Re: [HOE] Relic help

["Scott Pedersen" <spederse@hotmail.com>]

> OK, so I got an idea for a particularly evil relic, inspired by the Matt
> Ruff novel, Sewer, Gas and Electric.  It's a .30-06 hunting rifle, and it
> was the murder weapon in a very high-profile assassination (though not
> the same assassination as the rifle in the book).  Such an infamous
> weapon is sure to grab the Reckoners' attention, so it becomes the
> ultimate assassination tool; when a round hits, the firer can adjust the
> hit location up or down a number equal to the target's Reknown edge.
> This move can't be used to make the hit less lethal, though; if it's at
> all possible to hit the head or gizzards, it does.
>
> Now, a relic like this should have a particularly nasty Taint.  Not just
> that it makes the owner really violent; anyone using this thing is
> probably going to be Bloodthirsty already.  I'm thinking it should have
> some link to the conspiracy theories surrounding political
> assassinations, but I cna't put my finger right on it.  Any ideas?

How's this, anyone seeking revenge for an assassination gets the same bonus
as the rifle's wielder received.  Assassins rarely seem to survive long
enough to make it to trial.

Another idea, the standard conspiracy theory line seems to be that the
assassin of record didn't really do the deed and is just a scapegoat.  The
rifle wielder could become an outlaw as soon as he picks up the gun, hunted
by law dogs everywhere.  Bizarre twists of fate or a coincidental look-alike
could get the posse member blamed for crimes that he had nothing to do with
that happened far away.

Finally, the rifle wielder could become a pawn in other people's schemes.
Give him a -5 or so against opposed social rolls.  He will find himself
frequently being manipulated and/or forced into doing other's dirty work.

-Scott Pedersen