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Verse of Scrutiny Monocle of Unveiled Intent

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by

Dale
in

Lore In the Imperial courts of Saṃsāra, art was currency, and a masterpiece could buy an army. With such high stakes, the art of forgery flourished, and even the most discerning eyes could be deceived. The first Imperial Appraiser, a man named Kenjiro the Clear-Eyed, was tasked with the impossible: to separate truth from imitation. Realizing his own senses were fallible, Kenjiro sought the aid of Onmyōji mystics. Together, they developed a Jumon not of creation, but of perception. This chant, when bound to a perfectly ground lens of pure crystal, allowed the wearer to see beyond the surface of a work and gaze upon its underlying truth—the artist’s technique, their passion, their honesty or deceit. These original monocles are lost to time, but lesser copies, made by Kenjiro’s apprentices, occasionally surface in dusty antique shops or the collections of discerning nobles, sought by critics and auctioneers who believe that true art lies in the artist’s intent.

Description A simple, unassuming monocle with a frame of dark, lacquered cherry wood and a thin, silk ribbon to secure it. The lens is cut from a piece of flawless crystal and is so clear it seems to disappear when held up to the light. However, when a user focuses their will or recites a Jumon, a faint, intricate geometric pattern, like a silver snowflake, momentarily becomes visible within the lens before fading away again. To look through the monocle is to see the world with impossible clarity and depth.

Slot Head Slot

Detailed Stats

  • Skill Bonus: Grants a +1 bonus to any skill check related to appraising the value of an object or identifying a forgery.

Passive Magic

  • Material Truth: When you examine an object through the monocle, you can flawlessly discern its material composition and approximate age. You can instantly tell real gold from fool’s gold, ancient oak from stained pine, or weathered stone from artificially aged plaster.
  • Lens of Clarity: You have advantage on any saving throw or ability check made to see through or disbelieve a visual illusion you are examining through the monocle.

Activable Magic

  • Chant of Technique: By holding the monocle to your eye and whispering the Jumon, “Waza, michisuji, katachi wo mise yo,” (Technique, path, show me your form), you can perceive the history of an object’s creation. When looking at a painting, you see a ghostly after-image of the brushstrokes that formed it. On a sculpture, you see the faint impact points of the chisel. This allows you to analyze the skill, speed, and methods of the creator. This effect can be used at will but requires concentration.
  • Invocation of the Artist’s Heart: Once per day, you can study a single piece of art or craftsmanship (a painting, a sword, a poem, etc.) through the monocle for one full minute while chanting the Jumon, “Tsukurite no kokoro, sono makoto, ware ni shimese,” (Heart of the maker, its truth, reveal to me). At the end of the chant, you are flooded with a single, overwhelming psychic impression of the creator’s primary emotional state or motivation at the moment of creation: pure passion, cynical commercialism, profound grief, political ambition, devotional love, or deceptive intent.

Tags: Common, Tier 1, Jumon, Magic, Apparel, Investigation, Divination, Roleplay, Appraisal, Anti-Illusion, Lore, Non-Combat, Psychometry, Social, Truth, Utility

In the world of Saṃsāra, the Verse of Scrutiny: The Monocle of Unveiled Intent is a niche and esoteric item. It is not sold in general magic shops or armories; its value is only apparent to a select few who trade in truth, beauty, and authenticity.

Here are several places where one might acquire such a unique tool:

  • The Master Optician’s Workshop
    • How it is Sold: Tucked away on a quiet street, this shop is filled with the scent of polished wood and grinding lenses. The proprietor is a master craftsman, one of the few who still understands the art of grinding crystal to be receptive to a Jumon. They would sell the monocle not as a magical item, but as a “Lens of Perfect Clarity,” a masterwork tool for discerning jewelers, scribes, and critics. They would speak of its flawless crystal and the “secret focusing matrix” etched within, a family secret. The sale would be a proud, professional transaction from one expert to another.
    • Cost: 50 Silver Pieces. This is a non-negotiable price. The craftsman knows the quality of their work and charges accordingly. They are selling a lifetime tool, not a trinket.
  • The Imperial Auction House (Back Room)
    • How it is Sold: This item would likely not be for public sale. It is a tool of the trade for the auction house’s own chief appraiser. A character with a reputation for a keen eye and integrity might be able to acquire one through a professional arrangement. The head appraiser, seeing a worthy successor or a valuable new talent, might agree to commission or sell one as a sign of trust and partnership. The sale is a formal entry into a world of high-stakes art and appraisal.
    • Cost: 75 Silver Pieces and a Favor. The monetary cost is high, but the true price is professional obligation. The buyer would be expected to lend their “clear eye” to the auction house for a future, difficult appraisal, thus proving their worth and repaying the trust shown to them.
  • The Antiquarian’s Map & Scroll Emporium
    • How it is Sold: This dusty, cramped shop smells of aging paper and leather binding. The owner is a historian obsessed with documents, not objects. The monocle would be found in a wooden box of old cartography tools or tucked into the sleeve of a crumbling folio. The bookseller is completely unaware of its magical properties, seeing it only as a very fine, if old-fashioned, magnifying glass. They might say, “Ah, yes, the ‘Scribe’s Eye.’ Excellent for reading the fine print on old contracts.”
    • Cost: 10 – 15 Silver Pieces. This is a true bargain. The owner is pricing a simple tool and would be happy to see it go to someone who appreciates old things. For a character who recognizes its potential, this is a legendary find.
  • The Guild of Authenticators
    • How it is Sold: In a major city, a guild might exist for appraisers, critics, and historians, dedicated to upholding standards of quality and rooting out forgeries. The Monocle of Unveiled Intent would be an official tool of the guild. A member in good standing, upon reaching a certain rank, could purchase one from the guild’s quartermaster. The transaction would be formal, logged in the guild’s records, and presented as a symbol of the member’s responsibility to the truth.
    • Cost: 40 Silver Pieces (Members Only). A standardized price, with the funds going directly back into the guild’s coffers to fund its operations.
  • An Eccentric Collector’s Estate Auction
    • How it is Sold: After the passing of a wealthy collector known for his obsession with both art and oddities, his entire estate is put up for auction. The monocle would be a minor item in a massive collection, likely lotted with other personal effects like a smoking pipe, a desk set, and a pair of reading glasses. The auctioneer, working through hundreds of lots, would describe it simply as a “silver-rimmed monocle” and start the bidding low.
    • Cost: Highly Variable (5 to 30 Silver Pieces). The price depends entirely on the auction’s attendees. A knowledgeable rival might recognize its quality and drive up the price, but more often than not, it would be overlooked and sold for a pittance to the character sharp enough to spot it.

The Verse of Scrutiny: The Monocle of Unveiled Intent is not a weapon to be wielded in battle, but its power to reveal truth can be a far more potent tool for offense and defense than any blade. Its use is entirely about information warfare, psychological dismantling, and seeing the fatal flaw in an enemy’s plan.

Roleplaying Defense

Defense with the monocle is about piercing deception, sidestepping traps, and neutralizing threats before they can manifest.

In a Social or Urban Environment: The Defense Against Lies

Your party is presented with a peace treaty from a rival guild, written on what appears to be ancient, authoritative parchment, bearing the signature of their revered founder.

  • Roleplay Description: “While our leader reads the terms, I raise my monocle to my eye. The others see me as a fussy academic, but I’m using its passive ability. I lean over and whisper, ‘The parchment is a lie. The pulp is wrong, it’s not made from river reeds but from common marsh grass, artificially aged. It’s barely five years old.’ Then, focusing on the signature, I murmur the Chant of Technique. ‘And that’s not a signature. There are no confident ink strokes… it’s a perfect, flawless copy, likely made with a magical stencil. This document is a high-quality forgery.’“

You have defended your party not from a sword, but from a fraudulent contract that could have ruined them.

In a Ruin or Dungeon: The Defense Against Deathtraps

You stand before a treasure chest on a dias. The floor is tiled with ancient stone, but something feels wrong.

  • Roleplay Description: “Hold. Everyone, stop. I scan the floor tiles through the monocle, my eyes moving from one to the next. They’re all granite, centuries old, covered in a fine layer of dust. All except one. That tile directly in front of the pedestal… it’s also granite, but the wear pattern is wrong, and my lens tells me it’s new. Barely a decade old. It’s a pressure plate. They replaced the original trigger mechanism.”

This is defense through meticulous observation, using the monocle’s power to reveal a physical trap that would have otherwise been invisible.

Roleplaying Offense

Offense with the monocle is surgical and often psychological. It involves deconstructing an opponent’s power, reputation, or confidence by exposing a fundamental truth they have tried to hide.

In a Noble’s Court or Auction House: The Character Assassination

Your rival, a wealthy and arrogant Duke, is parading his latest acquisition: a supposedly priceless sculpture from a legendary lost artist. He has built his entire social standing on being a man of taste.

  • Roleplay Description: “I request the honor of examining the piece. Raising my monocle, I circle the statue, murmuring the Chant of Technique to see the ‘ghost’ of the chisel marks. Then, I activate the Invocation of the Artist’s Heart. I lower the monocle and address the gathered crowd. ‘The technique is indeed masterful, a flawless imitation of the lost artist’s style.’ I let the Duke puff up with pride before I deliver the killing blow. ‘However, the heart of the artist is not within this stone. I do not feel the passionate frenzy of a master, but the cold, cynical boredom of a forger working for a paycheck. This is a beautiful, expensive, and utterly soulless fake.’“

You have not damaged the statue, but you have shattered the Duke’s reputation, which is a far more devastating offensive blow in this environment.

In a Villain’s Lair: The Tactical Deconstruction

You face a powerful enemy, an artificer protected by a custom suit of magical armor covered in glowing runes of power. Your party’s attacks are barely scratching it.

  • Roleplay Description: “Forget the armor, I’m looking at the craftsmanship! I raise my monocle and use the Chant of Technique, not on the armor itself, but on the runes that were carved into it. Most are perfect, flowing with power. But I find one on the left gauntlet—the chisel strokes are hesitant, shallower. The energy flowing through it sputters. I shout to our fighter, ‘His left hand! He made a mistake when carving the warding rune on his gauntlet! That’s the weak point in the entire design! Shatter it!’“

This turns your critical eye into a tactical weapon, transforming an analytical tool into a method for directing your party’s physical offense to its most effective point.

Perception of Activation:

Sight

  • User’s Perspective: The moment you focus your will, the world seen through the lens snaps into impossible sharpness. Colors deepen, edges gain a razor-fine definition, and textures become profoundly detailed. Simultaneously, a delicate, silver, snowflake-like pattern materializes within the crystal of the lens, glowing with a soft, internal light. It acts as a perfect, unwavering reticle for your focus.
  • Observer’s Perspective: The most noticeable effect is the appearance of the intricate, glowing silver pattern within the monocle’s lens. It seems to float inside the crystal, shining with a faint but clear light. An observer might also notice the user’s eye behind the lens become intensely focused, as if they are seeing something far beyond what is visible to anyone else.
  • Positives: The glowing pattern is a clear, unambiguous sign that the magic is active. The hyper-clarity it provides the user is a powerful tool for spotting minute details, like hairline fractures or a forger’s hesitant brushstroke.
  • Negatives: The glow, however faint, makes it obvious that a magical item is in use, sacrificing any hope of subtlety. The sudden shift to hyper-vision can be momentarily jarring or disorienting for a new user.

Sound

  • User’s Perspective: At the exact moment of activation, you perceive a single, sharp, crystalline chink. It is a clean, precise sound, like a tiny crack appearing in a sheet of glass or a single grain of sand being dropped onto a flawless mirror. It is the sound of a veil being pierced, of a truth coming into focus.
  • Observer’s Perspective: An observer, no matter how close, hears nothing at all. The activation is acoustically silent to the outside world.
  • Positives: The sound provides instantaneous, private feedback to the user. Its discreet nature allows the monocle to be activated without alerting anyone nearby.
  • Negatives: There are no inherent negatives to this perception, as it is a purely internal and beneficial confirmation.

Touch

  • User’s Perspective: The lacquered wood frame becomes cool and smooth against the skin around your eye. The lens itself seems to lose all temperature, becoming a point of absolute neutrality. It feels as though the monocle is creating a detached, sterile barrier between your own perceptions and the object of your scrutiny.
  • Observer’s Perspective: An observer perceives no tactile effect whatsoever.
  • Positives: The cooling sensation is grounding and helps the user maintain a calm, detached, and analytical mindset, preventing their own emotions from clouding their judgment.
  • Negatives: The feeling of detachment could be unsettling for some, making it difficult to connect emotionally with a piece of art even as they analyze it.

Smell

  • User’s Perspective: A sharp, sterile scent briefly fills your senses, overriding all other smells. It is the scent of cold mountain air, or the inside of a vacuum-sealed chamber. It is the clean, unadulterated scent of pure, objective fact, devoid of any emotional perfume.
  • Observer’s Perspective: There is no discernible change in smell to an observer.
  • Positives: This helps to snap the user into a critical, analytical state of mind. It is completely undetectable by others.
  • Negatives: The scent is intentionally sterile and cold; some users might find it unpleasant or clinical, reinforcing a sense of emotional distance.

Taste

  • User’s Perspective: You experience a faint, sharp mineral taste on the tongue, like licking a piece of clean flint or tasting a drop of distilled water. It is the raw, unvarnished taste of data without context or emotion.
  • Observer’s Perspective: There is no perceivable effect.
  • Positives: This provides another unique layer of sensory feedback for the user, confirming that their perception has shifted from the subjective to the objective.
  • Negatives: There are no inherent negatives to this perception.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

  • Perception of Intent:
    • User’s Perspective: When using the Invocation of the Artist’s Heart, you do not feel the creator’s emotion as your own. Instead, the knowledge of their core intent is delivered into your mind as a single, undeniable, conceptual “word.” You look at a sword and simply know: “Duty.” You look at a painting and know: “Greed.” You look at a love poem and know: “Deceit.” It is a moment of cold, absolute, and sometimes terrible insight.
    • Observer’s Perspective: From the outside, the user simply becomes very still for a second. Their eyes might widen almost imperceptibly behind the lens as the psychic information is delivered. There is no other outward sign.
    • Positives: This ability bypasses all lies, sentiment, and emotional bias to get to the core truth of why something was made. It is the ultimate tool for appraisal and investigation.
    • Negatives: The truth can be brutal and disillusioning. Learning that a beautiful memorial was created out of political ambition, or that a treasured family heirloom was made with deep resentment, can be emotionally jarring for the user. The monocle provides the truth, with no regard for the user’s feelings.
  • Perception of Technique (The Ghost of Creation):
    • User’s Perspective: When using the Chant of Technique, you see a ghostly, time-lapsed overlay of the object’s creation. You see translucent hands and tools moving with fluid precision or clumsy hesitation. You can see the initial sketch beneath the final painting, the way a sculptor corrected a mistake, or the precise path a pen took to form a signature. It’s like watching a recording of the entire creative process at once.
    • Observer’s Perspective: An observer sees nothing but the user staring intently at an object, their head tilted at various angles as if trying to catch a strange light.
    • Positives: This provides an infallible method for analyzing skill, identifying forgeries by spotting inconsistencies in technique, or recognizing a master’s “signature” style in an unsigned work.
    • Negatives: Viewing the creation of a complex object, like an intricate clock or a massive mural, can be visually overwhelming. The sheer volume of overlapping “ghostly” information could be disorienting and require immense concentration to decipher.

Verse of Scrutiny: Grinding the Lens of Truth

This recipe describes the exacting and spiritually demanding process required to create a Monocle of Unveiled Intent. The creation is less an act of assembly and more a ritual of purification, where the crafter systematically strips away all forms of illusion and falsehood to reveal the perfect, singular truth at the heart of the materials.

Materials Needed

  • One Heart-of-the-Mountain Geode: A fist-sized, unopened crystal geode harvested from a place where the earth is ancient and undisturbed. It must be chosen by feel, for a faint, rhythmic pulse that signifies a pure, flawless crystal heart within.
  • A Branch of a Witnessing Cherry Tree: A small, straight branch taken from a cherry tree at least five hundred years old. The tree must have “witnessed” a significant historical event—a treaty, a battle, a coronation—imbuing the wood with a sense of history and gravitas.
  • A Strand of Sightless Silk: A single, unbroken strand of silk thread spun by a blind artisan. It is believed that such artisans perceive the world through a purer sense of touch and integrity, weaving this quality into their thread.
  • Water from a Sunless Spring: A small vial of water taken from a subterranean spring that has never been touched by the light of the sun. This water represents pure, unadulterated truth, free from the shadows and deceptions of the surface world.
  • The Ash of a Burned Falsehood: The crafter must write down a harmful lie or a known historical falsehood on a slip of rice paper, then burn it to fine ash. This symbolizes the destruction of deceit as a necessary component for the creation of truth.
  • Knowledge of the Jumon: The crafter must not only know but deeply comprehend the purpose of the Chant of Technique (“Waza, michisuji, katachi wo mise yo“) and the Invocation of the Artist’s Heart (“Tsukurite no kokoro, sono makoto, ware ni shimese“).

Tools Required

  • Master Lapidary’s Kit: A complete set of high-quality tools for gem cutting and polishing, including diamond-tipped scribes, grinding wheels, and polishing pastes of various grits.
  • Fine Woodworking Tools: A selection of extremely sharp carving knives, chisels, and sanding implements for the delicate frame.
  • A Crystal Ritual Bowl: A bowl carved from a single piece of clear quartz, to hold the ritual water without contamination.

Skill Requirements

  • Precision Crafting (Jeweler or Lapidary): The crafter must be a master of their trade. The lens must be ground to optical perfection, as the slightest physical flaw will shatter the delicate magical matrix.
  • Analytical Perception: The crafter themselves must possess a keen eye and a sharp, inquisitive mind. They cannot imbue the monocle with a power of scrutiny that they do not, to some degree, already possess within their own spirit.

Crafting Steps

The entire ritual must be performed in a clean, isolated room, lit only by a single, pure white candle, symbolizing a single point of truth in the darkness.

  1. Breaking the Shell: The crafter carefully cracks open the Heart-of-the-Mountain geode. The crystal within is then extracted. This single, flawless crystal heart will become the lens. All flawed or lesser fragments are discarded.
  2. The Grinding of Technique: This is the longest and most arduous step. The crafter begins the long process of grinding and polishing the crystal into a perfect, optically clear lens. For the entire duration of this process, which can take a full day and night, the crafter must chant the Chant of Technique in a low, continuous drone. With every pass of the grinder, they are not just shaping the crystal, but physically embedding the Jumon’s power to perceive method and form into its very structure.
  3. Carving the Witness: The crafter precisely carves the branch of the Witnessing Cherry Tree into the monocle’s frame, ensuring a perfect fit for the lens. This is done in complete silence, out of respect for the history the wood has seen.
  4. The Ash of Truth: The crafter dissolves the Ash of a Burned Falsehood into the vial of Sunless Spring Water, held within the crystal bowl. The water will turn a murky, unpleasant grey, representing the dissolution of lies.
  5. The Scouring of Lies: The newly ground lens is submerged into the ash-water mixture. The crafter must leave it there for a full hour, meditating on the nature of truth and how it is often clouded by falsehood. After the hour, the lens is removed. The water in the bowl will have become perfectly clear again, having had all its impurity drawn into the lens.
  6. The Final Invocation: The crafter cleans the murky residue from the lens, which is now physically perfect but magically clouded. They must hold the lens to their own eye, looking at the single candle flame through it. They then begin to chant the Invocation of the Artist’s Heart. They must repeat the chant over and over until, within the depths of the crystal, the complex silver snowflake pattern flares to life for the first time, permanently burning away the magical impurity and awakening the monocle’s true power.
  7. Final Assembly: With the magic now sealed within the lens, it is carefully set into the lacquered wood frame, and the Strand of Sightless Silk is attached. The Monocle of Unveiled Intent is complete.

Eye That Did Not Blink

It is told that in the age when the capitol was new and smelled of wet wood, there was an Emperor who loved things. He did not love people so much. He loved jade that was the color of the sky just after a rain. He loved lacquerware that was so deep you could see the faces of your ancestors in it. His love of things was a great hunger, and where there is a great hunger, there are many cooks who will make false food.

The empire was flooded. Not with water, but with things that were not what they seemed. A vase that was said to be from the First Dynasty was made last week by a clever man with old mud. A sword said to have slain a demon was only good for cutting radishes. The Emperor’s hunger was being fed with lies, and his spirit grew sick from it.

So he summoned a man. The name of the man is given as Kenjiro. The word means something like ‘wise son’ but also ‘hard steel’. It is not clear. Kenjiro was the Imperial Appraiser. His eyes were his only tools. He could look at a pot and see the small wobble that meant the potter’s wheel was new, not ancient. He could feel a scroll and know the paper was made from rice that grew in the wrong valley. He was a man whose eyes did not blink at lies.

But a new cook of false food had come to the city. His name is lost, or perhaps it was never known. He was called only the Shadow-Artisan. He did not make simple forgeries. He made things that were more perfect than the real things. He made a statue of a god, and the priests said it felt more holy than the one in the temple. He made a copy of the Emperor’s own ceremonial crown, and the Emperor himself could not say which was which. The Shadow-Artisan was a machine of perfect lies.

Kenjiro was defeated. His eyes, which were his life, were now useless. He looked at the two crowns and saw the same thing. His spirit grew weary, like the Emperor’s. He went into his room and did not come out. It is said he sat in the dark and spoke to his own eyes, asking them why they had failed him.

In his darkness, a visitor came. From the Onmyōdō court, the mystics who understand the world’s secret grammar. They did not bring a lamp. They brought a piece of crystal, a geode that had never seen the sun. They said to Kenjiro, “Your eyes see the skin of the world. The skin can be taught to lie. You must have an eye that sees the bone.”

They told him that every act of creation leaves a ghost. Not a ghost of a person, but a ghost of intent. A thing made with love feels different from a thing made with greed. A thing made with duty feels different from a thing made with deceit. These are the bones of a thing. Their ghosts are invisible, but they are real. They gave Kenjiro the crystal and taught him the Jumon. Not a chant to make something, but a chant to unmake a lie. A chant to make things naked.

Kenjiro worked. He was not a mystic, but he was a master of lenses. He ground the crystal heart into a perfect circle. As he ground it, he whispered the first Jumon, the one that asks to see the making-of-things. He framed it in wood from a tree that had been struck by lightning but did not burn. A tree that had survived a great shock of power. He made a monocle. An eye to go over his eye.

The Shadow-Artisan then sent his greatest work to the Emperor. It was a gift. A small, intricate music box. When opened, it did not play a song. It showed a scene. Tiny figures of the Emperor’s own parents, the ancestors, moved and bowed. It was a miracle of clockwork and art. The Emperor was overcome with joy. He declared the Shadow-Artisan the greatest artist in the land.

But Kenjiro came. He stood before the court, and he looked tired, but his real eyes were bright. He took out his new monocle. He held it to his eye and looked at the music box. The court laughed at the old man with his strange glass eye.

Kenjiro chanted the second Jumon, the one that asks to see the heart of the maker. “Tsukurite no kokoro, sono makoto, ware ni shimese.” Reveal to me the maker’s true heart.

He looked for a long time. Then he lowered the monocle. He said to the Emperor, “Majesty, the craft is perfect. The machine is a wonder. But the ghost inside is poison.”

The Emperor was angry. “What do you mean, old man?”

Kenjiro spoke. “When I look with this eye, I see the ghost of the maker’s intent. In the statue of the god at the temple, I feel the ghost of true belief. In the sword that slew the demon, I feel the ghost of desperate courage. In this box… I feel nothing. No love for you. No respect for the ancestors. I feel only a cold, sharp, and patient feeling. The feeling of a key being made to fit a lock. This is not a gift. It is a tool. And its purpose is not joy.”

The Emperor, confused, ordered the box to be taken apart by his best engineers. Deep inside the clockwork, beneath the bowing figures of his parents, they found it. A small, poisoned needle, set to spring in seven days, aimed right where the Emperor’s finger would be when he wound the box again. The gift was an assassination machine.

The Shadow-Artisan was never found. He vanished, as his name suggested. But Kenjiro’s monocle, the Eye That Did Not Blink, became a legend.

Moral of the Story: A perfect-looking skin can hide sick bones. To know the truth, you must look for the ghost of why a thing was made.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Monocle of Unveiled Intent Wondrous item, common

This simple monocle consists of a flawless crystal lens set in a dark cherry wood frame, attached to a thin silk ribbon. Though it appears to be a simple, if high-quality, accessory, a faint, silvery, snowflake-like pattern can be seen glowing within the lens when its magical properties are used.

  • Material Analysis. While looking through the monocle, you can spend one minute studying an object to learn its precise material composition and its approximate age.
  • Piercing Clarity. You have advantage on any Intelligence (Investigation) check made to discern the true nature of a visual illusion.
  • Reveal Technique. As an action, you can study a crafted object through the monocle. You learn a detail about its creation, such as the type of tools used, the relative skill of the creator, or if it was made in a hurry.
  • Glimpse of Intent. Once per day, you can spend 1 minute studying a crafted object through the monocle to receive a psychic impression of the creator’s dominant motivation at the time it was made (for example: passionate creativity, cynical greed, profound sorrow, or deceptive intent).

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Lens That Reveals the Maker’s Heart Unique Artefact

A single lens of flawless crystal in a simple wooden frame, said to have been ground by Kenjiro, an Imperial Appraiser who sought a way to see the “truth” beneath an object’s physical form. Using the lens requires a successful INT roll to attune to its unique way of seeing the world, costing the user 1d2 Sanity as it permanently alters their perception, making them forever sensitive to the hidden ugliness or beauty in the things around them.

  • Appraiser’s Eye: The lens grants one Bonus Die to all Appraise rolls and to Spot Hidden rolls when specifically looking for forgeries, flaws, or hidden details in a crafted object.
  • Unveiling the Veil: When viewing a magical glamour or illusion, the Investigator can make a POW roll to immediately see the illusion for what it is.
  • See the Ghostly Hand: By studying an object for one minute, the Investigator can make an Art/Craft roll. On a success, they learn the techniques and skill level of the creator. A Hard success reveals a specific flaw or “tell” in the creator’s method.
  • Gaze Upon the Heart: Once per investigation, the Investigator can stare at an object through the lens for one minute to see a psychic flash of its creator’s true intention. This is dangerous knowledge. Learning a beautiful religious icon was crafted with nihilistic contempt for its deity would cost 0/1d2 Sanity points. Learning a weapon was crafted with an insatiable, alien thirst for bloodshed could cost 1/1d4 Sanity points.

Blades in the Dark

The Forgery-Breaker’s Glass An esoteric tool used by discerning antiquarians and inspectors in Duskvol to see past the grime and lies of the city. [Subtle, Technical, Mystic, Eyepiece]

This precision-ground lens is set in a dark wooden frame, humming with a faint spiritual energy. It allows you to deconstruct an object, not physically, but by understanding the intent and method of its creation.

  • Flawless Appraisal: When you scrutinize an object to determine its authenticity or hidden features, you get +1 effect. You can always ask the question: “What’s the hidden flaw or secret here?”
  • A Lie in Tatters: You get potent effect when attempting to see through deception or trickery that relies on visual elements (disguises, forgeries, simple illusions). When you resist a supernatural visual effect, gain +1d.
  • Deconstruct the Method: When you Study a complex item or work of art, you may suffer 1 Stress to perfectly understand how it was made. You can use this knowledge to create a forgery of your own, or you know the precise way to disable or destroy it.
  • Reveal the Motive: Once per score, you can focus on an object to discern the true motivation of its creator. You can then use this damning or inspiring truth to create a new opportunity for your crew or to inflict 2 Stress on a target who prizes the object by revealing its tainted or secret history.

Knave (2nd Edition)

Truth Lens A flawless monocle in a dark wood frame. (1 inventory slot)

  • When you look at any object through the lens, you know exactly what it’s made of and roughly how old it is.
  • You automatically see through non-magical disguises and have advantage on saving throws made to disbelieve visual illusions.
  • If you observe a creature performing a craft for one minute, you can accurately gauge their skill level (amateur, professional, or master).
  • Once per day: You may study an object for one minute to learn the primary motivation its creator felt when they made it (e.g., love, greed, haste, duty, deceit).

Fate Core System

The Eye That Sees the Bones

In Fate, this monocle is a significant item that grants the character a new Aspect: Armed with the Eye That Sees the Bones. This powerful descriptor can be invoked for bonuses and compelled to drive the story forward.

  • Invoking the Aspect: You can spend a Fate Point to invoke Armed with the Eye That Sees the Bones for a +2 bonus or a reroll. This is most effective when using Investigate to spot a forgery, Notice to see through a visual illusion, or Empathy to analyze the true intent behind a piece of art or craftsmanship.
    • Example: “The Duke insists this vase is from the First Dynasty, but I’m invoking my Armed with the Eye That Sees the Bones to see the truth in the tiny details of its construction.”
  • Compelling the Aspect: The GM can offer you a Fate Point to compel this Aspect by forcing you to see an uncomfortable or inconvenient truth. You might automatically see that a diplomat’s “gift” is a worthless replica, forcing you to choose between exposing the insult or keeping the peace. You might see the sorrowful intent in a beautiful painting, saddening you at an inopportune moment.
  • Item Stunts: The monocle also provides the following Stunts:
    • See the Maker’s Hand: Because you are Armed with the Eye That Sees the Bones, when you study a crafted object, you can ask the GM one specific question about its construction, the tools used, or the skill of its creator for free.
    • Unveil True Intent: Once per session, you can spend a Fate Point while studying an object to declare what the creator’s true motivation was (e.g., Greed, True Love, Deceit, Desperation). This declaration becomes a truth in the scene and can be used to create a new advantage with a free invocation.

Numenera & Cypher System

Ocular Scanner of Intent Artifact

This device is a simple, dark-rimmed lens attached to a thin cord made of woven synth. When pressed to the eye, microscopic filaments make a temporary connection with the user’s optic nerve and frontal lobe, overlaying their vision with analytical data about the physical and psychometric properties of objects.

  • Level: 5
  • Form: A handheld monocle or eyepiece.
  • Effect: Grants the user the following abilities:
    • Enabler: Material Analysis. The user is Eased on all tasks to identify materials, spot forgeries, determine an object’s age, or appraise its value.
    • Enabler: Illusion Filter. The user is Eased on all tasks to see through or disbelieve visual illusions, holograms, or other forms of visual trickery.
    • Action: Technique Deconstruction. By spending an action to scan a crafted object, the user learns the exact methods, tools, and level of skill used in its creation. They can identify the “tells” of a specific creator or spot the inconsistencies of a forgery.
    • Action: Intent Protocol. Once every 28 hours, the user can perform a deep scan on an object (an action). They receive a one-word psychic download of the creator’s primary motivation when making the object (e.g., ‘DECEPTION’, ‘DEVOTION’, ‘PROFIT’, ‘SURVIVAL’).
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

The Critic’s Eye Item 3 Uncommon | Divination | Magical

  • Price 60 GP
  • Usage worn eyeglass; Bulk —

This finely crafted monocle has a dark cherry wood frame and a flawless crystal lens. When you look through it, the world appears with unnerving clarity, revealing secrets of artistry and intent.

  • Passive While wearing the monocle, you gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks to notice flaws in objects and to checks made to Decipher Writing on forgeries or esoteric texts. You also gain a +1 item bonus to your Will saves against visual illusions.

Activate [two-actions] Interact (Concentrate); Frequency at-will; Effect You study a crafted object. You learn about the techniques used to create it and can determine if it is a forgery. This functions as if you had successfully used the Crafting skill to Recall Knowledge about the item, granting you a piece of information or context about its creation or creator.

Activate [three-actions] Interact (Concentrate, Divination); Frequency once per day; Effect You study a single crafted object for 1 minute. At the end of this time, the GM tells you the primary emotion or motivation (such as greed, love, jealousy, or duty) that the object’s creator had when they made it.

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition

The Truth-Seeker’s Glass

A beautifully made monocle rumored to have belonged to a legendary Imperial Appraiser. It is said that no lie, flaw, or hidden truth could escape its gaze.

  • Expert Appraisal: The monocle grants its user a +2 bonus to Academics or Notice rolls when examining an object for authenticity, value, or hidden details.
  • Piercing Gaze: The user automatically succeeds on any roll to see through a mundane disguise. When attempting to resist a magical illusion, the user may re-roll a failed Spirit or Smarts test, keeping the better result.
  • Read the Craft: With a successful Notice roll, the user can determine the approximate skill level of a craftsman (Novice, Seasoned, Veteran, etc.) by observing their work for a minute. With a raise, they also learn a specific “tell” or signature habit of the creator’s technique.
  • Glimpse the Heart: Once per session, the user may concentrate on a single crafted object for one minute to learn the creator’s true motivation for making it. This truth is revealed by the GM and can be used as leverage in a social conflict, granting the user a +2 bonus to a single Persuasion or Intimidation roll against anyone who values or is connected to the object.

Shadowrun, Sixth World

Psychometric Eyepiece Analysis Focus

This appears to be a high-end piece of optical gear, a custom-made monocle with a polished cherry wood frame. In reality, it is a powerful analysis focus, bonding with the user’s astral signature to translate psychic impressions and material data directly into their optic nerve. It is a favored, if rare, tool for arcane investigators and high-end antique dealers.

  • Focus Rating: 2
  • Activation: The eyepiece is always active while worn.
  • Material Scan: The eyepiece functions as a Rating 4 Sensor Array containing both a chemical scanner and a spectrometer. When looking at an object, the user instinctively knows its exact material composition and approximate age. This grants +2 Edge on any test to spot a forgery or appraise an object’s value.
  • Illusion Filter: The user gains a +2 dice pool bonus on any test made to resist or see through spells of the Illusion category.
  • Intent Analysis: Once per run, the user may perform a deep psychometric scan on a crafted object. This requires an Assensing + Intuition [Mental] (4) test and takes one minute of concentration. On a success, the user receives a direct psychic impression of the creator’s primary motivation (e.g., greed, devotion, deceit, etc.). A glitch on this test results in painful psychic feedback, inflicting 1 box of Stun damage.

Starfinder Roleplaying Game

Appraiser’s Eye Level 2 | Price 750 credits Aura faint divination | Bulk L Hands — (worn)

This fashionable monocle features a dark wooden frame and a flawless crystal lens. It is often mistaken for a simple accessory, but when worn, the user sees the world with an unnerving degree of clarity, allowing them to pierce lies and analyze the finest details.

  • Passive Abilities: While wearing the Appraiser’s Eye, you gain a +2 insight bonus to Culture checks to appraise items and to Perception checks to find flaws or hidden details in objects. You also gain a +2 insight bonus to saving throws against spells and effects with the illusion descriptor.
  • Technique Analysis: As a standard action, you can analyze a single crafted item. You learn the approximate Tech Level of the tools used to create it and the general quality of its craftsmanship (e.g., mass-produced, standard, or masterwork).
  • Reveal Intent: Once per day, you can spend 1 minute of uninterrupted study on a single crafted object. At the end of this time, you learn the primary emotional motivation of its creator (such as greed, love, or jealousy). The GM provides a one- or two-word summary of this intent.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Cognitive Assessment Device (CAD)

  • Tech Level: 14
  • Mass: — (negligible)
  • Price: Cr 75,000
  • Description: A sophisticated sensor suite disguised as a simple monocle. It performs a micro-scan of an object, analyzing its material makeup, while simultaneously reading residual bio-signatures and psychic imprints left by the creator. It is a prized tool for high-end appraisers, intelligence agents, and investigators.
  • Material Analysis: The device contains an advanced Densitometer and Mass Spectrometer. When looking at an object, the user is provided with a full material breakdown and its precise age. This grants the user DM+2 on any check to appraise an item, detect a forgery, or investigate a piece of technology.
  • Holographic Filter: The device automatically detects and outlines holographic projections or other visual tricks (up to TL-14), rendering them ineffective against the user.
  • Motive Analysis Subroutine: Once per day, the user can initiate a deep scan (taking 10 minutes) on an object handled by a living being. This requires an Electronics (sensors) 8+ check. On a success, the device provides a psych-profile summary of the creator’s or most recent user’s likely emotional state and motivation regarding the object.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition

The Altdorf Appraiser’s Glass Enc: 0

A marvelous, if uncanny, optical device from one of the finest workshops in Altdorf. The lens is ground from purest crystal and set in a frame of polished cherry wood. It is said that by looking through it, one can see not just an object, but the truth of its making.

  • Qualities: Fine (+1 SL on relevant tests), Optical Lens.
  • Appraiser’s Acumen: The user gains a +10 bonus to all Evaluate Tests. Furthermore, with a successful Challenging (+0) Perception Test, they can automatically spot signs of forgery or hidden repairs on an object.
  • Sight Beyond Sight: Looking through the lens attunes the user to the Wind of Azyr. The user can attempt to see through any magical illusion by making a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test. Success allows them to see the illusion for the shimmering mirage it is. However, on an Astounding Failure, they are blinded by a torrent of Aethyric energy and gain 1 Blinded Condition.
  • Glimpse the Maker’s Soul: Once per day, the user may study an object for one minute. The GM then tells the user the creator’s primary emotional state when they made it (e.g., ‘Pious’, ‘Greedy’, ‘Rushed’, ‘Hateful’). If this emotion is particularly strong or corrupting (such as that of a dedicated Chaos cultist), the user must make a Challenging (+0) Cool Test or gain 1 Fatigued Condition from the psychic strain.