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Resonant Stylus of the Final Word 341

—

by

Dale
in

From: Lineage 813 of the Tide Forged Scholarchs

Disguised as a tool of her trade, this weapon appears to be an oversized, ornate calligraphy stylus used for inscribing Vo-Run onto stone tablets or metal plates. It is a foot-long rod of polished, solid obsidian with a grip wrapped in silver wire. The tip, however, is not ink-stained but is instead a magically sharpened crystal that hums with a barely perceptible energy. While it can be used as a piercing weapon similar to a dagger, its true danger lies in the crystal. Upon striking a target, the resonant stylus discharges a small but potent burst of sonic energy, disrupting the target’s concentration and causing internal vibrations. It is a surprise weapon, hidden in plain sight among her scrolls and research tools.

Lore

This artifact is not a recent creation, but a relic Lyra-Vael discovered during her time at the Great Library of Dreamtide. While studying pre-Dreamrift artifacts, she unsealed a scroll case belonging to a forgotten monastic order known as the “Wardens of Forbidden Words.” These monks were tasked with recording and sealing away dangerous knowledge, and as such, lived under constant threat. The case contained no scroll, but the stylus itself, along with a partial schematic explaining its function as a tool of last resort.

The schematic revealed its unique construction: the obsidian body was carved from a “sound-eater” geode found in a place of absolute silence, making it a perfect magical insulator. The crystal tip is a naturally formed “resonant amplifier” that violently converts kinetic impact into sonic energy. The silver wire is a “dampening coil” to protect the wielder’s hand from the devastating backlash.

Seeing the parallel between the Wardens’ perilous work and her own dangerous quest for the truth of the Dreamrift, Lyra-Vael appropriated the artifact. She logged it as “lost during restoration,” making it her own secret weapon—a piece of forbidden lore she now wields as her own final word against those who would silence her. The name is her own, taken from the Wardens’ creed: “The Scribe’s duty is to record all words, but to hold one, final word for themself.”

Item Values

  • Tier One Stats:
    • Weapon: Functions as a magical Dagger that deals 1d4 piercing damage.
    • Concealment: The stylus is perfectly disguised as an ornate calligraphy tool. A creature must succeed on a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern its true nature. You have advantage on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks to conceal it or draw it unnoticed.
  • Skills Gained:
    • Master Scribe: The stylus is a perfectly balanced and masterfully crafted writing implement. The wearer gains proficiency with Calligrapher’s Supplies. If already proficient, they gain a +2 bonus to checks made with these supplies to create forgeries or decipher complex, faded scripts.
  • Passive Magics:
    • Silent Hum: The crystal tip constantly resonates with magical energies. The stylus emits a faint, high-frequency hum, audible only to the wielder, when it is within 10 feet of an active magical spell or a creature concentrating on a spell.
    • Dampening Coil: The silver wire grip absorbs the violent sonic backlash from the stylus’s discharge. The wielder is immune to the deafened condition caused by this item’s own abilities.
    • Inert Body: The “sound-eater” obsidian is naturally resistant to magical influence. The stylus itself has advantage on saving throws against magical effects that would target it directly (such as a Heat Metal spell).
  • Activatable Magics:
    • The Final Word: When you hit a creature with an attack using the stylus, you can choose to unleash its stored energy. The attack deals an additional 2d8 thunder damage. Additionally, the target and any other creature within 5 feet of it (excluding you) must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be deafened for 1 minute. This ability can be used once and regains its use after a short or long rest.
    • Resonant Tap: As an Action, you can gently tap the stylus against a solid object (such as a stone wall, a locked chest, or a crystal formation). The stylus sends a subtle sonic pulse through the object. For the next minute, you can hear a faint “echo” that reveals information about the object’s internal structure, such as hidden hollows, internal mechanisms, or structural weaknesses. This ability can be used at will.
  • Specific Slot:
    • Held (One-Handed).
  • Tags:
    • Dagger, Weapon, Magical, Held, Concealed, Utility, Sonic, Thunder, Archaeological-Find, Forbidden-Lore, Last-Resort, Surprise-Weapon, Deafening, Area-of-Effect, Stunning, Obsidian, Silver, Crystal, Scribe-Tool, Monastic, Rare

As a unique artifact, a weapon whose greatest strength is its disguise, the Resonant Stylus of the Final Word 341 would never be found in an open market. Its sale is a secret, a transaction handled only in circles that value discretion, history, or lethal surprise above all else.

The Antiquarian of Forbidden Lore

  • Type of Shop: Less a shop and more a private, dust-filled study, known only to a select few. An establishment like “The Redacted Scroll” in a city’s academic quarter would be run by a reclusive collector or a disgraced scholar who deals in dangerous knowledge and the artifacts associated with it.
  • How it’s Bought/Sold: The transaction here is an academic and historical one. To sell the stylus, the owner would need to present not just the item, but its full provenance—the story of the Wardens of Forbidden Words. The antiquarian would value its history as much as, if not more than, its function. To buy it, a client must prove they are a worthy custodian, not just a common thug. The price may even be partially paid in other rare lore or artifacts.
  • Estimated Cost: 1,400 Gold Pieces (GP). The price is high, reflecting its status as a unique, historical artifact with a story. The proprietor might offer a slight discount to a fellow historian on a quest they deem significant.

The Assassin’s & Spy’s Outfitter

  • Type of Shop: A high-end, clandestine business catering to the world of espionage. Its public face would be something innocuous, like a master tailor’s shop or a notary’s office, but in the back room of a place like “The Gilded Needle,” deals are made for the tools of the trade.
  • How it’s Bought/Sold: This is a purely professional transaction. History is irrelevant; function is everything. The proprietor would demonstrate the stylus’s perfect concealment and its potent, one-shot sonic burst. Secrecy is the main commodity being sold alongside the item. The transaction would be quiet, quick, and likely use untraceable currency or gems. No names are exchanged.
  • Estimated Cost:
    • To Buy: 1,700 GP. The high price reflects its immense value as a perfectly concealed, “get out of jail free” weapon for a spy or assassin caught in a secure location.
    • To Sell: The outfitter, recognizing a prime piece of equipment, would offer a fair price to a professional, likely around 800 GP, knowing their specialized clientele will pay a significant premium.

The Black Market Auction

  • Type of Venue: A secret, invitation-only auction held in a lawless neutral zone or the deep underbelly of a metropolis like Dreamtide. This is where the item would end up if its story becomes a legend in the underworld.
  • How it’s Bought/Sold: The stylus would be a headline item, perhaps marketed as “The Final Word,” the legendary scribe’s weapon. The auction would be a tense affair, attended by rival spymasters, guild leaders, wealthy collectors, and anyone needing an ultimate surprise weapon. Bidding would be fierce, driven by ego as much as need. The item’s story and its confirmed power would make it a highly sought-after piece.
  • Estimated Cost: Starting Bid: 1,000 GP; Estimated Sale Price: 2,000 – 4,000 GP. The price could skyrocket far beyond its practical value if two powerful rivals get into a bidding war to possess such a notorious artifact.

The Resonant Stylus of the Final Word 341 is a weapon of intellect and desperation. Its defensive power lies in its perfect disguise, allowing a scholar to be armed where no warrior can. Its offense is not in sustained combat, but in a single, decisive, and surprising “final word” that can end a conflict before it truly begins.

Environment 1: A Formal Audience with a Tyrannical Noble

In a social or political setting where open weapons are forbidden, the stylus is a hidden promise of defiance.

Defensive Roleplay

You have been summoned to a private audience and searched by the noble’s guards. They confiscate your staff but dismiss the heavy, ornate stylus as a mere tool of your trade. You are led into the throne room, seemingly defenseless.

  • Roleplay: You would narrate the feeling of vulnerability as your primary equipment is taken, but then the cool, reassuring weight of the stylus in your sleeve or belt. Your defense is entirely one of deception. You maintain an outward posture of a meek and unarmed scholar, fulfilling the guards’ expectations. Your roleplay is one of quiet observation, knowing that you possess a lethal secret they have completely overlooked. Your defense is the subversion of your enemy’s perception of you as a helpless target.

Offensive Roleplay

The noble reveals their treachery and signals the guards, saying, “Seize her. Her research has become an inconvenience.” Before the guards can react, you decide this conversation is over.

  • Roleplay: In one fluid motion, you close the distance to the noble’s throne. You don’t draw a sword; you lunge forward with the stylus from your sleeve. As you strike the noble’s armored chest, you activate The Final Word. You describe the moment of impact: not a simple clang of metal, but a deafening CRACK of thunder that echoes through the hall. The noble is thrown back into his throne, clutching his ears, stunned and deafened. The nearby guards are disoriented by the sonic blast. Your offense is not just an attack; it is a stunning, disorienting event that creates a perfect window for you to escape or press the advantage.

Environment 2: Ambushed in a Cramped Archive

In the narrow, bookshelf-lined aisles of a library, where there is no room for sweeping attacks or grand spells, the stylus becomes a deadly close-quarters weapon.

Defensive Roleplay

An assassin drops from the rafters, landing silently in the aisle in front of you with blades drawn. There is no room to swing your staff or even to properly dodge.

  • Roleplay: You describe the sudden terror, but also the instinctual reaction of dropping your books and pulling the heavy obsidian stylus. It’s short, perfectly balanced, and usable in the tightest of spaces. “You chose the wrong place for this,” you might gasp. The stylus, normally a tool for quiet study, becomes your only defense, used to parry and block in a desperate, close-quarters struggle, its hardened obsidian capable of turning aside a steel blade.

Offensive Roleplay

The assassin is skilled, their blades a blur. After a desperate parry, they are overextended for a split second, leaving a small opening.

  • Roleplay: You see the single, fleeting opportunity. You make a short, sharp thrust. The crystal tip finds a gap in the assassin’s leather armor. You activate The Final Word. You narrate the sensory explosion in the confined space: the sound is overwhelming, a physical blow that makes books and scrolls leap from the shelves. The assassin is slammed bodily back against a bookshelf by the concussive force, stunned and deafened. Your offense is using the environment to amplify your weapon’s unique property; the sonic blast, contained by the narrow aisle, becomes a devastating concussive force.

Environment 3: Confronting a Magical Barrier

When faced with a magical obstacle that brute force cannot overcome, the stylus’s utility function becomes its most potent offensive weapon.

Defensive Roleplay

Your party finds a magically sealed door that resonates with a low hum. Touching it delivers a painful, but non-lethal, sonic shock.

  • Roleplay: While your allies nurse their ringing ears, you approach the door cautiously. You draw your stylus, not as a weapon, but as a diagnostic tool. You activate Resonant Tap, gently touching the crystal tip to the door’s surface. You describe closing your eyes and listening, not with your ears, but with the stylus itself. You narrate the “echo” you perceive: “It’s a harmonic ward. It’s designed to repel, but the resonance is unstable. I can hear a fracture in the spell’s structure.” Your defense is using the stylus’s utility to analyze and understand a threat, finding its weakness instead of simply enduring its effects.

Offensive Roleplay

The door is powered by a large, embedded crystal that is immune to physical damage and absorbs magical attacks. You must shatter it to proceed.

  • Roleplay: Having identified the crystal’s flawed resonant frequency, you know what you must do. “Everyone, cover your ears!” you shout. You strike the ward’s crystal heart with your stylus and activate The Final Word. The sonic burst is not just raw power; it is a focused sonic frequency. You describe the thunderclap being followed by a high-pitched, harmonic scream from the warding crystal itself. Cracks spiderweb across its surface, and with a final, shuddering groan, the crystal shatters. Your offense was using the stylus’s sonic property not for brute force, but as a harmonic key to unlock and destroy a magical construct.

Perception of Activation:

This describes the sensory experience when the Resonant Stylus of the Final Word 341‘s primary ability, The Final Word, is unleashed upon a successful strike.

User’s Perspective (Lyra-Vael)

  • Sight: The moment of impact is a blinding, actinic flash of white-blue light that erupts from the crystal tip. For a split second, the silver wire wrapping the grip glows with the same white-hot intensity, illuminating the fine details of your own hand and the shocked expression on your target’s face. You see the air around the point of impact ripple violently outwards in a visible, spherical shockwave.
  • Sound: Thanks to the Dampening Coil, you are shielded from the worst of the blast. You do not hear the deafening crack. Instead, you perceive it as a deep, resonant THUD that vibrates through your bones, followed by a profound, ringing silence as the world around you is momentarily deafened.
  • Touch & Feeling: A sharp, powerful jolt runs up your arm from the stylus, not like a physical kickback, but like the jarring vibration from striking a massive, perfectly-tuned crystal bell. The obsidian body of the stylus remains cool, but the silver wire on the grip becomes instantly, searingly hot for a second before rapidly cooling again.
  • Extra-Sensory (Magical): You feel a violent, explosive, and utterly final release of stored energy. It feels less like casting a spell and more like shattering a bottle filled with a thunderstorm. You perceive the raw Evocation magic detonate from the crystal tip in a chaotic but directed burst.
  • Extra-Sensory (Mind’s Eye): Your Mind’s Eye registers the status change on the item: [The Final Word: Expended] and [Status: Recharging]. For a moment, you see a flare of raw energy on your target, tagged with the status effects [Debuff: Sonic Trauma] and [Condition: Deafened].

Observer’s Perspective

  • Sight: A brilliant, blinding flash of white-blue light, like a lightning strike at point-blank range, erupts from what appeared to be a simple writing tool. A visible shockwave, like a heat-haze bubble, expands and dissipates in an instant. The target is thrown backward as if struck by an invisible hammer.
  • Sound: A single, deafening CRACK-BOOM that is both painfully loud and physically jarring. It sounds like a thunderclap occurring indoors. Anyone nearby will have their ears ringing, and those closest will be completely deafened for a time. Dust and small objects are kicked up by the force of the sound.
  • Touch & Feeling: Observers are hit with a powerful, physical shockwave of air that feels like a solid blow, causing them to stagger. The sound itself is a physical force that vibrates through their entire body.
  • Extra-Sensory (Magical): A magically-attuned observer perceives a sudden, explosive, and somewhat chaotic burst of raw Evocation magic. It’s not a shaped or complex spell like a fireball, but a raw, instantaneous detonation of sonic and kinetic energy.
  • Extra-Sensory (Psychic): The sonic boom is also a psychic shock. Anyone nearby feels a moment of profound mental disruption, a “white noise” in their thoughts that makes it impossible to concentrate and breaks any ongoing mental efforts.

Positives

  • Ultimate Surprise Attack: Its greatest strength is the element of surprise. No one expects a writing tool to be a sonic grenade. It can end a fight, create an escape opportunity, or incapacitate a target before they can even mount a defense.
  • Potent Crowd Control: The deafening effect and the sheer shock of the attack are powerful control tools. It disorients not only the primary target but also those in the immediate vicinity, creating chaos and breaking enemy formations.
  • Bypasses Conventional Armor: As a burst of thunder or sonic energy, its primary damage and effects are often less reliant on piercing physical armor and more on overwhelming a creature’s physical fortitude, making it effective against heavily armored foes.

Negatives

  • Incredibly Conspicuous: The activation is the single loudest and most noticeable event that can happen in the area. It eliminates all stealth and draws immediate, panicked attention from everyone within earshot, friend and foe alike.
  • Limited Use: As a powerful, single-shot ability that recharges only after a rest, using it is a critical, strategic decision. Wasting it on a minor threat can be a fatal mistake if a more dangerous enemy appears later.
  • Indiscriminate Area of Effect: The deafening blast can easily catch allies in its radius if they are too close to the target, leading to friendly fire and significant tactical complications.
  • Personal Toll: For the user, the sudden, violent release of energy, even though dampened by the item, is physically and spiritually jarring. It is an act of desperation, not a casual display of power.

Warden’s Formula: The Inscription of the Final Word

This restricted formula, transcribed from a recovered monastic text, details the creation of a Resonant Stylus. The process is a perilous fusion of master-level lapidary work and dangerous Evocation magic, requiring a hand steady enough for the finest detail and a will strong enough to contain a thunderstorm in a crystal.

Materials Needed

  • Primary Component: One flawless, foot-long rod of “Sound-Eater” Obsidian.
  • Focal Component: A single, perfectly clear Resonant Amplifier Crystal.
  • Metal Components: A spool of Pure Silver Wire, alchemically treated for magical conductivity.
  • Magical Reagents:
    • A vial of Distilled Essence of Thunder.
    • A pouch of Powdered Silence (dust from a magically silenced location).
  • Miscellaneous: Obsidian polishing oils, crystal faceting grits, and a resonance-dampening cloth (estimated cost of 80 GP).

Tools Required

  • Masterwork Lapidary’s Tools: For the shaping and polishing of the obsidian and crystal components.
  • Masterwork Jeweler’s Tools: For the intricate wrapping of the silver wire.
  • Enchanter’s Focus or Altar: A dedicated space, preferably sound-proofed, for the enchantment ritual.
  • Vo-Run Scribing Kit: For inscribing the dampening glyphs.

Skill Requirements

  • Craftsmanship: The crafter must have proficiency with both Jeweler’s Tools and Mason’s Tools (for lapidary work).
  • Magical Aptitude: The crafter must have proficiency in the Arcana skill.
  • Specialized Knowledge: The crafter must have knowledge of Sonic Magic or access to the Warden’s monastic formulae.
  • Experience: The volatility of the enchantment process requires a crafter of at least Character Tier 4 or higher.

Crafting Steps

The creation of the Resonant Stylus is a dangerous and precise process that takes a minimum of thirteen days.

  1. Step 1: Carving the Body (5 days): The “Sound-Eater” Obsidian is notoriously difficult to work, as it absorbs the kinetic energy of tools. The artisan must use the lapidary tools to slowly and meticulously grind the rod into its final, perfectly balanced shape.
  2. Step 2: Faceting the Resonator (3 days): The Resonant Amplifier Crystal must be cut with a series of precise, internal facets designed to store and violently release sonic energy. This requires a Difficult Mason’s Tools or Arcana check (DC 21). A failure cracks the crystal, rendering it useless.
  3. Step 3: Winding the Dampening Coil (2 days): The artisan uses jeweler’s tools to wrap the pure silver wire around the grip area of the obsidian rod. Using the scribing kit, they must inscribe microscopic Vo-Run glyphs for “silence” and “stillness” into the wire itself, creating the coil that will protect the wielder’s hand.
  4. Step 4: The Sonic Imbuement (1 day): This is the most dangerous step. In a sound-proofed chamber, the artisan must perform a ritual to charge the crystal. The Distilled Essence of Thunder is poured over the crystal while the artisan chants the binding words. This requires a Very Difficult Arcana check (DC 23) to safely channel the raw sonic energy into the crystal’s facets.
    • On a critical failure (a natural 1), the energy is unstable. The crystal detonates with the full force of The Final Word ability, destroying all components and dealing significant damage to the artisan and the workshop.
    • On a failure, the energy fails to bind. The Essence of Thunder is consumed, and the step must be repeated.
  5. Step 5: Final Assembly and Sealing (2 days): The now-charged crystal tip is carefully mounted onto the obsidian body. The powdered silence is mixed with a resin and used to seal the join, insulating the volatile crystal from the rest of the item. A final, quiet ritual is performed to bind all components together, rendering the weapon stable and ready for use.

Warden Onus and Breath of Great Engine

In the old time, the steam-city of Dreamtide was a young city, and it grew loud and tall. It was a place of high-walks over deep-falls, and great gears that turned day and night. In this city was a Warden, a guard of the peace, and his name was Onus. He was old, and his sword-arm was slow, but his mind-box was clever and his heart-organ was heavy with the seeing of many years.

When bad-men did bad things in Dreamtide, the Wardens would come with their swords. A fight would happen on a high-walk. A bad-man, or even a Warden, might be pushed. He would fall. He would fall into the great gears that turn the city, or into a steam-vent that cooked the flesh from the bone. The man would be dead. The great gears would be broken. It was a great trouble.

Onus saw this many times. “A dead man is a tragedy,” he did say. “But a broken gear is a problem for the whole city. There must be a better way to say ‘stop’ than with a sharp edge.”

Onus was a steam-fitter in his young-time, before he was a Warden. He knew the secrets of the great engines that were the city’s heart. He saw the great power in the steam-breath when a pressure-valve was opened. He thought a new thought, a thought that was not a sword-thought. “Can a push be a weapon?” he did ask himself.

He took a great Warden’s shield, made of bronze. He took a small boiler and put it on his back-plate. He ran a hose of armored leather from the boiler to the shield. On the front of the shield, he put a big nozzle, like the mouth of a cannon. He made the Pushing-Shield. The other Wardens, they did laugh. “Onus brings a hot bath to a knife fight,” they said.

Then came the day of the Great Fire in the lower docks. The wood-houses and oil-shops did burn with a great hunger. The people were full of fear-thoughts and ran like a river with no banks. They ran in a great mob to the old high-bridge, the only way to the safe-lands. The bridge was old and thin wood. The people pushed. Children and old ones were trampled. People at the edge of the mob did fall from the high-bridge into the water and the smoke below. The bridge itself did begin to sing a sad, breaking song under the weight of so many panicked feet.

The Wardens could not use their swords. To cut one man would be to make the mob more wild.

Then Warden Onus did come. He had his Pushing-Shield. He went to the far end of the breaking bridge, and he stood. He did not shout words that no one could hear. He made the shield speak. A great WHOOMPH of steam-breath went high over the heads of the crowd. The sound was the sound of a great engine’s heart-beat. The people did stop for a moment. They looked.

Onus made the shield speak again. He did not aim at one man. He aimed at the feet of the men in the front of the mob. The push of the steam-breath hit them. They did fall down, but they were not dead. A space was made. The pushing did stop.

Onus was like a sheep-dog with his flock. He pushed the left side of the mob. He pushed the right side of the mob. The steam-breath was a wall that was not a wall. He made a path in the center of the people. The great fear of the mob was broken by the great sound and the great push. The people did walk in the path he made, in a line, to the other side of the breaking bridge.

The last person was safe on the other side. Then the sad, breaking song of the bridge did end. It fell into the fire. Onus was tired, his back-boiler empty. But all the people were not-dead. The Pushing-Shield was a great thing. It was a weapon that made peace, not death.

The moral of the story is: The wise guard does not need the sharpest sword, but the strongest hand to guide. A push can be more powerful than a cut.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons, 5th Edition

Steam-Powered Repulsor Gauntlet

Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)

This heavy bronze gauntlet is connected by a thick, armored hose to a small boiler worn on a belt harness. It periodically vents a small, harmless puff of steam.

  • Armor: While wearing the gauntlet, you can use it as a shield, granting you a +1 bonus to your AC.
  • Charges: The repulsor holds 4 charges and regains 1d4 expended charges daily at dawn.
  • Repulsor Blast: As an action, you can expend 1 charge to make a ranged weapon attack against one creature in a 15-foot cone. The attack has a +5 bonus to hit. On a hit, the target takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage, and must make a DC 13 Strength saving throw.
    • On a failed save, the target is pushed 10 feet away from you and is knocked prone.
    • On a successful save, the target is pushed only 5 feet and is not knocked prone.

Blades in the Dark

The Boiler-Fist

A heavy, bronze gauntlet connected by a rattling hose to a back-worn boiler. It’s a non-lethal crowd control device, favored by Bluecoats for breaking up dock brawls. (2 Load)

This is a piece of special gear and a type of armor.

  • Armor: You may tick your armor box to resist a consequence from a melee attack by blocking it with the reinforced gauntlet.
  • Clear a Path: When you need to get someone away from you or clear a path through a crowd, you can unleash a blast of steam. This is a Forceful action with a short range. On a success, you send a single target or a small group flying, creating an opportunity. You might Create an Advantage like Scattered and Confused or Pinned Against a Wall.
  • Non-Lethal: You can use it as a weapon to Skirmish. It is Area/Close, deals 0 stress, but has the Concussive quality—it can knock people down or out, but it won’t kill them.

Call of Cthulhu, 7th Edition

Pneumatic Crowd Dispersal Unit

A heavy, custom-built device consisting of a reinforced gauntlet and a back-mounted boiler that hisses and clanks ominously. It’s a piece of experimental technology, loud and intimidating.

  • Skill: Operate Heavy Machinery (or a new Special Weapon category at the Keeper’s discretion).
  • Damage: 1D4
  • Range: 3 yards
  • Special Effect (Concussive Blast): A target successfully hit must make an opposed roll of their STR against the device’s STR of 60.
    • If the target fails, they are thrown 2D3 yards and fall prone, dropping anything they are holding. If they strike a solid object, they take an additional 1D6 damage.
  • Unreliable: The device is a complex prototype. Each time it is fired, the user must succeed on a Mechanical Repair roll. If they fail, the device jams and cannot be used again until a successful Mechanical Repair roll is made (this takes 1d10 minutes). A fumble (96-100) indicates a boiler malfunction that may be dangerous.

Knave, 2nd Edition

Steam Gauntlet

A heavy bronze gauntlet connected by a hose to a backpack boiler. It’s loud, heavy, and extremely forceful.

  • Slots: Takes up 2 inventory slots (1 for the gauntlet, 1 for the boiler).
  • Qualities:
    • Weapon: A short-range (a stone’s throw) ranged weapon that deals d4 damage.
    • Shield: Grants a +1 bonus to Defense.
  • Abilities:
    • Concussive Blast: A target hit by this weapon must make a Constitution save. If they fail, they are knocked 10ft back and fall prone.
    • Limited Fuel: The boiler holds 6 charges (which take up their own inventory slot). Each blast uses one charge. More fuel (alchemical coal and water) must be purchased or found.
    • Loud & Slow: Firing this weapon is extremely loud and attracts attention. It takes one round for the boiler to repressurize between shots.

Fate Core

The Warden’s Heavy Repulsor

This item is an Extra that represents a heavy, steam-powered bracer designed for crowd control.

  • Aspect: Non-Lethal Crowd Control Device. This can be invoked for a bonus when you’re trying to control a scene or disperse a group without causing lasting harm. It can be compelled when its non-lethal nature is a distinct disadvantage against a truly monstrous or determined foe.
  • Permission: The bracer grants the fictional permission to physically move opponents and objects at a short range with a powerful, concussive blast of steam.
  • Stunts:
    • Get Back!: Because you wield a forceful repulsor, you get +2 to Create an Advantage with Physique by forcefully pushing an opponent or a small group back. This can create powerful situational Aspects like Knocked Prone, Staggered, or Pushed Towards the Ledge.
    • Breathing Room: Once per scene, when an opponent succeeds on an Athletics roll to move into your zone against your wishes, you can spend a Fate Point to declare that a blast from your repulsor halts their advance. They remain in their previous zone, their action wasted.

Numenera & Cypher System

The Pneumatic Ejector

  • Level: 5
  • Form: A heavy, reinforced bronze gauntlet or bracer connected by a thick, armored hose to a belt-mounted boiler that hisses and clanks.
  • Effect: This artifact can be activated to produce a powerful, non-lethal blast of force.
    • Action: The user fires a blast of pressurized steam at a target within immediate range. The target must make a Might defense roll (difficulty 5).
      • On a failure, the target takes 2 points of damage, is moved a short distance away in a direction the user chooses, and is knocked prone (losing their next turn).
      • On a success, the target takes 1 point of damage and is not moved or knocked prone.
  • Depletion: 1-2 in 1d20 (check each time it is fired).

Pathfinder, 2nd Edition

Steam-Warden’s Ejector – Item 3

UNCOMMON | CLOCKWORK | EVOCATION Price 60 GP Usage worn gauntlet; Bulk 1; Hands 1

This reinforced bronze gauntlet is attached by a flexible hose to a small, hissing boiler on a belt harness. While worn on one arm, it requires a free hand to aim and stabilize properly.

  • Activate [Two-Actions] (attack, evocation)
    • Frequency The ejector’s boiler holds enough pressure for 3 shots. It takes 10 minutes of work with Tinker’s Tools and a supply of water and fuel to repressurize it.
    • Range 15-foot cone.
    • Effect You unleash a blast of pressurized steam. Each creature in the cone must attempt a DC 17 Fortitude save.
      • Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
      • Success The creature is pushed 5 feet away from you.
      • Failure The creature takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage, is pushed 10 feet away from you, and is knocked prone.
      • Critical Failure The creature takes 2d4 bludgeoning damage, is pushed 10 feet away from you, and is knocked prone.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE)

The Dreamtide “Peacemaker”

A heavy, non-lethal weapon of city guard design. It consists of a reinforced bracer connected to a backpack boiler that vents steam with a rhythmic hiss.

  • Range: Cone
  • Damage: 2d4 (nonlethal)
  • Weight: 12
  • Notes:
    • Push: On a successful hit with a raise, all targets in the cone must make a Strength roll at -2 or be pushed 1d4″ (2-8 yards) directly away. If they hit a solid object, they take 2d4 damage.
    • Reload: The boiler needs time to repressurize. This weapon has a Reload of 1, requiring an action to prepare the next shot.
    • Loud: This weapon is extremely loud. The first time it is fired in a scene, all characters (friend and foe) in a Large Burst Template centered on the user must make a Vigor roll or be Distracted.

Shadowrun, 6th Edition

Ares “Warden” Pneumatic Ram

A favorite tool of Knight Errant riot-control squads, the Warden is a non-lethal solution for dispersing crowds and disabling belligerents. It consists of a heavy forearm bracer connected by a reinforced hose to a compressed air/steam cannister. It’s loud, intimidating, and gets the job done without the paperwork that comes with fatalities.

  • Type: Exotic Ranged Weapon
  • Damage: 8S(e)
  • AP: —
  • Mode: SS
  • RC: —
  • Ammo: 4(c)
  • Availability: 8R
  • Cost: 2,500 nuyen
  • Special:
    • Concussive Blast: A target hit by the Pneumatic Ram must make a Body + Strength test with a threshold equal to the net hits on the attack roll. If the test is failed, the target is knocked prone and pushed 2 meters away from the firer for every net hit on the original attack.

Starfinder

Warden-Class Repulsor

LEVEL 4; PRICE 2,000 credits CATEGORY Special Weapon; HANDS 1 RANGE 15 ft.; DAMAGE 1d4 B; CRITICAL Knockdown CAPACITY 10 charges; USAGE 2 BULK 1; SPECIAL Analog, Blast, Nonlethal, Push (10 ft.)

This weapon is a heavy gauntlet attached by a flexible, armored hose to a belt-mounted steam boiler. It fires a powerful, concussive blast of superheated vapor.

  • Special Properties:
    • Blast: The weapon targets all creatures in a 15-foot cone.
    • Nonlethal: The damage is nonlethal.
    • Push (10 ft.): On a successful hit, the target is pushed back 10 feet.
    • Knockdown (Critical): On a critical hit, the target is knocked prone.

Traveller, Mongoose 2nd Edition

TL-9 Stun Ram

A common piece of riot-control and security hardware, the Stun Ram uses a high-pressure pneumatic system to deliver a powerful, non-lethal concussive blast. It is favored for use in the close confines of starships and space stations where hull breaches are a concern.

  • Tech Level: 9
  • Weapon: Stun Ram
  • Range: 3m
  • Damage: 2d6
  • Magazine: 5 (power pack)
  • Cost: Cr 1,500
  • Mass: 5 kg
  • Special Rules:
    • Stun: This weapon deals Stamina damage, not Endurance damage. When a character’s Stamina reaches zero, they fall unconscious for 2D minutes.
    • Concussive Force: A target hit by the Stun Ram must make a Difficult (10+) Strength or Dexterity check. If they fail, they are knocked prone and pushed 1D3 meters away from the firer.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition

The Altdorf Steam-Ram

An experimental weapon from the Imperial Engineers’ School, consisting of a heavy bronze gauntlet connected by a reinforced leather hose to a back-mounted boiler. It is loud, temperamental, and incredibly forceful.

  • Type: Ranged (Gunpowder)
  • Range: 6 yards
  • Damage: +6
  • Reload: 3
  • Qualities: Blackpowder, Concussive, Experimental, Unreliable
  • Special Rules:
    • Concussive: Instead of causing Wounds, a target hit by the Steam-Ram gains 3 Stunned Conditions and is thrown 1d10 feet directly away from the firer. If they strike a solid object like a wall, they take a hit dealing Damage +4.
    • Experimental & Unreliable: If you roll a 96-100 on your To Hit roll (a Fumble), the weapon’s boiler ruptures. The wielder and anyone within 2 yards suffers from a Minor Exposure to scalding steam and gains 1 Stunned Condition.

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