Obsidian Arm Bracers 8391 of Fractured Echo

From: Lineage 7429 of Vorzuls Remnant

Twin forearm guards forged from Turrath rubble, their outer surfaces spider-webbed with hairline cracks that glow crimson when struck. Each impact triggers a micro-tremor that propagates through the bracer into the ground, granting the wearer instinctive knowledge of structural weak points in stone or machinery within 30 feet. Internal crystal circuits vent steam in controlled bursts to prevent overheating during prolonged forge work.

Hammered from the powdered bones of Turrath’s fallen spires, where the mountain wept black tears into the forge of forgotten gods, these bracers whisper of echoes that never fade. Their obsidian faces, veined with the hairline scars of Vorzul’s death throes, drink the kiss of every blow like thirsty earth drinks rain. When struck, crimson fire races through the cracks, not to burn but to listen—to send tiny quakes into the stone below, mapping the hidden fractures where empires crumble. Inside, crystal veins hum with stolen steam, venting in sighs that cool the smith’s fevered arms through endless nights of iron song.

Tier 1 Stats

Strength +1
Dexterity +0
Constitution +2 (impact absorption buffers physical strain)
Intelligence +1 (instinctive flaw mapping)
Wisdom +2 (tremor feedback enhances hazard sense)
Charisma +0

Skills Gained

Tremor Mapping (detects structural weaknesses in stone/machinery within 30 ft; reveals vulnerability points as tactile pulses)
Impact Echo (after any melee hit, auto-identify one weak point on target for +1d4 damage on next strike)
Steam Vent Cooling (reduces overheating/fatigue from forge work or sustained combat by 50%; 5/day)

Passive Magics

Fracture Glow (cracks glow crimson on impact, granting dim light vision through steam/dust clouds for 10 ft)
Micro-Tremor Propagation (every blow sends seismic feedback, +2 to Athletics checks involving climbing/shoving stone or metal)
Overheat Buffer (internal circuits auto-vent steam, immunity to minor heat exhaustion during crafting/combat)

Activatable Magics

Echo Quake (1 charge; ground tremor in 15-ft radius deals 2d6 bludgeoning, prone on failed Dex save DC 13; amplifies if targeting known weak point)
Rubble Recall (2 charges; reinforce struck surface, granting it 15 temporary HP and resistance to shatter for 1 minute)
Crimson Lash (1 charge; next unarmed strike releases steam-charged punch: 3d4 piercing + push 10 ft)

Specific Slot

Arms (Obsidian Arm Bracers)

Tags

Turrath Relic, Impact Conduit, Seismic Mapper, Crimson Fracture, Steam Buffer, Weak Point Revelator, Forge Endurance, Rubble Echo, Quake Amplifier, Obsidian Guard, Echo Vent, Structural Oracle

Shops where and how this item might be bought and sold:

Puna-Qollas Forge Collective Salvage Yard, open pit behind the main boilers; sold by tier 2 apprentices for 8 platinum or two intact Turrath rubble chunks.
Peakhold Undermarket Echo Stall, narrow alcove lit by crimson vein glow; traded for 1 rhodium coin or one mapped fracture pattern from a pre-Rockfall ruin.
Anti-Suyu Ruin Caravan, canvas-covered wagon at jungle fringe; bartered for 10 platinum plus one seismic tremor log from a cave delve.
Chay-Uro Dockside Gear Exchange, crate under a tethered hot air balloon; 12 platinum or equivalent in calibrated steam valves (six units).
Hanan-Pacha Bridge Anchor Booth, stone ledge at causeway midpoint; 9 platinum or 300 feet of reinforced chain with flaw reports.
Rockfall Memorial Relic Table, etched slab beside the scar; offered for 7 platinum donation with a whispered echo confession to the Stonegrowers.
Urin Pacha Cavern Smithy, anvil alcove in the deep warrens; 11 platinum co-op stake or four days shared tremor-mapping labor.
Floating City Sky Bazaar, gondola stall at high drift; 13 platinum plus one mid-flight impact test on zeppelin hull plating.
Underwater Dome Obsidian Outlet, coral-framed stall; 10 platinum sealed in pressure tube or three deep-crystal vent cores.
Uncharted Island Drift Raft, appears at twilight near shoals; 2 rhodium coins or one complete Turrath echo recording.
Griffon Courier Pouch Drop, mid-island relay flight; 15 platinum in steam-sealed packet, delivered within 2 days to any Andean port.

Roleplay in different environments:

Defense

Puna-Qollas Forge Collective A runaway steam hammer swings wild. Remnantclasp throws up his forearms; the bracers drink the blow—cracks flare crimson, micro-tremor racing down into the floor plates. Fracture Glow pierces the steam cloud, revealing a hairline split in the anvil base. He vents Steam Vent Cooling in a hiss that clears the air and drops the hammer’s heat 50 °C, then spends 2 charges on Rubble Recall—obsidian threads knit the anvil, granting it 15 temporary HP. The hammer rebounds harmlessly, apprentices safe behind the reinforced block.

Rockfall Scar Pilgrimage Loose scree cascades toward pilgrims. He plants both bracers against the cliff face; Echo Quake ripples outward—2d6 bludgeoning scatters boulders mid-air, prone effect dropping the slide into harmless dust. Overheat Buffer vents excess in controlled puffs, keeping his arms steady while the mountain settles.

Chay-Uro Sky Dock Brawl Boarders swing cutlasses. He parries; each clang triggers Impact Echo—tactile pulse maps the dock’s weak plank. He spends 1 charge on Crimson Lash; steam-charged elbow smashes through the plank, dropping two attackers into the safety nets below while he remains balanced on the reinforced beam.

Offense

Anti-Suyu Jungle Ruin Guardian golem lumbers forward. He slams a bracer into its knee—cracks glow, Tremor Mapping reveals a hairline joint flaw. Next strike with Impact Echo adds +1d4; he follows with Echo Quake (1 charge) centered on the flaw—2d6 bludgeoning shatters the joint, toppling the construct into vines.

Zeppelin Gondola Raid Enemy rigger grapples aboard. Remnantclasp blocks a wrench; micro-tremor propagates into the gondola frame, mapping a stress plate. He vents a Steam Vent Cooling burst to mask movement, then spends 1 charge on Crimson Lash—steam punch pierces plating, pushing the rigger overboard while the gondola holds.

Uncharted Island Monolith Ancient stone sentinel activates. He charges, bracers absorbing initial slam—Fracture Glow lights the cavern. Impact Echo identifies core fracture; he spends 2 charges on Rubble Recall reversed—threads harden the flaw into a spike, then Echo Quake detonates it outward, collapsing the sentinel in a rain of rubble.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective The blow lands like a hammer on anvil—pain flares, then vanishes into the bracers. A spiderweb of crimson lightning races across obsidian, each crack a vein of liquid fire that drinks the impact. The tremor begins in the bones of your forearm, travels through crystal circuits, and dives into the earth like a stone dropped in still water. Ripples return as knowledge: the exact grain where stone will split, the hairline where metal fatigues, the hidden bolt ready to shear—all felt as pressure points behind your eyes. Steam hisses from vents along the inner curve, cool against overheated skin, carrying the scent of scorched iron and alpine dust. Extra-sensory: ley lines appear as crimson fault lines threading the air; the taste of ozone coats the tongue; a low bass note thrums in the chest, syncing heartbeat to the earth’s pulse.

Observer’s Perspective The bracers ignite. Hairline cracks blaze crimson, spider-webbing outward in perfect fractals. A visible ripple distorts the air as the micro-tremor propagates into the ground—dust jumps in concentric rings, loose pebbles skitter. Steam vents in precise, rhythmic puffs from the inner seams, forming brief glyphs that dissolve into the haze. The wearer’s fracture-veined arms flare brighter for an instant, then settle into a steady pulse, as if the bracers breathe with them. A faint seismic hum fills the space, felt in teeth and sternum.

Positives

Instant flaw mapping within 30 ft
Converts kinetic impact into tactical data
Steam vents prevent heat buildup in prolonged combat/crafting
Enhances climbing/shoving on unstable surfaces

Negatives

Crimson glow reveals position in darkness
Tremor feedback causes brief vertigo after heavy impacts
Overuse (3+ activations in 1 minute) risks 1d4 bludgeoning to forearms
Ley-rich zones amplify feedback to deafening levels (disadvantage on hearing-based Perception)

Recipe: Obsidian Arm Bracers of Fractured Echo (Variant)

Materials Needed

2 slabs Turrath rubble obsidian (forearm-sized, fracture-veined)
24 inches crimson steam-thread (ley-infused)
4 micro-crystal circuit filaments (geothermal-charged)
1 vial alpine dust ash (from Rockfall scar)
2 steam-vent valves (brass, micro-bore)
1 pinch forge-cooled crucible condensate
6 obsidian binding pins (hairline-etched)

Tools Required

Geomantic micro-hammer
Steam-driven engraving drill
Claw Gauntlets with vibration gauge
Ley-Tap Crucible (any variant)
Obsidian polishing wheel

Skill Requirements

Impact Echo Forging 3+
Crystal Circuit Weaving 2+
Tremor Mapping 1+
Dexterity 14+

Crafting Steps

Pulverize Turrath rubble into obsidian paste; mold into twin forearm guards over ley vent for 2 hours until rigid.
Drill 12 hairline channels per bracer using engraving drill; align with natural fracture veins.
Thread crimson steam-thread through channels; weave in micro-crystal filaments, sealing with alpine ash paste.
Embed steam-vent valves along inner curve; calibrate to 0.2 atm release with vibration gauge.
Etch binding pins with echo glyphs; drive into joints to lock structure.
Submerge in crucible condensate for 1 hour; heat to 220 °C until cracks glow faint crimson.
Strike each bracer once with geomantic hammer over active ley line—micro-tremor propagates; bracers complete when steam vents hiss in sync.

Bracers That Heard Mountain Break

In days when the sky was still soft with the breath of unborn clouds, and the earth had not yet learned to speak its name, there came a maker whose fingers were longer than rivers. They called him T’uru-Kantu, the one who listened to stone, though the tongue that shaped the sound is now wind. His arms were black glass, his eyes two embers, his blood the color of forge fire that never cooled. He built a city called Turrath, a nest of terraces that climbed the mountain like the rungs of a ladder to the stars. In the heart of the city he raised a forge, and in the heart of the forge he set two bracers of obsidian, twin guards for the arms that would one day break the world.

T’uru-Kantu wore the bracers always. When he struck stone, the cracks in the obsidian answered with red light. When he lifted iron, the bracers drank the heat and gave back whispers—whispers of where the metal would bend, where the stone would weep. The people marveled. They said: He hears the mountain’s heart, he knows its secret veins, he will make us eternal. The bracers grew proud. Their cracks widened into rivers of crimson, their vents hissed steam that cooled the air and fed the terraces below. Children tied ribbons to the vents; the ribbons never burned.

But pride is a seed that grows in silence. T’uru-Kantu began to strike harder, to listen deeper, to ask the mountain questions it did not wish to answer. He built a great engine, a thing of pistons and crystal that drank the ley lines like a beast drinks blood. The bracers helped him. Each blow they took, each tremor they sent into the earth, fed the engine’s hunger. The mountain began to groan. The terraces began to sweat. The people still sang, but their songs grew thin.

One night the moon was a cracked plough. T’uru-Kantu stood before the engine. The bracers burned cold against his skin. Crimson cracks spider-webbed across their faces—warnings, pleas, memories of every stone he had ever broken. He saw the mountain split, saw the terraces slide, saw the engine’s heart burst into a thousand shards of light. He raised his arms to stop it, but the bracers had learned his rhythm and now struck for themselves.

The mountain broke.

It was not a sound but a silence, a silence so complete that the stars fell quiet. The engine screamed, then shattered. The bracers drank the scream, drank the shards, drank the blood of the mountain. For seven heartbeats T’uru-Kantu hung in the red dark, his arms outstretched, the obsidian guards glowing like twin suns. Then the silence swallowed him.

When the dust rose, the city was gone. In its place lay a plain of black glass and twisted iron. The terraces were rivers of rubble. The people who lived crawled from the ruins with ash in their hair and silence in their mouths. They found the bracers—or what remained of them—half-buried beneath a piston the size of a house. The obsidian was cracked but unbroken. The crimson veins still pulsed, slow now, like a heart that had forgotten how to die. The vents still hissed, but the steam was cold.

They carried the bracers to the highest Peakshrine. The Stonegrowers laid them upon the altar. For seven days they lay there, drinking the mountain’s grief. On the seventh night the cracks tightened, the vents sighed, and the bracers split cleanly in two. From the crack poured a single thread of crimson steam that hardened into a bead—the echo bead that now rests in every bracer of fractured echo.

The bracers were cut into pairs. Each pair became the foundation of a new guard, each crack a memory of the break. The vents were rewoven by those who had lost brothers in the fall, their fingers steady but wet. When the first new pair was struck, the cracks glowed crimson, and the mountain whispered—not in pain, but in warning. When the vents hissed, the wearer felt the earth’s pulse, not its death.

The bracers spread. From Peakhold to Chay-Uro, from cavern to sky dock, every Qosqo-Pacha of the lineage wears a pair. When the cracks glow, the wearer hears not ruin but the path to balance. When the vents hiss, the wearer feels not the mountain’s death but its breath. The echo of the break is no longer a curse but a teacher, tempered by memory into something useful.

And so the bracers that heard the mountain break became the bracers that taught the mountain to mend.

Moral of the story: Every fracture is a lesson; every echo is a guide.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Obsidian Bracers of Fractured Echo

Description: Twin forearm guards of cracked obsidian from ancient rubble, glowing crimson on impact.

Encumbrance: 1 (arms slot) Damage: None Armor Points: +1 (to Arms) Breakage: 15% Sanity Loss: 0/1D6 (upon first impact activation, tremor visions) Magic Points: Maximum 5 stored (tremor charges) Spells/Abilities:

Tremor Mapping: STR or INT roll to detect flaws in stone/metal within 10 yards (Spot Hidden equivalent).
Steam Vent: Reduce 1D4 heat damage or fatigue after prolonged work (1/day).
Echo Quake: Expend 1 MP for 5-yard tremor (1D6 bludgeoning, half on DEX roll).
Rubble Recall: Expend 2 MP to reinforce structure (Mechanic skill, lasts 1D10 minutes). Study Time: 1D8 weeks to attune; Cthulhu Mythos +1D4%; failure risks 1D8 HP loss from seismic feedback. Value: $2,200 (rare Andean ruin artifact)

Blades in the Dark

Fractured Echo Bracers

Item Type: Special (arms, quality 2) Load: 1 Effect: +1d to Prowl or Skirmish rolls involving stone/metal; on hit, gain 1 charge (max 3) from impact. Special:

Quake Vent: Spend 1 charge when you Skirmish: deal level 2 harm (Tremor Burst: 2d, ignores armor) in 3-zone radius.
Flaw Bind: Spend 1 charge to fortify cover: +1 armor or repair broken device.
Echo Resilience: Ignore level 1 harm from falls or collapses. Drawback: Critical stress (6+): Backlash—take level 1 harm (Crimson Fracture). Cost: 8 coin (black market relic) Tags: Arcane, Prohibitive, Steamforged

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition 2024)

Bracers of Fractured Echo Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)*

Polished obsidian bracers veined with crimson cracks.

Properties: While attuned, advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks to detect structural weaknesses (range 30 ft). Impacts generate charges (1 per hit, max 5). Charges: Regain 1d4+1 daily at dawn. Bonus: +1 bonus to AC if wearing light armor. Reactive (Reaction): Expend 1 charge when hit: 15-ft radius tremor (2d6 bludgeoning, Dex save DC 13 half; prone on fail). Echo Bind (1 Charge): Touch object/construct to heal 2d8 + Int mod HP. Vent Harmony (Passive): Resistance to fire from overheating. Overload (3+ Charges): If over 5, take 2d6 bludgeoning (Con save DC 13 half). Curse: Attunement triggers seismic visions (1 level exhaustion after rest, removable by remove curse).

Knave (2nd Edition)

Obsidian Bracers of Fractured Echo

Slot: Arms (1 slot) Weight: 2 lb Damage: None Properties: +1 armor defense. Convert hits to charges (1 hit = 1 charge, max 5). Passive: +2 to attack/defense vs stone/constructs. Detect flaws within 20′. Active (1 Charge): Echo Quake—15′ radius, 1d8 bludgeoning (Dex save negates prone). Active (2 Charges): Fracture Bind—heal 1d8 HP to self/adjacent construct. Active (1 Charge/Day): Vent Steam—negate 1 wound from heat. Drawback: Overcharge (6+): 1d6 bludgeoning to arms. Value: 400 cp (ruin relic)

Fate Core

Fractured Echo Bracers

Aspect: “Cracks That Whisper Where Stone Will Break” Stunt: Seismic Insight – Once per scene, invoke the aspect for free on an Investigate or Notice roll to map structural flaws within Near range. Stunt: Echo Quake – Spend 1 fate point: 15-foot radius tremor (attack with Physique +2, Weapon:2, Zone attack). Stunt: Impact Reservoir – Mark 1 stress box on hit to gain 1 charge (max 3); spend 1 charge to add +2 to Athletics when climbing or shoving stone/metal. Refresh Cost: 1

Numenera & Cypher System (Discovery/Destiny)

Obsidian Bracers of Fractured Echo

Level: 5 Form: Twin cracked obsidian forearm guards with crimson-glowing fissures and steam vents. Effect:

Tremor Mapping: Ease all Intellect tasks to detect flaws in stone/metal by two steps (range 30 ft).
Impact Conversion: Gain 1 charge per hit taken (max 5).
Echo Quake (1 charge): 15-ft radius, 5 damage (ignores Armor from constructs), prone on fail.
Rubble Recall (2 charges): Reinforce one structure or construct for 1 minute (20 temporary HP). Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (reset on 10-minute rest near ley line).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Bracers of Fractured Echo Item 5

Price: 160 gp Usage: worn (bracers); Bulk: L Activate: [reaction] (when struck); Frequency: once per round Effect: Gain 1 charge (max 5); detect one structural flaw within 30 ft. Activate: [one-action] Command (quake); Frequency: once per minute Effect: 15-foot emanation, 3d6 bludgeoning (basic Reflex DC 20; prone on fail). Passive: +1 item bonus to Athletics for climbing/shoving stone; vent steam to ignore 5 fire damage per round.

Savage Worlds (SWADE)

Obsidian Bracers of Fractured Echo

Type: Arms Armor (+1 Parry vs melee) Weight: 3 Cost: $4,000 Power: Impact Reservoir – Store up to 5 “charges” from hits taken; spend 1 charge to negate 1 wound from bludgeoning or add +2 to Athletics (stone/metal). Power: Echo Quake (PP 3, Range Smarts, Instant) – 15-ft Burst Template, 2d6 damage (Large Burst on raise), prone on fail. Power: Rubble Recall (PP 4, Range Touch, 1 minute) – Target gains +4 Toughness vs sunder. Backlash: Over 5 charges: roll Spirit or take Fatigue from tremor feedback.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Fractured Echo Bracers

Essence Cost: 0.4 Availability: 14R Cost: 22,000¥ Capacity: — Device Rating: 5 Effects:

Tremor Mapping: +2 dice pool to Engineering or Perception for structural flaws (range 20 m).
Impact Sink: Gain 1 charge per hit taken (max 5).
Echo Quake: Spend 1 charge (Quick Action): 15 m radius, DV 6S, AP –1 (prone on hit).
Rubble Recall: Spend 2 charges (Complex Action): reinforce target for 3 Combat Turns (+4 Armor vs sunder). Flaw: Overcharge (6+): Feedback—take 5S unresisted.

Starfinder (1st Edition)

Obsidian Bracers of Fractured Echo

Level: 6 Price: 4,200 Slots: Arms Capacity: 20; Usage: 1/round Bulk: L Effects:

Flaw Scan: +2 insight to Engineering to detect weaknesses (range 30 ft).
Impact Reservoir: Gain 1 charge per hit (max 5).
Quake Pulse (Attack): Expend 1 charge: 15-ft radius, 3d6 B, Reflex DC 15 half; prone.
Echo Bind (Standard): Expend 2 charges: target gains +20 temporary HP vs structural damage for 1 minute.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Obsidian Bracers of Fractured Echo

TL: 9 Mass: 1.5 kg Cost: Cr20,000 Traits:

Seismic Scan: +1 DM to Engineer or Recon within 10 m for flaws.
Impact Sink: Store 1 charge per hit (max 5).
Echo Quake: Expend 1 charge: 15 m radius, 3D damage, knockback 2 m.
Rubble Recall: Expend 2 charges: target gains +4 Armor vs collapse for 1D minutes. Flaw: Overload (6+): wearer takes 2D bludgeoning.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Obsidian Bracers of Fractured Echo

Rarity: Very Rare Price: 15 gc Encumbrance: 1 Qualities: Magical, Impact Effects:

Tremor Sense: +10 to Perception or Dodge for stone/metal flaws.
Impact Reservoir: Gain 1 charge per hit (max 5).
Echo Quake: Spend 1 charge: 15-yard radius, Damage +7, prone on fail.
Rubble Recall: Spend 2 charges: reinforce for 1 minute (+20 Wounds vs sunder). Flaw: Overcharge (6+): suffer 1d10+2 Wounds (ignores TB/AP).