Relic Wardens

Everything in Altera was once touched by magic. The Bardic scholars are confident of that much. At the Great Exile all magic was banished from this world so those same scholars tell us. Unless they are wrong. Unless there are objects that for whatever reason still resonate with ancient power. Perhaps there are relics of ancient times past. Perhaps there are those who have a gift to unlock this dormant power.

Those who can only access magic by awakening the power of external items once called themselves Relic Wardens. They were collectors, traders, and explorers of ancient mysteries.

  • Casting Style: Channels magic through magical relics
  • Strengths: Variety of relics ( You can cast almost anything with the right relic).
  • Weakness: No built-in Fatigue Reset, competition and resource dependent
  • Casting Method: Players collect relics each having its own spell list. Relics can be found through standard course of play or crafted by tinkers.
  • Foci: Yes, Relics
  • In-Play Verbals: No
  • Soul Mark: No
  • Books/Text Props: No

A Relic Warden's Tale

Herman had been called many things by the people in his village, but he tried not to listen to them. “Herman the Hermit,” “Hermit the pack rat” Herman really didn’t care that much about people, he mostly cared for what he called, his “toys.” Perhaps a grumpy old man should think of something better to call the items around his house than “toys” but that is truly how he thought of them. Each one had a special place in his heart. He loved how it made him feel to use each one of his relics. Herman had always wanted to be a wizard when he was a child. He forced his parents to have him tested not once, not twice, but ten times from the age of 5. Every year he left in tears when the wizard would tell him that he did not possess the ability to cast magic in the same way as wizards.

Herman spent much of his youth studying magical theory, and understanding how spells work – well, at least what had been written about how spells work. It was on his sixteenth birthday that his father bought him a pendant from a small oddities shop that the owner claimed had belong to a powerful wizard. As soon as the pendant touched his hand, Herman could feel the patterns of magic flowing through the stone. The ruby almost understood how to cast the spell on its own. Herman didn’t have to know how to cast the spell he just had to focus on the stone and channel into it and as he did, the fire came forth.

This new world felt so amazing to him that he began to search every shop and traveling merchant’s wares to find anything with the smallest imprints of magic in them.

It was a snowy winter’s day when Herman noticed a small blonde haired girl running out of his back door with one of his favorite golden relics. Herman chased the little girl but with his stiff leg, he wasn’t much of a match for her however, the fresh snow made tracking her a breeze. He noticed that she had dashed into the forest. He channeled a small amount of focus into one of his charms to surround himself in the warmth of a fire spell. His steps burned the snow where he tread.

He followed the trail for a mere five minutes before he came upon trouble. The small girl lay knocked out on the ground and a band of trolls surrounded her. He may have been mad at the little girl but he couldn’t to let her die. Herman charged straight for the little girl, still seeing the little gold star clutched in her hands. He grabbed it, just as the three trolls turned to face him. He shuddered at what he was about to do, for he had only done it once before and even then, it was just practice. Herman channeled a large amount of focus into the relic – more than it could handle, splitting it down the middle and releasing all of its magical potential. A cone of black light came from the star, disintegrating all three trolls at once.

Herman gathered the little girl in his arms and carried her back to town, crying the whole time. He would miss his night star, but he would love his new name, Herman the Hero!

Cost Summary
Relic Warden TierPre-ReqFatigue CostAbilities
1st, 10XP1XP / FatigueSpell Flux, 8XP each
2nd, 10XP20 Fatigue1XP / FatigueCounterspell, 10XP each
3rd, 15XP40 Fatigue2XP / Fatigue
4th, 15XP60 Fatigue3XP / Fatigue
5th, 20XP80 Fatigue5XP / FatigueMaster Sachets; Extra active Sachet
Casting

All Relic Warden verbals are considered to be out of play. They will either be “Relic Activation: [effect source and effect name]” or “Relic Shatter: [effect source and effect name]”.

Relic Wardens are blessed with an extremely large pool of personal fatigue which is good because they have no mechanics to reset or recover their fatigue except for the change from daylight to nighttime every dusk.

Relics

Most relics are found objects that took place in events before the Great Exile. A button from the military coat belonging to a foot soldier at the Final Struggle might be a common item traded as pseudo currency among Relic Wardens. The Saber of High King Hector Eventide I which struck down the demonic lords would be wholly different. In fact there is little rhyme or reason as to what makes something a Relic and able to stand the tests of time. While some academics may be able to help figure out the general nature of a relic the only real test of for a warden to attune themselves to it and see what happens. Most relics are simply devices that have picked up a little bit of magic but some relics seem to have become more. Some have intents or goal that they compel their wielders towards. Some rare relics are rumored to be fully conscious of their own existence. Relic Wardens are encouraged to tread lightly with such things for it should never be forgotten that while the Warden must attune the relic for use, a relic can also attune the Warden in turn.

The power of each relic is awoken by the use of the Warden’s own desires and willingness to accept the fatigue of magic directly onto themselves rather than any other tools.

  • As with all other schools of magic Relic Wardens do have some specific restrictions on what they can and cannot do.
  • No Relic Warden may have more attuned relics than they have mastery tiers in the magic.
  • Relics come in roughly five different levels of rarity. Certain relics require a mage to have sufficient skill as a Relic Warden before it will allow itself to be attuned.
  • Relics can be constructed by Tinkerers but the rare abilities tend to make this very time consuming and costly.
  • Relics are an inherently limited resource for anything beyond the most common place artifacts. All relic wardens participate willingly or unwillingly in a game of chance and trade for the more rare and limited resources. After all each relic can only be attuned to one person at a time.

Relics can come in nearly any shape or size from jacket buttons, necklaces, rings, hair sticks, swords, armor, shields, crowns, and almost anything else that can be imagined. Attempting to attune a relic is a simple act of the Relic warden meditating uninterrupted for 5 minutes allowing their own personal fatigue to settle into the item. This is more or less like priming the pump for future use.

Attuned relics must be in the Relic Warden’s possession and touched in order to activate.

You may have a maximum of one focus per tier of magical ability attuned at any time.

Each relic item must be both phys-repped and tagged. The tag will have what specific effects can be drawn out from the relic. Additionally the novice Relic Warden must know that all relics can be willingly shattered by the person that is attuned to them. This releases all the magic that the relic would potentially every have into a single dramatic effect. Once so triggered by a conscious act of will from the Relic Warden the relic is shattered. The physical object may be able to be repaired but it will never again be a conduit for magic. The Relic Warden cannot attune a new item to that now vacant space until the next day.

Example Relics
Common Relic

Hundreds of thousands or more of these exist.

Fairy Lightstone

A small white or opalescent stone (often worked into rings, necklaces, or other jewelry)

Passive: Grants “Sense Concealment and Sense Astral”. This does not provide the ability to interact with concealed or astral beings/objects, just to know that they are present.


Cost: 1 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Light Detect [Concealment or Detect Astral]”. For one minute per activation the Relic Warden may see and interact with either Concealed or Astral beings as if they had the appropriate skill.


Cost: 1 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Light”. Create a single in-play light source.


Shatter: Reveal “Relic Shatter Magic Reveal [Concealed]” or “Relic Shatter Magic Reveal [Astral]”

Briar Thorn Ring

A plain wooden ring

Cost: 1 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Earth Snare Foot”


Cost: 2 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Earth Hobble”


Shatter: “Magic Earth Wall”

Uncommon Relics

Thousands of these might exist.

Dragon Steel Hair Stick

An ornate metal hair stick

Passive: Generates a Shell 1 every hour for the Relic Warden.


Cost: 1 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Wyrding vs. Physical” (requires 1 minute of concentration)


Cost: 1 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Knockdown”


Cost: 1 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Relic Drain”


Shatter: Strength +5, followed by Attribute Drain and Relic Drain when effect ends

Rare Relics

Hundreds probably exist in the world.

Cloak of the Winter Crag

An ornate cloak that at least covers shoulder to hip if not more

Passive: Reduce all Ice effects.


Cost: 2 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Ice Dexterity Drain”


Cost: 3 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Ice Snare Arms”


Cost: 3 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Ice Sleep”


Cost: 3 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Ice Renewal”


Shatter: “Combat Ice Prison, Magic Ice Heal 6”

Exotic Relics

Ten to fifty of these relics are known to exist.

Phoenix Ashe Blade

Blades of various lengths, all appear to be scorched or charred however still maintain their edge.

Passive: +1 fire damage to all Critical Strikes


Cost: 1 Fatigue + X

Effect: “Activate Magic Fire Shard X”


Cost: 1 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Fire Disarm”


Cost: 3 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Fire Missile”


Cost: 3 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Fire Trance”


Cost: 4 Fatigue

Effect: “Activate Magic Fire Barrage”


Shatter: Soul Beacon; disintegrates the Relic Warden and they are able to journey to the afterlife in an attempt to help successfully guide a permanently lost soul back to this world. While in the afterlife the Phoenix Ashe Blade remains with you. When done the Relic Warden and all personal property are resurrected/reformed exactly as they were before, with the exception of the Phoenix Blade. Notify Plot immediately at time of use.

Unique Relics

One of a kind relics, recreation of these are not possible.

Relics of this level are impossible to categorize. They inherently break the rules surrounding how magic and relics work. These items may require more than one open relic slot to attune and almost always have some form of cost associated with their use. Attunement of such relics is unpredictable at best and must always be done under the supervision of a plot member.

Inspiration Images

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