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Mimic 544 of the Ennui Vacuum Aegis

—

by

Dale
in

From: Resonant Air Shield 11

Lore

  • Inscribed upon an aged parchment scroll bound in pale storm-linen, this item was crafted to flawlessly emulate an authentic spell scroll of Resonant Air Shield 11 from the Aromancers Zephyr Codex 42.
  • While the genuine spell generates an electric ozone haze and a concussive, storm-charged sonic retort, this deceptive mimicry scroll anchors a heavy, lethargic vacuum that saps the kinetic vigor and emotional drive from combat. It suppresses aggressive momentum, replacing thunderous impacts with a hollow, stifling sigh of complete listlessness and existential weariness.
  • Sealed within the ink and fibers is Taida, a melancholic, profoundly bored soul distilled from a lethargic Ethereal Shroudling that drifted for centuries in motionless doldrums. Taida views intense violence, heroic speeches, and frantic combat maneuvers as utterly exhausting and pointless.
  • Once attuned, Taida communicates telepathically through the Guide Manager with dry, languid observations, sighing over enemy telegraphs, pointing out how needlessly hard adversaries are trying, and advising the user on the absolute bare minimum effort required to deflect blows and induce dull apathy across the battlefield.

Detailed Stats

  • Item Tier: Tier 2 (Registers as a standard Tier 2 aeromancy reaction scroll under Mind’s Eye and surface divinations; operates with Tier 3 kinetic-stagnation potency once attuned)
  • Rarity: Uncommon (Mimicked appearance)
  • Item Hit Points: Avatar Maximum Hit Points plus 30 (Resilience 10 multiplied by Tier 3 effective potency)
  • Armor Check (AC): +3
  • Weight: 0.5 pounds
  • Material: Heavy vellum scroll infused with chameleonic doldrum-dust, storm-linen ribbon, lead-weighted spindle, iron-gall ink laced with void-spore ash
  • Suggested Value: 350 gold coins (Appraised market price; illicit stasis value significantly higher)

Gear Slot

  • Held / Stored Scroll Slot (Can be readied or worn at the hip as a continuous reactive catalyst once attuned)

Passive Magic

  • Flawless Codex Imitation: Surface divinations, identify spells, and olfactory aura analyses detect the crisp scent of ozone and petrichor, registering the scroll strictly as an authentic formula for Resonant Air Shield 11.
  • Aura of Dull Lethargy: Hostile creatures within 10 feet of the attuned bearer feel an unnatural, creeping mental fatigue and heavy limbs; they suffer a -2 penalty to Initiative and cannot take the Dash or Charge action within this radius.
  • Languid Tactician (Sentience): Taida telepathically points out the excessive, predictable flourishes in enemy attack routines, granting the bearer a +2 bonus to Insight and Perception checks made to predict incoming physical maneuvers while conserving physical energy.

Activable Magic

  • Ennui Vacuum Barrier: As a reaction when hit by a melee or ranged attack, or targeted by targeted force projectiles (such as magic missile), the bearer unleashes a soundless, grey vacuum bubble. The user gains a +6 bonus to AC against the triggering attack and takes no damage from force projectile spells. If a melee attack misses due to this bonus, the incoming kinetic force is swallowed whole, and the attacker must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom or Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the attacker is overcome by deep apathy and heavy lethargy: they are pushed 10 feet back, fall prone, lose their remaining multi-attacks for the turn, and can only take either an action or a bonus action (not both) on their next turn (usable 3 times per day).
  • Contagious Yawn (Apathy Wave): As an action, the bearer unfurls the scroll slightly, releasing a 20-foot cone of stagnant, heavy air accompanied by a hollow, resonant sigh. All creatures in the cone must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma or Willpower saving throw or be afflicted with intense combat boredom for 1 minute: affected targets have their movement speed halved, cannot benefit from morale bonuses or rage effects, and must roll a d6 at the start of each turn; on a 1–2, they simply skip their action, uninterested in the conflict (usable once per day).

Tags

  • mimicry-gear, sentient-item, scroll-slot, tier-2, uncommon, abjuration, enchantment, kinetic-stagnation, boredom-aura, ennui-vacuum, lethargy, taida-soul, apathy-wave, reaction, telepathy, somatic, doldrum-dust, momentum-drain, void-spore, heavy-vellum, codex-imitation, kinetic-absorption, languid-tactician, listlessness, fatigue-pulse, unenthusiastic-deflection, demotivation-matrix

Acquisition and Commerce of the Ennui Vacuum Aegis

  • Aeromantic Scriptoria and High Arcane Academies:
    • Located within the university spires, royal academies, and grand libraries of the island capitals.
    • These pristine institutions cater to battle mages, ward-weavers, and aristocratic bodyguards, staffed by master scribes and scent-sensitive aromancers who inspect scrolls for authentic elemental resonance.
    • Purchasing cost: Because the scroll gives off the crisp aroma of petrichor and ozone, registering as an authentic formula for Resonant Air Shield 11, it is priced at the standard high-end market rate of 350 to 500 Gold Sovereigns.
    • Selling to shopkeeper: A faculty curator or head archivist will verify the linen seal and offer a standard academic buyout of 175 to 200 Gold Sovereigns to add the defensive formula to the academy’s library reserves.
  • Underground Fence Dens and Mercenary Safehouses:
    • Found hidden beneath gladiatorial arenas, smuggler tunnels, and back-alley fight clubs where close-quarters brawlers seek emergency defensive measures.
    • These brokers cater to duelists, thieves, and enforcers looking for quick-reaction defenses to shut down overwhelming physical pressure.
    • Purchasing cost: If the dealer assumes it is a standard storm-shield scroll, it sells for 300 Gold Sovereigns. If a discerning smuggler realizes the scroll drains motivation and inflicts kinetic apathy (an elevated Tier-3 stasis enchantment), the price climbs to 900 to 1,200 Silver Talents / Coin.
    • Selling to shopkeeper: The broker pays 120 to 150 Gold Sovereigns under the assumption it is a standard reactive ward, or up to 450 Gold Equivalents if they specialize in items that incapacitate targets non-lethally.
  • Dusty Antiquarian Stalls, Curio Dens, and Estate Liquidators:
    • Situated in forgotten basement markets, quiet library alleys, and dusty second-hand bookshops.
    • Managed by elderly bibliophiles and curio dealers who rarely unseal arcane scrolls and rely on parchment age and ribbon seals for pricing.
    • Purchasing cost: Frequently bundled into wooden bins of miscellaneous elemental manuscripts or forgotten battle notes, sold for a modest 40 to 80 Silver Pieces to a clever buyer who recognizes the linen weave.
    • Selling to shopkeeper: A curio shopkeeper will appraise the scroll purely on the quality of its vellum and storm-linen ribbon, offering a meager 15 to 25 Silver Pieces.

Tactical and Environmental Applications of the Ennui Vacuum Aegis

  • Raging Coastal Storms, Exposed Sea Cliffs, and Tempestuous Rigging:
    • Defensive Applications: While gale-force winds whip across an open ship deck or cliffside path, a hostile pirate captain lunges with a charging cutlass strike. The user triggers the Ennui Vacuum Barrier. Instead of a thunderclap, an eerie, soundless pocket of dead air swallows the blow’s kinetic fury whole. Taida sighs in the user’s mind (“Look at him sweating… how tedious”), while the pirate’s momentum collapses, dropping him flat on his face against the wet timber.
    • Offensive Applications: In the middle of an intense boarding action, the bearer unfurls the scroll and unleashes the Contagious Yawn. The salt spray seems to hang motionless in the air as the opposing crew’s fighting spirit dissolves. Berserkers lower their axes, rubbing their eyes and complaining of sudden, crushing weariness, allowing the party to disarm them or bypass the barricade entirely without exchanging blows.
  • Crowded Gladiatorial Arenas, Fighting Pits, and Military Drill Grounds:
    • Defensive Applications: Cornered against the arena wall by a heavily armored champion, the bearer waits for the executioner swing. The aegis absorbs the strike into a grey, soundless vacuum cushion. The champion is shoved back ten feet into the sand, bewildered by the total absence of resistance, losing the will to complete their multi-attack combination.
    • Offensive Applications: Stepping into a pit fight, the user projects the passive Aura of Dull Lethargy. The cheering crowd’s roar falls flat on the competitors’ ears as the arena champions suddenly find their limbs heavy and their hearts devoid of aggression. The opponent leans heavily on their spear, entirely uninterested in closing the distance, leaving them open to effortless tactical maneuvers.
  • Imperial Throne Rooms, Diplomatic Banquets, and High-Court Galas:
    • Defensive Applications: When a royal guard draws a blade or an assassin lunges across the dining table, the bearer deploys the shield without breaking decorum. Because the vacuum absorbs sound, light, and kinetic impact rather than detonating with a loud thunderclap, the assault is neutralized silently—the attacker simply slides backward across the polished marble floor and slumps down, as if fainting from exhaustion.
    • Offensive Applications: During tense treaty negotiations or heated council debates, the user discreetly directs a focused pulse of the Apathy Wave across the council chamber. Hostile warmongers arguing for immediate invasion suddenly trail off mid-sentence, lose track of their demands, and slump back into their high-backed chairs with an overwhelming desire to adjourn the meeting for a nap.
  • Narrow Underground Catacombs, Low Crypts, and Dungeon Choke Points:
    • Defensive Applications: Facing a swarm of subterranean horrors charging down a five-foot-wide tunnel, the bearer triggers the vacuum barrier. The front beast’s charge meets the soundless stasis pocket, shoving the vanguard backward into its kin and creating an impassable barrier of lethargic, prone bodies in the cramped hallway.
    • Offensive Applications: In tight spaces where loud sonic spells would trigger cave-ins or alert the entire dungeon, the silent Ennui Vacuum neutralizes sentries without a single decibel of noise. Sentries afflicted by the yawn sit down against the stone walls, entirely indifferent to the party slipping through the iron gates ahead of them.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Sight: Unfurling the scroll causes the iron-gall script to dim to a flat, dusty ash-grey. A translucent, dome-like bubble of distorted, dead air manifests around the user, flattening all vibrant colors into muted, sepia-tinted tones.
  • Hearing: The chaotic noise of battle abruptly drops into a heavy, muffled vacuum—similar to submerging underwater or wearing thick earmuffs. Through this deadened quiet, the voice of Taida echoes with an exaggerated, drawn-out yawn: “Another sword? Really? Must they swing things so enthusiastically? Just lean back and let them fall over.”
  • Touch: A heavy, room-temperature stillness settles over the user’s shoulders like a weighted wool blanket. Instead of a violent kinetic recoil or concussive jolt, incoming blows feel as soft and weightless as a dry leaf brushing against thick down feathers.
  • Smell: The false top-scent of sharp ozone and petrichor instantly collapses, replaced by the dry, stagnant aroma of an undisturbed library attic, unwashed wool, and dusty window curtains on a windless afternoon.
  • Taste: A bland, powdery sensation coats the tongue and roof of the mouth, akin to eating stale, unsalted crackers or drinking flat, room-temperature well water.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions:
    • Kinetic Stagnation Sense: The user instinctively feels the kinetic vectors and aggressive intent of all nearby creatures simply bleeding away, perceiving hostile momentum as sluggish, melting grey tendrils.
    • Apathy Resonance: An intuitive awareness highlights the emotional fatigue, combat burnout, and willpower thresholds of every combatant within thirty paces.
    • Soul-Doldrum Link: A mental connection with Taida lets the user instinctively calculate the absolute minimum physical effort required to sidestep, parry, or completely ignore an enemy’s advance.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Sight: Witnesses see the scroll unfurl with a faint grey shimmer that looks momentarily like an aeromantic storm-shield. When an attack connects, however, there is no bright electric flash or blast of wind—the attacker’s weapon simply halts dead in mid-air against an invisible, soft cushion, and the attacker’s body goes strangely limp as they slide ten feet backward across the floor.
  • Hearing: Ambient sounds, shouting, and ringing steel in the immediate vicinity are violently suppressed into a dead silence, broken only by a low, hollow sigh that sounds like a weary exhalation through empty pipes.
  • Touch: Creatures within the area feel an immediate, stifling heaviness in their muscles, as if their armor has doubled in weight and their joints are packed with dry sand.
  • Smell: A faint draft of stale, dry air and old paper wafts past their nostrils.
  • Taste: Observers experience a dry, chalky taste on the lips that induces a reflex to swallow or yawn.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions:
    • Emotional Deceleration: Spellcasters and sensitive minds feel an abrupt, depressive sink in their adrenaline, making violent impulses feel pointless and mentally exhausting.
    • Stagnant Void Signature: Diviners observing the magical weave see active evocation and aeromancy mana suddenly grind to a complete halt, freezing into an inert, non-reactive grey vortex.

Positives

  • Completely silences and neutralizes incoming kinetic fury without causing destructive, noisy shockwaves that alert nearby enemies or destabilize delicate environments.
  • Strips aggressive enemies of their action economy, forcing them backward, knocking them prone, and robbing them of the motivation to continue multi-attack combinations.
  • Flawlessly passes inspections in academic and military settings by masquerading as a high-demand defensive spell scroll (Resonant Air Shield 11).
  • Delivers effortless defensive efficiency and structural weak-point analysis through Taida’s tactical advice.
  • Highly portable (0.5 lbs.), functioning either as an in-hand emergency scroll or a hip-mounted reactive focus once attuned.

Negatives

  • Prolonged attunement and frequent exposure to the aegis can induce a lingering sense of mild lethargy, procrastination, and lack of urgency in the user outside of combat.
  • Entirely ineffective against non-sentient environmental hazards that lack kinetic momentum (e.g., stationary pools of acid, ambient poison gas, or extreme ambient heat).
  • The Contagious Yawn wave is an area effect that can demotivate unprotected allies if they are caught in the forward cone.
  • Taida is notoriously difficult to motivate; if the user attempts to engage in grand, theatrical, or energetic combat routines, the spirit may complain, roll its metaphorical eyes, and take several seconds before reluctantly responding to commands.

Recipe: Inscribing the Ennui Vacuum Aegis

Materials Needed

  • One sheet of heavy calfskin vellum soaked in calm-water brine and dried in the shade.
  • One Doldrum Spirit Fragment (harvested from a motionless, windless sea pocket to anchor the melancholic soul).
  • Half an ounce of void-spore ash gathered from stagnant subterranean caverns.
  • Three drams of iron-gall ink blended with powdered lead and crushed poppy seeds.
  • One spindle rod made of cold-rolled lead with polished pewter endcaps.
  • Two feet of pale storm-linen ribbon treated with dried lavender and ground chalk.
  • Sacrificial Component: One authentic enchanted scroll of Resonant Air Shield 11 or a certified page from the Aromancers Zephyr Codex 42 (burned completely to ash to extract its superficial olfactory resonance and defensive framework).

Tools Required

  • Calligrapher’s Precision Steel Quill and Inkwell.
  • Alchemical Distillation Retort (for reducing the sacrificial scroll ash into a scent-binding lacquer).
  • Lead-Plated Scribing Table (to dampen all incoming kinetic vibrations during the inscription process).
  • Soul-Infusion Funnel and Spirit-Binding Crystal.
  • Weighted Parchment Burnisher and Agate Slicker.

Skill Requirements

  • Calligraphy / Scribing: Minimum Skill Level 3.
  • Arcana / Abjuration & Enchantment: Minimum Skill Level 3.
  • Spirit Anchoring / Soul Binding: Minimum Skill Level 2.

Crafting Steps

  • Preparation of the Stagnant Medium:
    • Scrape and polish the dried vellum across the lead-plated table with the agate slicker until the surface is flat and dense.
    • Dissolve the void-spore ash into the iron-gall ink, stirring counter-clockwise until the mixture turns into an opaque, matte-grey fluid that absorbs light.
  • Extraction of the Codex Scent-Guise:
    • Incinerate the authentic Resonant Air Shield 11 scroll within the distillation retort.
    • Capture the aromatic smoke and condense it into a clear, oily lacquer carrying the unmistakable scent profile of ozone and petrichor.
  • Inscribing the Kinetic Stasis Matrix:
    • Using the steel quill, write the geometric wards of wind deflection across the parchment using the dark iron-gall ink.
    • Interweave the hidden counter-glyphs of kinetic dampening, energy drainage, and psychological weariness between the standard aeromancy runes.
  • Anchoring the Soul of Taida:
    • Place the Doldrum Spirit Fragment into the spirit-binding crystal and channel its dormant essence through the soul-infusion funnel.
    • Trace the final locking seals over the center of the vellum, coaxing the entity into the ink fibers while maintaining a low, rhythmic hum to prevent agitation.
  • Assembly and Sealing:
    • Mount the vellum securely onto the lead spindle rod using a cold-resin adhesive.
    • Coat the exterior surface with the distilled ozone-petrichor lacquer to create the superficial sensory disguise.
    • Roll the completed parchment tight and secure it with the lavender-treated storm-linen ribbon, sealing the knot with a drop of grey lead-wax.

Mountain-Breeze Walker Named Aelar and Sky-Anger Wall That Gives a Hard Slap to Bad Crawling Bugs

In the early cycles before the tall mountain-stones of the Long Snake Spine had rubbed their sharp foreheads smooth against the cloud-blankets, there was a man of long walking whose throat made the noises of the storm-spirits, called by the mouth-sounds Aelar Wind-Foot. This two-legged walker had nostrils that could smell a raindrop three valley-lengths before it fell out of the blue sky-bowl, and his fingers knew how to twist the invisible mountain-breath into fences and round baskets that stopped falling rocks from cracking open his thinking-bone.

Now, Aelar Wind-Foot walked down into the deep, dark throat-holes of the mountain where the daylight-sun does not know how to send its yellow arrows. He wished to find the belly-hollow where the great winds go to sleep when they are tired of shaking the pine-trees. But in these low stone-tunnels, where the air tasted like sour cave-mud and cold bat-sweat, there lived the Many-Legged Fast-Crawlers with clicking teeth, who hated the sweet smell of breathing men and liked to chew on soft meat in the blackness.

While Aelar was looking at a wet wall of quartz-sand, seven-times-ten of these clicking bug-beasts came running out of the crack-holes upon their many sharp stick-feet. Their feet made noises like dry beans shaken in a clay pot. They ran with such great quickness that Aelar could only pull the cold wind around his skin like a heavy wool blanket, putting up his usual soft-breeze wall.

The sharp bug-claws struck the swirling air-blanket with loud scratching sounds: krik-krik-krak! The wind held the sharp claws away from his throat-tube, but the wind was only a polite fence that did not have any fists. For every clicking beast that bounced off the soft air, two more hairy brothers climbed on top of its back, pushing their sharp noses closer. The passage was very narrow, only the width of one fat ox, and Aelar was pushed backward until his shoulder-blades hit the cold, unmoving mountain-rock. He had no room to swing his arms, no room to take a long chest-breath to blow a big push-wave, and no time to scratch new spirit-marks onto the floor. The biting swarm was piling up like wet gravel, burying his wind-fence under a heavy mountain of wriggling legs and black eyes.

Standing there with the stink of monster-saliva dripping through his air-blanket, Aelar closed his two seeing-eyes. He did not ask for a thicker wool-shield, for a man with a thick wool shield still gets smothered when the sheep fall upon him. Instead, he remembered how the big summer sky-fire behaves when it is angry at the tall oaks.

A storm, he thought inside his forehead-bone, does not simply stand like a quiet garden-wall waiting to be pushed down by the river. First comes the sharp, electric sky-metal smell—the breath that smells like two cold iron pans being banged together in the pouring rain. Then comes the line of sky-fire that splits the dark cloud-skins. And right after the bright light comes the giant CRACK—not a slow shove, but a great flat hand of sound that knocks the birds out of the branches and makes the heavy earth-dirt tremble in its shoes.

Aelar opened his mouth and stopped feeding the soft, pushing wind. Instead, he pulled into his nose the sharp memory of the sky-metal breath. He made his chest-wind tight and hard, like a dry bowstring pulled until it groans. He made a sudden sound in his throat that was not like singing wind, but like an iron pot breaking on a flat rock: KRAH!

The air in front of his chest became flat and shiny like a piece of frozen lake-water. A great bull-crawler with four snapping jaw-horns threw its heavy weight against the shiny spot.

In that very heartbeat, the tunnel split open with a sound like seven thunderbolts sitting in a single cooking pot. The air did not merely push; it exploded with a violent, flat-handed slap. The giant horned bug was not set down gently; it was picked up by the hair of its chest and thrown twenty paces backward down the dark corridor, tumbling through the air like a dry beetle in a whirlwind and smashing into twelve of its scurrying cousins. A violent rush of sharp ozone-wind followed the sound-fist, knocking forty more crawling beasts flat upon their backs, their many thin legs waving helplessly at the stone roof.

Aelar stood in a wide, clean circle of empty stone. The chittering swarm, shocked by a wall that bit back with the thunder of a broken sky, stopped their clicking and froze in great terror. In that small window of quiet, Aelar gathered the tunnel’s true drafts and cast a shouting spell of bright wind that cleared the entire mountain-throat of vermin.

Later, when he sat in his dry mountain-house, he took out the thick leaves of the Zephyr Book and wrote down the marks of the striking wall using ink that smelled of wet summer rain and sharp copper-stones, so that other walking people would know how to answer the biting dark.

Moral of the Story: A wall that only stands still will always be broken by those who push against it, but a wall that strikes back with sudden, sharp force makes its own space in which the weary may breathe and overcome the press of the world.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Shroud of Stagnant Breath (Mimic 544)

Occult Focus / Bound Doldrum Manuscript

  • Item Profile:
    • Form: A heavy vellum scroll tied with pale storm-linen ribbon, giving off an initial scent of rain and ozone before fading to dry dust.
    • Concealment: Standard Occult, Appraise, or natural science examinations perceive the scroll as an authentic transcription of a regional weather-ward (Resonant Air Shield 11).
    • Sanity Loss: 0/1D3 Sanity points upon attunement when telepathically syncing with the listless entity Taida.
  • Sentient Rapport (Taida):
    • Taida communicates in a weary, bored monotone through the Keeper. It finds frantic physical combat thoroughly exhausting and continuously advises the wielder on minimal-effort deflections, granting a bonus die on Dodge and Insight / Psychology checks to predict and sidestep incoming physical attacks.
  • Mechanics & Passive Traits:
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: Enemies within 3 yards of the bearer find their aggressive momentum sapped. Hostile characters lose one bonus die on charging melee maneuvers or firearms burst attacks within this perimeter.
    • Deceptive Resonance: Magic detection and astral inspection register a benign aeromancy warding spell.
  • Occult Activations:
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier: When the bearer is targeted by a melee, missile, or targeted magical attack, they expend 4 Magic Points as an instant reaction (activating on DEX+50). The incoming attack suffers two penalty dice. If the attack fails to hit, the kinetic force is completely swallowed by a localized vacuum: the attacker must succeed on an Opposed STR vs. Caster’s POW roll on the Resistance Table. On a failure, the attacker is pushed back 10 feet, knocked prone, and loses their next combat action due to overwhelming apathy. (3 uses per day).
    • Contagious Yawn (Apathy Wave): By expending 6 Magic Points, the bearer unrolls the parchment and speaks a dull sigh. All living targets within a 6-yard cone must succeed on a Hard POW roll or fall into an intense state of existential boredom for 1D6 combat rounds. Afflicted targets have their Movement rate halved and must pass a regular POW check at the beginning of each turn to muster the motivation to take an offensive action. (1 use per day).

Blades in the Dark

The Doldrum Scroll (Mimic 544)

Special Item (Load: 1) / Fine Tier III Abjuration & Enchantment Focus

  • Item Profile:
    • Classification: Fine Arcane Curio (1 Load, Belt or Satchel).
    • Visual Style: A lead-spindled vellum scroll bound with storm-linen ribbon, faintly smelling of dry dust and distant ozone.
  • Rules and Mechanics:
    • Passive (Concealed Guise): Ghost-field scrutiny, Spirit Warden scans, and arcane appraisals identify the scroll as a standard lightning-barrier script from the Imperial Academies.
    • Languid Tactician (Taida): The bound entity sighs over enemy telegraphs, granting +1d to Action Rolls when making a Study or Prowl action to predict an enemy’s tactical movements or slip past aggressive sentries.
  • Active Operations:
    • Aura of Stagnation (Passive): Opponents attempting rapid assaults or coordinated rushes against you have reduced effect due to the stifling lack of momentum around you.
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier: When you resist physical harm from a melee attack, ambush, or firearm projectile, spend 1 Stress to deploy the vacuum. You completely negate the damage without rolling, and your attacker is pushed back 10 feet and knocked off their feet, gaining the status Demotivated & Prone (the crew gains +1 Effect on immediate follow-up actions against them).
    • Contagious Yawn (Apathy Wave): Spend 2 Stress to unleash a wide wave of dead air across close range. Hostile guards and brawlers in the area lose all aggressive drive, downgrading their combat readiness; sentries sit down, lower their blades, or hesitate, creating a Controlled position for the crew to escape, bypass, or disarm them.

Dungeons & Dragons

Mimic 544 of the Ennui Vacuum Aegis

Wondrous Item (Scroll / Catalyst), Uncommon (Elevated Tier-3 Potency), Requires Attunement

  • Item Statistics:
    • Weight: 0.5 lbs.
    • Armor Class: 14
    • Hit Points: 40 (Damage Threshold 5)
  • Sentience:
    • Taida (True Neutral; INT 12, WIS 16, CHA 10; Telepathy 30 feet with attuned bearer). A lethargic, world-weary soul that identifies excessive effort in enemy attack routines and complains about physical exertion.
  • Properties:
    • Flawless Codex Imitation: An Identify spell or similar divination reveals the item to be a standard Tier-2 scroll of Resonant Air Shield 11. Its true kinetic-absorption matrix remains concealed until attuned.
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: The area within a 10-foot emanation of you is difficult terrain for hostile creatures attempting to Dash or Charge. In addition, hostile creatures within this aura suffer a -2 penalty to Initiative rolls.
    • Languid Prediction: You gain a +2 bonus to Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks made to predict incoming physical maneuvers.
  • Activable Magic:
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier (3 Charges/Day, Recharges at Dawn): When you are hit by a melee or ranged attack roll, or targeted by the Magic Missile spell, you can take a Reaction to unfurl a gray vacuum barrier. You gain a +6 bonus to AC against the triggering attack and take no damage from Magic Missile. If a melee attack misses you due to this bonus, the attacker’s kinetic force is swallowed, and the attacker must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is pushed 10 feet directly away from you, knocked prone, and cannot use reactions or make additional attacks until the start of its next turn.
    • Contagious Yawn (1 Charge/Day, Recharges at Dawn): As a Magic action, you unroll the parchment and emit a heavy sigh across a 20-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, a target is overcome by intense combat boredom for 1 minute: its speed is halved, it cannot benefit from morale bonuses or rage effects, and at the start of each of its turns, it must roll a d6; on a roll of 1–2, it takes no action that turn as it rubs its eyes and groans in fatigue. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Knave

The Ennui Vacuum Aegis (Mimic 544)

Magic Item (1 Inventory Slot / Held or Belted)

  • Item Profile:
    • Inventory Slots: 1 (Carried in hand or kept in a ready quick-draw belt slot).
    • Durability / Quality: 8 Quality dots.
    • Item Classification: Sentient Stasis Scroll / Kinetic Dampener.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Deceptive Inscription: Surface inspection and mundane appraisals evaluate the parchment as an authentic aeromantic storm-shield scroll.
    • Sentient Fatigue (Taida): The bound entity grants a +2 bonus on Wisdom and Dexterity checks made to predict enemy maneuvers, parry sluggish strikes, or slip out of grapples.
    • Stagnant Buffer: Enemies attacking the bearer suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls if they moved more than 10 feet toward the bearer on the same turn.
  • Active Spell-Like Exploits:
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier (3/Day): When the bearer is struck by a melee attack or targeted missile, they declare the aegis as an instant reaction. The bearer gains +5 Armor against the triggering attack. If the attack misses, the incoming kinetic force is swallowed into a dead vacuum: the attacker must make a Strength check (DC 15). On a failure, the attacker is pushed 10 feet back, knocked prone, and loses the ability to take maneuvers for 1 round.
    • Contagious Yawn (1/Day): The bearer unrolls the parchment to release a 30-foot cone of stagnant air. All creatures in the area must succeed on a Wisdom check (DC 15) or suffer acute apathy for 5 rounds: their movement speed is halved, and they suffer disadvantage (-5 penalty) on all attack and damage rolls as they lose the will to fight.
    • Wear and Maintenance: Mark 1 Quality dot if the bearer suffers a direct critical hit to their gear slot. If all 8 dots are marked, the lead spindle warps and the ink turns to inert grey powder until restored with void-ash and fresh calfskin.

Fate

The Ennui Vacuum Aegis (Mimic 544) Personal Extra / Tier-3 Wondrous Focus Scroll

  • Item Aspects:
    • Pristine Codex-Script of the Storm-Shield
    • World-Weary Soul of the Motionless Doldrums
    • Kinetic-Swallowing Grey Vacuum
  • Item Stunts and Mechanics:
    • Flawless Codex Mask: Magic diagnostics, olfactory scans, and academic appraisals register the scroll strictly as an authentic Tier-2 Resonant Air Shield 11 formula. Piercing the illusion requires overcoming a Great (+4) obstacle.
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: The area within the user’s immediate zone is oppressive and slow. Hostile entities entering or moving through the zone cannot invoke physical movement-based aspects for free and face a +2 opposition to dash or sprint actions.
    • Minimal-Effort Prediction (Taida): Gain a +2 bonus to Notice and Empathy rolls when sizing up an opponent’s physical maneuvers to find the path of least resistance.
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier: Three times per session, when targeted by a melee, ranged, or kinetic magic attack, spend 1 Fate Point to trigger the reactive vacuum. Gain a +3 bonus to your Defend roll. If you succeed with style or the attack fails, the kinetic energy is absorbed soundlessly; you automatically create the situation aspect Demotivated, Prone, and Staggered on the attacker with two free invokes, and the attacker loses all remaining actions this exchange.
    • Contagious Yawn (Apathy Wave): Once per session, spend 1 Fate Point to unfurl the scroll and release a wave of stagnant, heavy air across the zone. Opponents in the zone must defend against a Fantastic (+6) Will attack. Targets taking stress from this roll gain the temporary consequence Overwhelming Battle Fatigue and cannot use aggressive stunts for the scene.
  • Troubles and Compels:
    • Chronic Procrastination: Taida hates energetic or dramatic exertion; when the bearer attempts theatrical, acrobatic, or high-tempo combat maneuvers, the GM may compel Taida to induce heavy limbs, imposing a -2 penalty unless a Fate Point is spent to push through the lethargy.

Cypher System and Numenera

The Ennui Vacuum Aegis (Mimic 544) Wearable Catalyst / Artifact Level 4 (Elevated Level 5 Potency)

  • Form: A heavy vellum manuscript wrapped in pale storm-linen ribbon around a lead-spindled core, emitting a superficial scent of ozone that masks its dead-air vacuum essence.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d10 (checked upon using the Contagious Yawn ability).
  • Passive Effects:
    • Deceptive Aura: Diagnostic scans and esoteries identify the scroll as a standard Level 4 aeromantic storm-shield formula.
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: The immediate area (within 10 feet) around the user saps physical drive. Hostile movement tasks within this perimeter are hindered by one step.
    • Languid Prediction (Taida): The bound entity eases Speed defense tasks against predictable melee maneuvers and physical telegraphs by one step.
  • Activated Effects:
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier: The user expends 3 Intellect points as an immediate Speed defense reaction against an incoming physical or force-projectile attack. The defense task is eased by two steps. If the attack misses, the incoming kinetic force is swallowed whole; the attacker must make a Level 5 Might defense task or be thrown back an immediate distance, knocked prone, and lose their next turn due to heavy apathy.
    • Contagious Yawn (Apathy Wave): The user expends 4 Intellect points and unfurls the scroll. A wave of stagnant air rolls out across short range (50 feet). All targets in the area must succeed on a Level 5 Intellect defense task or suffer extreme combat ennui for 1 minute: all tasks requiring physical aggression, speed, or morale bonuses are hindered by two steps, and affected targets cannot take movement actions faster than immediate distance.

Pathfinder (Second Edition)

Ennui Vacuum Aegis (Mimic 544) Item 6 (Elevated Item 8 Function) | Abjuration, Enchantment, Intelligent, Magical, Mental, Worn (Scroll/Catalyst)

  • Item Statistics:
    • Price: 250 gp (Mimicked market rate; true intrinsic value 500 gp)
    • Usage: Held in 1 hand or worn at the hip as a ready catalyst
    • Bulk: L
    • Structure: Hardness 8, HP 32, BT 16
  • Sentience:
    • Taida (Neutral; Perception +15; Will +17; Telepathy 30 feet with bearer; Senses: Kinetic Scent 30 feet, Tremorsense 15 feet). Constantly complains about noisy exertion and points out lazy, efficient ways to deflect attacks.
  • Properties:
    • Flawless Codex Mask: Detect Magic and standard identify rituals register the scroll as a 6th-level Resonant Air Shield 11 formula. Its elevated 8th-level kinetic-drain matrix remains cloaked until attuned.
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: Hostile creatures within a 10-foot emanation of the bearer take a -2 status penalty to Initiative rolls and treat all movement within the area as difficult terrain if they attempt to Stride twice or Charge.
    • Languid Prediction: Grants a +1 item bonus to Perception and Insight checks to anticipate physical Strikes.
  • Activate — Ennui Vacuum Barrier:
    • Action Cost: Reaction (Concentrate, Manipulate); Trigger: You are targeted by a physical Strike or a spell that deals force damage (such as force barrage).
    • Frequency: Three times per day
    • Effect: You raise the scroll, manifesting a soundless, grey vacuum barrier. You gain a +3 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack and take no damage from force spells. If a melee Strike misses you due to this bonus, the attacker’s kinetic energy is absorbed: the attacker must attempt a DC 26 Fortitude saving throw.
      • Critical Success: The attacker is unaffected.
      • Success: The attacker is pushed back 5 feet and is Fatigued 1 for 1 round.
      • Failure: The attacker is pushed back 10 feet, falls Prone, and becomes Slowed 1 for 1 round as heavy lethargy dulls its muscles.
      • Critical Failure: As failure, but the attacker is pushed back 15 feet, falls Prone, is Stunned 1, and is Slowed 2 for 1 minute (can attempt a new DC 26 Fortitude save at the end of each turn to end the slowed condition).
  • Activate — Contagious Yawn:
    • Action Cost: Two Actions (Concentrate, Manipulate)
    • Frequency: Once per day
    • Effect: You unfurl the vellum, releasing a 30-foot cone of stagnant air accompanied by a hollow sigh. Each creature in the cone must attempt a DC 26 Will save.
      • Success: The creature is unaffected.
      • Failure: The creature is overcome by severe combat boredom for 1 minute. Its Speed is reduced by 10 feet, it cannot gain circumstance or status bonuses to attack or damage rolls, and at the start of each of its turns, it must succeed on a DC 26 Will save or lose its first action that turn to weary hesitation.
      • Critical Failure: As failure, and the creature gains the Clumsy 2 and Stupefied 2 conditions while the apathy persists.

Savage Worlds

The Ennui Vacuum Aegis (Mimic 544) Seasoned Relic (Elevated Veteran Potency / Worn Focus Scroll)

  • Item Profile:
    • Weight: 0.5 lbs. (Held or secured in a belt scroll-case).
    • Requirements: Spirit d8+ or Smarts d8+.
    • Toughness: 6 (2).
  • Static Modifiers:
    • Masked Essence: Detect arcana, psionic scrutiny, and scholarly appraisals identify the scroll as a standard Resonant Air Shield 11 defensive formula.
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: Enemies within a Medium Burst Template centered on the bearer suffer a -2 penalty to Running die rolls and cannot use the Wild Attack maneuver within this aura.
    • Languid Tactician: The bearer gains a +2 bonus to Notice rolls made to oppose stealth, feints, or surprise attacks.
  • Arcane Features:
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier: When the bearer is hit by a melee or ranged attack, they may trigger this power as an instant Reaction. The bearer makes a Smarts or Spirit roll opposed by the attacker’s attack roll total. On a success, the attack is completely negated by a soundless vacuum bubble. On a Raise, the attack is negated, the attacker’s kinetic force is swallowed, and the attacker must make a Vigor roll at -2; on a failure, the attacker is thrown 2d4″ directly away, falls Prone, and becomes Distracted and Vulnerable. (3 uses per day).
    • Contagious Yawn (Apathy Wave): As an action, the bearer unfurls the vellum to cast a Cone Template of heavy, stagnant air. Every target inside the template must make a Spirit roll at -2. On a failure, targets are afflicted by overwhelming battle apathy for 3 rounds: their Pace is halved, they cannot spend Bennies to reroll trait tests or soak damage, and they must make a Smarts roll at the start of their turn or forfeit their turn entirely while slumping in boredom. (1 use per day).

Shadowrun (Sixth World)

The Ennui Vacuum Aegis (Mimic 544) Sustaining Focus / Bound Doldrum Manuscript (Force 4 / Elevated Function Force 6)

  • Item Profile:
    • Item Type: Sustaining Focus / Bound Mimicry Scroll (Worn Belt or Quick-Draw Focus Slot)
    • Availability: 10R (Restricted, rare sensory-cloaked kinetic focus)
    • Karma Cost to Bind: 8 Karma (Operates with Force 6 kinetic absorption potency once bonded)
    • Cost: 24,000 Nuyen (Appraised standard street price 6,000 Nuyen)
    • Physical Profile: 0.25 kg; heavy vellum scroll bound with storm-linen ribbon on a lead spindle, faintly emitting a deceptive scent of ozone and petrichor
  • Sentience (Taida):
    • Contains the lethargic, melancholic soul Taida. Communicates via tired telepathic impressions through the gamemaster, pointing out overexertion and mechanical telegraphs in enemy attack routines.
  • Mechanics & Modifiers:
    • Deceptive Astral Signature: Astral Perception and Assensing tests register the scroll strictly as a standard Force 4 aeromantic combat ward (Concussive Barrier), completely masking its kinetic-draining vacuum matrix.
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: Enemies within 5 meters of the bearer feel a heavy, unnatural fatigue. Hostile targets suffer a -2 dice pool modifier on all Sprint and Charge actions within this perimeter.
    • Languid Prediction: The bonded runner gains +2 dice on Defense tests against predictable melee maneuvers and telegraphed physical attacks.
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier (Activated Action): As an Interrupt Action (Defense), when hit by a melee, projectile, or targeted force attack, the user deploys a soundless vacuum bubble. The user gains a +4 dice pool bonus to the Defense test. If the attack misses, the incoming kinetic force is swallowed whole: the attacker must make a Body + Willpower (4) test. On a failure, the attacker is pushed back 3 meters, knocked Prone, and loses 1 Minor Action on their next turn due to heavy apathy. (3 uses per day, Drain Value 3).
    • Contagious Yawn (Activated Action): As a Major Action, the user unrolls the parchment to project a 10-meter cone of stagnant air accompanied by a low sigh. Hostile targets within the area must succeed on a Willpower + Logic (4) test or suffer acute battle weariness for (Force) Combat Rounds: their Movement Rate is halved, they cannot receive Edge or teamwork bonuses, and they suffer a -3 dice pool modifier to all offensive combat actions. (1 use per day, Drain Value 4).

Starfinder (Second Edition)

Mimic 544: Ennui Vacuum Aegis Item 6 (Elevated Item 8 Function) | Abjuration, Enchantment, Hybrid, Tech, Worn (Scroll/Catalyst)

  • Item Statistics:
    • Price: 4,000 Credits (Mimicked market rate; true intrinsic value 8,500 Credits)
    • Usage: Worn at the hip or held in 1 hand as a reactive catalyst
    • Bulk: L (0.5 lbs.; heavy vellum with lead-weighted spindle)
    • Structure: Hardness 8, HP 32, BT 16
    • Capacity / Usage: 30 Charges / 3 per activation
  • Sentience:
    • Bound to the lethargic entity Taida (Telepathy 30 ft. with bearer; senses kinetic vectors and emotional fatigue).
  • Properties & Modifiers:
    • Deceptive Sensor Signature: Scanners, Mysticism checks, and automated item diagnostics identify the scroll as an authentic 6th-level kinetic storm-shield (Kinetic Retort).
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: The area within a 10-foot emanation of the bearer is difficult terrain for hostile targets attempting to Stride twice, Charge, or Jet. In addition, hostile creatures within this aura suffer a -2 status penalty to Initiative.
    • Languid Prediction: Grants the bearer a +1 item bonus to Perception checks to anticipate physical Strikes.
  • Activated Abilities:
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier:
      • Action: Reaction (Manipulate); Trigger: You are targeted by a physical Strike or force projectile.
      • Cost: 3 Charges
      • Effect: Deploys a soundless grey vacuum bubble, granting a +3 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack and complete immunity to force missile damage. If a melee attack misses due to this bonus, the attacker must attempt a DC 26 Fortitude save. On a failure, the attacker is pushed 10 feet back, falls Prone, and becomes Slowed 1 for 1 round. (3/day).
    • Contagious Yawn:
      • Action: Two Actions (Manipulate)
      • Cost: 6 Charges
      • Effect: Releases a 30-foot cone of stagnant air. Each creature in the area must attempt a DC 26 Will save. On a failure, the target suffers severe combat boredom for 1 minute: its Speed is reduced by 10 feet, it cannot gain circumstance bonuses to attack rolls, and it must succeed on a DC 26 Will save at the start of each of its turns or lose its first action that turn. (1/day).

Traveller (Second Edition / Mongoose 2E)

Kinetic Damping Shroud (Prototype Mimic 544) Inertial Stasis Focus (TL 13 / Disguised as TL 9 Elemental Scroll)

  • Item Specifications:
    • Tech Level (TL): TL 13 (Concealed within an apparent TL 9 decorative parchment scroll with a chemical ozone strip)
    • Weight: 0.25 kg (Belt-mounted or handheld)
    • Cost: Cr 45,000 (Appraised manuscript valuation Cr 8,000)
    • Power Requirements: Integrated micro-grav damping cell (Provides 20 activations per charge cycle; rechargeable)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Deceptive Readout: Standard scanners, customs checks, and chemical sniffers register the item as an unpowered ceremonial manuscript emitting harmless aerosolized minerals.
    • Aura of Dull Momentum: Personnel attempting rapid melee rushes or charging maneuvers within 3 meters of the bearer suffer DM-2 on their initial attack checks due to localized micro-grav resistance.
    • Integrated Heuristic Companion (Taida): The integrated quantum persona communicates via neural audio-link, granting DM+1 to Tactics (Military) and Recon checks made to exploit overextended enemy attack paths.
    • Inertial Vacuum Shunt (Active): As a reaction to being struck by a melee blow or kinetic projectile, the bearer triggers the damping field. The bearer makes a Telekinesis or DEX 8+ check opposed by the attacker’s roll. On a success, the blow is completely neutralized with zero sound or kinetic recoil. If the bearer succeeds with an Effect of 3 or more, the attacker’s kinetic energy is reversed: the attacker is shoved 3 meters back and knocked prone, losing their next minor action. (3 uses per battery cycle).
    • Apathy Dampening Wave (Active): As a significant action, the bearer projects a 10-meter cone of low-frequency grav-stagnation. All personnel in the area must make an END 8+ check at DM-2. On a failure, targets suffer severe kinetic fatigue for 1D6 rounds: base movement is halved, and they suffer DM-2 on all physical action checks. (1 use per battery cycle).

Warhammer (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition)

The Doldrum Parchment of Taida (Mimic 544) Enchanted Abjuration Scroll / Bound Spirit Relic (Disguised Lore of Heavens Ward)

  • Item Profile:
    • Encumbrance: 0 (Carried in hand or worn in a belt scroll-case)
    • Availability: Rare / Exotic
    • Structure: Heavy vellum bound with storm-linen ribbon around a lead spindle
  • Sentience:
    • Houses the languid, melancholic spirit Taida. Communicates via slow, weary mental impressions through the GM, advising the bearer on effortless parries and highlighting sloppy enemy footwork.
  • Rules & Modifiers:
    • False Guise: Second Sight and witch-hunters’ scrutinies perceive the parchment as an authentic Azyr (Lore of Heavens) defensive script, cloaking its elevated kinetic-draining stasis enchantment.
    • Aura of Dull Lethargy: Enemies within 4 yards of the bearer cannot benefit from the Charge action or the Furious Assault talent.
    • Languid Tactician: Grants a +10 bonus to Intuition and Dodge tests made to anticipate and avoid telegraphed melee attacks.
    • Ennui Vacuum Barrier (Activated Trait): Three times per day, when hit by a melee or missile attack, the bearer may spend a Reaction to deploy the vacuum. The bearer gains a +20 bonus to their Opposed Dodge or Melee Test. If the attack fails, the kinetic force is absorbed in dead silence: the attacker must succeed on an Opposed Strength Test against a base Strength of 55 or be thrown back 1D6 yards, gain the Prone Condition, and lose their next Action as their energy drains away.
    • Contagious Yawn (Activated Trait): Once per day, the bearer may spend an Action to unfurl the scroll. A wave of stagnant air washes over a 10-yard cone. All hostile targets in the area must succeed on a Hard (-20) Willpower Test or suffer the Fatigued and Distracted Conditions for 1D6 rounds, taking -20 to all offensive tests and moving at half Movement.