Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow – GearAscendancy.com

Lore: In the mire-choke of Saṃsāra’s lower reaches, there exists a tradition of “Sin-Eating” through aesthetics. The Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow is a spectral, oily greasepaint derived from the essence of parasites that feed on ill-will. It was originally crafted for sacrificial protectors who sought to take the burdens of their community into their own flesh. To be “Absorbed” is to become a living sponge for the world’s negativity; you don’t merely suffer the curse, you inhabit it until you and the hex are one.

Description: A rusted iron tin containing a swirling, jaundiced yellow ointment that feels unnaturally cold. When applied to the skin, it sinks deep beneath the surface, turning the veins a prominent, bruised indigo and making the wearer appear gaunt and “sunken,” as if they are being consumed from within by a dark sponge.

Stats

Tier: 1
Rarity: Common
Gear Slot: Body/Skin (One Slot)
Durability: 10 (Reduces as it absorbs malice)
Weight: 0.2 lbs

Skills Gained

Expertise (Fortitude/Constitution): Your body has learned to function while under constant internal pressure.
Expertise (Intimidation): Your uncanny, “consumed” appearance makes others instinctively fear what is lurking inside you.

Passive Magics

The Ravenous Pore: You gain a +2 bonus to saves against external Hexes and Curses. Instead of resisting them, your skin “Absorbs” the magic into the ointment’s reservoir.
Echo of the Burden: When you are at less than half your maximum HP, the curse manifests more strongly. Enemies within 5 feet feel a minor, phantom “Ache,” suffering a -1 penalty to their physical attack rolls as they unknowingly share a fraction of your absorbed weight.

Activated Magics

Marrow-Siphon (Cost: 4 Mana): You touch a willing ally or a cursed object. You “Absorb” one minor negative status effect or curse from them into yourself. You suffer the effect’s penalties, but you gain temporary HP equal to the level of the curse absorbed.
Vomit the Vex (Cost: 6 Mana): You forcefully expel a portion of your absorbed negativity. You take 1d4 psychic damage, and a target within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma save or be Sickened for 1 minute as they are flooded with the “Absorbed” misery you carry.

Tags: Curse-Magic, Hex-Tech, Absorbed-Focus, Tier 1, Common, Dermal-Application, Sin-Eating, Defensive-Blight, Malice-Reservoir, Saṃsāra-Mire, Suffering-Aesthetic, Soul-Sponge, Parasitic-Pigment, Burden-Binding, Indigo-Veined, Jaundice-Sheen, Malice-Leach, Hollow-Ego

In the world of Saṃsāra, Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow is rarely found in pristine boutiques. Because it involves the “Absorbed” aesthetic and the taking on of spiritual filth, it is sold in places where the air is thick with the scent of wet iron and rot.

The Leech-Monger’s Cellar (The Under-City)

Environment: A damp, subterranean room where jars of dark fluids line the walls and the floor is covered in thick, absorbent moss. The shopkeeper is usually a “Blight-Warden” who carries more curses than they sell.
How it is Bought: You do not pay with gold alone. To buy the Hollow Sallow here, you must allow the merchant to “Siphon” a small portion of your vitality into a jar. It is a transaction of biological exchange.
Cost: 8 to 12 Gold Pieces + 1 Permanent Hit Point (until the next long rest).

The Penitent’s Stall (Temple Slums)

Environment: A makeshift wooden table located just outside the walls of the Great Cathedrals. It is marketed to those who seek “Social Martyrdom”—the poor souls who want to look like they are suffering for the sins of the wealthy.
How it is Bought: Sold as a “Sacred Burden.” You must recite a vow of endurance while the merchant applies the first layer of the indigo-veined greasepaint to your neck.
Cost: 15 Gold Pieces. The price is higher because it is considered a “religious tool” for penance.

The Ossuary Apothecary (Ancient Battlefields)

Environment: A shop built into the ribs of a giant, fallen beast. The air is stagnant, and the merchandise is salvaged from the bodies of those who died under heavy hexes.
How it is Bought: Often traded for “Cursed Relics.” The shopkeeper values the Hollow Sallow for its ability to stabilize other, more volatile curses. You might find it in a bulk barrel, unlabeled and smelling of sulfur.
Cost: 5 Gold Pieces (Bulk/Unrefined). It is cheap here because it is seen as a byproduct of war-salvage.

The Sin-Eater’s Exchange (The Gray Wards)

Environment: A quiet, respectful clinic where professional “Absorbers” go to replenish their supplies. It is clean but somber, filled with the sound of muffled coughing.
How it is Bought: By prescription or professional license. If you can prove you are a registered Sin-Eater or Protector, the cost is subsidized by the local district.
Cost: 10 Gold Pieces. This is the “standard” price for a reliable, non-toxic batch.

Resale and Scarcity

Resale Value: A used tin is worth more the fuller it is. A tin that has “Absorbed” a powerful hex can be sold to alchemists for 20+ Gold Pieces as “Charged Raw Material.”
Scarcity: Common. While unpleasant, the presence of curses in Saṃsāra ensures a constant need for sponges to soak them up.

Roleplaying with Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow requires a performance of “Enduring Weight.” Your Avatar acts as a lightning rod for the world’s malice. You don’t dodge the darkness; you pull it toward you, inviting it to settle into your skin until you are a walking reservoir of concentrated misfortune.

Offensive Roleplay: The “Malignant Discharge”

Offense with this item is about “Projecting Internalized Misery.” You aren’t striking with a blade; you are forcing others to experience the crushing weight of the things you have “Absorbed.”

In Combat (Vomit the Vex): Narrate the bruised, indigo veins on your arms pulsing and darkening. When you expel the curse, don’t just “hit” the enemy. Describe your Avatar doubling over in a jagged cough as a cloud of yellowish, oily vapor escapes your mouth. Roleplay the target’s reaction as they are hit not by wind, but by a “Memory of Pain” or a “Flash of Fever” you’ve stored.
The “Uncanny Terror”: Use your Intimidation expertise by leaning into your gaunt appearance. Roleplay a stare that says you have already suffered the worst the world has to offer, and you are eager to share it. “I have swallowed the pox of three villages. Do you truly think your sword can frighten me?” * The Burden Trap: Intentionally enter the reach of a melee fighter. Roleplay the Echo of the Burden as a physical pressure cooker. Describe the air around you becoming heavy and stagnant, making the enemy’s sword feel like it’s made of lead as they enter your “Sorrow-Aura.”

Defensive Roleplay: The “Sacrificial Bastion”

Defense with the Hollow Sallow is about “Spiritual Dampening.” You become a void where the enemy’s magic goes to die, neutralized by your own over-saturated flesh.

The Ravenous Pore (Spell-Breaker): When an enemy caster throws a hex or a debuff at your party, narrate your Avatar stepping into the path of the spell. Describe the magic hitting your skin and being “sucked” into your indigo veins like water into dry earth. You don’t “block” it; you absorb it, gritting your teeth as your skin turns a darker shade of jaundiced yellow.
Marrow-Siphon (The Sin-Eater’s Shield): Roleplay the act of taking an ally’s pain. Place a hand on a wounded friend and narrate the “black sludge” of their curse crawling up your arm and settling into your own chest. Your defense is keeping the party “clean” by keeping yourself “filth-ridden.”
The Hollow Aegis: When taking physical hits, roleplay that the damage feels “muffled.” Because your body is already occupied by the curse, there is “no room” for new pain to take root. Describe yourself as a sponge that can no longer be wet—saturated and immovable.

Environmental Interaction Nuances

In Plagued or Blighted Lands: While others wear masks and tremble, roleplay your Avatar walking through the miasma with arms outstretched. You are in your element. You can “sense” the richest pockets of rot. Use the Hollow Sallow to “clean” a path for your allies by acting as a mobile filtration system for the environment.
In Noble Courts and Holy Sanctuaries: Roleplay the “Social Repulsion.” Your appearance is a visceral reminder of the suffering the upper classes try to ignore. Use this to your advantage to be overlooked (“Who would talk to that sickly wretch?”) or to make officials so uncomfortable that they give you what you want just to make you leave their sight.
At a Magical Nexus: If the party finds a corrupted font of energy, roleplay the danger of “Over-Saturating.” Describe the tin of ointment rattling in your bag as it tries to pull in too much at once. This creates high-stakes roleplay where you must decide if you can handle “Absorbing” the entire corruption to save the area.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

Sight: Your peripheral vision darkens as if the world is being viewed through a yellowed, antique lens. The veins in your wrists and hands turn a vivid, throbbing indigo, visible beneath the skin like ink-filled tunnels.
Sound: A heavy, muffled silence descends, as if you are underwater. The only distinct sound is the rhythmic, wet “thrum-thrum” of your heart working against the density of the absorbed hexes.
Touch: A profound sense of “heaviness” settles into your marrow. You feel less like a person and more like a waterlogged timber. The skin where the sallow is applied feels cool, numb, and strangely “tight,” as if it is holding back a great pressure.
Smell: A sharp, acidic odor of stagnant pond water and old brass fills your sinuses.
Taste: A metallic, bitter flavor—reminiscent of chewing on a copper coin—coats the back of your throat.
Extra-Sensory (Vibrational Malice): You can “feel” the negative intentions of those around you as physical vibrations against your skin. A lie feels like a cold breeze; a murderous thought feels like a sharp needle prick.
Extra-Sensory (The Void-Sense): You perceive a “color” that does not exist in the visible spectrum—a shimmering “Anti-Light” that highlights where curses and blights are most concentrated in the environment.

Observer’s Perspective

Sight: The Avatar appears to age ten years in a matter of seconds. Their cheeks hollow out, and their eyes sink into dark, sallow pits. The skin takes on a waxen, sickly sheen that seems to repel natural light.
Sound: When the Avatar moves, observers might hear a faint, wet “squelch” or the sound of shifting silt, despite no mud being present.
Extra-Sensory (Sympathetic Dilation): Those standing near the Avatar often feel a sudden, inexplicable urge to sigh or a momentary dip in their mood, as the “Absorbed” aura subconsciously drains the local emotional levity.

Positives

Internalized Stability: Because you have “Absorbed” the chaos, your mind remains eerily calm during high-stress situations; the internal weight acts as an emotional anchor.
Hex Immunity: You become a “closed circuit.” Most minor curses cannot affect you because your spiritual capacity is already occupied by the Hollow Sallow.
Environmental Utility: You can walk through magical fallout or necrotic zones that would wither others, acting as a biological shield for your team.

Negatives

Physical Tax: The “Absorbed” weight slows your movements. You are less likely to dodge physical projectiles or react to sudden traps.
Social Ostracization: Your appearance is viscerally repulsive to most “healthy” NPCs. Animals may growl or flee, and shopkeepers may refuse you service, fearing you carry a literal plague.
Saturational Risk: If you absorb too much at once without “Vomiting the Vex,” you risk a Blight-Burst, where the stored energy leaks out and damages your own maximum health.

The Concoction of the Sated Sponge

Materials Needed

Oily Grease of a Carrion-Eater: Fat rendered from a beast that thrives on decay (such as a marsh-vulture or a grave-slug) to act as the binding base.
Powdered Indigo-Root (4 oz): To provide the deep, vein-staining pigment and the conductive medium for magical flow.
Sulfur-Soaked Peat: Collected from a stagnant mire; this provides the “heaviness” and the acidic scent of the curse.
A “Bottled Grudge”: A vial containing the breath of someone who has refused to forgive a slight for over a decade.
Distilled Bitter-Gourd Juice: To ensure the mixture remains chemically “unpleasant” and chemically stable.
Rusted Iron Filings: Shaved from a cage that once held a cursed prisoner, providing the metallic “Taste of the Cage.”

Tools Required

Rusted Iron Cauldron: The impurities in the rust are essential for the curse to “seat” properly; a clean pot will ruin the batch.
Lead Stirring Rod: To keep the mixture “heavy” and prevent the lighter, positive energies from aerating the cream.
Tattered Cheesecloth: For straining out the larger chunks of peat while retaining the gritty “misery” of the earth.
Cold Stone Slub: Used to rapidly cool the greasepaint, “locking” the absorbed coldness into the fat.

Skill Requirements

Malefic Alchemy (Tier 1): The ability to handle toxic and cursed ingredients without becoming accidentally “Absorbed” during the process.
Somatic Suppression: The crafter must be able to remain perfectly stoic; any expression of joy or relief during the crafting will “leak” light into the sallow, neutralizing its potency.
Threshold Endurance: A high tolerance for foul smells and the “Achy” physical proximity of concentrated spite.

Crafting Steps

Rendering the Void: Melt the carrion-grease in the rusted cauldron over a low, smoldering fire. The smoke should be thick and grey, never white.
The Binding of Blue: Slowly whisk in the Powdered Indigo-Root until the grease turns the color of a midnight bruise.
Earth-Marrow Infusion: Add the sulfur-soaked peat and the iron filings. Stir counter-clockwise using the lead rod, imagining the weight of a mountain pressing down on the mixture.
Capturing the Spite: Unseal the “Bottled Grudge” and pour the contents directly into the center of the swirling grease. The mixture should hiss and turn a sickly, jaundiced yellow.
Bitter Stabilization: Add the distilled bitter-gourd juice. This will cause the greasepaint to thicken into an ointment. It should now possess the characteristic “cool-to-the-touch” property.
The Cold Set: Pour the hot ointment onto the cold stone slab. As it cools, it will begin to thrum with a faint, rhythmic vibration.
The Iron Casket: Scrape the sallow from the stone and pack it tightly into a rusted iron tin. Seal it immediately. If the tin feels “heavy” beyond its physical weight, the Curse 108 is successfully sated and ready for use.

Hollow Vessel and Weight of Unspoken Word

In the “Days-When-the-Ground-Was-Soft” (the deep antiquity), when the world was a “Hungry-Mouth-for-Sorrow,” there lived the One-Who-Carries-the-Empty-Basket (The First Sin-Eater). He was a man whose heart was a “Hollow-Cave” and whose hands were “Open-to-the-Storm.”

The translation, carved upon the “Belly-of-a-Dead-Mountain” and filled with the “Oil-of-Deep-Fish,” says: The Man saw that the “People-of-the-Sun” were dying of “Internal-Rot” (The First Curse). Their hate was a “Stone-in-the-Belly” that they could not pass. He went to the Mire-of-Forgotten-Names and took the Yellow-Fat of the Sluggish-Beast (The Carrion-Grease) and the Stain of the Bruised-Spirit (The Indigo-Root). He painted his skin until he was “A-Sponge-of-Flesh.”

The story, dragging like a “Broken-Wing-in-the-Dust,” tells of the Village of Thousand-Thorns. Every man there had a “Hate-for-his-Brother,” and every woman had a “Hex-for-her-Sister.” The air was “Thick-as-Mud” with their “Aching-Words.” The village was “Sinking-into-the-Grey.”

Then walked the Man-with-the-Sallow-Skin into their “Circle-of-Spite.” He did not bring a “Stick-of-Beating” (Weapon). He wore the Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow. The translation says: “He opened his pores like the doors of a hungry house.”

As the villagers spat their “Vile-Water” (Insults) and threw their “Shadow-Spells,” the Man did not “Move-to-the-Side” (Dodge). He stood “Still-as-the-Deep-Water.” The Absorbed magic of the kohl began to “Drink-the-Darkness.” The indigo veins on his arms grew “Thick-as-Serpents.” The yellow on his cheeks grew “Bright-as-the-Fever-Moon.”

The translation notes: “The hate left the air and entered the Man. The villagers became light as feathers, but the Man became heavy as the foundations of the world.” His bones “Groaned-like-Old-Trees” under the weight of their “Absorbed” malice. He took their sickness, their pox, and their “Night-Terrors” into his marrow until the village was “Clean-as-a-New-Bone.”

But the Man could no longer “Run-with-the-Deer.” He sat at the edge of the woods, a Hollow Vessel filled with the “Stinking-Silt” of others. He became a “Living-Boundary” between the village and the dark. The ancient script, crumbling like “Sun-Baked-Clay,” ends: “He did not die, for death is too light a thing for one so heavy. He became the mountain that keeps the valley safe from the wind.”

Moral of the Story: It is a “Heavy-Honor” to be the Absorbed; for the one who takes the “Thorns-of-the-World” into their own skin provides the “Soft-Path” for everyone else to walk upon, though they themselves may never move again.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Name: The Sin-Eater’s Dermal Poultice

Description: An oily, jaundiced greasepaint used by fringe occultists to draw “spiritual miasma” out of a patient and into themselves. It leaves the user looking cadaverous and indigo-veined.

Stat Block:

Skill: Medicine or Occult
Magic Points: 5 MP (to activate the “Absorption” property)
Sanity Cost: 1D4 (Experiencing the internalized weight of the curse)
Duration: 1D6 hours

Mechanics:

Passive — Soul Sponge: The user gains a Bonus Die on POW checks to resist external magical effects, as the sallow pulls the energy into the user’s skin rather than their mind.
Active — Marrow-Siphon: By spending 5 MP and touching a target afflicted by a magical ailment or “Greater” curse, the user can transfer the effect to themselves. The user suffers the full penalties, but the original victim is cured instantly.
The Weight of Misery: While active, the user’s DEX is halved due to the profound spiritual lethargy.

Blades in the Dark

Name: Hollow-Vein Greasepaint

Description: A viscous ointment favored by “Whispers” and “Leeches” who act as defensive anchors for their crew. It makes the wearer appear like a “hollow” or a man possessed by a stagnant spirit.

Stat Block:

Tier: I
Quality: Fine (Protective against supernatural harm)
Load: 0 (Applied as part of “Gathering Information” or “Detail”)

Mechanics:

Passive — The Ravenous Pore: You have Potency when resisting supernatural consequences or ghost-field effects.
Active — Absorbed Burden (1 Stress): When a teammate within reach suffers a magical or “weird” consequence, you may take that consequence yourself. If you do, you gain +1d to your next Resistance roll against it.
Vomit the Vex (Special): If you take a Consequence while using the grease, your next Compel or Sway action against an enemy gains Potency as you project the stored misery at them.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Name: Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow

Description: Wondrous Item (Body/Skin), Common This rusted tin of yellow ointment makes your skin appear waxen and your veins indigo. You look as though you are carrying a sickness that belongs to someone else.

Stat Block:

Charges: 2 (regains all charges at sunset)
Armor Class: +1 (Natural Armor) while active

Mechanics:

Passive — The Ravenous Pore: You have advantage on saving throws against being Charmed, Frightened, or targeted by a Curse.
Active — Marrow-Siphon (1 Charge): As an action, you can touch a creature and end one condition on it: Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, or Poisoned. You immediately gain that condition yourself for 1 minute.
Active — Vomit the Vex (1 Charge): As a reaction when you take damage from a creature within 10 feet, you can force that creature to make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it is Poisoned until the end of its next turn.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Name: The Sallow Sponge

Description: A foul-smelling yellow grease. Applying it makes you look half-dead but twice as sturdy.

Stat Block:

Slots: 1 (Worn/Skin)
Quality: 5 (Reduced each time a curse is absorbed)
Armor: +1

Mechanics:

Passive — Absorbed Constitution: You gain Advantage on CON saves against poison, disease, and magic.
Active — Marrow-Siphon: Once per day, you may touch a cursed item or person to “Suck” the curse into yourself. The item becomes safe to handle, but you suffer -1 to all STR and DEX checks until you rest in a sanctified area.
Passive — Social Stigma: You have Disadvantage on all Charisma checks to be friendly or persuasive; you simply look too diseased to trust.

Fate Core System

Name: The Hollow Sallow (Dermal Hex-Sponge)

Description: An oily, jaundiced ointment that stains the veins indigo and makes the wearer appear “sunken.” It allows the user to act as a metaphysical filter for the scene.

Stat Block:

Aspect: “Gaunt Vessel of Absorbed Malice”
Stunt (The Ravenous Pore): Gain a +2 to Physique when defending against magical “weird” effects or curses.
Stunt (Marrow-Siphon): Once per scene, you may spend a Fate Point to transfer a negative Situation Aspect or Consequence from an ally to yourself. If it is a Consequence, you clear it from them and take a “Moderate” Consequence on yourself that represents the absorbed burden.

Mechanics:

Active — Vomit the Vex: When you are at least halfway through your Stress boxes, you can use Physique to attack a target in the same zone by expelling the stored bile. On a success, the target gains the Sickened aspect with one free invoke.

Numenera & Cypher System

Name: Dermal Parasite-Grease (Artifact)

Description: A Level 2 artifact consisting of a yellow, bio-reactive paste. It draws toxins and energy-fluctuations into the user’s cellular structure to protect the surroundings.

Stat Block:

Level: 2
Form: A small, rusted tin of thick ointment.
Depletion: 1 in 1d10

Mechanics:

Passive — Absorbed Constitution: You have Asset on all Defense tasks against poison, disease, and transdimensional energy.
Active — Marrow-Siphon (2 Intellect points): You touch an ally or object. You absorb one Tier 1 or 2 negative effect (such as a curse or infection). The target is cured, but the difficulty of all your physical tasks increases by one step for the next hour due to the “Absorbed” weight.
Active — Vomit the Vex (3 Might points): You expel the stored energy. One creature within immediate range must make a Might defense roll or be Dazed for one minute.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Name: Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow

Description: Item 2; Uncommon, Alchemical, Consumable, Curse, Poison This yellowish grease sinks into the skin, making the user’s veins throb with an indigo hue.

Stat Block:

Usage: held in 1 hand (applied to body); Bulk: L
Activation [One-Action]: Vomit the Vex (evocation, occult, poison).

Mechanics:

Passive — The Ravenous Pore: You gain a +1 status bonus to saving throws against Curses and Death effects.
Active — Marrow-Siphon [Two-Actions]: You touch a creature and attempt an Occultism check against the DC of a curse, disease, or poison affecting them. On a success, the effect is removed from them and transferred to you. You take a -5 foot status penalty to your Speeds as long as you carry this absorbed burden.
Active — Vomit the Vex [One-Action]: (Requirement: You are currently carrying an absorbed effect) You expel a portion of the malice. A target in a 10-foot line takes 2d6 poison damage (DC 16 Basic Fortitude save). On a failure, they are also Sickened 1.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Name: The Sallow Martyr’s Ointment

Description: A foul-smelling alchemical paste that turns the wearer into a spiritual sinkhole.

Stat Block:

Type: Arcane Device (Common)
Weight: 0.2 lbs
Power Points: 10

Mechanics:

Passive — Absorbed Focus: The wearer gains the Resilient Edge against magical attacks and poisons. However, their Pace is reduced by -2.
Active — Marrow-Siphon (2 PP): The wielder uses the Healing power, but only to remove “supernatural” conditions (like the Slumber power or magical debuffs). Instead of curing it, the condition is transferred to the wielder for the remainder of the duration.
Active — Vomit the Vex (3 PP): The wielder uses the Havoc power, narrating it as a spray of bile and stored misery. The Area of Effect is a Cone Template starting from the wielder’s mouth.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

Name: “Vessel” Nanite-Slurry (Type: Dermal Curse)

Description: An “Awakened” alchemical slurry containing bio-feedback nanites. It is designed for “Social Sin-Eaters”—bodyguards in the Sixth World who absorb magical bio-hazards to protect their high-value clients.

Stat Block:

Type: Alchemical Preparation (External)
Rating: 3
Availability: 4 (Legal)
Cost: 1,500¥

Mechanics:

Passive — The Ravenous Pore: The user adds their Rating (3) to all Resistance Tests against magical toxins, pathogens, and Illusion spells.
Active — Marrow-Siphon: As a Major Action, the user can touch a target suffering from a magical debuff or toxin. The user makes a Magic + Willpower (4) test. On a success, the effect is transferred to the user. The user takes 2 boxes of Stun damage (unresistible) as the slurry “seats” the curse in their marrow.
Active — Vomit the Vex: As a Major Action, the user can expel the stored nanite-sludge at a target within 3 meters. This is an Exotic Ranged Weapon test. If it hits, the target suffers the original absorbed effect plus 3S damage.

Starfinder (2nd Edition Playtest)

Name: Curse 108 of the Hollow Sallow

Description: Level 2; Price: 550 Credits; Bulk: L A bio-organic ointment used by “Void-Walkers” to soak up environmental radiation and magical fallout. It turns the skin a sickly yellow and the veins a deep indigo.

Stat Block:

Usage: worn (applied to skin); Capacity: 10 (Charges)
Category: Hybrid Item (Bio-Hacker, Necromancy)

Mechanics:

Passive — Absorbed Stability: You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against poisons, diseases, and environmental hazards.
Active — Marrow-Siphon (2 Actions, 2 Charges): Touch a creature within reach. You remove one Condition (Sickened, Enfeebled, or Clumsy) from them. You immediately gain that condition yourself for the next 10 minutes.
Active — Vomit the Vex (1 Action, 1 Charge): (Requirement: You are currently suffering from an absorbed condition). You spray acidic bile in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area takes 2d6 Acid damage (DC 15 Basic Reflex save).

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Name: TL 12 “Sponge-Gate” Bio-Coating

Description: A chemical coating originally developed for cleaning up radioactive leaks in ancient starship cores. In Saṃsāra, it has been “hex-tuned” to absorb metaphysical corruption and social “taint.”

Stat Block:

TL: 12
Weight: 0.1 kg
Cost: Cr 1,800
Skill: Medic or Science (Biology)

Mechanics:

Passive — Soul Sponge: The user receives a +2 DM to all checks to resist Radiation or Biological Pathogens.
Active — Marrow-Siphon: A Medic (8+) check allows the user to draw an infection or toxin out of another person and into their own suit. The user suffers a -2 DM to all physical actions for 1D6 hours as their body processes the “Absorbed” waste.
Passive — Hollow Presence: The user’s gaunt, sallow appearance grants a +1 DM to Intimidate checks but a -2 DM to any Social check involving high-society or luxury environments.

Warhammer (Wrath & Glory / 4th Edition)

Name: The Penitent’s Sallow Grease

Description: A thick, foul-smelling ointment used by Imperial Flagellants and Sin-Eaters. It allows the wearer to “take the Emperor’s burdens” into their own flesh, manifesting as indigo-bruised veins and a hollowed, sunken face.

Stat Block:

Value: 3 (Common); Tier: 1
Keywords: [Imperium], [Chaos-Resistant], [Physical], [Curse]

Mechanics:

Passive — The Ravenous Pore: The user gains +1d to Determination tests against Malignancies and Corruption.
Active — Marrow-Siphon (Action): Spend 1 Glory. You touch an ally suffering from a Condition (such as Bleeding, Poisoned, or Hindered). You transfer that condition to yourself. You gain 1 Shock as the grease “drinks” the pain.
Active — Vomit the Vex (Action): Spend 1 Wrath. You project the “Absorbed” agony as a psychic scream and physical spray. Targets within a 5-meter blast must pass a Toughness Test (DN 3) or suffer 1d3 Mortal Wounds and become Hindered (1) until the end of their next turn.