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Psionic 449 of the Saturated Sponge

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by

Dale
in
  • Lore
    • The Saturated Sponge was originally engineered by the “Reservoir Monks” of the floating megacities to manage the overwhelming psychic runoff of high-population centers.
    • In Saṃsāra, intense emotions and magical flows can “leak” into the environment, causing mental fatigue or unintended hallucinations in sensitive avatars.
    • This item was designed to act as a psychic grounding wire, drawing in and “absorbing” excess mental static and minor magical fluctuations, storing them safely within a porous, alchemical obsidian core.
    • The wearer often feels a strange, heavy warmth emanating from the item as it fills, providing a sense of being grounded and emotionally “solid” even in the midst of a magical storm.
  • Detail Stats
    • Tier: 1
    • Rarity: Common
    • Slot: Wrist (Bracelet/Cuff)
    • Material: Pitted alchemical obsidian held within a cage of brass magic-circuits and copper mesh.
    • Weight: 0.7 lbs.
    • Durability: High (Obsidian is brittle but the brass cage provides significant structural protection).
  • Skills Gained While Openly Worn
    • Insight (Emotional Stability): The avatar becomes adept at remaining unaffected by the moods of others, as the item absorbs the “spillover” of nearby anger or fear.
    • Focus (Mental Fortitude): Increased ability to maintain concentration on complex tasks or ritual chanting despite environmental distractions.
  • Passive Magic
    • Ambient Sink: The item automatically absorbs minor psychic “noise” within a 10-foot radius. This grants the wearer a +1 bonus to saving throws against being Frightened or Charmed by Tier 1 effects.
    • Static Grounding: The cuff draws in stray magic flow (electricity equivalent). The wearer takes 1 less damage from elemental magic attacks (minimum 0) as the obsidian core “drinks” a portion of the incoming energy.
  • Activable Magic
    • Release the Saturation (Normal): As an action, the wearer can force the item to expel its stored energy. This creates a brief, harmless flash of light and a 5-foot burst of kinetic force that can push away small objects or distract a foe. (Requires the item to have been worn for at least 1 hour).
    • Psychic Sponge (Active): Once per long rest, the wearer can touch the cuff to a magical conduit or a creature currently under a mental effect. The item attempts to “Absorb” the effect. If successful (Tier 1 effects only), the effect ends on the target and is stored in the cuff, causing it to glow a dull purple. (Requires 1 minute of concentration).
  • Tags
    • Psionic, Tier 1, Wrist Slot, Absorption, Defense, Common, Grounding, Mental Shield, Obsidian, Saṃsāra, Obsidian, Reservoir, Saturated, Grounding, Brass-Cage, Kinetic-Burst, Static-Sink, Tier-1, Wrist-Slot, Psionic-Circuit, Buffer

Acquisition of the Psionic 449 of the Saturated Sponge

In the 73 island countries of Saṃsāra, obtaining a “Saturated Sponge” often involves seeking out places where psychic and magical runoff is a known environmental hazard. Because the item serves a protective and sanitary function for the mind, it is frequently found in high-traffic urban centers or near ancient, leaking ruins.

  • Urban Sanitation Work: Avatars working in the maintenance of megacity “Magic-Flow” grids are often issued these cuffs to protect them from psychic back-pressure. A retired worker might sell their old unit, or an adventurer might find one discarded in a maintenance locker.
  • Geological Prospecting: The pitted alchemical obsidian used in the core is sometimes found naturally occurring near steam-fissures that intersect with psionic ley lines. A character might mine the raw material and have a local blacksmith cage it in copper mesh.
  • Temple and Hospital Gifts: In regions where “Soul Possession” is common, these cuffs are gifted to the newly merged to help stabilize their combined memories. A character might receive one as part of their integration into a new community or as a reward for helping a local healer.

Venues of Commerce

The buying and selling of the Psionic 449 occurs in specialized markets that cater to both the industrial worker and the spiritual acolyte.

  • Grid-Runner Supply Huts: These small, utilitarian shops are usually located near the base of skyscrapers or at the entrances to subterranean cave systems. They sell rugged, functional gear intended for survival in high-noise environments. The Psionic 449 is sold here as “Safety Equipment,” often hanging from a hook alongside steam-wrenches and pressure gauges.
  • Apothecary and Soul-Stanching Shops: Found in the quieter, incense-filled alleys of Renaissance-style districts, these shops smell of dried herbs and ozone. The owners are often skilled in the Mind’s Eye and will demonstrate the “Absorbed” property by bringing a lit magic-crystal near the cuff to show the obsidian “drinking” the light. These shops treat the item as a medicinal tool for mental health.
  • Traveling Junk-Balloons: Merchants who sail small hot air balloons between the smaller, uncharted islands often carry a variety of common psionic trinkets. Because they travel through “Magic Bubbles” that ebb and flow like weather, they use these cuffs themselves to keep their minds clear. They buy and sell them primarily through barter, trading for food, clean water, or mechanical pulleys.

Economic Valuation and Costs

As a “Sellers’ Market” dictates the economy of Saṃsāra, the cost is heavily influenced by the local level of psychic “pollution.”

  • In a High-Density Metropolis: Where psychic noise is constant and the demand for grounding is high, a seller might demand 100 Silver or 20 Nickel. Because it is a common item, the price is relatively stable, though “Buyer Beware” applies to the obsidian’s remaining capacity.
  • Near “Forgotten Area” Ruins: If an adventurer is heading into a jungle filled with ancient, echoing memories, a merchant at the edge of the wilderness might inflate the price to 15 Gold or 3 Electrum, knowing the buyer needs the protection to stay sane.
  • In a Rural Agricultural Island: Where the magic is thin and life is quiet, the cuff is seen as a curious novelty. A local farmer or small-town blacksmith might sell a salvaged unit for as little as 40 Silver or trade it for a week’s worth of hearty, 1 HP-restoring meals.
  • In “Unsafe” Shadow-Markets: In the back alleys of a shipyard, a desperate seller might offer a slightly cracked Psionic 449 for 10 Silver, though the buyer risks the obsidian “leaking” absorbed emotions back into their wrist if the brass cage is compromised.
  • High-Tier Trade: If the obsidian is particularly well-pitted and the copper work is ornate, a specialized jeweler in a floating city might ask for 5 Platinum, marketing the item as a “Noble’s Buffer” against the commoner’s emotional spillover.

In the world of Saṃsāra, the roleplay of “Absorbed” through the Psionic 449 of the Saturated Sponge is defined by the avatar’s ability to act as a psychic vacuum. Unlike items that hide the wearer, this cuff allows the avatar to stand firm within a chaotic environment by internalizing the surrounding energy.

Defensive Roleplay Applications

The defensive use of “Absence” via the Saturated Sponge focuses on “The Unmoving Center.” The avatar becomes a point of absolute emotional and magical stillness, grounding the volatility of the world into the obsidian core.

  • High-Density Industrial Metropolises: In the thunderous environment of a steam-factory or a shipyard, defense is about maintaining one’s own mind against the “Psychic Runoff.” An avatar roleplays this by remaining eerily calm while those around them are agitated by the high-frequency vibration of magic circuits. When a steam-pipe bursts or a mechanical failure causes a localized magic surge, the avatar roleplays the cuff glowing a dull purple as it “drinks” the static, preventing the wearer’s hair from standing on end or their Mind’s Eye from becoming overwhelmed.
  • Social Confrontations and Interrogations: Defensively, the cuff acts as an emotional buffer. In roleplay, when an NPC attempts to use intimidation, fear, or overwhelming charisma, the avatar describes how the “Saturated Sponge” grows warm on their wrist. The emotional weight of the NPC’s anger is “Absorbed” before it reaches the avatar’s psyche. This allows the avatar to respond with cold, mechanical logic, frustrating the opponent whose emotional “attacks” seem to disappear into the obsidian.
  • Feral Wilderness and Ruined Areas: In “Unsafe” areas where the magic flows like unpredictable weather, the avatar uses the cuff to ground environmental hazards. Roleplay involves the avatar walking through a “magic bubble” that would normally cause minor hallucinations; instead, they describe the pitted obsidian pitted surface darkening as it sucks in the ambient distortion, allowing the party to pass through a pocket of psychic fog safely.

Offensive Roleplay Applications

Offense with the Psionic 449 is the art of “Strategic Expulsion.” By absorbing energy, the avatar essentially “charges” the item for a sudden, jarring release that disrupts the target’s own magical or mental state.

  • The “Psychic Sponge” Strike: In offensive combat, an avatar can use the “Active” ability to strip an enemy of their magical advantage. Roleplay involves the avatar physically grabbing the weapon or the conduit of a foe. They describe the obsidian core pulsing violently as it “vacuums” the active spell or mental buff off the enemy. The offense is not just the removal of the effect, but the jarring psychological shock the enemy feels as their power is literally sucked into the avatar’s wrist.
  • Kinetic Disruption and Sabotage: Using “Release the Saturation,” the avatar converts absorbed psychic noise into a physical force. In roleplay, the avatar might thrust their wrist toward a delicate mechanical power transmission system—like a series of brass pulleys or a steam-governor. They describe the obsidian “vomiting” its stored energy in a flash, using the kinetic burst to knock a belt off its track or jam a gear. This turns a defensive accumulation of “static” into a calculated act of industrial sabotage.
  • The “Empathy Vacuum”: An advanced offensive roleplay involves the avatar using the cuff to “clean” a room of all emotional warmth during a negotiation. By absorbing the ambient “goodwill” or “hesitation” of a group, the avatar creates an atmosphere of cold, sterile tension. They roleplay this by describing how the room grows psychically “thin,” making others feel exposed and vulnerable, which allows the avatar to dominate the conversation through sheer mental fortitude.

Impact of Tier Levels on Roleplay

  • Against Lower Tiers: The avatar feels like a black hole. They can roleplay walking through a crowd of hostile Tier 0 commoners and “Absorbing” their collective fear until the crowd becomes lethargic and confused. The item handles the load effortlessly, barely warming up.
  • Against Equal Tiers: The roleplay is a “balancing act.” The avatar must describe the physical strain as the obsidian core nears its limit. They might roleplay their hand trembling or the copper mesh beginning to hiss with heat as they struggle to “Absorb” a peer’s powerful mental attack.
  • Against Higher Tiers: The cuff is a temporary shield that is quickly saturated. Roleplay involves the avatar realizing the obsidian is about to “shatter” or leak. They describe a desperate need to “Release the Saturation” immediately to avoid the absorbed energy backwashing into their own mind, portraying the item as a dangerous tool that is currently over-taxed.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Visual Perception: The pitted obsidian core shifts from a dull, matte black to a deep, swirling violet. Tiny arcs of white static dance between the copper mesh and the brass cage, illuminating the skin of the wrist in rhythmic flashes.
  • Tactile Perception: A heavy, localized pressure builds beneath the cuff, as if the arm is submerged in thick oil. This is accompanied by a burgeoning warmth that radiates from the obsidian, eventually turning into a distinct, thrumming vibration that can be felt all the way to the elbow.
  • Auditory Perception: A low-frequency suction sound—similar to the intake of a massive steam-pump—drowns out high-pitched environmental noises. When “Release the Saturation” is triggered, a sharp, metallic crack like a lightning strike resonates through the avatar’s bones.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP):
    • Emotional Weight: The user feels a sudden “emptiness” in their chest as nearby ambient anxieties are pulled into the cuff, replaced by a sensation of being an anchor in a stormy sea.
    • Mana-Scent: The avatar perceives a metallic, ozone-like “scent” in their mind that grows stronger as the item nears capacity, indicating the flavor of the magic being absorbed (e.g., “burning” for fire magic, “stagnant” for mental loops).
    • Density Awareness: A psychic sense of “heaviness” develops; the avatar can feel exactly how much “volume” remains in the obsidian core, like a cup being filled with lead.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Visual Perception: The air immediately surrounding the wearer seems to ripple and clear, as if a heat haze has been sucked away. Light bending around the cuff appears slightly distorted, focusing toward the obsidian center.
  • Auditory Perception: Nearby observers notice a sudden, unnatural “dead air” around the wearer. Conversations nearby feel muffled or lose their emotional “edge,” as if the life has been drained out of the room’s acoustics.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP):
    • Gravitational Tug: Psionics and sensitive individuals feel a slight “pull” on their own mental focus toward the wearer, as if their thoughts are being gently leaned toward the cuff.
    • The Cooling Echo: Observers may feel a sudden, inexplicable sense of calm or “hollowness” when standing near the wearer, as their own stray frustrations are unknowingly harvested.

Positives

  • Mental Clarity: Provides a near-perfect vacuum for focus, allowing the avatar to perform complex engineering or magical tasks without being distracted by psychic interference.
  • Environmental Cleanup: Can be used to “sanitize” a room of minor hauntings, emotional residues, or lingering psychic trauma, making an area safe for others.
  • Energy Conversion: Allows for the tactical transformation of harmful “static” into a useful, short-range physical force for defense or sabotage.

Negatives

  • Psychic Backwash: If the item reaches full saturation and is not cleared, the absorbed emotions can “leak” back into the user, causing sudden, overwhelming bursts of unearned anger or grief.
  • Physical Fatigue: The weight of the “Absorbed” energy can cause the arm to feel leaden and sluggish, leading to a temporary penalty in fine motor skills or combat speed.
  • Targeting Magnet: While it absorbs energy, the violet glow and the “void” it creates in the magic flow make the wearer highly visible to creatures that hunt using the Mind’s Eye.

Blueprint for the Psionic 449: The Saturated Sponge Construction

  • Materials Needed
    • Pitted Alchemical Obsidian: One fist-sized core of volcanic glass, harvested from a steam-vent and treated with salt-brine to increase its psychic porosity.
    • High-Conductivity Copper Mesh: Three square inches of fine-gauge copper wire, braided into a hexagonal pattern to act as the primary energy intake.
    • Precision Brass Magic-Circuits: A set of pre-etched brass plates designed to regulate the flow of energy into the obsidian and prevent backwash.
    • Vitreous Flux: A small amount of alchemical paste used to bond the metal components directly to the stone core.
    • Leather Cushioning: A strip of cured lizard-hide to line the interior of the cuff, preventing the thermal heat of the obsidian from burning the wearer’s skin.
    • Iron Rivels: Four small, heavy-duty pins to secure the brass cage.
  • Tools Required
    • Miniature Steam-Forge: For heating and bending the brass plates into the cuff shape.
    • Diamond-Tipped Etching Stylus: To refine the runes on the brass magic-circuits for specific “Absorbed” attunement.
    • Magnetic Tweezers: Essential for handling the copper mesh without grounding the static charge prematurely.
    • Alchemical Soldering Kit: A specialized iron used to fuse the copper mesh to the brass frame using vitreous flux.
    • Pressure-Vessel: A small chamber used to test the seal of the obsidian core and ensure it can withstand the internal pressure of absorbed energy.
  • Skill Requirements
    • Engineering (Mechanical): To construct the cage and ensure the kinetic release mechanism functions without jamming.
    • Alchemy (Mineralogy): To properly treat the obsidian so that it becomes “hungry” for psychic static.
    • Crafting (Metalworking): Proficiency in shaping brass and copper at a fine, wrist-mounted scale.
    • Psionic Theory: An understanding of “Grounding” and “Saturation” to ensure the item drinks energy rather than merely reflecting it.
  • Crafting Steps
    • Step 1: Preparing the Sink: Take the pitted alchemical obsidian and soak it in a solution of mercury and steam-distillate for 24 hours. This “opens” the pores of the stone, making it ready to absorb ambient noise.
    • Step 2: The Inner Mesh: Wrap the copper mesh tightly around the obsidian core. Ensure the hexagonal patterns are aligned; this mesh acts as the “mouth” of the sponge, drawing in the static from the environment.
    • Step 3: Etching the Regulators: Using the diamond stylus, etch the brass magic-circuits with symbols of “Gravity” and “Containment.” These plates will form the outer cage and determine how much energy can be stored before the item reaches saturation.
    • Step 4: Caging the Core: Place the mesh-wrapped obsidian inside the brass plates. Use the miniature steam-forge to curve the brass into a cuff shape. Solder the copper mesh to the brass plates at four specific contact points to create a continuous circuit.
    • Step 5: The Safety Liner: Rivet the leather cushioning to the inside of the brass frame. This is a critical safety step; without the liner, the “Thermal Draw” of the active obsidian could cause necrotic cold or blistering heat to the wearer’s wrist.
    • Step 6: The First Saturation: Take the finished cuff to a low-tier magic vent or a crowded marketplace. Allow the item to sit for one hour to “sample” the environment. Once the obsidian begins to glow a faint purple, the item is considered attuned and ready for use.

Heavy-Hearted Stone and Hunger of Silent Well

In the age when the sun was but a coal in the furnace of the Sky-Smiths and the 73 islands were joined by bridges of solid lightning, there lived a Great Harmonizer whose name is carved as “The One Who Drinks the Noise.” This woman dwelt in the belly of the Steam-Mountain, where the spirits of the dead worlds come to weep their jagged memories. These memories were like the stinging grit of the sand-storm, clogging the gears of the people’s minds and turning their dreams into rusted wire.

The Harmonizer saw that the people were “Saturated with the Grief of the Multiverse.” The ancient glyphs, worn by the teeth of time, speak of a Great Leak in the Mind-Pipe of the world. Every angry shout and every fearful whisper did not vanish, but clung to the walls like the black soot of a poorly vented boiler. The people were heavy; their wrists were tired from carrying the weight of their own unseen thoughts.

The Harmonizer took a shard of the Deep Earth’s Bone—the black obsidian that had never tasted the light. She placed it within a “Cage of Golden Vines” (which the ancient translation suggests were copper circuits) and spoke to the stone in the language of the Void. She told the stone: “You are the mouth that never speaks. You are the stomach that is never full. Drink the static of the air until you are as heavy as the center of the world.”

The story-plates of the drowned kingdoms tell that the Harmonizer walked into the center of a Great War. The air was thick with the “Magic-Scream” of the soldiers and the “Iron-Hatred” of the kings. She did not raise a sword. She simply held out her wrist. The Obsidian-Sponge began to “Gulp the Air.” The ancient unknown tongue uses a word that means “To vacuum the soul-stains.”

As she walked, the anger of the soldiers was “Siphoned into the Pores of the Rock.” The red heat of the battle-magic turned into a cool violet glow within her cuff. The soldiers stopped their striking, for they could no longer remember why their hearts were hot. The King’s lightning-bolts did not strike the earth; they were bent like willow-reeds and swallowed by the Harmonizer’s wrist. She became the “Reservoir of the World’s Pain.”

But the scroll, translated by the blind scribes of the Steam-Age, speaks of a “Saturation of the Spirit.” The Harmonizer became so heavy with the absorbed weight of ten thousand sorrows that her arm could no longer be lifted. The obsidian turned a purple so deep it was like a bruise on the face of the universe. She could feel the “Static-Pressure” humming in her marrow.

When she returned to the Steam-Mountain, the mountain itself tried to drink from her. The mechanical power transmission of the world’s core sensed the stored energy and sought to “Un-Sponge” her. In a moment of “Great Expulsion,” the Harmonizer touched the mountain’s main steam-valve. The story says the light of the release was brighter than the first fire. The stored noise of the war was vomited back into the rock, turning the obsidian into a “Star of Kinetic Fury.” The mountain shook, the valves screamed, and the Harmonizer was “Integrated into the Grounding.”

The later Artificers, finding the brass cage in the cooled lava, realized they could not be the Harmonizer, for their souls were too small. They made the 449, a “Lesser Drinking-Stone,” so that every avatar might carry a small piece of the silence, protecting themselves from the leak of the world’s ancient, noisy heart.

Moral of the Story: It is a noble thing to carry the burdens of the world, but if the well does not occasionally empty itself into the sea, the weight of the water will surely break the stone.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu

The Obsidian Grounding Cuff

  • Item Type: Artifact / Device
  • Sanity Cost: None (though seeing it “shatter” from over-saturation may cost 1/1D4).
  • Magic Points: Can store up to 10 MP absorbed from the environment or hostile spells.
  • Mechanics: * Passive Sink: While worn, the user gains a +10% bonus to Sanity rolls made to resist “Phobia” or “Mania” triggers caused by environmental psychic phenomena.
    • Absorb Spell: If the wearer is the target of a mental magic attack, they may spend a Reaction to attempt a POW roll. Success “drinks” the spell into the cuff, negating the effect.
    • Discharge: The user may spend the stored MP to grant a +20% bonus to a single Fighting (Brawl) or Mechanical Repair roll as a burst of kinetic energy assists the action.
    • Saturation Risk: If the cuff absorbs more than 10 MP without being discharged, it inflicts 1D6 mental damage to the wearer as “static backwash.”

Blades in the Dark

The Saturated Vise

  • Tier: 1
  • Quality: Fine (Alchemical/Psionic)
  • Load: 1 (Worn on wrist)
  • Mechanics:
    • Psychic Grounding: When you face a Consequence from a supernatural or psychic source (such as Gloom or Terror), you may resist with Resolve at +1d.
    • The Sponge (Active): You may take 1 Stress to “clear” a room or area of a lingering supernatural theme or environmental hazard for one scene. The obsidian core glows deep purple, signaling it is “Full.”
    • Release (Action): While the cuff is “Full,” you may perform a Wreck or Skirmish action with Increased Effect as you release the stored energy in a kinetic blast. This clears the “Full” status.
    • Drawback: While “Full,” you are Conspicuous. Any ghost or supernatural predator in the area senses your position immediately.

Dungeons & Dragons

Bracer of the Saturated Sponge

  • Wondrous Item: Common
  • Attunement: Required
  • Mechanics:
    • Emotional Sink: You have advantage on saving throws against being Charmed or Frightened.
    • Absorb Magic: When you are subjected to a spell that deals psychic or lightning damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d6 + your Constitution modifier (to a minimum of 0).
    • Kinetic Release: Once you have used the Absorb Magic feature, you can use an action to release the energy. All creatures within 5 feet of you must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be pushed 5 feet away from you.
    • Static Load: If you use Absorb Magic three times without using Kinetic Release, you take 1d6 psychic damage, and the item becomes inert until you finish a long rest.

Knave

The Drinking-Stone Cuff

  • Item Slot: 1 (Wrist)
  • Armor: +1 (Bracer)
  • Quality: 3 (Obsidian/Brass)
  • Mechanics:
    • Static Sink: You are immune to minor magical environmental effects (fog, strange whispers, dancing lights).
    • Sponge (1/Day): You may touch a magical object or a creature under a spell. Make a WIS save. If you succeed, the spell effect is “drunk” by the stone and ends.
    • Release: As an action, you can deal 1d6 damage to an adjacent target by releasing the stone’s “hunger” as a physical shock.
    • Overload: If the stone is used to absorb a spell of Level 3 or higher, it must save vs. DEX or shatter, dealing 1d10 damage to the wearer’s arm.

Fate

Cuff of the Saturated Sponge

  • Aspects:
    • High Concept: Psionic Static-Sink Bracer
    • Flaw: Psychic Backwash from Over-Saturation
  • Stunts:
    • Emotional Sink: Because I wear the Saturated Sponge, I gain a +2 to Will rolls to defend against mental or social attacks that rely on fear or emotional manipulation.
    • Static Grounding: Once per scene, I can reduce the shift value of a successful magical or energy-based attack against me by 2, as the obsidian core “drinks” the impact.
    • Release the Saturation: If I have successfully defended against a mental or energy attack this scene, I can spend a Fate Point to make a Forceful attack against an adjacent target using the stored kinetic energy.
  • Special Rules:
    • Saturated State: If the item absorbs a 4-shift hit or higher, it gains the “Vibrating with Volatility” aspect. If not cleared via a “Release” action, the GM can compel this aspect to cause the wearer to suffer a mental consequence.

Numenera & Cypher System

Psionic Sink 449

  • Level: 1d6 (Typically Level 3)
  • Form: A heavy wrist cuff of pitted black stone held in a brass framework.
  • Effect:
    • Passive: The wearer gains +1 Armor against any attack that targets their Intellect Pool or uses electricity/energy.
    • Active (Action): The wearer can attempt to “Sponge” a Level 1-3 ongoing magical effect or psychic phenomenon within immediate range. This task is eased by two steps. If successful, the effect ends, and the cuff becomes “Saturated.”
    • Release (Action): If the cuff is Saturated, the wearer can release a burst of force. All creatures within immediate range must make a Might defense roll or be knocked prone and take 3 points of damage.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d10 (Roll only when using the “Release” action).

Pathfinder

Saturated Sponge Bracer (Psionic Item 449)

  • Item 2
  • Price: 30 Gold
  • Usage: Worn, wrist; Bulk: L
  • Traits: Psionic, Magical, Invested
  • Description: This pitted obsidian cuff acts as a grounding rod for stray magical and psychic energies.
  • Activation [Reaction]: (Concentrate); Trigger: You are targeted by a spell with the Mental or Electricity trait; Effect: You gain Resistance 5 against the triggering effect. The bracer becomes “Saturated.”
  • Activation [One-Action]: (Force); Requirement: The bracer is Saturated; Effect: You discharge the stored energy into your palm. Your next successful Strike with that hand before the end of your turn deals an additional 1d6 Force damage and the bracer is no longer Saturated.
  • Psychic Static: While the bracer is Saturated, you take a -1 penalty to Perception checks as the stored “noise” hums in your wrist.

Savage Worlds

Psionic 449: The Sponge

  • Type: Wondrous Item
  • Rank: Novice
  • Attributes:
    • Static Sink: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to rolls made to resist any Power that targets the mind (such as Puppet or Fear) and takes -2 damage from bolt-type spells based on electricity.
    • Absorb (Action): The wearer may make a Spirit roll to “cleanse” a Small Burst Template of any lingering magical effects or ambient psychic noise. On a Success, the effect is removed and the item is Saturated.
    • Kinetic Burst: While Saturated, the wearer can spend a Benny to trigger a blast of force. This acts as a Burst power using the wearer’s Spirit as the arcane skill.
  • Special Rules:
    • Backwash: If a wearer rolls a Critical Failure on a Spirit roll while the item is Saturated, they must make a Vigor roll or be Stunned by the released psychic pressure.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

Psionic-Link: The 449 Static-Sink

  • Type: Focus (Qi or Power equivalent)
  • Availability: 3
  • Cost: 7,500¥
  • Mechanics:
    • Psionic Dampening: The cuff provides +2 dice to any Damage Resistance test against Mana-based spells or Critter Powers that have the Elemental (Electricity) or Mental traits.
    • The Sponge (Active): As a Minor Action, the wearer can activate the obsidian core to reduce the local Noise level caused by magical or psychic interference by 2 for everyone within a 5-meter radius.
    • Kinetic Discharge: If the cuff has successfully resisted damage in the current combat, the wearer can spend a Major Action to deliver a melee strike with +2 DV (Physical) as the stored static is released.
    • Wireless Bonus: The cuff can sync with the wearer’s commlink to provide real-time data on local psychic pressure, granting a +1 to Intuition-based Perception tests.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Psionic 449 Saturated Sponge (Level 2 Magic Item)

  • Usage: Worn (Wrist)
  • Bulk: L
  • Price: 500 Credits
  • Description: A pitted obsidian core housed in a brass cage that draws in ambient psychic and magical energy.
  • Passive: You gain a +1 item bonus to Will saves against mental effects and Resistance 2 to electricity damage.
  • Absorb [Reaction] (Psychic): Trigger: You succeed at a Will save against a mental spell or take electricity damage. Effect: The bracer becomes Saturated. While Saturated, your resistance to electricity increases to 5, but you take a –1 penalty to all Charisma-based skill checks as you become emotionally “flat.”
  • Release [One-Action] (Force): Requirement: The bracer is Saturated. Effect: You release a 10-foot cone of kinetic force. Each creature in the area must succeed at a DC 16 Fortitude save or be pushed 5 feet away from you. The bracer is no longer Saturated.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

Saturated Sponge Bracer

  • TL: 11
  • Cost: Cr4,500
  • Required Psionic Talent: Shield 0 or Telepathy 0
  • Mechanics:
    • Grounding: The wearer receives a +2 DM to all checks made to resist Psionic assault or mental fatigue caused by high-population environments.
    • Energy Absorption: The bracer provides Armor 4 against any attack that uses electrical discharge (such as a Stunner) or psychic energy.
    • Release (Action): The wearer can expend the “absorbed” charge to add +1D damage to their next successful Unarmed combat attack.
    • Saturation Limit: If the bracer absorbs three attacks without being discharged, the internal copper mesh overheats. The wearer takes 1D damage and the item becomes non-functional until repaired (Mechanic check, 1 hour).

Warhammer (Age of Sigmar: Soulbound)

The 449 Obsidian Reservoir

  • Rarity: Common
  • Complexity: DN 4:2
  • Slot: Wrist
  • Traits:
    • Grounding Stone: When you are the target of a spell or effect that deals Magical damage or forces a Soul Test to resist a mental condition, the Damage is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and you add +1d6 to the Soul Test.
    • Sponge (Special): If you successfully resist a spell or effect, the Reservoir becomes Saturated.
    • Purge the Core (Action): If the Reservoir is Saturated, you can discharge the energy as a burst of violet light. One creature within Short range must pass a DN 4:2 Might Test or be knocked Prone and pushed back to Medium range.
    • Heavy Weight: While Saturated, any Athletics Tests you make increase in Difficulty by one step as the cuff becomes physically heavier.