IN> New Relic: Transferable Reliquary

[William Keith]

(Inspired by Asmodeus' Dealer Distinction.)

      This relic appears to be nothing more than a tiny droplet of 
viscous, clear liquid -- on a human body, it can easily pass as wet 
fingernail polish.  When its user spends an Essence, the droplet flows 
onto a given object and coats it invisibly, converting that object into 
an empty reliquary.  The reliquary is bonded to the user and can be no 
larger, in multiples of roughly the size of a human body, than levels 
of artifact purchased.  Naturally, as is usual for enchantment living 
creatures themselves cannot be so altered.  The user can also command 
the droplet to return, without Essence expenditure.

      The transferability of a reliquary is itself an interesting power, 
but of more use for many celestials is the ability to turn anything 
into a minor relic!  This allows objects to be taken to Heaven, Hell, 
or celestial for, causes objects that require fuel or electricity to be 
able to draw power from the Symphony for their normal operating 
requirements, stops mundane aging processes, makes an object 
distinctive to celestial perceptions, and has many other minor 
beneficial effects.  A given user can only convert one item at a time, 
so it's no good for amassing large quantities of material off-Earth, 
but to use or examine single objects it is a valuable tool.

      An additional feature available for this relic is the ability to 
convert an object into a talisman/0 or a corporeal artifact/0, each 
costing 1 point (in standard or GURPS IN).

History: The natural source would be a recent invention of Jean's or 
Vapula's labs, but that's been done so much, eh?  Any number of Words 
would have Servitors for which this invention would be in-character.  
Its flavor of adaptability makes this entirely appropriate for an 
Eliite enchanter to have come up with, or to let it be an old relic 
invented in Oannes' day.  The ability to bring corporeal material to 
Heaven could be in-flavor for David or Marc (or Valefor or Mammon), as 
well; its derivation from Asmodeus' Dealer Distinction could also have 
been its in-game source.  Asmodeus is not commonly known for 
enchantment researches, but if he doesn't *completely* neglect the 
field someone in the Game might have come up with this surprise.  And, 
of course, Lilith (or Lilim in general) might be interested in the 
ability to collect and possibly trade a few corporeal doodads.  An 
ethereal spirit might have invented this first, focusing on the 
talisman feature, which was later expanded by celestial researchers.  
Finally, it could even be an alchemical preparation, though the 
alchemist is unlikely to be human, requiring the ability to perform the 
Celestial Song of Artifacts.

Point Cost:

In standard In Nomine, I recommend the standard cost of 3/level for a 
reliquary (usually a reliquary/1), plus 2 points per multiple of human 
size the liquid can affect.  (Note that any Essence in the reliquary is 
lost when the liquid is retrieved and transferred to a new object.)

In GURPS, it costs 2 points plus 6 points for enough liquid to alter an 
object of Size Modifier 0 or less, plus 6 points for every additional 
Size Modifier.  All the material must be used on a single object unless 
multiple base costs are paid (up to the number of 6-point slots 
bought).  For reference, a car is SM +2, and so would need 20 points of 
relic to convert.

(GURPS Mechanics: (This uses 4th Edition!)  Version of Modular 
Abilities mechanically equivalent to one slot of Super Memorization 
with 5 points of space per level to account for the same amount of 
enchantment as would be required for a reliquary/1 (with the base spell 
assuming an object of Size Modifier no more than 0).  The modular 
ability is trait-limited to making an object a reliquary, which seems 
reasonably as useful as "Allies with Minion and Summonable," a -50% 
trait limitation.  It further costs 1 Essence per use, for roughly -10% 
(Essence being valued at approximately 2 Fatigue), for a net -60% 
limitation on the ability.  The base is 5 points + 15 points for SM 0, 
+ 15 points per SM above 1 (as if the enchantment cost were multiplied 
for larger objects like a normal GURPS spell).)