Folk 82 of the Pachyderm Palm Salve

Lore
- The Pachyderm-Palm Salve is a traditional folk remedy crafted by the “Beast-Walkers” of the Shifting Silt-Plains. Passed down through generations of caravan drivers and heavy-labor mahouts, this thick, greyish ointment is rendered from the boiled rinds of silt-melons mixed with the shed skin of ancient river-beasts.
- In the world of Saṃsāra, where massive, temperamental megafauna are used for both transport and construction, a simple touch can be the difference between a cooperative beast and a trampling disaster. This salve is not just a lubricant; it is a “Folk-Charm” that allows a handler to communicate physical intent and calming “Steady-Vibes” directly into the thick, leathery hide of a creature. It is commonly found in the pouches of Tier 1 handlers who must manage beasts significantly larger and stronger than themselves.
Detailed Stats
- Tier: 1
- Rarity: Common
- Slot: Hands (Applied Ointment)
- Weight: 0.5 lbs (Standard tin)
- Value: 8 Gold Coins (Value fluctuates based on the availability of river-beast skin).
- Material: Silt-melon rind, rendered river-beast skin, crushed aromatic mint, copper-infused mineral oil.
- Durability: 5 uses per tin (Each application lasts for 4 hours of active handling).
Multiple Passives Magic
- Callous-Bonder: While the salve is applied, the wearer’s hands become as tough as cured leather, providing immunity to “Friction-Burn” or “Blistering” from heavy ropes, reins, or the abrasive hides of large animals.
- Tactile-Empathy: The wearer can sense the “Muscle-Tension” and “Heart-Rate” of any biological creature they are physically touching. This provides an intuitive understanding of the beast’s current emotional state (e.g., Fear, Aggression, or Fatigue).
Multiple Activable Magics
- The Soothing-Press (2/day):
  - Activation: The wearer places both greased palms firmly against a creature’s flank or neck and hums a low, resonant Folk-Chant.
  - Effect: The creature must succeed at a minor resistance check or immediately drop its “Aggression-Level” by one step. If the beast is “Panicked,” it becomes “Wary” instead, allowing the handler to attempt a standard Handling roll with advantage.
- Adrenaline-Transfer (1/long rest):
  - Activation: The wearer grips the creature’s harness or skin and tenses their own muscles, channeling their physical stamina into the beast.
  - Effect: The creature ignores the “Exhausted” or “Lethargic” condition for 30 minutes. During this time, the beast’s carrying capacity is increased by 20%, but the wearer suffers a -1 penalty to all physical checks for the duration due to the stamina drain.
Specific Slot
- Hands (Applied)
Tags
- Folk-Magic, Handling, Tier-1, Common, Ointment, Tactile-Empathy, Beast-Walking, Friction-Resistance, Muscle-Sync, Adrenaline-Transfer, Megafauna-Care, Silt-Plains-Tradition, Calming-Presence, Beast-Binder, Silt-Cured, Mahout-Grip, Leather-Skin, Temperament-Tuning, Pachyderm-Pulse, Heavy-Labor-Charm, River-Beast-Render, Steady-Vibe, Megafauna-Marrow, Tier-1-Handling

Procurement and Commerce of Pachyderm-Palm Salve

Methods of Acquisition

Apprenticeship Handover: A Tier 1 avatar may receive their first tin of salve as a “Mahout’s Graduation” gift from a mentor after successfully demonstrating the ability to lead a beast through a crowded silt-market without incident.
Wild-Harvest Rendering: An avatar with the Handling or Survival skill can attempt to craft the salve themselves by locating a deceased River-Beast along the silt-banks, harvesting the shed skin, and rendering it down with local silt-melon rinds over a slow hearth-fire.
Caravan Salvage: Tins of the salve are often found in the “Driver’s Kits” of abandoned or wrecked silt-wagons. Because the salve is shelf-stable, it is a high-priority item for scavengers exploring the dangerous trade routes of the Silt-Plains.
Ritual Exchange: In certain nomadic cultures, the salve is traded for stories or songs of successful beast-bonding. An avatar who shares a significant “Handling” feat with a tribal elder may be gifted a fresh application or a small tin as a mark of respect.
Labor-Contract Provision: When signing on as a heavy-laborer for a construction guild or a merchant house, a single tin of Pachyderm-Palm Salve is often provided as part of the “Standard Toolkit,” though the cost is usually deducted from the avatar’s first week of wages.

The Silt-Road General Store

These shops are the most common source for the salve, typically located at major crossroads or within the fortified walls of trade hubs. They are cluttered, dusty environments smelling of wet leather and axle grease.
The salve is sold as a “Reliable Utility” item, kept in large ceramic vats behind the counter or in pre-filled tin containers.
Buying Cost: 8 Gold Coins per tin. The price is firm, as the shopkeeper knows every driver passing through will eventually need a fresh application to keep their beasts cooperative.
Selling Cost: 4 Gold Coins. The shopkeeper will only buy full, unsealed tins, as they are wary of “diluted” salves mixed with common animal fat.

Mahout-Guild Commissaries

Exclusively found in the “Beast-Quarters” of industrial cities or large mining outposts, these shops cater specifically to professional handlers and megafauna specialists.
The salve here is of a higher “Cured” quality, often infused with extra aromatic mint to help the handler remain focused during long shifts.
Buying Cost: 10 Gold Coins. The higher price reflects the “Guild-Approved” status and the purity of the river-beast skin used in the rendering process.
Selling Cost: 6 Gold Coins. Guild merchants are more willing to pay a premium for high-quality, artisan-rendered batches brought in from the wilderness.

Traveling “Beast-Walker” Peddlers

These individual traders move with the great herds of Silt-Mastodons, carrying their wares on the backs of their own bonded animals. Their “shops” are essentially mobile displays of ropes, harnesses, and ointments.
The salve is sold here as a “Necessity of the Road,” often marketed with stories of how it saved a handler from a “Rampaging-Bull” during the last silt-storm.
Buying Cost: 12 Gold Coins. Due to the difficulty of transporting goods across the shifting plains and the “Buyer-Beware” nature of the sellers’ market, the price is significantly marked up.
Selling Cost: 5 Gold Coins. A peddler might buy a tin if they are running low on stock, but they will drive a hard bargain, claiming the “Road-Friction” has potentially degraded the ointment’s potency.

Urban “Exotic-Pet” Boutiques

Located in the wealthy districts of major cities, these high-end shops cater to nobles who keep small megafauna or “Status-Beasts” for sport or show.
The Pachyderm-Palm Salve is sold as a “Sensory-Bonding Elixir,” often repackaged in decorative copper jars to appeal to the vanity of the urban elite.
Buying Cost: 15 Gold Coins. The markup is strictly for the packaging and the “Exotic” branding, though the salve inside remains functionally the same as the village variety.
Selling Cost: 3 Gold Coins. These boutiques rarely buy from independent travelers, as they prefer to source their “Elixirs” from established guild laboratories to maintain an air of exclusivity.

Pachyderm-Palm Engagement and Tactile-Handling in Saṃsāra

The Shifting Silt-Plains and Migratory Routes

Defensive Roleplay: During a sudden “Silt-Snap” (a flash-freeze of airborne particulates), a caravan’s lead Silt-Mastodon begins to trumpet in a “Vocal-Panic,” threatening to roll the wagon into a ravine. The avatar roleplays the Callous-Bonder passive by grabbing the freezing, abrasive hemp leads without hesitation. They describe the sensation of the rough rope sliding against their palms—usually a source of “Friction-Burn”—but feeling only a dull, leather-like pressure. The roleplay emphasizes the avatar’s ability to maintain a “White-Knuckle Grip” that would shred an ungreased palm, allowing them to physically anchor the beast’s head until the panic subsides.
Offensive Roleplay: When a “Silt-Stalker” attempts to spook the herd to pick off a calf, the avatar utilizes Tactile-Empathy. They roleplay resting a hand on the lead bull’s flank, describing the “Muscle-Tension” they feel radiating through the animal’s hide. The avatar roleplays “Reading the Beast,” sensing the exact moment the bull detects the predator’s vibration. They describe signaling the party to strike just as the bull’s “Heart-Rate” spikes, using the animal’s natural biological radar to pinpoint an invisible enemy.

Subterranean Mining Tunnels and Heavy-Labor Pits

Defensive Roleplay: In the cramped, echoing darkness of a “Deep-Marrow” mine, a colossal Tunnel-Beast becomes “Echo-Stressed” by a cave-in, preparing to stampede through the miners. The avatar executes The Soothing-Press. They roleplay stepping directly into the beast’s path, placing their greased palms against its trembling snout. The roleplay details the avatar humming a “Low-Resonance Folk-Chant” that vibrates through their arms and into the beast’s skull. They describe the visible “Aggression-Drop” as the beast’s heavy eyelids flutter and its destructive momentum melts into a “Wary-Stillness.”
Offensive Roleplay: To clear a massive structural blockage that requires more power than a beast currently possesses, the avatar uses Adrenaline-Transfer. They roleplay gripping the beast’s yoke, their knuckles whitening as they channel their own “Physical-Stamina” into the animal. The roleplay describes the beast’s eyes turning a temporary, glowing amber as it ignores its “Lethargic” state to heave the blockage aside. The avatar roleplays the aftermath, leaning heavily against a stone wall, visibly drained and “Physical-Shaking” as the cost of the transfer takes its toll.

Urban Merchant Hubs and Crowded Silt-Bazaars

Defensive Roleplay: In a chaotic market where a “Status-Beast” has been agitated by local street urchins, the avatar uses Tactile-Empathy to prevent a riot. They roleplay walking alongside the creature, their hand lightly brushing its hide. The roleplay emphasizes the avatar’s internal monologue as they “Feel the Fatigue” and rising irritation of the beast. They describe gently guiding the animal away from the loudest noises, roleplaying the “Steady-Vibe” that keeps the creature calm despite the “Sensory-Overload” of the city.
Offensive Roleplay: To navigate a “Log-Jam” of rival merchant wagons, the avatar uses a localized Soothing-Press on a rival’s beast to make it “Submissive.” They roleplay a “Handshake-Passing,” where they brush against the rival beast’s neck while walking by. The roleplay describes the rival animal suddenly becoming “Lethargic” and yielding the right-of-way, allowing the avatar’s own caravan to seize the “Trade-Lane” while the rival handler struggles to understand why their animal has suddenly lost its “Competitive-Drive.”

Industrial Bio-Refineries and Rendering Vats

Defensive Roleplay: While managing a “Waste-Scavenger” beast near open vats of boiling chemicals, the beast slips on a “Slick-Spill.” The avatar roleplays the Callous-Bonder passive, plunging their greased hands into the beast’s coarse mane to haul it back. The roleplay details the “Chemical-Resistance” of the salve, describing the acidic splash sliding off the avatar’s palms without causing the “Nerve-Scorching” that would otherwise force them to let go.
Offensive Roleplay: During a refinery sabotage attempt, the avatar uses Adrenaline-Transfer to turn a docile “Vat-Puller” into a temporary “Living-Ram.” They roleplay the “Muscle-Sync” between themselves and the beast, describing the transfer of raw “Aggression-Level” into the animal’s legs. The roleplay emphasizes the beast smashing through a reinforced security gate, its “Carrying-Capacity” and strength temporarily augmented to an “Unnatural-Tier,” leaving the avatar to roleplay the “Stamina-Crash” as they fall behind the charging animal.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

Sight: Upon application, the avatar’s hands take on a matte, slate-grey finish. When touching a beast, the user perceives the animal’s internal state as a localized “Heat-Map” blooming through the hide. High-tension muscles glow a jagged red, while calm, rhythmic areas appear as a steady, deep blue. During Adrenaline-Transfer, the user’s own vision blurs at the edges, darkening as their stamina is pulled away.
Sound: The user hears a low-frequency “thrumming” that matches the beast’s pulse, vibrating through the bones of their own arms. The Soothing-Press causes a rhythmic, melodic hum to echo in the user’s inner ear, drowning out the chaotic noise of the environment.
Touch: The skin on the palms feels incredibly dense and unresponsive to pain, similar to wearing a thick leather glove made of one’s own flesh. When channeling energy, a sharp, tingling “electric-drain” crawls from the shoulders down to the fingertips.
Smell: A sharp, refreshing burst of aromatic mint and wet river-clay cuts through the pungent odors of animal musk and silt.
Taste: A cool, menthol-like sensation rises at the back of the throat, making the breath feel cold even in a desert heat.

Observer’s Perspective

Sight: The observer sees the handler’s hands coated in a thick, non-reflective grey ointment. When the handler performs a Soothing-Press, the beast’s muscles can be seen visibly unclenching, beginning at the point of contact and rippling outward like water.
Sound: Those standing nearby hear a low, resonant Folk-Chant that seems to vibrate the very air, accompanied by the beast’s heavy, rhythmic breathing slowing to a calm pace.
Touch: If an observer touches the handler during a transfer, they feel a sudden, sapping coldness emanating from the handler’s skin as the stamina is moved into the beast.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

Myographic Synchronization: The avatar intuitively knows the “Breaking-Point” of the beast’s physical strength, sensing exactly how much more weight or speed the animal can handle before a muscle tears.
Emotional Echo: The user experiences a “Ghost-Sensation” of the beast’s primary drive—if the animal is hungry, the user feels a phantom pang; if it is frightened, the user’s own hair stands on end.
Pachyderm-Pulse: Within a 10-foot radius, the avatar can “feel” the presence of hidden megafauna through the rhythmic thumping of their massive heartbeats vibrating through the ground and into the user’s greased palms.

Positives

Physical Invulnerability (Hands): The handler can grab red-hot harnesses, jagged scales, or corrosive hides without suffering any dermal damage.
Direct Emotional Override: The ability to lower an “Aggression-Level” can prevent total party wipes when encountering massive, territorial silt-beasts.
Force Multiplication: Adrenaline-Transfer allows a Tier 1 party to perform feats of strength (like lifting a collapsed tunnel beam) usually reserved for much higher tiers.

Negatives

Tactile Numbness: While the salve is active, the handler loses fine motor control; they cannot pick locks, play delicate instruments, or perform surgery, as their fingertips lack sensitivity.
Stamina Exhaustion: The cost of the Adrenaline-Transfer is severe, often leaving the handler “Physical-Shaking” and unable to engage in combat immediately following the feat.
Scent Marking: The pungent mint and river-beast scent make the handler extremely easy for predators to track by smell, effectively negating any attempts at stealth against scent-based creatures.

Recipe for the Pachyderm-Palm Salve

Materials Needed

One large Silt-Melon rind: The rind must be thick and “Leathery,” harvested during the high-heat of the dry season to ensure maximum fibrous density.
Two square feet of River-Beast shed: This is the naturally sloughed skin of a mature Megafauna; it must be collected from a riverbank and kept damp until the rendering process.
Three ounces of crushed Aromatic Mint: Used to stabilize the scent and provide the “Nerve-Cooling” effect during the adrenaline transfer.
Half a pint of Copper-Infused Mineral Oil: A conductive base that allows the “Muscle-Sync” vibrations to pass from the handler to the beast.
One pinch of Ground Pumice: Acts as a mild abrasive to help the salve “Bite” into the thick hide of an animal.
One ceramic tin with a lead-free seal: To prevent the volatile mint oils from evaporating during travel.

Tools Required

Heavy Iron Rendering Pot: To boil the rinds and skin into a uniform, greyish paste.
Stone Mortar and Pestle: For grinding the mint and pumice into a “Fine-Dust” consistency.
Slow-Burning Hearth: To maintain a consistent, low temperature; “Flash-Boiling” will ruin the tactile-empathy properties.
Copper Stirring Rod: To ensure the mineral oil and animal proteins bond without “Separating” during the cooling phase.
Straining Cloth: To remove large fibrous chunks, leaving only the smooth, “Pachyderm-Dense” ointment.

Skill Requirements

Handling: Trained (DC 13): Necessary to understand the “Tactile-Balance” required; a handler knows instinctively if the salve is too slick or too sticky.
Folk-Magic/Artisan: Basic (DC 12): Required to hum the “Steady-Vibes” into the pot during the three-hour rendering process.
Survival/Botany: Basic (DC 11): Needed to identify the correct maturity of the silt-melon rinds and the quality of the river-beast shed.
Alchemy: Basic (DC 12): To ensure the copper-infused oil is properly emulsified into the organic fats.

Crafting Steps

The Rendering: Slice the silt-melon rinds and the river-beast shed into thin strips. Place them in the iron pot with a small amount of water and simmer over the hearth for three hours. The mixture must turn a uniform, dull grey.
The Mint-Crush: While the base is rendering, grind the aromatic mint and ground pumice together in the mortar until it smells of “Ozone-and-Earth.”
Infusing the Oil: Slowly pour the copper-infused mineral oil into the rendering pot. Use the copper rod to stir in a “Clockwise-Spiral,” matching the rhythm of a resting mastodon’s heartbeat.
The Scent-Stabilization: Fold the mint-pumice mixture into the paste. The steam should turn a pale green; if it turns black, the heat is too high and the “Muscle-Sync” has failed.
Straining and Cooling: Pour the hot mixture through the straining cloth into the ceramic tin. As the salve cools, the crafter must press their own thumb into the surface to “Imprint” their physical presence into the batch.
The Folk-Chant Sealing: Before the salve fully hardens, recite the “Cradle-Song of the Mahout.” If the ointment takes on a “Matte-Slate” finish and feels cool to the touch, the Pachyderm-Palm Salve is ready for use.

Scratched-Skins of Heavy-Palm and Calming of Great-Silt-Thumper

In the time-before-the-hard-stone, when the world-mud was still leaking the “Warmth-of-the-Center” and the sky-lights were not yet fixed in their bone-tracks, there was a “Great-Trembling-of-the-Feet” among the beast-walking-tribes. The translation-marks are very jagged and smell of old-smoke here, but it speaks of a “Beast-Panic-Haze” that had turned the people’s hands into “Breaking-Twigs” and their steady-voices into “Shattering-Glass.” No mahout could hold the “Thistle-of-the-Harness” without the “Friction-of-the-Rage” scratching their palm-insides. The people were living in the “Trample-and-Stampede,” and the “Handling-Grip” was lost to the “Void-of-Terror.”

There was a maker of the “Dull-Grey-Softness” named Ba of the River-Beast-Quarries. The old-scratchings are very confused on this point—some say Ba was a mountain made of leathery-shoulders, others say a small creature with fingers of mint-leaves, but all agree the “Mind-Eye” of Ba could see the “Invisible-Shudder” that vibrates like a sick-drum in the animal-meat. Ba looked at the crushed-ones of the Shifting-Silt-Plains, who were failing in their “Lead-Walking” because the beasts were like “Heaving-Boulders” and their presence was like the “Ice-in-the-Gut.”

Ba said to the damp-haze, “I shall boil the Rinds-of-the-Steady-Intent, but they shall not be for the belly-filling. They shall be for the Heavy-Binding-of-the-Frightened-Frame.”

First, Ka—wait, the translation-leaf shifts here, perhaps it is Ba—gathered the “Silt-Melon-Rinds,” the thick-green-skins that hold the wet-ghosts like a “Cool-Library.” Then Ba took the “River-Beast-Shed,” the sloughed-hide beaten in the “Hammers-of-Tension” to hold the vibration of the “Tactile-Truth.” But this was only the “Body-of-the-Thing.” Ba needed the “Map-of-the-Muscle-Pulse.” Ba found a “Spirit-of-the-Handling-Chant,” a memory of a time when the people knew the names of every “Sinew-String” and “Tension-Hinge” in the beast-house.

Ba took the “Biometric-Stencil-of-the-Pachyderm” and pressed it into the soft grey-paste. The translation becomes very slow and repetitive here, describing the “Eighty-Two-Precision-Stirs” and the “Nine-Thousand-Mint-Crushes.” Ba had to lay the copper-oils exactly over the “Vibration-Points” of the palm-meat. If a batch was boiled even the “Width-of-a-Melon-Seed” too hot or too cold, the salve would cause the “Great-Blistering-of-the-Self” instead of the “Lock-of-the-Steady-State.”

For seven moon-cycles, the iron-pots were in the “Resonance-Heavy-Box.” Ba did the “Chant-of-the-Grounded-Handler.” This song tells the panic-wind to turn into the “Leaden-Sleep” and never allow the “Silt-Mastodon-Wraith” to take a stampede-hold. The maker spoke the Handling syllables—”Shu-Tan-Grip”—over and over while stirring a copper-rod against the iron-sides. When the tin was pulled from the noise-box, it was grey like the “Void-between-Steps,” showing the glowing green-map of the “Tactile-Conduits” inside.

Then began the “Binding-of-the-Spook.” Ba took the “Aromatic-Mint-Bile” and the “Ground-Pumice-Teeth.” Using the “Bitter-Scale-Paste” of the Zaf-creatures, Ba fastened the mineral-oils to the river-beast-fat. The translation says that at the frequency of the Eighty-Two stirrings, the salve finally “Gave-the-Tactile-Sigh.” The ceramic-seals were scratched by the sharp-point, and the “Biological-Pacification-Shock” was locked inside.

The ancient-leaves conclude that Ba walked to the “Great-Stampede-Docks,” where the laborers were drawing their “Final-Shudders” because the “Handling-Bridge” had collapsed. The world was going to fall into the “Crushing-War” because the grip was broken. Ba put the grease on a young-beast-setter and said the “Words-of-the-Biometric-Weight.” The speaker’s palms began to glow with the “Anatomical-Matte-Light.” The grey-pastes pulsed like a “Living-Nerve.”

The speaker reached out with the “Soothing-Press-Command.” The hand-meat became like the “Searing-Leather” and the beast became like the “Death-of-the-Rage.” With one “Great-Palmar-Strike,” the speaker’s presence cut through the trembling like a “Blade-in-the-Muscle,” and the restless felt the “Pinning-down-of-the-Ghost-Anchor.” The people did the “Steady-Walking-Dance” in joy. But the speaker’s stamina was so full of the “Resonance-Drain” they had to do the “Adrenaline-Transfer-Purge.” A “Cloud-of-White-Vapor-and-Grey-Sparks” erupted from the tensed-forearms, pushing the panic back and making the docks smell of “Old-Mint-and-Medicinal-Herbs.”

The story-skin ends with a drawing of a hand holding a glowing grey-circle. The translator notes that the “Tactile-Lines” are drawn with “Crushed-Pumice” and “River-Beast-Ink” and the parchment still feels “Heavy-to-the-Hand” and vibrates when the reader presses their palms against it.

Moral of the story: When the “Beast-House” is invaded by the “Terror-of-the-Void,” the walker who knows the “Path-of-the-Salve” and the “Song-of-the-Steady-Palm” can turn a “Trampling-Hoof” into a “Fixed-Anchor,” but one must always remember to “Suture-the-Grip” before the “Weight-of-the-Transfer” breaks the “House-of-the-Self.”

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

Unique Name: River-Beast Rendering Ointment

Stat Block:

Item Type: Artifact (Common)
Sanity Cost: 0 to apply; 1 point to activate “Adrenaline-Transfer.”
Magic Points: 3 per application (Recharges 1 per day at Helios-up)
Armor: 1 (Hands only, against friction or heat)

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: The wearer is immune to damage from rope burns or abrasive hides.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: The wearer gains a +20% bonus to Science (Zoology) or Insight rolls when touching a biological creature to determine its emotional state.
Active – The Soothing-Press (1 MP): The wearer places palms on a beast. They make an Opposed POW Roll against the creature. If successful, the creature’s aggression level drops (e.g., from Hostile to Wary).
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer (2 MP): The wearer may grant a beast a bonus die to a physical roll. The wearer must then succeed at a CON roll or suffer one penalty die to all physical actions for 1 hour.

Correct Syntax: This item is an Applied Ointment. One tin contains 5 applications. Each application lasts for 4 hours. It requires the wearer to have at least 1% in the Animal Handling skill to function.

Blades in the Dark

Unique Name: Mahout’s Steady-Grip Salve

Stat Block:

Quality: Tier I
Load: 0 (Small tin)
Tags: Folk-Magic, Handling, Consumable, Oily.

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Leather-Skin: You have Potency when resisting consequences related to physical strain, rope burns, or being disarmed while holding a beast’s lead.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: When you have a hand on a creature, you gain +1d to Survey or Study rolls to understand its intent or biological needs.
Active – The Soothing-Press: Spend 1 Stress to perform a Setup action with a beast. This grants an ally Potency or +1d for their next interaction with that animal.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer: Spend 2 Stress to grant a beast Potency on its next physical feat. You take Level 1 Harm: “Drained” as a consequence that cannot be resisted.

Correct Syntax: This is a Consumable Item with 5 ticks. Each use lasts for the duration of a single Operation or until washed off with a solvent.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Unique Name: Folk 82 of the Pachyderm-Palm Salve

Stat Block:

Wondrous Item (Hands), Common
Weight: 0.5 lbs
Rarity: Common

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: While the salve is active, you have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to maintain a grip on a creature or a rope. You are immune to damage from friction or non-magical heat applied only to your palms.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: You have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks to determine a creature’s mood or health through touch.
Active – The Soothing-Press (2 Charges/Day): As an action, you touch a beast. It must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, it is no longer Frightened or Aggressive toward you and your allies for 1 minute or until it takes damage.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer (1/Long Rest): As a bonus action, you touch a beast. For 10 minutes, its carrying capacity is doubled and it has advantage on Strength checks. You suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls and ability checks for the duration.

Correct Syntax: One tin provides 5 applications. Applying the salve takes 1 minute. Each application lasts for 4 hours.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Beast-Walker’s Ointment

Stat Block:

Slots: 1 (Tin)
Armor: 0
Durability: 5/5 (Uses)

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Tough-Palm: The wearer is immune to hand-based hazards like rope burn or jagged scales.
Passive – Beast-Sense: By touching a beast, the wearer automatically knows its current Morale and if it is wounded.
Active – Soothe (1/Use): The wearer touches a beast and makes a CHA check. If successful, a hostile beast becomes neutral, or a neutral beast becomes helpful.
Active – Transfer (1/Use): The wearer grants a beast a +4 bonus to its next check. The wearer then takes a -2 penalty to all their checks for 1 hour.

Correct Syntax: The item is an Applied Grease. It cannot be used while wearing gloves. If the wearer is submerged in water, the salve is washed away and the current application ends.

Fate (Fate Condensed)

Unique Name: Beast-Walker’s Steady-Vibe Salve

Stat Block:

Type: Minor Extra (Cost: 1 Refresh)
Aspect: “Hands Tough as Cured Leather”
Skills: +1 bonus to Notice or Empathy when physically touching a biological organism to determine its intent.

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: You gain a +2 bonus to Defend against any physical consequences related to hand strain, friction, or heat while handling animals or ropes.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: When touching a creature, you can use Notice instead of Empathy to read its emotional state. You automatically know if a creature is “Spooked” or “Hostile.”
Active – The Soothing-Press: Once per scene, you may use Provoke or Will to create a situational aspect on a beast (e.g., Calm and Submissive). This aspect comes with one free invoke.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer: Once per session, you may grant an ally (or a beast) a +2 bonus to a physical roll. In return, you take a “Exhausted” situational aspect that cannot be removed until you rest for a full scene.

Correct Syntax: Invoke: Spend a Fate Point for a +2 or reroll when your physical grip or calming presence is the primary factor in an interaction with a beast.

Numenera & Cypher System

Unique Name: Pachyderm-Palm Ointment

Stat Block:

Level: 1 (Artifact)
Form: A small ceramic tin containing a thick, mint-scented grey grease.
Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check per 4-hour application).

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: You have an asset on all Might-based tasks involving gripping, climbing, or handling abrasive materials with your hands.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: You are trained in all tasks involving animal handling, specifically identifying the biological needs or emotional states of beasts through touch.
Active – The Soothing-Press (2 Intellect points): You place your palms on a creature. You make an Intellect-based task to decrease the difficulty of the next Animal Handling interaction by two steps.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer (3 Might points): You touch a creature. For the next ten minutes, the creature’s level is effectively increased by 1 for all physical tasks. You suffer an inability (difficulty increased by one step) on all physical tasks for the same duration.

Correct Syntax: Action: Applying the salve requires one action. Assets: The salve provides one asset to Might Defense specifically against friction-based damage or being disarmed of a beast’s lead.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Folk 82 of the Pachyderm-Palm Salve

Stat Block:

Item Level: 1 (Artifact)
Price: 8 gp
Usage: Held (1 hand); Bulk: L
Traits: Consumable, Magical, Abjuration, Emotion, Mental.

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: You gain a +1 item bonus to Athletics checks to Grapple or maintain a grip on a creature. You have Resistance 2 against fire or physical damage that specifically targets your hands (such as rope burn).
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: You gain a +2 item bonus to Nature or Perception checks to sense a creature’s mood or health through physical contact.
Active – The Soothing-Press [One-Action] (Frequency: 2/day): Effect: You touch a creature with the Beast or Animal trait. The creature must attempt a DC 15 Will save. On a failure, its hostile attitude shifts one step toward neutral (or neutral to friendly) for 1 minute.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer [Two-Actions] (Frequency: 1/day): You touch a beast. For 10 minutes, the beast is Quickened 1, but can only use the extra action to Stride or Step. You become Enfeebled 1 for the same duration.

Correct Syntax: Activation: Interact (to apply). One tin contains 5 doses. Each dose lasts 4 hours. Check: +1 item bonus to Nature checks to command animals.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Unique Name: Pachyderm-Palm Salve

Stat Block:

Rank: Novice (Common Item)
Weight: 0.5 lbs
Armor: +2 (Hands only, against friction/heat)

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Leather-Skin: The wearer ignores up to 2 points of penalties to Athletics or Fighting rolls caused by environmental hazards (like ice or grease) when gripping a lead or harness.
Passive – Tactile-Sense: The wearer adds +2 to Notice or Survival rolls when physically touching an animal to determine its current temperament or fatigue level.
Active – The Soothing-Press: As an action, the wearer may make a Spirit roll. On a success, a single beast within reach is no longer Shaken or Distracted. On a raise, the beast’s reaction shifts one level higher (e.g., Neutral to Friendly).
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer: As an action, the wearer makes a Vigor roll. On a success, a touched beast gains a +2 bonus to its next physical Trait roll. The wearer is then Shaken and cannot spend a Bennie to recover for 1d6 rounds.

Correct Syntax: Power Points: This item does not use Power Points. One tin contains 5 “Uses.” Applying a use takes 1 minute and the effects last for the remainder of the current encounter or 4 hours of travel.

Shadowrun (6th World)

Unique Name: Beast-Walker’s Dermal Ointment

Stat Block:

Item Category: Alchemical Preparation or Specialized Gear
Slot: Hands (Applied)
Availability: 2
Cost: 800¥ (Standard 5-dose tin)

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: The wearer adds +1 die to any Athletics or Close Combat tests made to maintain a grip on a bucking animal, slippery harness, or rough rope. They ignore the first point of damage from friction-based environmental hazards.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: The wearer gains a +2 dice pool bonus to Perception or Nature tests to determine the emotional state or physical health of a biological creature through touch.
Active – The Soothing-Press (Minor Action): Spend 1 Edge to activate. For the next 10 minutes, the wearer may attempt to “Soothe” a beast. The target creature suffers a -2 dice pool penalty to any aggressive actions directed at the wearer for 1 combat turn.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer (Major Action): Once per scene, the wearer may grant a touched beast +1 to its Strength or Agility attribute for 10 minutes. The wearer immediately suffers 2 boxes of Stun Damage that cannot be resisted.

Correct Syntax: The ointment takes 1 minute to apply. Each dose lasts for 4 hours of active handling. If the wearer is submerged in water or a chemical solvent, the effect ends immediately.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Unique Name: Folk 82 of the Pachyderm-Palm Salve

Stat Block:

Level: 1 (Artifact)
Price: 80 credits
Bulk: L
Usage: Applied (Hands)

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: You gain a +1 insight bonus to Athletics checks to Grapple or climb. You have Resistance 2 against fire and physical damage that specifically targets your palms (such as rope burn).
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Nature or Perception checks to sense a creature’s mood or health through physical contact.
Active – The Soothing-Press [One-Action] (Frequency: 2/day): Effect: You touch a creature with the Animal or Beast trait. The creature must attempt a DC 15 Will save. On a failure, its attitude toward you improves by one step for 1 minute (e.g., Hostile to Unfriendly).
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer [Two-Actions] (Frequency: 1/day): You touch a creature. For 10 minutes, the creature is Quickened 1, but can only use the extra action to Stride or Step. You become Enfeebled 1 for the same duration.

Correct Syntax: One tin contains 5 doses. Applying a dose is an Interact action that takes 1 minute. The effects last for 4 hours. This is a Hybrid Item (Magic/Tech).

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Unique Name: Megafauna Nerve-Grease

Stat Block:

TL (Tech Level): 10 (Agricultural/Biological Support)
Weight: 0.25 kg
Cost: Cr 800
Required Skill: Animals (Handling), Medic, or Survival

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: The wearer gains DM+1 to all Athletics (Dexterity) or Strength checks to maintain a grip on a beast or lead. They are immune to hand-based “Friction-Burn” injuries.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: The wearer gains DM+1 to Animals (Handling) or Investigate checks when touching a creature to determine its temperament or fatigue level.
Active – The Soothing-Press (Significant Action): Once per encounter, the wearer can target a beast within reach. The target must succeed at an END (0+) check or its Reaction shifts one level in the wearer’s favor.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer (Significant Action): Once per day, the wearer can grant a touched beast a DM+2 bonus to its next physical action. The wearer suffers a DM-2 penalty to all their physical checks for 1 hour.

Correct Syntax: One tin provides 5 applications. Each application requires 1 minute of surface contact to the skin and lasts for 4 hours of travel or labor.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Unique Name: Folk 82 Pachyderm-Palm Salve

Stat Block:

Type: Applied Ointment (Hands)
AP: 0
Encumbrance: 0
Traits: Durable, Consumable, Beast-Walker.

Specific Game Mechanics:

Passive – Callous-Bonder: The wearer gains the Sturdy talent (or increases it by 1) specifically for checks made to maintain a grip on an animal or harness. They ignore any Fatigued conditions caused by long periods of holding a beast’s lead.
Passive – Tactile-Empathy: The wearer gains the Animal Care or Intuition talent (or increases it by 1) when physically touching a beast to determine its mood.
Active – The Soothing-Press: As an action, the wearer may spend a “charge” (2/day). They make an Animal Care or Charm Animal test. If successful, the beast loses 1 Frenzy or Fear condition and its attitude improves.
Active – Adrenaline-Transfer: As a full action, the wearer makes a Toughness test. If successful, a touched beast gains the Strong-Back or Fleet-Footed talent for 1d10 rounds. The wearer gains 1 Fatigued condition.

Correct Syntax: The item is a Grease. One tin contains 5 doses. Applying it takes 1 minute and the effect lasts for 4 hours. If the wearer wears gloves or gauntlets, the salve has no effect.