Rune-Woven Cloak

From: Nimble Evasion Rune

Lore: The Rune-Woven Cloak possesses a history rooted in ancient elven lore and their deep connection to nature and the art of weaving. Crafted by elven weavers who understood the delicate balance between magic and fabric, these cloaks are renowned for their ability to enhance the wearer’s agility and evasion. The Rune of Nimble Evasion, intricately woven into the fabric of the cloak, channels the essence of the elven kinship with the natural world. It is said that the rune’s energy resonates with the wearer, granting them heightened reflexes and the ability to blend seamlessly with their surroundings.

Use: The Rune-Woven Cloak is designed to provide the wearer with enhanced agility, evasion, and a touch of stealth. When draped over the shoulders, the cloak’s woven rune interacts with the wearer’s movements, increasing their nimbleness and making them more difficult to hit in combat. The cloak also offers limited camouflage in natural environments, allowing the wearer to blend into their surroundings and move undetected. It serves as a valuable asset for those who rely on swift and elusive maneuvers.

Tier One Stats:

• Bonus to Evasion: +1 (providing a +1 bonus to defense or dodge rolls)
• Bonus to Stealth: +2 (providing a +2 bonus to stealth or hide rolls in natural environments)

Skills gained: The Rune-Woven Cloak enhances the following skills for the wearer:

• Evasion: The cloak’s enchantment enhances the wearer’s natural agility, making them more adept at evading attacks.
• Stealth: The cloak’s camouflage effect aids the wearer in stealthy maneuvers, allowing them to blend into natural environments more effectively.

Preparation: To create a Rune-Woven Cloak, a skilled elven weaver must carefully integrate the Rune of Nimble Evasion into the fabric of a lightweight cloak. The process involves using specialized threads infused with magical energy, weaving them into intricate patterns that incorporate the rune’s design. The weaver must possess a deep understanding of the rune’s properties and the delicate art of weaving to ensure a successful enchantment.

Cost: The Rune-Woven Cloak is a treasured item, revered for its magical properties and exceptional craftsmanship. At level one, such a cloak might be priced at around 150 gold pieces, reflecting the intricacy of the weaving process and the rarity of the enchanted item.

Process Tags: Weaving, Rune magic, Elven craftsmanship, Enhanced agility, Evasion, Stealth, Camouflage, Lightweight fabric, Natural environments, Arcane Threadwork, Whispering Weave, Ethereal Drapery, Veil of the Wilds, Shadowbound Fabric, Spectral Camouflage, Phantom’s Grace, Silent Footfalls, Warden of the Glade, Ghostly Mantle

The Rune-Woven Cloak grants wearers at level one an advantage in terms of agility, evasion, and stealth. Its enchantment allows the wearer to be more evasive in combat, making them harder to hit, while also providing limited camouflage in natural surroundings. The cloak becomes a valuable tool for adventurers who rely on nimble movements and the ability to blend into their environment, offering protection and strategic advantages in various situations.

The recipe for the Rune-Woven Cloak is sought after by adventurers, rogues, and those who value enhanced agility, evasion, and stealth. Here are some details on where and how this recipe is sold, as well as how the end results are used:

• Elven Enclaves: In secluded elven enclaves nestled within ancient forests, skilled elven weavers are the keepers of the recipe for Rune-Woven Cloaks. These enclaves, hidden from the eyes of most outsiders, possess a deep understanding of magical weaving techniques and are renowned for their craftsmanship. Characters must gain the trust of the elven weavers, show respect for their culture and traditions, and potentially embark on a quest or offer assistance in exchange for access to the recipe.
• Mystical Marketplaces: Within bustling magical marketplaces or enchantment districts, characters may find specialized merchants who deal in enchanted clothing and accessories. These merchants have acquired the recipe for the Rune-Woven Cloak through trade, connections, or exploration. Characters can negotiate or purchase the recipe from these merchants, although it may come at a higher cost due to the rarity and demand for such enchanted cloaks.
• Hidden Libraries or Ancient Archives: Knowledgeable sages, librarians, or historians who guard ancient tomes and scrolls may possess the recipe for the Rune-Woven Cloak. These individuals are often found in secluded libraries, hidden archives, or secret chambers within ancient ruins. Characters must demonstrate their scholarly prowess or uncover hidden knowledge to gain the trust of these guardians and secure access to the recipe.

In terms of the environment and usage of the Rune-Woven Cloak:

• Stealthy Infiltrations: Characters who specialize in stealth and infiltration find the Rune-Woven Cloak invaluable. The cloak’s enhanced agility and evasion make it easier for them to navigate guarded areas, slip past sentries, and move silently through shadows. The limited camouflage provided by the cloak aids in remaining undetected, allowing characters to gather information, disable traps, or carry out covert operations.
• Natural Environments and Wilderness: The Rune-Woven Cloak finds great use in natural environments such as dense forests, rugged mountains, or sprawling grasslands. The cloak’s ability to blend into natural surroundings enhances the wearer’s ability to move unseen and unheard. Characters can utilize the cloak to hunt, scout, or navigate through treacherous terrain, benefiting from the enhanced agility and camouflage offered by the enchanted garment.
• Evasive Maneuvers in Combat: During combat encounters, the Rune-Woven Cloak becomes an asset for characters who rely on agility and evasion. The cloak’s enchantment makes it harder for opponents to land successful attacks, as the wearer’s movements become more fluid and unpredictable. Characters can use the cloak’s advantages to dodge blows, weave through the battlefield, or create opportunities for strategic maneuvers.

Rune-Woven Cloak can be found in elven enclaves, mystical marketplaces, or hidden libraries. The cloak’s enchantments enhance agility, evasion, and stealth, making it ideal for stealthy infiltrations, navigating natural environments, and executing evasive maneuvers in combat. Adventurers who possess the Rune-Woven Cloak gain a distinct advantage, allowing them to move swiftly, blend with their surroundings, and become more elusive to their foes.

A Cloak That Whispered to the Wind

In time before time, when trees were not yet trees but dreams of the earth, when rivers had not learned to flow and the sky had no name, there walked one whose name was not spoken. No record holds their face, nor their clan, nor the land from whence they came, only that they walked always unseen, moving with steps lighter than mist upon morning’s breath.

It is told that this one sought not riches, nor throne, nor conquest, but only passage—passage beyond walls that stood unbroken, through forests where none returned, past eyes that saw all things. Yet their feet, though swift, were yet known by the ground. Their breath, though silent, stirred the air. The beasts scented them; the sentinels glimpsed them; the hunters found their trail.

And so, in despair, the one-who-was-seen went to the weavers of that age, those who spun not thread but fate, those whose hands plucked strands from the loom of the world itself. They wove not garments, but destinies; they stitched not cloth, but silence.

The price was heavy, for to weave such a thing as they sought, one must give what one had. What is a cloak of shadows to one who does not cast a shadow? the weavers asked. What is silence to one whose voice was never heard? Yet the one-who-was-seen swore the oath, and the loom took its price.

The cloak was spun from the whispers of forgotten tongues, its threads drawn from the sigh of leaves that fall without sound, its weave imbued with the Rune of Nimble Evasion—the mark of the unseen, the sign of those who pass without trace. The moment it was draped across the shoulders of the seeker, they were no longer seen, no longer heard, no longer known.

And thus they walked. Through the deepest glades, through the guarded gates, through halls where none had entered before, they moved like wind through the reeds. The sword missed where it should have struck; the arrow veered where it should have pierced; the hound paused, uncertain of a scent it could not place. The one-who-was-seen had become the one-who-was-not.

But the world does not forget its own.

With each step unseen, the seeker’s name faded. With each whisper that did not stir, their memory unraveled. In time, even they forgot themselves, for the cloak, woven of passage and silence, knew only its purpose: to erase, to evade, to unmake in the wake of its wearer.

None know where the seeker walked last, for none saw them go. None know where the cloak lies now, for none can say where it fell. Some claim it drapes the wind itself, weaving through the trees unseen. Others whisper that it still moves, worn by one who no longer remembers why they walk.

Yet the weavers know. The loom still turns. And those who seek the thread of evasion, who dream of slipping past the grasp of fate, may yet find a remnant of the cloak’s making—if they are willing to pay its price.

He who is unseen may walk where none dare follow, but the one who leaves no trace may never find their way home.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) Adaptation

• Item Type: Enchanted Clothing (Worn)
• Effect:
  • Elusive Step: The wearer gains a +10% bonus to Stealth rolls when moving through natural environments.
  • Preternatural Agility: When making a Dodge roll, the wearer may spend 1 Magic Point to gain an additional +10% bonus for that roll.
  • Mystical Resonance: Those who succeed on a Hard Occult roll may sense an aura around the cloak, identifying its elven craftsmanship.
• Drawback: If the wearer fails a Power (POW) roll upon donning the cloak for the first time, they experience fleeting moments of being forgotten by others, suffering a temporary penalty to social rolls (-10%) for 1d6 hours.

Blades in the Dark Adaptation

• Item Type: Fine Cloak (Load: 1)
• Effect:
  • Ghostlike Agility: Gain +1d on Prowl rolls when moving unseen or evading pursuit.
  • Ethereal Evasion: When resisting a consequence related to detection, the wearer may push themselves for 1 less Stress than usual.
  • Fleeting Presence: In social encounters, the wearer can subtly redirect attention away from themselves, allowing them to exit a conversation unnoticed with a successful Sway or Consort roll (Controlled, Standard effect).
• Special: The cloak’s magic is subtle, making it favored among thieves and spies. Rare and valuable, it is often exchanged through trusted informants or stolen from hidden archives.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition) Adaptation

• Wondrous Item, Uncommon (Requires Attunement)
• Effect:
  • Rune of Evasion: The wearer gains a +1 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws.
  • Shadowmeld: In natural environments, the wearer gains Advantage on Stealth checks to avoid detection.
  • Flickering Form: Once per long rest, when targeted by an attack, the wearer may use their reaction to impose Disadvantage on the attack roll as the cloak shimmers momentarily.
• Crafting: Requires an Elven Artisan and proficiency in Weaver’s Tools, as well as rare enchanted thread worth 250 gp.

Knave Adaptation

• Item Type: Magical Cloak
• Effect:
  • Evasive Grace: Gain a +1 bonus to Defense (or Armor Defense, AD) when attacked in melee.
  • Woodland Camouflage: While in natural environments, the wearer may reroll failed Stealth checks once per scene.
  • Shifting Presence: In dim light or shadowed areas, enemies suffer Disadvantage on Perception checks to notice the wearer.
• Rarity: Highly sought after by rogues and scouts; availability depends on barter or rare finds in ancient ruins.

Fate Adaptation

• Item Type: Enchanted Cloak
• Aspects:
  • “A Cloak Woven from Whispers and Wind”
  • “Elven Craft, Never Seen, Never Caught”
• Game Effects:
  • Evasion’s Grace: Gain +2 to Overcome or Create an Advantage rolls when avoiding detection or dodging attacks.
  • Blending Presence: Once per scene, the wearer may invoke the cloak to disappear from notice, compelling NPCs to ignore their presence unless directly confronted.
• Shifting Silhouette: When engaged in combat, the wearer may spend a Fate Point to force an enemy to reroll an attack made against them.

Numenera & Cypher System Adaptation

• Item Type: Artifact
• Level: 3
• Effect:
  • Adaptive Camouflage: Gain an Asset on Stealth-based tasks, especially in natural environments.
  • Evasive Reflex: Once per short rest, the wearer may automatically succeed on a Speed Defense roll against a single attack.
  • Phase-Woven Threads: If the wearer moves no more than 10 feet per turn, they gain +1 to Speed Defense rolls as their outline distorts slightly.
• Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (Each day the cloak is worn, roll to see if its magic fades).

Pathfinder (2nd Edition) Adaptation

• Wondrous Item, Uncommon, Magical, Invested
• Usage: Worn, Cloak
• Effect:
  • Elusive Weave: Gain a +1 item bonus to AC and Reflex saves.
  • Natural Concealment: In natural environments, the wearer gains Concealment (must be in dim light, foliage, or misty terrain).
  • Vanish in Motion: Once per day, when the wearer Strides and then Takes Cover, they may attempt to Hide without requiring cover.
• Crafting: Requires Master in Crafting, an elven mentor, and 300 gp worth of magical silk and enchanted ink.

Savage Worlds Adaptation

• Item Type: Magical Clothing (Cloak)
• Effect:
  • Silent Step: Wearer gains a +2 bonus to Stealth rolls when moving through natural terrain.
  • Dodge Instinct: If attacked in melee, once per round the wearer may force the enemy to reroll their attack.
  • Shadowmeld: As a free action, the wearer can make a Stealth roll at -2 to become harder to detect for one round.
• Availability: Rare; typically requires a legendary tailor or the favor of an elven elder.

Shadowrun (6th Edition) Adaptation

• Item Type: Enchanted Armor (Cloak, Magical)
• Availability: 8R
• Cost: 2,500¥
• Effect:
  • Agile Weave: The wearer gains a +1 dice pool bonus to Gymnastics (Dodge) tests when avoiding attacks.
  • Chameleon Fiber Enhancement: Grants a +2 dice pool bonus to Infiltration (Stealth) tests in natural environments.
  • Reactive Evasion: Once per combat encounter, the wearer may reroll a failed Reaction + Intuition defense test against a ranged attack.
• Restrictions: The cloak requires a character with a Magic Rating of 1+ to fully activate its effects.

Starfinder Adaptation

• Item Type: Hybrid Gear (Worn)
• Level: 5
• Cost: 3,200 credits
• Effect:
  • Evasion Matrix: Grants a +1 enhancement bonus to Reflex saves.
  • Adaptive Camouflage: In areas with natural terrain, the wearer gains a +2 insight bonus to Stealth checks.
  • Kinetic Dampening: Once per day, the wearer may treat a missed melee attack as if the attacker had rolled a natural 1, causing them to fumble.
• Energy Consumption: Requires periodic recharging from an Arcane Power Source or a Spellcaster’s energy.

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition) Adaptation

• Item Type: Advanced Clothing
• Tech Level: 10
• Cost: 10,000 credits
• Effect:
  • Phase-Shifting Threads: Grants a +1 DM to Dexterity-based skill checks, including Stealth and Athletics (Dodge).
  • Refractive Weave: When in motion, sensors and tracking systems suffer a -2 DM to detect the wearer unless locked beforehand.
  • Momentum Evasion: Once per day, the wearer can force an attacker to reroll a ranged attack against them.
• Availability: Considered Experimental or Black Market, requiring a contact in a high-tech society.

Warhammer (WFRP 4th Edition) Adaptation

• Item Type: Magical Clothing (Worn)
• Encumbrance: 1
• Rarity: Rare
• Effect:
  • Elven Craftsmanship: The wearer gains +10 to Dodge (Agility) tests.
  • Mistwalker’s Grace: In natural terrain, the wearer may attempt a Stealth test at +20 when remaining still or moving slowly.
  • Flickering Presence: Once per long rest, the wearer may reroll a failed Dodge attempt.
• Acquisition: Found only in elven sanctuaries or gifted by powerful spellweavers.