Lore: Created by the secretive monks of the Lotus Petal Monastery, the Buddhist 359 of Affront is designed to balance the cosmic scales. In an act of audacity, it is said to encapsulate the spirit of affront against the heavens themselves, daring to correct the balance where gods and fate have erred. Although it holds a common status, it is only because the ingredients are easy to procure. The actual craftsmanship and imbuing of magical properties require considerable expertise in both Buddhist rituals and magical practices.
Stats:
- Slot: Trinket
- Rarity: Common
- Tier: 1
- Weight: 1 lb
- Size: Small
Roleplay: Characters who hold this item often feel a heightened sense of audacity and willingness to confront authority or challenge norms. It is not uncommon for the user to be more vociferous in matters of justice or balance, directly channeling the affront that is the essence of the item.
Costs:
- Market Value: 40 Gold Pieces
- Barter Value: Equivalent to three days’ worth of skilled labor or six days of unskilled labor.
Magics:
- Active Effect: Once per day, you can invoke the power of affront to impose disadvantage on a single authority figure’s next roll within your line of sight. Lasts for 1 minute.
- Passive Effect: You gain a +1 to all Persuasion and Intimidation checks against individuals holding positions of authority.
Tags: Buddhist, Ritualistic, Audacious, Balance
Usage in Different Environments:
- Defense:
- Urban: Useful for interactions with corrupt officials or oppressive rulers.
- Wilderness: Can be used to defy the natural pecking order among creatures or challenge an alpha for temporary leadership.
- Dungeon: When dealing with enchanted traps or constructs serving an authority (like a dungeon master), activating the item may cause them to malfunction.
- Offense:
- Urban: Could be used to lower the effectiveness of city guards or militia temporarily.
- Wilderness: Might be used to turn natural predators away, making them question their instincts briefly.
- Dungeon: Can make an authoritarian enemy hesitate, giving you the upper hand in combat for a moment.
By integrating Buddhist rituals and magic, this item provides an alternative way to interact with both society and the natural world. Its power is to question the established order, to demand balance, and to affront those who would maintain imbalance, making it an asset in a wide range of environments.
Perception of the Five Senses:
- Sight:
- Perceived: A delicate trinket with intricate engravings and a faintly glowing aura.
- Description: Intriguing to the eye, often pulling attention towards it.
- Positives: Draws attention, easily identified.
- Negatives: Attracts too much attention; could be a target for theft.
- Touch:
- Perceived: Smooth to the touch but also exudes a slight tingle.
- Description: The tingling sensation is felt when skin comes in contact with the trinket.
- Positives: Creates a sense of connection with the item.
- Negatives: Continuous touch could be mildly discomforting.
- Smell:
- Perceived: The faint scent of incense and aged wood.
- Description: A subtle smell that invokes tranquility.
- Positives: Calming and pleasant.
- Negatives: Scent might be too faint to be noticed unless explicitly sniffed.
- Taste:
- Perceived: N/A
- Description: Not intended to be tasted.
- Positives: N/A
- Negatives: N/A
- Hearing:
- Perceived: A very soft hum when activated.
- Description: Almost like a whispered chant, barely audible.
- Positives: Gives audible confirmation of activation.
- Negatives: Could give away a hidden position if in a quiet environment.
Extra-sensory Perceptions:
- Aura Sensing:
- Perceived: A fluctuating aura, aligned with defiance and balance.
- Description: A bold yet balanced magical aura.
- Positives: Easily recognized by those with magical sight as a tool for challenging authority.
- Negatives: Those aligned with authoritarian power might recognize it as a threat.
- Emotion Sensing:
- Perceived: Sense of audacity and willingness.
- Description: An emotional aura that imbues the user with a feeling of daring.
- Positives: Bolsters emotional readiness.
- Negatives: Could lead to overconfidence.
Recipe:
- Ingredients:
- One small piece of petrified wood
- Sacred ink made from crushed lotus petals
- Essence of ginger root
- A strand of hair from a being who has defied authority and survived
- A droplet of water from a balanced scale
- Steps:
- Purification: Bathe the petrified wood in the droplet of balanced scale water while chanting a mantra dedicated to equilibrium and justice.
- Engraving: Using a quill dipped in the sacred ink, inscribe Buddhist symbols of defiance and balance onto the petrified wood.
- Infusion: Place the strand of hair on the inscribed wood and circle it thrice with the essence of ginger root, while chanting a mantra that invokes the spirit of audacity.
- Finalization: Hold the trinket in your hand and meditate, focusing on the concept of affront against unbalanced authorities, effectively channeling your intentions into the item.
- Sealing: Wrap the item in a cloth imbued with crushed lotus petals and let it sit overnight under a waning moon, finalizing its magical properties.
Once these steps are completed, the Buddhist 359 of Affront is ready to challenge the cosmic balance of power.
Tale of Daring Stone, The Affront Against Sky Sovereign
In time lost, much past than memory can sail, there lived Being of grand audacity. This Being question Sky Sovereign, ruler above and below, for balance was skewed. Not fair, not equal, Being feel deep.
Sky Sovereign wrath mighty. Punish bring on village of audacious Being. But, Being not bend, not cower. Seek Wise Monk with long-whisker, eyes of old riverbed.
Wise Monk give puzzle, tiny wood piece, petrified and calm. “Affront engrave, balance chant, defiance infuse,” Monk whisper, “Wood become stone of stand.”
Being follow, stone of stand complete, named Buddhist 359 of Affront. Then, Sky Sovereign challenged again, but this time, Being held stone close, and Sky Sovereign tremble. Balance shake and adjust. People rejoice, Being honored.
But, warning given: stone not use much, else audacity turn arrogance. Now, Buddhist 359 of Affront, it lies await, for the next brave to hold, next unbalance to mend.
Moral: Dare to challenge, but never let defiance cloud balance.
Suggested conversion to other systems:
Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Item Type: Wondrous Item
- Rarity: Common
- Slot: One hand
- Properties: When you present this stone and speak its command word, you can impose disadvantage on one attack roll or saving throw made against you (use before roll).
- Limitation: Can be used once per long rest.
Pathfinder 2e
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Item Level: 1
- Price: 5 gp
- Usage: Held in 1 hand
- Activate: Single Action; Command
- Effect: Use the item to grant yourself a +1 circumstance bonus to AC or a saving throw for 1 round.
Savage Worlds
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Type: Magical Trinket
- Slot: One hand
- Cost: 100 silver
- Special Rules: Once per session, may be used to reroll one defensive Trait roll.
Numenera & Cypher System
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Level: 1
- Form: A petrified wood turned into stone
- Effect: Allows the user to re-roll one defense task.
- Depletion: 1 in 1d6
Knave
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Type: Magical Object
- Slot: 1
- Effect: Use to gain +2 to Defense for one round.
Starfinder
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Level: 1
- Price: 200 credits
- Hands: 1
- Usage: 1/long rest
- Effect: +1 to EAC and KAC for 1 round.
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Type: Talisman
- Rarity: Common
- Encumbrance: 1
- Effect: Use once per session to add +10 to a single Dodge or Parry test.
Shadowrun
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Type: Foci
- Force: 1
- Activation: Simple Action
- Effect: Adds +1 to a single defense test.
- Limit: Once per session.
Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
Name: Buddhist 359 of Affront
- Type: Mythos Relic
- Slot: 1 hand
- SAN Loss: 0/1D4
- Effect: Use to gain a bonus die on a single Dodge roll.
- Charge: 1/day