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Vodou 829 of the Lithic Pulse

—

by

Dale
in

Lore: The Lithic Pulse was first forged in the subterranean megacities where the pressure of miles of rock meets the flow of magical circuits. It is believed that the stones of Saṃsāra have memories far older than any recorded history. This device, a heavy brass compass housing a rotating core of sentient obsidian, allows a Tier 1 avatar to tune their Mind’s Eye to the vibrations of the earth. By connecting with the “spirits of the strata,” the possessor can sense the passage of eons and the historical scars left upon the land.

Stats

  • Tier: 1
  • Rarity: Common
  • Item Slot: Hip (Belt-hung)
  • Weight: 3 lbs
  • Material: Industrial Brass, Sentient Obsidian, Alchemical Magnetite

Skills Gained (While Openly Worn)

  • Geochronological Intuition: The avatar gains a +2 bonus to all checks involving the identification of mineral ages, volcanic history, or seismic patterns.
  • Stratigraphic Reading: The character can “read” the layers of a cave or cliffside as if they were pages in a book, granting an advantage on rolls to find ancient ruins or hidden mineral deposits.

Passive Magic

  • Eon Anchor: The avatar’s physical weight feels more substantial to the world; they gain a +1 bonus to resist any effect that would forcibly move them (shove, wind, etc.).
  • Stone-Speak: The Mind’s Eye (Passive) now highlights the “formation era” of any stone structure, revealing if it is natural, ancient-crafted, or a modern magical construct.
  • Deep Pulse: The device emits a low-frequency thrum that grants the avatar Darkvision up to 30 feet, perceived as thermal vibrations through the feet rather than light.

Activable Magic

  • Petrified Memory (Ritual): By spending 10 minutes chanting and pressing the device against a rock face, the user can see a “ghost image” of what occurred in that immediate area up to 100 years ago.
  • Tectonic Shift: Once per long rest, the avatar can strike the ground with the device. This creates a localized, non-damaging tremor in a 10-foot radius that forces all other creatures to make a balance check or become Stunned for one round.
  • Loa of the Bedrock: By burying the device in soil during a meal (20+ minutes), the avatar draws “earth-energy,” recovering an additional 1 HP as their biological code is reinforced by the stability of the planet.

Tags: Vodou, Geochronology, Tier 1, Common, Alchemical, Hip, Detection, Earth, Defensive, Strata, Chronological, Lithic, Subterranean, Seismic, Ancient, Geological, Obsidian, Resonance, Tactile, Mineralogical

In the world of Saṃsāra, the Vodou 829 of the Lithic Pulse is a specialized tool for those who work with the deep foundations of the earth. Because it requires sentient obsidian and precise brass calibration, it is typically found in locations where industry meets geology.

How the Item is Obtained

There are three primary ways a Tier 1 avatar might acquire this geochronological relic:

  • Subterranean Excavation: Occasionally, un-attuned Lithic Pulses are found in the ruins of “Old Saṃsāra” deep within cave systems. These are often buried in strata that match the device’s obsidian core, suggesting they were left behind by ancient surveyors.
  • Geological Guild Commission: Avatars working for mining or construction syndicates may be issued a device. To obtain one, the character must often provide a “blood-stone sample”—a piece of rock from the area they intend to study—which is then fused into the obsidian core by a guild smith.
  • Ancestral Trade: In certain island nations, the device is considered a religious tool. It is passed from a master to an apprentice once the apprentice demonstrates the ability to “hear” the tectonic hum of the world through their feet.

Buying and Selling in Saṃsāra

Trading this item is a matter of finding specialists who understand the “spirit of the strata.” It is rarely sold in general markets.

  • The Delver’s Exchange (Mining Towns): These shops are found in settlements built into cliffside or crater walls. They smell of damp earth and lubricating oil.
    • The Experience: You sell your device to a weary-eyed miner who needs to find a stable seam of coal.
    • Typical Cost: 12 to 18 Silver. Prices are lower here because the devices are seen as essential utility tools.
  • Lithic Apothecaries (Metropolises): Located in the “Deep Districts” of skyscrapers or underground cities, these shops specialize in sentient minerals.
    • The Experience: The shopkeeper is likely a gestalt of earth-spirits who treats the obsidian core like a living creature.
    • Typical Cost: 20 to 30 Silver. You are paying for the “purity” and “consciousness” of the stone within the brass housing.
  • Scrap-Steam Junkets (Floating Cities): Traveling airships that buy and sell reclaimed technology from the surface.
    • The Experience: A chaotic environment where you might find a Lithic Pulse buried under a pile of rusted zeppelin gears.
    • Typical Cost: 5 to 10 Silver. This is a “buyer beware” scenario; the device may be uncalibrated or have a “stubborn” obsidian spirit that refuses to attune easily.
  • The Obsidian Ring (Black Markets): Illegal trade hubs where geochronological tools are used to bypass high-security vaults built into ancient bedrock.
    • The Experience: Dark, silent transactions where the cost is often more than just coin—sometimes requiring a “memory trade” from your avatar’s past.
    • Typical Cost: 2 to 5 Gold. The high price reflects the device’s potential for high-stakes “rule-breaking” and the risk of the trade.

In the world of Saṃsāra, using the Vodou 829 of the Lithic Pulse requires the avatar to harmonize with the deep vibrations of the earth. Because this item focuses on Geochronology, the roleplay centers on the manipulation of time, weight, and geological memory.

Defensive Roleplay Applications

Defense with the Lithic Pulse is about immovability and structural reinforcement. The avatar doesn’t just block; they become part of the planet’s foundation.

  • In Designated Safe Areas (3× AC): Roleplay focuses on Tectonic Rooting. Within a guarded stone fortress, the avatar uses the device to sync their pulse with the castle’s bedrock. The tripled AC is described as the avatar becoming “heavy as a mountain,” where even a heavy push feels like trying to move a cliffside.
  • In Normal Areas (Standard AC): The device acts as a Seismic Dampener. When attacked, the avatar roleplays sensing the vibration of the incoming strike through the ground before it lands. They shift their weight perfectly into the earth’s gravity, making their stance unbreakable.
  • In Deathly Areas (0 AC): Roleplay shifts to Lithic Endurance. Since every attack hits, the “defense” is described as the obsidian core glowing intensely as it tries to absorb the shock. The avatar roleplays their skin taking on a dusty, stone-like pallor, using their Mana to ensure their “biological strata” doesn’t shatter from a killing blow.

Offensive Roleplay Applications

Offense with the Lithic Pulse is rooted in Structural Sabotage. The avatar uses the Mind’s Eye to find the “fault lines” in their environment and their enemies.

  • In Unsafe Areas (0.5 AC): In these crumbling ruins or jagged canyons, the character uses the Identify action to find the “age” and “fracture point” of an enemy’s armor or a monster’s hide. Roleplay involves the avatar striking the ground to send a Tectonic Shift vibration that travels through the earth and up into the target’s bones, destabilizing them.
  • Tactical “Silver Fire” Usage: When the avatar hits, the character roleplays the device releasing a deep, subsonic boom. The Mana spent as Silver Fire is described as “geological pressure” being released all at once. It isn’t just a hit; it’s the force of a thousand years of tectonic tension snapping in a single second.
  • Environmental Offense: The character roleplays using Stone-Speak to identify a precariously balanced stalactite or an ancient, weakened wall. They use their offensive action to trigger a collapse, turning the geochronological history of the environment into a weapon.

Roleplay Summary by Action Type

  • Passive Interaction: The avatar describes feeling a constant “hum” in their soles. They see the world as layers of time—knowing at a glance that the stone bridge they are crossing was built 400 years ago and is nearing its natural “expiration.”
  • Active Concentration: During the “identify” phase, the avatar remains perfectly still, perhaps even pressing an ear to the ground. They “dive” into the deep time of the location, roleplaying the sensation of seeing the world move in fast-forward and rewind to find the exact moment a secret door was sealed or a creature’s shell was formed.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Physical Sensation: The avatar feels a sudden tectonic grounding. A deep, subsonic hum begins at the soles of the feet and travels up the spine, making the body feel as though it weighs several tons. There is a faint smell of ozone and wet flint as the brass housing warms against the hip.
  • Visual Overlay: The Mind’s Eye filters the world into stratigraphic layers. Solid objects appear with shimmering outlines that reveal their internal density and age. The “Lithic Pulse” highlights fault lines in the environment in a glowing molten orange hue.
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP): The user gains Chrono-Reception, sensing the “weight of time” on objects. They also experience Seismic Empathy, feeling the distant grinding of tectonic plates or the footsteps of creatures blocks away as distinct rhythmic ripples in their own nervous system.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Visual Cues: The obsidian core of the device begins to rotate rapidly, emitting a rhythmic violet glow that pulses like a slow heartbeat. The avatar’s stance becomes unnaturally rigid, as if they have been turned to statues.
  • Environmental Impact: Small pebbles and loose dust within a few inches of the avatar’s feet begin to vibrate and hover slightly off the ground. A low, guttural thrum can be heard by those standing nearby, vibrating in their own chests.
  • The “Deep Look”: The avatar’s eyes do not track movement normally; instead, they seem to be staring through objects, focused on a point deep beneath the crust of the world.

Positives

  • Absolute Stability: The user becomes nearly impossible to topple or move against their will, gaining the immovability of a mountain.
  • Hidden Truths: The ability to see the “age” of a structure instantly reveals secret passages, structural weaknesses, or counterfeit artifacts that don’t match the surrounding geological time.
  • Preemptive Awareness: Seismic sensing allows the avatar to detect invisible or hidden foes based solely on the vibration of their weight on the ground.

Negatives

  • Sensory Rigidity: While active, the avatar’s movements become slow and heavy. The mental processing of “deep time” makes quick, agile reactions difficult.
  • Tectonic Feedback: If used near a site of great geological trauma (like a recent earthquake or volcanic eruption), the avatar may suffer synaptic shock, feeling the “pain” of the breaking earth.
  • Gravitational Exhaustion: Maintaining the “Eon Anchor” is physically taxing. Once the activation ends, the avatar often suffers from extreme muscle fatigue as the perceived weight of the world suddenly vanishes.

Recipe: Rite of the Lithic Pulse

Materials Needed

  • 1 Heavy Industrial Brass Housing: A reinforced, weighted frame designed to withstand high-pressure subterranean environments.
  • 1 Core of Sentient Obsidian: A volcanic glass that has been “awakened” through prolonged exposure to a high-magic node or elemental earth spirit.
  • 4 Alchemical Magnetite Pins: Used to secure the core and act as the primary conduits for seismic vibrations.
  • 1 Vial of Tectonic Essence: A liquid distilled from the crushed remains of a stone golem or harvested from a deep-earth fault line.
  • 1 Spool of Copper-Mana Thread: To wrap the internal mechanisms and facilitate the flow of the character’s thoughts into the stone.

Tools Required

  • Hydraulic Precision Press: For seating the sentient obsidian core into the brass housing without shattering the glass.
  • Magnetic Resonance Level: To ensure the magnetite pins are perfectly aligned with the world’s magnetic poles.
  • Subsonic Tuning Hammer: Used to strike the brass casing until it achieves a frequency that matches the local bedrock.
  • Precision Etching Needle: For carving the “Geochronological Veves” onto the interior surface of the brass.

Skill Requirements

  • Tier 1 Crafting Proficiency: Basic mastery of metalworking and steam-system assembly.
  • Lithic Resonance (Basic): The ability to “hear” the silent hum of minerals and stones.
  • Geological Alchemical Theory: Understanding how to bind a character’s “possessed” memories to the inorganic strata of an avatar’s world.

Crafting Steps

  1. Etching the Time-Veve: Use the etching needle to carve the symbols of “Deep Time” and “Stability” inside the brass housing while chanting a Normal spell to prime the metal.
  2. Seating the Heart: Place the Sentient Obsidian into the hydraulic press. Carefully lower it into the center of the housing. The obsidian should begin to vibrate slightly as it makes contact with the brass.
  3. Magnetite Alignment: Insert the four Magnetite Pins at the cardinal points around the core. Use the Resonance Level to adjust them until the violet glow of the obsidian remains steady and does not flicker.
  4. Binding the Pulse: Wrap the Copper-Mana Thread in a double-helix pattern around the core and the pins. As you wrap, visualize the avatar’s connection to the earth beneath their feet.
  5. Essence Infusion: Pour the Tectonic Essence into the narrow gaps between the thread and the brass. The liquid will be absorbed instantly, and the device will emit a single, loud subsonic pulse that can be felt in the floor.
  6. The Final Strike: Take the Subsonic Tuning Hammer and strike the base of the housing once. If the device begins a continuous, low-frequency hum that matches your own heartbeat, the Lithic Pulse is successfully activated.

Bone-Gears and Sleeping Mountain

In the time before the Great Steam-Hiss, when the world of Saṃsāra was but a soft clay in the hands of the First Architects, there was a silence that lasted a thousand years. The sky was not yet filled with Zeppelins, and the islands did not yet float. In this silence, the Lithic Pulse was not a machine of brass, but a heartbeat within the deep stone.

The ancient scrolls, written in a tongue that tastes like copper and cold earth, tell of High-Priestess K’Thun. She was the first to hear the mountain speak. The mountain told her of the Eons—of the time when the oceans were fire and the fire was a dream. K’Thun wished to trap this memory so that the Characters (the souls from the void-beyond) could understand the weight of the ground they claimed.

She gathered Sentient Obsidian from the throat of a dying volcano. She spoke to the stone, saying, “You are the witness of the ending and the beginning.” She then took Industrial Brass, which in those days was called “The Sun’s Ribs,” and bent it into a circle to represent the Cycle of Rebirth.

The translation becomes clouded here, but it suggests she used a “Silver Fire-Needle” to sew the soul of the obsidian to the gears of the brass. When the first Possessed Avatar held the device, their feet became like the roots of the World-Tree. They saw not the trees or the rivers, but the Strata of Time. They saw the ghosts of civilizations that had not yet been born, and the dust of those that had been forgotten for ten million cycles.

But the First Architects grew weary of K’Thun’s meddling. They whispered into the gears, adding the “Divine Pain.” They decreed that no mortal shell could hold the memory of a billion years without a price. If a Tier 1 soul drank too deeply of the Lithic Pulse, the weight of the ages would crush their spirit into fine sand. K’Thun herself disappeared into a fault line, leaving only the device behind, humming a low song that only the Mind’s Eye can translate.

Now, the device is found in the dark places, a “Vodou” of the bedrock, reminding all who possess it that they are but a temporary breath on a world that remembers everything.

The Moral of the Story: He who stands upon the mountain and claims to own the peak is but a flea upon a giant; for while the soul may travel between lives, the earth remains the only judge of how long a life truly lasts.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

System Name: The Resonance of the Deep Time

  • Item Type: Unique Artifact (Geological Focus)
  • Sanity Loss: 0/1 (upon first perceiving the true age of the earth)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Tectonic Grounding: The user may spend 5 Luck points to automatically succeed on a DEX or STR roll to avoid being knocked down or moved by a physical force.
    • Geochronological Sight: Grants a Bonus Die to Science (Geology), Science (Archaeology), and Natural World checks. The user can date any mineral or stone structure within 1% accuracy.
    • Seismic Sense: By placing the device on the ground, the user can make a Listen roll to detect movement through the earth up to 100 yards away, even through solid walls.
  • Drawback: The user becomes “Heavy.” Any Swim or Climb rolls are made with a Penalty Die while the device is worn.

Blades in the Dark

System Name: The Strata-Bound Compass

  • Item Type: Rare Gizmo (1 Load)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Eon Anchor (Special Armor): You may spend a use of Special Armor to resist any consequence related to physical displacement (being thrown, falling, or pushed).
    • Identify (Active): Spend 1 Stress to ask the GM: “What is the oldest thing in this room?” or “Where is the structural weakness in this foundation?” The GM must answer honestly.
    • Tectonic Shift: When you perform a Wreck action to destroy a stone or brick structure, you get +1 Effect level.
  • The Price: The device hums at a frequency that dogs and other sensitive animals hate. Any Prowl checks near animals are made with Reduced Effect.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

System Name: Vodou 829: The Tectonic Regulator

  • Wondrous Item, Common (Requires Attunement)
  • Immovable Stance: While attuned and standing on stone or earth, you have advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws made against effects that would knock you prone or move you against your will.
  • Mind’s Eye (Geological): You can cast Identify as a ritual, but only on objects made of stone, metal, or masonry. When cast this way, you also learn the object’s age and origin.
  • Tectonic Tremor (Active): As an action, you can strike the ground with the device to cast Earth Tremor (Save DC 13). Once used, this property can’t be used again until you finish a long rest.
  • Divine Pain (Curse): If you are below 5th level and attune to this item, your movement speed is reduced by 10 feet as your body feels unnaturally heavy.

Knave (2nd Edition)

System Name: The Bedrock Heart

  • Item Slots: 1 Slot (Worn)
  • Quality: 3
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Mountain Stance: You cannot be knocked over or moved by creatures of your size or smaller while standing on solid ground.
    • Stone-Reader: You can detect secret doors or hidden compartments in stone or masonry on a 4-in-6 chance (instead of the usual 1-in-6).
    • Lithic Recovery: If you take a rest while underground or in a stone building, you regain an extra +1 HP.
  • Risk: If you fall into water, you sink like a stone. You must roll a STR Save with a -4 penalty to attempt to swim or stay afloat while carrying the device.

Fate Core / Condensed

System Name: The Gros Bon Ange Harmonizer

  • Type: Extra (Requires an Aspect related to the Mind’s Eye or Soul-Bonding)
  • Cost: 1 Refresh
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Function (Aspect): Mechanical Helix of the Ancestors. This can be invoked for bonuses to resist physical corruption or biological toxins.
    • Genetic Memory (Stunt): Once per session, you can discover a “Genetic Secret” about a creature or location. You automatically create a Situation Aspect with one free invoke representing a biological weakness or a hidden ancestral path.
    • Anchor the Soul: When you suffer a Consequence from physical damage, you can check a box on the Loom to reduce the shift value of that hit by 2.
  • Flaw: Hum of the Divine Engine. The device is loud and vibrates constantly; it is impossible to stay hidden if the environment is silent unless the device is suppressed (which disables its benefits).

Numenera & Cypher System

System Name: Ancestral Memory Loom

  • Level: 1d6 + 1
  • Form: A brass-bound glass cylinder containing a pulsating, copper-threaded helix of preserved tissue.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Effect: While worn and active, the wearer gains Asset on all tasks related to identifying biological life forms, understanding genetics, or tracking creatures by scent or blood.
    • Biological Overclock (Depletion): The user can spend 3 points from their Might Pool to ignore the effects of a negative physical condition for one hour. Roll for depletion: 1 on 1d20.
    • Soul Link: If the character’s Might or Speed Pool reaches 0, the Loom automatically triggers a restorative pulse. The character regains points equal to the Loom’s Level in that Pool.
  • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Check upon using Biological Overclock or Soul Link).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

System Name: Vodou 829: The Lineage Stabilizer

  • Item 3: Rare, Abjuration, Invested, Magical
  • Usage: Worn (Belt); Bulk: L
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Ancestral Fortitude: You gain a +1 item bonus to Fortitude saves against diseases and poisons.
    • Mind’s Eye (Identify Magic): When using the Identify Magic activity on a biological item or creature, you can use Nature or Medicine instead of the usual skill. If you are a master in that skill, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus.
    • Reactive Hemostasis (Reaction): Trigger: You take persistent bleed damage. Effect: The Loom tightens the biological threads of your body. You immediately attempt a flat check to end the bleed damage with a DC of 10.
  • Divine Pain: If you invest this item and are below 3rd level, you become Drained 1. This condition cannot be removed until the item is uninvested.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

System Name: The Blood-Circuit Relic

  • Type: Weird Science Device
  • Power Points: 10 (Recharge 1/hour)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Genetic Insight (Passive): The user gains a +2 bonus to Notice or Healing rolls when the target is a living, biological creature.
    • Hardened Cells (Active): As an action, the user can spend 2 Power Points to cast protection on themselves, using the device’s internal steam-power to harden their skin at a cellular level.
    • Soul Anchor: If the user would be Incapacitated by a physical attack, they may spend 5 Power Points to immediately make a Vigor roll. If successful, they are Stunned instead of Incapacitated.
  • Minor Malfunction: On a Critical Failure while using an active power, the device vents hot steam. The user takes 2d4 damage (ignoring armor) and the device is broken until repaired.

Shadowrun (6th World Edition)

System Name: The Geo-Resonance Focus (Force 3)

  • Item Type: Force 3 Health Focus (Bonding Cost: 15 Karma)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Tectonic Rooting: While active, the focus adds its Force as a dice pool bonus to resist any physical displacement or knockdown attempts.
    • Mind’s Eye (Active): As a Minor Action, the user can “Scan the Strata.” Make a Perception + Intuition test; each hit reveals one piece of data about the local environment’s age, structural integrity, or hidden mineral content.
    • Lithic Hardening: The user can take 1 box of unresistable Stun damage to gain +2 Armor Rating for one combat round as their physical form takes on the density of granite.
  • Syntax: Wireless Bonus: The focus provides a +1 bonus to Engineering tests involving structural analysis or demolition.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

System Name: Vodou 829: The Tectonic Stabilizer

  • Item 3: Rare, Tech, Apex (Strength)
  • Usage: Worn (Belt); Bulk: L
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Apex Attribute: When you invest this item, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Strength-based checks.
    • Seismic Tremor (Reaction): Trigger: A creature moves into a square adjacent to you. Effect: The device releases a subsonic pulse. The triggering creature must succeed at a Reflex save (DC 18) or be knocked Prone.
    • Eon Anchor: You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your Fortitude DC against effects that would move you or force you to teleport against your will.
  • Constraint: If used in an environment without a solid planetary crust (such as a deep-space station), the item’s reactive powers are disabled.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

System Name: The Lithic Chrono-Scanner (TL 13)

  • Item Type: Augmentation/Tool (Worn)
  • Cost: Cr 45,000
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Stratigraphic Analysis: The device functions as a specialized Geological Sensor. It provides a DM+2 to all Science (Geology) or Science (Archaeology) checks.
    • Structural Integrity: By analyzing the “Lithic Pulse” of a building or starship hull, the user can identify a weak point, granting a DM+1 to the next attack roll made against that structure.
    • Inertial Anchor: When activated (as a minor action), the user is treated as having Magnetic Boots regardless of the surface material, as long as it is solid. This lasts for 10 minutes per charge.
  • Constraint: Requires a standard Power Cell; provides 24 hours of continuous “Mind’s Eye” passive use per cell.

Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory

System Name: The Cogitator of the Ancient Strata

  • Tier: 1 (Rare)
  • Keywords: Imperium, Adeptus Mechanicus, Geo-Relic
  • Game Mechanics:
    • The Mind’s Eye: You gain +2d to all Passive Awareness and Scholar (Geology) tests. You may spend 1 Glory to automatically identify a hidden subterranean passage or structural flaw in a fortification.
    • Unyielding Foundation: You gain +1 Resilience against any attack that relies on kinetic impact or crushing force. You cannot be knocked Prone unless you choose to be.
    • Lithic Strike: When you make a successful melee attack, you may spend 1 Glory to add the Brutal weapon quality to the strike as the device releases a subsonic shockwave into the target.
  • Complication: If you roll a 1 on the Wrath Die while the device is active, you become Restricted for one round as your body becomes as heavy as lead.