Appearance: The Disturbed Vessel is a hand-held, ornate glass bottle with swirling smoky patterns etched into its surface. Within the bottle, a perpetual storm seems to rage, with miniature lightning strikes and swirling dark clouds. When held, one can feel the faint tremors of its contained turmoil.
Lore: Crafted by Lysandra the Tempestuous, an alchemist with a tumultuous past, the Disturbed Vessel was her attempt to capture and contain the very essence of her emotional turmoil. Lysandra believed that by externalizing her internal strife, she could find peace. However, what she didn’t realize was that by doing so, she imbued the vessel with a fragment of her own agitated soul, making it a conduit for powerful spatial illusions.
Stats:
- Range: 10 feet.
- Duration: 3 minutes.
- Cooldown: Once per day.
Slot: Handheld/Accessory.
Roleplay – Agitated: To activate the Disturbed Vessel, the wielder must channel their own feelings of agitation. They must vividly recall a moment of immense frustration or unrest, letting the emotion surge and consume them. As they do so, the storm within the bottle becomes more violent and chaotic.
Costs:
- Activation Cost: The user must sacrifice a small amount of their own vitality, losing 1 HP.
- Maintenance Cost: To maintain the illusion beyond its initial duration, the user must continue to focus on their agitated state, making it harder for them to concentrate on other tasks.
Magics:
- Primary Magic (Spatial Illusion): Once activated, the Disturbed Vessel releases its stored agitation into the surrounding area. This creates an illusion of a violent storm within a 10-foot radius, complete with roaring winds, flashing lightning, and torrential rain. For a tier 1 character, this illusion affects one sense, typically vision.
- Secondary Magic (Emotion Influence): Those caught within the illusion’s radius may feel a wave of agitation wash over them, making them more prone to rash decisions and impulsive actions.
Tags: Illusion, Emotion, Weather.
Defensive Use: When used defensively, the Disturbed Vessel can create a chaotic environment that disorients and confuses attackers. The blinding flashes of lightning and roaring winds can make it difficult for enemies to see or hear, providing the user and their allies with an opportunity to escape or reposition. Moreover, the induced feeling of agitation might cause enemies to make tactical errors.
Offensive Use: Offensively, the Disturbed Vessel can be used to break formations and scatter enemies. The sudden appearance of a violent storm can cause panic, especially if the enemies are not prepared for such magic. The emotional influence can also be used to make enemies more impulsive, potentially causing infighting or making them vulnerable to ambushes.
Different Environments:
- In an open field: The illusion of the storm is most effective, with nothing to block its effects. Enemies might scatter, believing a real storm is upon them.
- Within a forest: The trees might offer some shelter from the perceived storm, but the sounds of crashing branches and rustling leaves amplify the illusion’s chaos.
- In a dungeon or indoor setting: The illusion can cause panic as enemies might believe the structure is collapsing due to the storm, leading them to rush out or seek shelter.
Remember, the true power of the Disturbed Vessel lies not just in the illusions it creates but in the emotional states it can induce in both the user and those affected by its magic.
Activation Perception of:
- Sense of Sight
- Perceived: A vivid visual distortion, often including shifts in color, shimmering effects, or the appearance of patterns and imagery.
- Description: Objects may seem to move or breathe, lights might appear more intense, and colors can become more saturated or even change entirely.
- Positives: Can be used to distract, mesmerize, or hide things in plain sight.
- Negatives: Overreliance on sight-based illusions can lead to users being easily countered by those with non-visual heightened senses or detection magic.
- Sense of Hearing
- Perceived: Auditory hallucinations ranging from faint whispers to overpowering noises.
- Description: Sounds might be distorted, amplified, or entirely fabricated. Echoes, distant voices, or overwhelming silence can be manifested.
- Positives: Can be used to mislead, sow confusion, or cover up other sounds.
- Negatives: Those trained in discerning real sounds from fake can often detect inconsistencies.
- Sense of Smell
- Perceived: Powerful scents or the complete absence of them.
- Description: The aroma of flowers, the stench of decay, the crispness of fresh air, or a choking void of any smell at all.
- Positives: Can evoke strong emotional reactions, memories, or even physical responses.
- Negatives: Too strong a scent can quickly give away the illusion, especially if it doesn’t match the environment.
- Sense of Taste
- Perceived: Alterations in flavor or the sensation of tasting something when nothing is being consumed.
- Description: A sweet taste might turn bitter, water could taste like wine, or the air itself might seem to have flavor.
- Positives: Can be used to deceive or mask the actual taste of substances.
- Negatives: An unexpected taste can be immediately alarming and reveal the illusion.
- Sense of Touch
- Perceived: Phantom tactile sensations, changes in perceived temperature, or alterations to texture.
- Description: The ground might feel like water, the air could seem thick and heavy, or a gentle touch might feel like a sharp prick.
- Positives: Creates a more immersive illusion experience and can deter physical exploration.
- Negatives: A mismatch between what is seen and what is felt can break the illusion for some.
- Extra-Sensory Perception – Emotional Sense
- Perceived: Induced emotions or feelings.
- Description: Feelings of dread in a seemingly safe place, euphoria in mundane settings, or sudden bouts of nostalgia.
- Positives: Can manipulate decision-making processes and reactions.
- Negatives: Those who are emotionally self-aware or trained might recognize and resist these manipulations.
- Extra-Sensory Perception – Sense of Time
- Perceived: Warping or distortion of the passage of time.
- Description: Moments might seem to drag on for hours, or hours might feel like mere seconds.
- Positives: Can be used to disorient or give the illusion of extended or shortened durations.
- Negatives: Overextended use can lead to a mismatch in perceived time and actual time, revealing the illusion.
- Extra-Sensory Perception – Sense of Presence
- Perceived: Feeling of being watched or feeling another’s presence without any tangible evidence.
- Description: An inexplicable certainty that one is not alone, even in a seemingly empty space.
- Positives: Can create unease, caution, or even fear in those who perceive it.
- Negatives: Those familiar with this kind of sensation might seek out its source, potentially discovering the illusion’s origin.
The ability to affect multiple senses simultaneously or even extra-sensory perceptions enhances the power and credibility of illusions. However, the intricacy of multi-sensory illusions also demands greater skill, control, and knowledge from the user.
Crafting Recipe for the Disturbed Vessel
- Materials Needed:
- Storm Essence: A vial of pure elemental tempest, captured during the peak of a magical storm.
- Glass of Lament: A special glass made by infusing clear sand with the tears of a sorrowful spirit.
- Ink of Agitation: Rare ink made from the distilled emotions of a restless entity.
- Silver Binding Wire: A thin wire made of pure silver, known for its properties of containment and control.
- Heartwood Stopper: A bottle stopper carved from the heartwood of a Whispering Elm, a tree known for its emotional resonance.
- Tools Required:
- Elemental Tongs: Used to handle the Storm Essence without dispersing it.
- Emotional Crucible: A vessel that can hold and combine emotionally charged materials without dampening their effects.
- Mystic Etching Needle: A tool sharp enough to inscribe patterns into the Glass of Lament.
- Silver Manipulation Pliers: Specifically designed for bending and shaping the Silver Binding Wire.
- Skill Requirements:
- Elemental Handling: Proficiency in manipulating and working with raw elemental forces.
- Emotional Alchemy: The ability to understand and manipulate emotionally infused items without being overwhelmed by them.
- Advanced Glassworking: Knowledge of glass crafting techniques, especially those involving magical or rare types of glass.
- Inscription Mastery: Ability to etch intricate patterns imbued with magic into various materials.
- Crafting Steps:
- Preparing the Vessel: Begin by taking the Glass of Lament and using the Mystic Etching Needle to inscribe the swirling smoky patterns. The patterns act as conduits for the storm essence and help in the containment of the agitated emotions.
- Inking the Patterns: Carefully fill the etched patterns with the Ink of Agitation using a fine brush. This will imbue the vessel with a connection to tumultuous emotions and allow the storm inside to resonate with those feelings.
- Binding the Vessel: Using the Silver Manipulation Pliers, wrap the Silver Binding Wire around the neck of the vessel thrice. This will act as a seal, ensuring the storm essence remains contained once added.
- Filling with Storm Essence: With the Elemental Tongs, carefully open the vial of Storm Essence and pour it into the Glass of Lament. The vessel should now exhibit a miniature storm raging within. Seal the vessel immediately with the Heartwood Stopper.
- Final Infusion: Place the sealed vessel inside the Emotional Crucible and channel the emotions of agitation, frustration, and unrest into it. This step is vital as it strengthens the connection between the Disturbed Vessel and the intended emotional state for its activation.
- Cooling and Settling: Allow the Disturbed Vessel to rest for three nights under the waxing moon, ensuring that it absorbs the ambient energies and stabilizes the contained storm.
Upon completion, the Disturbed Vessel will be ready for use, filled with the power of spatial illusions and the emotional turbulence required for its activation.
Tempest’s Tears
Tale of the Disturbed Vessel
In a realm long forgotten, before the turning of ages and the shaping of worlds, there was a land of vast emotional landscapes. In this domain, emotions were not just fleeting feelings but tangible, palpable forces that shaped the very fabric of reality. Within this land, lived Lysandra, a gifted alchemist with a heart burdened by an ocean of tumultuous emotions.
Lysandra’s heart was a stormy sea, filled with the torrents of past regrets, love lost, and memories of times that would never return. These swirling sentiments were not just metaphors but visible tempests that would often erupt from her, causing chaos in the world around her.
Seeking solace and a means to contain her inner turmoil, Lysandra decided to craft a vessel, a conduit that could hold the vast tempest within her heart. She traveled the length and breadth of the land, gathering rare materials that resonated with her own emotions – the tears of spirits, the essence of magical storms, and the ink distilled from restless souls.
With each material she gathered, she inscribed her own story, her own pain, and her own memories into the vessel. The vessel, now named the Disturbed Vessel, became a mirror to her soul, a swirling storm contained within a glass, a tempest that could be seen but never felt.
However, as time passed, Lysandra realized that while she had managed to externalize her emotions, she had not truly freed herself from them. The Disturbed Vessel became a constant reminder of her past, a reflection of her inner self that she could never escape from. The more she tried to distance herself from the vessel, the more agitated the storm within became, mirroring her own growing despair.
One fateful night, in a bid to find release, Lysandra decided to shatter the vessel, to free the storm and, in doing so, free herself. But as the vessel broke, instead of release, the world around her was consumed by the tempest. The storm, now uncontained, raged more fiercely than ever, echoing the uncontrollable emotions that had been trapped for so long.
Yet, from this chaos emerged clarity. Lysandra, amidst the storm, realized that true freedom did not lie in suppressing or externalizing her emotions, but in accepting and understanding them. Embracing the tempest, she merged with the storm, finding peace in the eye of the hurricane.
And so, the storm subsided, leaving behind a world reshaped and renewed. The remnants of the Disturbed Vessel were gathered and revered as relics, a testament to Lysandra’s journey and the power of emotions.
Moral of the Story: True liberation comes not from avoiding or suppressing our emotions, but from understanding, accepting, and embracing them.
Suggested conversion to other systems:
Call of Cthulhu:
Disturbed Vessel (Artifact)
- SAN Loss: 0/1d4
- Uses: 1/day
- Effect: When activated, forces a SAN check for everyone within 10 feet. Those who fail experience vivid hallucinations of a storm for 1d4 rounds.
Dungeons & Dragons 5e:
Disturbed Vessel
- Type: Wondrous item
- Rarity: Rare
- Requires attunement
- Ability: Once per day, as an action, activate to create an illusion of a violent storm in a 10-foot radius. All creatures in the area must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.
Knave:
Disturbed Vessel
- Type: Small item
- Effect: When opened, the area within 10 feet becomes shrouded in a storm illusion for 10 minutes. All creatures in the area must make a saving throw or become disoriented.
Numenera & Cypher System:
Disturbed Vessel (Artifact)
- Level: 4
- Effect: When activated, projects a storm illusion in an immediate area for 28 hours. All creatures in the area must make an Intellect defense roll or be dazed for 1 round.
Pathfinder 2e:
Disturbed Vessel
- Level: 5
- Type: Wondrous item
- Activation: Operate Activation
- Effect: When activated, all creatures within 10 feet are subjected to an illusion of a tempest. Those who fail a Will save are dazzled for 1 round.
Savage Worlds:
Disturbed Vessel
- Item Type: Magic Item
- Uses: 1/day
- Effect: As an action, activate to force all beings within a Medium Burst Template to make a Spirit check or be Shaken.
Shadowrun:
Disturbed Vessel
- Item Type: Magical Focus
- Force: 4
- Effect: When activated, projects a storm illusion over a 10-foot radius. All individuals within the area must resist with Logic + Willpower or be disoriented for 1 turn.
Starfinder:
Disturbed Vessel
- Item Level: 5
- Type: Hybrid item
- Uses: 1/day
- Effect: Activate to force all creatures within 10 feet to make a Will save or be off-target and flat-footed for 1 round.
Warhammer:
Disturbed Vessel
- Type: Arcane Item
- Uses: 1 per battle
- Effect: When activated, all units within 10 inches must take a Leadership test. Those who fail are pinned and must rally to act again.