Artifacts, Are they possible? Options

[nathanross]

After rereading Harry Potter over the last week, Ive been realizing that SR lacks artifacts. Foci are nice, but what about magical objects. I like anchoring, but it's one use nature really limits it. Is there a way to allow balanced magical objects?

[Malicant]

Artifacts! I was like Whoa! but then you had to mention Harry Potter and even somehow connect that to SR. Now I hate you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[MarCazm]

Oh man you really read this crap??? And think of using it as a reference??? You gotta be kiddin' right??? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

[Nightwalker450]

Ewww.. You got your Potter on my Shadowrun

[bjorn]

I would say there may be a few, but they will probably be owned by dragons or really powerful magical groups.

[Muspellsheimr]

I really want to go in front of a church populated by those convinced Harry Potter is evil with a Potter book in one hand, and a satanic bible in the other. Shout at the top of my lungs "SATANISTS AGAINST POTTER!" and burn the Potter book.

Then go home and burn a few more. It is good to play with fire (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif)

On artifacts, there is no limit to the number of artifacts in Shadowrun, by RAW.

“noun
1. any object made by human beings, esp. with a view to subsequent use.
2. a handmade object, as a tool, or the remains of one, as a shard of pottery, characteristic of an earlier time or cultural stage, esp. such an object found at an archaeological excavation.
3. any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture: artifacts of the pop rock generation.
4. a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.

[vladski]

Well, there was that power foci thingie from Bottled Demon, circa SR2 (or was it SR1?)

Vlad

[Earlydawn]

For those of us who are not Potterly-inclined, could you tell us what kind of objects are "artifacts", and what separates them from a SR Focus?

[Muspellsheimr]

Artifacts, in most Fantasy, are ancient magical items of immense power, usually unable to be created any more due to a loss of general power or knowledge in centuries past. An example would be the One Ring from the Lord of the Rings.

However, see my previous post for the 'correct' definition of an artifact.

Edit:
In Sci-Fi, they usually take the form of advanced alien technology that has been hidden for centuries, and just recently became known. Alternatively, it has been on display or in research labs and only recently 'turned on'.

[vladski]

For those of us who are not Potterly-inclined, could you tell us what kind of objects are "artifacts", and what separates them from a SR Focus?

You, too, were never properly potter-trained? *snickers*

To be fair, I never read the books, but after seeing hte first movie (and being forced to sit through 2 more due to the kiddies) I never had a desire to. Decent enough entertainment for kids, but I really, really never saw the attraction or what made them so great to adults.

Vlad

[Muspellsheimr]

The last two, I believe, were okay but not recommended. The first 5 were crap. I still cannot figure out why I bothered to read them...

[Stahlseele]

ya mean like dis?
http://ancientfiles.dumpshock.com/Spoorn/6.html

[Ancient History]

They're called unique enchantments in SR, primarily to differentiate from That Other Game, and yes they exist though they are super-rare.

[Stahlseele]

and my GM's still shudder when i mention playing a mage ever again because of uncle ancient here *g*
yes, i am a BIG Fan of his works *snickers* ^^

[last_of_the_grea...]

Hmmm...would a piece of Art Dankwalther count as an ARTifact? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Fortune]

Hmmm...would a piece of Art Dankwalther count as an ARTifact?

Maybe, maybe not, but the knowledge that Van Gogh chopped off his ear is definitely an Arty Fact.

[Hatspur]

Search up Dunklezahn's Will. There's a LOT of Artifacts on there, although I'm not sure how many people on this board consider the will a valid or decent source of SR lore.

I always thought going looking for Custer's rifle, Blackbeard's sword, Caesar's crown & armor, Excalibur, and maybe even the first computer would make for good artifact-based treasure hunting games.

[HentaiZonga]

You can get a reasonable simulation with Anchoring, if you're willing to blow enough Karma. I always used the 2nd Edition rules for Anchoring, because they're the most flexible - 4th Edition has brought back a lot of that flexibility, but there's still a few things that 2nd Ed did better.

One of my favorite SR moments involved handing my GM a flow chart, linking all the Anchored spells and their detection triggers. I spent WEEKS OOC "programming" the Anchor script, so that the anchors would trigger each other intelligently in response to different kinds of threats. When it finally went off according to plan, it was beautiful.

Cost about 300 Karma, though.

[Sir_Psycho]

By canon, there's plenty of artifacts in the sixth world. For example, the Jade Dragon of Wind and Fire that is so dearly coveted by Wuxing, which is a powerful Geomantic tool, and can be attributed to their rapid success.

Similar written shenanigans with the coins of luck. Which have been suggested responsible for sterile corp executives wives to become pregnant, among other things.

I'm pretty sure Excalibur is actually a Shadowrun Canon item, and it's wielded by everyone's favourite/loathed clown/mage/swordmaster/immortal elf/GM Fiat, Harlequin.

The best example of actual shadowrunner's being able to interact with these objects is the Survival of The Fittest adventure. Where one mission sets you loose in the ruins of Tehran, trying to steal the Shroud of Shadows, which if I remember, actually has stats.

Of course, such artifacts (and of course, you're encouraged to make up your own, if you really want) only can take place in high-level, high-challenge games. It'd be silly for you to get an artifact, say, an ancient pearl necklace that works as the Reflection Metamagic at 6, and then go back to shadowrunning normally. Artifacts only work in Indiana Jones style games, where you're racing against the Apep Consortium, Draco Foundation as well as countless freelancers and mercenaries through exotic locales.

.http://ancientfiles.dumpshock.com/Artifex.htm

[Shiloh]

I think most of what you'd call artefacts are probably survivors from previous Thaumaturgical Maxima and you can't really make them yet in the Sixth Age because Magic isn't strong enough. Yet.

[Malicant]

I think most of what you'd call artefacts are probably survivors from previous Thaumaturgical Maxima and you can't really make them yet in the Sixth Age because Magic isn't strong enough. Yet.

Actually you can, if you are very, very powerful and sacrifce yourself to empower it, by, let's say, blowing yourself up after you became President. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[sunnyside]

I think in the prime runners book there was a vampire or somethign with a special artifact.

In addition you'd think there would be bunches of artifacts about from the Eathdawn timefram that already have rules and could presumably be used in a similar manner to foci.

[Stahlseele]

Martin De Vrieß, Vampire Mage with a special Power-Focus or something like that . .
and usually, there should not be anything magical left from the old worlds, because those things can't live through mana-shallows . . and there was a big shallow all over the world for some thousand years O.o . . one COULD argue that if the physical frame was still intact that if you were to find it you could make it a focus again without needing to gather the ingedrients and making the forumla and all that crap . . but you'd have to spend more karma for it to get magics again . .

[Critias]

I remember an Elven Street Sam from Prime Runners that had one, too. He was so cool he could use two smartlinks at the same time, but he also had something that muddied memories of him or something like that (the name of which escapes me, but someone else might know).

Artifacts certainly exist in Shadowrun, but much like magic items previously to D&D 3.0+, there aren't really rules for PCs to make 'em.

[Stahlseele]

aside from the approach of Uncle Ancient and his unique enchantments utilizing bound free spirits *g*