Lore: Forged in the shadowed alcoves of Veridora’s abandoned Opera of Whispers, this obsidian-veined ring was fashioned for clandestine rendezvous between rival nobles. The composer-mage Fevrin Nocturne bound forbidden sentiments into its band, mixing powdered night-jade with the heart-ink of a lovelorn ink-squid. Though only a common trinket in bustling markets, its history murmurs of courting intrigue, doomed duets, and the soft gasp of betrayal carried across candlelit balconies.
Description: A slim ring of matte black alloy, cool to the touch, set with a single inverted garnet that glows faintly when passions stir nearby. Filigreed runes—readable only under moonlight—spiral inside the band, forming a looping stanza of desire and debt. Weight: negligible; durability equal to tempered steel.
Specific Slot: Finger (counts as one worn magical item).
Detail Stats
- Tier: 1 Rarity: Common Magic School: Dark Magic
- Attunement: 1-minute worn attunement; only one bearer at a time.
- Safety: Wearing more than ten active items or invoking higher-tier conduits inflicts standard Saṃsāra pain penalties.
Passive Magics
- Murmuring Pulse — Within 10 ft, creatures perceive the bearer’s voice as intimately familiar, granting +1 to all Persuasion checks tied to affection, flattery, or seduction.
- Velvet Shadow — The ring softly dims ambient light around the bearer by a whisper’s breath, imposing −1 on passive Perception checks made to notice subtle gestures or exchanged glances.
- Lingering Ember — Whenever the bearer succeeds on a Charisma-based check involving romantic allure, they gain 1 temporary hit point (max 5) that fades after a short rest.
Activable Magics
- Eclipse Kiss (1/short rest, bonus action) — The garnet flashes crimson; choose one creature that can see the bearer within 30 ft. It must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom save or become Charmed for up to 1 minute. While charmed in this way, the target’s sight of the bearer is washed in rose-tinted hues, and it regards hostile actions as playful until harmed.
- Heart-Shade Binding (2 mana boost, action) — A thin umbral ribbon lashes from the ring, tethering the bearer’s shadow to a willing or charmed creature within 15 ft for 5 minutes. Both parties share whispered thoughts and may each funnel up to 3 hit points to the other (as transfer, not healing). When the link ends, each participant takes 1 psychic damage for every hit point transferred, echoing the cost of entanglement.
Cooldown: 10 minutes; overuse beyond twice per day risks a misdirection surge—Bearer’s next Persuasion attempt suffers disadvantage as lingering guilt clouds intent.
Tags: Ring, Dark-Magic, Amorous, Charm, Manipulation, Shadow-Bond, Tier-1, Common, Forbidden-Trinket, Obsidian-Garnet, Nocturne-Whisper, Passion-Tempered, Lovelorn-Blood, Shadow-Lace, Whispered-Liaisons, Night-Jade, Heart-Entwine, Opera-of-Secrets
Shops where and how this item might be bought and sold:
- Discreet Jewelers’ Alcove — Night-Crest Arcade, Veridora
Silk-draped glass cases display modest adornments by day, yet the proprietor’s ledger holds coded listings for “Dark-veined bands.” Customers arrive through invitation tokens tucked inside opera programs. After a brief appraisal under moon-lamps, the ring is presented on ash-velvet. Payment in minted 70 gp or weight-equal platinum is expected up-front; a surcharge of 5 gp covers a silence clause recorded in scented sealing-wax. - Shadow-Petal Cart — Twilight Bazaar, Summa-Rift Causeway
A folding street stall operated by itinerant mirror-mages. Goods are laid on charcoal-stained petals that swallow torchlight. Bargaining involves whispered poetry; reciting any line from the “Ballad of Soft Betrayals” earns a 10 % reduction. Average closing price settles around 55 gp or an equivalent cache of rare pigments valued by the cart. Transactions finalize with a binding sigil pressed onto the buyer’s palm, fading at dawn. - Librarium Reliquary Exchange — Underspire Athenaeum, Cindrix
Scholar-clerks catalogue minor artifacts for scholarly trade. Prospective buyers must submit a parchment abstract on the sociological impact of amorous enchantments. A favorable review grants access to the reliquary vault where rings are arrayed in lead-lined drawers. Acquisition requires 60 gp plus a donated folio of relevant research; refusal to donate adds a 20 gp “knowledge deficit” fee. - Velvet-Rafter Theatre Auction — Marrowlight Quarter, Synthis
During intermissions of masked tragedies, ushers guide select patrons to a curtained loft. There, a silent auction unfolds on silver tablets that reflect only the bidder’s script. Winning bids average 90 gp, inflated by noble rivalry; payment accepted in jeweler’s promissory notes, settled before final curtain. A crimson program stamp confirms ownership and discreet courier delivery by dawn. - Moon-Blossom Apothecary — Whisper-Bend Hamlet
Though outwardly a remedy shop, its back room stocks minor love-charms. The ring rests in a rosewood reliquary beside phials of heart-ink. Healers trade in medicinal supplies—two bundles of Silent Veil Polypore or equal herbal rarities offset the listed 65 gp price. Barter concludes with a ceremonial infusion of rosemary smoke to seal the pact. - Gleam-Of-Ash Caravan — Rolling routes along the Emberroad
A wagon trimmed in dark-glass chimes announces its arrival beyond city walls. Merchants favor direct barter: three days’ fresh rations, a cask of dusk-wine, or exotic beast pelts equate to the ring’s market value of 50 gp. Buyers inscribe a thumbprint on a bone-shard receipt, which is later tossed into a brazier—symbolically erasing transactional trails. - Whisper-Coin Exchange Kiosk — Sub-platform 7, Iron-Reef Docks
Dockworkers seeking romantic leverage frequent this timbre-walled kiosk. Prices fluctuate with incoming cargo: mirror-silk shipments drop cost to 52 gp, whereas gemstone shortages raise it to 68 gp. Payment is accepted only in stamped harbor scrip backed by the Iron-Reef Guild. Completion marked by a wax token bearing an entwined-hearts sigil that melts away after sundown.
Roleplay in different environments:
- Candle-lit Ballroom
Defense A bearer drifting among masked nobles lets Velvet Shadow soften chandeliers by a fractional shade, veiling sudden shifts of stance or discreet retreats behind a fan. Should jealous rivals close in, Eclipse Kiss briefly charms the most suspicious observer, buying time to exit the line of inquiry without raising alarm.
Offense An unguarded moment amid a slow dance becomes a chance to whisper suggestions enhanced by Murmuring Pulse, steering a target toward a politically damaging confession. A swift Heart-Shade Binding to a bewitched partner allows the bearer to siphon a sliver of vitality, weakening the partner’s poise just before a critical announcement. - Crowded Market Alley
Defense Pickpocket gangs lurking near fabric stalls find their focus dulled when the ring dims lantern-light; passive −1 to notice gestures hides a warning hand-signal to companions. Temporary hit points from Lingering Ember absorb the first cut of an opportunistic blade.
Offense While haggling, the bearer launches Eclipse Kiss from across a spice cart, charming a watchful guard to ignore a contraband hand-off. In a tight chase, tying shadows with Heart-Shade Binding to a charmed thief slows pursuit: every foot the thief strains forward drags the bearer only gently, delaying capture. - Moonless Forest Camp
Defense Campfire embers glow warmer as Lingering Ember stacks during soft spoken compliments, granting minor buffer when nocturnal beasts attack. If a predator lunges, instant charm of the pack’s alpha under Eclipse Kiss redirects aggression for precious moments.
Offense To disorient a lone sentinel at a rival encampment, the bearer skirts tree lines inside the 10-ft pulse, speaking in low affectionate tones that seem like a lost companion’s call. Binding shadows lets the bearer leech vigor from the distracted guard, leaving them listless and more easily subdued. - Subterranean Catacombs
Defense Torches burn low beneath catacomb arches; Velvet Shadow deepens the gloom, blending the bearer into collapsing silhouettes when undead sentries scan corridors. Lingering Ember shields against stray necrotic lashings as each whispered word of encouragement steadies allies.
Offense Many catacomb wards rely on line-of-sight hostility. A swift Eclipse Kiss persuades a skeletal warden to treat the bearer as a beloved relic, granting safe passage. Shadow tethering an enthralled cultist functions as a living key: shared thoughts feed surface passwords while sapping the cultist’s strength. - Seaborne Voyage
Defense Rolling lanterns across a ship’s deck brighten and dim; the ring subtly darkens them, obscuring precise footing so blades aimed at the bearer misjudge by a hair. If mutiny flares, charming the boatswain pacifies half the crew for a minute, enough to rally loyal sailors.
Offense Smuggling information to an allied vessel at midnight, the bearer uses the 15-ft umbral ribbon to link a charmed courier over the rail; whispered plans travel with the tether, and each point of life transferred steadies sea-tossed nausea, letting the courier climb silently. - Desert Caravan Encampment
Defense Shifting canvas awnings and brazier-glow create deep pockets of shade; Velvet Shadow further masks hand movements when watchers with sun-strained eyes scan for trouble. Extra hit points from affectionate stories around the fire absorb the desert scorpion’s first sting.
Offense A rival merchant sleeping near glowing coals succumbs to Eclipse Kiss, dreaming of the bearer’s warmth while caravan ledgers are altered. A quick tether during barter negotiations drains the rival’s vigor, making them concede greater profit margins. - Mage-Guarded Archive
Defense Scholars’ detection wards focus on hostile intent; the bearer’s aura of intimate familiarity from Murmuring Pulse registers as benign, allowing deeper stacks of scrolls to be handled without triggering alarms.
Offense A jealous archivist, briefly charmed, misfiles dangerous tomes for the bearer’s later retrieval. Binding the archivist’s shadow during the misdirection ensures any attempted outcry costs them their own vitality, dampening the will to resist.
Across bustling city, wilderness trail, or clandestine vault, every use remains steeped in longing tones and shaded glances: defense arises from subtle softness, offense from weaponised affection.
Perception of Activation:
- User’s Perspective
- Sight — The inverted garnet blooms with inner crimson light, casting transparent rose-hued tracery that sketches heart-shapes across nearby surfaces before folding back into the stone.
- Sound — A hushed chord, like a muted violin glissando, curls through the inner ear; it harmonises with the bearer’s heartbeat until the cadence steadies.
- Touch — The band warms by a single heartbeat’s pulse, then cools to silken chill. A faint tug runs along the bearer’s shadow, as though gravity pivots momentarily sideways.
- Smell — An ephemeral breath of crushed night-bloom jasmine rises, fading before inhalation completes.
- Taste — A copper-sweet trace settles on the tongue, reminiscent of a first-kiss lip-bite.
- Extra-sensory — Thought-echoes: soft, half-formed compliments brush the mind’s edge; empathic link feels like twin sparks fluttering in the chest; peripheral vision shows faint umbral ribbon paths connecting to those who feel desire toward the bearer.
- Observer’s Perspective
- Sight — Garnet flashes with a subdued crimson flare; ambient lamplight beside the bearer dims by a shade. The bearer’s eyes catch the red glint for a blink.
- Sound — A brief, nearly inaudible sigh, as though distant theatre curtains close; closest listener may interpret it as their own exhalation.
- Touch — No physical shift, yet a subtle prickle of anticipation brushes skin exposed to the glow.
- Smell — Passing hint of warm spice—clove and rose-pellet smoke—too mild to isolate.
- Taste — None distinct, though a momentary dryness encourages a swallow.
- Extra-sensory — Aura-readers glimpse intertwined rose-black filaments winding from the ring toward chosen targets; Mind’s Eye users perceive a single whispered stanza of amorous promise looping around the bearer.
- Positives
- Ambient charm eases social tension, smoothing persuasion attempts.
- Minor dimming of light aids discreet motion and conceals quick gestures.
- Emotional resonance provides intuitive awareness of nearby affectionate intent.
- Negatives
- Copper-sweet after-taste may induce mild vertigo if activation repeats rapidly.
- Momentary light dip can draw suspicion in brightly lit halls attended by mages.
- Echoing compliments linger as mental static, risking distraction during precise tasks.
Recipe: Dark Ring of Crimson Murmurs
- Materials Needed
- Obsidian-iron alloy billet, 20 g (sourced from volcanic forges in Veridora’s Black Vent)
- Night-jade powder, 2 tsp (ground under moonlight from fissure-grown jade)
- Lovelorn ink-squid heart-ink, 5 ml (freshly decanted, keeps potency three nights)
- Inverted triangular garnet, 8 mm edge length, flaw-free
- Shadow-wax (black beeswax infused with ash-rose petals), 1 stick
- Thread of veiled silk—dyed with dusk-orchid, 12 in
- Pinch of Silent Veil Polypore spores (for acoustic dampening)
- Drop of the crafter’s own blood, sworn beneath a shuttered lantern
- Tools Required
- Moon-silver crucible and tongs
- Fine rune-chisel set (obsidian tips)
- Shadow-bellows—leather treated with gloom-oil to muffle exhalations
- Jewel-setting clamp with padded ravenspider weave
- Heart-ink quill of iridescent couatl feather
- Lumen-lens loupe calibrated to detect aura flux
- Cooling bath of still darkwater held in lead-lined basin
- Warding circle of basalt dust inlaid with crimson chalk
- Skill Requirements
- Metallurgy: Journeyman proficiency in alloy tempering and gemstone seating
- Rune-engraving: Competent hand able to carve micro-cursive glyphs
- Occult Infusion: Familiarity with dark-aligned mana channels and safe bleed-off
- Alchemical Handling: Ability to stabilise volatile squid-ink without light spoilage
- Emotional Resonance Binding: Basic training in empathic imprint rituals
- Crafting Steps
- Alloy Smelt — Within the warding circle, heat the obsidian-iron billet in the moon-silver crucible. Use the shadow-bellows to maintain a muted flame; once metal flows, stir in night-jade powder, folding seven times clockwise to bind lunar resonance.
- Band Formation — Pour the alloy into a narrow ring mould of ravenspider weave. Quench rapidly in the darkwater bath, preventing daylight from striking the surface. Remove, file edges smooth, and polish to a matte finish.
- Rune Engraving — Under a single guttering candle, inscribe an unbroken spiral of desire-and-debt glyphs inside the band with obsidian chisels. Pause after every tenth glyph to dust the groove with Polypore spores, sealing micro-reverberations.
- Gemstone Setting — Seat the inverted garnet in a triangular bezel atop the ring, tightening clamps so no white light passes beneath. Verify fit with the lumen-lens; a faint crimson corona indicates proper alignment.
- Ink Imbuement — Dip the heart-ink quill into the squid-ink vial and draw a thin vein around the bezel base. While ink is wet, whisper a single personal secret of longing; this bonds the ring to themes of amour and secrecy.
- Blood Pact — Prick a finger, letting one drop mingle with the still-damp ink line. The garnet should flash once as the band accepts personal resonance.
- Shadow-Wax Seal — Warm the shadow-wax stick and glaze over rune channels, locking volatile energies without dulling their pull. Allow to cool; flecks of ash-rose petal will bloom faintly crimson under low light.
- Dark Magic Infusion — Channel dark-aligned mana through both hands into the ring for three measured breaths while chanting the Stanza of Silent Liaisons. Maintain focus until a soft violin-like chord whispers through the warding circle, signifying activation. Test by feeling the brief warmth–chill pulse and jasmine-copper sensory bloom.
When complete, store the ring in a lead-lined velvet casket until transfer to its first bearer, ensuring moonlight remains the only illumination to touch its surface during hand-over.
Crimson Murmur Chronicle of the Shadow-Ring
That Courted Two Hearts and Unmade a City
Long ago, in the half-song era when lanterns hummed and words were tasted as smoke, there breathed one Fevrin Nocturne, called Ink-Breather of Late Balconies.
(Translation fragment: “the man who catches music with squid blood.”)
He dwelt beneath the Opera of Whispers where ceiling beams wept soft dust and pigeons applauded in secret. There, Fevrin gathered night-jade grindings, squid-heart ink warm as farewell, and a lonely gemstone flipped inside-out like remorse. From these sorrow-ingredients he smelted a narrow circle so black it forgot its own edges. The garnet, set inverted, shone downward—thus it drank its own light.
Fevrin offered the ring first to Lady Eresa Nightveil, whose laughter climbed walls like scarlet ivy. She sought a charm to entangle Lord Carthen Vale, the rival whose smile outshone harvest mirrors. Fevrin, smitten by impossible hush, surrendered the ring with three warnings spoken into a bowl of salt. (The bowl is lost; the warnings also.)
When Lady Eresa slid the shadow-band upon her finger, she tasted jasmine wine though her lips were still. The ballroom lamps dipped as if bowing or dying, and audience hearts fluttered like owls inside brass cages. The ring curled her words into sugared snares; Lord Carthen heard poems where she uttered receipts, believed promises stitched from sighs, and followed her across moonbridges no one else could see.
But the ring is a circle—love spins, returns, unravels. Their private vows, shared upon a crimson balcony, carved grooves in destiny deeper than tower moats. The city of Veridora, stitched by gossip, began tearing. Rivals wooed under false perfumes; duels flared because eye-glints were misread as bladed insults. Mirrors cracked from hearing too many secrets.
One dusk, Eresa, wearied by constant orbit, bound her shadow to Carthen’s with the ring’s umbral ribbon. They felt each other’s heart-beats hide inside the same drum. For seven breaths they were one whisper with two names. Then Carthen felt all her earlier hungers and she felt his later regrets; the ribbon kinked, snapped, and both fell from the balcony without falling—because the balcony stepped aside, or the world blinked.
Witness scrolls disagree: some say the pair drowned in candle-wax pooling on the opera floor; others claim they became twin silhouettes painted upon dusk clouds, forever chasing. Fevrin’s lament is clearer. He stormed the ballroom wearing a cloak sewn from broken scores, retrieved the ring, and stabbed its garnet with the shard of a conductor’s baton. Instead of shattering, the stone reversed its brightness into silence. Fevrin vanished, perhaps swallowed by that hush.
Thereafter the ring surfaced in alley markets, on petal carts, in reliquary drawers—never staying, always teaching. Whoever wore it tasted first the rose-glass of perfect recognition, then the copper drip of unseen cost. Some wrote verses only rats could appreciate; some toppled thrones of lace; one merchant persuaded his own reflection to love him and was found kissing the mirror until hunger ate his bones.
(Translator’s aside: “Original parchment ends abruptly with ink blot shaped like a weeping eye.”)
Moral: What the heart steals in shadow, the shadow claims in heart-blood.
Suggested conversions to other systems:
Call of Cthulhu — Ring of Crimson Murmurs
- Item Type: Minor Artifact (common rarity among Mythos trinkets) Slot: Finger (counts as 1 worn item)
- Passive Effects
- +10 % bonus to Charm rolls that leverage romance or seduction.
- The ambient light level around the wearer drops by one step (bright → regular, regular → shadowy). Anyone trying to read subtle motions takes a –10 % penalty to Spot Hidden.
- Each time the wearer succeeds on a romantic Charm roll, they regain 1 Hit Point (never exceeding 5 HP restored in a day).
- Active Effects
- Eclipse Kiss — Spend 5 Magic Points; attempt an opposed POW roll against one target within POW×5 feet who can see the wearer. If the wearer wins, the target is enthralled (treat as “Charmed”) for 1D6 minutes or until harmed. Sanity cost: 0/1. Usable once per hour.
- Heart-Shade Binding — Spend 5 Magic Points; link shadows with one willing or enthralled target within 5 m for up to 5 minutes. Wearer and target may transfer up to 3 HP total (as direct loss/ gain). When the link ends, each loses HP equal to half the amount transferred (round up). Sanity cost: 1/1D4. Recharge after a night’s rest.
Blades in the Dark — Shadow-Garnet Band
- Item Category: Fine Item (0 Load once attuned) Slot: Ring
- Passive Benefits
- While worn, gain +1d to Sway rolls framed as flirtation, longing, or sweet talk.
- Whenever you move in candle- or dim-light, your position improves by one step on Prowl actions that rely on subtle motion.
- The first time in a score you succeed on a romantically flavoured Sway, you take +1 armour against the next level-1 harm that scene (emotional fortification).
- Active Abilities
- Eclipse Kiss — Once per score, push yourself for 1 stress and touch or lock eyes with a target at Near range. They suffer level-2 temporary harm “Enamoured Trance”; treat you as a lover until harmed or the scene ends.
- Heart-Shade Binding — 2 stress. Create a shadow tether between you and a willing or tranced target for the rest of the job or until severed. Either participant may spend 1 stress to resist harm done to the other (narratively described as life-force transfer). At score’s end both mark level-1 harm “Heart Aches”.
Dungeons & Dragons — Crimson Whisper Ring
- Wondrous Item (ring), common, requires attunement Slot: Finger
- Passive Properties
- You gain a +1 bonus to Charisma (Persuasion) checks that centre on romance, flirtation, or affectionate empathy.
- You can, at will, cause dim light in a 5-foot radius around you for 1 minute; creatures in that radius take a –1 penalty to Wisdom (Perception) checks made to notice small gestures you make.
- Lingering Ember: When you succeed on the Persuasion check above, you gain 1 temporary hit point (maximum 5 temp HP). These fade when you finish a short rest.
- Active Properties
- Eclipse Kiss (Recharge—Short Rest). Bonus Action. Choose one humanoid you can see within 30 ft. It must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom save or be charmed by you for 1 minute. While charmed this way, its view of you is romantically idealised; the effect ends early if you or allies damage it.
- Heart-Shade Binding (Recharge—Long Rest). Action. Link shadows with one willing creature or one the ring currently charms within 15 ft for 5 minutes. Once per round, either of you can use a reaction to transfer up to 3 hit points from one to the other. When the link ends, each creature takes psychic damage equal to the total hit points it transferred away.
Knave — Umbral Heart Ring
- Gear Slot Cost: 1 Rarity: Common Slot: Finger
- Passive Effects
- While wearing the ring, gain +1 bonus (or Advantage, if using advanced procedures) on CHA tests to woo, charm, or negotiate through affection.
- The ring slightly dulls nearby lamplight; you gain Advantage on Sneak tests made in torch- or candle-lit settings when you also rely on small hand-gestures or facial cues.
- After each successful romance-based CHA test, gain 1 temporary HP (to a maximum of 5) that lasts until your next full rest.
- Active Effects
- Eclipse Kiss — Once per hour, you may, as a reaction to eye contact within 30 ft, force a humanoid to save vs CHA. Failure means it is charmed for 10 minutes or until harmed.
- Heart-Shade Binding — Once per exploration turn, create a 15-ft shadow tether to one willing or charmed creature for up to 10 minutes. Either of you may shift up to 3 HP (from own pool) to the other once during the link. When it ends, both suffer 1 damage for each point they gave away.
Fate — Velvet-Shade Garnet Ring
- Type: Artifact (Common) Slot: Finger
- Narrative Aspect: “Crimson Murmurs That Woo the Heart and Cloak the Candle” (always on)
- Stunts
- Velvet Shadow Veil — Once per scene, spend 1 Fate Point to declare the light level around you as “dim” for the next exchange; opponents suffer –2 on any Notice attempt relying on sight within that zone.
- Eclipse Kiss — Gain +2 to create an advantage with Rapport or Provoke when portraying romantic allure. If you succeed with style, create the situational aspect “Enthralled by Desire” with two free invocations.
- Heart-Shade Binding — Spend 1 Fate Point and an action to establish a shadow tether with one consenting or Enthralled target in the same zone. While it lasts (until either participant chooses to break it or takes stress), each may redirect up to 2 stress per exchange to the other as a free action. Ending the tether inflicts a mild consequence “Heartstatic” on both.
- Refresh Cost: 1 (if purchased at character creation).
Numenera / Cypher System — Umbral Lover’s Garnet Band
- Level: 3 Form: Ring Rarity: Common Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (check after each active use)
- Passive Effects
- Reduce the difficulty of pleasant social interactions motivated by romance or seduction by one step.
- While worn, ambient illumination within an immediate distance drops subtly; perception tasks relying on vision by others increase in difficulty by one step when they attempt to notice your hand gestures.
- Active Abilities
- Eclipse Kiss (Cost 3 Intellect points, action) — One creature within short range must succeed on an Intellect defense roll (level 3) or become Charmed for ten minutes, treating your words and requests as if from a cherished confidant.
- Heart-Shade Binding (Cost 3 Intellect points, action) — Link shadows with one willing or Charmed creature within immediate distance for five minutes. Once during that span, either participant may transfer up to 3 points from their Might or Speed Pools to the other as an action. When the link ends, both creatures take 1 Intellect damage for each point transferred.
- Crafting: Requires dark-aligned iotum and a sample of night-jade powder; Insight prerequisite level 3.
Pathfinder (Second Edition) — Crimson Whisper Ring
- Item 3 Price 55 gp Bulk — Usage worn; Finger Slot
- Traits: Magical, Shadow, Charm
- Passive Benefit
- While the ring is attuned, you gain a +1 item bonus to Diplomacy checks to Make an Impression or Request that hinge on romantic or affectionate appeal.
- The ring sheds dim red light in a 5-foot aura at will; creatures inside the aura take a –1 circumstance penalty to Perception checks made to notice small, deliberate gestures you perform.
- Activate ◆ (Envision, Concentrate) — Eclipse Kiss; Frequency once per 10 minutes; Effect You target one creature within 30 feet. The creature must attempt a DC 18 Will save.
- Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
- Success The creature is fascinated by you for 1 round.
- Failure The creature is charmed by you for 1 minute.
- Critical Failure The creature is charmed for 10 minutes and considers any hostile action you take as playful until damage is dealt.
- Activate ◆◆ (Envision, Manipulate) — Heart-Shade Binding; Frequency once per day; Effect You link shadows with one willing or charmed creature within 15 feet for 5 minutes. Once per round either participant may, as a free action, shift up to 3 Hit Points from their total to the other. When the effect ends, each creature takes mental damage equal to half the total Hit Points it conceded (minimum 1).
Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition) — Ring of the Enamored Shadow
- Category: Magic Item (Ring) Encumbrance: — Rarity: Common Requires attunement during a short respite
- Passive Powers
- Charisma +1 when persuasion involves flirtation or declarations of affection.
- In dim or candlelight, adjacent opponents suffer –1 to Notice rolls to read your small hand motions or expressions.
- Active Powers (use Casting skill equal to Smarts; Power Points pool 3, recharges one point per hour)
- Eclipse Kiss (1 PP) — Range Smarts × 2. Target must make a Spirit roll or gain the Charmed status for 10 minutes or until harmed. Charmed creatures treat your attacks as non-hostile until damage is applied.
- Heart-Shade Binding (2 PP) — Range Smarts. Creates an ethereal tether to a willing or Charmed creature for one scene. Once each round as a free action, either participant may transfer up to 1 Wound or 3 Fatigue levels (or equivalent in Power Points) to the other. When the tether ends, both make a Vigor roll; failure inflicts a level of Fatigue (Bumps and Bruises) from psychic backlash.
- Backlash: On a critical failure when activating either power, the wearer suffers a level of Fatigue and the ring depletes all remaining Power Points until dawn.
Shadowrun (Sixth World) — Crimson-Murmur Fetish
- Category Magical Focus (Illusion, Dark Tradition) Form Obsidian-garnet ring
- Force 2 (common talismonger stock); higher Force versions exist up to 4
- Availability 4 R Cost 5,000 ¥ × Force
- Passives
- While the ring is worn and bonded, add its Force to Con or Etiquette tests grounded in flirtation or whispered intimacy.
- Ambient light within two meters is treated as one category dimmer for Perception tests directed at the wearer’s minor hand signals.
- Actives
- Eclipse Kiss (Complex Action, 1 Drain) — Roll Magic + Charisma + Force against target’s Willpower + Logic (range Charisma × 2 meters, line of sight). Net hits apply the Enthralled status for Force minutes or until the target suffers damage.
- Heart-Shade Binding (Major Action, 2 Drain, once per dawn) — Choose a willing or enthralled target within Force meters. Establish a shadow link that lasts Force × 10 Combat Turns. As a Free Action once per Turn, either party may shift up to 2 Stun boxes to or from the other. When the link ends, both suffer Stun equal to boxes shifted away from them. Mishap: if either is Overflowing, the ring immediately disrupts and the user takes Physical Drain equal to Force/2 (round up).
Starfinder — Ring of Umbral Desire
- Item Level 4 Price 3,600 credits Bulk L Slot Ring
- Aura moderate enchantment Usage or Charges — / 1 Resolve
- Passive Magic
- You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy checks to persuade or charm through romantic appeal.
- Dim Light Envelope: as a move action, create dim crimson light in a 5-ft radius for 1 minute; creatures other than you in the area take a –1 penalty to Perception checks relying on sight.
- Activated Magic
- Eclipse Kiss (1 Resolve Point, standard action, Will DC 15) — A humanoid within 30 ft must succeed or become fascinated by you for 10 rounds. Any hostile act against it ends the effect.
- Heart-Shade Binding (1 Resolve Point, move action, 1/day) — Link yourself and one willing or fascinated creature within 15 ft for 5 minutes. Once each round, either creature can transfer up to 5 Hit Points to the other as a swift action. When the duration ends, each takes non-lethal damage equal to half the total it transferred away (rounded up).
Traveller (Mongoose 2e) — Umbral Amity Ring
- Tech Level 14 Mass Negligible Traits Psionic, Dark, Rare/8 Cost Cr150,000
- Passive Benefits
- Grants DM + 1 to Steward or Persuade checks that leverage courtship, intimacy, or affectionate promises.
- While worn, surrounding luminance subtly lessens, giving the wearer Boon to Dexterity checks for sleight-of-hand in soft light.
- Active Functions
- Eclipse Kiss — As a full action, the wearer projects a lightly telepathic pulse (range 20 m, line of sight). Target resists with END + Edu (Average 8+). Failure gives the Charmed condition for 1D3×10 minutes; victim treats the wearer as a trusted lover unless harmed. Uses one Psionic Strength point; depletion roll 8+ per use to avoid draining the ring’s tiny integrated cell for a day.
- Heart-Shade Binding — Once per 24 hours, spend 2 Psionic Strength points to weave a shadow tether to a consenting or charmed target at Short range. For ten minutes either may, as a minor action, shift up to 3 characteristic points (any combination) to the other; lending traits temporarily lowers them but cannot reduce below 3. When the link ends, both suffer 1D3 psychic damage for every full 3 points they transferred away.
Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play (4th Edition) — Eclipse-Kiss Ring
- Rarity Rare (Common among Grey College black-market) Type Magical Trinket Enc 0
- Qualities Dark Magic, Shadow, Charm
- Passives
- Add +10 to Fellowship Tests linked to seduction, courtly gossip, or whispered persuasion.
- Candle or lantern light within three yards counts as one step darker; anyone attempting an Opposed Perception Test to read your subtle gestures suffers –10.
- Actives
- Eclipse Kiss (Half Action, CN 3, once per Scene) — Target within Willpower × 2 yards opposes with Cool. On failure it gains the Condition Entranced for 1D10 Rounds (cannot attack you and treats your requests as reasonable). On a fumbled Cool Test it also gains the Blinded (flash of crimson) Condition for one Round.
- Heart-Shade Binding (Extended Action, CN 5, one use per day) — Link shadows to a willing or Entranced creature within 6 yards for Willpower Bonus minutes. Either participant may, as a Free Action once per Round, shift up to 3 Wounds (not exceeding max) to the other. When the link ceases, both must Test Endurance; failure inflicts 1 Fatigue plus Bleeding (Minor) representing psychic backlash.
- Miscast: On any Chaos Manifestation, the ring absorbs the backlash; the bearer suffers Corruption equal to CN instead.