Cypher

Cyphers are one-use, cobbled-together bits of technology that characters frequently discover and use. Cyphers may be found in old devices, artificially enhanced or designed creatures, or simply by sifting through the ruins of the past. Remember that in the Ninth World, cyphers are rarely used for their original, intended function, which is now unknowable. Something a character uses as a bomb might have been a power source for another device that has been rejiggered with some crossed wires. A vial of liquid might have been a nutrient solution for a biological experiment.

Because the technology of the past is mysterious, cyphers may often seem random. They have cool powers that can heal, make attacks, or produce effects such as nullifying gravity or turning something invisible. Cyphers are single-use items and are always consumed when used.

Cyphers are found with such regularity that most people use them freely. There will always be more, and they’ll have different benefits. A cypher might be an explosive device, a short-range teleporter, or a force field. It might be a powerful magnet or an injection that will cure disease. It could be anything. Over time, people can learn how to safely carry more and more cyphers, so the devices really do end up seeming more like abilities and less like gear.

Once a characters finds a cypher, identifying it is a separate task. This process usually takes one to ten minutes. If the character can’t identify a cypher, they can bring it to an Aeon Priest clave for identification and perhaps trade, if desired. 

A character may attempt to use a cypher that is not identified. Failure might mean that the character can’t figure out how to use the cypher or that they use it incorrectly. Of course, even if the character uses the unidentified cypher correctly, they have no idea what its effect will be. Identified cyphers may be used automatically.