Arcane Cipher Engine

From: Obsidian Alchemists Conclave

Lore: The Arcane Cipher Engine is a marvel of ancient knowledge and arcane ingenuity, a relic rumored to have been inspired by celestial beings or ancient scholars from an enigmatic era long past. The true origins of the device are shrouded in myth and legend, leading some to believe it was a gift from higher planes, while others assert it was a creation of an enigmatic alchemist whose name has been lost to time.

Throughout the ages, the Arcane Cipher Engine has been a treasured tool of the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, as it enables them to decipher ancient texts and encrypted knowledge that have remained undecipherable for generations. The device is revered for its ability to align intricate symbols and sigils in precise configurations, unlocking hidden meanings and revealing the long-forgotten secrets of alchemical lore.

Description: The Arcane Cipher Engine is a complex apparatus, its surface adorned with intricate runes and sigils representing ancient languages and cryptic codes. Rotating disks and finely-tuned levers adorn its exterior, enabling alchemists to manipulate the arrangement of symbols with precision.

Purpose: The primary purpose of the Arcane Cipher Engine is to assist alchemists in deciphering and interpreting ancient texts and encrypted knowledge. By adjusting the arrangement of symbols and sigils, the device unveils hidden meanings and reveals the secrets of alchemical lore lost to the annals of history.

Stats:

• Size: The Arcane Cipher Engine stands at around 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
• Color: The device is constructed primarily of dark, polished wood, with the runes and sigils etched in shimmering silver and gold.
• Shape: It has a rectangular base, and the intricate mechanisms extend upwards to form a series of rotating disks and levers.
• Sound: When the Arcane Cipher Engine is in operation, it emits a faint, melodious hum, akin to a harmonious melody resonating through the air.
• Requirements: The operation of the Arcane Cipher Engine demands the skill and knowledge of adept alchemists proficient in ancient languages, cryptology, and the deciphering of symbols. Only those initiated into the secrets of the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave can access and operate the device.
• Tags: Arcane, Ancient, Cryptic, Decipher, Lore, Enigmatic, Celestial, Melodious, Symbolic, Scholarly, Intricate, Sacred, Shimmering

Cost and Where to Obtain: The Arcane Cipher Engine is an irreplaceable artifact owned exclusively by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave. It is not available for sale or trade in the common markets of Saṃsāra. The secrets and rituals required for its construction and operation are carefully guarded within the conclave, and access to the device is granted only to the conclave’s most esteemed alchemists.

Environment and Usage: The Arcane Cipher Engine is housed within a sacred chamber known as the Codexarium, a highly secure location within the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave. Access to the Codexarium is limited to the highest-ranking members of the conclave, where they gather to unravel the mysteries of ancient tomes and encrypted scrolls.

The results of using the Arcane Cipher Engine can be profound, unlocking the secrets of forgotten alchemical lore and revealing lost knowledge. The deciphered texts often contain rare and powerful alchemical recipes, forgotten spells, and insights into the arcane that can enhance the conclave’s alchemical endeavors. The knowledge gained through the engine’s deciphering may also lead the alchemists to embark on new quests, seeking artifacts or rare ingredients, and delving into uncharted territories in pursuit of further enlightenment.

The Arcane Cipher Engine brings an element of ancient mystery and cryptic exploration to the world of Saṃsāra. Its potential to decipher long-lost alchemical knowledge makes it a captivating tool for storytelling and adventure, as alchemists and adventurers seek to unlock the secrets of the past and unveil the mysteries of the arcane within the lore-rich world of Saṃsāra.

Tale of the Starscribe Mechanism

In the shadowed epochs of Saṃsāra’s infancy, when the stars themselves were young and the gods still walked among the nascent realms, there existed a circle of seers known as the Oraculi. They were a clandestine order, their minds attuned to the celestial harmonies that governed the cosmos, their lives dedicated to unraveling the mysteries that lay hidden within the fabric of reality. The Oraculi dwelt in a sanctuary atop the highest peak of the Starlit Range, a place they named Astrovale, where the night sky was a tapestry of radiant light, and the air thrummed with the whispers of the divine. It was here, in this sacred refuge, that the Starscribe Mechanism was said to have come into being, a device born of celestial inspiration and mortal ingenuity.

The origins of the Starscribe Mechanism were a matter of legend, even among the Oraculi. Some among them believed it to be a gift from the celestial beings who watched over Saṃsāra, entities of light and wisdom who sought to guide the mortals below. Others claimed it was the creation of an enigmatic alchemist named Zorathys, a figure whose name had been lost to the annals of time, but whose brilliance was said to rival the gods themselves. The truth, as is often the case, lay buried beneath layers of myth, its details obscured by the passage of millennia. What was known, however, was that the Starscribe Mechanism was a marvel of arcane craft, a tool that could unlock the secrets of the ages.

The Starscribe Mechanism was a complex apparatus, its form both functional and beautiful. It stood five feet tall and four feet wide, its rectangular base crafted from dark, polished wood that seemed to drink in the light around it. Its surface was adorned with runes and sigils, etched in shimmering silver and gold, each symbol representing a fragment of an ancient language or a cryptic code lost to history. Rotating disks and finely tuned levers extended from its frame, their movements precise and deliberate, allowing the user to align the symbols in configurations that revealed hidden meanings. When in operation, the mechanism emitted a faint, melodious hum, a sound that was said to be the echo of the celestial harmonies that had inspired its creation.

The Oraculi revered the Starscribe Mechanism as a sacred tool, for it enabled them to decipher texts and scrolls that had been written in tongues long forgotten. These writings, often discovered in the ruins of ancient civilizations or gifted to the Oraculi by travelers from distant planes, contained knowledge that had been lost to the world—alchemical recipes of unparalleled potency, spells that could bend the very laws of reality, and insights into the nature of the cosmos itself. The Oraculi would gather in the heart of Astrovale, within a chamber they called the Hall of Whispers, where the walls were inscribed with star charts and the air was thick with the scent of incense. Here, they would place a scroll before the Starscribe Mechanism, aligning its disks and levers with careful precision, their voices raised in a chant that called upon the wisdom of the stars.

The mechanism’s work was nothing short of miraculous. As the disks turned and the levers clicked into place, the runes on its surface would glow with a soft, silvery light, and the symbols on the scroll would begin to shift, their meanings unfolding like a flower in bloom. The Oraculi would watch in awe as the words of the ancients were revealed to them, their minds filled with visions of forgotten lore. One such scroll, discovered in the depths of a sunken city, contained the recipe for an elixir that could grant the imbiber the ability to see through illusions, a potion that saved the Oraculi from the machinations of a deceitful spirit. Another scroll, gifted by a traveler from a realm of eternal twilight, revealed a spell that could summon a star to earth, its light banishing a horde of shadow-beasts that had plagued Astrovale for generations.

The Starscribe Mechanism became the cornerstone of the Oraculi’s power, a tool that allowed them to preserve and expand their knowledge in a world that was often hostile to their kind. They used the secrets they uncovered to forge alliances with other orders, sharing their wisdom in exchange for protection and resources. They crafted artifacts imbued with the magic of the stars, their light guiding the lost and their power shielding the weak. For a time, Astrovale was a beacon of enlightenment, its halls filled with the melodious hum of the Starscribe Mechanism and the voices of the Oraculi as they chanted their celestial hymns.

But the gods, ever watchful of the mortal realm, grew wary of the Oraculi’s growing power. The Starscribe Mechanism, they feared, was a tool that could unveil secrets meant to remain hidden, knowledge that could challenge the divine order itself. The goddess of secrets, Lythara, descended to Astrovale in the guise of a wandering scholar, her form cloaked in robes that shimmered like the night sky. She came to the Oraculi’s leader, a seer named Eryndral, and spoke to him of the dangers of their pursuit. She warned that the mechanism’s power was a double-edged blade, capable of revealing truths that would drive mortals to madness, and that to delve too deeply into the mysteries of the cosmos was to invite destruction. She urged Eryndral to use the Starscribe Mechanism with caution, to seek only the knowledge that would bring harmony, lest it bring ruin upon his order.

Eryndral, however, was a man consumed by his thirst for understanding. He saw Lythara’s warning not as wisdom, but as a barrier to the destiny of the Oraculi. He thanked the goddess for her counsel but declared that his order would not be bound by fear. Lythara departed, her parting words a prophecy that would echo through the ages: “The mechanism of the stars will sing too loudly, and its song will drown the voices of those who listen.”

Undeterred, the Oraculi pressed the Starscribe Mechanism to its limits. They sought to decipher a scroll that was said to contain the true names of the gods themselves, a text so ancient that its parchment was brittle with age, its symbols glowing with a light that was not of this world. They gathered in the Hall of Whispers, their chants rising to a crescendo as they aligned the mechanism’s disks and levers with a precision born of desperation. The Starscribe Mechanism hummed with a melody that was both beautiful and terrifying, its runes glowing with a light that rivaled the stars above. For a moment, it seemed as though their ambition would be rewarded, as the symbols on the scroll began to shift, revealing fragments of the divine names.

But the knowledge they sought was not meant for mortal minds. The Starscribe Mechanism, unable to bear the weight of such revelations, began to falter, its melody turning discordant as the runes on its surface flared with an unbearable light. The scroll burst into flames, its ashes scattering like stars across the Hall of Whispers, and the mechanism unleashed a wave of arcane energy that tore through Astrovale. The sanctuary was consumed in an instant, its towers crumbling into the abyss below, and the Oraculi were no more. The Starscribe Mechanism, though scarred by the energy it had unleashed, survived, its wooden frame cracked but intact, its runes still glowing with a faint, defiant light.

For centuries, the Starscribe Mechanism lay buried beneath the ruins of Astrovale, its hum silenced, its power dormant. It was not until the rise of the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave that the device was rediscovered. The alchemists, descendants of the Oraculi’s legacy, unearthed the mechanism and brought it to their stronghold. They renamed it the Arcane Cipher Engine, a title that honored its purpose while distancing it from the tragedy of its past. Through years of study and ritual, they restored its function, learning to harness its power with a caution born of history’s lessons.

The Arcane Cipher Engine became a treasured tool of the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, a device that allowed them to decipher ancient texts and unlock the secrets of alchemical lore. But the alchemists never forgot the tale of Astrovale, a story that had been passed down through fragments of ancient texts, translated from a language so old that its origins were lost to time. They inscribed the tale in their annals, a reminder of the price of unchecked curiosity and the need for balance in the pursuit of knowledge.

Moral of the Story: The pursuit of hidden knowledge is a noble endeavor, but to seek truths beyond mortal comprehension is to court ruin; true wisdom lies in knowing the boundaries of one’s own understanding.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Call of Cthulhu, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a Mythos artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, a secretive group of occult scholars. It deciphers ancient texts and encrypted knowledge, potentially revealing forbidden lore tied to the Mythos, but its use risks sanity loss and attracts cosmic entities. The device requires expertise in occult knowledge and languages, fitting the game’s themes of cosmic horror and the pursuit of dangerous truths.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide device of dark, polished wood, adorned with silver and gold runes and sigils, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a faint, melodious hum.
  • Size: Medium (5 feet tall, 4 feet wide).
  • Weight: Immobile (approximately 500 lbs.).
  • Sanity Cost: 1/1D4 upon first use; 0/1D4 per deciphering attempt.
  • Requirements:
    • Knowledge (Occult) or Knowledge (Mythos) skill of 50% or higher.
    • A successful Hard INT roll to operate the device.
    • A Language (Other) skill roll (specific to the text being deciphered) to interpret results.
  • Effects:
    • Deciphering: Over 1 hour, the device can decipher an encrypted text or ancient scroll (roll 1D100):
      • 01-50: Successfully deciphers the text, revealing a piece of lore (e.g., a spell, recipe, or clue).
      • 51-80: Deciphers the text but with a cost of 1D6 Sanity due to forbidden knowledge.
      • 81-00: Deciphering fails, and the user loses 1D4 Sanity as the device reveals a glimpse of a cosmic truth.
    • Enhanced Research: When used, the device grants a +20% bonus to a Library Use roll related to the deciphered text.
  • Drawbacks:
    • Cosmic Attention: Each use has a 10% chance of attracting a minor Mythos entity (e.g., a Hound of Tindalos) that arrives in 1D10 minutes.
    • Mental Strain: Each use after the first in a 24-hour period requires a POW roll, or the user suffers 1D4 Sanity loss from mental fatigue.
  • Notes: The device is immobile and guarded within the Codexarium, requiring stealth or negotiation to access.

Blades in the Dark

• High-Level Overview: In Blades in the Dark, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a rare artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, a faction of arcane scholars in Doskvol. It deciphers ancient texts and encrypted knowledge, providing valuable information for scores or rituals, fitting the game’s occult and steampunk tone. Its use risks complications like attracting spirits or causing arcane mishaps, aligning with the game’s focus on risk and reward.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Tier: IV (reflecting its rarity and power).
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Size: Medium (5 feet tall, 4 feet wide).
  • Usage:
    • Activation: Requires a Study or Attune roll (4/5 effect, Risky position). Success deciphers a text (see below).
    • Deciphering: On a success, roll 1d6 to determine the result:
      • 1-2: Reveals a minor piece of lore (e.g., a location of a hidden stash, worth 2 Coin).
      • 3-4: Reveals a valuable secret (e.g., a ritual or recipe, grants +1d to a related downtime roll).
      • 5-6: Reveals a major secret (e.g., a lost spell, grants an asset for a score), but adds +1 Heat due to its significance.
    • Downtime Activity: Deciphering a complex text is a long-term project (8 segments). Each roll risks a complication (e.g., attracting a ghost or drawing Conclave attention).
  • Complications:
    • Roll 1d6 after each use:
      • 1-2: The device emits an arcane pulse, causing a Level 1 Harm (Dazed) to the user unless resisted with Resolve.
      • 3-4: The hum attracts a ghost, creating a new obstacle.
      • 5-6: The Conclave notices the usage (+1 Heat).
    • Faction Impact:
      • Using the Arcane Cipher Engine reduces the Conclave’s hold by 1.
      • Stealing it creates a -2 status with the Conclave but grants +1 status with a rival faction (e.g., the Circle of Flame).

Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Dungeons & Dragons, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a very rare artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave in Saṃsāra. It deciphers ancient texts and encrypted knowledge, revealing lost lore or spells, fitting the high-magic setting. Its use requires skill and carries risks of mental strain, balanced for mid-to-high-level play. The device integrates with D&D’s skill and magic systems, offering rewards for those who can access it.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Type: Wondrous Item, Very Rare (requires attunement by a creature proficient in Arcana).
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
• Properties:
  • Deciphering: As an action, you can use the Arcane Cipher Engine over 1 hour to decipher an encrypted text or scroll (requires a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check):
    • Success: Roll 1d20:
      • 1-5: The device misfires, causing psychic feedback (2d6 psychic damage, DC 15 Wisdom save for half).
      • 6-15: Reveals a minor piece of lore (e.g., a clue to a treasure or location).
      • 16-20: Reveals a major secret (e.g., a spell of 3rd level or lower, or an alchemical recipe).
    • Failure: The device fails to decipher the text, and you take 2d6 psychic damage.
  • Enhanced Research: When used, the device grants advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks related to the deciphered text for 24 hours.
• Drawbacks:
  • Mental Strain: Each use after the first in a 24-hour period requires a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, you gain 1 level of exhaustion.
  • Attunement Limit: While attuned, you can only attune to 2 other magic items instead of the usual 3.
  • Destruction: The Arcane Cipher Engine can only be destroyed by casting a 5th-level dispel magic spell on it, causing its runes to fade and its wood to crumble.

Knave (2nd Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Knave, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a valuable magical artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, fitting the system’s focus on item-based progression and exploration. It deciphers ancient texts, providing knowledge or recipes, but risks mental strain or arcane mishaps. The mechanics are streamlined to fit Knave’s minimalist approach, emphasizing the balance between reward and risk.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Slots: 3 (immobile).
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Usage:
    • Activation: Requires 1 hour and a successful INT save (DC 15). On a success, the device deciphers a text (roll 1d6):
      • 1-2: Reveals a minor clue (e.g., a map to a treasure worth 50 gp).
      • 3-4: Reveals a recipe (e.g., a potion that grants +2 to a stat for 1 hour).
      • 5-6: Reveals a spell (e.g., a 1st-level spell scroll equivalent).
    • On a failed save, roll on the Mishap table.
    • Enhanced Research: Grants +5 to an INT roll related to the deciphered text for 24 hours.
  • Mishap Table (Roll 1d6):
    • 1-2: The device emits psychic feedback, dealing 1d6 psychic damage to the user (ignores armor).
    • 3-4: The user suffers a temporary curse (e.g., -2 to INT saves for 1 day).
    • 5-6: The device shuts down for 1d4 days.
  • Notes:
    • The Arcane Cipher Engine cannot be moved without a ritual (DC 18 INT save). Failure destroys the device.
    • Only 1 character can benefit from its effects at a time (similar to attunement).

Fate Core System

• High-Level Overview: In Fate Core, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a significant artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, fitting the narrative-driven, high-magic world of Saṃsāra. It acts as an extra with aspects and stunts, enabling characters to decipher ancient texts and unlock lost knowledge, which can provide advantages in investigations or magical pursuits. Its use carries risks, modeled as compels and stress, reflecting potential arcane mishaps or attracting unwanted attention, aligning with Fate’s focus on story and character-driven play.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Aspects:
    • Celestial Decoder of Secrets
    • Ancient Relic of the Oraculi
    • Fragile Conduit of Lost Knowledge
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide device of dark, polished wood, adorned with silver and gold runes and sigils, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a faint, melodious hum.
  • Stunts:
    • Decipher Ancient Lore: Once per scene, a character with a relevant skill (e.g., Lore or Investigate at +3 or higher) can spend a fate point to activate the Arcane Cipher Engine. Roll against a difficulty of +4. On a success, create an advantage like “Decoded Ancient Secret” with 2 free invokes (e.g., a clue, spell, or recipe). On a success with style, gain 3 free invokes. On a failure, the device misfires (see below).
    • Enhanced Insight: When using an invoke from “Decoded Ancient Secret,” add +2 to a roll involving investigation, magic, or alchemical knowledge (e.g., solving a puzzle or crafting a potion). Alternatively, spend an invoke to create a boost like “Arcane Insight” for a single use.
  • Drawbacks:
    • Misfire Risk: If the activation roll fails, the GM can compel the “Fragile Conduit of Lost Knowledge” aspect. The character takes 2 stress, or the device creates a scene aspect like “Arcane Resonance” that complicates the situation (e.g., attracting spirits or causing a psychic backlash).
    • Guarded Relic: The device is immobile and protected within the Codexarium, requiring a scene to access (e.g., overcoming wards or guards).
  • Notes: The Arcane Cipher Engine can be a focal point for a challenge or conflict, driving narrative tension through compels and consequences.

Numenera (Cypher System)

• High-Level Overview: In Numenera, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a numenera artifact from the ancient Oraculi, now controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave on Saṃsāra. It deciphers encrypted knowledge and ancient texts, revealing lost lore or numenera secrets, fitting the game’s focus on mysterious technology and exploration. Its use carries risks, with a depletion roll reflecting potential failure, and it can cause unintended effects, aligning with the system’s emphasis on wonder and danger. The mechanics are balanced for mid-to-high-level play.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Level: 6
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Effect:
    • Deciphering: The user can spend 1 hour and 2 Intellect points to activate the device (Difficulty 6 Intellect task). On a success, the device deciphers a text (roll 1d6):
      • 1-2: Reveals a minor piece of lore (e.g., a clue to a numenera device).
      • 3-4: Reveals a cypher schematic (equivalent to a level 4 cypher).
      • 5-6: Reveals a lost numenera secret (e.g., a level 5 artifact schematic or a forgotten skill).
    • Enhanced Research: For 24 hours after use, the user gains an asset on knowledge tasks related to the deciphered text.
    • Depletion: 1 in 1d20 (checked each time the device is activated). On depletion, the device misfires, dealing 6 points of Intellect damage to the user and becoming unusable until repaired (Difficulty 6 task, 1d6 hours).
  • Drawbacks:
    • Arcane Feedback: Each use has a 1 in 6 chance of causing a minor numenera mishap (e.g., user takes 1d6 points of Intellect damage).
    • Immobile: The device cannot be moved without a ritual (Difficulty 7 Intellect task, 4 Intellect points). Failure destroys the device.

Pathfinder (2nd Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Pathfinder 2e, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a rare magical artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave in Saṃsāra. It deciphers ancient texts and encrypted knowledge, revealing lost spells or alchemical recipes, fitting the game’s high-magic setting and focus on skills. Its use involves skill checks with risks of critical failure, causing psychic feedback or mental strain, balanced for mid-to-high-level play, reflecting its power and guarded nature.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Item Level: 12
  • Price: Not for sale (unique artifact).
  • Bulk: Immobile (5 feet tall, 4 feet wide).
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Activation: 1 hour; [Interact], [Concentrate]; Prerequisites: Expert proficiency in Arcana or Occultism.
  • Effect:
    • Deciphering: You attempt to decipher a text with a DC 30 Arcana or Occultism check.
      • Critical Success: Reveal a major secret (e.g., a 4th-level spell or an alchemical recipe).
      • Success: Reveal a minor piece of lore (e.g., a clue or a 2nd-level spell).
      • Failure: No lore is revealed, and you take 3d6 mental damage (DC 25 basic Will save).
      • Critical Failure: As failure, plus you become stupefied 1 for 1 hour due to psychic feedback.
    • Enhanced Research: For 24 hours after use, you gain a +2 item bonus to Recall Knowledge checks related to the deciphered text.
  • Drawbacks:
    • Mental Strain: After each use, you must succeed on a DC 25 Will save or become fatigued until you rest for 8 hours.
    • Guarded Artifact: The Conclave protects the device in the Codexarium, requiring diplomatic or stealth challenges to access.

Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Savage Worlds, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a valuable artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave in Saṃsāra. It deciphers ancient texts and encrypted knowledge, providing clues or spells, fitting the game’s fast-paced, pulpy style in a high-magic setting. Its mechanics use skill rolls, with risks of mishaps or arcane backlash, balanced for mid-to-high-level characters. The device adds tension through potential complications, aligning with the system’s focus on action and adventure.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Traits:
    • Weight: Immobile (500 lbs.).
    • Requirements: Occult d8+ or Academics d8+.
  • Activation:
    • Task: Decipher a text over 1 hour (3 rounds for dramatic purposes). Requires a successful Occult or Academics roll at -2 (Target Number 4).
    • Success: Deciphers the text (roll 1d6):
      • 1-2: Reveals a minor clue (e.g., a map to a treasure worth 100 credits).
      • 3-4: Reveals a recipe (e.g., a potion that grants +1 to a Trait for 1 hour).
      • 5-6: Reveals a spell (e.g., equivalent to a Novice power).
    • Failure: The device emits psychic feedback, dealing 2d6 damage (Spirit roll at -2 to halve).
    • Critical Failure: As failure, plus the user takes 1 Fatigue from mental strain.
  • Drawbacks:
    • Backlash Risk: Each use after the first in a 24-hour period requires a Spirit roll at -2. On a failure, the user takes 1 Fatigue.
    • Arcane Echoes: Each use has a 1-in-6 chance of attracting a hostile magical entity (e.g., a Novice-rank spirit with d6 attributes).
  • Notes: The device is immobile and guarded, requiring a separate scene to access (e.g., a Quick Encounter against the Conclave’s guards).

Shadowrun (6th Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Shadowrun, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a magical artifact controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, reimagined as a cabal of arcane scholars in the Sixth World. It deciphers encrypted magical texts and ancient knowledge, potentially revealing powerful spells or lore, fitting the game’s blend of magic and technology. Its use risks astral feedback or attention from magical entities, aligning with Shadowrun’s themes of danger and intrigue. The device is immobile and heavily guarded, making it a potential target for a run.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Type: Magical Artifact
  • Availability: 18F (Forbidden, unique item)
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide device of dark, polished wood, adorned with silver and gold runes and sigils, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a faint, melodious hum.
  • Force: 7
  • Activation:
    • Requirements: Magic 5+, Assensing 5+ or Sorcery 5+.
    • Test: Assensing + Magic [Astral] vs. 7 to activate (Complex Action, 1 hour in-game).
    • Effect: On a success, the device deciphers a text (roll 1d6):
      • 1-2: Reveals a minor piece of lore (e.g., a clue to a magical site, equivalent to a rating 2 foci location).
      • 3-4: Reveals a spell formula (e.g., a spell of Force 4 or lower).
      • 5-6: Reveals a major secret (e.g., a ritual or artifact location), but increases Drain by 2 on the user’s next spell.
    • Net hits beyond the threshold can improve the clarity of the deciphered knowledge (e.g., +1 die to related tests per net hit).
  • Drawbacks:
    • Astral Feedback: On a glitch during activation, the user takes 3S (Stun) damage from astral feedback (Resist with Willpower + Magic). On a critical glitch, the feedback attracts a Force 5 spirit.
    • Astral Beacon: Each use increases the local Background Count by 1 for 1d6 hours, making astral tracking easier (+2 dice to track the user).
  • Notes: The device is immobile and guarded within the Codexarium, requiring a run to access (e.g., bypassing wards and spirits).

Starfinder (1st Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Starfinder, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a hybrid magical-technological artifact from the ancient Oraculi, now controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave on a magical planet like Saṃsāra. It deciphers ancient texts and encrypted data, revealing lost spells or knowledge, fitting the game’s blend of sci-fi and magic. Its use risks psychic feedback or mishaps, aligning with Starfinder’s focus on exploration and danger. The device is balanced for mid-to-high-level play, considering the setting’s constraints on advanced technology.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Level: 12
  • Price: Not for sale (unique artifact)
  • Bulk: 50 (immobile, 5 feet tall, 4 feet wide)
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Activation: 1 hour; Mysticism DC 27
  • Effect:
    • Deciphering: On a successful Mysticism check, the device deciphers a text (roll 1d6):
      • 1-2: Reveals a minor clue (e.g., a starship route or a cache worth 1,000 credits).
      • 3-4: Reveals a spell (e.g., a 3rd-level spell).
      • 5-6: Reveals a major secret (e.g., a lost magical artifact’s location or a 4th-level spell).
    • For every 5 by which the check exceeds the DC, gain a +2 insight bonus to a related skill check within 24 hours. On a failure, roll on the Mishap table.
  • Mishap Table (Roll 1d20):
    • 1-10: The device emits psychic feedback, dealing 4d6 mental damage to the user (Will DC 16 half).
    • 11-15: The user takes 1d4 Intelligence damage from arcane overload.
    • 16-20: The device shuts down for 1d4 hours.
  • Drawbacks:
    • Mental Strain: After each use, the user must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or gain the off-target condition for 1 hour.
    • Immobile: The device cannot be moved without a ritual (Mysticism DC 30, 1 hour). Failure destroys the device.

Traveller (2nd Edition by Mongoose Publishing)

• High-Level Overview: In Traveller, the Arcane Cipher Engine is reimagined as an ancient alien artifact discovered by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave on a mystical planet like Saṃsāra, where magic replaces advanced technology. It deciphers encrypted knowledge and ancient texts, revealing valuable information, fitting the game’s focus on exploration and survival. Its mechanics use the skill check system, with risks of failure causing mental strain or attracting threats, balanced for the setting’s lack of advanced tech.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Tech Level: 0 (Alien Artifact, magical in nature)
  • Weight: 500 kg (immobile)
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Activation:
    • Skill Check: Science (Archaeology) or Science (Linguistics) 9+ (1 hour, INT, Difficult).
    • Effect: On a success, the device deciphers a text (roll 2d6):
      • 2-5: Reveals a minor clue (e.g., a map to a treasure worth 500 credits).
      • 6-8: Reveals a valuable piece of knowledge (e.g., a recipe for a medicinal drug).
      • 9-12: Reveals a major secret (e.g., a lost ritual or artifact location).
    • For each point of Effect above 0, gain a +1 DM to a related skill check within 24 hours. On a failure, roll on the Mishap table.
  • Mishap Table (Roll 2d6):
    • 2-5: The device emits psychic feedback, dealing 2d6 damage to the user.
    • 6-8: The user suffers 1d6 INT damage from mental strain.
    • 9-12: The device attracts a local threat (e.g., a magical beast, equivalent to a 1d6 HD creature).
  • Drawbacks:
    • Mental Fatigue: After each use, the user must make an INT 8+ check or suffer 1 level of fatigue.
    • Immobile: The device cannot be moved without a ritual (Science (Archaeology) 11+, 1 hour). Failure destroys the device.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (4th Edition)

• High-Level Overview: In Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, the Arcane Cipher Engine is a powerful arcane device controlled by the Obsidian Alchemist’s Conclave, fitting the game’s grim, magical setting. It deciphers ancient texts and encrypted knowledge, revealing lost spells or lore, but its use risks miscasts and corruption, aligning with the game’s themes of peril and dark fantasy. The device is balanced for mid-to-high-level characters, reflecting its potency and the setting’s magical tone.
• Stat Block and Mechanics:
  • Name: Arcane Cipher Engine
  • Cost: Not for sale (unique artifact)
  • Encumbrance: Immobile (5 feet tall, 4 feet wide)
  • Availability: Unique
  • Description: A 5-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide wooden device, adorned with silver and gold runes, featuring rotating disks and levers, emitting a melodious hum.
  • Activation:
    • Requirements: Language (Magick) 40+, Lore (Magic) 40+.
    • Test: Lore (Magic) Test (DN 6:4, 1 hour). On a success, the device deciphers a text (roll d10):
      • 1-4: Reveals a minor clue (e.g., a location of a minor artifact).
      • 5-7: Reveals a spell (e.g., a Petty or Lore spell of the GM’s choice).
      • 8-10: Reveals a major secret (e.g., a lost ritual or recipe).
    • For each SL (Success Level) above 0, gain +10 to a related Test within 24 hours. On a failure, roll on the Miscast table.
  • Miscast Table (Roll d100):
    • 01-50: Minor Miscast (as per core rules).
    • 51-90: Major Miscast (as per core rules).
    • 91-00: The device emits psychic feedback, dealing 1d10+4 Damage (ignores Armor) to the user, and the user gains 1 Corruption point.
  • Drawbacks:
    • Corruption Risk: After each use, the user must pass a Cool Test (DN 5:4) or gain 1 Corruption point.
    • Immobile: The device is guarded within the Codexarium, requiring a separate encounter to access.