Trackers Compass

From: Dracoraptoris

Description: This intricate compass is enchanted with ancient tracking magic. It possesses a miniature celestial map that can be aligned to specific constellations or landmarks. The compass aids Dracoraptoris in navigation and tracking, providing guidance and pointing towards the direction of a designated target or a chosen destination. It is especially useful for long journeys or when pursuing elusive creatures or individuals.

Level Requirement: Tier 1

Stats: None.

Skills: Proficiency with the Tracker’s Compass grants advantage on checks related to navigation, tracking, and finding designated targets or destinations.

Cost: 150 gold pieces (or equivalent currency).

Tags: Tool, Navigation, Tracking, Enchanted, Celestial, Guidance, Exploration, Orientation, Mysticism, Pursuit, Precision, Pathfinder, Artifact, Survival

Lore: The Tracker’s Compass is a rare and coveted tool, imbued with ancient tracking magic passed down through generations. Legends recount stories of skilled hunters and explorers who utilized this compass to navigate treacherous terrains, pursue elusive creatures, or track down individuals of interest. Over time, the Tracker’s Compass has become a symbol of expertise in tracking and a trusted companion for those embarking on perilous journeys.

Use: The Tracker’s Compass serves as an invaluable tool for Dracoraptoris, providing enhanced navigation and tracking abilities. The compass is meticulously crafted, housing a miniature celestial map within its enchanting design. By aligning the compass with specific constellations or landmarks, Dracoraptoris can establish a connection to the magical energies of the environment.

When tracking a target or aiming to reach a specific destination, the Tracker’s Compass guides Dracoraptoris by pointing towards the desired direction. It helps overcome obstacles, identify the most efficient routes, and provides constant orientation even in unfamiliar or hostile territories. The compass’s tracking magic enhances Dracoraptoris’ instincts, enabling a heightened perception of signs, tracks, and other clues that aid in pursuing elusive creatures or individuals.

Proficiency with the Tracker’s Compass grants Dracoraptoris advantage on checks related to navigation, tracking, and finding designated targets or destinations. This expertise allows Dracoraptoris to fully harness the compass’s magical properties, increasing the accuracy and effectiveness of its tracking abilities.

Whether embarking on long journeys across vast landscapes, navigating through dense forests, or chasing down elusive quarry, the Tracker’s Compass empowers Dracoraptoris with an enhanced sense of direction and an intuitive understanding of the path ahead. It becomes an invaluable companion, guiding Dracoraptoris through the challenges and perils it encounters, ensuring that it stays on course and maximizes its chances of success.

In Saṃsāra, the Tracker’s Compass is a rare and prized item, primarily available in specialty shops catering to explorers, hunters, and those with an affinity for magic-infused gear. Below are a few types of shops and establishments where the Tracker’s Compass might be bought and sold, including its cost in each setting:

• Wayfarer’s Emporium
  • Description: Known as a hub for travelers, cartographers, and explorers, Wayfarer’s Emporiums are often found in bustling port cities or trading outposts. These shops carry essential travel supplies, maps, and magical items that aid navigation and survival.
  • Atmosphere: Walls lined with maps, astrolabes, and compasses, while shelves display curated items for long journeys.
  • Cost: 150–180 gold pieces. Discounts might be offered to members of an adventurers’ guild or experienced travelers.
• Mystic’s Atelier
  • Description: A high-end shop run by skilled artisans or enchanters, specializing in magical artifacts and custom gear for individuals with unique or powerful needs. Mystics and scholars frequent these shops for their wide range of enchanted items.
  • Atmosphere: An air of mystery surrounds these shops, with magical scrolls, crystal balls, and runic symbols adorning the interiors.
  • Cost: 180–220 gold pieces. The premium pricing reflects the guarantee of high-quality enchantments and the shop’s reputation.
• Hunter’s Lodge Market
  • Description: Located near the outskirts of wildlands or in villages frequented by hunters, this market features gear for tracking and capturing elusive creatures. The Tracker’s Compass is a coveted item here, sold alongside scent-traps, climbing gear, and snares.
  • Atmosphere: Rustic and functional, with an earthy smell and worn wooden shelves stacked with hunter’s supplies and trophies.
  • Cost: 140–160 gold pieces. Lower prices due to the rugged clientele and emphasis on practicality over aesthetics.
• Guild Hall Exchange
  • Description: Available only to members of established guilds, this exchange operates as a marketplace within large guild halls, allowing members to trade rare items or purchase specialty gear at a reduced cost.
  • Atmosphere: A bustling, communal setting with an air of camaraderie as guild members barter, discuss quests, and share travel stories.
  • Cost: 120–140 gold pieces. Guild membership grants a discount as well as a warranty for repairs or enchantment reinforcement.
• Celestial Cartographer’s Guild Shop
  • Description: Run by the Celestial Cartographer’s Guild, a renowned organization for navigators and star mappers, this establishment sells the finest enchanted compasses and navigation tools in Saṃsāra. Each Tracker’s Compass here is meticulously checked for accuracy and magical integrity.
  • Atmosphere: Refined and professional, with items displayed in glass cases. The decor is inspired by celestial motifs, and shopkeepers are knowledgeable about astromancy.
  • Cost: 200–240 gold pieces. Prices reflect both the enchantment quality and the exclusivity of purchasing through the guild.
• Hidden Market of the Shrouded Paths
  • Description: An underground marketplace frequented by rogues, mercenaries, and bounty hunters, specializing in rare and black-market items. Here, the Tracker’s Compass can be acquired by those who prefer anonymity.
  • Atmosphere: Dimly lit and discreet, with stalls set up in concealed corners. Vendors wear hoods, and transactions are often made in hushed tones.
  • Cost: 160–200 gold pieces. Pricing is variable depending on rarity and demand but includes a risk premium for the secrecy and danger involved.

Each shop provides a unique purchasing experience, with prices reflecting the expertise, demand, and reputation of the establishment.

The Tracker’s Compass serves as both a navigational tool and an aid in offense and defense in various environments across Saṃsāra, allowing for strategic applications that enhance Dracoraptoris’ effectiveness in tracking, hunting, and evasion. Here are examples of how its tracking magic might be leveraged differently in varied landscapes:

• Dense Forests
  • Defense: In thick forests, the compass aids in evasion by picking up on faint traces and recent disturbances in the natural environment. When pursued by enemies, Dracoraptoris can use the compass to backtrack along winding animal trails, or circle around to mislead pursuers. The compass can reveal areas where dense foliage might offer cover, allowing them to hide or set up an ambush.
  • Offense: While pursuing an elusive target, the compass highlights subtle signs like broken branches, disturbed leaves, or faint animal tracks that guide Dracoraptoris closer to the target. Dracoraptoris can use this information to catch up to the prey stealthily, positioning them for a surprise attack or setting up traps in areas the target is likely to pass.
• Desert Wastelands
  • Defense: In an open, barren desert where shelter is scarce, the Tracker’s Compass aligns with distant landmarks, such as rocky outcrops or dunes, helping Dracoraptoris find potential hiding spots or vantage points quickly. It also enables Dracoraptoris to evade detection by guiding them toward routes with minimal footprints or disturbances, making it difficult for enemies to track their trail.
  • Offense: The compass assists in detecting the faint trails of footprints or disturbances in the sand, even in high winds, providing a critical advantage in tailing someone. When preparing an offensive strike, Dracoraptoris can use the compass to close in from an optimal angle, where sand dunes or mirages might conceal their approach until they are within striking range.
• Mountainous Terrain
  • Defense: In mountains, where terrain can become treacherous, the Tracker’s Compass helps find safe paths or alternate routes to avoid ambush-prone areas. When navigating sheer cliffs, the compass identifies stable ledges or less visible paths where Dracoraptoris can move undetected. It can also guide them back to defensive strongholds or caves to retreat and fortify.
  • Offense: For offensive purposes, the compass pinpoints spots with a high vantage, providing a clear line of sight to track or snipe enemies below. When chasing someone in the mountains, it reveals recent disturbances, such as shifted stones or scuffed earth, allowing Dracoraptoris to track prey up narrow passes and strike from a position of advantage, possibly causing their foes to slip or fall.
• Swamps and Marshlands
  • Defense: Swamps are filled with potential hiding places, but also obscure paths that are easy to get lost in. The compass helps Dracoraptoris avoid waterlogged, unstable areas, guiding them to solid ground and safe routes, evading predators that rely on the environment’s cover. It can also lead them through dense fog, helping them escape by staying one step ahead of enemies who might get disoriented.
  • Offense: While tracking a target in a swamp, the compass reveals recent disturbances in water and mud, like ripples, footprints, or broken reeds. Dracoraptoris can follow the target through confusing terrain, using swamp cover to approach unseen and launch a close-range assault, capitalizing on the marsh’s natural concealment and ambushing capabilities.
• Urban Settings
  • Defense: In crowded cities or alleyways, the Tracker’s Compass helps Dracoraptoris navigate through complex networks of streets and alleys, identifying less-traveled or shadowed routes to evade pursuers. By aligning the compass to landmarks like towers or street intersections, Dracoraptoris can mislead, hide, or outmaneuver attackers in the cityscape.
  • Offense: When on the offensive, the compass aids in following a target through busy markets, sidestreets, or underground passages. With it, Dracoraptoris can tail the target discreetly, noting disturbances in the crowd flow or clues like overturned crates or dropped items that reveal their direction. The compass enables Dracoraptoris to anticipate the target’s movements, cornering them in strategic locations for a swift takedown.
• Seaside Cliffs or Coastal Areas
  • Defense: On rugged coasts, the compass is invaluable in tracking tides, wind direction, and safe harbors, helping Dracoraptoris avoid visibility from ships or patrols. It identifies safe paths along the cliffs, making it easier to evade those who might attempt to pin them down with limited escape routes.
  • Offense: In pursuit of an enemy near the coast, Dracoraptoris can use the compass to track subtle signs in the sand or on cliff paths. The compass can help them navigate toward optimal ambush points, like rock outcroppings, or predict where the tides might drive their target into a corner, giving Dracoraptoris a strategic position for attack.

Through these various environments, the Tracker’s Compass not only enhances Dracoraptoris’ abilities in finding their way but also adapts as a versatile tool for tactical defense and offense, allowing them to adapt to the unique features and challenges of each setting in Saṃsāra.

Perception of Activation:

• User’s Perspective: Upon activating the Tracker’s Compass, the user experiences an intense sensory and extrasensory rush as the compass aligns with magical forces to aid in tracking. Here’s how it affects each sense:
  • Sight: The compass needle glows with a shimmering, ethereal light, and faint, ghostly trails or symbolic constellations illuminate the path forward, overlaying the landscape. If focusing on a specific target, brief, translucent images of that target’s last known position may flicker within the compass.
  • Sound: A faint, melodic hum emerges from the compass, shifting tones to reflect proximity to the designated target. The pitch rises subtly as the target gets closer, alerting the user to changes in direction or obstacles.
  • Touch: The compass grows warmer or colder in the user’s hand depending on the target’s distance and direction. When nearing the target, a gentle pulse can be felt, syncing with the user’s heartbeat and heightening awareness.
  • Smell: There may be a faint, nostalgic scent tied to the target’s environment, such as the smell of forest pine, coastal salt, or dry sand, briefly aligning the user’s focus to the direction they need to follow.
  • Taste: A slight metallic taste on the user’s tongue emerges, signaling alignment with the compass’s magic, a subtle reminder of its enchanted nature.
  • Extrasensory Perceptions:
    • Auras: The user gains a heightened awareness of auras along the path, seeing soft outlines or colorations around objects and terrain that signal clues, like recent footprints or disturbances.
    • Spatial Awareness: The user feels an expanded perception, intuitively sensing nearby threats or obstacles as they track the target. This sensation gives them an advantage in choosing stealthy or advantageous paths.
    • Intuitive Pull: The user feels a gentle, almost magnetic pull in the direction of the target, creating an unshakable sense of orientation.
  • Positives:
    • Enhanced Tracking Abilities: Increased awareness and guidance make tracking effortless, as the compass highlights paths, scents, and trails that might otherwise be missed.
    • Increased Focus and Direction: The user feels more connected to their goal, experiencing fewer distractions as the magical sensations sharpen their focus.
    • Safety Enhancements: Alerts to dangers along the path enable the user to avoid potential traps or hostile creatures.
  • Negatives:
    • Sensory Overload: Prolonged activation may overwhelm the user, especially in environments with conflicting sensory stimuli (e.g., dense forests, noisy cities).
    • Loss of Peripheral Awareness: While focusing on the compass, the user’s awareness of immediate surroundings can dim, making them vulnerable to ambushes or environmental hazards.
    • Compass Fatigue: Overuse of the compass can cause fatigue or mild disorientation once deactivated, as the user readjusts to normal senses.
• Observer’s Perspective: From the perspective of a bystander or observer, the compass’s activation is accompanied by subtle, almost ethereal changes that suggest it’s guiding the user.
  • Sight: Observers may see the compass emit a faint, glowing light. If the user is deeply focused, their eyes might reflect this light, giving them an otherworldly, determined expression.
  • Sound: Observers notice a subtle hum or resonance emanating from the compass, almost like distant chimes, when it’s close to the target. This sound is too faint to distract but enough to signify that magic is at work.
  • Aura Shift: Observers sensitive to magic may see a soft aura enveloping the user and compass, as if they are partially attuned to another dimension or tracking realm.
  • Extrasensory Observations:
    • Mystic Presence: Magic-sensitive observers may feel a faint presence or see brief, flickering shadows or traces around the user that align with their path or movements.
    • Environmental Shifts: The area around the user might feel subtly different, as if a low-pressure zone surrounds them, creating a sense of something ‘other’ being present in the natural world.
  • Positives:
    • Impression of Power: Observers see the compass as an indicator of skill and mastery, making the user appear seasoned and focused.
    • Unobtrusive Use: Unless extremely sensitive to magic, most observers would find the activation subtle and non-disruptive, allowing the user to retain a level of stealth.
  • Negatives:
    • Attention Drawn by Glow: In dark environments, the glowing compass might make the user more visible to onlookers, potentially alerting enemies or rival trackers.
    • Unease Among Sensitive Observers: Individuals attuned to magic might feel slightly uncomfortable around the activated compass, experiencing brief chills or mild disorientation due to the magic.

Crafting Recipe: Tracker’s Compass of Celestial Pursuit

• Materials Needed
  • Compass Base: A sturdy, brass casing with a glass cover, engraved with constellations and ancient symbols.
  • Celestial Quartz (1 small shard): A rare mineral found in high altitudes or deep caves; it holds traces of starlight and is crucial for the compass’s tracking magic.
  • Astral Ink (3 drops): Ink made from crushed starleaf plant mixed with trace amounts of powdered moonstone. Used to enhance the compass’s magical resonance.
  • Feather of a Night Bird (1 feather): The feather of a nocturnal bird, such as an owl or nightjar, for guidance and clarity during tracking.
  • Etheric Powder (1 pinch): Ground essence of etherium, a mystical element that aids in aligning the compass with otherworldly energies.
  • Lodestone Shavings (a small amount): Small filings of lodestone to magnetize the compass needle.
  • Magic-Infused Water (1 vial): Water enchanted with a tracing spell that activates the tracking properties in the quartz.
• Tools Required
  • Engraving Pen: For inscribing mystical symbols on the brass casing.
  • Jeweler’s Loupe: For handling small, delicate components like the Celestial Quartz.
  • Mortar and Pestle: To grind the lodestone and mix powders.
  • Silk Brush: For applying the Astral Ink precisely within the compass.
  • Enchanter’s Forge: A magical heat source for fusing enchanted materials together.
  • Miniature Compass Calibrator: A precise tool for setting the compass needle.
• Skill Requirements
  • Arcana (Intermediate Level): Knowledge of enchantment techniques and celestial alignment.
  • Crafting (Journeyman Level): Proficiency in engraving, aligning compass components, and handling enchanted materials.
  • Herbalism or Alchemy (Basic Knowledge): Skill in mixing and applying Astral Ink and Etheric Powder without damaging the materials.
• Crafting Steps
  • Prepare the Compass Base: Begin by cleaning the brass compass casing and engraving mystical symbols representing guidance, direction, and the constellations of the celestial sphere. Each symbol should be carefully placed to enhance the compass’s tracking capabilities.
  • Apply Astral Ink: Using the silk brush, apply Astral Ink to the inside of the compass casing, forming delicate lines and constellations that will serve as focal points for magical energy. Allow the ink to dry under moonlight for at least one night to amplify its potency.
  • Enchant the Quartz: Place the Celestial Quartz shard in the Enchanter’s Forge and sprinkle it with Etheric Powder. Whisper a spell of tracing and binding as it heats, infusing the quartz with directional magic. Once infused, the quartz should glow faintly, indicating it’s ready to be set in the compass.
  • Position the Needle: Magnetize the compass needle by rubbing it gently with lodestone shavings. Once charged, place it in the center of the compass, ensuring it is perfectly aligned. Use the calibrator to adjust for precision, allowing the needle to track magical traces without deviation.
  • Embed Celestial Quartz: Insert the enchanted quartz into a small socket behind the compass face, securing it to the casing. This crystal acts as the “heart” of the compass, directing the needle toward chosen targets based on the user’s intent.
  • Anoint with Magic-Infused Water: Dip the night bird feather into the Magic-Infused Water and brush it lightly over the compass face. This anointing enhances the magical conductivity and activates the tracking enchantment permanently.
  • Final Binding Spell: To complete the compass, recite a binding spell, holding the compass in both hands under starlight. Focus on the intent of guidance and direction, calling on celestial energies to bind all components into harmony.
  • Testing and Calibration: Test the Tracker’s Compass by focusing on a known landmark or distant star. Observe the needle’s movement and ensure the compass’s magic aligns correctly. Make any final calibrations as necessary to ensure accuracy.

With these steps, the Tracker’s Compass of Celestial Pursuit is ready for use, tuned to guide its wielder toward their intended path or target through any terrain.

Tale of the Star-Finder’s Compass

Long ago, in the days before stars had settled their places in the heavens, there was one called Star-Seeker, a wanderer not of this world. The Star-Seeker, it is said, was born from the dust of a comet that fell upon an ancient mountain, a being made both of earth and sky who spoke with a voice like wind over stone.

The Star-Seeker roamed the world in search of the Star of the Beginning, the star said to hold all answers, all mysteries, and all endings. Some whispered that the Star of the Beginning could grant eternal life, others that it would reveal all knowledge of past and future. Yet none knew where this Star lay or if it had ever been seen by mortal eyes.

As Star-Seeker wandered, he met a creature known only as the One Who Knows Roads. This One Who Knows Roads was no ordinary creature but a shadow woven from night itself, and it wore eyes that reflected all stars ever seen. The One Who Knows Roads watched the Star-Seeker with a quiet, unmoving gaze and finally spoke in words woven from silence and dream.

“You seek what lies beyond,” the One Who Knows Roads said. “But the beyond does not wish to be found, and the Star of the Beginning has no path. You will wander until the winds wear away your bones.”

The Star-Seeker would not relent. “Show me how to find this star, for it is my only desire, my only reason.”

Seeing that Star-Seeker’s resolve was unbreakable, the One Who Knows Roads plucked a feather from its own wing of darkness and placed it in a compass forged from stardust and the brass of ancient mountains. “Take this, and it shall show you not the path to the Star of the Beginning, but the path to any heart that desires to be found. It knows not where it leads but shall reveal the direction to the end of all journeys.”

With this compass, Star-Seeker traveled many lands and saw many strange realms beyond imagining. The needle would spin and settle, spinning and settling again, until it would point—not to a single star but to lost paths, forgotten places, and the hidden dreams of those Star-Seeker encountered. The compass brought him near those who held mysteries and others who wished to be found. Yet he never found the Star of the Beginning.

In time, weary from many travels, the Star-Seeker looked upon the compass once more. He whispered, “Guide me to my own heart, that I may know the truth.”

The compass needle shivered and pointed, and it led him not to the Star of the Beginning, nor to any other distant place, but back to where he had first begun, to the ancient mountain where the comet’s dust still lay upon the stones. There, he beheld the sky and saw the stars for the first time in their proper place, shining without need of finding. He knew then that it was not his journey that shaped his path but his desire to seek, and that the compass could never find what was already within.

And so he buried the compass beneath the stones of that ancient mountain, leaving it to guide others as it would, that they might follow its path not to answers but to discovery.

Moral: That which guides us most true is often not toward answers but toward the discovery of what lies within ourselves.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Type: Enchanted Navigational Tool
• Description: An ancient brass compass with a needle that moves not to magnetic north but toward chosen locations or individuals. The glass face reveals faint, starlike symbols that glow when active.
• Magic Points Cost: 3 per use
• Sanity Loss: 0/1D4
• Function:
  • Tracking: When the compass is held, the user spends 3 Magic Points and rolls POW × 3 to activate. On a success, the needle aligns to a chosen person or place within a 50-mile radius. It guides the user as long as they hold it, pointing only to the specified target.
  • Perception Enhancement: While using the compass, the user gains a temporary +10% bonus to Navigate or Track rolls.
• Drawback: Each use exposes the wielder to unknown cosmic energies, risking a temporary hallucination (INT roll to resist) in which they perceive fragments of otherworldly beings or realms.
• History: Those who wield this compass frequently experience visions of far-off places or faint memories from past users.

Blades in the Dark

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Type: Unusual Item
• Load: 1 (Light)
• Description: A tarnished brass compass etched with constellations. The needle shifts not to cardinal directions but toward a specific person, location, or secret based on the user’s intent.
• Usage:
  • Activate: To use the Star-Finder’s Compass, spend 1 stress and make an Attune roll. On a success, the compass needle aligns to the user’s chosen target or place (as long as it is within a reasonable distance or known to the user).
  • Effect: While following the compass, the user gains greater effect on Survey or Hunt rolls related to navigation or locating specific persons or items. The compass allows a player to ignore up to two negative position factors (like darkness or urban confusion) when tracking.
• Consequences: On a critical failure, the user becomes lost, their sense of direction distorted by the compass’s strange pull. Additionally, exposure to the compass may invite supernatural attention, or “whispers,” from a nearby entity.

Dungeons & Dragons (5e)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Wondrous Item (Rare), Requires Attunement
• Description: This brass compass, etched with delicate constellations and symbols, guides its user toward desired persons or places rather than to the cardinal north.
• Activation: The user attunes to the compass and expends one charge, choosing a person, place, or object they are familiar with within 10 miles. The compass then points toward the chosen target, acting as a guide until the destination is reached, or until dawn.
• Charges: 3 charges, regains 1d3 expended charges at dawn.
• Features:
  • Tracking Advantage: While following the compass’s direction, the user has advantage on Survival checks made to track the chosen target.
  • Enhanced Awareness: Once per activation, the user may gain advantage on one Perception check while following the compass’s path.
  • Misleading Pull: If the user fails a Wisdom saving throw (DC 13) when activating in a location with strong magical interference, the compass may briefly pull them toward a random direction before stabilizing.
• Curse: The Star-Finder’s Compass occasionally draws the attention of planar beings, giving the user disadvantage on Charisma checks when interacting with extraplanar creatures after repeated use (3+ activations in a single week).

Knave

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Inventory Slots: 1
• Type: Magical Tool
• Description: A tarnished brass compass, whose needle aligns not with the north but toward a chosen target. The compass face reveals starlike symbols that faintly glow upon activation.
• Effect:
  • Tracking: Once per day, the user can activate the compass by expending 1 Wisdom point, setting the needle to point toward a specific person, place, or object known to them within 5 miles. The needle remains locked to this target for the next 8 hours.
  • Guidance: While the compass is active, the user gains a +1 bonus to Wisdom checks made for navigation or tracking.
  • Strange Vision: There is a 1-in-6 chance that using the compass provides the user with a brief vision of an unknown location or distant realm, accompanied by an uneasy sense of foreboding.
• Drawback: The compass can be unreliable near areas of high magical distortion, in which case the needle spins erratically, preventing accurate tracking until removed from the area.

Fate Core

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Type: Enchanted Item
• Aspect: “Guided by the Stars”
• Description: This brass compass is adorned with faintly glowing symbols and points to chosen locations or individuals rather than cardinal directions. The user feels a subtle “pull” toward their goal when it’s active.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Invoke: The user may spend a Fate Point to invoke the “Guided by the Stars” aspect for a +2 on Notice or Investigate rolls when attempting to find or track a person or location.
  • Overcome: For complex routes or challenging navigation, the compass allows the user to attempt an Overcome action with the Star-Finder’s Compass for guidance. Success lets the user avoid distractions or dangers on their path.
  • Compel: If the GM compels the “Guided by the Stars” aspect, the compass may lead the user on an unexpected path, misinterpreting the destination and drawing the attention of a supernatural entity. Accepting the compel awards a Fate Point.
• Extras: The compass can give the user access to a special tracking or guidance ability, allowing them to navigate obstacles they would otherwise find impassable. However, using this guidance repeatedly may draw magical creatures’ attention, resulting in future Challenges or Compels.

Numenera & Cypher System

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Level: 4
• Type: Artifact
• Depletion: 1 in 1d10
• Description: An ancient, brass artifact decorated with celestial symbols and constellations. This compass aligns to chosen locations or people within range, guiding the user even through treacherous terrain.
• Effect:
  • Tracking Activation: When activated, the Star-Finder’s Compass directs the user toward a designated target (a person, place, or thing) within a 10-mile radius. The target must be known to the user or described clearly.
  • Boosted Skill: While active, the user gains an asset on Navigation and Tracking tasks (or +1 on rolls related to locating and perceiving clues). The effect lasts for up to 1 hour or until the target is found, whichever is sooner.
  • Insight: Once per day, the compass grants a vision or clue about the nature of the target, adding a point of Intellect Edge for the next 24 hours.
• Drawbacks:
  • Depletion Roll: Each use requires a depletion roll (1 in 1d10). On depletion, the compass dims and requires recalibration under moonlight to regain its full powers. Repeated use of the compass may cause disorientation or brief visions of unknown realms, potentially lowering the user’s Intellect Pool by 1 until they rest.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Item Type: Wondrous Item (Magic Item)
• Level: 5
• Price: 150 gp
• Activation: [Interact] 1-action; Frequency: Once per day
• Description: This ornate brass compass is etched with constellations and aligns to a chosen target’s direction instead of the north. When activated, it helps the user track persons, places, or objects within range.
• Usage:
  • Tracking Function: By activating the compass and specifying a person, place, or object within 10 miles, the compass needle points in the direction of the target.
  • Tracking Assistance: While following the compass, the user gains a +2 item bonus to Survival checks made to follow tracks or navigate toward the target.
  • Daily Insight: Once per day, the compass grants a fleeting vision of the target’s environment. The user gains a +1 bonus on Perception checks related to tracking that specific target for the next hour.
• Drawback: Using the compass in areas of intense magical interference or high-altitude environments requires a DC 18 Will Save. On a failure, the compass provides false guidance, adding a +2 circumstance penalty to Survival checks for 10 minutes.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Type: Magical Compass
• Rarity: Rare
• Description: A brass compass with intricate engravings and starlike symbols that faintly glow when active. The needle points toward chosen people or places, guiding the user with uncanny precision.
• Powers and Mechanics:
  • Power Points: 2
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Range: 10 miles
  • Effect:
    • Direction: The compass provides the Guidance effect for navigation, offering the user a +2 bonus on Survival or Tracking rolls when attempting to locate a specific individual or place within the compass’s range.
    • Tracking Aid: While the compass is active, the user may spend a Benny to receive a vision related to the target’s location or the obstacles in their path. The vision provides hints or details that give advantage on the next Survival roll.
  • Depletion: On a Critical Failure while using the compass, it depletes temporarily, requiring recalibration by placing it under starlight for 1 hour before it can be used again.
• Quirks and Drawbacks:
  • Supernatural Attention: Every third use attracts the attention of a spirit or mystical force, increasing the user’s Fear level by 1 for the remainder of the session.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Type: Enchanted Gear
• Availability: 7
• Cost: 1,500¥
• Description: This brass compass, engraved with celestial symbols, uses a magical aura to direct the user toward a chosen target, helping in both urban sprawls and dense wilderness settings.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Activation: The user must concentrate on a specific person, place, or object they know, spending 1 Complex Action to activate the compass. The compass provides directional guidance to the target within a 10-kilometer radius.
  • Effect: While active, the compass grants a +2 dice pool bonus on Tracking or Navigation tests related to locating the target.
  • Astral Effects: The compass functions in both physical and astral planes. If used by an adept or mage, it provides +1 die on Astral Perception checks when focused on an active trace or aura left by the target.
  • Drain: Prolonged use of the compass for more than 1 hour inflicts 2 Stun Damage on the user due to magical exhaustion.
• Drawback: In heavily polluted or highly technological zones (Rating 5+ Noise), the compass may become unreliable, granting only a +1 dice pool bonus. Additionally, using the compass repeatedly (more than once per day) in such zones increases the Drain to 4 Stun Damage.

Starfinder

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Level: 4
• Price: 2,000 credits
• Bulk: L
• Description: An enchanted, finely crafted brass compass that guides the user not to north, but to a specific target. Its needle shifts in the direction of known persons or places, even across various planetary landscapes.
• Usage:
  • Activation: Spend a Move Action to activate the compass. Specify a known person, place, or object within 50 miles; the compass needle aligns to the target’s direction, providing a path to follow.
  • Effects: The compass provides a +2 circumstance bonus to Survival checks related to tracking or navigating toward the designated target.
  • Daily Use: Can be activated once per day. The tracking effect lasts for up to 1 hour.
  • Special: In environments with high interference (like starports or planetary rings), the compass may give misleading directions, reducing the bonus to +1 unless recalibrated with a DC 18 Engineering or Mysticism check.
• Drawback: On a failed Mysticism check while in high-tech or magical interference zones, the compass can attract minor spirits or holographic echoes, distracting the user with false readings and imposing a -2 penalty on Survival checks for 10 minutes.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Type: Advanced Tool (TL 12)
• Cost: Cr 5,000
• Weight: 0.5 kg
• Description: A sleek compass constructed of an unknown, sturdy alloy, featuring an adjustable display with shifting star patterns. This item uses advanced tracking sensors aligned with planetary magnetic fields to pinpoint known targets or locations.
• Function:
  • Activation: A user can activate the Star-Finder’s Compass as a Minor Action and specify a person, place, or item within a 20-kilometer radius.
  • Skill Bonus: While active, the compass grants a +1 DM on Survival or Recon checks related to navigation or tracking the chosen target.
  • Power Source: The compass is self-sustaining, using a miniature fusion cell with an effective operational time of 8 hours before a 1-hour recharge is needed.
  • Environmental Adaptability: The compass automatically adjusts to different planetary conditions, working seamlessly in both temperate and extreme environments.
• Drawback: The compass may lose accuracy when used near high-tech installations or magnetic anomalies. In such cases, the user must make an Electronics (sensors) check (8+) to recalibrate, or the compass’s directional ability will be unreliable, only granting a +0 DM.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP 4e)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Category: Magical Trinket
• Encumbrance: 1
• Availability: Very Rare
• Description: This brass and starmetal compass is etched with the symbols of the stars and contains an enchanted needle that points toward a desired location or person rather than north.
• Game Mechanics:
  • Activation: To activate, the user must concentrate on a known target (a place, person, or thing) and spend a Full Action. The compass then points to the direction of the target within a range of 10 leagues.
  • Effect: Grants a +10% bonus to Outdoor Survival and Navigation rolls made to track or locate the specified target for up to 6 hours.
  • Special: If used by a magic-sensitive character (like a wizard), the compass may reveal brief visions or signs (GM’s discretion) about the target’s surroundings or potential dangers in the path.
• Drawback: Repeated use within a single day creates a Corruption risk, as the compass’s celestial influence subtly draws energies from the Aethyr. After three uses in one day, the user must succeed on a Toughness Test (Challenging -10%) or gain 1 Corruption Point due to exposure to otherworldly energies.

Warhammer 40K (Wrath & Glory)

Item: Star-Finder’s Compass

• Rarity: Very Rare
• Keywords: Artifact, Navigation, Mystical
• Description: This ancient relic, etched with symbols thought to date back to the Dark Age of Technology, allows the bearer to focus on a distant target, causing the compass needle to guide them unerringly toward it.
• Effect:
  • Activation: By spending a Wrath Point and declaring a specific person, place, or item, the user can activate the compass, setting the needle to guide them to the chosen target for 6 hours. The compass grants the user +2 dice on Survival checks made to track the target and adds +1 to Awareness checks.
  • Insight: Once per session, the compass may grant a vision of the target’s surroundings or obstacles in the path, at the GM’s discretion, giving the user a situational advantage.
  • Cursed Fate: Every third use of the compass attracts a supernatural presence (a Daemon or other Warp entity), imposing 1 point of Corruption as the entity subtly influences the user.