Midnight Stone Effect Table

Midnight Stone Effect Table

To activate a midnight stone’s void matter, a character must hold the stone and concentrate, a difficulty 4 task. If successful, a ribbon of greenish-black energy coils out of the stone and produces a random effect, such as one of those in the table below. A character can try to channel the energy to achieve a specific effect—either one on the table or one of the character’s own choosing (with the GM’s permission)—but this requires a second and more difficult (level 8) task. On a failure, the stone becomes somnolent once more and isn’t activated. When used successfully, a midnight stone crumbles, turns to ash, and is gone.

---

d20	Effect
1	The user makes a free one-action recovery roll and adds 2 to their Intellect Edge for one hour.
2	The stone sprouts fine, glassy tendrils similar to hair. If the user continues to hold the stone, their body sprouts the same sort of hair (first their hand, then their arm, and so on across their body), inflicting 4 points of ambient damage each round until they let go of the stone.
3	A thundering sound somehow blinds (rather than deafens) the user for several minutes.
4	A used cypher in the user’s possession is renewed or a depleted artifact is recharged.
5	The skin around the user’s eyes, mouth, ears, and all other orifices is sealed with a sudden surge of new skin growth. The user suffocates if not helped by someone poking a hole over the mouth or nostrils and keeping it open (the skin keeps trying to grow closed). After about ten minutes, the growth reverses (if the user is still alive).
6	The user makes a free one-action recovery roll and adds 2 to their Might Edge for one hour.
7	The user’s legs and arms bloodlessly drop off. If held in place to where they were once attached, they will reattach themselves if the user makes a recovery roll.
8–10	The user learns the answer to one question in an intuitive leap, but this leaves a nagging headache for several hours afterward.
11	The user becomes distracted by a strange crunching noise that only they can hear, apparently coming from behind the nearest wall or the floor. Intellect tasks for the user are hindered for a few days.
12	As part of the same action used to activate the stone, the user can direct a ray of transdimensional energy, inflicting 6 points of damage on a target within long range with a successful attack.
13	The midnight stone detonates, inflicting 6 points of damage to the user and everyone within immediate range unless they can resist (difficulty 6 task).
14–16	The user gains a beneficial mutation that lasts for 28 hours.
17	The user gains a harmful mutation that lasts for 28 hours.
18	The user gains a beneficial mutation that is permanent, replacing any previous permanent beneficial mutation from a midnight stone.
19	The user gains a harmful mutation that is permanent.
20	The user gains a powerful mutation that is permanent, replacing any previous powerful mutation from a midnight stone.