Building Artifacts

The world of Beyond the Mists contains many magical artifacts of etheric power. Most of these are tools of convenience to magicians, casting straightforward spells without drawing from the mage's precious store of Fatigue. Many magicians also create a Focus for their etheric energies. These powerful artifacts contain much of what the mage knows magically, and therefor may be contain extensive abilities. Magicians of the Cabal Method, when equipped with the appropriate Foci, can create artifacts by writing a spell into a Rune (a symbol or character) on any mundane surface. The most powerful of artifacts are often diabolical in intent, magically enforcing obedience to their creator while giving etheric power to the holder. This page covers the simplest of these devices. Future installments will cover more advanced operations.

All mages capable of Enchanting materials are also capable of creating artifacts from them. The method of physical construction is not covered here, it is up to the character to assure that the skills for creation of the mundane portion of the device are available.

Simple Artifacts

These devices are created to "store" the etheric energies and patterns for casting a spell. The capabilities range from the simple sleeping potion given to children on stormy nights to a rechargeable wand containing the power to unleash great bolts of flame at an enemy. Once created, anyone with knowledge of the triggering mechanism may use the spell contained within the device.

The magical creation of each device requires a recipe of enchanted materials. First a base of four different materials appropriate to the nature and form of the physical device are required.

Next, an additional material must be added for each level of difficulty of the spell to be contained within the artifact but not less than three (3). Therefor a difficulty (D5) spell would require an artifact created from nine (9) different materials (the four physical materials and five additional for the spell difficulty). These materials must either have been enchanted (ED=0) by the mage creating the artifact or be naturally enchanted. Some sophisticated alchemetical operations are capable of producing suitable enchanted material that will do in a pinch.

The device is "built" during a final enchantment of the combined ingredients using and Etheric Discord rating equal to the difficulty of the spell being bound into the device. This spell is actually cast during each hour of the enchantment process, and appropriate fatigue expended. Once this process is complete the device will contain a number of charges equal to the Magic Proficiency of the creator (determined at the beginning of the enchantment). Many such devices are consumed when they are used. This includes Scrolls and Books as well as the more evident Potions, Drugs, Inks, Powders, and Perfumes. Those devices that are not so consumed may be re-charged by their creator by repeating this final enchantment step.

Inks

A special rule applies for the use of magical inks. Most inks contain only the power to do a spell and not the patterns to do it. These patterns are imparted by the user of the enchanted ink as he writes (or paints) with it. The symbols or texts created with simple inks do not have the ability to store more than one charge of a spell. The "build" or final enchantment is therefor considerably less difficult. This requires only one hour per difficulty level of the spell to be cast - but the spell must actually be cast into the symbol or text (including the expenditure of fatigue at the end of the process). Roll the difficulty test against the creator's Magic Proficiency. Failure indicates that the symbol has been ruined, expend the fatigue and throw it away. Success indicates a properly formed spell that will trigger appropriately.

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