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Item 6627 of Angry

—

by

Dale
in

Lore: In the scorched canyons of the Red-Waste, where the heat-winds howl like wounded beasts, the first of these stones was found. It is said they are formed when a warrior’s fury becomes so intense that the very sand beneath their feet melts and crystallizes before the blood can hit the ground. In Saṃsāra, these items are known as “Cinders of the Unspoken.” They do not create anger; they provide a physical vessel for it, glowing brighter as the wearer’s patience thins, acting as a volcanic battery for the soul’s most volatile fires.

Description: A jagged, obsidian-like shard that appears to be perpetually smoldering. Deep crimson veins pulse within the dark stone, rhythmically brightening and dimming like a pressurized heart. It is hot to the touch—not enough to burn, but enough to remain uncomfortable. When gripped tightly, it emits a low, vibrating growl and a faint scent of sulfur and charred wood. It is held in a crude, blackened iron frame meant to be lashed to the body with singed leather.

Stats

  • Tier: 1
  • Rarity: Common
  • Armor Check (AC): 0
  • Slot: Shoulder Slot (Pauldron-mount) or Chest Slot
  • Resilience: 6
  • Health Points: 12

Skills Gained (Openly Worn)

  • Intimidation: +1 temporary skill point. The unnatural heat and the low growl of the stone make the wearer appear dangerously volatile.
  • Athletics: +1 temporary skill point. The simmering fury provides a constant, twitchy surge of adrenaline to the muscles.

Passive Magics

  • Adrenaline Heat: The wearer is immune to the effects of mundane cold. Additionally, any creature that grapples the wearer takes 1 point of fire damage per round from the intense heat radiating from the shard.
  • Short Fuse: The wearer gains a +2 bonus to Initiative rolls, but only if the combat was initiated by the wearer out of frustration or a direct insult.

Active Magics

  • The Crimson Flush (Normal Casting): As an action, the wearer channels their irritation into the stone, causing it to flare with a blinding red light. All creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a Will Save or be Staggered for 1 round by a sudden, overwhelming wave of phantom rage.
  • Seething Strike (Ritual Casting): Over 1 minute of focusing on a specific grievance, the wearer can imbue their next physical attack with the stone’s heat. The next successful strike deals an additional 1d6 Fire damage and ignores the target’s physical Damage Reduction (DR).

Tags: red, obsidian, fire, heat, rage, sulfur, iron, pulse, tier 1, common, vibration, adrenaline, intimidation, anger, cinder, fury, volcanic, ember, scorched, smolder, volatile, wrath, friction, blackened, pressure

The Igneous Acquisition of the Smoldering Shard

In the world of Saṃsāra, Item 6627 of Angry is a manifestation of concentrated friction and unresolved heat. It is rarely found in peaceful settings; rather, it appears where the environment or the history of the land is as turbulent as a boiling heart. An avatar might find themselves tethered to this volcanic shard through the following means:

  • The Battlefield’s Marrow: Sifting through the ash of a forest fire or the cooling slag of a scorched battlefield where a great injustice occurred.
  • The Duelist’s Inheritance: Receiving the shard from a dying rival who acknowledges that their fury was the only thing keeping them standing.
  • Geological Catalyst: Discovering a vein of obsidian in a volcanic vent that only crystallizes into “Angry” shards when exposed to the psychic screams of the “Red-Waste” winds.

Merchant Venues and Specialized Shops

Because the item vibrates with a hostile and uncomfortable energy, it is not found in high-end boutiques or polite markets. It is traded in places where the air is thick with smoke and the clientele is hardened by necessity.

  • Blacksmith Forges and Armorers: Masters of iron and flame often keep these shards to use as “starters” for their furnaces. They treat the item as a volatile industrial component. A grizzled armorer might sell a rough-mounted shard to an avatar for 120 to 150 Silver. They are usually happy to see it leave their shop, as the low growling noise tends to agitate their other tools.
  • Mercenary Outfitters and Pit-Fight Suppliers: Located in the lawless sectors of border towns, these shops cater to those who fight for a living. The merchants highlight the Intimidation and Seething Strike capabilities. In these gritty stalls, the shard is sold as a “Combat Enhancer” for 180 to 220 Silver (1.8 to 2.2 Gold).
  • Underground Relic-Fences: These shadowy dealers trade in items deemed “unstable” by the central authorities. They market the shard for its Short Fuse and Crimson Flush abilities. Because of the risk involved in carrying “angry” magic, the price is higher, ranging from 250 to 300 Silver.

Trade Values and Economic Realities

The value of “Angry” is dictated by the level of civil unrest or the local temperature of the region.

  • In Oppressive Authoritarian Cities (Tripled AC): In places where the population is simmering with repressed rage, these shards are in high demand as symbols of resistance. A revolutionary might pay up to 750 Silver for a shard to use as a beacon for their cause.
  • In Pacifistic Monasteries (Halved AC): In regions dedicated to “The Great Calm,” the item is seen as a spiritual pollutant. A merchant might only offer 40 to 60 Silver, and only then with the intent to bury it in a deep, cold well to neutralize its energy.
  • The “Cold-Ash” Penalty: If the shard stops glowing or pulsing (Low Resilience), it is considered “Quenched.” Its value drops to a mere 10 Silver until the owner can re-ignite it by exposing it to a moment of genuine, high-stakes fury.

The Volcanic Heart: Roleplaying the Vessel of Wrath

Roleplaying with Item 6627 of Angry requires the avatar to embody a state of “pressurized containment.” In Saṃsāra, this anger is not a loss of control, but a concentrated fuel. The avatar’s roleplay is characterized by heavy footfalls, a voice that rumbles with the grit of a rockslide, and skin that radiates a dry, uncomfortable heat. When the shard is active, the avatar doesn’t just act angry—they become a focal point of atmospheric tension, making the air feel thin and combustible for everyone in the vicinity.

Offensive Roleplay: The Erupting Force

Offensively, the shard is used to shatter the composure of enemies and turn the avatar into an unstoppable juggernaut of kinetic heat.

  • In Combat and Brawls: The avatar uses Short Fuse to roleplay a “hair-trigger” response. The player describes the avatar’s body tensing at the slightest slight—a smirk, a dismissive wave—followed by an explosive movement. When using Seething Strike, the roleplay focuses on the weapon glowing white-hot, hissing as it cuts through the air. The avatar might roar, not in pain, but in a cathartic release of long-held frustration, their strikes leaving blackened scorch marks on shields and armor.
  • Intimidation and Interrogation: The avatar uses the stone’s low growl to roleplay “The Simmer.” The player describes leaning into an NPC’s personal space, the heat from the shoulder-mount causing the NPC’s collar to wilt and their skin to bead with sweat. The roleplay is about the threat of eruption. “The stone is hungry, and I’m running out of reasons to keep it fed,” the avatar might mutter, their eyes reflecting the pulsing crimson veins of the shard.
  • Crowd Control: Using The Crimson Flush, the avatar roleplays a “Psychic Shockwave.” The player describes the shard flaring with a violent, blinding light that forces onlookers to recoil. The roleplay emphasizes the sudden, infectious surge of panic and rage the light carries, breaking the formation of a guard line or sending a mob into a confused, self-destructive frenzy.

Defensive Roleplay: The Shield of Scorched Earth

Defensively, the shard acts as a deterrent and a source of supernatural endurance, making the avatar “too hot to handle” both physically and mentally.

  • Environmental Survival: In frozen tundras or cold dungeons, the avatar roleplays Adrenaline Heat as a defiant warmth. While others shiver, the player describes the avatar standing with steam rising from their shoulders, the snow melting in a perfect circle around their feet. The defense is roleplayed as a stubborn refusal to be subdued by the elements; the avatar’s internal fire is simply more “important” than the external cold.
  • Grapple Deterrence: When an enemy tries to restrain the avatar, the player roleplays the “Branded Flesh” effect. The avatar doesn’t necessarily struggle to break free; they simply endure the hold until the enemy screams and releases them, their palms blistered by the shard’s radiating fury. The roleplay is one of painful invulnerability—the avatar is a burning coal that cannot be held without consequence.
  • Mental Fortitude: The avatar uses their anger as a “mental anchor.” Against charms or sleep spells, the player describes the avatar focusing on a specific grievance—a past betrayal or a current insult—to burn away the magical fog. The defense is roleplayed as the anger being “louder” than the magic; the shard’s vibration acts as a constant, grounding wake-up call that prevents the avatar’s mind from being lulled into complacency.

Perception of Activation:

  • User’s Perspective
    • The avatar feels a sudden, violent surge of heat radiating from the shoulder-mount, as if a hot coal has been pressed against their skin, though it does not blister.
    • Vision narrows into a “tunnel,” where the edges of the world go dark and blurry, while the primary target of their ire becomes preternaturally sharp and highlighted in a flickering crimson outline.
    • A low-frequency thrumming vibrates through the avatar’s collarbone and teeth, rhythmic and heavy like the beating of a titan’s heart.
    • The scent of a lightning strike mixed with scorched earth fills their nostrils, tasting metallic and sharp at the back of the throat.
  • Observer’s Perspective
    • The jagged obsidian shard flares with an internal, hellish light, revealing glowing red fractures that look like cooling lava.
    • A visible shimmer of heat distortion (thermal haze) ripples the air around the user’s shoulder, making their silhouette appear larger and more predatory.
    • A faint, guttural growl—not quite human and not quite animal—vibrates through the floorboards or ground nearby, causing dust to dance.
    • Wisps of acrid, dark smoke curl upward from the leather straps, smelling of singed hair and ancient wood fires.
  • Extra-Sensory Perceptions (Mind’s Eye and Beyond)
    • Thermal Pulse: The user “sees” the heat signatures of all living things within 30 feet; hearts and veins glow bright gold against a cold, grey background.
    • The Weight of Malice: The avatar senses the “heaviness” of surrounding intentions. Acts of cowardice or deceit feel like cold, wet slime, while genuine hostility feels like a welcoming, familiar spark.
    • Volcanic Echo: The user hears a faint, distant roar of falling rocks and erupting magma, drowning out small, distracting sounds like whispering or rustling leaves.
    • The Red Thread: A psychic “tether” appears to connect the shard to the source of the user’s anger, pulsing faster as the distance between the avatar and their target closes.
  • Positives
    • The Crimson Flush provides an immediate psychological “reset,” clearing the mind of fear or hesitation by replacing it with a single, focused directive of action.
    • The intense heat makes the avatar physically painful to touch, effectively neutralizing small, swarming enemies or preventing the user from being restrained.
    • The shard acts as a beacon of pure will, often inspiring allies to rally behind the avatar’s explosive momentum.
  • Negatives
    • Emotional Exhaustion: After the stone dims, the avatar suffers from “The Ash-Weight,” a state of lethargy where their movements feel sluggish and their emotions feel hollow.
    • Social Static: The stone’s growl and smell make it impossible to conduct delicate social interactions or stealthy maneuvers while the item is active.
    • Collateral Heat: The radiating temperature can accidentally damage delicate items the user is carrying, such as parchment, fine silks, or unstable alchemical vials.

The Quenching of the Unspoken: A Recipe for the Smoldering Shard

Materials Needed

  • 1 Shard of Volcanic Obsidian: Must be harvested from the “throat” of an active vent during a period of high seismic activity.
  • 1 Pint of Warrior’s Blood: Taken from a combatant while they are in the throes of a genuine, adrenaline-fueled battle-rage.
  • 3 Ounces of Sulfur-Soaked Iron Slag: Impurities skimmed from a forge fire that was fueled by coal from the Red-Waste.
  • 1 Length of Singed Manticore Leather: To serve as the harness; it must be resistant to high heat.
  • The Breath of a Dying Fire: A collection of smoke and heat captured in a leaden jar from a hearth that was extinguished by a sudden, violent act.

Tools Required

  • A Blackened Iron Frame: Forged in the shape of a jagged diamond to house and compress the obsidian.
  • An Ash-Tempered Hammer: A heavy smithing hammer that has been used to break stone for at least ten years.
  • A Granite Anvil: A standard metal anvil will warp under the intense psychic heat generated during the binding process.
  • Lead-Lined Tongs: To handle the shard, which will begin to vibrate and heat up as soon as it nears the blood.

Skill Requirements

  • Blacksmithing or Stone-Cutting (Trained): Minimum level 1. The crafter must be able to seat the stone into the iron frame without shattering the brittle obsidian.
  • Intimidation or Iron Will (Trained): Minimum level 1. The crafter must possess a strong internal “fire” to dominate the stone; if the crafter is fearful, the stone will remain cold and inert.
  • High Heat Tolerance: The physical ability to work in a workshop that will reach temperatures exceeding 45°C.

Crafting Steps

  • The Scoring of the Stone: Use a diamond-edged chisel to carve deep fissures into the obsidian shard. As you carve, you must recite a list of your own greatest grievances; the stone should begin to glow a dull, bruised purple.
  • The Blood-Quenching: Heat the obsidian in the center of a sulfurous forge until it turns translucent red. Suddenly plunge the glowing stone into the Pint of Warrior’s Blood. The resulting steam must be thick, acrid, and smell of iron.
  • The Iron Binding: Place the scorched shard into the Blackened Iron Frame. Use the Ash-Tempered Hammer to beat the iron tabs down around the stone. Each strike must be delivered with a grunt of exertion and a thought of “storing” that energy.
  • The Sealing of the Growl: Open the leaden jar containing the Breath of a Dying Fire and pour the smoke directly over the stone. If performed correctly, the smoke will not dissipate but will be sucked into the fissures of the shard, replaced by the low, vibrating growl.
  • The Leather Lashing: Use the Singed Manticore Leather to bind the iron frame. The leather must be wet when applied so that it shrinks and tightens around the iron as it dries, creating a pressurized seal.
  • The First Provocation: To finalize the activation, the crafter must intentionally strike the finished item while shouting a challenge. If the stone flares a brilliant crimson and burns the workbench, the item is ready.
  • The Cooling Period: Leave the item in a pile of dry ash overnight. If the ash has turned to glass by morning, the shard has successfully bonded its “Short Fuse” magic.

Hot-Rock That Ate Big-Madness

In the long-ago-before, when the dirt was still crying from the sky-fire (sun) and the water was hiding deep in the down-down, there was the Red-Dirt-Place. In the Red-Dirt-Place, the meat-bodies did not do the smiling. It was too hot for the upward-mouth-curve.

In this place lived a dirt-walker named Thick-Neck-Breaker. He was a good meat-body. He had a hole-in-the-ground that gave the sweet-water. He had a tent-of-skins. He bothered the no-one.

But across the dry-nothing lived the King-of-Taking-Things. The King-of-Taking-Things was fat with stolen-meat. He sat on a chair of shiny-yellow-rocks (gold) and his brain-sponge was always thinking of more things to do the taking of. The King heard of the sweet-water hole of Thick-Neck-Breaker.

The King made the loud-sounds to his Stick-Holders (guards). “Go to the dry-nothing. Hit the Thick-Neck-Breaker until he falls down. Take the sweet-water hole. Throw him into the Deep-Sun-Bake so he will do the big-sleep-without-waking.”

The Stick-Holders did the walking. They came to the tent-of-skins. Thick-Neck-Breaker fought with his heavy-hands, but there were too many sharp-metal-sticks. They hit his head-bone. They dragged his meat-body far into the Deep-Sun-Bake. They left him for the sky-birds to eat his eye-jellies.

The Growing of the Big-Madness

Thick-Neck-Breaker did not do the big-sleep. His eye-jellies opened. His throat-tube was dry like old sand. His red-water (blood) was spilling on the dirt. But he did not do the sad-crying. Instead, a tiny spark of the Big-Madness started in his stomach-meat.

He thought of the King-of-Taking-Things sitting on the shiny-chair, drinking the sweet-water. The spark became a small-fire.

Thick-Neck-Breaker stood on his walking-sticks (legs). He began to walk. The sky-fire beat on his head-bone, but the fire inside his stomach-meat was hotter. He walked for three sun-circles and three moon-holes. He did not eat. He did not drink. He only ate the thoughts of his own anger.

[Translator’s Note: The ancient text uses thirty different words for “anger” in this section. It translates roughly to “the anger that makes the teeth grind,” “the anger that makes the ears ring,” and “the anger that wants to punch the sky.”]

He walked to the Mountain-That-Spits-Fire (volcano). The Mountain was making the loud-burps of smoke and red-mud (lava). Thick-Neck-Breaker stood at the top. The Big-Madness in his chest-cage was too big. It was breaking his ribs. He had to let it out, or his meat-body would explode like a rotten fruit.

He found a piece of black-glass-dirt (obsidian). He squeezed it in his hand-meat. He squeezed it so hard that the sharp edges cut his skin, and his red-water ran into the cracks of the stone. He opened his mouth-hole and screamed the Unspoken-Words into the rock. He screamed all of his Big-Madness into the black-glass.

The Mountain-That-Spits-Fire heard the scream. The Mountain said, “This meat-body is hotter than my red-mud.” The black-glass-dirt drank the red-water. It drank the scream. It began to do the glowing. It turned from black to the color of a bruised-plum, then to angry-red. It began to make the low-vibration-growl.

Thick-Neck-Breaker opened his hand. He was not angry anymore. He was just empty. But the rock was angry. The rock was so angry it burned the air around it. He tied the Hot-Rock to his shoulder-meat using the skin of a dead fire-lizard.

The Return of the Walking-Furnace

He walked back to the water-hole. He did not walk slow now. He walked with the heavy-foot-slaps. The Hot-Rock growled and made the smell of burned-hair. The air wiggled around him because of the heat-ghosts (thermal haze).

The Stick-Holders saw him coming. They laughed the mean-laughs. “The dead-meat-body is walking back!” they said. They ran at him with their sharp-metal-sticks.

But Thick-Neck-Breaker did not do the fighting. He just stood there. The Stick-Holders grabbed his arm-meat to do the pulling. But when their hand-meat touched his skin, the Hot-Rock did the great-flaring. The Stick-Holders screamed the pain-screams. Their hand-meat was cooked like the pig-roast! Their metal-sticks melted into useless puddles of sad-metal.

The Stick-Holders did the fear-running. They ran all the way to the tall-stone-hut of the King-of-Taking-Things.

The Melting of the Fat-Face

Thick-Neck-Breaker followed. He kicked the heavy-wood-door until it broke into splinters. He walked into the cool-room of the King.

The King-of-Taking-Things sat on his shiny-chair. He tried to make the loud-sounds of command, but his throat-tube closed up. The Hot-Rock on Thick-Neck-Breaker’s shoulder was making the room too hot. The tapestries on the walls caught the fire-sickness. The sweet-water in the cups boiled away into the air-steam.

Thick-Neck-Breaker looked at the King. He did not say the words. The Hot-Rock did the speaking with its low-growl.

The King-of-Taking-Things began to do the great-sweating. His fat-face melted. His shiny-yellow-chair got so hot it burned his sitting-meat. The King screamed and fell on the floor-tiles. He crawled on his belly-meat out of the room. He ran into the dry-nothing, and he never stopped doing the running.

Thick-Neck-Breaker looked at the empty room. He took the skin-string off his shoulder. He put the Hot-Rock on the stone-table. It burned a hole straight through the table, but he did not care. His sweet-water hole was his again. He drank the water, and he went to do the big-sleep-with-waking (a nap). He left the Hot-Rock for the next dirt-walker who needed a place to put their Big-Madness.

The moral of the story: The fire in the belly will burn the house of the enemy to the ground-dirt, but if you do not take the hot-rock out of your pocket when the fighting is done, it will eventually cook your own leg-meat.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

The Smoldering Shard of Azathoth’s Spite

  • Item Type: Artifact (Occult Curio)
  • Description: A jagged obsidian fragment that pulses with a dark, hellish light. It feeds on the investigator’s frustration, vibrating against the bone when danger or insult is near.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Violent Adrenaline: When the investigator is in a state of “Extreme” stress or has lost Sanity in the current scene, they gain a Bonus Die on all Brawl and Intimidate rolls.
    • Passive (Thermal Shield): The investigator is immune to environmental cold. Any creature successfully grappling the investigator takes 1D3 burn damage per round.
    • Active (The Crimson Flush): Spend 5 Magic Points and 1D4 Sanity to cause the stone to flare. All humans within 5 yards must pass a Hard POW Roll or be stunned by a wave of psychic rage, losing their next action.
    • The Cost: The stone’s low growl imposes a Penalty Die on all Stealth and Charm rolls.
  • Syntax: Must be worn on the shoulder or chest.

Blades in the Dark

The Fury-Cinder

  • Item Type: Fine Relic (Violence/Intimidation)
  • Description: A smoldering volcanic shard lashed with scorched leather. It thrums with the rhythm of a heartbeat and smells of spent blasting powder.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Tier: 1 (Fine Quality)
    • Load: 1 (Worn on shoulder)
    • Passive (Short Fuse): You gain +1d to your Command or Skirmish rolls when you are the one to initiate the conflict through aggression or an insult.
    • Active (Seething Strike): Spend 1 Stress to add “Potency” to a melee attack. The strike glows with white heat, melting through armor or physical barriers as if they were wax.
    • Active (Thermal Armor): You are immune to harm from mundane fire or cold. If an enemy grabs you, they take Level 1 Harm (Burns) automatically.
  • Syntax: Takes 1 Load slot.

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

Item 6627: Pauldron of the Seething Heart

  • Wondrous Item, Common
  • Description: A blackened iron frame holding a pulsing red obsidian shard. It feels uncomfortably hot to the touch.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Passive (Heat Radiance): You have resistance to cold damage. Additionally, any creature that starts its turn grappling you takes 1d4 fire damage.
    • Passive (Aggressive Edge): You gain a +2 bonus to Initiative rolls if you are the one who starts the combat. You also have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks.
    • Active (Crimson Flare): As an action, you can cause the shard to emit a pulse of red light. Each creature within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be Frightened of you until the end of your next turn. Once used, this property can’t be used again until the next dawn.
    • Active (Searing Blow): Once per Long Rest, you can add 1d6 fire damage to a successful melee weapon attack.
  • Syntax: No attunement required.

Knave (2nd Edition)

The Obsidian Growler

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item (1 Slot)
  • Description: A jagged black rock that growls when you get angry. It smells like sulfur and burnt hair.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Armor: 0 (Occupies 1 item slot).
    • Passive (Internal Fire): You are immune to cold damage and effects of freezing weather. Enemies take 1 damage every time they hit you with an unarmed strike or grapple you.
    • Passive (Intimidating Glow): You have a +2 bonus to all Reaction Rolls when attempting to intimidate or threaten others.
    • Active (Berserk Pulse): Once per day, you may flare the stone to force all enemies within 20 feet to check Morale.
    • Active (Burn-Through): You may spend your action to make your next melee attack ignore the target’s Armor bonus as the stone’s heat melts through their protection.
  • Syntax: 1 slot. Must be worn on the shoulder to provide the Passive (Intimidating Glow) bonus.

Fate (Core/Condensed)

The Cinder of the Unspoken

  • Item Type: Extra / Personal Gear
  • Description: A jagged obsidian shard in a blackened iron frame. It vibrates with a low, guttural growl that intensifies as the wearer’s patience wears thin.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Aspect: Volcanic Temper. This aspect can be invoked to resist fear, smash through physical barriers, or intimidate a crowd. It can be compelled to make the user act impulsively, ruin a delicate social situation, or cause accidental fire damage to precious items.
    • Stunt (Thermal Retribution): Because I am wearing the Cinder, I gain a +2 to Physique rolls to defend against or break out of a grapple. If I succeed with style, the attacker takes 2 shifts of physical stress from the intense heat.
    • Passive Bonus: Gain a +1 to all Provoke rolls when using intimidation or displays of raw power.
  • Syntax: Occupies an Aspect slot or costs 1 Refresh as an Extra.

Numenera & Cypher System

Aggression-Resonance Shard

  • Item Type: Artifact (Level 1d6)
  • Description: A smoldering shard of volcanic glass. It pulses with a crimson light that syncs with the user’s adrenaline levels.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Level: 1d6
    • Form: Obsidian shard lashed to a shoulder pauldron.
    • Effect (Passive): The user is immune to damage from environmental cold. Any creature that touches or grapples the user takes 2 points of ambient fire damage per round.
    • Effect (Active): By spending 3 points from your Might Pool, you can trigger a Crimson Flush. All enemies within immediate range must succeed on an Intellect defense roll or be dazed for one round, hindered in all tasks by the overwhelming psychic pressure of your rage.
    • Depletion: 1 in 1d20. (Upon depletion, the stone cracks and loses its heat, becoming a mundane piece of glass).
  • Syntax: Counted toward your Artifact limit.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

Item 6627: Shard of the Scorched Heart

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item, Level 2
  • Description: This jagged obsidian shard pulses with a rhythmic crimson light. It feels hot to the touch and smells faintly of sulfur.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Usage: Worn (Shoulder); Bulk: L
    • Traits: Magical, Invested, Evocation, Fire, Emotion.
    • Passive (Cinder-Warmth): You gain Fire Resistance 2. You are also protected from the effects of severe cold as if wearing cold-weather clothing.
    • Passive (Furious Presence): You gain a +1 item bonus to Intimidation checks and to Initiative rolls if you are the one starting the conflict.
    • Activate (Two Actions – Interact): Once per day, you can cause the stone to flare. All creatures in a 10-foot emanation must succeed at a DC 16 Will Save or become Frightened 1 (Frightened 2 on a critical failure).
    • Activate (Free Action – Envision): Trigger: You hit with a melee strike. Effect: You deal an additional 1d6 fire damage. This can be used once per hour.
  • Syntax: Standard PF2e invested item formatting.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

The Wrath-Ember

  • Item Type: Arcane Device
  • Description: A smoldering volcanic shard that thrums with a low, vibrating growl. It feeds on the wearer’s irritation.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Rank: Novice
    • Passive (Menacing): The wearer gains the Menacing Edge. If they already have it, their Intimidation rolls gain an additional +1.
    • Passive (Heat Aura): The wearer ignores penalties for cold weather. Any creature successfully Grappling the wearer takes 2d4 fire damage at the start of their turn.
    • Power (Burst): The shard has 5 Power Points. The user can cast the Burst power (trapped as a wave of crimson heat and psychic rage) using their Smarts as the arcane skill. Each use costs 2 PP.
  • Syntax: Power Points recharge at a rate of 1 per hour. If the stone is “Quenched” in water, it cannot be used again until it has spent 1 hour in a forge or open flame.

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

The Red-Waste Adrenaline Focus

  • Item Type: Qi Focus (Level 2) / Alchemical Rad-Shard
  • Description: A jagged obsidian shard in a lead-lined iron frame. It vibrates against the user’s bio-feedback loop, translating emotional frustration into a thermal and kinetic surge across the dermal layers.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Passive (Thermal Feedback): The user gains +1 die to Resistance tests against Cold-based damage or environmental effects. Any character attempting to Grapple the user takes 1 box of Fire damage per combat round.
    • Passive (Intimidation Edge): Gain a +2 dice pool bonus to Social (Intimidation) tests. The stone’s audible growl adds a threatening “glitch” to the user’s voice.
    • Active (Adrenaline Spike): Spend 1 Edge to gain a +2 bonus to your Initiative Rating for the duration of the combat, provided you were the aggressor.
    • The Cost: The heat and vibration make delicate work difficult. The user suffers a -1 dice pool penalty to Electronics or Engineering tests while the focus is active.
  • Syntax: Must be bonded (10 Karma). Occupies the “Shoulder” slot.

Starfinder (2nd Edition / Playtest)

Item 6627: Volcanic Cinder-Pauldron

  • Item Type: Wondrous Item / Tech-Magic Hybrid (Level 2)
  • Description: An obsidian shard harvested from an active lava vent on a tectonic moon. It utilizes a micro-capacitor to vent emotional energy as physical heat.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Usage: Worn (Shoulder); Bulk: L
    • Passive (Molten Skin): You gain Resistance 5 to Cold. Any creature that starts its turn grappling you takes 1d6 Fire damage.
    • Passive (Short Fuse): You gain a +1 item bonus to Initiative rolls. If you act first in combat, you gain a +1 item bonus to your first attack roll that round.
    • Active (Crimson Outburst – Reaction): Trigger: An enemy misses you with a melee attack. Effect: The pauldron flares. The attacker must succeed at a Fortitude Save (DC 13) or be Dazzled for 1 round by the searing red light.
  • Syntax: Requires the Invested, Magical, and Fire traits.

Traveller (2nd Edition – Mongoose)

Ancients’ Aggression-Inducer

  • Item Type: TL 15 Bio-Relic
  • Description: A dark, smoldering stone of unknown manufacture. It leeches onto the user’s nervous system, heightening aggressive instincts and radiating waste heat as a byproduct of neural stimulation.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Tech Level (TL): 15
    • Passive (Environmental Shielding): The wearer ignores the effects of “Cold” environmental hazards up to -40°C.
    • Passive (Threat Profile): The wearer gains a +1 DM to all Persuasion (Intimidate) checks. The low hum of the stone makes people instinctively want to back away.
    • Active (Seething Strike): Once per combat, the wearer may declare a “Seething Strike” on a Melee attack. This attack gains AP 4 and deals an extra 1D6 damage as the stone’s heat melts through the target’s armor at the point of impact.
  • Syntax: Occupies a personal equipment slot. Must be lashed to the torso or shoulder.

Warhammer (Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition / 40k Imperium Maledictum)

The Cinder of Unspoken Wrath

  • Item Type: Minor Relic / Warp-Tainted Curio
  • Description: A pulsing obsidian fragment found in the wake of a Khornate incursion or a volcanic cataclysm. It whispers of old grudges and hums with a heat that never cools.
  • Game Mechanics:
    • Traits: Chaotic (Minor), Radiant, Destructive.
    • Passive (Volcanic Blood): The wearer gains the Sturdy Talent (or +1 level if already possessed) when resisting physical displacement or grappling. Any unarmed attack against the wearer causes the attacker to take 1 Ablaze condition.
    • Passive (Menacing Glow): Gain +10 to all Intimidation Tests. The stone’s growl is audible to anyone within 4 yards.
    • Active (The Crimson Flush): Once per session, the wearer can unleash a wave of fury. All sentient creatures within 5 yards must pass a Challenging Willpower Test (+0) or gain a Stunned condition from the psychic backlash of the stone’s rage.
    • The Price: Every time the item is used to deliver a Seething Strike, the user must pass a Cool Test or immediately gain 1 Corruption point as the anger takes root in their soul.
  • Syntax: Must be worn openly. If the wearer tries to hide it, the heat causes 1 Damage per hour to their own clothing/armor.