Objects Sacred & Profane

Whites have guns and soul-eating machines. We have the spirits. We got the better deal.

Indians don’t go in much for materialism, but sacred objects are prized above even our fastest horses. Some sacred objects were given to us by the Creator, while others have been forged from the blood of battlefields and the power of our greatest medicine men and medicine women.

Sacred objects were once rare, perhaps one to a tribe. Warriors would cover themselves with the symbols of their guardian spirits and other powerful beings, as we do now, except then the symbols had only a ritual significance. Since the Reckoning, our sacred objects have gained great power and spread throughout our people.

An object can assist either a ritual or in asking for particular favors. Especially powerful objects can summon forth a favor even if the user doesn’t know the favor herself.

About Medicine Objects

Owning a medicine object is like performing a ritual that never ends. They are constant reminders to the spirits of our faith and a constant reminder to always respect the spirits who grant their help.

A medicine object has been blessed by the spirits. It is used to request a favor or perform a ritual. Some medicine objects provide their own Appeasement points, but most require the user to provide Appeasement just as if the character was asking for the favor himself.

How Does This Thing Work?

Most medicine objects start in your character’s possession as a result of the belongings Edge.

They aren’t common, and if your character finds one it probably means the creator is either dead or a corrupt marketeer of the spirits’ favors. A character who starts the game with a belonging that is a medicine object (see Buying Medicine Objects on the next page) knows exactly what the object does. Read through the list of blessings at the end of this chapter so you know how to trigger their abilities.

A medicine object works more easily for members of its creator’s tribe. If it has an imbued favor for example, the TN for the Spirit roll to activate it is 5 if the user is a member of the creator’s tribe, or a whopping 9 if he’s not. Take a look at each of the specific blessings for more details.

A character who finds a medicine object in the game won’t automatically know what the object does. Anyone with any arcane background must make a Fair (5) Spirit roll to note that it is blessed or magical in the first place. If the character doesn’t have an arcane background of any kind, he must make an Incredible (11) Spirit roll to note the object is enchanted. Doubting Thomases are at –4 to make this roll.‌

On a success, the character realizes the item is enchanted. On 1 raise, he knows the general function of the item and its belongings level. On 2 raises, he can look at its listing of abilities. Tell the Chief to cough up the goods.

You can only try this roll once unless you find somebody who knows how the object works and is willing to reveal this information. You can then try the roll once more with this teacher, and apply the same results as above. It’s not enough for the character to be told the item’s abilities, he must sense them himself to be able to use them.

One success on the teacher’s roll means the character is still clueless about the thing’s medicine. Tough luck for you—you now have an enchanted paperweight.

Don’t like that answer? Fair enough. If your character isn’t an Indian, you really are out of luck. Give the object to somebody who appreciates the spirits’ blessings, you filthy materialist. It doesn’t do any good to keep it.

Once per week, Indians can attempt to identify a single blessing in the medicine object. To do this, select a specific blessing on the list and make the same Spirit rolls as before—TN 5 for a shaman; TN 11 otherwise. If you succeed and you’ve chosen a blessing that’s in this object, the Chief must tell you all the details of the chosen blessing. If it favors a medicine way, he tells you all the different ways the object favors, for example. Or if it has permanent Appeasement points, the Chief tells you how many it has.

One final note: If you botch any of the Spirit rolls you make regarding the medicine object, your character never learns anything else about it, not even if he finds somebody who knows the object.

Buying Medicine Objects

During character creation, you can only buy medicine objects as belongings Edges. There’s no clear way to put a price on blessed objects in terms of white man’s cash. If your character wants to buy them with cash after the game is started, she has to find a village willing to part with its medicine.

Medicine Object

The more points you put into the Edge, the more blessings the object has. Assume the object has the maximum number of blessings it can hold. Go to Creating Medicine Objects and get to work

Belongings Level Object Type Blessings

1 Minor Fetish 1

2 Major Fetish 3

3 Minor Relic 5

4 Major Relic 7

5 Tribal Relic 9

Your character can have any level of medicine object except Tribal Relics. You have to get permission from the Chief for these, since losing them could mean the end of your character’s tribe. In any case, the Chief can only grant permission if your character is, in fact, a member of a tribe. Tribeless and disloyal Indians can’t buy this Edge.

Creating Medicine Objects‌

Making a new medicine object is a big deal for the tribe. The spirits require much Appeasement before they bless an object. Many shamans and other members of the tribe must usually gather together for the task. Creation can take days or weeks—but what of value was ever created in a night?

The shaman requests the bless item favor to create a medicine object. The first step is to choose how to bless the object. Each blessing requires Appeasement, which is spent even if the shaman fails his roll. Most blessings also require a Spirit roll. If the shaman goes bust on this roll, the next blessing asked by the shaman costs double the listed Appeasement.

Limitations

Objects cannot receive unlimited blessings. An ordinary item purchased for normal cost or anything counted as a level–1 belonging, can only have 1 blessing. These are also known as minor fetishes. It doesn’t matter if the thing is as small as a stone or as big as a tipi; it can only have 1 blessing.

A fine item, bought for double the normal cost or bought as a level–2 belonging, can receive 2 more blessings, for a total of 3. These items are known as major fetishes.

Normally, shamans can only make minor and major fetishes in the game. More powerful objects are considered sacred objects of the tribe. They cannot be bought by any means except as a belongings Edge, nor can they be made by shamans in the course of the game without the explicit approval of the Chief.

Each level of belongings means the object can receive 2 more blessings per level. The biggest belonging is level–5, meaning that object— certainly a relic of legendary proportions—can receive a whopping 9 blessings before it’s tapped out.

A level–5 belongings sacred item is the tribe’s most holy relic, probably given to the tribe when the world was created. Each tribe may have only one such relic, which means the character can’t have any say in its construction since it is extremely old. If the Chief even allows a character to begin play with an object of this power, he may construct the relic as he sees fit. If it is destroyed or lost through the character’s actions or misuse, the tribal elders then decide the character’s fate—most likely a highly unpleasant one.

Costs and Risks

If your character is blessing the object with a favor or medicine way, either the shaman or a shaman in a ceremony (not a non-shaman participant) must know that favor or, in the case of a medicine way, a majority of the favors in the way.

Each blessing has different Appeasement costs. Make sure the hero can pony up before he starts the blessing process. If he’s performing a group ritual or ceremony, he can earn the required Appeasement points through several rituals. This is how major relics are made.

The shaman has one shot to bless an object, and objects that are already blessed can’t be enhanced beyond their original blessings. All the blessings an object is to receive must be granted at once, within one ceremony.

Most blessings have a TN you must beat with a Spirit roll. Blessings are not to be made lightly; if you miss that Spirit roll, the next blessing you request costs double.

Finally, some blessings have prerequisites of other blessings the object must also receive.

The Blessings

When a shaman requests the bless object favor, he has several choices in what kinds of blessings to ask for. Remember, the shaman has only one shot at blessing an item so make sure to carefully choose the blessings. When the rituals start, it’s up to the spirits to grant or deny the shaman’s wishes.

Align with Owner: Appeasement 1; no TN. Only the owner can use this object’s medicine. No one else can activate it, not even if they’re from the same tribe. No prerequisites, but the item isn’t very useful without other blessings.

Anoint: Appeasement 2 for something that was made to be anointed (a new drum or rattle, for example), 4 for an existing item that was not made for the purpose (a flint knife, for example). No TN. An anointed item provides +1 die in every ritual in which it is used. Each item can be anointed only once.

Associate a Favor: Appeasement 2; TN 7 to associate a favor with an object. The item provides 1 free Appeasement point toward the associated favor. Associating a favor with an object does not imbue it with that favor. The user or the object must still know this favor.

If the user requests a favor that is in his favored medicine way, the following rules accumulate. The first Appeasement point is free, and counts as 2 Appeasement points when the favor is invoked. The next point counts as 4, and so on. This blessing can only be given to an object once per favor. There are no prerequisites, but the creating shaman or someone participating must know the favor.

Associate a Medicine Way: Appeasement 3; TN 9 to associate an entire medicine way with an object. When a user asks for a favor in this medicine way, it is considered favored and all Appeasement generated is doubled. If it is already a favored way (because of a guardian spirit, perhaps), Appeasement the character spends on favors in the medicine way is tripled. There are no prerequisites, but the creator must know more than half the favors in the associated medicine way.

Imbue a Favor: Appeasement 4; TN 9 to imbue an object with a favor known to the shaman or someone in the ceremony. If the user has Appeasement points and makes a Fair (5) faith roll, he may allocate Appeasement—his own or the object’s, if it has any permanent Appeasement—toward the favor within the object, even if the user doesn’t know the favor himself. Any favors with a range of self or touch affect only the person who activated the object’s favor. Each favor counts as a separate blessing, but a single object can “learn” many favors. There are no prerequisites, but the creating shaman must know the favor.

Extend Range: Appeasement 4; TN 9 to make any favor the user or object requests with a range of self now have a range of touch, or to extend any with a range of touch to a range of 5 yards per Appeasement point. The prerequisite is at least one associated or imbued favor, but this blessing extends the range of all the favors the user requests and not just the ones attached to the object.

Permanent Appeasement: Appeasement 5 each; TN 11 to give the object a single, permanent Appeasement point. When this point is used, it is unavailable for 24 hours and then returns. This Appeasement point can only be used for favors that are imbued in the object. The prerequisite is at least one imbued favor.

Make Indestructible: Appeasement 10; TN 11 to make the object indestructible. No matter what is done to the object, it cannot be destroyed. The prerequisite is 3 permanent Appeasement points and at least one imbued favor before the item can be made indestructible.

Medicine Objects

Here’s a short list of blessed and anointed objects known to the tribes. Your character can purchase any of these during character creation except level–5 belongings. You’ve got to get approval from the Chief for those, friend.

Minor Fetishes

Ritual Items: Any object that has been anointed for use in a ritual is considered a level– 1 belonging and a minor fetish. These are the anointed items listed in the rituals:

Animal Skull: For visionseeking way or blessing way rituals

Human Skull: Only for ghost medicine Water Drum: Used in music rituals Flute: Used in music rituals

War Hoop: Used in any ritual that provides Appeasement for a war medicine favor Knife: Used in several rituals like maim and

sacrifice

Mask: Used in dancing rituals.

Paint: Used in sand painting and war cry

rituals.

Pipe: A fundamental part of the tobacco ritual. Some pipes are also tomahawks.

Special Medicine Bundles: Besides the medicine bundle all Indians have to help with their rituals, there are also special medicine bundles. There are war bundles, healing bundles, luck bundles, hunting bundles, and so on. They are not unique, they can be shared with other Indians, and the character suffers no penalty for losing them. A special medicine bundle is associated with any single medicine way. Here are some examples:

Dreamcatcher: This hoop, crisscrossed with

fine thread, helps the shaman in his vision quest. Dreamcatchers are associated with the visionseeking medicine way. It also gives the shaman +2 on all Spirit rolls to kick unwanted visitors out of his dreams.

Coup Stick: Popular among war priests, the coup stick carries with it one feather for every warrior on which the character has “counted coup,” meaning he’s whacked somebody with said stick. A coup stick is associated with the war medicine way.

Elk Horn Headdress: The horns of the elk are said to bring luck to the user. The headdress is made from the hide and horns of an elk that gave itself to a worthy hunter. Elk horn headdresses are associated with the blessing medicine way.

Coyote Headdress: Teacher and trickster Coyote grants special favors to those who wear his image. The coyote headdress, made from the skull and hide of a coyote and draped over the head and shoulders, is associated with the trickster medicine way.

Doctor’s Rattle: Medicine men often use rattles made of rawhide or gourds to help in their healing and weather ceremonies. These blessed rattles are associated with the earth medicine way.

Shaman’s Skull: These special skulls, once attached to a living shaman, are used for burning offerings, drinking blood, and other unpleasant elements of sorcery. A shaman’s skull is associated with the ghost medicine way.

Ghost Weapons: Some warriors believe ghost weapons are created on their own, appearing if the stone spirits wish it. The ghost weapon is imbued with the spirit weapon favor. There are ghost knives, ghost tomahawks, ghost spears, and ghost clubs.

Medicine Rock: Rocks shaped like buffalo or other guardian animals are often very lucky. Medicine rocks are imbued with the luck favor.

Bear Necklace: This calls the bear spirit to those who know the favor. It is associated with the strength of the bear favor.

Major Fetishes

Medicine Shield: Painted, hand-held shields are common throughout the Plains. The warrior paints on the shield images of his guardian spirit. A medicine shield is associated with the spirit warrior favor, imbued with the spirit warrior favor, and has 1 permanent Appeasement point.

Ghost Shirt: This beaded buckskin shirt is worn by members of the Ghost Dance movement when dealing with unfriendly tribes or whites. It covers the upper and lower guts areas and the arms. The ghost shirt is imbued with the shell of the turtle favor and has 2 permanent Appeasement points.

Quiet Moccasins: Popular among the Apaches and other Southwestern tribes, quiet moccasins are associated and imbued with the wilderness walk favor and have 1 permanent Appeasement point. This single point is enough to request the favor because of the object’s association with the favor.

Running Moccasins: These moccasins are associated and imbued with the speed of the wolf favor instead. They also have 1 permanent Appeasement point.

Eagle Bow: The Indian’s most accurate bowmen have a secret weapon: blessed bows, associated with the guiding wind, strength of the bear, and spirit weapon favors. The user must still know these favors to gain full use of the fetish’s powers.

War Club: The Wichitas were notorious for their war clubs. Luckily the spirits weren’t with them when they rode the Plains or most of our tribes would be gone today. The war club is associated with the war medicine way and specifically the strength of the bear favor, meaning all Appeasement used for the strength of the bear is tripled. It is also imbued with the strength of the bear favor.

Minor Relics

Eagle Feather: The eagle feather is one of the most important and powerful medicine objects a shaman can own. All medicine ways except ghost medicine are considered favored when the feather is used in their rituals.

Masks: Masks are important and powerful items that appear throughout the West. Many tribes make masks: Hopi kachinas, Iroquois false faces, Ute mudheads, Cheyenne buffalo masks, and so on. To keep it simple, here are some basic kinds of masks:

Rainmaker: The mask is imbued with the call weather favor. It is associated with the earth medicine way and has 3 permanent Appeasement points. This is just enough Appeasement to call up a rain storm.

Rainmaker masks are most often used to call the weather spirits but can be found in any earth medicine ritual.

Eagle: Eagles represent the power of the Creator himself. The mask is imbued with the ask the spirits favor. It is associated with the visionseeking medicine way and it has 3 permanent Appeasement points.

Clown: The clown is a symbol of the wise but unpredictable trickster spirits. It is associated with the trickster medicine way, imbued with the illusion favor, and has 3 permanent Appeasement points.

War: War masks are sometimes wolves, bears, or human faces painted with the tribe’s traditional war paints. It is associated with the war medicine way, imbued with the spirit warrior favor, and has 3 permanent Appeasement points. Since fighting with a mask is dangerously difficult, the shaman who wears the mask usually passes along the mask’s power to others

Buffalo: Buffalo masks are uncommon but powerful, bringing luck and prosperity to its owner’s tribe. The mask is associated with the blessing medicine way, is imbued with the bless favor, and has 3 permanent Appeasement points.

Death: The death mask sometimes appears as an owl or raven, a human skull, or a twisted and strange inhuman face. This mask is associated and imbued with the sorcerous curse favor, and has 3 permanent Appeasement points.

Maze: Paintings of the Hunting Grounds sometimes look like mazes, and for good reason. Journeying shamans use them to meditate on the difficulty of traveling through the spirit worlds. A maze painting is associated with the visionseeking medicine way, specifically the spirit guide and ask the spirits favors. It also has the extended range and anoint blessings. A maze painting can be used in any ritual for visionseeking favors.

Great Tomahawk: War leaders seek out these powerful weapons, known to sway battles and terrify even the strongest enemies. A great tomahawk is associated and imbued with the spirit warrior favor and has 3 permanent Appeasement points.

Arrows: Since arrows are normally too expendable to make into medicine objects, they are gathered together with hide, feathers and other bits into powerful bundles of four. An arrow bundle is associated with the war medicine way and the spirit warrior, guiding wind, shell of the turtle, and speed of the wolf favors.

Major Relics

Medicine Wheel: This is a circle of stones within which a portal can be found and the spirits are closest to our world. It is not mobile, since the rocks must remain precisely where they were placed when they were blessed. Some medicine wheels, like the one in Wyoming, are known to many tribes.

A medicine wheel is imbued with the create portal favor, associated with visionseeking, and has 5 permanent Appeasement points.

Thunder Stone: A very few tribes have the power to call down rain whenever they need it. This is powerful medicine for those who grow crops, but it just makes buffalo hunting a muddy, messy affair. Some use the Thunder Stone to call up thunderclouds from which lightning can blast enemies.

A Thunder Stone is imbued with the call weather and lightning strike favor, is associated with the earth medicine way, and has 4 permanent Appeasement points. Because of the danger of angering the spirits, this lightning- making medicine is brought out in only the most dire circumstances.

Clan Bundle: Each clan within all the tribes has its own medicine bundle. These bundles are usually kept by a special priest or the tribe’s greatest warrior. They are associated with any one medicine way and imbued with six favors from that medicine way. This isn’t a complete relic description—it’s up to the character or Chief to fill in the blanks.

Tribal Relics

These are not all the known tribal relics, but represent a good sampling of some of the major tribes’ sacred objects. The Chief can create the other tribes’ relics as the need arises.

Sacred Arrows: These four arrows were bestowed upon the Cheyenne prophet Sweet Medicine by the Creator at Noaha-Vose, the sacred mountain. They are the tribal relic of the Southern Cheyenne in the Coyote Confederation, and they protect the entire tribe. The Pawnees captured the arrows once, and it almost destroyed the tribe.

These four arrows are considered the living manifestation of spiritual power. They are associated with visionseeking, earth, and blessing medicine ways. The arrows are imbued with the blessing favor and have 5 permanent Appeasement points. All four arrows must be present for the medicine to work.

Sacred Buffalo Hat: This sacred relic represents the second covenant made to the Cheyenne after the Sacred Arrows. It is kept by the Northern Cheyenne in the Sioux Nations.

The Sacred Buffalo Hat is associated with the earth and blessing medicine ways, is imbued with the call weather, blessing, and call wealth favors, and has 4 permanent Appeasement points.

Buffalo Calf Pipe: This is the sacred pipe of the Lakota, given by the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who instructed the Lakota on its meaning and care. It is the model on which all other sacred pipes were made.

The Buffalo Calf Pipe is associated with all medicine ways, is imbued with the vision quest and open portal favors, and is indestructible. It serves a central role in the annual Sun Dance.

Omaha Sacred Pole: This massive pole, the tribal object of the Omaha tribe, was carved from a burning tree that gave off no heat and was not consumed by the fire. The tree was cut down and is now kept in its own tent with the tribe.

The Omaha are not a large or powerful tribe, but this medicine is very powerful. The Sacred Pole is associated with the earth medicine way, is imbued with the healing, call weather, wilderness walk, and commune favors, and has 4 permanent Appeasement points.

Sacred Fire: The Cherokee have kept a fire burning since the creation of the world. This sacred object, unusual because it’s not really an object at all, is central to the tribe’s ceremonies.

The Sacred Fire is associated with all medicines and is imbued with the blessing and spirit warrior favors, and has received the extended range blessing. All those who dance around the fire can use its powers during a ceremony.