Neat Historical Artifacts for a game

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Can we please leave out stuff like FDR's monocle, or whatever? I doubt that's what the guy who started this thread was looking for. Yes, Lincoln wore a hat. But that doesn't mean he derived some kind of power from it. Have there ever been legends regarding the power of Lincolns hat?

Considering that olethros (who started this thread) put a few of his own similar artifacts up as he thought of them

Thought of some more myself:
Jack the Ripper's scalpel (don't know how I'd stat this though)
George Washington's musket
Paul Revere's saddle

I think that artifacts like Lincoln's Hat are perfectly reasonable. Whats to say that the hat doesn't grant you a +4 to diplomacy roles, from the power that was infused in it from Lincoln wearing it?


And now back on topic:
The head of William Wallace
The head of Blackbeard
The guillotine that executed Marie Antoinette
The kite & key of Benjamin Franklin
Thomas Jefferson's pen, used to scribe the Declaration of Independance
Napoleon Bonaparte's coat
Brutus' dagger used to murder Julius Ceasar
Thomas Edison's original lightbulb

 

[Teflon Billy]

By the way: isn't it interesting that we D&D players auromatically attribute Gandhi's dilomatic achievements to his walking stick rather than to his attributes and skills, or FD Roosevelt's leadership and foresight to his monocle? It says something....

I noticed the same thing myself. Abraham Lincoln's hat? Come on.

You weren't asked for "Items Owned by the Famous", you were asked for "Neat Historical Artifacts"

A hat from the 1860's doesn't make the cut

If this is the tone of this thread, I'll add Pamela Anderson's Bikini, cause, you know, she's really hot.

It's the Bikini.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Can we please leave out stuff like FDR's monocle, or whatever? I doubt that's what the guy who started this thread was looking for. Yes, Lincoln wore a hat. But that doesn't mean he derived some kind of power from it. Have there ever been legends regarding the power of Lincolns hat?

I wish I had stated it this well.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Considering that olethros (who started this thread) put a few of his own similar artifacts up as he thought of them


I think that artifacts like Lincoln's Hat are perfectly reasonable. Whats to say that the hat doesn't grant you a +4 to diplomacy roles, from the power that was infused in it from Lincoln wearing it?

Yup, or maybe even a bonus to Will saves.

MacArthur's pipe, glasses, and hat were very much a part of his look, and his image was very inspiring, especially to the people of the Phillipines during WWII. Perhaps these artifacts give the possessor some of MacArthur's ability to lead and inspire, like a Paladin's Aura of Courage.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I wish I had stated it this well.

So nothing except really ancient artifacts can have any mystical abilities, game-wise? I don't see why that should be the case.

 

[Teflon Billy]

So nothing except really ancient artifacts can have any mystical abilities, game-wise? I don't see why that should be the case.

Then we'll agree to disagree

I guess it would be campaign dependent, but the idea that I gain any "Quick Draw" ability from Billy the Kid's pistols kind of downplays Billy the Kid's legendary speed (what with attributing it to his weapon).

It's a very D&D mindset, but it's a D&D board so whattya gonna do?

 

[Bjorn Doneerson]

Right, about Longinus' Lance and its holi-or-unholi-ness. The Lance is generally called Holy, because A. It saved Jesus some suffering, and B. It helped to fulfill a prophecy that the messiah would never break a bone. But I suppose it could be at least partially unholy for killing Jesus. And the Weapon is both blessed and cursed. Taditionally the stories say that the owner could not be defeated in batlle until they (inevitably) lost the spear, after which they lost and I believe died. They say Hitler was in possesion of an Austrian Museum that held the spear, and that He shot himself shortly after U.S. forces lead by Patton took the Museum. As a side note, I heard that some poeple believe Hitler killed himself with a Walther maybe a P38?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Then we'll agree to disagree

I guess it would be campaign dependent, but the idea that I gain any "Quick Draw" ability from Billy the Kid's pistols kind of downplays Billy the Kid's legendary speed (what with attributing it to his weapon).

It's a very D&D mindset, but it's a D&D board so whattya gonna do?

No, no. You misunderstand. These things acquired their abilities due to association. The Kid's quickness rubbed off on the gun (or whatever example you want to use). It didn't have the ability before he used it. Was the Holy Grail powerful before Christ drank from it? No. It acquired it's mystique because he drank from it.

EDIT: By the way, this is one of the few times TB and I seemingly disagree about something. I suspect, though, we don't disagree as much as it seems...

 

[Teflon Billy]

No, no. You misunderstand. These things acquired their abilities due to association. The Kid's quickness rubbed off on the gun (or whatever example you want to use). It didn't have the ability before he used it. Was the Holy Grail powerful before Christ drank from it? No. It acquired it's mystique because he drank from it.

EDIT: By the way, this is one of the few times TB and I seemingly disagree about something. I suspect, though, we don't disagree as much as it seems...

Well, we do and we don't

I understand your point, but the gist of it is (even in the example you've given above) that Christ could be said to be a "mystical" figure (what with the healing, the water-walking, the loaves and fishes) and impart "mystical" power to items by his presence. Sure, I'm with you there.

Lincoln was not a mystical, magical force. Neither was MacArthur, neither was Billy the Kid....I think it's an apples and oranges thing

Green Knight did asked: "Are there some legends about the powers of Lincoln's hat"? I'm not aware of any.

It might just be an age thing....stuff that is from before the age of reason can be a painted with a "mystical" brush simply becasue there weren't skeptics being published at the time.

But all of the people listing "Magical Artifact" suggestions from the history of the United States are just not getting their points through to me.

Same for Ghandi's Cane for that matter. I don't think anyone has attibuted the fact that Ghandi freed India from British rule to his cane...it's an insult if they do so.

We live in a secular and humanist age, ascribing animistic, totemic power to common everyday items (see my Pamela Anderson quote) due to someone using them is not anything I respect or applaud (despite what fans of American Military history might have to say)

Stuff from distant history? I'm all over it. Excalibur, The Grail etc. all good.

Stuff from the Age of my grandfather? not so worthy of the term "Artifact" (in the D&D sense).

Anyway, that as a "stream of consciousness" so for give the rambliness of it all

 

[hunter1828]

How about the many and varied sacred bundles of North American Indians? Depending upon tribe these varied widely. Also, the various weapons of legendary and historical North American Indians would be good ones as well.

hunter1828