Description: 5 different sets of Silver gauntlets adorned with Runes and a beautiful gem that corresponds to the powers it contains. Fire-Ruby, Earth-Emerald, Water-Sapphire, Diamond-Air, Spirit- Onyx.

History: Little is known about these sets of mystic Gauntlets. But the legends given to the guardians of the gauntlets goes like this. In the Age of Sorcery and Strength (pre-Rifts Medieval times), a great evil came to the land. To battle this evil the most powerful of the Ancient Mages, Sorcerers, and Wizards came up with a plan. They pleaded with the Dwarves of the Mountains to aid them in bringing this evil asunder. The Dwarves conceded.

The magic workers aided the dwarves in the fashioning of 5 sets of gauntlets. These gauntlets were incredibly strong due to the dwarven craftsmanship and incredibly powerful as they were imbued with magic and enchantments. Made from silver and adorned with runes and one large gem each, the 5 sets of Rune Gauntlets were created. These gauntlets were the pentacle of the alliance between the Magic Users and the Dwarves. With them, the Council of Magic defeated their evil foe, but they were so spent from the fighting and the forging that they soon perished. But not before choosing the guardians of the gauntlets. For Earth, they chose the Earth Children in northern England. For Air, they chose the Cossacks who would later become the Mystic Kuznya of Russia, for water they chose they Ancient Incas, for Fire they chose the Native tribes of what later came to be known as America. And Spirit, they gave to the Dwarves to hide. The dwarves only ever told a few people whom they trusted greatly of the resting-place of the gauntlets. To the knowledge of most everyone else, the Gauntlets perished in the horrible fight of the great evil. But as always happens, rumor spread of the existence of the Gauntlets. Many people spent their entire life for the vain search for the gauntlets.

Now, after the coming of the Rifts, the Legend of the Gauntlets has gotten out. And hundreds of people are searching for them. Some have come so close to finding them the Gauntlets have been in transport for the past fifty years or so. But they have never strayed from the domain of their guardians. With any luck the legend of the gauntlets will fade from existence but not before people die for this passion for power.

Powers of the Gauntlets: These are the powers that ALL the gauntlets provide or are imbued with.

1. Indestructible
2. Provides a +5 for both save vs. Magic and Psionics
3. +20 to natural M.D.C.
4. +3d6 M.D. to physical damage from punches.
5. All share the same penalties (See Penalties)
6. Magically form fit to any size hand and cannot be removed except by verbal or mental command of the wearer and makes the wearer Ambidextrous.

Individual powers: The following is the Description of the individual powers of each set of gauntlets.

Earth (Emerald): These powers are only applicable while wearing the Gauntlets

1. Add 10 to P.S. and it becomes supernatural. (carry and lift according to Supernatural Strength Super-Power, adjust damage accordingly also)
2. Increase Size by 1 ft and weight by 100 lbs.
3. Impervious to Disease/poisons/toxins
4. Energy Blasts from Gauntlets (3d6 +1d6 per level of the wearer)

Fire (Ruby): These powers are only applicable while wearing the Gauntlets

1. +10 to P.E. (increase P.P.E. and natural MDC or SDC accordingly, along

with any bonuses from the P.E. Attribute)

2. Impervious to normal fire and heat (Mega-Damage/Magic fire and plasma do only ½ of the normal damage)
3. Fire Aura-same as spell
4. Fire Blasts from gauntlets (4d6 +1d6 per level of the wearer)

Air (Diamond): These powers are only applicable while wearing the

Gauntlets.

1. +10 to P.P. (adjust bonuses accordingly and add 10% to climbing and gymnastics skills)
2. Impervious to normal electricity and energy attacks (mega damage electrical/lightning and energy attacks such as ion or particle beams do only ½ their normal damage)
3. Wingless Flight (same as Super-Power)
4. Lightning Blasts from gauntlets (3d6+1d6 per level of the wearer)

Water (Sapphire): These powers are only applicable while wearing the Gauntlets.

1. +10 to Spd
2. Hydrokinesis
3. Impervious to Cold, Swim Like the Fish, and Breathe w/o Air
4. Ice Blasts from gauntlets (2d6+1d6 per level of wearer

 

Spirit (Onyx): The most powerful of the Gauntlets. These powers are only applicable while wearing the Gauntlets.

1) +10 to M.E. (adjust ISP and applicable bonuses accordingly)

2) Psi-Sword can be summoned from BOTH Gauntlets, each equal to a 10^th

Level Mind Melter!(Automatically has paired weapons with the psi-swords)

3) Impervious to all forms of mind control and magic illusion.

5. Add an additional +4 to all saving bonuses and +15% to all skills.

See why they were hidden??!?!?!?!?

 

PENALTIES: Here are the penalties for using the Gauntlets. These penalties go away when the Gauntlets are removed and the lost ISP or PPE is regenerated, all except for the urge.

Skill penalty: - 10% to all skills requiring the sense of touch.

Wearer feels a slight urge to wear the gauntlets every waking hour and even sometimes while sleeping.

The gauntlets drain ISP or PPE at a rate of 5 points per 2 hours. These points cannot be regenerated until the gauntlets are removed. Furthermore, the wearer cannot draw on Ley Line or Nexus energies while wearing the gauntlets, but if walking near (within 20 feet) a Ley Line or inside a magic pyramid or nexus point the gauntlets will cease their drain from the character and draw from the Ley Line or Nexus. There is also a chance (1-30%) that the Gauntlets may fly off on their own in the middle of a ley line storm. But they will usually (75% of the time) return to their wearer. After the PPE or ISP base (whichever was higher) is completely drained, the Gauntlets will drain from the other base. If both are reduced to zero the gauntlets will drain from the base PERMANENTLY at a rate of 1 point every 30 minutes. If both bases are exhausted, the Gauntlets will fall apart and onto to the ground, reform and shoot straight up into the air (breaking through ANY barrier) and leave a trail of energy the color of its gem. Also leaving behind a player character with NO ISP and NO PPE. The characters hands are charred from the drain and the loss of a PPE and ISP base is permanent and may cause insanity if the being was a major or master psychic or practitioner of magic due to the loss of their main power. The gauntlets cannot be used by beings with zero PPE or ISP base.

Now these might seem like cursed items but I assure you they are not. The creators made these penalties so that if the Gauntlets fell into the wrong hands, the lust for power would consume the being and leave them powerless and then the Gauntlets would come to another more suitable owner, if they come to another owner at all. Remove curse will not work on these items. There is no way to fix the process unless one completely covers himself in PPE amulets or batteries, which could prove to be a pain in the ass and a bit on the expensive side. I mean why buy so many expensive things when u could just resist the urge and choose not to wear the gauntlets for a little while. Then again you could just spend your entire life around ley lines or at pyramids.

TOP SECRET: This section is for GM’s eyes only. If you are a player character and your GM is planning to use these items in his adventure, please stop reading. And if you do continue to read, Play on character knowledge. Thank you.

Shortly after the Legend of the Gauntlets became known, a few of the world powers decided to investigate. Deep in the archives of Dweomer, an Ancient text was found, it had to be translated from Old English. When the translation was complete, the text disclosed the full power of the Gauntlets to the reader. In paraphrase, it describes the singular powers of each set of Gauntlets. But, here’s the REAL power of the Gauntlets. While they each hold awesome singular powers, all five sets separate could not have defeated the Great Evil spoken of earlier. It was a unification ritual that set the Great Evil into the Beyond. Apparently, according to the text, when the Bearers of the Gauntlets stood hand in hand in a circle on top of a Nexus Point, the Gauntlets would all connect and everyone in the circle would be drawn into a sphere of Brilliant white energy. The Gauntlets AND their Bearers would all fuse together to become a super powerful intelligence to rival the OLD ONES!!!!!! While this intelligence has One Mind, they minds of the five Bearer are not pushed aside as one dominates. In fact, the five minds compose the one mind in all decision-making prospects. The original council had bonded this way for the reason to fight the Great Evil. And it was a fury to behold. When the Great Evil was vanquished, the Mind decided it would be best to return to the original forms. The Intelligence split apart and the Council was returned to normal, HIGHLY exhausted. Realizing the power of their creations they had them hidden and BURIED the legend. Now, unlike MOST supernatural intelligence’s, being mortal beings before, the new intelligence has more respect for life and it’s alignment is the prevailing alignment in the group. If all members of the group are different alignments then the alignment of the Mind will be Anarchist. Originally, the Intelligence was formed to fight another evil. BUT, if a group was to join the gauntlets without any specific purpose but the Lust for Power, than all hell will break lose. The Intelligence can take on ANY form it chooses. With the power to reshape worlds and being almost invulnerable AND invincible, nothing short of the Awakening of Thoth as Xy could stop this being were that it went on a rampage. After a week of the bearers being fused in by the Gauntlets, there is no going back, they will be the One Mind, forever, or until the Mind is Slain, whichever comes first.

Adventure Note: These artifacts are one of the main parts of my adventure. The Villain in my adventure is a Talus Mind Melter with the super powers of Bio-Armor, Multiple Selves, and Wingless Flight. Needless to say for this man to obtain all five sets of Gauntlets would be very BAD for my party, and the rest of the world. Also, Lord Splynncryth has taken an interest in the gauntlets. Not really an all out ACTIVE interest, but he has a few spies searching for information on them. If a Splugorth were to gain all sets of the gauntlets and wear them at one time, whoooaaaa that could be BAD!

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