[Thread Item] [Plot Device] Mordu's Lockbox

Discussion on game mastering Earthdawn. May contain spoilers; caution is recommended!
Tattered Rags
Posts:374
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:04 am
[Thread Item] [Plot Device] Mordu's Lockbox

Post by Tattered Rags » Mon Jul 15, 2019 6:10 pm

Not really meant for players, but it has enough stats to be a MacGuffin.

An ornate scroll case, lined with orichalcum and jewels, Mordu's Lockbox always looks pristine and clean. It tends to reflect light such that it always shines. Mordu was a suspicious master Nethermancer. He had secrets he wanted kept secret, so he developed this "lockbox". Actually a scroll case, it allows the user to hide anything that one can fit inside it. This is accomplished by actually melding the item with the owner's own pattern. Long term use causes blood wounds, and it can ultimately be fatal.
Anything put inside the scroll case must fit normally, such as scrolls and maps or small items like rings or vials. This includes each pocket of space from rank 3.

Warden Tier, MD 12, 1 thread

Rank 1
Key knowledge, Name is Mordu's Lockbox
Can hide Mordu's Lockbox inside your own pattern. Threadweaving (12) test ro hide it and also to pull it back out. Hiding it causes an automatic blood wound and -2 to all action tests except for threadweaving tests to remove it. This penalty is cumulative with the blood wounds.
Every month, roll Toughness (6+1 per month, so DN=7 after the first month). Failure results in another blood wound. If the total number of blood wounds caused by Mordu's Lockbox exceeds the owner's Toughness step, their pattern is shredded and they die. This includes the original automatic blood wound.
Blood wounds can only be healed after the Lockbox is removed, but they can then be healed in the normal way of wounds.
Should the owner die for any reason with Mordu's Lockbox inside their pattern, the item is shunted somewhere into Astral space. Not irretrievable, but virtually so.
If the lockbox is hidden inside the owner's pattern, others can find and remove it, as well. Astral Sight (17) shows something odd about the owner's pattern. Astral Sight (28) reveals that it is a magical thread item shoved in there which can be removed with difficult threadweaving. If one already knows what to look for, the Astral Sight (17) is enough. A Threadweaving (20) test is required to remove it. Success or failure causes an amount of mystic damage equal to the die roll, as well as 1 blood wound. If it fails and kills the owner, the Lockbox is shunted into astral space.

Rank 2
DN to see it goes up by +2
There is no longer a test to hide Mordu's Lockbox inside your pattern.

Rank 3
Key Knowledge?
Can now hide items inside the lockbox. There are five pockets of astral space inside it in addition to the normal space. These pockets are accessible through Threadweaving only. If the lockbox is not inside a Namegiver's pattern, Astral Sight (12) reveals the warping of astral space while Astral Sight (18) tells of the existence of the pockets and if they have things inside them. The owner can make a Threadweaving (12) test to put something into a pocket space or retrieve it. Others can attempt to take something out with a Threadweaving (15) test.
If Mordu's Lockbox is inside the owner's pattern, it mist first be removed before anything inside it is accessible.
Adventure I'm running:
Under the Stars

Adventure GM post-mortem:
Under the Stars Postmortem

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