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Vengeance Forge Manacles 953

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by

Dale
in

Lore: The Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953 were birthed from a forbidden union of grief and industry in the deep basalt pits of Korra-Shar. Legend tells of a Kwe-Sar smith who, after witnessing the betrayal of his guild, took the shattered iron pendant of a master illusionist and hammered it into the molten obsidian of his own ceremonial gauntlets. By synchronizing the rhythmic chimes of the forge with the discordant screams of a broken spirit, he created a Tier 2 artifact that does not just shape metal, but shapes the very perception of those who oppose the wearer’s will.

Description: These heavy forearm guards are crafted from seamless, glass-sheen obsidian reinforced by inlaid brass conduits that pulse with a rhythmic, orange glow. Set into the dorsal plate of each wrist is a large, glaring eye carved from dark iron with a storm-filled ruby iris. When the wearer clenches their fists, the brass veins flare white-hot, and the iron eyes begin to weep a thin, sulfuric mist that smells of ozone and ash.

Stats

  • Tier: 2
  • Strength: +2
  • Intelligence: +1
  • Endurance: +1
  • Attack: +2 (Melee strikes)

Skills Gained While Openly Worn

  • Illusory Impact: Your unarmed strikes deal an additional +1d6 fire damage. Targets hit must make a mental resistance check or believe they are being consumed by real flames, suffering a -1 penalty to their next action.
  • Resonant Crafting: You retain the ability to forge at double speed, gaining a +4 bonus to all checks involving the manipulation of hard materials through heat and impact.
  • Menacing Presence: The glaring eyes grant you Advantage on Intimidation checks against any creature within 15 feet.

Tags: Tier-2, Worn-Item, Obsidian, Illusion, Fire, Strength, Kinetic-Echo, Vengeance, Resonant, Battle-Forge, Industrial-Magic, Grief-Forged, Obsidian-Glass, Brass-Conduit, Kinetic-Terror, Mind-Scorch, Volcanic-Illusion, Hammer-Pulse, Soul-Shaper, Ruined-Memory, Seismic-Mirage, Ember-Eye

Multiple Passives Magic

  • Thermal Hallucination: The manacles maintain an internal temperature of 600°F. The heat is projected outward as a shimmering mirage, granting the wearer a +1 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks as trajectories are distorted by the rising heat.
  • Echo of the Lost: Nearby metallic or stone surfaces (within 10 feet) subtly vibrate with the tormented whispers of Maelor’s family. This grants the user a “Sixth Sense” regarding hidden enemies, as the vibrations change pitch when a living being disrupts the resonance.

Multiple Active Magics

  • Furious Anvil Shatter (1 use per short rest): The wearer slams their fists into a surface, releasing a seismic pulse combined with a spatial illusion. All enemies within a 15-foot radius take 2d6 bludgeoning damage and must succeed on a save or be blinded by a sudden illusory wall of fire and deafened by the shrieks of tormented souls for 1 minute.
  • Forgeheart Gaze (2 uses per day): By tapping into a memory of betrayal, the wearer causes the ruby eyes to project a 15-foot cone of “Solid Smoke.” Those caught in the area are trapped in an illusory forge-fire that feels physically hot and looks real. Victims are Restrained by the perceived heat and must spend an action to realize the flames are a spatial illusion to break free.

Specific Slot: Worn Item (Arms)

Structural Integrity and Restoration of the Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953

The Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953 are a Tier 2 fusion of hardened volcanic glass and a resonant iron artifact. Because the magic is tied to both the physical density of the obsidian and the emotional frequency of the iron eyes, disabling the item requires breaking its physical and spiritual alignment.

Item Hit Points and Disablement: The manacles possess 24 Hit Points and an Armor Class (AC) of 16 (Natural Obsidian Hardness + Brass Reinforcement).

  • Resonance Fracture (12 HP): If the manacles are reduced to half their hit points, the brass conduits crack and the iron eyes become clouded. The Furious Anvil Shatter and Forgeheart Gaze active magics are disabled. The passive Thermal Hallucination becomes unstable, flickering and providing no AC bonus.
  • Total Disablement (0 HP): At zero hit points, the obsidian shatters and the iron eyes “die,” losing their ruby glow. All magical passives, skill bonuses, and stat modifiers are lost. The item remains physically attached to the user but acts as dead weight, imposing a -2 penalty to all Dexterity-based checks until removed or repaired.
  • Environmental Disablement: If submerged in sacred or magically “pure” cold water (such as from a High-Celestial spring), the heat and anger are quelled. The magic is suppressed for 1 hour, though the physical defensive properties remain.

Repair and Restoration: Repairing a fused relic of this nature requires balancing the heat of the forge with the focus of the mind.

  • Physical Tempering: If the item is above 0 HP, a character with Smithing (Advanced) can spend two hours at a forge to mend the obsidian cracks using Refined Obsidian Glass and Brass Vein Wire. This restores 2d4+2 HP.
  • Spiritual Realignment: If the item reaches 0 HP, it is considered “Shattered.” To restore it, a master smith must re-forge the pieces using a Core-spark Crystal and a Vial of Essence of Fury. This requires a successful Magic Infusion (Advanced) check.
  • The Rekindling: Once physically whole, the wearer must perform a Chant of Sparks while holding the manacles over an open flame and recalling a memory of deep resentment. Without this emotional “jumpstart,” the iron eyes remain dark and the magical circuits will not pulse.

The Acquisition and Trade of the Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953

The Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953 are Tier 2 artifacts that exist at a volatile intersection of artisan craftsmanship and forbidden emotional magic. Obtaining these is a difficult task, as they require a rare synchronization of a smith’s physical power and an illusionist’s psychological trauma. In the world of Saṃsāra, they are viewed with equal parts awe and trepidation.

Methods of Acquisition

  • The Forged Vendetta: A seeker may commission a pair by bringing the shattered remains of a high-tier illusion focus and a set of master-work obsidian guards to a Kwe-Sar smith who has been “dishonored.” The smith must hammer the items together during a volcanic tremor, using their own resentment to bind the materials.
  • Trial of the Ember-Vault: These manacles are occasionally used as ceremonial prizes in the “Trial of the Echo,” a dangerous ritual in Korra-Shar where a warrior must defend a forge against illusory horrors while maintaining a perfect rhythmic beat.
  • Salvage from the Ashfall: Adventurers may recover a set from the petrified remains of a warrior-smith in the volcanic ruins near the Great Fire Mountain. Such items are usually “cold” and require a Spiritual Realignment to re-activate.

Market Locations and Transaction Dynamics

Because of their rare Tier 2 status and the intense emotional resonance required to wield them, these manacles appear only in specialized venues.

1. The Emberforged High-Guild (Korra-Shar) The most legitimate venue, these state-sanctioned halls serve the military and artisan elite of the northern forges.

  • Trade Style: Formal and ritualistic. Prospective buyers must strike a ceremonial anvil to prove their “heart-beat resonance” matches the item. The guild ensures all magics are stable and the obsidian is free of fractures.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: 3,500 to 4,200 Gold Pieces.
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: 1,800 Gold Pieces (Requires authentication by a Guild Inspector).

2. Underground Black-Steam Markets (Sar-Kwe Undercroft) Located in the lawless industrial tunnels beneath the capital, these markets cater to mercenaries and those seeking power without guild oversight.

  • Trade Style: Seedy and high-risk. The items sold here are often “Hot” (stolen) or salvaged from dangerous ruins. The emotional resonance may be unstable, leading to higher-than-normal fatigue for the wearer.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: 2,500 to 3,000 Gold Pieces.
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: 1,200 Gold Pieces (Merchants here rarely ask for provenance but pay less for “clouded” iron eyes).

3. The Firetender’s Relic Exchange (Ashfall Reach) A religious enclave where items are treated as sacred stewardships rather than mere property.

  • Trade Style: Solemn and scrutinizing. The “cost” here is often a mixture of gold and a spiritual trial. The Firetenders will not sell to those they deem “hollow” or lacking in creative purpose.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: 3,000 Gold Pieces plus a “Labor Tithe” (A week of service at the communal forge).
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: Non-commercial (Items are returned to the guild for a “blessing” and a modest stipend of 1,000 gp).

4. Nomad Relic-Hunter Caravans Traveling caravans that move between the volcanic rim and the floating cities, often hauling salvaged constructs and rare minerals.

  • Trade Style: Chaotic and opportunistic. You might find a bargain here if the trader doesn’t realize the item is a Tier 2 fusion, or you might be overcharged for a counterfeit that lacks the Kinetic Resonance Field.
  • Estimated Purchase Price: 2,800 to 3,600 Gold Pieces.
  • Estimated Sell-Back Price: 1,400 Gold Pieces (Often paid in raw materials like Core-spark crystals or refined obsidian).

Selling and Bartering

When selling the Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953, value is heavily dictated by the clarity of the Ruby Irises. If the “storm” within the gemstones is vibrant and active, the price remains high. If the eyes are dull, it indicates the Essence of Fury has leaked, and the item’s value drops by 40% as it will require an expensive Rekindling ritual by an advanced alchemist.

Echoes of the Burning Grudge: Roleplaying the Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953

Roleplaying with the Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953 is an exercise in controlled volatility. You are a living engine of industry and indignation. When you move, the obsidian plates clack like cooling lava, and your strikes ring with the finality of a master’s hammer. You don’t just fight; you impose a rhythmic, fiery reality upon your enemies’ minds and bodies.

Subterranean Mines and Basalt Vaults

  • Offense: In the echoing tunnels of a deep mine, you use the Furious Anvil Shatter. As you slam your fists into the floor, the natural acoustics of the cave amplify the Echo of the Lost. You roleplay the iron eyes weeping a thick, sulfuric mist that turns the dark tunnel into a hellish landscape of illusory fire. Your enemies, trapped in the narrow space, are deafened by the shrieks of tormented souls, making them easy prey for your +2 Melee strikes as you move through the smoke like a shadow of molten glass.
  • Defense: When a tunnel begins to collapse, you use your Resonant Crafting. By pressing your palms against the shifting stone, you synchronize your heartbeat with the mountain. You roleplay the brass conduits glowing white-hot as you “weld” the vibrations of the falling debris into a stable frequency, holding the ceiling aloft with sheer kinetic will while your allies scramble to safety.

Dense Jungles and Overgrown Ruins

  • Offense: While hunting a rival expedition through the “Living Canopy,” you activate Forgeheart Gaze. You recall the sting of a past betrayal, and the ruby eyes project a cone of Solid Smoke. You roleplay the jungle vines appearing to turn into white-hot iron chains in the eyes of your foes. As they panic and thrash against the “heat,” you close the distance, your fists leaving orange cracks of light across their armor with each Illusory Impact.
  • Defense: Hidden in the brush, the Echo of the Lost serves as your early warning system. You roleplay feeling a discordant “thrum” in the obsidian plates as a predator disturbs the ground nearby. Before it can pounce, the Thermal Hallucination passive kicks in; the rising heat from your manacles warps the air around you, causing the creature’s strike to pass harmlessly through a shimmering mirage of where you stood a second before.

High-Altitude Trade Pavilions and Airships

  • Offense: In a skirmish on the deck of a swaying steam-clipper, you use the Menacing Presence to drive foes toward the ledge. You roleplay the iron eyes glaring with a storm of ruby fury, their gaze making the deck feel as though it is melting beneath the enemies’ feet. With a rhythmic punch, the Kinetic-Echo sends a shockwave through the wooden hull, staggering everyone but you, as you remain anchored by the weight of your obsidian guards.
  • Defense: When targeted by archers from a distant platform, the Thermal Hallucination creates a persistent heat haze. You roleplay the arrows “dancing” in the air as the thermal updrafts from your 600°F manacles push them off-course. If a magical bolt breaks through, the Industrial-Magic in the brass conduits absorbs the impact, redirecting the energy into a low, menacing hum that warns the attacker of your mounting rage.

Urban Megacities (The Sar-Kwe Markets)

  • Offense: Cornered in a narrow alley by city enforcers, you engage in the Unarmed Forge Style. You roleplay each punch landing with the sound of a heavy anvil strike, sending sparks flying into the damp city air. You use the Chant of Sparks to build a cadence; by the third strike, your arms are blinding flares of orange light, and the enforcers’ shields begin to soften and warp from the sheer illusory and physical heat you project.
  • Defense: Amidst a chaotic riot, you slam your fists together to trigger a localized Anvil Shatter. You roleplay the seismic pulse knocking back the crowd while the Echo of the Lost projects the screams of the betrayal you once felt. The sudden sensory overload of fire and shrieks creates a 15-foot “dead zone” around you that no one dares cross, allowing you to walk calmly through the chaos, your silhouette flickering in the heat-shimmer.

Roleplay Focus: The Heavy Heartbeat

When roleplaying this item, focus on the Synchronicity between your emotions and the machine. The manacles shouldn’t feel like a separate tool, but like a part of your circulatory system. Describe how the obsidian grows darker when you are calm and how the brass conduits throb with liquid light when your temper flares. You are the smith, and the battlefield is your raw ore—shape it, or break it.

Perception of Activation:

User’s Perspective

  • Sight: The obsidian plates lose their glassy darkness, replaced by a fierce, molten orange glow that pulses from the inlaid brass conduits. The dark iron eyes on each wrist snap open, the ruby irises swirling with a miniature, violent storm. A shimmering heat-haze distorts your vision at the edges, casting the world in the flickering orange light of a phantom forge.
  • Sound: A heavy, percussive thrum vibrates through your skeletal structure, sounding like a massive forge hammer hitting an anvil in the distance. This is accompanied by a discordant, haunting whisper—the “Echoes of the Lost”—that rises in pitch as your anger grows. When you strike, the sound is a deafening crack of seismic thunder.
  • Touch: Your forearms become intensely hot, though the heat does not burn your skin; instead, it feels like an invigorating surge of raw power. You feel a rhythmic, kinetic “pushback” from the air itself, as if you are moving through invisible, pressurized steam. Your grip feels absolute, as if your hands have become part of the very stone they touch.
  • Smell: The crisp scent of ozone and cooling volcanic glass fills your senses, underlying a heavy, suffocating aroma of burning coal and bitter sulfuric smoke that seems to emanate from the iron eyes.

Observer’s Perspective

  • Visual: The avatar’s arms appear to transform into pillars of glowing lava. The obsidian guards reflect light in impossible ways, creating a shimmering mirage that makes the avatar’s silhouette look larger and more blurred. Thin trails of dark, greasy smoke rise from the iron eyes, and sparks leap from the user’s knuckles with every movement.
  • Auditory: Bystanders hear a steady, rhythmic heartbeat transmitted through the ground. When the avatar speaks, their voice carries a metallic, echoing quality. The “shrieks of tormented souls” manifest as a localized, terrifying audio-static that makes the hair on the neck stand up.
  • Tactile: Those standing nearby feel a sudden, oppressive wave of dry heat, like standing too close to an open blast furnace. The ground vibrates beneath their feet in time with the avatar’s pulse.

Extra-Sensory Perceptions

  • Lithic Resonance: You “feel” the internal geometry of stone and metal within 15 feet. You can sense the microscopic fractures in a blade or the hollow spaces behind a stone wall as if they were maps drawn on your skin.
  • Vengeful Intuition: A cold, sharp instinct alerts you to the presence of living beings nearby. You don’t see them; you feel their “disruption” in the rhythmic resonance of the environment, appearing as jagged, discordant notes in the forge’s song.
  • Thermal Chronometry: Your perception of time begins to sync with the “Slow-Burn” of the forge. You perceive fast movements as sluggish, trailing embers, allowing you to react with the deliberate precision of a master smith.

Positives

  • Absolute Physical Dominance: You feel capable of crushing steel with your bare hands; the kinetic feedback provides an unparalleled sense of strength and solidity.
  • Psychological Edge: The terrifying combination of heat, illusory fire, and tormented shrieks often causes enemies to hesitate or flee before a blow is even struck.
  • Craftsman’s Clarity: Your focus on mechanical and magical structures becomes crystalline, allowing you to dismantle complex defenses with terrifying ease.

Negatives

  • Emotional Bleed: The “Fury” of the item is difficult to contain. You may find yourself feeling surges of irrational anger or resentment that linger long after the manacles are deactivated.
  • Sensory Distortion: The constant heat-haze and the “whispers of the lost” can make it difficult to hear quiet sounds or see fine details not related to combat or forging.
  • Exhaustion of the Soul: When the activation ends, the sudden loss of the rhythmic pulse leaves the user feeling “hollow” and physically drained, as if the item had been borrowing their life force to fuel the fire.

The Binding of the Vengeful Anvil: Forging the Vengeance-Forge Manacles 953

Items Merged

Additional Materials Needed

  • 1 Vial of Essence of Fury: To bridge the illusionary power of the gaze with the kinetic resonance of the gauntlets.
  • 2 Ounces of Refined Obsidian Glass: For seamless patching and reinforcement of the merge points.
  • 4 Feet of Brass Vein Wire: To extend the gauntlet’s conduits into the newly mounted iron eye housings.
  • 1 Phial of Condensed Forge Smoke: To act as a stabilizing medium for the “Solid Smoke” projected magics.
  • Va-Shar Rune Etching Dust: For inscribing the Tier 2 synchronization runes across the fused plates.

Tools Required

  • Magi-Steam Crucible: Capable of reaching the high temperatures needed to soften obsidian without shattering the iron pendant.
  • Runesmith’s Hammer: To strike the specific rhythmic frequency required to bind the kinetic and spatial enchantments.
  • Magic Infuser (Advanced): To channel the emotional essence through the brass conduits without corrupting the wearer’s psyche.
  • Engraver’s Chisel of Va-Lin Script: For the high-precision runework required to merge two different lineage magics.

Skill Requirements

  • Master Metalworking (Tier 2): Knowledge of fusing organic-looking obsidian with rigid dark iron.
  • Advanced Magic Infusion: The ability to handle “Furious” emotional catalysts safely.
  • Expert Runecrafting: Proficiency in the transition runes that turn individual Tier 1 effects into a cohesive Tier 2 system.
  • Kwe-Va Chanting (Ritual): The artisan must maintain a “Chant of Resentment” to keep the iron eye active during the fusion process.

Crafting Steps

  1. The Obsidian Softening: Place the Obsidian Anvil Gauntlets into the Magi-Steam Crucible until the glass edges begin to glow a translucent orange, reaching a state of high malleability.
  2. Mounting the Gaze: Split the Spatial Illusion iron pendant into two equal “Eye” components. Using the Runesmith’s Hammer, strike them into the dorsal plates of the obsidian guards, ensuring the iron “weeps” into the softened glass.
  3. The Brass Neural-Link: Weave the additional Brass Vein Wire from the gauntlets’ internal conduits and solder them directly to the back of the ruby irises. This links the user’s kinetic strike to the illusionary trigger.
  4. The Furious Infusion: While the metals are still cooling, pour the Essence of Fury into the brass seams. Use the Magic Infuser to force the essence into the iron eyes until the ruby gemstones begin to swirl with the internal storm.
  5. Vapor Sealing: Coat the eye housings with Condensed Forge Smoke mixed with Refined Obsidian Glass. This creates the airtight seal necessary for the Sulfuric Mist and Solid Smoke active magics.
  6. The Runic Synchronization: Using the Engraver’s Chisel and Rune Dust, etch the “953” sequence across the knuckles. These runes act as the dampener that prevents the “Furious” magic from shattering the obsidian during heavy impact.
  7. The Tempering of Grudges: Submerge the completed manacles into a Soul-Temper Basin. The crafter must recall a memory of deep betrayal during the quenching. If the water boils into a thick, dark mist and the iron eyes snap open, the merge is successful.
  8. Final Attunement: The intended wearer must strike an anvil three times with the activated manacles. The third strike must produce a visual flash of fire and an audible shriek to confirm the Tier 2 bond is established.

ANGRY-EYE BLACK-GLASS ARM-ROCKS 953

(Words of the Dust-Reader: The scratchings on this hot-rock are very broken. The language is the “Deep-Throat-Gravel-Speak” of the old fire-shapers. The word for ‘illusion’ is ‘lie-picture’ and the word for ‘forge’ is ‘bread-oven-but-for-swords’. I translate this with much sweat and headache.)

In the long-ago sun-times, before the big-water swallowed the lower dirt, there lived by the edge of the Coughing-Mountain a man of the heavy-hammer. His name was He-Who-Bangs-The-Rhythm. He wore the Black-Glass Arm-Shoes of his fathers. These shoes made his hands like falling mountains, and he shaped the hard-metal with great happy-songs.

He-Who-Bangs-The-Rhythm had many Metal-Brothers. They made a promise-spit to share all the shiny-rocks and respect. But the Metal-Brothers had worms in their hearts. They did the great back-stabbing. While he was doing the heavy-sleeping, they took his forge-fire, they stole his best sharp-sticks, and they pushed him into the cold-dirt outside the city gates.

He-Who-Bangs-The-Rhythm had the great heavy-water [tears] in his eyes, but the cold-dirt turned the heavy-water into hot-spit [anger]. He walked into the deep-dark of the Coughing-Mountain, where the earth-dragon breathes. There, in a pile of sad-dust, he found a broken neck-string. It was the Lie-Picture Eye of the Furious-Gaze. The old stories say it belonged to the Magic-Man-Maelor, who also had the back-stabbing happen to him many lifetimes before.

He-Who-Bangs-The-Rhythm looked at his Black-Glass Arm-Shoes. He looked at the Lie-Picture Eye. He said to the dark, “I will put the sad-angry eye into the heavy-glass! I will make my fists tell the lie-pictures to those who have the worms in their hearts!”

He built a secret bread-oven-but-for-swords. It was very much hot. He put the Black-Glass Arm-Shoes into the hot. They became soft like old fruit. He took the Lie-Picture Eye and broke it into two eyes. With a screaming-hammer, he pushed the angry-eyes into the soft black-glass. He tied the yellow-metal-strings [brass conduits] to the back of the ruby-stones.

He did not use water to cool the metal. He used his own angry-tears and the ghost-breath of Maelor that was trapped in the stones. He sang the Song of the Bitter-Tongue. He remembered the faces of the Metal-Brothers laughing.

The metal did a great shriek-bang. The Angry-Eye Black-Glass Arm-Rocks Nine-Five-Three were born.

He put them on his meat-arms. Suddenly, the yellow-metal-strings drank his heartbeat. The iron eyes opened and looked with much redness. The air around him became wavy, like water standing up in the heat. He punched the rock wall. The wall did not just break; it cried out with the loud-voices of a thousand sad-ghosts. He smiled, but it was a smile of no-happiness.

He-Who-Bangs-The-Rhythm walked down the mountain to the house of the Metal-Brothers. They saw him and pointed their laugh-fingers. “Look at the dirt-man!” they said. But he did not laugh. He remembered the back-stabbing.

He hit his fists together. This was the Furious-Anvil-Shatter-Dance.

The ground jumped up. A great lie-picture of biting-fire filled the room. The Metal-Brothers screamed, “Ah! The biting-fire is eating our skin!” But it was only the thick-smoke-that-lies. The eyes on his arms bled the smell of storm-and-ash. The ears of the Metal-Brothers were filled with the screaming of the lost-family of Maelor. They held their heads and rolled on the floor like sick dogs.

He-Who-Bangs-The-Rhythm walked through the lie-picture. He was the king of the angry-heat. He smashed their anvils. He broke their hammers. Every time he punched, the fire-lie became stronger. The brothers ran away, crying like small un-feathered birds, leaving the city forever.

But the victory-meat tasted like ash. He-Who-Bangs-The-Rhythm looked at his arms. The iron eyes were still glaring. The yellow-metal-strings were still pumping the hot-spit into his blood. He tried to think of a happy-memory, maybe a sweet-bread or a gentle-dog. But the manacles vibrated and said to his bones, “No. We only remember the back-stabbing. We must be angry.”

The angry-heat never turned off. He could not hug his friends, because the manacles would show them lie-pictures of monsters and burn their hair with the heat-mirage. He could not do the heavy-sleeping, because the sad-ghosts screamed in his own ears every time he closed his eyes. He became just a walking-weapon, a meat-stick for the angry-eyes to use to hit the world.

One day, he walked back into the deep-dark of the Coughing-Mountain to find quiet, and he did not walk out. The meat-body turned to dust, but the Angry-Eye Black-Glass Arm-Rocks Nine-Five-Three remained, waiting in the dark for another fool with worms in his heart to put them on.

Moral of the Story: The man who builds a hammer out of his own anger will find that, eventually, his own soul is the only nail left to strike.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Maelor-Korra Foci

  • Item Type: Mythic Artifact / Paired Arm Slot
  • Sanity Loss: 1/1d4 (Upon initial bonding with the tormented iron eyes)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Thermal Hallucination (Passive): The intense heat radiating from the obsidian creates a mirage. Attacks made against the wearer with firearms or thrown weapons suffer a Penalty Die.
    • Echo of the Lost (Passive): Grants a Bonus Die to Listen and Spot Hidden checks when attempting to locate hidden living beings, as the gauntlets translate heartbeats into physical vibrations.
    • Illusory Impact (Passive): Unarmed attacks utilizing the Brawl skill deal an additional +1d4 damage (treated as fire). Targets struck must make a Sanity roll (0/1) or suffer temporary hallucinations of burning.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (Active): Once per day, the user may spend 4 Magic Points and 1d3 Sanity to slam the manacles together. All entities within 15 feet take 1d6 damage and must make a POW roll. Failure results in being blinded and deafened for 1d4 rounds by phantom fire and shrieks, triggering an immediate bout of madness.
  • Syntax: [Mythic Artifact, Sanity Cost, Penalty Die to Attackers, Bonus Die: Listen/Spot Hidden, +1d4 Brawl Fire, 4 MP / 1d3 SAN Shatter]

Blades in the Dark

The Ash-Weeping Gauntlets

  • Item Quality: Fine Arcane Weapon/Implement (Tier II)
  • Load: 2 (Heavy and conspicuous)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Menacing Presence: You gain Potency and +1d when you Command or Consort using fear, intimidation, or displays of raw power.
    • Resonant Crafting: You have Potency when you Tinker to destroy mechanical barriers, forge metal, or manipulate heavy industry.
    • Thermal Mirage: When you Prowl or resist physical damage, the heat distortion allows you to reduce the severity of physical harm by one level (e.g., Level 2 Harm becomes Level 1).
    • Forgeheart Gaze (Special): You may Push Yourself (taking 2 Stress) to unleash a cone of illusory fire and tormented shrieks. This acts as a devastating supernatural attack. NPCs caught in the blast must immediately flee or surrender, counting as a Level 3 Harm effect (“Trapped in Phantom Fire”).
  • Syntax: [Fine Arcane Implement, 2 Load, Potency: Command/Tinker, Harm Reduction (Heat), 2 Stress: Supernatural Fear Cone]

Dungeons & Dragons (2024 Edition)

Manacles of the Vengeful Forge

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item, Very Rare (Requires Attunement)
  • Base Slot: Arms
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Stat Modifiers: While attuned, your Strength score increases by 2, to a maximum of 22. You gain a +1 bonus to AC due to the protective Thermal Hallucination mirage.
    • Menacing Presence (Passive): You have Advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks.
    • Illusory Impact (Passive): Your unarmed strikes deal an extra 1d6 fire damage.
    • Echo of the Lost (Passive): You gain Blindsight out to a range of 10 feet, provided you and the target are in contact with the same solid surface (stone, metal, or wood).
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (Active): Once per Short Rest, as an action, you strike a solid surface. All creatures within 15 feet must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw, taking 2d6 bludgeoning damage and being knocked prone on a failure. Additionally, they must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be Blinded and Deafened by illusory fire for 1 minute (save ends at the end of their turns).
    • Forgeheart Gaze (Active): Twice per Long Rest, as an action, you project a 15-foot cone of phantom smoke and heat. Creatures in the cone must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or become Restrained as they believe they are trapped in solidifying molten iron. A creature can use its action to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check against the DC to realize it’s an illusion and end the condition.
  • Syntax: [Wondrous Item, Very Rare, Attunement, +2 STR, +1 AC, Advantage: Intimidation, Blindsight 10ft, 1/Rest Shatter (Bludgeoning/Blind), 2/Day Gaze (Restrain)]

Knave (2nd Edition)

Obsidian Rage-Guards

  • Item Type: Relic Armor/Weapon Hybrid
  • Slots: 2
  • Quality: 15 (Obsidian and Brass)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Thermal Hallucination: The heat mirage grants you a +1 to Defense.
    • Illusory Impact: Your unarmed melee attacks deal d8 damage instead of d4, and targets take an additional point of fire damage.
    • Menacing Presence: You have Advantage on all CHA stunts intended to terrify or intimidate.
    • Echo of the Lost: You cannot be surprised by moving enemies if you are touching the same stone or metal floor as them.
    • Furious Shatter (Active): Once per day, you may strike the earth to cast a catastrophic illusion. All enemies in a 15-foot radius must make an INT save. Those who fail drop their weapons, fall prone, and lose their next turn as they flail against phantom flames.
    • Forgeheart Gaze (Active): Once per day, project a cone of solid smoke. Targets must make a WIS save or be completely immobilized (unable to move) until they take damage from a real source, breaking the illusion.
  • Syntax: [2 Slots, Quality 15, +1 Defense, d8 Unarmed +1 Fire, Advantage: Intimidate, Un-surprisable, 1/Day Mass Terror (INT save), 1/Day Immobilize (WIS save)]

Fate Core System

Manacles of the Resonant Grudge

  • Item Type: Magical Extra (Requires 2 Refresh)
  • Permissions: Possession of the artifact and a reason for deep-seated resentment.
  • Aspect: “Obsidian Fists of the Weeping Forge”
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Resonant Crafting & Menacing Presence (Passive): You gain a +2 bonus to Crafts when working with metal or stone, and a +2 bonus to Provoke when using fear or displays of power.
    • Thermal Hallucination (Passive): The constant heat mirage grants a +1 bonus to Defend actions against ranged physical attacks.
    • Illusory Impact (Stunt): When you succeed with style on a Fight attack (unarmed), you may choose to inflict the situation aspect “Phantom Flames” on the target with one free invoke, instead of taking a boost.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (Stunt): Once per session, you can make a Physique or Fight attack against all targets in your zone by slamming the ground. On a hit, they take physical stress and you automatically create the advantage “Deafening Shrieks” with one free invoke.
    • Consuming Wrath (Compel): The GM can compel the artifact’s Aspect to force you to act out of anger or refuse to show mercy to a defeated foe.
  • Syntax: [Refresh 2, Aspect, +2 Crafts/Provoke, +1 Ranged Defend, Stunts: Illusory Impact/Furious Shatter, Compel: Wrath]

Numenera & Cypher System

Vengeance-Forge Armaments (Model 953)

  • Level: 1d6 + 4 (Level 5-10 Artifact)
  • Form: Seamless black-glass forearm guards with inlaid brass circuits and weeping iron eyes.
  • Item Type: Artifact (Worn, Arm Slot)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Thermal Hallucination (Enabler): Speed defense tasks against ranged attacks are eased by one step due to the rippling heat mirage.
    • Menacing Presence & Crafting (Enabler): Tasks involving intimidation or metalworking/tinkering are eased by two steps.
    • Illusory Impact (Enabler): Your unarmed attacks deal an additional 2 points of ambient (fire) damage. If struck, the target must make an Intellect defense roll; on a failure, their next action is hindered.
    • Forgeheart Gaze (Action): Cost: 2 Intellect points. You project a short-range cone of thick, solid-seeming smoke and phantom heat. Targets in the area must succeed on an Intellect defense task or be immobilized (restrained) by the illusion. They must use an action to make another Intellect task to break free.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (Action): Cost: 3 Might points. You strike the earth, releasing a short-range shockwave. It deals 4 points of damage, and targets must make an Intellect defense task or be dazed (hindered on all tasks) for one minute by the shrieks of tormented souls.
    • Depletion: 1 in 1d20. If depleted, the iron eyes shut and the item becomes mundane obsidian armor until a master smith rekindles it.
  • Syntax: [Level 5-10 Artifact, Ease Speed Def 1 Step, Ease Intimidate/Craft 2 Steps, +2 Unarmed Fire Dmg (Mental Hinder), Gaze (Restrain), Shatter (AoE/Daze), Depletion 1 in 1d20]

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Manacles of the Vengeful Forge

  • Item Level: 11
  • Price: 1,400 gp
  • Usage: Worn (Arms); Bulk: 1
  • Traits: Rare, Evocation, Illusion, Invested, Magical
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Base Modifiers: You gain a +2 item bonus to Athletics, Intimidation, and Crafting checks.
    • Thermal Hallucination (Passive): You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against physical ranged attacks.
    • Echo of the Lost (Passive): You gain tremorsense (imprecise) out to 15 feet, but only for creatures in contact with the same continuous stone or metal surface as you.
    • Illusory Impact (Passive): Your unarmed strikes gain the magical trait and deal an extra 1d6 fire damage. On a critical hit, the mental shock of the phantom flames leaves the target Frightened 1.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (2 Actions): (Frequency: 1/hour). You strike the ground, unleashing a 15-foot burst of kinetic force and hallucinatory terror. Creatures in the area take 4d6 bludgeoning damage (Basic Fortitude save DC 28). Creatures that fail their save are also Blinded and Deafened for 1 round by illusory fire and screams.
    • Forgeheart Gaze (2 Actions): (Frequency: 2/day). You project a 15-foot cone of phantom smoke and heat. Creatures in the area must make a DC 28 Will save. On a failure, the creature believes it is trapped in a furnace and is Restrained for 1 minute. It can attempt a new Will save at the end of each of its turns to disbelieve the illusion and end the effect.
  • Syntax: [Level 11 Rare, Worn, +2 Athletics/Intimidate/Craft, +1 AC vs Ranged, Tremorsense 15ft, +1d6 Fire (Crit Frighten), 1/Hour Shatter (Fort Save), 2/Day Gaze (Will Save: Restrain)]

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

Manacles of the Obsidian Fury

  • Item Type: Relic (Armguards)
  • Weight: 6 lbs
  • Cost: $15,000 (Black Market)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Stat Modifiers: The wearer increases their Strength and Vigor attributes by one die type (e.g., d8 becomes d10).
    • Thermal Hallucination (Passive): Attackers suffer a -1 penalty to all Athletics (Throwing) and Shooting rolls directed at the wearer.
    • Menacing Craft (Passive): The wearer gains a +2 bonus to all Intimidation and Repair rolls.
    • Illusory Impact (Passive): Unarmed strikes deal Str+d6 damage and an additional +1d6 Fire damage. Any target taking damage must make a Smarts roll or be Distracted until the end of their next turn due to the hallucination of burning.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (Action): Once per encounter, the wearer can slam the ground, placing a Medium Burst Template centered on themselves. All enemies in the template take 2d6 damage and must make a Vigor roll or be Vulnerable from the deafening phantom shrieks.
    • Forgeheart Gaze (Action): Twice per day, the wearer may cast the entangle power using a Cone Template. The skill for this roll is fixed at d10. Instead of vines, victims are trapped by “Solid Smoke” and illusory heat.
    • The Weight of Memory (Drawback): If the wearer rolls a Critical Failure on a Fighting or Intimidation check, the tormented souls overwhelm them; the wearer immediately becomes Shaken.
  • Syntax: [Relic, +1 Die STR/VIG, -1 Ranged Attacks Received, +2 Intimidate/Repair, Unarmed Str+d6+1d6 Fire (Distracts), 1/Encounter AoE Shatter, 2/Day Entangle (Cone), Crit Fail Drawback]

Shadowrun (6th World)

Korra-Maelor Foci Manacles (Rating 5)

  • Item Category: Awakened Gear (Combat/Illusion Focus Hybrid)
  • Availability: 18F
  • Cost: 85,000¥
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Stat Augmentation: +1 to Strength and Body while worn.
    • Menacing Presence & Crafting: Grants a +2 dice pool bonus to Intimidation and Engineering tests.
    • Thermal Hallucination (Passive): The intense heat mirage grants the wearer a +2 Defense Rating (DR) against all ranged physical attacks.
    • Echo of the Lost (Passive): The gauntlets function as rating 5 seismic sensors. The wearer gains a +2 dice pool bonus to Perception tests to detect movement or hidden targets connected to the same solid surface.
    • Illusory Impact (Passive): Unarmed strikes deal an additional +2 DV (Fire/Magical). Targets damaged by a strike must make a Willpower + Logic test; failure imposes the Confused status (Rating 1) for 1 Combat Round due to phantom flames.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (Complex Action): Once per day, the user can strike the ground to replicate a Rating 5 Blast and Phantasm spell simultaneously. All targets within a 5-meter radius resist 5P damage and must make a Willpower + Intuition test or suffer the Blinded and Deafened statuses for 1 minute.
    • Forgeheart Gaze (Major Action): Twice per day, project a cone of solid smoke. Targets in the cone must resist a Rating 5 Agony illusion. Failure results in the Grappled status, as they believe they are trapped in molten iron. It requires a Complex Action and a successful Logic test to disbelieve and remove the status.
  • Syntax: [Rating 5 Focus, +1 STR/BOD, +2 DR vs Ranged, +2 Intimidation/Engineering, Unarmed +2 DV Fire (Confuses), 1/Day AoE Blast/Blind, 2/Day Cone Grapple]

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Vengeance-Forge Armguards, Model 953

  • Item Level: 12
  • Price: 35,000 Credits
  • Bulk: 1
  • Usage: Worn (Arms)
  • Base Statistics: Strength +2, Constitution +1
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Thermal Hallucination (Passive): The heat distortion provides you with Concealment against ranged attacks (DC 5 flat check to target you).
    • Echo of the Lost (Passive): You gain Tremorsense (Imprecise) 30 feet.
    • Menacing Presence & Crafting: You gain a +2 item bonus to Intimidation and Engineering checks.
    • Illusory Impact (Passive): Your unarmed strikes gain the magical and fiery traits, dealing an extra 2d6 fire damage. On a critical hit, the psychic shock of the flames leaves the target Frightened 2.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (2 Actions): Once per day, you slam your fists into a surface. All creatures in a 20-foot burst take 6d6 bludgeoning damage and 4d6 fire damage (Basic Fortitude save DC 32). A creature that fails its save is also Blinded and Deafened for 1d4 rounds by the horrific illusions.
    • Forgeheart Gaze (2 Actions): Twice per day, you project a 30-foot cone of “solid smoke.” Creatures in the area must make a DC 32 Will save. On a failure, they are Restrained by the illusion of solidifying iron. They can attempt a new Will save at the end of each of their turns to break the illusion.
  • Syntax: [Level 12 Hybrid Gear, +2 STR/+1 CON, Concealment vs Ranged, Tremorsense 30ft, +2 Intimidate/Engineering, Unarmed +2d6 Fire (Crit Frighten), 1/Day Shatter, 2/Day Gaze (Restrain)]

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition)

TL-14 Psionic-Thermal Bracers (Project 953)

  • Tech Level (TL): 14
  • Mass: 2.5 kg
  • Cost: Cr 450,000 (Highly Illegal / Black Market)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Characteristic Boost: +1 STR, +1 END.
    • Skill Enhancement: The built-in neuro-link and servos provide a DM+2 to Melee (Unarmed), Mechanic, and Intimidate checks.
    • Thermal Hallucination: A localized thermal-optic disruptor provides a DM-1 penalty to any ranged attacks targeting the wearer.
    • Echo of the Lost: Integrated seismic densitometers allow the wearer to detect movement through solid structures up to 10 meters away, completely negating surprise from hidden enemies on the same floor.
    • Illusory Impact: Unarmed strikes deal an additional 2 points of damage. Struck targets must make an END or INT 8+ check; failure means they hesitate from the neuro-induced hallucination of burning, losing their next Minor Action.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter: Once per standard day, the wearer can trigger a kinetic ground-slam. All targets within 5 meters suffer 3D6 damage and must make an END 8+ check or be stunned for 1D3 rounds due to sensory overload from the sonic/optic projectors.
    • Forgeheart Gaze: Twice per day, the bracers project a localized psionic/holographic snare in a cone. Targets must make a Psi or INT 10+ check. On a failure, their nervous system is tricked into paralysis (treated as immobilized) until they take physical damage or pass the check on a subsequent turn.
  • Syntax: [TL 14 Gear, +1 STR/END, DM+2 Brawling/Mechanic/Intimidate, Thermal Disruptor (DM-1 to attackers), Seismic Sensors, Kinetic Slam (Stun), Neural Snare]

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

Manacles of the Grudgebearer

  • Item Type: Magical Armor (Arms)
  • Rarity: Exotic (Requires Attunement by a Dwarf or Master Smith)
  • Armor Points: 2 (Arms)
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Stat Boosts: Grants a +10 bonus to Strength, Intimidate, and Trade (Smith) Tests.
    • Thermal Hallucination (Passive): The intense heat rising from the obsidian distorts the air. Any ranged attacks targeting the wearer suffer a -10 penalty to Ballistic Skill (BS).
    • Echo of the Lost (Passive): The wearer gains the Sixth Sense Talent regarding ambushes or hidden enemies, provided they are in a stone or subterranean environment.
    • Illusory Impact (Passive): The wearer’s unarmed strikes gain the Damaging Quality and inflict an additional +2 Damage. Targets struck must pass a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test or gain 1 Broken Condition as they believe their flesh is catching fire.
    • Furious Anvil Shatter (Active): Once per session, the wearer may strike the ground as an Action. All characters within 6 yards take a hit dealing Damage equal to the wearer’s Strength Bonus +4. Those hit must pass a Hard (-20) Cool Test or gain 1 Deafened and 1 Blinded Condition from the spectral fire and screams.
    • Forgeheart Gaze (Active): Twice per day, the iron eyes project a cone of thick, choking shadow. Targets within a 6-yard cone must pass a Difficult (-10) Intelligence Test. Those who fail gain the Entangled Condition, their minds convinced they are trapped in cooling slag, until they can pass the test on a subsequent turn to disbelieve the illusion.
  • Syntax: [Exotic Magic Armor, 2 AP, +10 STR/Intimidate/Smith, -10 BS to Attackers, Sixth Sense, Unarmed +2 Dmg (Causes Broken), 1/Session AoE Damage/Blind/Deaf, 2/Day Cone Entangle]