Silver Insanity

I've tweaked the artifact a bit, based on your suggestions.

It currently has 1 ritual, 1 skill, and 1 stat boost, but gives the Illiterate flaw and 2 sanity damage.

The willpower and extra sanity damage basically means that the ritual casts more reliably and for the duration of the effect more likely succeed on Horror checks, and the average sanity damage is guaranteed regardless of how the artifact gets used.

Having a flaw as a limitation also works as a secondary 'check', by having either a floating mandatory 'compel', or needing to spend a style-point to restore the functionality.

I am still confused on the statement that having the Skill enhancement would need the artifact to be sentient, as I don't see the Skill Aptitude talent on any of the sample artifacts in the three main books or Weird Science Compendium, and many of them have Skill bonuses without needing the Spark of Life to do so (even for specialist skills). If it's a particular limitation you wish to see implemented, I can work with that, but I don't see any specific precedents in the samples.

I'm also curious about Karl's multi-mode artifact. Is that something we can do - having multiple configurations for the same artifact expense? If so, what are the general limitations, like does it need to be rebuilt to change the settings, is it limited to one-time use artifacts, whats the trade-off between having a single unchangeable artifact that costs more but does the same things? More generally, if we lose a Resource can we keep and reinvest the XP or is it just 'lost' like the rulebooks suggest? (Questions not directed at his Artifact specifically, just multi-mode artifacts generally)

One concern Wyvern brought up was how stat boosts from artifacts interact with max base stats: IE, if you have 5 willpower, can an artifact push you above that, or does it offer no benefit and is stuck at 5? The books don't seem to answer this to support or deny the possibility, that we've seen.

It's a side effect of how messed up the Elder Lore skill is. You cannot write it down. you can't make a compendium reference to it. A tome only grants Elder XP, and cannot really be used as a direct reference. If it's a connection to an alien mind, then ... that comes with it's own issues above and beyond the point values. Again, a narrative issue that is likely going to come up.

Karl has a dozen artifacts. He trades them out when they break or become not needed. You can do this with any of the floating resource things that resources give or with the artifact background (which lets you replace artifacts that are lost). (with permission, of course...)

Karl can't swap them out easily and would need to rebuild and maintain them, but it seemed like a strong enough theme. Effectively he'd need to rebuild it each time. He's also likely need to spend time researching them in game if he were an actual pc, as each variation is a separate formula.

I'd say an artifact can't push you past max attributes, certainly not without some major drawback. For example, if you want to make a steam-powered power-lifter that grants a 6 strength, that makes sense, but you aren't bringing that anywhere subtly. Also, that'd probably be better done by adjusting a vehicle... For a potion or something, you'd need to 'Flowers for Algernon' it, or similar. This is a horror setting, and pushing human max brings out the body-horror.

Speaking to the "Can I lose resources permanently?" question, I will use the: "If your character loses a Resource during play through no fault of his own, or through good roleplaying, the Gamemaster may allow you to replace the lost Resource or swap it out with one of an equivalent Level."

So, the general rule is, you'd have to do something kinda severe to make me dock you 15 xp. That holds true for Bonus resources. That being said, making you regain / rebuild / replace an item or contact is legit. And there's always the god-smite 'no' for items that end up braking the game (or needs a major tweak). Those are always allowed to be replaced, as it's something I should have caught before you started. The only exception would be if you intentionally tried to sneak it past me... and seriously, I don't see people doing that.

For Karl, he likely recycles one artifact into another, so can't really use both at the same time without investing more (including more levels of Artifact).

Seems reasonable. I traded some stuff around, and gave the artifact "Ally 0" to represent the sentience. I'm not assigning the stats, because ultimately it's a Elder-One Touched Rock and probably not my place to assign points to a 'Thing Man Was Not Meant To Know'.

Overall, I think I'm done with char creation for Augustus, if you could review it and either rubber-stamp or provide further feedback on what you opine.
Thank you.

You probably want Patron instead of Allies... Take a look at it... it gives some direct bonuses that you might want. since the old one isn't going to physically be there.

I was going off the Artifact creation rules, and while "Ally 0" is a valid attribute to add (Under 'Living Creations'), I don't see anything about giving it "Patron 0" as an enhancement. If you want to house-rule that we go with Patron instead at a similar table to the Ally/Follower one, that is fine with me, but not a declaration I can make since its not a listing in the books.

And I sorta going with the interpretation that the rock was sentient and could very much be there, abet Immobile and such. This could be as a minion of the Old One, or some psychic echo, but the general rules would come out about the same.

Posted the outward bits of my character sheet as are written so far over in the Characters segment, posting the innards here for commentary/revision/reference/whatever (though the changes are largely minimal).

[+] Final draft of apothecary

Name: Elizabeth "Beth" Daniela Spurling
Archetype: Apothecary (Physician)
Motivation: Fixing Things

Body: 3
Dex: 2
Str: 1
Cha: 2
Int: 4
Will: 3

Skills: (17/15+2)
4/0 Alienism
4/2 Archery.
1/0 Athletics
4/0 Bureaucracy
4/0 Connoisseur~
6/2 Craft: Pharmacology*
4/0 Craft: Chemistry
4/2 Diplomacy~.
4/0 Empathy
4/0 Gambling
4/0 Investigation
8/4 Medicine*
4/0 Science: Biology
4/0 Science: Chemistry
4/2 Streetwise

Lifesaver

Refuge 0: Equipment(Craft:Pharmacology), apothecary shop w/ small but cozy living space wedged in somewhere
Patron 1: Her father, Geoffrey Daniel Hurst
Ally 0: Clarence, her mentor

Flaws: Merciful/Stubborn

I'm presuming that since Craft is specialized the Refuge benefit for it is too, but if I can wedge "/Chemistry" in there too I won't complain. >->

Hopefully I'm doing this right...

[Professor] Wallace Alfred Berkley

Archetype: Academic
Motivation: Mystery

Body 2
Dexterity 2
Strength 2
Intelligence 5 (6)
Will 3
Charisma 1

Size = 0 (Average Human)
Move = 4
Perception = 9
Initiative = 8
Defense = 4
Stun = 2
Health = 5
Sanity = 5

Science: Physics 4 (quantum mechanics)
Investigation 3
Gambling 2
linguistics 2 (codes)
Firearms 1
Brawl 1
Melee 1
Drive 0
Bureaucracy 0
Diplomacy 0
Elder Lore (Creatures) 0

Intelligent - +1 base int, +1 max
Second Sight

Flaw! ...he has one. I forget which. I'll fix this when I can write him up properly.
Mentor [QP] 0
Group 0 [The Social Society of Subversive Sciences (Anti-Mi-Go cult)]

[Quick blurb to throw up, I'll get more detail written when I have access to a computer]
A mathematics professor from 1950s America, tenured at U of Boston. In his early 40s (about 43). While playing with the math of quantum mechanics, he fell I'll and contracted a parasite, a quantum parasite, that enabled him to see superposition. Curious, he followed a small void, which led to him being captured by the Mi-Go. Hes been on Lastfell for about three weeks.