[UA] The Dead Man's Hand

[Hammons, Jade]

Actually I thought of it especially TNI with mind. Imagine a group of
PC's being sent out to get it by Alex Abel, who's unaware of the full
history...

As the players track it down, they come to realize that this little
artifact is capable of starting World Wars... that it's effects are
completely unpredictable... it then becomes a moral dilema, and would
even Alex Abel knowing all this now, be willing to use it? 

A soul stat drain, or even a karmic balancing effect on the ritualist at
some point in their own future are both perfectly acceptable additions.
I just had to get this kernal of inspiration out of my skull before I
slept too many times and forgot about it.

Basically it's a modern, twisted, monkey's paw. The only wish you can
make on it is "I wish something bad would happen to <person>".  And
invariably it does. 

Myself, were I actually able to find a group to run for, would start the
search for this off as street, and introduce them to global and cosmic
knowledge as they try to find out why this thing is so powerful. But in
it's own way is no more powerful than the 'Ritual of Light' and quite a
bit more difficult to use.

So maybe you shouldn't fear it falling into TNI's hands... how about
TOSG...

Jade Hammons
"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be
normal." - Albert Camus




-----Original Message-----
From: ua-bounces at lists.unknown-armies.com
[mailto:ua-bounces at lists.unknown-armies.com]On Behalf Of Bruce MacMonkey
McSpade
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 8:13 PM
To: ua at lists.unknown-armies.com
Subject: RE: [UA] The Dead Man's Hand





>From: "Hammons, Jade" <jade.hammons at attws.com>
>
Jade,
I really like this.
But man an artifact like this in the hands of say, TNI, is an absolutely

terrifying prospect.  What about some kind of tweak, like a soul stat
drain 
to help activate the ritual.  Thoughts?
Other than that , man, nice work.

MacMonkey


>This has been occupying my thoughts for the last couple days, so I
>thought I better right it down and get that demon OUT! Hallelujah
>
>The Dead Man's Hand
>
>	To activate the hand's magic it must be bathed in approximately
>a pint of very special blood. As this is done the hand 'rehydrates'
>until it once more looks alive, or at least freshly severed. When this
>happens, the fingers release the cards, which rapidly age and decay
into
>dust before they are able to reach even the base of the artifact. The
>5th care can now easily be removed from the base. Written on the face
of
>the card (most often a Joker) is the name of the last victim of the
>hand's magic. When first rediscovered the name on the Joker is John
>Fitzgerald Kennedy.
>
>The blood has a certain number of requirements, all attached to the
>Hand's legacy.
>- The blood must be from a pre-meditated murder victim. The killing
>cannot be accidental, or random. The killing must be in cold-blood.
>- The victim must have been killed because of a misunderstanding. The
>killer will think there is a reason to kill the victim, but that reason
>must be invalid or completely false.
>-  The blood must be from the victim of a revenge killing. In other
>words, it can't be because, 'I think you are going to kill me', but
must
>be 'I think he killed my brother'

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