop: When you Tinker with a mechanism (a lock, trap, or steam-engine) or Study it, you can suffer 1 Stress to ask, “What’s the internal flaw or weakest point?” The GM will tell you. If you act on this information, you gain +1 Effect to your action.
  • Distant Echos: When you press your hands to a wall or floor to listen, you can Attune to the item. Roll your Attune dice.
    • Critical: You get a perfectly clear picture of all significant movement in the area (a building, a block) and take +1d to your next roll based on this information.
    • Success: You get a general sense of movement (e.g., “A heavy patrol,” “A large construct,” “The boilers are firing up”).
    • Mixed: You get a confusing jumble of information and take 1 Stress from the psychic noise.
  • Lineage-Bound: If you have the Peak-Forged Ascendant heritage, you never take Stress when using Mechanism Eavesdrop.

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Gauntlets of the Hollow Mountain Artifact (Magic)

A pair of heavy leather gauntlets, plated with obsidian that is preternaturally cold. The pebbled leather of the palms seems to grip any surface.

  • Grip-Lizard Palms: Provides a Bonus Die (one 10-sided die) on all Climb rolls.
  • Vibrational Attunement: The gauntlets amplify vibrations. The wearer gains a Bonus Die on Listen rolls, but only when they have their bare palm (the fingerless part) or the gauntlet itself pressed against a solid surface.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop (Magic): By spending 1 minute in concentration while touching a mechanical object (lock, engine, trap), the wearer may attempt a Hard Mechanical Repair or Hard Locksmith roll.
    • Success: The wearer gains an intuitive, alien understanding of the mechanism’s flaws, allowing them to bypass or repair it. This bypasses the need for tools on this one occasion.
    • Cost: Using this power costs 0/1 SAN.
  • Distant Echos (Magic): The wearer must spend 4 Magic Points and 5 minutes in concentration, palms flat on the ground. They must then make a Hard POW roll.
    • Success: The user receives a tactile, “seismic” map of all movement within a 1-mile radius.
    • Failure: The user is overwhelmed by the earth’s chaotic noise. They take 1d4 SAN loss and are deafened for 10 minutes.
    • Fumble: The user attracts the attention of something listening back.
  • Lineage-Bound: An Investigator of the Peak-Forged lineage treats the SAN cost for Mechanism Eavesdrop as 0, and the Distant Echos ability only costs 2 Magic Points and requires a Regular POW roll.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Fault-Finder’s Gloves Tool (Relic)

  • Inventory Slots: 1
  • Relic: This item is magical and cannot be repaired by mundane means.
  • Grip-Lizard Palms: You have advantage on STR saves made to climb or to hold onto an object (avoiding a disarm).
  • Vibrational Attunement: You have advantage on WIS saves made to listen for movement or activity through a solid surface.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop (3/Day): As an action, you may touch a mechanical object (lock, trap, engine). You gain advantage on your next save or check made to interact with it (e.g., disarming, picking, repairing).
  • Distant Echos (Daily): As an action, you may press your palms to the ground. For 1 minute, you gain a “tremorsense,” allowing you to automatically detect the location of any moving creature or object in contact with the ground within 100 feet.
  • Legacy of the Fall (Lineage-Bound): If you are of the Peak-Forged Ascendant lineage (or an equivalent “Virtue”), you gain a +1 bonus to your INT defense. The Distant Echos ability has a range of 1 mile, and Mechanism Eavesdrop recharges after 10 minutes (1 turn) instead of being 3/day.

Fate (Fate Core)

Gauntlets of the Stone’s Whisper A pair of cold, obsidian-plated gauntlets that thrum with a life of their own.

This item is represented by a core Item Aspect and a series of Stunts.

Item Aspect: Gauntlets of the Stone’s Whisper You can Invoke this Aspect for a +2 or a reroll when:

  • You are climbing a sheer or crumbling surface.
  • You are trying to feel vibrations or listen through a solid object.
  • You are attempting to diagnose a mechanical or steam-powered device by touch.

An enemy can Compel this Aspect (for a Fate Point) when:

  • The overwhelming vibrational “noise” of a busy city or a large machine distracts you.
  • The gauntlets’ cold, traumatic echo makes you hesitate or misinterpret a social situation.

Stunts:

  • Grip-Lizard Palms: Because the gauntlets have a preternatural grip, you gain a +2 bonus to Overcome actions when climbing or attempting to prevent a fall.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop: Because the gauntlets “listen” to machines, you gain a +2 bonus to Create an Advantage when you are physically inspecting a lock, trap, or steam-engine to discover its flaws or internal workings.
  • Distant Echos: Once per session, you can spend a Fate Point to activate the gauntlets’ deep resonance. By placing your palms on the ground, you can ask the GM one question about significant sources of movement (a large creature, a patrol, a machine) within the local area (e.g., a building, a city block, a dungeon level). The GM must answer truthfully.

Lineage-Bound: If you do not have the Peak-Forged Ascendant Aspect (or an equivalent), the Distant Echos stunt costs two Fate Points to use instead of one, and you cannot use the Mechanism Eavesdrop stunt.

Numenera & Cypher System

Fault-Finder’s Gauntlets Level: 6 Form: A pair of heavy, fingerless leather gloves with plates of unpolished, cold obsidian. Artifact

Effect (Passive): The pebbled hide of the palms is preternaturally grippy. All tasks involving climbing, or resisting a disarm, are eased by one step.

Effect (Passive): The obsidian plates amplify vibrations, making all tasks to perceive motion through a solid surface, or to diagnose the workings of a mechanical object by touch, eased by one step.

Effect (Action): The wearer can activate Mechanism Eavesdrop. By touching a single mechanical or magic-circuit object, the wearer gains an immediate, intuitive understanding of its internal state. Their next interaction to disable, repair, or bypass that object is eased by two steps. (Depletion: 1 on a d20).

Effect (Action): The wearer can activate Distant Echos. By pressing their palms flat against a solid, continuous surface for one minute, they project their sense of touch outward. They gain a “seismic map,” allowing them to feel the general location, size, and intensity of all major sources of vibration (large creatures, machinery, ley lines) within a 1-mile radius. (Depletion: 1 on a d20).

Depletion: 1 on a d20 (Check for depletion each time an active ability is used).

  • Lineage-Bound: If the wearer has the Peak-Forged Ascendant Descriptor, the Depletion roll for this artifact is eased by two steps (e.g., it only depletes on a 1-2 on a d100).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Fault-Finder’s Gauntlets Item 4 [Rare] [Divination] [Magical] [Qosqo-Pacha] Usage: Worn gauntlets; Bulk: L

These heavy-duty, fingerless leather gloves extend into bracers reinforced with plates of unpolished obsidian. The palms are covered in a tough, pebbled hide.

  • Grip-Lizard Palms (Passive): You gain a +1 item bonus to Athletics checks to Climb and to your Reflex DC against Disarm attempts.
  • Vibrational Attunement (Passive): You gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks to detect movement through solid surfaces and a +1 item bonus to Crafting or Thievery checks made to Disable or Diagnose mechanical or steam-powered devices.

Activation [one-action] (Interact) Frequency Three times per day Effect You place your hand on an adjacent object or structure. You learn about one internal mechanism, structural flaw, or hidden component of your choice within 10 feet of your hand. Your next Thievery, Crafting, or Athletics check to interact with that flaw or component (e.g., Disable, Break, or Climb it) gains a +1 circumstance bonus.

Activation [one-minute] (Concentrate, Interact) Frequency Once per day Effect You press your palms flat against the ground or a continuous stone structure. You gain a vague “seismic map” of the area. You learn the general location, number, and size of all creatures and large, active machines in contact with the ground within a 1-mile radius. This is not precise enough for targeting, but reveals direction and approximate distance (e.g., “A large patrol, 300 feet east”; “A massive steam-engine, half a mile north”).

Hereditary (Peak-Forged Ascendant): If you have the Peak-Forged Ascendant heritage, the item bonus for Vibrational Attunement increases to +2, and the Mechanism Eavesdrop activation can be used at will.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Gauntlets of the Fault Magic Item

Weight: 2 Armor: +1 (Worn on the hands, the obsidian plates provide minimal, but magical, protection) Notes: Magic, Lineage-Bound

Powers & Abilities:

  • Grip-Lizard Palms (Passive): The wearer gains a +1 bonus to Athletics (Climbing) rolls. Additionally, opponents’ rolls to Disarm the wearer suffer a -1 penalty.
  • Vibrational Attunement (Passive): The wearer gains a +2 bonus to Notice rolls when listening for movement by pressing their ear or hand to a solid surface.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop (Action): The wearer can touch a mechanical device (lock, engine, trap). With a success on a Repair or Thievery roll (as appropriate), they gain a clear, intuitive understanding of its internal workings, bypassing the need for diagnostic tools. This provides a +2 bonus to any subsequent rolls to repair, disable, or sabotage it.
  • Distant Echos (Action): The wearer can press their palms to the ground and make a Notice roll at -2.
    • Success: The wearer gains a “tremorsense,” as per the Detect Arcana power, but it detects vibrations, not magic. It has a range of a Large Burst Template centered on the user and lasts for 5 rounds.
    • Raise: The range increases to a Huge Burst Template.
    • Narrative Use: Outside of combat, this ability can be used over one minute to get a vague, narrative sense of major vibrations within a one-mile radius (e.g., “A large column of marching creatures to the east,” “A massive, active steam-engine to the north”).
  • Lineage-Bound: Only a character with the Peak-Forged Ascendant Lineage Edge can use the Distant Echos ability. For all other users, the gauntlets provide only the other listed abilities.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Echo-Grip Gauntlets Worn Gear (Magical Focus)

These heavy, fingerless gloves are made of synth-leather, with unpolished obsidian plates covering the bracers. The palms are a strange, pebbled hide that seems to cling to any surface. They feel preternaturally cold.

  • Rating: Focus Rating 3
  • Availability: 12R
  • Cost: 18,000 Nuyen
  • Attunement (Bonding): Requires bonding as a Focus (3 Karma). Can only be bonded by a character with a “Geomancy” tradition, an Earth-aspected mentor spirit, or the (custom) Peak-Forged Ascendant Quality.
  • Powers:
    • Grip-Lizard Palms (Passive): The wearer gains 2 bonus dice on any Athletics (STR) test made to climb. Opponents suffer a -1 Edge penalty on tests to disarm the wearer.
    • Vibrational Attunement (Passive): The wearer gains 2 bonus dice on Perception (INT) tests made to listen for sounds or movement through a solid surface (wall, floor, etc.).
    • Mechanism Eavesdrop (Complex Action): The wearer touches a mechanical or electronic device (lock, trap, engine, maglock). Make a Magic + Intuition [Rating 3] test. On a success, the wearer gains a clear, intuitive understanding of the device’s internal workings. Their next Engineering or Thievery test on that device gains 1 Edge.
    • Distant Echos (Complex Action): Lineage-Bound. Only a character with the Peak-Forged Ascendant Quality can use this. The wearer makes a Magic + Intuition [4] test. On a success, they gain a general, “seismic” sense of all major movement and machinery within a 1-kilometer radius for 1 minute.

Starfinder (1st Edition)

Fault-Finder’s Gauntlets Magic Item (Hands Slot)

Level: 5 Price: 2,800 credits Category: Magic Item Bulk: L

These heavy, fingerless leather gloves extend into bracers reinforced with plates of unpolished, cold obsidian. The palms are covered in a tough, pebbled hide.

  • Grip-Lizard Palms (Passive): You gain a +5 circumstance bonus to Athletics checks made to climb. You also gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your KAC against disarm combat maneuvers.
  • Vibrational Attunement (Passive): You gain a +5 circumstance bonus on Perception checks to detect movement through solid surfaces and a +5 circumstance bonus on Engineering checks to diagnose mechanical or hybrid-tech devices by touch.
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop (3/day): As a standard action, you can touch a single mechanical or hybrid-tech lock, trap, or device. Your next Engineering or Sleight of Hand check made to interact with that device before the end of your next turn gains a +5 insight bonus.
  • Distant Echos (1/day): As a full action, you can press your palms to a solid surface to gain a seismic sense. For 1 minute, you gain the “Detect Motion (Vibration)” universal creature rule with a range of 100 feet.
  • Lineage-Bound: If you are of the Peak-Forged Ascendant lineage (species), the gauntlets also grant you a +2 insight bonus to your Intelligence score.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Echo-Grip Gauntlets (Artifact) Magical Artifact

These appear to be heavy, well-made gloves (TL 5-7) with strange, non-metallic plates on the bracers. The palms are a unique, high-friction hide. The obsidian plates are unnaturally cold.

  • Tech Level: 5 (Artifact)
  • Mass: 0.5 kg
  • Cost: Cr 25,000 (Artifact Price)
  • Qualities: Magic (cannot be repaired by normal means)
  • Abilities:
    • Grip-Lizard Palms (Passive): The wearer gains DM+1 on any Athletics (Strength) checks made to climb. Opponents suffer DM-1 on checks to disarm the wearer.
    • Vibrational Attunement (Passive): The wearer gains DM+2 on any Investigate (Int) or Mechanics (Int) checks made to diagnose a device or structure by touch, or on Recon (Int) checks to listen through a solid surface.
    • Mechanism Eavesdrop (Active): 3 times per day, the wearer may touch a mechanical device (lock, engine, etc.). Their next Mechanics (Int) or Athletics (Dex) (for lockpicking) check to interact with that device is made at DM+4.
    • Distant Echos (Active): Once per day, the wearer may spend 1 minute concentrating with their palms on a solid surface. They must make a Magic or Psionics (Telepathy) check (Difficulty 8+). On a success, they gain a general, narrative sense of all major vibrations (e.g., “a column of troops,” “a large vehicle,” “a factory”) within a 10km radius.
    • Lineage-Bound: If the wearer possesses the Peak-Forged Ascendant trait, they gain DM+1 to their Intellect characteristic while wearing the gauntlets.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Gauntlets of the Stone-Ear Magical Item

A pair of heavy, dark leather, fingerless gloves reinforced with plates of unpolished, cold obsidian. The palms are made of a strange, pebbled hide.

  • ENC: 5
  • Qualities & Flaws: Magical
  • Grip-Lizard Palms (Passive): The wearer gains a +10 bonus to Climb Tests. Additionally, opponents suffer a -10 penalty to Opposed Tests when attempting to disarm the wearer.
  • Vibrational Attunement (Passive): The wearer gains a +10 bonus to Perception Tests when listening through a solid surface (wall, floor, etc.).
  • Mechanism Eavesdrop (Active): 3 times per day, as an Action, the wearer may touch a mechanical object (lock, trap, steam-engine). Their next Pick Lock or Engineer Test to interact with that object gains a +2 SL bonus after the roll is made (this bonus cannot be used to turn a failure into a success, only to improve a success).
  • Distant Echos (Active): Once per day, the wearer may spend 1 minute in concentration, pressing their palms to the ground, and make a Hard (–10) Channelling (Dhar) Test. On a success, they receive a vague, tactile vision of all major disturbances (e.g., a regiment, a large monster, a steam tank) within a 1-mile radius. Failure on this Test risks a Minor Miscast.
  • Blood of the Fall (Lineage-Bound): A character with the Peak-Forged Ascendant Bloodline (a custom Talent) gains a +5 bonus to their Intelligence Characteristic while wearing the gauntlets, and the Distant Echos ability requires a Channelling (Aethyr) Test instead (and does not risk Miscasts).