Artifact - Wooden Nickles

[Rick Neal]

Just an idea I had for something nasty:

Wooden Nickels (Significant Artifact)

"Don't take any wooden nickels." Does the admonition reflect this item, 
or did it produce it? Everyone's got a different opinion, but these 
little devils are in circulation, and Plutomancers hate them with a 
passion. They look like coins carved out of wood, usually painted the 
correct colour for their type. They come in all denominations and 
nationalities, and often pass from person to person unnoticed. That's 
because they only activate when received by a Plutomancer.

When a Plutomancer receives a wooden nickel, they cannot get rid of it. 
Throw it away, and it reappears in your pocket. Lock it in a safe, and 
you find it in your change purse. Give it to a bum, and it's stuck to the 
bottom of your shoe with gum. This is bad, because it causes the 
Plutomancer to hemorrhage charges: each time a Plutomancer casts a spell, 
one extra charge of the appropriate type is expended. If there aren't 
enough charges of the appropriate type stored by the Plutomancer, all the 
appropriate charges are expended and the spell fails. GMs should keep 
track of extra charges leeched away by the coin, and only inform the 
player when they try to over extend themselves. This can cause a nasty 
surprise. 

Eg: Dwayne Bridge is a Plutomancer who currently has six significant 
charges and a wooden nickel. He casts Fortune's Wheel, expending one 
significant charge. The GM makes note that he has actually expended two, 
but doesn't tell the player, who then casts Devaluation, marking off two 
more significant charges, leaving three. The GM however, notes that 
Dwayne spent three charges on the effect, and has only one left. Finally, 
Dwayne casts Bankrupt Will, marking off another significant charge, but 
he's not worried. He still has two left. The GM, however, removes the 
last remaining charge and informs Dwayne that his spell didn't work. Now 
Dwayne has to figure out why.

The only way for Plutomancers to rid themselves of these items is to 
spend them for something worthwhile, and have them accepted by the vendor 
as legal tender. Not too bad for a nickel or a quarter, but how are you 
going to get rid of that wooden Krugerrand?

Comments are invited.

Rick Neal

It is always best to be a little improbable.
     - Oscar Wilde