Alien Artifacts

The ruins covering countless planets give mute testimony to the long history of intelligence in the galaxy. Literally thousands of sentient races have raised their hands against the march of time, marking worlds with their work before fading back into dust. After they pass, their work remains as a riddle to those who will come after.

Despite appearances, most ‘alien artifacts’ do not fall into the category of super weapons millions of years ahead of current technology. Many species do not make it past the ‘wheel and fire’ stage of technological evolution. For those who do, the path of technological innovation remains fraught with peril. Species encounter many opportunities to destroy themselves long before they leave their own homeworlds, let alone reach out to the stars.

Even if the item does possess abilities beyond the technology of the current races, nothing guarantees anyone can use it. Most artifacts suffer from serious damage sustained in their millennia of rest. Many no longer contain sufficient power to perform whatever they were designed for. Some are little more than slag components held together by materials too tough to properly decay.

Even assuming the object works, it may not be possible to understand exactly what it does. Although all life speaks with one voice, the needs of each species remain radically different. For example, a medical sensor designed to detect a particular genetic abnormality in a long-dead species no longer possesses any  practical purpose. It is a highly interesting scientific curiosity, but not something the average person or maniacal, would-be dictator cares about.

When building ancient artifacts a Games Master may choose one of two options: assigning artifact qualities to create an artifact with properties he knows or permitting the artefact to be a cipher to both him and the players. The latter option allows the Games Master to deal with the players from a position of obscurity, honestly saying he does not know what the item is for.

All ancient artefacts are severely restricted, if they are available at all.

Working out the Technology

In order to make an object function the user must either make either a Knowledge [History (Artifact’s Manufacturer)] check or work out its function using his normal scientific skills. The skill required is based on the technology type. Each successful check allows the character to deduce the function of one of the item’s attributes.

Artifact Qualities

When building an ancient artifact using qualities  the Games Master selects a template from the following list. He assigns the item a technology type and a number of attributes effecting how it operates. These elements combine to dictate the skill checks required to decipher the item’s function, to use the item and to maintain it assuming it is not self-maintaining.

All ancient artifacts have hardness 10 and 20 hit points per inch unless otherwise noted.

Artefact Templates

Select one of the following templates to determine the item’s basic function:

Armor: The item provides protection from a specific type of damage. This protection comes in the form of Damage Reduction. Armor template artifacts cover the body, project a force field or cover the skin with an unusual substance.  They may appear as body armor, pieces of body armor, or jewelry.

Gear: The item provides a bonus (base of +5 equipment bonus) to one of the user’s skills. The item does not extend the range of the skill despite allowing it to function at nearly better, or sometimes near-legendary levels.  Gear artifacts will not boost the Force Control, Hackcraft, Magery, Nanite Control, or Psionics skills.  Gear artifacts can look like just about anything.

Weapon: The item deals damage. When creating a weapon artifact, roll a d100.  On a roll of 1-50, the item is a melee weapon.  On a 51-80, the item is a ranged projectile weapon.  On an 81-100, the item is a ranged energy weapon. All ranged weapons start off doing 2d6 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing (choose one) damage if a projectile weapon, or 3d4 energy damage if an energy weapon, with a range increment of 10 squares. All melee weapons start with a base of 1d8 damage.  Weapon artifacts are almost universally identifiable as weapons to any spacefaring power, but strange form-factor weapons do exist – rings that shoot out blasts of energy, armor that is coated with microblades, and so on.

Artefact Technology

Once the Games Master selects a template he moves on to choose a base technology from the following list. Each technology type provides the artefact with specific advantages and disadvantages.  Each technology type also has an inherent attribute that does not count against the attribute limit for the artifact.

• Chemical technology relies on unknown and exotic interactions between substances, sometimes assisted by unusual energy fields. Chemical items may have any number of attributes but consume themselves as they work. A discovered chemical item has 1d4 uses remaining in it before it ceases to function.
  • 1d4 Maximum Attributes
  • Inherent Attribute – Unstable: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a big gun," goes the saying.  Chemically-based artifacts are inherently unstable if handled in the wrong way (or the right way).  Any character that has determined at least the technology type of a chemical artifact can trigger the artifact to destructively overload.  This explosively destroys the artifact two rounds after it has been overloaded, dealing 10d6 damage per use the artifact had left, functioning as an explosive charge that can be set with the Mechanics skill or as a grenade (which can be thrown at standard Simple ranged weapon ranges).
• Crystal technology is relatively hard and contains a self-renewing energy source. These items may be used once before requiring a 1d4 round recharge period before being used again. They generally have one attribute, plus one for every size category the item is over Fine.
  • 1d6 Maximum Attributes
  • Inherent Attribute – Innocuous: Crystal-based technology is just so utterly weird to most people that they have a hard time identifying an artifact as anything other than a decorative hunk of rock.  Unless someone examining the artifact succeeds on a DC 30 Knowledge [Physical Sciences] check or has seen the artifact in use, they will assume that it is just a piece of jewelry, mundane rock, or other harmless thing.  Consequently, all Armor artifacts based on crystal technology must have the Concealable attribute.
• Electronic technology relies on electrical conductivity and known physics principles to produce effects. These effects may be beyond the skill of any current interstellar power to create, but the item itself will follow known principles. Electronic items usually only have a single attribute. They require an outside energy source, as any internal storage they may possess long since drained away. The outside ‘charger‘ may be part of the item’s overall weight. The item stores enough energy for 1d6 uses when fully charged.
  • 1d4 Maximum Attributes
  • Inherent Attribute – Electrically Powered: Electronic artifacts are vulnerable to ion damage, like most technology.  However, this vulnerability comes with a boon.  Unlike artifacts which require in-depth methods of recharging, electronic artifacts can be recharged with a basic power pack as a move action.
• Life technology draws from and manipulates the force of life itself. These technologies are one step away from true organic technology. They may have up to five attributes. Using the item drains one hit point per round from the character. Most life-based items have some safety feature designed to prevent them from taking the user below zero hit points.
  • 5 Maximum Attributes
  • Inherent Attribute – Alacrity Enhancer: You can sacrifice 5 hit points to gain an additional move action on your turn.  Each time you use this attribute beyond the first without getting a full night’s rest, you move 1 persistent step down the condition track.
• Mechanical technology relies on gears and Newtonian forces (not to mention exotic materials) to produce unusual effects. Mechanical items generally have one attribute. They require an additional, outside power source to activate. Once activated, they retain enough energy to function 1d6 times before requiring a recharge, which requires cranking the artifact (or a similar action) for a number of full rounds equal to the amount of times the artifact can be used before requiring a recharge.
  • 1d4 Maximum Attributes
  • Inherent Attribute – Change Form: Mechanical artifacts lack the flexibility of more advanced artifacts such as nanotech and organic ones, but they retain a fair amount of flexibility themselves.  As a use of the artifact you can change it between Armor, Gear, and a Weapon (the type of the weapon is determined upon artifact creation).  Attributes are shared across these three forms, and attributes that cannot be used for a specific form are disabled while the artifact is in that form.
• Nanotechnology relies on the application of million of machines less than one micrometer across. These machines work together to create the effect. The item itself is either a ‘home’, storing the machines or a ‘producer’, creating the machines on demand. Nanotechnology artifacts can be used 1d6 times before having to recharge, which requires providing the artifact half its weight in raw materials over the course of several hours.
  • 1d6 Maximum Attributes
  • Inherent Attribute – Nanoflexibility: Nanotech artifacts are inherently flexible due to the wide range of things that can be done with nanites.  A nanotech artifact is treated as having a nanite ability pool with one randomly-determined ability in it. This ability can be used once per encounter as normal. This ability can be changed by making a DC 30 Knowledge [Technology] or Nanite Control check.  If you do not have Nanite Control as a trained skill, you activate this nanite ability using your Knowledge [Technology] skill instead.
• Organic technology represents the pinnacle of technological development. Organic items are self-repairing, self-aware and require no external power source, and can be used any number of times. Some kinds of organic technology adapt over time, allowing the user to control its  attributes after a fashion (5% chance of adaptive ability).
  • 2d4+1 Maximum Attributes
  • Inherent Attribute – Self-Aware: Organic artifacts are self-aware, conscious, and sentient.  They’re not exactly intelligent on the level of what passes for a sentient species, rather they’re roughly like sentient animals, or young children.  An organic artifact is treated as a 1st-level nonheroic creature with hit points appropriate for an object of its size.  Unless it is motile, it has no Strength or Dexterity score.  Its Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are equal to 6 plus the number of attributes the artifact has.  It gains the usual feats and trained skills.
  • Special Inherent Attribute – Adaptive: An adaptive organic artifact responds to the wishes of its user, altering its attributes to suit the user’s needs.  By making a DC 35 Knowledge [Life Sciences] check, an owner of an adaptive organic artifact can change one attribute of the artifact to another.  This takes 4 8-hour work periods and consumes a number of medpacs equal to the attributes that the artifact has.

Artefact Attributes

Artifacts can do ‘magical’ things: convert a man into an organically powered killing machine, transfer life from one person to another or project a holographic image deep into space. These abilities stem from technological innovations unknown to the races currently running the galaxy.

Generic Attributes

Any artifact may possess one of the following attributes:

• -1 kg to item’s weight.
• +2 to item’s hardness.
• +10 to item’s hit points.
• Call Artifact – The artifact has two components – the artifact itself, and a homing device.  As a use of the artifact, you can cause it to return to the homing device from a distance of up to 20 squares.  Weapon artifacts appear in your grasp, and armor or gear artifacts appear properly equipped.
• Tech-Based Autoshields – Tech-Based Autoshields come in four varieties: Energy, Explosive, Melee, and Ranged.  Functionally, autoshields are treated as an additional hit point pool equal to 15 * the user’s Heroic Level.  While the autoshields are active, damage comes off the autoshields before applying the effects of damage reduction.  If you have any form of personal shielding (anything with an actual SR score), determine the effects on that before determining the effects on your autoshields.  The autoshield’s hit points are also reduced by 1 HP per round when activated. Autoshields reduced to 0 HP are not destroyed, but are temporarily rendered inactive (switched off). Autoshields regenerates lost HP at a rate of 1 HP per round while the autoshield is switched off.  Each activation of the autoshields (turning them on) counts as a use of the artifact.  Autoshields can only be used while an artifact is worn, handled, or wielded (in the case of weapons).  Each variety of autoshields protects against a different kid of damage.  The same artifact can have multiple types of autoshields – in this case, the artifact still only has a single pool of autoshields hit points, it just can be used to protect the user from multiple types of damage.  The types of autoshields are as follows:
• Energy – Protects against electricity, energy, fire, ion, radiation, and stun damage.  When protecting from radiation, any damage that the user would take from the radiation is dealt to the autoshields.
• Explosive – Protects against bludgeoning/slashing/piercing damage, that is – damage that does all three kinds at once.  The most common source of this damage is explosions.
• Melee – Protects against bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage dealt by melee attacks.
• Ranged – Protects against bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage dealt by ranged attacks.

Armor Attributes

The base armor artifact provides DR 5 and weighs 7 kg. Each time the armor prevents any damage counts as a use of the artifact.  Each attribute affects the following:

• +1 DR.
• +4 DR against a specific damage type.
• Concealable – the item creates the armor rather than providing armor itself.
• Inertial Dampener – You can activate the artifact when falling to avoid any falling damage you would take.  This counts as a use of the artifact, and you always land on your feet when you use this.

Gear Attributes

The base piece of ‘gear’ provides a +10 equipment bonus to one skill and weighs 5 kg.  Using this skill bonus counts as a use of the artifact.  Each attribute the item has gives it an additional bonus as follows:

• +3 equipment bonus to the core skill.
• +2 equipment bonus to a second, related skill.
• Inertial Dampener – You can activate the artifact when falling to avoid any falling damage you would take.  This counts as a use of the artifact, and you always land on your feet when you use this.

Weapon Attributes

Weapon artefacts are always a hit with the players. Loud, flashy and capable of punching through armored plating, they make characters feel like a force to be reckoned with. Ranged artifacts weigh 1 kg, melee artifacts weigh 3 kg.  Each time the weapon is used to make an attack (whether successful or not) counts as a use of the artifact.  Further attributes modify the weapon as follows:

• Ranged Weapon Only: +5 square range increment.
• Ranged Weapon Only: +1 square radius to area of effect.
• Melee Weapon Only: +1 square reach.
• +1 damage (three +1 attributes add another die of damage to a weapon).
• +1 to attack rolls.
• Penetrate DR – the attack penetrates DR from anything other than organic technology or natural damage reduction.
• Variable – the item can control its damage – output, selecting any amount of damage up to the maximum rolled.
• Touch Attack – the item makes a touch attack rather than a regular attack, ignoring all forms of armor and natural armor.
• Keen – This weapon threatens a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, instead of only a 20.  If you already threaten a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, you now threaten critical hits on a roll of 17, 18, 19, or 20.  As normal, only a natural 20 is an automatic hit.
• Merciful – The weapon deals an additional die of damage, but all the damage the weapon does is nonlethal (if a melee weapon or a projectile weapon) or stun (if the weapon is an energy weapon).  This ability can be activated and deactivated as a swift action.

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Background-obtained Alien Artifacts

Alien Artifacts discovered as part of your background are relics of ancient and unknown civilizations that wandered through the galaxy in ages past.  Nobody knows who they are, but their relics seem to have withstood the test of time.  The vast majority of these objects are in the hands of private collectors, or are scooped up by governments and private research agencies seeking to unlock their secrets, but you have managed to stumble across one of them and keep it for yourself.

To determine the nature of a background-obtained alien artifact, roll on the following table and then consult the GM. The GM generates all background-obtained alien artifacts as when and where the artifact was obtained has some impact on what the artifact is. No background-obtained alien artifact will be of the Chemical technology type.

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NON-STANDARD ALIEN ARTIFACTS

“Translator Artifact”

Classified as an artifact for legality purposes, this device’s status as an actual ‘alien artifact’ is a matter of some debate. Unlike more standard ‘alien artifacts,’ it is known that these devices are actually still being manufactured. This is determined through analysis of the materials that comprise their casing – a casing which to this day is still impenetrable without destruction of the artifact and its workings. What is known is that new ones turn up on the market from time to time, and can fetch quite a high price. When obtained ‘new’ the translator artifact is solid block of impenetrable metal, and it can be forced back into this neutral state with a DC 40 Mechanics check. When in this state, it can be pressed against an ear or other auditory receptor, at which point it molds itself into a shape that will attach to that body part – how it detects when it is pressed against one is unknown. At this point, the artifact is in its working state. Translator artifacts come ‘new’ with no languages programmed into them, languages can either be transferred from another translator artifact to it (DC 20 Use Computer check that takes 5 minutes) or they can ‘learn’ them on their own over the course of about 72 hours of exposure. The translator artifact allows you to seamlessly understand auditory communication of any language programmed into it, and will instruct you on communication in these languages, but you take a -5 penalty to social interaction skills when speaking in this fashion. You must actually be able to physically speak the language in order to use this – if your body lacks the requisite appendages or organs, you cannot communicate in this fashion.