Objects and materials distributed by the Master to his people; supposedly received from “the Goddess”.
Contents
Various objects, materials, etc., used by the Master’s people (and derivative items made from such things). They are known as “gifts of the Goddess”, as that is claimed to be their provenance (according to the Master).
Unbreakable string
“Unbreakable” may be an exaggeration—but only a slight one. This string is made of some sort of exotic material—neither silk, nor any sort of vegetable fiber, nor metal, nor any other known substance. Unbreakable string does not fray, nor does it rot or degrade. Its surface is extremely smooth—sliding one’s fingers down its length feels like rubbing an oiled blade (though it may still be gripped easily enough, when used as a bow string, for instance).
String of this sort is used in the stitching of shade cloaks. The strings of bows wielded by the Master’s people are also sections of this sort of string.
A length of unbreakable string has a hardness of 5 and 1 hit point. A DC 28 Strength check is required to snap string of this sort. The string takes only one-quarter damage from sonic attacks, and is immune to acid and bludgeoning damage.
Shade cloak
A thin, flexible but somewhat stiff material (somewhat similar in feel to oilcloth), cut and stitched with an extremely strong thread, to make a voluminous hooded cloak. The weave is very fine, and exceptionally tight and strong; the material feels quite smooth to the touch. The exterior surface of the cloak has a subtle lustre—not metallic, but reminiscent of a pearl, or polished ivory. This material shines and glitters in sunlight, causing its wearer to take a −5 penalty to Stealth checks when in an area illuminated by bright light. (When not hiding, Perception DCs to spot the wearer are reduced by 2 in such circumstances.)
Such cloaks get their name from their intended purpose: to protect the wearer from the heat and light of the sun. The shade’s cloak protection applies against all of the usual penalties imposed by either bright illumination or hot weather (e.g., increased water consumption, heat exhaustion, etc.). The cloak’s wearer treats environmental heat conditions as being six temperature bands lower than it is (e.g., burning heat is treated as moderate weather), to a minimum of “moderate”. (The cloak protects the wearer from all forms of heat transfer; it even inhibits convection, if worn properly, although this inhibition may be rendered moot if the wearer engages in combat or otherwise exposes his body to his surroundings.)
The cloak’s stiff material and awkward shape interfere with melee combat, imposing a −2 penalty to melee attack rolls. The shade cloak grants a +2 armor bonus to AC against attacks made with piercing or slashing weapons. (As an armor bonus, this does not stack with the bonus from actual armor, bracers of armor, the mage armor spell, etc.)
A shade cloak has hardness 5 and 5 hit points. It cannot be damaged by bludgeoning attacks. Unlike most objects, a shade cloak takes only one-quarter damage from sonic attacks (rather than full damage).
Super-strong rope
This rope is woven of an unknown but light and durable material. Somewhat reminiscent in texture of the “unbreakable string”, but not nearly so frictionless-smooth. A very tight weave, though, whatever this stuff is; there’s not the tiniest sign of fraying or unraveling anywhere.
Super-strong rope weighs less than half as much as silk rope, but is much stronger. It can hold rather more weight (and correspondingly, would take considerably more strength to burst) than ordinary silk or hemp rope. (A DC 35 Strength check is required to burst this kind of rope.)
Oddly enough, the ends of the rope look like they are sealed (against unraveling) not with any kind of glue or tar or anything, but rather by melting.
The rope takes only one-quarter damage from sonic attacks and from acid or bludgeoning damage, and only half damage from slashing or piercing attacks. It has hardness 5 and 5 hit points.
Protector armor
This armor, worn by the Protectors—the Master’s warriors and enforcers—is a long coat, made of material much like a shade cloak, with plates of a stiffer material sewn to it. It somewhat resembles studded leather (a.k.a. “brigandine”) in design, although of course instead of leather, it’s shade cloak material, and instead of plates of iron or steel, it’s an unknown material that feels at least as strong as steel, but lighter. The armor normally comes with an open-faced helmet made of the same material as the armor plates.
Protector armor is medium armor that grants a +6 bonus to AC (+5 without the helmet), max Dex +3, ACP −3, ASF 20%, weight 25 lbs.
Protector crossbow
The standard ranged weapon of the Proectors, this is a heavy crossbow, but instead of wood, the stock and the limb (the part that bends when the crossbow is drawn, and then unbends to release the bolt) are made of steel—very high-quality steel. The bow string is “unbreakable string”, and the other parts (trigger, various parts of the mechanism) are made of some kind of lightweight, smooth material (that might be some kind of polished resin).
Though the materials are obviously of a high quality, and every individual part is very well crafted, the whole assemblage seems somewhat haphazard. It works well enough; but it gives one the impression that at least some of the component parts weren’t really made with very much thought given to the way they’d end up being put together.
As the steel arm can store more energy than a wooden one possibly could (despite this, it’s no harder to reload than a normal heavy crossbow, due to a rather clever little mechanism that redirects the force of the cocking device), the base damage of the weapon is 1d12 instead of 1d10. Normal crossbow bolts can be used with a protector crossbow.