Artificers
Artificers are practitioners of a highly specialized form of Hermetic magic known formally as Ars Artifexia, but colloquially known simply as Artificing. Dedicated Artificers do not work spontaneous magic, instead crafting permanent magical items or temporarily enchanting mundane items under controlled circumstances...ideally in the safety of their workshops and sanctums. When arrayed with their various curiosities, geejaws, and artifacts they can be quite formidable but are woefully vulnerable when caught unequipped or stripped of their possessions.
Consequently, many Artificers practice some other form of magic and as such those who solely pursue Artificing with singular dedication are less likely to be encountered than Wizards who dabble in making suplementary items, Alchemist-Artificers, and other types of Mystics who are skilled in a more active art in addition to their item crafting. Nevertheless, the most powerful and puissant of artifacts tend to be the product of those who avoid the distractions of other lines of study and solely pursue Artificing.
Vocation
The basis of Artificing practice is represented on a character by taking the Artificer Vocation at a step appropriate to the character's level of mastery. An apprentice would take the Artificer Vocation at a d4, a journeyman at a d6, a master at a d8, and a grandmaster at a d10.
Artificer
Artificing is a magical discipline that concerns itself with crafting magical items. This generally requires specialized equipment and materials and time.
The Artificer Vocation allows the following special Exploits:
Vocational Variations
Some Artificers take one or more Signature Exploits for their Artificer Vocation to represent a personal quirk or specialization. This option offers an economical (in terms of Advances) and fun way to differentiate and add nuance to a Artificer; some thematically appropriate examples are provided below.
Signature Exploit: You may double your Finesse trait when creating or using a magical item.
Signature Exploit: When you would add a die from a magical item to one of your dice pools you may instead withhold that die from the dice pool and then add 4 to your total after you've rolled.
Signature Exploit: You may use a Transition Scene to create a Complication with a step equal to your Artificer Vocation die, representing a mystical ward protecting an area no larger than a zone against a specific kind of supernatural entity; such entities must overcome the Complication to enter or to leave the protected area.
Ability Sets
The bulk of an Artificer's capabilities are defined in Ability Sets; all Artificers have at least a Mystic Ability Set and one or more Ability Sets that represent significant magical items.
Mystic Ability Set
Artificers are first and foremost Mystics, and thus all Artificers without exception have a Mystic Ability Set, in which various Ability traits and the Supernatural Aura Limit that is common to Mystics are contained. Though individuals vary in the exact composition of their Mystic Ability Set, the most common basic Mystic Ability Set is provided below.
Mystic
Senses: d6
Stamina: d6
Warding: d6
Willpower: d6
Limit: Supernatural Aura: You have a supernatural aura that is detectable by those with special senses. Gain one (1) Plot Point when this becomes a Complication for you.
Magical Items and Ability Sets
Artifice is, put simply, the creation of magical items. While some types of items are classically associated to Artificers, such as wands and staves, virtually any kind of object can be invested with magical potency by a sufficiently skilled Artificer. Modern Artificers tend to construct their items to pass in the mundane world, but older items from before the Accords tend towards the traditional and fantastical tropes of Artificing.
Simple magical items can easily be represented with Assets or occasionally Complications, typically created via invoking a Standard Exploit of the Artificer Vocation. Artificers that want to be particularly good at making this type of minor magical item might take a Signature Exploit to distinguish themselves in this area. As all Artificers must have the Artificer Vocation, and making vocationally relevant Assets or Complications is a Standard Exploit, it is assumed that all Artificers can put simple and temporary items such as scrolls or minor wards (and so on) into play in that way.
More significant magical artifacts are represented by the Artificer (or another character they are crafting a magical item for) taking an additional Ability Set, one per item. Magical item Ability Sets can have one or more Ability traits, SFX, and Limits that are appropriate to represent what the item can do. Additionally they have a Gear Limit and a Supernatural Aura Limit.
Common Artificer Magical Items
A fairly common artificed item favored by many Artificers is some type of magical protective device, worn on the body. Amulets, rings, bracelets, cufflinks...such items can take many forms. A typical example of such an item is provided below, but many variations exist.
[Item] of Warding
SFX: Warded: When you are able to include the Warding trait from your Mystic Ability Set in a dice pool you may also include this Ability Set's Durability trait in that dice pool, and vice versa.
Limit: Gear: This Ability Set's traits are shut down if one or more items of gear are unavailable or rendered inoperable; gain one (1) Plot Point when this becomes a Complication for you. You may recover traits shut down in this way when it is appropriate to the narrative; this may require you to activate an opportunity or take an action against the doom pool at the GM's discretion.
Limit: Supernatural Aura: This object has a supernatural aura that is detectable by those with special senses. Gain one (1) Plot Point when this becomes a Complication for you.
Another common form of artificed item favored by Artificers is some type of magical offensive device. The classical form would be a rod or wand or ring. The ring continues to be a popular choice for such items in modern times, but some clever young Artificers have taken to enchanting otherwise mundane items such as flashlights and prop pistols to draw less attention to such an item's true nature. A typical example of such an item is provided below, but many variations exist.
[Item] of Mystical Missiles
SFX: Channeled Shot: When using this Ability Set's Ranged trait against a target, if you successfully inflict Body damage (Stress or Trauma) to that target you may step up the effect die; additionally you may spend one (1) Plot Point to step it up a second time.
Limit: Gear: This Ability Set's traits are shut down if one or more items of gear are unavailable or rendered inoperable; gain one (1) Plot Point when this becomes a Complication for you. You may recover traits shut down in this way when it is appropriate to the narrative; this may require you to activate an opportunity or take an action against the doom pool at the GM's discretion.
Limit: Supernatural Aura: This object has a supernatural aura that is detectable by those with special senses. Gain one (1) Plot Point when this becomes a Complication for you.