Hello All!

So, I will be taking my players trough a Cold Trade auction this week- and I realized I only had One non-generic item on my list

I figured it would be a good idea to create a Xenos Item list, same as the (Very cool) Occult Paraphenilia list.

Same concept- of course, feel free to include those seemingly harmless artifacts that are actually quite troublesome, if only because the stupid humans buying it don't understand the dangers of the Xenos!

1- Catachan Venus-man Trap.

Displayed in a medium sized ornate terrarium, these "exotic" plants are constantly being bathed in bright lights and humidifiers designed to closely replicate Catachan's atmospherical and weather conditions. Its not very hard to spot movement within the luxurious: a numbre of vines seem to slide and slither around a central stem crowned by a large, bright red flower. Its head is circular and lined with sharp, fang-like spikes.

Only those with the greatest wealth can maintain this plant out of its natural Habitat- and, other than its decorative and impressive atributes, it makes a great place to throw your ennemies.

[Twist- Unaware to the Cold Traders, a brain-leaf has developped a symbiotic relationship with this Venus-mantrap and is hiding in its foliage… If it gets the chance to grow enough, it could represent a real danger to the Hive itself.]

I just had one of these in my campaign! Always fun to present the PCs with an array of shiny things.

Two things to keep in mind: first, consider the exact legality of the items involved. The fiction is full of nobles displaying xeno artwork or artifacts, but this is not presented as universally illegal. Different planets may have different laws regarding their sale, and some items are considered illegal by different groups (eg: The Mechanicus declares all xenos tech as abominations, while the Ecclesiarchy would condemn a idol of a xenos god.)

Secondly, a lot on sale can be simply xeno, and not otherwise special. A Eldar wraithbone teacup is completely useless, but nobles could pay thousands of thrones for it, while passing over more potent artefacts because they don't look as exotic.

Some items I used:

2: Warp-reflective crystal

This head-sized, rough chunk of crystal shimmers and pulses with changing, eldritch colours. Rumored to have been crafted by the warp-worshipping Yu'vath race, its exact properties are unknown. It appears to reflect the beholder's desires; a cultist will think its a conduit to summon a daemon, while a merchant would think it would bring him good luck. In reality it has no special property beyond reacting to emotions and the turbulence of the warp, giving a +10 to psyniscience checks to someone who has realised its true nature.

3: Maiden world bow

A best-quality, low-tech bow, gracefully crafted out of some black plastic-like substance which sparkles in bright light. The bowstring is some pure-white fiber which seems unbreakable.

4: Xeno-light paintings

A collection of paintings, beautiful but oddly twisted, coloured and seemingly incomplete. Painted under a different sun, they need lumen-orbs of bizzare spectra to illuminate them so their true image can be perceived.

5. Worm-idol : an idol depicting a serpantine creature with five heads and a dozen tentacles spreading out from behind each of them, all made in some wierd metal alloy unfamiliar to human technology

6. Feras spear : a long spear with a saw-edged blade on which there is engravings in a "savage" style showing canine humanoids fighting each other and seemingly worshiping some astral body. A successful test (Forbidden Lore: Xenos or Occult) will show that these figures are indeed worshiping the Komus

Since I run a Hereticus-based campaign, I haven't had many xeno items in my campaign; however, I recently ran a highly altered version of Baron Hopes (from Purge The Unclean ), re-written to revolve around a cache of Yu'Vath items discovered by the leader of the mutant terrorists. The items used by the terrorists included bombs (actually artillery shells rigged to overload) that temporarily destabilized matter; devices that could be attached to walls to allow passage through solid matter; a personal forcefield (fortunately overloaded during combat and unrepairable by Imperial technology); and, probably most applicable to your purposes, a Soul Burner.

YU’VATH SOUL BURNER

‘Soul Burner’ is the Imperial designation for a type of weapon employed by certain high-ranking Yu’Vath leaders during the Angevin Crusade. Always rare, these weapons seemed to fill a niche in Yu’Vath culture comparable to the plasma pistols used by some officers within the Imperial Guard. In appearance, a Soul Burner is a metallic black sphere about ten centimeters in diameter, its surface covered with what look like cracks exposing bright silver beneath the black finish. Closer inspection reveals these ‘cracks’ to in fact be circuitry inlaid in a complex fractal pattern.

A Soul Burner has no mechanical ‘trigger’; rather it requires focused willpower to function. The wielder must make a Routine (+20) WP test to fire the weapon (with a -30 penalty if the firer lacks the appropriate Exotic Weapon Training Talent). If successful, the Soul Burner unleashes a gout of unholy green warp-fire; this cone-shaped attack conforms to the rules for Flame weapons, with the exception that it has no chance of setting the target on fire. The emphyreal energy ignores both armour and Toughness; damage inflicted is reduced by the target’s WP Bonus. If someone takes damage from a Soul Burner, they must make a Challenging (+0) WP Test, gaining 1 Corruption Point per degree off failure, as the glimpse into the nightmare realm of the warp scours their very soul.

Untouchables are immune to the effects of Soul Burners.

SOUL BURNER- Class: Exotic; Range: 20m; RoF : S/-/-; Dam: 2d10 E; Pen: 0; Clip: Unlimited; Rld: -; Special: Flame; Warp Weapon; see description; Wt: 1 kg; Availability: Near Unique.

I've got some more!

7. Phyrr Cat (live): An adult speciment of a Phyrr cat. An excellent zoo addition, or pit-fight fodder, or a wonderful distraction should it escape during the auction…

8. Eldar diresword (fake): This is a beautiful and extremely accurately reproduced, but ineffective and non-functional replica of an Eldar diresword. Treat as a sword with the Primative(7) and Unbalanced traits.

9. 4 Silica-based xenos-form eggs

10. Set of Eldar runestones: Gives +30 to Trade(Soothsayer) checks, and +1 PR for psychic powers from the Divination school.

11. 3d10 Ork Teef

12. Orkish language primer

13. Tamed Squig (live): A surprisingly affectionate Squig. An exotic pet, but it does scratch at its spores rather often.

Those are all quite cool! I especially like the Squig

The theme for my auction is going to be torture devices and ways to make the noble's enemies SUFFER!!!!

Other than the Draethri Pain Gauntlet, which will be available, here's a few more ideas!

14- A set of thirteen superbly made torture tools, crafted by Hands Unknown.

These items are of various shapes and sizes, some blunt,others sharp as sin- riddled with various spikes, loops and curves that make each item unique and particulary gruesome looking. You can easily imagine how they could used to hurt people, cutting trough, piercing skin and generally drawing blood without discrimination- which race created these designes were clearly well versed in the arts.

In reality, its a set of Xenos Cuttlery - as a forbidden lore (xenos) test. That doesn't mean they can't be used to hurt people- giving a +5 bonus test to any form interrogation. If used to torture, any failure on any test immediatly causes blood loss due to the design and sharpness of the tools.

15- Enlightening Mask, also by Hands Unknown.

This item is a hauntingly beautiful ornate and jeweled mask. It mesmerises those who look upon it with its strange curvy shapes and angelic features. Consisting of three main parts, a veil, a mask and a crown- it conceals the wearer face completely, covering their mouth, nose, eyes and ears to any external stimuli. Though people wearing the mask can still communicate, their voices are muffled and echo as if displaced in time and space.

It is said that the device was used as a universal communicator by a long dead alien race- and pain is a universal language. Upon the rim of the crown, people notice the various colored jewels decorating it. It is said that by manipulating these gems- a simple touch is more than enough- you can twist and alter the senses of the wearer and expose him to from the most blissfull of dimensions to the most horrific nightmares imaginable.

When the mask is set upon a victim, the torturer can manipulate the jewels smply by touching them and force the wearer to take a fear test (up to fear 4).

[Two more Incoming after I get back home!]

15. Wind Staff: Liberated from the abandoned tower cities of the Byrch this staff is about the length of a man in silver, engraved with unknown decoratives which seem to have no real meaning. If properly used, as a Forbidden Lore (Xenos) will show, the item can fire a unnatural wind against a target. These winds behave in such a ways as to tear the target apart.

Class: Exotic, Range: 100m, RoF: S/-/-, Dam: 1d10, Pen 5, Clip: Unlimited, Rld: -, Shatter, Shocking, Overheats. Wt: 3kg, Availability: Near Unique

16. Levitation Orb: A silver orb engraved in the same manner as the Wind Staff, this was also liberated from the Byrch's ruin-cities. The mechanisms for activating it are very difficult to understand or direct, but if successful the user can cause strong winds to carry him or her at great speed and off the ground. A landbased creature gains athe hover (4) trait from using this item, while a creature with the hover traits gains flying with an additional +5 in speed. A creature which posses the flying trait will get a +7 bonus to the speed when flying and using this item.

The Two/Three More Objects I promised:

17- The Eternal Throne-

No one knows for sure whom this opulent was crafted for- or what exactly used to sit upon its gilded, heavily decorated frame and rule. It is traced torugh history in the property of ancient king, who wanted to live forever. Some speculate its main purpose was traiterous, a poisoned apple of sorts granted by otherworldy forces- others that it was simply not designed with human biology in mind. Its alien design is apparent in the runes carved into its surface and the tube-like crystals that link it from side in interesting and intricate shapes.

What is known about it is simple: those who sit upon don't do so for very long. Sharp ridges and tiny spikes, almost invisible to the human eyes, will pierce the skin of the seater as soon as he fidgets even slightly. Then its sinister mechanism activates: the seater is forced into the chair as the throne itself burrows into his flesh. Any wounds afflicting him are healed- a miracle it would seem, if not for what follows: no sooner he is regenerated that the wounds open anew. The cycle repeats constantly, taxing the body, creating new wounds and rips and tears that heal and open until the subject is dead or he is violently torn out of the throne by a third part.

18- Liber Excruciatus, Semi-translated.

A book, but not as we humans know it. It appears as a collection of alien runes carved into a quivering, flesh-like material: each page or section quite different from the previous one. Inside the covers, one can find a partial translation of the runes, which explain new and interesting torture methods (if the humanoid figures depicted nearby are any indication….)

The author is unknown, but quite an expert on the subject- the figures therein are not limited to humankind but range to all forms of alien creatures, all being subjected to even more depraved horrors. It promises hours of fun for those inclined to repeat the procedures and expand on the already considerable research.

(Someone needs to come up with an interesting mechanic for this Lets say that the book is carved from the flesh of those that were tortured )

19- Crystal Maiden

Again, another vaguely humanoid-shaped like container, perfect for those noble of hive Tarsus who wish to immortalise their enemies- not in the way that they would imagine though.

The item seems to be some sort of casket designed for Interstellar, though clearly not designed for human-biology. When a human-being is placed inside the coffin-like object and it is sealed and activated (trough a set of runes nearby), it immediately begins to change temperature, cooling and heating at unatural rates as if consuming a vast amount of power. Once the process is complete, and the lid open, the person therein is found completely crystalised- in strange and unnatural shapes, though vaguely retaining the baseline of his features.

Strangely enough, auspex scans detect a thought process and brainwaves in the individual- indicating that he is still very much aware of his surroundings, and he responds to stimuli as if he were "alive". The crystal-like material, when chipped away, eventually regrows- a process which if the scans are any indications, causes just as much pain.

Saldre said:

In that case, I have two words for you: DARK ELDAR. How about:

Surgically-implanted pain goads retrieved from the bodies of a Beastmaster's pets killed in an attack on an Imperial settlement.

An Agonizer in a non-weapon form.

The tools of a homonculi.

Heck, depending of your scenario, maybe even an actual enslaved homonculi, one who will be more than happy to practice his trade on his masters' enemies in order to feed on their pain and slow the erosion of his own soul- all the while secretly plotting a spectacularly gruesome betrayal when the opportunity presents itself…

Check out the Rogue Trader module Soul Reaver for more info on Dark Eldar in the WH40KRP verse.

The squig and the cutlery, superb ideas. I really don't know why I never thought of throwing a squig in, especially one that was player friendly, that could be so much fun.

But anyway, Dark Eldar, good stuff, Flesh hooks used to capture slaves, literally by hooking them, designed to securely attach to the flesh and drag you along behind a raider, causing extreme amounts of pain, but not causing too much damage so the slave was still usable. They are basically large hooks on long chains that were hung off the backs / sides of raiders to catch people they flew over.

Although I think what could be really fun would be this:

A Shard of an Eldar Infintry Matrix:

This small piece of wraithbone circutry is said to have been taken from an Eldar Craftward that was destroyed. If placed directly on the skin of a person it will cause excruciating pain as it tries to remove the persons soul and place it inside the Infinitry Matrix. But as there is not enough of the matrix to store the soul it fails and just keeps causing more and more pain. Each round the subject may take a difficult -10 Will Power test to stop the effect otherwise suffer a fatiuge, the efect stops when the subject falls unconcious. There are peices of Eldar souls already in the item and after touching the item the subject is plauged with images of unknown worlds, hidious xenos, and depraved actions of war, lust, and gluttony that the subject feels both a longing and a familiarity that should be impossible. A psycher is slightly closer the mental capacity of the eldar and if the psycher can pass the difficult -10 Will Power test each round the psycher receives a +1 Psy Rating bonus while in contact with the Shard.

All sorts of fun character development or plot stuff can be done with that.