A very strange television. The cabinet is austere, in ebony with a single strip of chrome trim. The screen is 5" wide and 12" tall. There is a single on/off button.
When turned on the set displays a man in a vaguely martial looking suit delivering an alarming, jingoistic diatribe about the Great Struggle and the depredations of the Enemy. This goes on for three hours, then another speaker takes his place. Briefly displayed during the switchover is a slide depicting an eye in a pyramid. A chorus of strident voices chant "To a New Order in the World" as the image fades away.
Adam Conover|revonoc@i-2000.com|A bolt of the fabric of the universe. Annoying, it's plaid.
Jame Scholl|satyric@bga.com|An immense crate containing ten thousand bumper stickers which read, "Titty Bingo" in multicolored print. Research will reveal the stickers to be an advertisement for a band that doesn't exist. Regardless of this, characters will feel inexplicably compelled to put them on their vehicles.
Mike Elkins|elk@dragonsys.com|A large animal jawbone, about 18 inches from cheek to cheek. Examination by anyone with a knowledge of anatomy will reveal it be from homo sapiens. The tag says simply "post-conversion"
Richard Brown|Richard.Brown@m.cc.utah.edu|An unusualy designed war chariot. Close examination reveals that it is curiously arodinamicaly sound. In front of it under the harnes are two piles of bones. Examination of the bones reveals that they apear to belong to two goats the size of horses, and apear to have been gnawed on by human teeth.
Michael Gaudet|mpg@engr.latech.edu|A gallon jug of some liquid that looks and tastes like cherry cola. A frozen object immersed in it will be unfrozen. If the object was alive when frozen, the object has a 50/50 chance of either coming back to life, or turning into a grey silt.
Richard Brown|Richard.Brown@m.cc.utah.edu|A large red hared and bearded man, dresed in early mideaval scandinavian stile under a glass lid. He is wearing a pair of plate metal gauntlets and a heavy helmet but no other armor. He also wears a broad belt inscribed with runes. Atop the lid is a large war hamer and a sign reading "In case of Ragnarock, Break Glass." Note ST 50 required to lift the hamer, no character should be strong enough to break the glass and if the hamer is moved more than 10 feet away it will fly back to it's resting place doing 10d damage to anyone in it's way.
Michael R. Smith|bandii@earthlink.net|The Goblets of Madness A mahogany case decorated with a frieze of dionysian revelers which contains a set of 13 red crystal wineglasses the bases of which are twined with grapevines. Legend has it that the Goblets were stolen from the collection of the famed English barrister/mystic Sir Jonas Windrose in 1913. They have surfaced here and there in the collections of other eccentrics, collectors and mystics down throughout the years. The true origin of the Goblets is unknown, but rumors of their existence stretch as far back as 14th century Italy. The Goblets have but one, simple enchantment. When filled with wine and then drunk from, they will induce exquisite pleasure and freedom of spirit, as well as adding to the charm and charisma of all who imbibe...this is followed by an overwhelming urge to consume more wine to maintain the “high”, this continues until the urge to drink from the Goblets becomes a desperate frenzy. If the wine should happen to run dry, the next available liquid will suffice, be it rum, whiskey, Pepsi, water, urine...or the blood of your fellow guests. To date, while many have tried to drink from the Goblets and live, only three ever have, all three of whom were driven quite by the ordeal. In order to resist the lure of the Goblets, a PC must make an initial Will Roll at -4, subsequent Will Rolls are at a further -2 per Gobletful of liquid drunk. If a PC should fail four consecutive Will Rolls, he or she is lost and gains the disadvantages of Obsession (Must Continue Drinking), Bloodlust, Berserk and Paranoia. A PC in this state will continue drinking until no more liquid is available at which point the PC must make a Will Roll at -10 to avoid killing himself during the withdrawal stage. The Goblets are otherwise normal glass, and can be smashed, broken, chipped and cracked...but when the revel is over, their are always 13 Goblets in the case, no matter how many were destroyed.
Craig Jackson|omni@darkwater.com|A large purple mushroom with blue spots. Attached is a note which reads `One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter.'
Craig Jackson|omni@darkwater.com|A series of snapshots featuring a naked couple in pristine wilderness. An odd assortment of wildlife from around the world is present, including a creature that appears to be a snake with legs. Later photos feature a group of small flying babies wielding a very large flaming sword. Many of the pictures are badly out of focus.
Colin Clark|astroboy@iinet.net.au|A small, mechanical kangaroo, marked with the insignia of the 7th Cavalry. Could it be a grenade holder?
SD Anderson|102250.1425@compuserve.com|A bronze looking aluminum cane with an offset handle. In reality it is made of an advanced alloy quite capable of containing radiations known to modern science. It had been used by a human looking Arcturan who had been pilfering radioactive fuels from Lawerence Livermore's secret reactor in {mmmph...} NEVER MIND CITIZEN. THIS DOES NOT CONCERN YOU.
SD Anderson|102250.1425|Essential Stone armor. Using Essential Earth, Earth to Stone, Lighten, and a variant ethereal body spell that lets bulky "joints" coexist in the same space while moving, this is an 80 pound suit of non-metalic armor that provides DR 24 and has 12 Hits. Damage taken by the armor is virtually irreparable baring some very good spells. It fits a 6'3" 215 pound male human warrior quite well.
Maximillion Sloan|MaxSloan.FBI.XDiv@Juno.com|An ordinary rubber chicken. However, it is immunue to all forms of Physical attack. (eg. cutting, blunt, heat, acid, cold and electrical)
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|An autographed copy of the Bible.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A hole in the space-time continuum. It leads to five minutes from now, thirty miles away in a suburban household. It's a one-way trip, and the character that sticks his hand in will disappear instantly.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A copy of Beetlejuice 2, In Nomine, and working plans for a super-conductor. This is, of course, found after searching for fifty minutes through plans for the Beer Hat.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|The character finds a chain. Pulling on it creates a flushing sound, but nothing more.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A still-living dodo, which promptly lays some eggs.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|X-Ray specs that see through everything. Unfortunately, there's no control on it, so everything looks white, since you see through it all.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A simple map, with several "X"es in several places. Investigation will reveal this to be Dealy Plaza in Dallas, circa 1963.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A vial of a dark, red substance labeled "Subject #545420023: Theodore Bundy". Analysis will conclude that this is Mr. Bundy's favorite bottle of catsup.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A legal document written and signed in red ink. Reading it suggests that a powerfulcomputer magnate has sold his soul to a "Mr. Sto"for lots of money, a model wife, and total power over the computer market. The date of collection is marked for a week from now.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A lifesize, mossy statue of Cthulhu. The pedestal says "from R'lyeh Pets".
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A vial labeled "Viral Strain #253" in an extremely fragile case. When broken, everyone within a hundred miles will alternately become a red neck, Bob Hope, or the baby Jesus for the next six hours.
Andrew Getting|kestre1@airmail.net|A hula-hoop. Using it makes a slight whirring sound, until the user becomes bored. The user will be visited sometime in the next fifty years by a group of aliens that look and act like Bobcat Goldthwait
a little fish in a big pond (Thomas Weigel)|seasong@io.com|A layer of greyish dust in the bottom of the box which swirls about in the air from the suction of the top opening. A few moments later, the box falls apart and your hands begin to itch and blood bruises form.
PHREEDOM|PHREEDOM@aol.com|A small box with a circit board inside. This circit board can guess any password and brake any code open any encryption. All with in 1 min. just conect to your computer and press the start button!!!
Isaac Kelley|I don't have one|You open the box to find a large plastic bag. It looks like it has a human body in it. Repulsed, yet curious, you open the bag. To your utter horror, the face on the body is yours!! The body has been violently stabbed to death. For some strange reason the only thing you can think of is the time machine you found in the box next to this one. Suddenly, the body dissapears!
Craig Roth|caroth@iu.net|A large portfolio of photographs of the PC who reached into the box. They are x-rated, containing scenes the character would never knowingly engage in.
Brian Mancuso|Illumis@aol.com|Packet of Sea Hords. A packet of what looks like Sea Monkeys(R), but there not! When in water they will become little undead brine shrimp that will obey the very will of their master. Their master is any one who holds the jar (or container). They may travel on land for a day or survive in the sewer system for up to a week.
Jason McCoy (A.K.A) PoPe_GoKu|jmccoy@isd.net |a Perfect ( or so the computer said so) clone of the secret master himself STEVE JACKSON! he will bow down to you and be your slave for life! You can abuse him and use him as you please! But dont overwork him or the computer will deem you as a commie mutant trader and kill you! FNoRD!
David Adamson|Ilumnati@aol.com|The Crystal Foot: Found at the same site as the Crystal Skull, this quartz foot doesn't really do much. It just looks nice.
Marlak|mrlk@mamforia.com|The Sword of the Mad God Ralis: This jeweled greatsword grants the weilder godlike powers (as GM deems appropriate). He also gets Sadism, Bloodlust, Megalomaniac, and whatever other evil, insane disadvantages that the GM likes.
David Adamson|Ilumnati23@aol.com|Explosive canaries: These small birds can be thrown at a target, detonating on contact. Either Throwing or Animal Handling may be used. Damage is 3d, SS 12, Acc+2, no 1/2D, Max 100. The canaries weigh 1 pound each. no fnords were harmed durnig the production of this item.
Damian Lund|alfie@magna.com.au|Two futuristic badges: If you touch one and talk into it, your voice comes out of the other one.
Michael Kosteva|tuba@io.com|A heavy, metallic briefcase full of stacks and stacks of neatly wrapped paper money. Closer examination revelas them to be U.S. dollars, the 23 dollar note. On the front is a picture of a Grey alien, on the back is a large Illuminati Pyramid, behind which is a series of interlocking pyramids. The motto written in the note: "In no one we trust."
SIon Rodriguez y Gibson|emr9@cornell.edu|A cheap looking pewter cigarette case. If opened it is found to contain a dozen or so normal looking cigarettes, the only unusual thing about their appearance is that the manufacturer's logo is unrecognizable. If smoked the ciggies provide heightened mental acuity, but they are even more addictive than normal cigarettes (and it may be hard finding another supplier!).
David Greenbaum|djg7@cornell.edu|The desiccated and sandblasted skull, with horns, of a Texas Longhorn bull. At its base, it contains attachments that allow it to be installed in place of the hood ornament on any pre-1984 vehicle. If installed, the vehicle gains the frightening propensity to charge other competing vehicles, or to bolt and stampede when frightened. The vehicle no longer requires regular fueling.
Clint Fell|pyrotech@camelot.bradley.edu|A small Toroid perhaps 15 cm in diameter. Two support arms cross perpendicularly in the center. Also in the center is a small red button and two small RCA type jacks. The object seems to be made of a silvery light metal and ringed with some kind of small interconnecting tubbing. If the button is pushed without a significant electrical load attached to the RCA jacks then the device will detonate in an explosion roughly equivalent to 10 Kg of plastique. This device produces approximately 5 Megawatts of power if connected to an electrical system with super-conductive cables (standard cables would melt). This device will continue to opperate for one week or until the button is pressed again.
steve the wonder dog|steve@aol.com|preserved remains of 42 buddhist monks in sealed airtight cryo pods. and hitlers left nut.
underwear.bob.|mmuggli@niu.edu|A BEAUTIFULY MADE, EXOTICLY GLAZED, CERAMIC CASK FILLED WITH A SWEET SMELLING OIL. THE OIL TASTES BITTER, BUT WHEN RUBBED ON THE BODY, IT CAUSES WIEGHTLESNESS. THE ITEM WAS CARBON 14 DATED TO 30,000 B.C. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE FLOATED INTO SPACE DUE TO MISUSE OF THIS ITEM.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A videotape that turns out to be a previously unknown James Dean film.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|Wrapped in 1986 Czechoslovakian newspapers, a partly crushed robot head. The remaining facial features bear a striking resemblance to Jackie Chan.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A series of steps using straightedge and compass (according to the rules laid down by Euclid) to trisect an arbitrary angle.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|Several fragments of bread and fish. If any of the fragments is broken apart, pieces that are ignored will somehow become larger (although they will never match the presumed original loaf or fish). Any piece which is eaten will lose its interesting properties. The fragments will remain fresh indefinitely.
Colin Clark|clarkc@devetwa.edu.au|A toupee with shoulder length hair. It's colour (according to the attached label) is "Auburn Mist".
Regin Thybo Lyngsoe|Ia95rtl@floej5.kkhs.dk|As you open the box you realise IT'S your head down there, ARGGGH, at a closer look it is just your evil twin cauht in a mirror, on his way out to kill you. nothing new under the boxes of Warehouse 23.
D. P. Beckfield|dpbeck@minn.net|An arrow of Japanese "willow leaf" design. There is a tag tied to the arrow. Kanji on the tag reads "SUSANOO". You begin to resent your friends.
Mike Muggli|mmuggli@niu.edu|A case full of golden cloaks...upon further investigation they are made of lead and coated with gold. They are very ornatte and beautiful, but weigh in the neiborhood of 400 pounds each- impossible to wear, much less comfortably.
Jonathan Woodward|woodward@io.com|A framed painting (about 10"x8") of a red bird flying over a dark landscape. If burned, the phoenix will be born from the fire.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A sheaf of aged, handwritten papers, torn and blood-stained. The text outlines a procedure for alloying silver into a metal almost as durable as carbon steel. The tears in the papers look as if they were made by a large claw slashing through them.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A handwritten contract, written in tiny print, for the soul of one Niccolo Paginini in exchange for extraordinary virtuosity with the violin. It is signed in a crusted brown ink, dated October 31, 1708, and has been stamped 'COLLECTED'.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A small hardback copy of the lost Shakespeare play: the one about King Arthur.
Steve Jackson|sj@io.com|. . . nothing? No, wait. Something small but heavy is sliding around inside – you can hear it and feel it move as you shift the box. You reach in, and grasp what turns out to be a three-piece desk set . . . metal scissors, metal letter opener, and a little leather (you think) case or sheath to hold them both. But all three pieces are perfectly, completely invisible.
Fish Flowers|awflower@midway.uchicago.edu|A foot-long hexagonal prism, with a circular hole in the end. Attached (with an indestructible chain) is a 10" cylindrical rod. When the rod is put into the hole, a holographic screen springs from one of the facets of the prism, explaining that this is a data storage/retrieval device. Brief operation instructions follow. Further search will reveal a pack of similar data cartridges, labeled a variety of things (from "Complete Shakespeare" to "TM 666-873 : Technical Manual, Armitron Blaster"), made from the same material as the prism and the instruction rod. All, unfortunately, are rectangular prisms and do not fit into the hole in the data reader.
Stefan Jones|stefanj@io.com|A sealed lead box, about 4' on a side. It looks incredibly old and weathered. If someone manages to chip it open, they will find, in a straw-lined cavity within, a cute, dimple-faced little boy, about six months old. It is alive, healthy, and clean. It is naked except for several yards of silver chain wrapped around its ankles and wrists. The ends of the chains are sealed in blobs of lead marked with cunieform writing. The boy coos and giggles when the box is opened, and seems very happy . . . except for those chains, which it tearfully presents to the adventurers. If the chains are removed, the child will cry out, in a gutteral voice, "FREE AT LAST; VENGEANCE IS MINE!" Unless it is killed immediately, the child turns into a great snake-headed black bull with shining silver bat wings. It bursts through the ceiling and heads toward the East. Baghdad will be reported missing the next day.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|The new, revised edition of the bestselling "Psychokinesis for Dummies". Any psychokinetic reading it can improve any of their PK skills by 1, provided they are no higher than 10.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A thick sheaf of papers, containing blueprints, construction plans, work orders, inventories, and so forth, all seeming to be for the construction of the Face on Mars. The papers all bear the logo of UNICEF.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A textbook describing how to read doctors' handwriting. It appears to be very complicated.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|An Air Force techical document, describing the correct procedure for mutilating cattle in order to 'discourage insurgency from the rural underclass'
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A rough-edged metal plate, about eight inches thich and a rough square yard in area. It is heavily burn-scarred on one side, although some writing can be made out in an unknown aphabet. On the other side, stenciled in tiny letters at regular intervals, it reads "DuPont Biphase Cabide 210mm". The plate has a DR of 1500.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A filing cabinet full of thick folders. Each one is labelled for a different musical instrument, from the commonplace (clarinet, banjo) to the obscure (uillean pipes, tamboura). Each folder contains pictures, letters, notes, and other evidence that at some time Elvis Presley learned how to play each instrument from a recognised master -- and he learned to play them very, very well. A search will reveal that there is no folder for "Guitar".
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A mint copy of the groundbreaking moder martail arts book, "Tao of Jeet Kune Do'. Confusingly, this version seems to have been written by Elvis Presley; no mention is made of Bruce Lee.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|Videotapes containing the complete run of the TV series "Kung Fu", starring Bruce Lee instead of David Carradine.
Mark Cogan|marq@azstarnet.com|A scroll describing a ritual spell which will open a magical portal to a hidden city on the dark side of the moon. Close reading reveals that the caster must be a housecat, an octopus, or a fern for the spell to work.
SD Anderson|102250.1425@compuserve.com|A fallout magazine subscription card for a magazine written in a foriegn language. If crumpled or put into a trash can it's effectively gone. If tossed away, it flies in an arc 1d6+2 hexes in length and hits the right eye of the thrower with a base skill of 16 (adjust for range by the length of the arc). Damage is Thrower's Thrust -2, impaling, max damage is 3 pts. If the thrower has Trained by a Master or Weapons Master (all weapons) add skill/5 damage.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A disgustingly cute (apparantly) three-week-old kitten (white Persian). It is completely normal except for 10 levels of increased lifespan and a fondness for unrolling rolls of toilet paper.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A single, perfect, red rose. It does not wilt or decay, snd anyone who holds it in their teeth has a dance skill of 22 for the tango only.
SD Anderson|102250.1425@compuserve.com|A dictionary. Close inspection reveals the word "fnord" is there and the REAL DEFINITION of the word is there, and suddenly two things become apparent. One is that all of human history suddenly makes sense in a weird way. The second alas is that your life isn't worth a plugged nickel. They -mphg Pages 64, 128, 192, and 256 have no captions, and if the book is left open to one of these pages for more than 5 minutes, the photo begins to look three-dimensional. Five minutes later, the three-dimensional image becomes a satin-lined recess 5 cm deep, containing the treasure from the photo. It may be removed from the recess, and other objects may be put in its place if desired. When the book is closed, any objects remaining in the recess become photographic images, and can only be recovered by leaving the book open again for 10 minutes.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an ancient, brittle leather pouch. If any attempt is made to open it, it will crumble. It contains thirty first-century silver coins.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a seamless sheet-metal cube about four inches on a side, with a six-inch wooden handle attached to the center of one side. When held in the right hand, any smoke within thirty feet will drift away from the user. When held in the left hand, any smoke within thirty feet will drift towards the user.
J.D. Forinash|foxtrot@cc.gatech.edu|A grue. It calmly explains that it's not dark, so therefore, it won't eat you. The lights begin to flicker...
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|1,000 socks, of various colors and designs. None of them match.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|A joystick. When placed within 5 feet of any electronic device it automatically takes control from the systems computes chips. It will tune radio's, run computer games, and can be used to drive cars with power steering and brakes.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|An unpublished Sherlock Holmes novel, brilliantly written, in which Holms discovers Watson has killed the local Sheriff.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|A twenty dollor bill. Nothing unusuall about it except it always returns to the last wallet or purse it was placed in after 1 hour. Really, check the serial numbers. However, everytime it does this one random item from in the purse or wallet dissappears, a reciept, pen, comb, or credit card.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.com|a small bottle labeled "Flav-R-King Distilled Habanero Sauce". The contents are indeed quite flavorful, but the distillation process has removed all capsaicin from the product, so there is no "heat" left.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|A tube of Neosporin with an expiration date of Jan 2071. Any cut it is placed on is healed within 1 hour, without a scar.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|A pair of sneakers, one size fits all. When worn the dodge and move of the person wearing them is doubled, however if that person doesn't get a full meal for every hour of wearing them that person will soon collapse from hunger.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|A CD, when played in a normal CD player it contains the every music album released in 1991, thousands and thousands of hours worth.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|An uncashed insurrance pollicy on Elvis Presly in the amount of $10,000,000. The benefficiarry was apparantly married to him for 6 months, her name is Laura Smith.
Eric Smith|EBS 110277@aol.com|A Guyver. It will attach itself to the chest of the first person to pick it up. It will surround that person in a nearly impenetrable endo-skeleton that will increase his/her streangth and speed enormasly.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a two-CD album. Its title is "The Best of the Beach Boys", and the cover photo depicts Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Alan Jardine, and Michael Love, each playing a different saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass). There are six cuts listed on each CD, with unfamiliar titles like "Sand on My Feet" and "Watchin' the Surf Roll In". If the CDs are played, they feature a blues saxophone quintet. There is an uncredited seventh cut on the second CD, featuring a brief, poorly rehearsed vocal rendition of "Down by the Old Mill Stream".
Brennan M. O'Keefe|bmokeefe@io.com|Several pieces of debris from a U.S. military aircraft. Several pieces have been corroded by a strong acid; a few display what appear to be bitemarks, which do not match any known creature.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A collection of "blackmail" dossiers, complete with incriminating photographs and personal details, for every person in the party.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a self-powered air compressor attached to a large, non-elastic yellow "balloon". If the compressor is turned on, the balloon will inflate. After 15 minutes, the forklift-shaped balloon will have inflated completely, but will still be somewhat soft. After another 15 minutes, the balloon will be rigid, the compressor will stop, and the forklift will be completely functional. If the compressor is switched off at this point, the forklift will stop operating, and the compressor will forcefully deflate the balloon. In 5 minutes, the balloon will be completely deflated and the compressor will stop.
Mark Carroll|ncrowe@hotmail.com|A six-inch length of human hair, brown, and slightly curly. Upon further examination, the item is singed along one side, as if it were burnt. Those with knowledge of such things realize that this is an exceptionally large human eyebrow...and that it's still growing...
Brennan M. O'Keefe|bmokeefe@io.com|Frozen, in containers marked with biohazard symbols, tissue samples from several cows, primarily genitalia and mucous membranes. Examination under a microscope will reveal the larvae of a parasite, with genetic structure unrelated to anything on earth.
Mark Carroll|ncrowe@hotmail.com *or* quintus@flash.net|An odd device, seemingly comprised of silver spray-painted paper plates, one on top, one on bottom, glued to three ordinary tennis balls, set at right angles to one another. The "device" has no apparent function, and the only indication as to its manufacture is a cheap paper label, with "Property of Matthew Dolan" written upon it in purple crayon. The device explodes messily if set ablaze.
J.D. Forinash|foxtrot@cc.gatech.edu|A rock labeled, "Y2". A hollow voice says "plugh."
J.D. Forinash|foxtrot@cc.gatech.edu|A globe, with the country of Norway mysteriously gone. Fjord.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|what appears to be a white ceramic trivet, 1 cm thick and 25 cm in diameter. The contents of containers placed on the trivet will maintain their original temperature indefinitely. The trivet will cease functioning if it is broken or chipped, and will have no effect if used for more than 5 kg of material at once.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A tarnished brass "Alladin-type" oil lamp. It is completely filled with a clear glass-like substance, which cannot be removed without destroying the lamp itself. A tag attached to the handle reads "Deactivated".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a pair of walkie-talkies. Careful examination will reveal that they work only with each other, that their range is virtually unlimited, and that their power source (whatever it may be) is unlimited. However, each morning, a complete transcript of any/all conversations that took place across the walkie-talkies the previous day will be found by anyone mentioned in that transcript. If code names are used in an attempt to foil this mechanism, the transcript will include a correct interpretation (in parenthesis) after each instance of any code name.
Charles Wilkins|gorto@webtv.net|A terrarium containing a large black snake that appears to be reading a crumbling page of Hebrew script and hissing irritably.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large unmarked folder containing a several dozen sheets of old, brittle parchment, each approximately 18x15 inches. The handwritten notes are in Latin, and the sketches depict heart transplant procedures, both using a donor heart and using an apparently self-contained mechanical replacement.
snafu|snafu@io.com|A 10cm x 10cm sheet of gray, featureless, unknown metal. It weighs nearly 1kg and is always luke warm. Trying to bend the corner causes a crack to form which quickly spreads across the surface, disentegrating the sheet into dust...
Matt C|Tenebrae@gvi.net|A small, flat, greenis rock. When touched lightly it moans softly, if struck it emits a sound like an agonized shriek. It seems to be utterly indestructable.
Matt C|tenebrae@gvi.net|A thin slip of old parchment sealed in plastic. On it written in latin are the names of thirteen men and what they ordered for supper, itemized by price. Yeshua had the fish, Judas the broiled lamb, everyone else had small salads and a glass of wine.
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|A worn, hard bound book. It has no title or author, and appears to be analysis of how the development of music in a culture influences technological and social development. It identifies the bagpipes, piano-accordions, and harpsichords as instruments that ‘stimulate technological advancement’. Later chapters outline a plan to inhibit the progress of certain cultures by introducing certain 'detrimental' musical instruments, carefully developed for the purpose. The last three chapters have exacting plans and diagrams for constructing electric guitars, steel guitars, and electric keyboards. It claims that within a few generations of their introduction that people will be deluded into thinking of noise as music.
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|A ancient red leather bound book. The whole book is hand written in something that resembles Nordic runes. The first part of the book is written in a spidery wandering hand but the majority is in a neat tight script. Along with the book are a series of mead note books with the initials JRRT on the front cover. They appear to be notes on translating the text into English.
Paladin|Pladinsword@hotmail.com|A glowing sword with several holy symbols on it. The weapon has a small tag attached to its hilt labelled "demonslayer" A sheaf of papers in the box with the sword states that anytone whose heart is pure may weild this weapon, and the bearer becomes a lean, mean, evil-stomping machine!
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|A baseball cap with the words “Gotham City Knights” on the front and a stylized logo that looks like a knight’s helmet.
Stewart Tanner|stanner@chs.claremont.cusd.edu|You wrap your hands around a small, black box. You turn the box over in your hands carefully examining each side. On the bottom, you find a fnord, with numbers inside of it. They read "0:02." Underneath the numbers, a message in red ink reads "Have a nice day!" Now the numbers read "O:01." This is not your lucky day.
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|A very small mirror with a tag attached that is labeled, “Lucky Day Pawn Shop/ This extraordinary mirror will allow the user to talk to the spirits of insects. L30” The mirror if used by someone with magery it will do just that.
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|Many cardboard boxes labeled, “Everlasting Gobstoppers”. Inside each of the boxes are four jawbreakers that if sucked on will taste like ordinary(but very good) fruit flavored jawbreakers but will not get any smaller, and change color and flavor once a week.
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|A dark purple glass bottle, even if it is held up to the strongest light you cannot make out what is inside. One picked up a small voice will call out, claiming it is a child trapped inside by an evil sorcerer. If the bottle is opened it will release a demonic creature that’s only goal is to scare people by transforming itself into hideous creatures. It is not to bright however, and could be tricked into transforming into something small, like a mouse.
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|A box containing about 1728 chalky white tablets. When one of these tablets is added to 20 gallons of water it produces a fuel capable of being used in cars designed to run on leaded gasoline. (Note to the secret masters: This idea came from an episode of 'One Step Beyond'.)
Matthew Michalak|michalak@ucsu.colorado.edu|the crate is full of RED herring.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|A heavy key of tarnished silver -- nearly five inches long, of unknown and utterly exotic workmanship, and covered from end to end with hieroglyphs of the most bizarre description.
Eugenio Betanho|eugenio@br2001.com.br|A cold and moldy Big Mac. Its box is made out of real wood 1/16" inch thick, and the big "M" logo is golden. It has a "recycle" logo, too.
Eugenio Betanho|eugenio@br2001.com.br|A photograph of your wife and a kid, in Egypt, with the great Pyramids behind them. But she claims she's never been to Egypt, and there's four great Pyramids, not three.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|An apparently ordinary motorized wheelchair. If the rider places his/her hand on the controls, it will respond to the rider's will instead of the motion of the controls. Internal neurological and muscular disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, polio complications) will gradually correct themselves if the wheelchair is used for months or years (in GURPS terms, 1 point can be allocated each game month for that purpose).
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A sixteenth-century painting of an orchestra. The painting is mundane and will pass all tests of authenticity. The conductor bears a striking resemblance to Dick Clark.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A pair of apparently ordinary surgical gloves. They will sterilize and clean themselves if left to dry overnight. If worn, they cause a prickling sensation whenever the hand is brought near any disorder in a living body. (Treat as a bonus of up to +5 on any medical skills, depending on the nature of the disorder -- if you can already see what is wrong, the gloves don't add any information.) Normal surgical gloves may be worn over them at a penalty of -1 for Surgery. If anything is wrong with the wearer's hands (or arms), the gloves are about as useful as a metal detector in a submarine.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A Secret Service file containing a record of payments to Dana Carvey for his services as President Bush's double. Stapled to the back cover is a reprimand for "the Tokyo incident."
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A tube of super adhesive that cannot be broken by any known means. In addition to the normal nozzle, midway down the tube, just at the proper place to squeeze it, is a series of four nearly invisible pinpricks around the tube's circumference.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A metal slinky-like toy that will not descend stairs, but will climb them.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A normal-looking toothbrush whose bristles are made of monofilament fiber. Any attempt to brush one's teeth with it will prove most inimical to oral health.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|An ancient manuscript of a Passover Haggadah from an obscure hedonistic sect of Judaism. The ritual specifies that each celebrant shall consume 23 glasses of wine. The manuscript is dotted with small, dark-purple stains.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A small jar of minced horseradish that will, quite literally, burn a hole in the roof of your mouth.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A small glass vial holding a sliver of the One True Toothpick. Any Christian who holds this vial and meditates on the Last Supper will never get food stuck between his/her teeth again.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A detector that always indicates the correct distance and direction to whatever item it is attuned to. To attune it to an object, simply touch the detector to the object when it is not otherwise attuned. To end the attunement, touch it again. It is currently attuned to a feather duster used by the White House cleaning staff.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A set of percentile dice that only roll prime numbers.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|An Aramaic inscription from sixth-century-BCE Babylonia. It proves to be a recipe for ergot/mushroom stew. The tablet contains a marginal note from an anonymous cook recording that this dish was a favorite of a Judean exile named Ezek... and the rest is lost.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|Sunglasses that provide a heads-up display of any faults in any mechanical device the wearer looks at, as if the device were transparent. Current problems appear in red, and parts that will fail within the next 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds are in yellow. Life forms larger than an insect appear as a solid green if they would otherwise be visible.
Eugenio Betanho|eugenio@br2001.com.br|A 3 1/2" floppy disk. It has a standard word-processor file named "PRESIDEN.DOC", locked by a simple password (the president's wife's name). The file has a description the assassination of the current president, one week ago, in newspaper style. The "Summary info" of the file gives the name of a journalist, who is missing. The file is complete with pictures. Later, watching TV, you notice the president looks somewhat younger, and seems to scratch his left ear constantly.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A switch on a wooden box. Flipping the switch has no apparent effect. If the switch has been flipped at least ten times, the next time it is flipped in the vicinity of a phone will cause the phone to ring (and the count will start over). Whoever answers the phone will hear a woman's voice saying "Stop that" followed by a click.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A headband with an eye-in-the-pyramid insignia. Wearing it with the insignia over the pineal gland grants the wearer psionic abilities: ESP at Power 10, Electrokinesis at Power 5, and all others at Power 1, with all skills at IQ. If it is removed, the former wearer will believe that all of his/her psi use was a vivid daydream but will be reluctant to let anyone else wear it.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A triangular object of wire and crystal. It will glow when a human (or anyone with human ancestry) touches it. Its other properties require support equipment not found on this planet.
Chris Adams|yamara@aol.com|A well-worn hockey mask, circa 1960. If worn, it cannot be removed by the wearer, who becomes an insane, inarticulate homicidal maniac. It grants the wearer immortality and ceaseless regeneration of all wounds, as long as the wearer kills at least one person a day, which is extremely likely. If somehow removed from Warehouse 23 unworn, the bearers will be hunted day and night by a trio of Canadian antique dealers in a Mercedes, who will insist they have a more secure place to entomb it for all time.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A TV Guide dated the current week, which includes program listings for a broadcast channel 1.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A small device with two coaxial cable sockets on the rear. If connected to a television, the device will cause any words spoken by an elected official to sound like Donald Duck.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|An index card containing a recipe for cooking Fungi from Yuggoth with shallots and a light cream sauce.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A spice shaker, unlabelled, containing a fine gray powder. Any food contacted by this powder will taste *exactly* like chicken.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A big red switch backed by a suction cup. If the switch is stuck to any mechanical device, the switch will turn the device on or off. If the switch is stuck to a living being, the switch will kill or resurrect the being.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A tiny ceramic tiger figurine, about one centimeter in size. If placed in a vehicle's gas tank, the vehicle's mileage will triple.
Michael R. Smith|bandii@earthlink.net|A 24"x36"x6" transpearant box, made of some unidentifiable polymer. The box is filled with thousands of live bees. If someone asks a question with a simple two or three word answer, the bees will arrange themselves into letters and words in the language of the person asking the question. The answer will always be vague. Even simple "yes" or "no" questions will receive answers like "Almost definitely." or "Probably not." The box bears a legend in the lower left corner reading "Magic Bee Box, Ouroborus Toy Company, Made in Thailand." Unless molested, the bees will not die.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large, two-man crosscut saw. This saw will cut through trees, wooden boxes, etc. ten times faster than normal. However, it will pass through anything within the wood without causing any damage. (This might be especially useful for lumberjacks in areas where tree spiking is common, or for stage magicians.)
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A set of horseshoes, a case of hand grenades, and a small tactical thermonuclear warhead. A piece of paper attached to each reads, in order, "Close" "Closer" and "Who cares?"
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A green hat, a horseshoe, and a four-leafed clover. Despite the fact that the top of the box was dusty and obviously unopened for quite some time, the clover is still green and fresh.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|two manilla envelopes, one containing a silver dollar and the other containing a steel washer the same diameter and thickness as the silver dollar. If the coin and the washer are placed in separate containers, and the containers are moved further than 5 feet from each other, then the coin and the washer will exchange places with each other.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a heavy-duty hand truck. It is red, with white stenciled lettering that reads "WAREHOUSE 23".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sheet of parchment with Hebrew lettering. Anyone who can read Hebrew will be able to tell that the writing is gibberish, with no recognizable Hebrew words. However, if the letters are shifted 11 places (the equivalent of ROT13 encription for a 22-letter alphabet), the text can be decyphered. It is an obscene joke with a bad pun for a punchline.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A hypodermic needle filled with one dose of a clear solution, labeled "Heroin-E." If a female character takes the drug intravenously, she will suffer all the normal effects of having taken heroin, but will also have her strength tripled, gain the ability to fly, and the ability to shoot lightning bolts from her kneecaps. These effects last for one week. If a male character takes Heroin-E, he will experience the above affects as well...after permanently turning female.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edo|A map of Toledo, Ohio, that includes every street, every park, every building, and is always up-to-the-second accurate. If one peers closely enough, symbols for cars and people can be seen moving about on the streets.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|Styrofoam packing peanuts. In fact, no amount of digging in the box will reveal anything other than styrofoam packing peanuts. If someone climbs into the box and attempts to burrow to the botom, he will find none. The box opens into a gateway to the Elemental Plane of Styrofoam Packing Peanuts. Digging too deeply will make it very, very hard to find one's way back to the box.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edo|A description of excercises that, if performed correctly, will turn a person inside-out in a viable and completely painless manner. Directions for returning the person to his former state are also included, but are excruciantingly painful, and the instructions neglect to mention that.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A chin-strap propeller beanie that will allow the wearer to fly...if he doesn't mind being lifted off the ground by his head.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A silver, spherical object approximately one yard across, and a six-inch blue rod with twelve switches, marked with both red and green. All twelve switches are set to red. The sphere is completely immune to all damage, and nothing anybody does will affect it that much. The rod is broken easily enough, and if it is, nothing much happens. If someone flips all twelve switches on the rod to green, however, the spherical silver stasis field drops, allowing the 9 kiloton nuclear explosion contained inside to resume its motion.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A notebook, filled with clumsy writing, as if someone very small was using both hands on the pen. Written there is a lengthy plan to assassinate King Friday XXIII and assume dictatorship over the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe." The name on the inside cover, apparently the owner of the notebook, is a "D. S. Tiger."
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A notebook, filled with clumsy writing, as if someone very small was using both hands on the pen. Written there is a lengthy plan to assassinate King Friday XIII and assume dictatorship over the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe." The name on the inside cover, apparently the owner of the notebook, is a "D. S. Tiger." (Use this one, the previous one has an error)
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|There are two holes on the inside of the box that aren't visible from the outside. Approx. 3' across, they are almost completely filled by the (2.95') black reptilian body (some immense snake?) slithering in one hole and out the other. The `snake' is endless - it will continues slithering forever if left unmolested.
Martin leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A set of panpipes made out of plutonium.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|The crate is full of what appears to be white beach sand. Careful microscopic examination will reval the tiny reproductions of the roof of the sistine chapel carved out in tiny bas-relief on every single grain.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a package of "Hello, my name is . . ." adhesive labels. If the full name of another individual is written on one of these labels, and the label is placed on one's clothing, others will perceive the wearer as being the person named on the label. Mechanical devices (e.g., retina scanners) will not be fooled, but human operators of such devices will misread their output and remain deceived. The effect lasts 18 minutes.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Copies of the opener's tax returns covering the previous five, and next ten, years.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Mason jars full of dill pickles. Eating one of them gives the `Killjoy' disad for one day, starting one hour after the pickle is eaten. Extra pickles extend the duration by one day each. They are quite addictive (~heroin). Other than that, they are crisp and tasty.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A croquet set. The balls can be unscrewed, revealing metallic storage areas with a residual coating of greenish slime.
Paladin|Pladinsword@hotmail.com|A dossier on each member of the party, and their families, friends and associates. Underneath these doccuments is an assassination list, including them and everyone they know. By each name is a date, between one and five days after today, and a red stamp that reads: termination successful.
Dan Bradshaw|dreamkng@camelot.bradley.edu|A small bronze coin, stamped with the date "1391 B.C." Metallurgical analysis reveals the date to be false; the coin was actually minted circa 3500 B.C.
Carlisle Childress|carlisle@io.com|A typewritten manuscript dated 1967 and titled "Memoirs of an Old Navy Man." If someone browses the pages they will find the recollections of a 1929 Naval Academy Graduate. Introduced to carrier operations on USS Lexington in the early 30's, his career accelerated in Naval Aviation after the surprise Japanese attack on San Francisco. In the post war years he oversaw rocketry research and ultimately helped get the first men to the moon. On the last page is handwritten: "If I'd known how much fun I would have writing, I would have taken it up sooner. I might try my hand at a little fiction."
Aurora|kufs@stolaf.com|A large Golden Cog with the words "Holy Property of the Free Light Territories. If found, please return to Faithdom" engraved into one side. Below that is a stylized engraving of a large, mechanical contraption that appears to do nothing but match up many different colored cards with other cards of the same color. There is an arrow carved in, seeming to symbolize the place on the machine where the Cog was meant to go.
Aurora|kufs@stolaf.edu|A 6x6 section of wall made of glittering green stone. The wall is gemlike and opaque. The wall is faceted, except for a small oval about 5' from the floor which is flat, and two circular spaces directly under it. When splashed with water, the flat surfaces of the wall dissapear to reveal a showerhead and two knobs labelled "hot", and "cold". When the knobs are turned, the showerhead spews water of the appropriate temperature, though no water pipes are hooked to it anywhere.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A pair of eyeglasses with flat (non-refractive) lenses. Whenever anyone talks about the wearer, they cause an annoying burning sensation in the wearer's left ear; tapping the left earpiece then lets the wearer hear the conversation from the beginning. Whenever someone speaks the wearer's name three times within a minute, the right ear has a similar burning sensation; tapping the right earpiece then teleports the wearer to the speaker's vicinity. Replacing the flat lenses with prescription-ground lenses does not interfere with the above properties.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A black opaque sleep mask. It places the wearer into a deep sleep from which they cannot be awakened until either the mask is removed or they are fully rested. They will have no recollection of any dreams they might have had while wearing the mask.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|An amulet that resembles a small green lizard. Any text that is incorrect in some way will appear to the possessor as red text on a blue background. This includes errors in math, logic, spelling, grammar, or history; only the incorrect part (such as a misspelled word) is highlighted. Opinions appear as printed, as do the holy canons of any religion.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|No wife, no horse and no mustache.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A pocketwatch. If it is struck, it stops running one second before it is struck and resumes one second after.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A large rug of apparently Middle Eastern origin, with tassels around the edges. If it is placed upside down on the ground and someone sits in a lotus position in the center, it will float several inches off the ground. It will maneuver according to the will of the user. Breathing apparatus is recommended for high-altitude use.
jeff rahn|kidithall@aol.com|The original prototype for processed, individually wrapped cheese food...That's where we got the idea. Nothing human could possibly have come up with it.
Aurora|kufs@stolaf.edu|A box of nearly fossilized Ritz Crackers. Carbon dating would show this box and its contents to be around 2500 years old. Further testing would reveal traces of spacial/temperal displacement ions consistant with Infinate Improbablility technology. Each cracker in the box has the effect of restoring a character to full hit points when ingested.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Cardboard boxes of silvery metallic spheres exactly 1/2" in diameter fill the box. Although they are as hard as tempered steel, they are about seven times denser - each masses exactly one pound (mass). The boxes the spheres are packed in are very sturdy, but otherwise featureless.
M. Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|An apparently normal-size can of coffee, which, when brewed and drunk, makes the drinker act at double speed. To the imbiber, everyone else will seem slow... It is also cursed: Any who partake of it are forever condemned to drink at least a cup of it each day, or suffer the effects of insomnia...
Aurora|kufs@stolaf.edu|A large, (over a meter tall, nearly 3/4 of a meter wide) silver-flecked egg. Beside it sits a soldiar's tabard, blue with a regal-looking coat of arms, and the words "North An Geln" printed in the latin alphabet. The tabard is singed in various places. There is a scrap of paper tucked into the folds of the tabard. There is a message on the paper, but curiously it is scrawled in the cirrilic alphabet. Tranlation will reaveal that the message is a shopping list. It reads: "a loaf of bread, a jug of ale, three asbestos blankets and a virgin for the hatchling."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a brittle five-volumn manuscript written in Ancient Greek. Anyone able to read Ancient Greek can recognize it as some sort of scientific discourse. Readers who make a successful Physics roll will recognize a discussion of Newton's three laws of motion, modern thermodynamics, and other non-relativistic physical principles.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A small black box with a button on it. Above the button is a label which reads, "TOAST." Anyone who pushes the button will smell the aroma of freshly made toast for 2d seconds.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cheap, battered putter. It looks like the kind of cheap putters provided at miniature golf courses. When used with proper left-handed putting technique, it always places the ball 1d inches from the edge of the cup. Note that it is impossible to make a putt with this club while using proper left-handed putting technique, although it is easy to tap the ball in while holding the club one-handed.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an old, leather-bound book entitled "Abraham Lincoln, an Autobiography". Its copyright date is 1871, the final chapter describes the election of Andrew Johnson in 1868, and the inside of the front cover is signed "Andrew, best wishes as you begin your second term. -- A. Lincoln". The handwriting matches other samples of Abraham Lincoln's handwriting.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A paperback copy of "The Taming of the Shrew", by Willamina Shakespare. It is virtually identical to "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespear, except that the genders of the characters have been reversed (e.g., Petruchio is Petruchia). It includes a preface by Toni Macaroy that discusses the need to interpret the play within the context of the sensibilities of the time, especially the accepted role of men in late 16th-century society.
Ray Cochener|silveroak@feist.com|A metal tube eight inches long with no obvious buttons or openings which grows warm and vibrates when you hold it.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a case of 144 3-minute egg timers. If one is removed from its box, it becomes obvious that the sand trickles up, from the bottom chamber into the top chamber.
Mike Terracciano|BlackBeanX@aol.com|A tiny, leather-bound book which is labelled "Vegan Life."
Eugenio Betanho|eugenio@br2001.com.br|The complete screenplay of STAR WARS episodes I through IX.
Mikael Persson|persson@ibg.uu.se|Jimmy Hoffa
Aurora|kufs@stolaf.edu|A large pinecone painted crayon-blue. On its underside is painted, in a squiggly hand, "Property of Robert!" This pinecone will always be hard to hold on to... It will always try to roll back to its owner, where ever he is. (It makes a good tracking device, but only for someone looking for Robert.)
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|A small black triangular pin, enameled in gold leaf in the shape of a egyptian-style pyramid. A glaring red eye set near the middle of the pin seems to follow you no matter where it's directed. Lightly inscribed on the back is the single cryptic word: "Fnord"
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|A small lens. It does not magnify in any way, except in the presence of a legal document. Even then, it will only enlarge and translate fine print (but will not detect it).
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|A letter to a Mr. S. Jackson, in Austin, Texas. Below the address and curtosy, it appears to have been burnt completely. Barely legible is a smudged pencil date, 2/5/05, and a scribbled out return address. If you look extremely hard at it, you might make out the phrase: "S...ve...ackso...G...es,...Aust...as" The rest is illegible.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a normal-looking deck of playing cards. They may be shuffled and dealt normally, except that the second through sixth deal will be identical to the first deal. The seventh deal starts a new cycle. If the deal passes, the locatations of the hands in the deal rotate around the table too. If the number of players changes, or if the number of cards in a hand changes, then the deck starts a new cycle of six identical deals.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a worn paperback book titled "Harvesting Donor Organs". It discusses methods for harvesting and transporting organs using improvised equipment available in any urban location. Appendix A is a directory of South American hospitals; the last line of each entry lists the name of a "Donor Organ Contact". Appendix B is a directory of South American law enforcement and government offices; the last line of each entry lists a "Cooperation Fee", which ranges from $1000 to $500,000. Appendix C is a list of organs, each with a "wholesale" and "retail" price.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a tube of bright red lipstick. If applied to one's lips, it smears easily, remains tacky, and tastes strongly of rancid walnut oil. (It is completely non-toxic, however.) If applied to glass, glazed ceramics, and certain hard plastics, it will permanantly fuse with the surface if allowed to set for 10 minutes.
Brennan M. O'Keefe|bmokeefe@io.com|Two hundred copies of the compact disc "Factory Showroom" by They Might Be Giants. Where the commercial release includes the song "James K. Polk," these have a song to the same tune entitled "Adam Weishaupt."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a simple wooden music box. The box itself is polished walnut, approximately 5x3x2 inches. The mechanism is visible through a window of etched glass set in the top. The etching depicts a couple in formal attire dancing. If the box is wound, it will play "Edelweiss" (slowly at first, then reaching tempo, then slowing down again as the mechanism winds down). The image of the dancing couple etched on the glass cover will move in tempo with the music.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic, life-size, internal-anatomy model (the kind used in elementary-school science classes). Attentive characters may notice that the model's anatomy is "wrong". The heart is located higher in the chest than normal; several organs (e.g., the liver and pancreas) are the wrong shape and size; and a large, unfamiliar, kidney-shaped organ is attached to the large intestine, near the end that joins the small intestine.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic box. Inside is a set of dentures. If anyone tries to wear them, they will slip badly (treat as the Stuttering disadvantage). However, any bullet that hits the wearer will instead appear in the wearer's mouth, between the front teeth of the dentures.
Chris "Got e-mail from Steve Jackson, aren't I nifty?" Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|Hundreds of thousands of documents - memos, paychecks, business cards, letters, e-mail logs, etc... This is, in fact, all the documentation from war-gaming and roleplaying game companies, and related businesses (minatures, magazines, and such). The documents are all originals, and copies held by the companies are clever fakes. Most contain marginal notations. The next few boxes contain the remainder of the documents.
David Lampman|wonder@itis.com|A vintage car from the 1920's, with one exception:two very large wings attached to either side. The car is currently unfueled, but when the tank is filled the car will fly.
Kevin Christensen|kchriste@students.wisc.edu|A small plastic egg which has the words "PRIMA MATERIA" embossed upon its surface in large, playful letters. The egg contains a large lump of, literally, colorless, formless matter. Everyone who comes near it will feel an innate and smug sense of superiority. Likewise, thinking of any shape, no matter how complex or simple, will transform the matter into a perfect likeness of that thought.
Chris Nichols (the page ref. isn't right)|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A 3.5" disk, formatted for a Macintosh. It contains two ClarisWorks files. The first is a numbered list of page references such as "Pratchett, _Good Omens_, p. 24, ln. 7-10." This books date from 1952 to the present. The second file contains a numbered list of equal length, consisting of only the words 'Yes' or 'No.' If the reference is looked up, it will be found that the line reference mentions some kind of technological or magical device.
John McMahon|fuzzface@io.com|A scrap of yellowed paper that contains a World Wide Web Uniform Resource Locator. If the URL is viewed using any WWW browser connected to the Internet, the truth behind a single significant mystery or conspiracy will be revealed to the viewer. Subsequent attempts to look at the URL will result in a "host unknown" error.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A mummified corpse sitting in the lotus position, its eyes closed and a look of bliss on its face. When touched, it opens its eyes, looks at the person who disturbed it, exclaims "Sod off!" and returns to its mediation.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A mummified corpse sitting in the lotus position, its eyes closed and a look of bliss on its face. When touched, it opens its eyes, looks at the person who disturbed it, exclaims "Sod off!" and returns to its mediation.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A cultivating box for mushrooms, filled with dung. Growing from the box are seven mushrooms, about a foot tall and bright purple. When the box is opened, the mushroom cry out "Momma! We love you momma!" and hop out of the box. The mushrooms will follow the person who opened the box for the rest of their life and are fiercely loyal.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A bizzarre humanoid skeleton. The long bones of the arms and legs are at least 6 feet long, while the body is barely 2 feet in length. The feet and hands have raptor-like talons. The skull in somewhat larger than a human's and has large fangs. The skull bears a piece of masking tape reading "NBA Project #23-5-666."
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A shrink-wrapped package of steaks. The label depicts a smiling cow dressed as a butcher standing next to a chopping block. On the block is a human arm. A poster in the background shows the cuts a human provides. The meat if tested is indeed human.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|Three books. These are course catalogs for Illuminati University, Unseen University, and Miskatonic University.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A book of the complete rules to moopsball.
Chris "Cardshark" Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A very thick book. This book is the complete rules, including conditional modifers, to Dragon Poker.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A book on how to cook a number of fantasic beings, including halflings, dwarfs, dragons, orcs, and goblins. It is written in elvish.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A vat of Slurpee mix in an experimental flavor. Documents stored with the vat report that all test-tasters either lapsed into comas or went insane within minutes of trying the Slurpees. An attached memo reads "PROJECT COMPLETE, REMOVE FOR STORAGE."
Charles Oines|ratboyfit@aol.com|...your own head. As you stare at it, you wave your hand through where your head normally is, and encounter nothing. Maybe it'll come back when you close the box...
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|What appears to be a list of a set of a collectible card game. It is dated 2005, and sports such listings as Bob Dobbs, Slack, and something about a SubGenius... Scribbled in the margin are the words "This is such a great idea! Why don't I think of it earlier?" and signed S. Jackson
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|You open one of the 695 boxes on this floor and find... You open one of the 756 boxes on this floor and find... You open one of the 825 boxes on this floor and find... You open one of the ...
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A smudged and blurry photocopy of an occult text entitled "Revelations of Glaaki, Volume XII". It was found in a make-shift temple in the upper story of an adult bookstore in New York City. The mutilated bodies of the owner and his wife were found at the scene. The only Warehouse agent to read the text slaughtered twenty staff members and guards before he was brought down.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A probability study of the chances of the predictions of all near-future RPGs being true. The highest probability rating is listed for Shadowrun at 78%.
zac mortenson|balbrite@iastate.com|A cheesburger, carbon dated back to Imperial Rome. It still feels warm to the touch and if bitten into tastes as if just taken off the grill (with entirely to much mustard on it though).
zac mortenson|balbrite@iastate.edu|A bath towel from a Holiday Inn
zac mortenson|balbrite@iastate.edu|A decapitated chihuahua whose body runs aroun the crate, while it's head barks and growls continuosly.
zac mortenson|balbrite@iastate.edu|A medium sized bowling ball that gives off a strange bluish-white glow and gives off a minty fresh aroma when rolled
zac mortenson|balbrite@iastate.edu|sixteen shrunken heads each with a price tag of $15.99 and a sticker attached to the bottom that reads made in Taiwan A further search in a nearby box reveals sixteen shrunken bodies all cotained in large ziplock baggies
Mitch Hudson|hudson.84@osu.edu|A transdimensional transporting mirror that sends the person looking at it into the sunken city of Rlyeh where he can cozy up with Cthulhu for the rest of his life(about 5 nanoseconds).
John Guerino-Fitzgerald|valirian@usa1.com|You find 10 cans of unopened Quick instant drink mix. However, the bunny on the cover has fangs and says in big bold letters, "Artificial Plasma Flavored".
Ostraka|library|It seems to be a antique Buck Roger's Ray Gun that were sold to kids for 25 cents in the 1940's. Like toys in those days it is made of quality metal which is a burnished black. Its a gun handle with a cylinder for a barrel and a open cone at the end. The handle opens to put in two AAA batteries. When you pull the trigger the end emits sparks and makes a loud buzz. Until you take the safety off. Then it fires a high powered energy beam which can vaporize titanium in less then a second. Apparently, all the others were recalled due to what is refered to as "The missing town" incident.
Ostraka|Library|It appears to be a hand bag made of a rabbit skin. Inside are a collection of interesting rocks. Despite a dead fly on the side, it's in excellent condition. However, if you turn your eyes away from it for about 5 turns its replaced by a completly different bag that will vaguely look simular to the one before. The contents will change as well.
Ostraka|Library|A brown paper bag which contains all the plots of Philip K. Dicks works of fiction.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|An almost complete collection of the latest printings of GURPS and its supplements. All of the artwork has been replaced with unretouched photographs. GURPS Illuminati and GURPS Warehouse 23 are missing, as are all references to them from other books (including GURPS IOU).
David Lampman|wonder@itis.com|A pair of glasses with green tinted lenses. If worn while reading a computer manual, they allow the wearer to see all of the subliminal messages on the pages the say "This page intentionally left blank."
Aurora Kufs|kufs@stolaf.edu| An oversized plastic algae scraper (handle 4 ft. long, scraper 3x2 ft. wide). On the handle is written "Jaspar's Big Algae Scraper... For the REALLY LARGE aquarium". While it is nothing more than an oversized algae scraper, it can be used as a two handed weapon, and do swing+2 crushing damage.
Charles Oines|ratboyfit@aol.com|A hamster cage, complete with water bottle, easy-cleaning tray underneath, and a tiny computer terminal with a normal-sized ethernet cable sticking out through the bars. If the tiny on-switch is pressed (perhaps with a toothpick or needle), the computer boots to a DOS prompt.
John Strobel|Packrat@sj.bigger.net|A simple generic wristwatch. If the hands are turned back, the handler will grow younger by a number of years equal to the number of hours it is turned back. If the watch hands are turned forward, they age the handler by a number of years equal to the number of minutes it is turned forward. If the watch is stopped for any other reason than setting the time, the handler vanishes!
Don Juneau|djuneau@io.com|A varying assortment of "Collector's Price Guides" for coins, movie and TV memorabilia, and the like. Bookmarks and marginal notes comment on: mint condition 1987 Kennedy silver quarters, CASABLANCA posters "starring Ronald Reagan", sixth-season NBC STAR TREK scripts, and the cards of the "three-peat" US World Cup championship soccer team.
Don Juneau|djuneau@io.com|A small metal case with the well-known "STARFLEET" symbol imprinted on both sides. Within, in rigid (yet cushiony) slots, are small crystals identical to Next Generation prop "memory units". With TL10 or better computers, some text can be read: "HOLODECK BASIC SYSTEMS - AmigaDOS 4.1". It requires actual holodeck facilities to utilize the data.
Don Juneau|djuneau@io.com|A large yellow skull, combining features of early Man and gorilla, but much larger than either. It's not fossilized, and is wrapped in an old, tattered North West Mounted Police red serge coat.
Don Juneau|djuneau@io.com|A Usenet chain-letter parody, claiming to cause nickels to be excreted for every person the sender can irritate. It's low humour, laced with profanity, and actually works.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A patent application for an "Adult-Proof Cap," apparently filed on behalf of a noted manufacturer of novelties. Examination of the design will not reveal any differences between it and a typical child-proof cap.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A design for a jar lid that can always be opened by a woman without male assistance.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|A scattered assortment of pages from a book that apparently describes a method for creating an exact duplicate of the Earth and transferring the entire population to it. Details on the method are not present, but several means of distinguishing between the original Earth and the copy are included. If any of those differences are checked, the results will be consistent with the copy.
Ostraka|Library|A mysterious top hat with a label marked IN THIS SIZE 6/10. When one puts it on, they can only speak nonsense dialoge.. Ex: "VOTE YOU ELASTIC PIPELINE?" However, they need to make a role on WILLPOWER in order to remove it.
Ostraka|Library|A mysterious container of mulky green liquid. Inside is, to the untrained eye, a pair of Groucho Glasses floating. They who now better will see that the item looks organic and that the frame handles are actually tenticles. If released, this creature, known as a GROUCHI, will try to fit itself onto the nearest person's face and insert the tenticles into the ear holes. Though the person is unharmed, they now will go and act completly like Groucho Marx. The person must make a die role to remove them. Otherwise, that person will make snappy remarks, flirt and chase girls, and insult woman who are in positions of authority. If any other person trys to remove the Grouchi from the victim, the victim will fight to keep it from happening. There are no harmful afteref- fects. Note: There is rummors that a giant vat is hidden with the lable GROUCHI QUEEN. If that is released, it will go and hide in the sewers in order to create more GROUCHIS. Can you say: Sigorney Weaver: We need your help?
Ryan Powers|ixitxachtl@aol.com|A a piece of normal-sized blank fax paper. In the center, printed in large black letters, is the word "You". If the paper is ever damaged in any way, the current person holding it or who last held it will be damaged
Ryan Harris|novus@mail.utexas.edu|a groovy colored tie-dyed Reinquhest w/ a red bow
Eric Baranda|ebaranda@juno.com|A finely crafted dagger studded with jewels. A large spherical object is embedded within the hilt, resembling a cat's eye.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A Magic Eight Ball (tm). It looks exactly like the real thing, and acts like it. However, every so often, when turned over without a question being asked, it replies with "HELP ME"
Vincenzo Beretta|thx1138@io.com|A VCR tape labeled "Dissection". It shows a group of Greys dissecting an human corpse. But, to a closer inspection, the human corpse appears to be a fake...
Vincenzo Beretta|thx1138@io.com|A nuclear submarine model kit labeled "688i - 1:1 scale". Inside the box you find only an handful of metal pieces and a sheet of paper that explains how to join them. If you do that and close the box, when you open it again you find some more pieces and a new instruction sheet. If you follow all the instructions, in a year or so you will have your own Improved Los Angeles nuclear attack submarine in your room...
Vincenzo Beretta|thx1138@io.com|A sheet of paper with the ominious message: "Yes, we lost" - sj@illuminati.offline.com
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A human skull, intact and undamaged, save a small roundish indent on the top of the skull, a reddish wax candle, and a small book of matches. When the candle is placed in the indent and lit, the candle will burn at a normal rate, covering the skull in red molten wax. When the candle extinguishes, the eyes will open, revealing normal eyes, and answer any one question. After the question is answered, the eyes will close. Chipping away the wax reveals no presence of eyes or any other organ, simply a skull covered in red wax.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A mummified human head containing a cybernetic ear and eye, as well as several microchips rattling around in the brain cavity. Carbon dating places it at 3500 B.C., the time when the Sumerians founded thier civilization.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A small cube, approximatly 9" square, with two wires out of opposite sides of th cube, ending in epidermal attactments. Any use of a Medical skill shows that the attachments were meant to go on the temples of a person. There is also a cord to plug into a typical socket, and a dull grey button. When attatched to someone, plugged into the wall, and the button is pressed, the person will fall into a coma for 36 hours. When they awake, they will effectively be deprogrammed from any sort of mind-altering influnce.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|Another small grey box, 9" cubed. It has two buttons, one grey and one blue, and also has a panel, when removed, reveals a small fusion generator. When the grey button is pressed, nothing noticeable happens, unless one or more investigators are under broadcast mind control, in which case the box generates a field 30' in diameter that prevents the transmission or recieveing of any such mind control devices. This device does not prevent chemical or any other sort of mind control. If the fusion reactor is broken, it explodes for 2dx10 damage for everyone within 50'. The fusion generator cannot be removed without breaking it, and is always active.
K. Trast|trast@juno.com|An animal collar. Perfectly normal in all respects, except for the fact it is made for a creature with neck circumference of 2 meters. A tag on the collar says "Fifi".
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwvax.uww.edu|A series of medical charts showing the progression of a patient named Shwilia over two years. They appear normal, with the only item of interest being a new item added - "Respiratory Rate While Submerged" According to the charts, they came from the National Institute for Health in 1995. On the last page, there is a Post-it note that says, "Congratulations, Hank! It's a girl!"
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A URL for an unknown server. When typed in and accessed, the screen will flash with unknown symbols, finally showing a long string of symbols and a cursor blinking.Anyone with computer skills (or makes an IQ-2 check) can deduce the program is asking for a password. No attempts at bypassing the password will work, since it is looking for a password in the symbol form. After three attempts to bypass the password feature, the probram will flash red and another string of symbols will appear. Anyone who studies alien reports, or investigates the Roswell incidents, can identify a couple symbols as being from the Greys.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A previously unknown episode of 'Leave It To Beaver", where Wally accidentialy deprograms his entire homeroom class so they can see the Fnords. The rest of the episode is about Wally tring to build a makeshift Mind Control Laser out of reflected sunlight and his radio. In the end, he suceeds, and all is well. If anyone attempts to study the device Wally built, they can make any Mechanical check-2 (or an IQ-5) to find out that the device will indeed work, but only when the sun is just close enough to the earth and is reflected into someones eyes at the right time.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A year's supply of a cereal called "Pyramids." On the front is a picture of a cartoon Pharaoh proudly holding out a bowl filled with what appear to be little cruchy pyramids, and marshmallows shaped like the heads of various ancient Egyptian gods. Two sinister-looking sphinxes are sneaking up on the pharaoh from behind. In a blurb at the bottom, the box claims. "Fnords! Free inside!" However, every single box has been opened, and the Fnords have been apparently removed. The cereal is delicious, if a little on the sweet side.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A six foot watermelon. If opened, the investigators will find a 5'6" attractive human female attatched to the side with an umbilical cord. The female will awaken 2d minutes after being opened, stand, and say something in an unknown language. If sudied, the inside of the watermelon shows the same characteristics as the human uterus during pregancy. The woman, if studied, registers as human on all tests
Michael R. Smith|bandii@earthlink.net|A working Hyperdrive. The unit is built entirely out of late TL 6 Materials. Documents enclosed within the crate list the builder as N. Tesla. Also enclosed are instructions for mounting the device to U.S. Navy vessels as well as a bill of lading indicating the destination as the U.S.S. Eldridge.
Michael Smith|bandii@earthlink.net|A set of tiddly-winks. Perfectly normal in all respects, save for the fact that the tiddly-wink will inflict 6d6*12 (10) damage on anything it hits.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A rough-hewn, well-worn, wooden staff. If this staff is held at least 2 m above the ground within 20 m of the shore of a body of water, then a path of firm, dry ground will open through the body of water. The path will be 10 m wide, and can pass through a body of water up to 10 m deep and 10 km wide.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A case of 144 "union suits" (all-in-one long underwear) in assorted sizes and colors. The fabric is seamless and slightly stretchy, and feels like heavy flannel. It cannot be cut by normal means. Cutting and impaling weapons do crushing damage only. Against bullets, it functions like heavy monocrys. It is useless against lasers and beam weapons.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|Six boxes, each containing a "Husqvarna 21-Inch Safety Chainsaw". They have a simple off-on switch, and no obvious power source. They use standard 21-inch chainsaw blades, and standard oil to lubricate the blade. They will not function if the oil reservoir is empty. If the blade comes in contact with living human (or other mammal) tissue, it stops instantaneously, inflicting negligable cutting damage (although it is possible to inflict crushing damage with the saws).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a simple, yet beautifully finished wooden chess set. If the board is set up, then one minute later the board will open by moving "1. d4". If a white piece is moved before one minute, then one minute later the board will move a black piece. When the board makes a move, the pieces slide slowly and smoothly across the board; no mechanism for this movement can be detected. The board currently plays with a Chess skill of 14. After losing 14 times, its Chess skill increases to 15. Then, after losing 15 more times, its Chess skill increases to 16. Then, after losing 16 more times, . . .
Shelley Louie|slouie@csua.berkeley.edu|A black velvet portrait of a young Elvis Presley. Tears will spontaneously appear if any Elvis song is sung while facing the picture. Recordings and any other reproductions do not cause this effect. The scent of fresh fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches will also cause tears. The inscription on the bottom of the frame reads "Elvis Aron Presley, 44th US President 2000-2008." Any true devotee of Elvis music will be permanently cured of a single affliction upon touching the tears. This works only once per believer per lifetime.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sealed folder labeled "Top Secret". Inside are 107 sheets of yellowed, but apparently blank, normal typing paper.
Mrtin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|The Philosopher's shotgun. This is an old-fashoned double-barreled shotgun with strange runes carved over the barrels. Lead shot fired from this gun is specially conditioned for the following 3d6 minutes - if it is embedded in the flesh of a living sentient creature, it will turn to gold if that creature dies before the duration expires. There is a bloody lab book in the bottom of the crate describing the (occult) creation and operation of this gun. Interestingly enough, the creator thought of it as a failure - he wanted it to grant immortality to those it shot...
John Sowerby|John.Sowerby@uni-bayreuth.de|One large bent thing, with a groove at the end.
John Sowerby|John.Sowerby@uni-bayreuth.de|One set of instructions for large bent thing with a groove in one end.
Blade Hamilton|hamiltsl@wfu.edu|A standard box of 64 crayons. Upon further inspection, each crayon is labelled "flesh."
Blade Hamilton|hamiltsl@wfu.edu|A small hamster, seemingly healthy. There is a small shaved patch on its back with a tatoo that says "Intel Inside."
Blade Hamilton|hamiltsl@wfu.edu|A file folder with the word "To be discredited" written on it in crisp, clear letters. Inside are several documents, including a recipe for Mrs. Fields cookies with an attached recipe for $250, an old report card showing failing grades in Math for a student named "Einstein, Albert" and a note written on the back of a cocktail napkin that says, "Ron, I owe you one dollar for actually pulling the silly thing off. Signed, Robert Heinlein."
Blade Hamilton|hamiltsl@wfu.edu|A potato with a cord protruding from it. If the cord is pulled during a psychic attack, the attack immediately fails. It also turns the potato into a tasty serving of Julie Ann fries.
Blade Hamilton|hamiltsl@wfu.edu|A pink bottle labelled "hair tonic." If placed on someones head, their hair will immediately grow to 20 ft. long. If the hair is then cut, it becomes indestructible.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A unlabeled videotape. When played, it appears to be from a medical surgery in 1986, somewhere in Mexico. It looks like a normal heart bypass, until a foot long pinkish worm, aproximately 3 inches thick, is removed from the aorta. The worm has three mandibles, arranges in a triangular fashion, and is segmented. The head surgeon then swallows the worm, and removes the patient's heart. During the film, no words can be understood. If studied by a linguist, it can be determined that this language, nor any dialect, is not spoken by humans.
Blade Hamilton|hamiltsl@wfu.edu|A metal case containing five test tubes of blood amongst protective foam padding. The test tubes are labelled "John", "Paul", "George", "Ringo" and "Timmy."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|Another one of those ubiquitous black cubes with a large red button in the center of one face. If the button is pressed, the box will vanish. (It actually transports itself in time to the day of the user's birth, within one mile of the event.)
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A six-inch figure that looks just like one of the party members. The figure is made of a firm, but barely pliable clay material. If the figure is reshaped slightly, the body of the person represented will reshape itself in the same way the next time he/she sleeps for 4 or more hours. With use, the clay becomes more pliable, and the limits of the corresponding body sculpting become greater. The clay becomes rigid when the limits of the allowable body sculpting have been reached, and the mass of both the clay and the individual affected are conserved.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A TL8 needler with an extremely wierd ammo receptacle. This is because it uses ice-cream as ammo - nothing else will work. Just spoon it in! Note that wounds/corpses caused by this gun drive forensics people nuts....
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|Twelve plastic pouches, each containing a set of "Greyco Instant Tattoos". There is one "Biker: Male" set, two "Biker: Female" sets, four sets named "Punk #1" through "Punk #4", two "S&M" sets, and three "Assorted Accents" sets. The instructions for applying them are typical for temporary tattoos, and the packaging says "easy to remove". However, the packaging does not mention that they can only be removed with hydrogen peroxide (the typical hydrogen peroxide solution sold in the first aid section of the pharmacy works just fine). Techniques that remove permanent tattoos also work.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a United States passport. The identifying information matches that of one of the party members. The photo, however, is of a different party member.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a CD-ROM titled "Clark's ANTI-SPAM for Solaris". The software requires Solaris 2.4 or better. Any unsolicited commercial email that is forwarded through the system is deleted instead of being delivered, and the sender's account is cancelled (even if it is on a different, unrelated system, and even if the sender used a forged address). If the sender's ISP investigates, its online records indicate that one of their own administrators cancelled the account for a TOS violation.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|several food storage containers filled with normal-looking green M&M candy. Characters who eat them will find it more difficult to resist being seduced. For each candy eaten within the last hour, apply a -1 penalty to resist Sex Appeal.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A case of one-pint bottles of "Eden Spring Water". If a female character has sexual intercourse within 24 hours of drinking an entire bottle, she will become pregnant, regardless of any precautions she (or her partner) may have taken.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an old U.S. Army cot. Anyone sleeping on this cot will be as rested as if they had for slept three times as long as they did.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an old U.S. Navy duffle bag. The name "Lt. W. J. Clinton" is stenciled on the bag, which contains several navy uniforms (several "khakis", two sets of "whites", and one set of "dress blues"). At the bottom of the duffle bag are a set of discharge papers for Lt. William J. Clinton, dated 12 August 1968. The identifying information is consistant with that of the 42nd president of the United States.
lizard|lizard@mrlizard.com|A large collection of notes and records for someone's Dungeons&Dragons campaign. Dates on the notes are all in the 1930's. Among the paperwork is a map, on 4-to-the-inch graph paper, of "Moria, Third Level", and the character sheet for a 5th level magic-user named "Gandalf The White" (with "Gandalf the Grey" scrawled out beneath it.) The "Players Name" is 'C. Lewis' and the "Dungeon Master" is noted merely as "JT". (Players making a Games (Role Playing) roll will note that the bulk of the campaign seems to be based on Original D&D+Greyhawk, with a lot of corrections and changes relating to the publication of AD&D. Further study will show some of the following:The 'Hobbit' descriptions in the original D&D book are extensively annotated, as are the "Balrog" and "Ent". The scrawl "Got to use these guys" can be found alongside this information.)
Telestial|Telestial@hotmail.com|A long black piece of electric cord that has slight traces of blood in the middle
Dan Jasman|stonethrow@juno.com|A recent print of The Holy Bible, apparently a very scholarly study-Bible . . . The only noticeable difference (aside from a few strange noun-translations) is that the gender of all the characters is reversed.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A gas mask with three eyeholes. Putting it on will reveal that the mask somehow converts air to xenon. If taken apart, the mask ceases to function.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|An appointment book. Although the name page is blank, it contains all of the appointments for the box's opener from six months before opening the box to one month after. The last appointment specifies a location of Samarra, with no further details.
Edward Testa|test5380@rowan.edu|The damaged remains of Rowan College Presidents Spaceship and his 4 piece dinner set(real silver)
Mike Czaplinski`|mike.czaplinski@washingtondc.ncr.com|A tastefully coloured, durable and inexpensive carpet that resists toast landing butter-side down on it.
Ostraka|Library|A jar that contains a human appendix floating in alchohol. A label on the jars read: Harry Houdini. Further writing indicates it was removed from him four years before his death.
Ostraka|Library|A pair of wire rimmed glasses with lenses made of quartz crystal. Wearing them doesn't improve your sight but if you look at a person you can read their thoughts. Also, if you look in a mirror at your self, you see yourself, as you really are underneath. A small report shows the last person who did this suffered a mental breakdown.
Ostraka|Library|A bullet that's suppose to be the one that killed Lincoln by Actor John booth. Test's show that it's that old, however, futher tests show it was teflon coated.
Ostraka|Library|Deja Vu brew. This was a soda that was manufactured 30 years ago. The creater, while searching South America, looking for dinosaurs, found a small tribe who worshiped the gods of time and space. The priests would chew what seemed to be a alien form of root that would allow them access to any of their past and future reincarnations. The creater stoled a sample and, back in America, managed to synthisize it and sell it as a new drink. Anyone who drinks Deja Vu Brew will mentally and physically become, randomly, one of their past or future incnarations. The goverment conficated the formula, recipe, and creater. There are only ten cases of this in the world. Nine are hidden in Rome. And this case remains here.
Ostraka|Library|A birthday card that reads: Happy Birthday to you No. Six. When held under ultra-violet light, a further message reads: AND WHAT DID YOU EXPECT TO FIND HERE NUMBER SIX. AND TELL, US, WHY DID YOU RESIGN?!!
Ostraka|Library|You find a small book with the title: Sayings of 'Nuff. All the pages are blank.
Ostraka|Library|The final script to The Prisoner television series. Unlike the episode: Fallout, the ending has Number six announcing, the truth behind television and tells how to stop THEM. It was never aired....
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A large amount of very thin ad fibrous wires, all connected to a 2" microprocessor. If the wires are layed out completly straight, they will form the rough shape of a human being. A large manual is acompanies the wires. A lot f it seems to be technobabble, but anyone making an IQ-3 check determines that the wires, when correctly installed by a neurosurgeon, are actually a sophisticated reflex system that adds 3d to Dexterity. The drawback is that the user can never sleep soundly (as things always wake the user up) and eats three times the amount of food. If checked, the investigator will find a small tag on the microprocessor that reads "#302".
Thomas Hall @ 850 Elmwood st., State College, PA|None @ Present - PA, 16801|The box is completely filled with various kinds of dice, in a ranbow of colors and types, from d4's to d100's. If checked, all the dice will glow slightly in the dark, and test as slightly radioactive. Psionicly enclined individuals complain of "hearing" several babbling voices, each drowning out the others so that none can be clearly heard. Separating one of the dice will have no effect - they cannot "hear" the single dice - only in a large group do they have any force.
Mike Sands|krow.mike@mindless.com|A small almost transparent round sticker. A photocopied instruction page explains that, if it is stuck to any machine, it will cause the machine to malfunction erratically.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|Three items wrapped in white silk: A ring that depicts a snake swallowing its tail; A silver sword lapel pin; and A pin of a five toed, Chinese dragon. As the silk wrappings are further unfolded, it will be seen to be a banner with a matching dragon on it.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|A large, rolled-up, Escher-esque oriental rug. It depicts godl dragons on a blue background, but at the smae time shows blue dragons on a gold background. When unrolled a brass herring, a wooden ear, some large square sequins, and a lead box with a preserved soap bubble will tumnble out.
Travis Bryant|zoso@one.net|A male doll with a lock of hair clipped to it and a smear of blood across the face. On the foot is written in tiny letters, "William"
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|what (at first) appears to be a glass cube, four inches on a side. Further investigation reveals an interesting property... Objects placed against the far side of the cube seem to be just inside the near side of the cube. Light that enters one face of the cube will exit the corresponding location of the opposite face at the same angle it entered.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|The complete text to "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Coleridge, including the latter, and altogether stranger, portion of the poem that was supposedly not written due to Coleridge being awakened from an opium stupor by a visitor.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|several cases of 250 ml boxes, with straws attached. The boxes are unmarked. The beverage inside tastes sweet and vaguely fruity. After drinking the beverage, the user will feel relaxed and well-rested. Each serving is the equivalent of 9 hours sleep.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a normal-looking Casio watch, complete with an instruction book that describes the procedures for setting the watch, etc. What the instruction book neglects to mention, however, is that at exactly midnight, the watch will teleport to wherever it was at midnight the previous night. The first night after it is removed from Warehouse 23, it will seem to disappear (since it will teleport back to Warehouse 23). It will then reappear the following night (teleporting to wherever it was when it "disappeared" the previous night). And so on...
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a white ceramic yo-yo. If anyone tries to play with it, they will discover that it will reach the end of the string and will not return. However, it will continue spinning at the end of the string forever unless stopped.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|six carefully paper-wrapped 40W fluorescent tubes. If one is placed in an appropriate light fixture and turned on, it will glow with a slightly greenish light. Plants exposed to the light (within 1 m, under normal circumstances) will grow at 10 times their normal rate.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.com|a normal-looking 100-watt bulb. If this bulb provides at least 95% of the light illuminating print material, then anyone will be able to read that material, regardless of whether they are literate, or whether they know the language. The bulb has an average life of 100 hours (30 + (2d x 10)).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plain box of unsharpened No. 2 pencils, without any visible brand name. Any electronic scoring machine for standardized tests will score any answer marked with one of these pencils as being correct.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an untitled book. Each page contains a single line of text, each page apparently written in a different language. The book contains the phrase "this page intentionally left blank" written in every known human language, plus 34 languages that no human will be able to identify.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cheap, plastic tiara. If a human female wears the crown while kissing a frog, then within a year, she will meet a real prince who will fall in love with her.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cordless microphone, complete with a base unit. The microphone and base unit only work with each other, but anyone using the microphone gains a +2 reaction modifier. Speakers who already have the Voice advantage gain a +5 reaction modifier from the microphone instead.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an enormous revolver. The barrel is 18 inches long, and the grip is the size of a 2-liter soft-drink bottle. It is chambered for 12-guage shotgun shells, and holds nine rounds.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|48 photographs (apparently "double prints" from a 24-exposure roll) in a standard Kodak envelope. The first few photos show five tourists (an overweight, middle-aged couple and three teens, although only four of them are ever in any given photo) casually posing next to a huge, egg-shaped object. The next photo shows the woman and teens next to the object, all four with concerned looks on their faces. The rest of the photos were taken hastily (poor focus, some motion blur), and depict: cracks appearing in the egg, then the woman and teens noticing something behind the photographer, and finally several extremely blurry shots of a vaguely reptilian creature. The processing date on the back of the photos is "July 1989".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small vining houseplant. The plant thrives in the dark (e.g., the crate in which it was found), but will wither if exposed to light.
Tom Hall @ 850 Elmwood St., State College, PA|None @ Present, but my Zip code is 16801.|the box is almost completely filled with a book designed as a role-playing aid, depicting a variety of traps, and explaining in detail how they work. Oddly enough, the inventory shows there is 5000 slim books in the crate, yet one of the bundles has been opened, and 30 copies are missing....
Greg Henle|sam.lowry@1bigred.com|H. G. Wells time machine and a operators manual. Also included is a Dept. of Transportation check list.
Ostraka|Library|A specimin jar that contains a milky green liquid. Floating is what appears to be a pair of Groucho glasses. However, a closer examination reveals that the item is organic. Known, to the goverment, as a Grouchi, this organism is a lifeform that climbs over the eyes of a host and insert the arms of its frame, which are tendrils, into the host's ears. There the host starts behaving and talking like Groucho Marx. It is harmless to the host but will resist attempts to remove it. The host can, however, reject it by making a role v.s. willpower. There are no harmful side effects, but reading the report that comes with it tells of a larger version known as a Grouchi Queen. It cannot control but will hide in the nearest underground tunnel to reproduce.
Ostraka|Library|A large book with the title: THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MEGA- UNIVERSITY. It comes complete with photos and dialogue.
Ostraka|Library|A cryogenic chamber that contains Walt Disney. However, it is in reality, a mad android who will grow up to 100 feet & head towards the nearest town for rampaging distruction. A folder gives the information that A certain former leader of the now collapsed, U.S.S.R. was responsible for having it built (It seems he wanted revenge for not being allowed to enter Disney Land.
jon glenn|jon.glenn@emachine.com| A case of an unknown brand of cyanoacrylate adhesive. (superglue is a CA) This brand does not stick to skin, holds instantly, but doesn't set for a few minutes so you have a chance to adjust your work. Once dried, it will hold forever unless it has a mild electrical current run through it. The label on the crate says that the glue will be suppresed until Gencon 2003....
Bill Murray|murrayw@carleton.edu|Stylish shoes.
Chris Gwinn|gwinnc@carleton.edu|Opening the crate, you find a strangely familiar brass lantern and a sword of unusual make.
Jeroen Brons|frans.brons@tip.nl|This box contains a large, rough stone tablet. A few paragraphs of cryptic symbols are visible in the surface. Each part is of similar length, but uses a different set of symbols. PCs in the know may recognize the parts as Greek, modern English, Latin, binary code, as well as one which is completely unintelligible. A sticker on the side reads: Rosetta Stone XIV
Weh-Ming Cho|thechos@nbnet.nb.ca|A luxury sports car, loaded with everything from leather seats to multiple cd player. The keys are in the ignition and close examination shows that the gas tank is full. There is luggage and souveniers from a trip to Mexico in the trunk. Perfectly normal except it's only three centimeters long.
Weh-Ming Cho|thechos@nbnet.nb.ca|A dwarf that looks to be about as old as fnord, counting out loud. When the box is opened, he mumbles "twenty-two gazillion and-" and promptly loses count. Sighing, he turns his back to the opening and starts again: "One, two, three, four..."
Icepick|jims@skytv.com|A lengthy contract between a group called 'The Universal Party for Domestic Decency' and a group called 'Hairdressers and Interior Designers' outlining an agreement for the party of the second part to remove themselves from the 'game' for a [blacked-out] sum to be paid by the party in the first part over a period of 23 years. It is signed by Nancy Reagan and Horacio Nelson Argot III
Icepick|jims@sktyv.net|A solid black mass, apparently some type of stone or metal, 9' by 4' by 1'. It does absolutely nothing and is impervious to everything...
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A small quartz crystal. An attached label is inscribed in stange characters, but below these, in crude handwriting are the words 'Edmund Muster - Elvis Presley'
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A metal cannister that obviously used to be sealed but is now quite open. Inside is a drawing of a thin model in bell-bottom jeans, a scrap of lime-green polyester, and an iron on patch that looks like a daisy. The canister reads: "Do not open until 1963".
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A normal floppy disk. If inserted into a computer before the year 2002, an error message will appear reading 'This disk is not readable, Do you want to format?' If it is inserted into a computer after 2002, it will reveal a backup copy of a file entitled 'Bob's stuff' which will turn out to be completely useless to anyone but the owner, but will reveal, to the trained psycoanylist, a plastic fetish in 'Bob'
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A small glass vial labeled 'Armor Skin', which if ingested orally will kill the subject immediately. But if injected interveniously will toughen the subjects skin to that of steel for a period of days or months, then the subject will stiffen, atrophy, and die.
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A brief outline establishing the winner of the 1996 'Ultimate Fighting Championship', detailing split, points, winners, and Las Vegas take, including pre-fight rousing, take-downs, falls and in-crowd point boosters. It is signed Newt Gingrich and beside it is a wax seal (which upon detailed investigation will reveal the seal of Ceasar Calligula.)
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A shining black sword that hums and whines. The sounds coming from it sound like 'Elric elric elric..' It will contine to make these sounds, until it draws blood. Then it will repeat the name of the new owner...
icepick|jims@skytv.net|Errata from Expansion set 3 of SJG Illuminati. All pages are rubber stamped in red with the words "Top Secret" and in blue with the words "For Public Release." There is a very very small fingerprint on the bottom of page 27.
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A long letter which (if read) outlines plans to murder 'the blonde pig wife' and the 'other piggy guy' in order to bring about 'helter skelter' and even the karma for 'blacky'. It goes on to say how the 'cop pigs' will be implicated and how to get 'the famous one' off in order to 'stir the mix'. It is addressed to Sadie and signed with a x and charlie.
icepick|jims@skytv.net|A floppy disk containing email correspondence between MasterCard corprate heads, Jason Lainer, Nicolas Negroponte, Stuart Brand, #2, AT&T corprate heads and Neal Stephenson discussing rates on 'electronically transfered bit-streams' and charges thereof.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|ten identical white cardboard boxes. Inside each is a 6 oz jar and a pair of (size large) latex gloves. The boxes are unlabeled, but the jar lids have round adhesive labels with "3N09" scrawled on them. Inside the jars is a clear ointment. Any body part to which the ointment is applied becomes invisible, with the adjoining untreated tissue appearing to have a well-healed stump. The effect begins one minute after application, and wears off four hours later.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a metal whistle. Most of the time, it makes the normal "tweet" sound of a referee's whistle. However, when it is used within 10 m of an attractive woman (i.e., with the Attractive, Beautiful, or Very Beautiful advantage), it makes a "wolf call" whistle sound instead.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a slightly curved, triangular piece of hammered bronze, and two matching bronze domes. Brittle leather straps with bronze buckles are attached to the bronze pieces. The triangular piece and its leather straps could be worn by a woman in a manner similar to a "thong" bikini. The dome-shaped pieces are connected by a very short strap, and given the placement of the longer straps, could be worn by a woman to cover her bosom. An eleven-page report states that carbon dating and metallurgical analysis place the objects somewhere in the 5th or 6th century BC.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a dozen lively, dark-brown rabbits. Closer inspection reveals them to be made of living, breathing chocolate. Also in the box are a a dozen identical boxes for chocolate Easter eggs. The brand on the boxes is unfamiliar. Each box is empty and appears to have been forced open from the inside. Temperatures above 90 degrees F will melt (and thus, kill) the chocolate rabbits. It is easy to break off pieces of chocolate (which will injure, and possibly kill, the rabbits).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|clothing, weapons, personal posessions, etc. identical to what is being worn by the party. Everything in the party members' possession has a duplicate in the box. The only differences are that there are bullet holes and corresponding blood stains on the clothing in the box, and that other objects in the box have been rendered useless (trigger locks on guns, credit cards and ID cut in half, etc.).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a simple varnished-wood picture frame. If a blank canvas (42x35 inches) is placed in the frame, anyone looking at the canvas will see an almost lifelike painting of an unknown person who embodies the viewer's ideal of human beauty.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A large green beanie with a battery-powered propellor on top. Anyone donning the beanie and turning on the propellor gets a +2 to any INT-based skill roll, and a -2 to any reaction roll. The beanie seems to run on a normal 9-volt battery.
jadams|jadams@interaccess.com|A martial arts instruction book, written in Chinese with some English translation. It covers the basics of "Fujian Ground Boxing" and the "Plum Mountain Shadow Fist" styles, and is illustrated with line drawings and photographs, which clearly show that the book was written by, and intend for, people with four arms.A large glass case, containing two office desks, stacked on top of each other with their tops facing. The two surfaces appear to have bonded together. A plaque on the front of the case reads: "Experiment #24567: Desktop Fusion." This is a current item. It reads more like two items. Is this intentional? If not...
John Willoughby|fenris@aol.com|A stone tablet bearing the errata for the Ten Commandments
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A videotape labled "The Miracle of Life" If watched, it is exactly like the commercial version of it, detailing the reproductive systems of human beings and pregnancy. However, located also in the box, if one bothers to dig deep enough is a memo. Apperantly, most of the video, which shows the inside of the reproductive system, was faked with models. According to the memo, the changed parts were the addition of ovaries in the female pictures, editing some sort of gland out from the pictures of the male, and the background music, most of which contains subliminal messages. The exact messages are smeared.
J. Adams|jadams@interaccess.com|A crate filled with bags of slightly stale fortune cookies. They are accurate, although they may fail to mention important details concerning the events they produce. ex: "You will experience a sharp pain in your right leg" Yeah, because the next crate you open contains a wolverine who's going to take a piece out of you!
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A toothpase tube that says- Frobozz Magic Gunk Co. All-Puropse Gunk
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A map and aerial photos of a desert site. The site appears to be in Nevada, but the aerial photos show no evidence of human existence. The top of the map reads "Advanced Germ Warfare: Bacterial Division". Notes on the back of the map indicate that the site has been completed, and the photo indicates aerial stealthing has been put into operation.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|You find a portable radio, labeled in russian. You turn it to the local AOR station, only to find all the songs translated into Russian. This works for any station you put on, country music to rap, to PBS to disco. It leaves Radio America undisturbed.
David Wood|dwood@skipjack.bluecrab.org|An old leather-bound book and a fireproof and tightly secured strongbox. The book is written in archaic (13th century) Italian and filled with what look like alchemical symbols. It is, in fact, a process for turning gold into lead. If the strongbox can be opened, it contains a contemporary translation of the text, full scientific analysis (indicating that the formula is not reversible), and a listing of those Federal Reserve depositories where the formula was in use until 1971.
David Wood|dwood@skipjack.bluecrab.org|A helmet, the inside of which is covered with small electromagnetic sensors. There is a compartment for two standard C cells, and a cable connects to it and ends in a standard serial connector. When plugged into a computer, worn, and switched on, it will generate source code for a program which (according to the copious comments) will act and talk exactly like the person who put it on, down to quirks, favorite quotes, likes, dislikes, and other eccentricities. Unfortunately, the source code will take up at least 1.5Gb of disk space, and it is all written in LOGO.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|You find a circlet of gold, 25cm across. When you look through the ring from one side, you see things as they are. When you look through from the other side, you see blackness. You can stick your arm in the black side, and it does not appear on the other side. You feel a cool mist. If you bend the ring, the blackness fills a space filling about a meter in diameter, and then dissapears, taking the ring with it. If anything is within the perimeter of the sphere when it dissapears, it dissapears as well. Watch your head.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A glob of silly putty, about a kilo in mass. When you touch it, it assumes any form you can think of. Curiously, if you cause it to assume the shape of a knife, the edge is of monomolecular thickness, and the knife is sharp and dense enough to cut anything you try it on.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|You see a wood-grained plastic pyramid, approximately 10cm per side. There is a clear globe of red quartz in one of the triangular sides; the bottom side contains a numeric keypad with several other cryptic symbols on other keys around the pad. If you press the green, unmarked button, the pyramid says (in whatever language you think in) "Enter identity number or hold pyramid up to eye for retinal scan." There is no obvious speaker that you can see. If you input a number into the keypad, the pyramid states "Incorrect identity number" and gives you a small electric shock. If you hold the pyramid up to your eye, the pyramid will scan your retina and state "Retinal pattern does not match; would you like to enter retinal pattern and select an identity number?" If you do so, it will blind you with the laser and give you another electric shock.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|10 pounds of cheese. It's wrapped in plastic, and the label reads (in crayon) "Whiskonzin Cheyzz: aul Natchral". It tastes good. Unfortunately, if you eat all ten pounds you'll get high cholesterol.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|the wreckage of an old twin-engine propeller airplane. Investigation will reveal that it was a modified Lockheed Electra 10E, FAA registration number NR16020. Further investigation will discover a flight journal . . . Amelia Earhart's flight journal beginning on 21 May 1937. The last entry is dated 2 July 1937, 2030GMT, reads: "couldn't find Howland, fuel low, running SE to find land. Heading 1--Noonan's gone, something's wrong" Noonan gone!"
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Small plastic boxes of fingernail clippings. They are all carefully catalogued and labeled, and apparantly belong to a diverse array of living and dead famous and powerful people, as well as many people who, as far as the PCs know, aren't important.
Ostraka|library|This is a dossier of an incident that tells about a man, a android, a catbeing, and a female artificial intelligence, who had a wild night with a series of female british police officers, then vanished without a trace.
Ostraka|Library.|A ancient parchment scroll. If translated, it is discovered to be a page from the begining of the bible. In fact, it's before the IN THE BEGINNING. Translated it reads: All these characters and events are a work of fictions. Any relation to actual people or events is purely conincidental. (Sorry Dave).
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Gummi Bears. Enough to fill the entire crate to the brim. There are no green ones.
Ostraka|library|A map to an area in Ohio. The area seems to be a wasteland of a strange grey powder and craters. Analyzing the dust shows it to be from the moon. Furthermore on the back of the map is lunar cordinates. Using a powerful telescope, one finds an area on the moon that is composed of trees, grass, and living cows.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A package of ten pills, about the size of a small antihistamine pill. when taken, nothing noticeable wil hapenb until the user is submerged. At that time, the pill will kick in, and the user will be able to breathe underwater. The pill will last for one hour, and can be taken up to twelve hours in advance. A note accompanies the package, written in a red pen, "Supress indefinetly"
Steve Board|stevenboard@sprintmail.com|When you first open the box, it appears to be a random assortment of black plastic bugs. However, closer examination reveals them to be...Well! Whaddaya know! Inside the box are all the guns that you ever lost from your Star Wars figures! So that's where they went!
Karl Galbreath|karljg@juno.com|An old, leather-bound book entitled "Das Verichteraraberbuch". There is an inscription... but it is in strange, almost glowing runes that you cannot bear to look at. You are able to make out one series of them as being Arabic characters: shubniggurath
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large plastic bag, with the body of a chimpanzee inside. If the bag is opened, the smell of formaldehyde escapes. The chimp's ankles appear to be secured in roughly sawn stocks made from particle board, with formica on one side. The chimp's lower legs and feet have been disected. Careful examination reveals that the chimp's ankles have somehow fused (at a molecular level) with the particle board and formica.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|36 decorative concrete blocks, each measuring 4x12x12 inches. If any of them are touched, everyone within 10 feet must roll vs (HT - 5) or suffer a severe headache that lasts for as many minutes as the roll was missed by. For the duration of the effect, IQ and DX are reduced by as many points as the roll was missed by. The effect of touching multiple blocks is cumulative, both for IQ and DX penalties, and for duration.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@wwvax.uww.edu|A rather large file filled with medical report papers. The papers detail a series of experiments done on the opener of the box. Apperantly, the opener was subjected to various chemicals and radioactive substances, some of which are alien in nature, in an attempt to make the opener a perfect servant of the Illuminati. The results of the experiments are not present, but a note inside says, "Treatments complete. Prepare for realase and study of subject in Delta Phase." No date is present on any of the papers.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a nearly empty atomizer. If it is used, anyone within range of the "perfume" (10 feet) must roll vs. Smell. On a successful roll, the character smells a repulsive odor (while within range, -2 to IQ and DX, and -5 to other sense rolls). On an unsuccessful roll, the character smells a pleasant, addictive scent (roll vs. Will to avoid keeping atomizer and using it frequently). While the atomizer looks nearly empty, it will never run out of "perfume".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A 12-pack of generic, unlabeled, blank cassette tapes. The cases are opaque; there aren't even windows to see how much tape is left on each side. Experimentation will reveal that the tapes appear infinitely long. Any attempt to tamper with the tape case will cause the tape to vanish.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|36 gallon-sized cans of flat, interior latex paint. All the cans are "Eggshell", a basic off-white color. The paint cannot adhere to plastic, metal, glass, etc., and will run off such materials within 1 minute of application. (Masking is therefore unnecessary in most situations.) However, when applied to wallboard, plaster, previously painted surfaces, etc., it will produce a durable, easily washed finish that covers in one coat.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A case of rabbit-foot keychains in assorted colors. The white, yellow, green, grey, blue, orange, and lavender ones bestow both Serendipity and Bad Luck when carried. The pink ones bestow both a 15-point Destiny and a -15-point Destiny when carried for longer than 24 hours.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic "loving cup" trophy on a synthetic marble base. A brass plate on the base reads "Cribbage Champion". Touching this trophy enables the character to win every game of cribbage he or she plays. Note that the trophy does not grant an understanding of the game; novices will still need instruction, but "luck" will prevent their experienced opponents from beating them. The effect wears off as soon as someone else touches the trophy.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a map of North America, published in 1994. The political boundaries are slightly different, but most significantly, the major cities are very different. Population seems to be concentrated at the higher altitudes, with coastal (and other low-altitude) regions being virtually unpopulated. The U.S. capital seems to be just outside Denver, Colorado.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic, 32 oz. spray bottle of "Break Fluid". If this product is sprayed on glass objects, they become virtually unbreakable. The effect lasts one year outdoors, or ten years indoors. Ceramics and other breakable substances are unaffected.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a case of white, 2-inch diameter, 3-inch tall candles. When lit, they will burn with a painfully intense light (equivalent to a 1000W halogen bulb). In all other ways, they appear normal.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a package labeled "Travel Ice". Inside are six transparent 1-inch cubes that remain at 2 degrees C indefinitely. One cube will chill a liter of water to 2 degrees C in 1 hour under normal circumstances. Two cubes take half as long, and so forth.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small white box with a Post-It note attached. The note reads, "swaps soul of target with soul of user". Inside is a standard 9mm round. (The round is completely normal, and has no mystical powers.)
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|An ornate glass bottle, stoppered and sealed with wax. It is opaque, and feels unusually heavy. If opened, it will emit a little wisp of smoke. The amount of smoke flowing from the bottle will increase gradually, reaching a peak flow in 10 minutes (at which point, everyone within 10 feet of the bottle suffers a -1 vision penalty; it still isn't a lot of smoke). The smoke smells like an oak-fired BBQ.
william schaeffer|thinker@kih.net|Warehouse 23 Security. You are now proprerty of the Warehouse.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a thick, old manuscript entitled, "A Better Mess". It appears to have been written by a "Sgt. Harcourt". No other identifying information can be found. The paper used varies from cheap typing paper to cheap stationary to cheap ruled notepad paper. It describes cooking techniques appropriate for a large mess hall, which would deliver more nutritious, more appetizing, and more economical meals than standard mess hall procedures.
Brennan M. O'Keefe|bmokeefe@io.com|Several cases of cans of a popular soft drink. The cans appear normal, except for a wider, oddly-shaped pull tab. When a can is opened, the can and its contents will cool rapidly from room temperature to a few degrees above the drink's freezing point. Inside the top of the can is a small chamber of a non-toxic, non-polluting refrigerant. The drink tastes normal; only a very detailed chemical analysis will reveal the absence of certain complex chemicals found in the publically-available beverage.
Alicia Smith|leece@perv.metapro.com.au|A Magic Marker (tm). It appears normal, and can be disassembled as normal. It never runs out. If someone _does_ take it apart, however, they had better be able to swim... Note: NOT XYLENE FREE.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a U.S. gold coin with a face value of $20, minted in 1997. The front bears the image of Herbert Hoover, and the back bears the image of an eagle clutching an olive branch in one claw and a lightning bolt in the other.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sword. As a swung blade, it acts like a normal saber. However, when thrust, it will impale living tissue harmlessly, leaving no wound when removed. While the sword is imbedded, it cannot be used to cut laterally; it can only be removed (or imbedded further, until the hilt stops it).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a picture postcard from the Swiss Alps. It is addressed to O.J. Simpson. The message reads simply, "Consider yourself lucky . . . this time."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large crystal ball, resting on a circular wooden stand. While it is perfectly clear, there are internal crystal faces that make it difficult to make out objects on the other side of the ball. Investigation will reveal three holes on the underside of the ball, drilled in typical bowling-ball fashion.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cellular phone. It's only control is a dial-on-off switch. By moving the switch to "dial" and thinking the number (roll vs IQ+2, or IQ+6 if reading the number at the time), the phone will automatically dial. If the number is busy, it will redial until the switch is moved to "on" or "off", or until a new number is dialed. Physicial contact with the phone must be maintained, unless the user makes a successful Telesend skill roll.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plain silver-chain bracelet. When worn, it creates a force field around the wearer, and around anything else being worn/carried. However, the force field is immobile, and appears only 1 cm from the wearer's skin (or 1 mm from any clothing/equipment further than 1 cm from the wearer's skin). Thus, the only useful action the wearer can take is to remove the bracelet (roll vs DX-2). Air (and thus sound) can pass through the force field freely, but no solids or liquids can penetrate it.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a catalog from N. William Olivi Seeds. It is a thin, 8.5 x 5.5 inch booklet, and lists seeds for various extremely invasive plants (e.g., kudzu). Towards the back is a section of tools for unobtrusively planting seeds and seedlings. If anyone calls the 800 number listed, it will be busy. There is no address listed.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sealed plastic envelope containing a single sheet of yellowing stationery. The hand-scrawled memo reads: "Leave Europe alone, or we guarantee you'll die in office."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A slightly worn fifty-cent piece, US currency, apparently minted in 1970. If someone flips it while concentrating on a yes-no question, on a roll of 14 or less, it will come up heads if the answer is yes and tails if the answer is no. In all other situations, it flips randomly.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a 4-foot by 6-foot rat maze. The base is made of half-inch plywood. The maze walls are made of quarter-inch plywood, and are 4 inches tall. Between the "start" and "finish" chambers is a 4x4x4 inch box with a toggle switch. When the switch is in the on position, several maze walls become invisible, and the same number of illusionary (visible, but insubstantial) walls appear in other locations.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a pair of tickets for Super Bowl XLIV, on January 24, 2010. The game will be held in Willie Brown Memorial Stadium, San Francisco, but the names of the teams playing are not listed. The tickets are for section 12, row GG, seats 3 and 4.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a 15-page report titled "A Modest Proposal for the Benefit of Public Health" by Louis Pasteur. It proposes a plan to utilize the placebo effect on a world-wide scale. The discovery of a new kind of wonder drug ("anti-microbics") would be announced. Sugar pills and vials of distilled water would be distributed to physicians, who would then administer them to their patients. By announcing several different anti-microbics, physicians could make several attempts at inducing the placebo effect by simply administering "stronger" anti-microbics whenever "weaker" anti-microbics fail to have any effect.
John Schmidt|jschmidt@dl.com|A Silver Penny The coin is an old Roman coin, easily findable in the catalogs, and worth about $400 dollars to a collector of such things. If flipped, it always will end up with the "tails" side up... you could call it the Godot coin.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a five-gallon gasoline can. It is filled with olive oil.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a box of 24 cans of spray paint. Half are flat black, and the other half are glossy black. They function normally, but they will not spray at all when used by anyone younger than 18 years old. This child-proof mechanism cannot be circumvented, even by depressing the spray-button indirectly.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a packet of "Brandywine Improved" tomato seeds. The packet touts the improved flavor, pest and disease resistance, drought tolerance, keeping ability, and productivity of this variety. Indeed, if they are planted, they will grow extremely vigorous, trouble-free plants that produce plenty large, delicious, seedless tomatoes that store for months when picked ripe, and that ship easily.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a dozen rolls of silver-grey duct tape. It is normal duct tape, except that after it has been in place for 24 hours, it can be peeled away easily, leaving no residue.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a horse. It is extremely gentle and cooperative. It can be ridden very easily (+5 to Riding skill). Careful examination will reveal that it is mechanical, although it has no obvious power supply. It does not eat, nor does it excrete. A similar crate nearby contains a similar horse, but the other one doesn't seem to be functional.
Micah T.J. Jackson|micahj@io.com|A copy of the book "Vanna Speaks." The inside front cover of which is stamped with the seals of various government agencies and the words "APPROVED FOR DISTRIBUTION."
Dunwich|hospital|A mind control device that can send subliminal messages through the springs of a matress.
Ostraka|Library|A painting of the Mona Lisa. Anylyzing it shows it to be a genuine painting by Da Vinci. However, x-rays show beneath the paint is the words THIS IS A FAKE, done in ball point.. If the painting that's on disply in Paris, is analyzed, the same message is beneath its' paint.
Ostraka|Library|A missing poster that show the portrait of a beautiful but disturbed looking girl who grins rather sharply. Beneath, are the words: HAVE YOU SEEN ME? Any person who tears the poster up will vanish into thin air. Two hours later, the person will reappear with the wild tale of meeting Richard Dadd.
Ostraka|Library|A role of movie film. Running it on a projector reveals it to be a documentary of an interview with what looks to be a alien who is telling what is at the center of the Earth. A person who watches it to the end will see the creature about to reveal the truth about the Earth on the opposite side of the solar system when it's cut off and show instead the LETS GO TO THE MOVIE LOBBY AND GET OURSELVES A SNACK.
Ostraka|Library|A small green bottle with a cork in it. Inside is two blue pills that are dusty from age. Anyone who eats them will have their I.Q and Willpower increased by 10. They also, will have photograph memory.
Daniel Jackson|jacksodm@ucsu.colorado.EDU|A small plastic replica of a rainbow trout. The head is almost wide enough to hold a cigar (but not quite), whilst bending the fin a tiny hiss is heard and a small bit of confetti whirls out. It seems like an ordinary failed novelty item, but there seems to be no end to the party. Try it. . .
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A square of carpet two feet on a side. Any piece of toast or similar item dropped above the carpet will land butter-side up.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A set of directions for an easy series of physical and mental exercises that, if practiced, will allow the practitioner to spontaneously combust at will. They work, but the induced combustion is extreme and permanent.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A scrap of paper with the lowest odd perfect number written on it, together with an explanation of the importance of concealing this from the populace.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A yellow smile button. If used as a thrown weapon, it is extremely accurate and capable of penetrating a brick wall.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A delicate hand-blown Klein bottle.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|The pop-up version of the Necronomicon.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A large metal sphere, the size of an eyeball. If placed in an empty eye socket, it will begin to grow metallic filaments that join to the nerves. Within a week, it will be permanently attached, and the user will be able to see in all frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A textbook and course notes for the class "Messiah 201: Advanced Topics." Unfortunately, the material is completely incomprehensible to anyone who has not passed 101, the prerequisite course.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A plain black domino mask. Anyone who puts on the mask and then removes it again will have their face and other signs altered to those of a different person. Controlling the process is possible with practice and careful study.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A large quantity of lizards who, left to their own devices, will wander back and forth between two and three dimensions. In two dimensions, they can be arranged so as to tile the plane. An accompanying note in a feminine hand thanks "Dear Maurits" for "the charming picture of my pets."
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|Lee Press-On Stigmata. These wounds bleed real blood when attached to any surface, whether the surface is living or not.
Barry Edmonds|dragon@adnc.com|An old-style Coca-Cola bottle, faded and dusty. When you look in through the top, you can see writing on the inner bottom surface: "We are not Crazy".
Andrew|philandr@cwis.isu.edu|A normal twelve-oz. can of Sprite, containing water which bestos eternal life.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A cheap battery-powered device with upon whose face colored lights flash in irregular patterns. The packaging explains that it intended to keep narngles away. This is true, and if the device is turned off, the narngles will come all too quickly.
aegrof|aegrof@lancnews.infi.net|a perfectly normal-looking cellular phone. When activated a tiny wormhole appears directly over the antenna. The wormhole hisses in all sonic frequencies. It changes color and pattern every time a key is pressed. The phone is never out of range.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|Communion wafers. Laboratory analysis will reveal that they are made of human flesh.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A description of an alchemical process for turning gold into lead.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A device for turning pocket lint into an excellent parsley substitute. It is technologically brilliant and difficult to market successfully.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A large quantity of styrofoam peanuts, cushioning an ordinary-looking plastic spray-bottle, seemingly empty. Anything the bottle is sprayed on will instantly heat up to 500 degrees centigrade. Buried amidst the styrofoam packing material is a hand-lettered adhesive label, accidentally fallen off the bottle. It reads "Phlogiston."
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A cold, congealed pizza topped with cajun barbecued chicken, green olives, and pineapple.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A case of 144 jars of pickled parakeet pineal glands. The crate also contains a gallon of ranch dressing and a large box of toothpicks.
Azrael|azrael@waveinter.com|A yellow floppy disk. It is missing its shutter and has several greasy fingerprints all over it. The label reads "Tokyo 7" in Swahili.
Craig Roth|caroth@iu.net|Several large, human-sized cylinders made of frosted glass and lying on their sides. When one is opened, an exact living, breathing duplicate of one member of the party appears to be asleep within. When awakened, it will have all the memories of tht party member, right up to that point. At that point, the person duplicated will become stiff and unresponsive. Closer examination will reveal the person in the cylinder to be real and the other to be a sophisticated (and now non-functional) android. The other cylinders contain the other members of the party.
Vincenzo Beretta|thx1138@io.com|A metallic cube, 4"x4"x4". If you paint the faces of the cube with different colors, you discover that * seven * colors are needed. When you rotate the painted cube in your hand, you are able to find the seven different colors on its faces. This works also if you number the faces.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|A long , hollow plastic rod marked "Wand of Hyperstimulation". Closer examination reveals that it is a king-sized Pixy Stix.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|A cylinder marked "NNS." The contents consist of what appears to be an extremely low-yield nuclear warhead capable of being launched from a garden hose, and a pamplet from the "Neighborhood Nuclear Superiority, Inc." congratulating you on a fine purchase, along with an owner's manual.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|An old, dusty parchment scroll authored by a "Yeshua bar Miriam." In has a long, detailed list of errors in the King James version of the New Testament, along with corrections.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|A case of 24 pint containers of a combination floor wax and dessert topping.
Ralph Melton|ralph@cs.cmu.edu|The prototype for the car Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.
Donald G. Bixler|mudgb4@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu|A cookbook with a plain cover containing only the title, "To Serve Man". Inside, the dedication is to Julia Child.
Andy Vetromile|dntpnc@aol.com|A set of four upright TV trays. They do not fall over or allow your drink to be spilled no matter how hard they are bumped. They also improve television reception to crystal clarity, up to and including stations you normally can't get--or aren't supposed to get.
Andy Vetromile|dntpnc@aol.com|A small mirror. It says "Objects in mirror are less realistic than they appear." Anything reflected in the mirror reveals, on a level intuitive to the viewer, some of its secrets: moods, contents, criminal records, amoral intentions, etc. Unless the mirror is mounted on a vehicle (it just snaps on over the old one), it simply functions as a normal mirror.
Azrael|azrael@waveinter.com|Several glass bottles containing various powders, liquids, and gels, all of different colors and appearances. A note at the bottom of the crate has several strange formulae in chemical notation, accompanied by a single phrase written in Russian Cyrillic: "Preserve Dick Clark at all costs. Signed, Stalin."
Mark St. Laurent|framhere@ix.netcom.com|A large stone slab. Carved out of the center of the slab is a perfectly proportioned three-dimensional model of Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Accompanying documents indicate that the slab was recovered from the sea floor in the Persian Gulf, and that the cuniform notes carved at various locations on the slab have not yet been translated.
S. John|sjohn@io.com| . . . That you don't want to look into the box. In fact, you find that you feel mild revulsion at the thought of boxes and crates in general, and TERROR at the thought of secrets. You don't want to know. You want to go home and watch something you've already seen on television. You want to believe everything it tells you. Also, you smell mustard.
Avram Shannon|gondor@citizen.infi.net|A large black book containing info that proves that every rock star from the sixties, except Elvis, were abducted by aliens.
RS Montgomery|Sheerchaos@aol.com|A small radio which appears to work normally. However, anyone playing with it will eventually discover a station dedicated to reporting live updates on their every action.
Brennan M. O'Keefe|bmokeefe@io.com|A 20-pound weight attached to one end of a 4-foot rope. If allowed to swing as a pendulum, the weight will swing slighly higher on each of the first several swings (much to the surprise of anyone doing the classic release-it-at-the-tip-of-your-nose demonstaration).
Royce Day|dayhill@pop.erols.com|An ordinary looking white coffee cup, with the logo of a major defense contractor printed on the side. Any liquid poured into the cup will heat to a boiling point in 30 seconds, without any visible heating element or power source. Solid objects will be disintegrated.
Scott Haring|sdharing@io.com|A typical ventriloquist's dummy. When someone puts his arm up the back of the dummy and grabs the controls, however, the dummy immediately says whatever the operator is thinking, and will continue to do so until the operator lets go.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A Jolly Roger. It provides military-grade TL 12 stealth to any wooden ship that flies it, under the mental control of whomever holds the wheel.
Martin Lqeuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A green hardbacked copy of In Nomine. It has a picture of a pyramid with an eye on it on the cover where the cross nomally would be. It is otherwise normal.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A porcelin toilet. It appears normal to all tests, but if actually installed and used, it will prove to be carnivourous.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|A small, stuffed beaver. If prodded, it will jump to its feet and run into a nearby hole.
Chris Dolan|dolan@astro.wisc.edu|A finely detailed star chart with all of the familiar bright stars in their proper places. However, while there are numerous galaxies marked, there is no recognizable pattern to them.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A copy of GURPS Ultra Tech, 23rd edition, in `real book format' (i.e. it's a book, although the paper is synthetic). It details TLs 10-18+.
Royce Day|dayhill@pop.erols.com|Six 1/72 scale models of the "Enola Gay". They are fully functional, from the engines down to the tiny controls in the cockpits. The model atomic bombs in the bomb bays register slightly if a geiger counter is passed over them. Should a bomb be dropped on the floor, it will act as a "pony nuke", destroying everything in a one block radius.
Royce Day|dayhill@pop.erols.com|A thick manila folder filled with dozens of pages of computer printouts and several photographs. The printout describes a plot by a prominent RPG designer to promote Satanism by warping the minds of America's youth. The photographs are of various tourist attractions in Geneva, WI. NOTE: This is a _joke_, folks!
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|Jimmy Hoffa, alive and well. He will ignore whoever opened the crate, and will refuse to give any explanation as to how he got in there in the first place. After five minutes, he'll announce, "I'm sleepy" and fall fast asleep. If he is awakened, he'll remain awake for half as long as he was asleep (up to a maximum of five minutes), and then repeat the announcement and fall asleep again. Closer inspection reveals that he is really a very sophisticated machine.
Royce Day|dayhill@pop.erols.com|A hardbound copy of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare, copyright 1953. There is nothing unusual about it, except for the addition of a comedy entitled "Love's Labour Won".
Royce Day|dayhill@pop.erols.com|A dozen copies of GURPS Fantasy Folk, enclosed in protective shrink wrap. Examining a copy will show there is no information on Elves, but there is a four page section on Humans (Statistics: ST +1, DX -1, IQ -1. Advantages: DR +1, Strong Will. Disadvantages: Short Lifespan (five levels), No Magery, Social Stigma: Slave Race.)
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|ten 50-kg bags of "Sugar Substitute". The substitute looks, acts, and tastes exactly like sugar, except that it is completely non-caloric. It can be substituted freely into any recipe that calls for sugar, except those that depend on sugar's caloric content (e.g., many recipes with yeast).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an inch-thick manuscript. There is a Post-It® note attached to the cover that reads, "peacefully resolved." The manuscript is a script for a movie "Beyond Orion", and is dreadfully boring. The characters spend far too much time explaining the physics behind their technology; more than half the script is little more than a discussion of TL14 physics. Normal tech-level penalties apply to any character attempting to comprehend the physics in the manuscript.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a case of 200 bumper stickers that read, "Proud Parent of an Honor Student!" If one is applied to the rear bumper of a vehicle, then any offspring of the registered owner(s) of that vehicle will improve their GPAs by a full point.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a metal cylinder (1 inch in diameter and 1 foot long) with a metal cap at one end. Embossed letters on the side of the cylinder read, "Long Weight". Inside the cylinder is a lead weight, approximately half an inch in diameter, but infintely long. Once a length of the weight has been removed from the cylinder, it cannot be forced back in. The only way to replace the cap is to cut the weight flush with the end of the cylinder. (The cylinder always feels like it has a 12-inch length of weight in it, in addition to any that extends past its opening.)
Royce Day|dayhill@pop.erols.com|A fully dissasembled P-51 Mustang. The skin and windscreen appear to have been badly sandblasted, and all rubber tires, gaskets, oxygen masks, ect. have severe dry rot. Examination of the control panel will reveal all controls and indicators are marked in ancient Babylonian.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a map of the New Amsterdam subway system. Except for the use of different place names, it is identical to the current New York subway system.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a copy of the New York Times, from the Wednesday morning after the most recent presidential election. The headline proclaims that the current president lost to the other major-party candidate by a landslide.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an old, yellowed copy of the San Jose Mercury News. The headline story is about the assassination of the current president during his tour of several Silicon Valley firms. Several reassuring quotes from the vice president (now president) are included in the story. The paper is dated . . . the 27th of next month.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a three-foot section of PVC pipe, with a valve at one end. If the valve is opened, pure water will flow from it at a rate of up to 5 gallons per minute.
Simon Proctor|simon@cricketers.demon.co.uk|The is a flash of light and noise so loud that you can't hear it. Then silence. At the bottom of the now empty crate is a slightly singed piece of paper bearing the words. "Here's the spare in case the first goes wrong."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|various human body parts. No, wait, . . . they are really prostheses. A cardboard box contains 12 cans of aerosol medical adhesive. The instructions on the adhesive direct the user to spray the prosthesis lightly, then apply the prosthesis and hold it motionless for 10 minutes. If the prostheses and adhesive are used together, then after 5 minutes, the user feels a peculiar tingling sensation. After 7 minutes, the sensation is defintely coming from the surface of the prosthesis. After 9 minutes, any digits of the prosthesis will begin flexing slowly. After 10 minutes, the prosthesis will be permanently attached, and will function as a natural limb (although it will maintain a slightly synthetic appearance and feel). Note that there is no requirement that any prosthesis replace an amputated limb, although the creation of an unnatural anatomy will usually bring negative reaction modifiers.
Andy Vetromile|dntpnc@aol.com|A stack of "Time" magazines, a complete run from August, 1937 to March, 1989. The articles detail a world slightly different from ours, with different figures in history occupying a greater, lesser, or different position than they did here. Curiously, any examination of these periodicals shows that any and all references to the president of the United States of America are missing, torn, snipped out, or inked out with a thick black marker.
Andy Vetromile|dntpnc@aol.com|A thick black marker. Swept over any document, it will ink out all references to whatever subject the user concentrates on. If no reference is made in the document to whatever the person is thinking of, no mark is made. It can wear out or dry out like any other marker.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a rusty muzzle-loading pistol. The grip has an opening that appears to be designed to hold two AA batteries. The trigger moves smoothly, but doesn't move the hammer (which is rusted in place). If two AA batteries (regular or alkaline) are inserted and the trigger pulled, the batteries will be completely discharged, although no other effect can be discerned.
Chris Reid and S. John Ross|phineas@cybercity.com and sjohn@io.com|A black leotard. It makes anyone who wears it appear to be physically perfect, hiding imperfections or even serious obesity and replacing it with an apparently lithe, firm body. If used creatively, it can hold up to 700 pounds of adventuring gear without encumbering the user.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a brittle, old handwritten note dated Monday, December 26th, 1814, that reads: "Pakenham doesn't know about the Treaty of Ghent, and officially, neither do I. Just how do you propose that I convince him to surrender?" It is signed "A.J."
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|1.8 pounds of Unobtanium.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Several small black handbags containing plastic `fake fingernail' kits. The nails, if used, give the claws advantage, although skill is at DX-3 for most (untrained) humans and sprained fingers are a likely result of use.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a tube of ointment marked "Hair Remover" in oddly spelled French and German. It works perfectly; if it's applied to the skin, the hair will melt away instantly. However, the hair regrows three or four times faster than normal for the next month. The ointment is green and minty-smelling, salty if eaten but nontoxic.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small tombstone. It lists the name of the current U.S. Senate majority leader, his birthdate, and a date of death 13 months, 12 days after his birthdate.
M Brown|virtual_ranger@hotmail.com|A saucer with two ice cubes sitting on it. The room is exactly room temperature, but the ice doesn't seem to melt. The ice, when touched, feels cold and wet, exactly as ice should feel.
M Brown|virtual_ranger@hotmail.com|A small portable television. The picture cannot be viewed directly, only out the corners of the viewer's eye. The TV picks up stations normally, but each time the viewer watches a commercial, he must make a Will roll or be Charmed into doing the bidding (buying, comparing, etc.) of the commercial.
Montejon Smith, KE|montejon@io.com|A bucket of chicken from... well, you know... containing fried chicken pieces that taste exactly like beef. On the outside of the bucket is scrawled "Too much nutmeg!" and it is signed by Colonel... well, you know...
Mikko Aitta-aho|myhky@sci.fi|An ordinary looking playing cards deck. If counted it seems to have 52 cards and 2 jokers. When played with it has allways 8 random cards missing, however.
Soren Maagaard|abaddon@daimi.aau.dk|A sheet of flat glass like material. When you look at it you see your self walking down to a box pulling up a sheet of flat glass like material.
Lassi Seppala|lseppala@dlc.fi|A small wooden badger.
Mark A. Schmidt|schmidt@io.com|A complete set of identification ( DL, credit cards, library card, Illuminati membership, etc.) in a nice wallet, no cash. Also, Exhibitor/GOH packets for several major conventions. All photos and physical descriptions match you, but you are identified as 'Steve Jackson' from 'Steve Jackson Games'.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a menu for the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). The entire menu is written in German, and the prices are in USM.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a human skeleton, wired together at the joints. Touching it will reveal that it is really made of plastic. On a successful Anatomy roll, characters will notice that there are 13 ribs instead of 12.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a set of double metal-framed glass doors set in a metal door frame. A standard 220V power cord (similar to those on electric driers and other high-power appliances) extends from the door frame. An elastic band connects a large envelope to the power cord. Inside the envelope are simple installation instructions, and 100 imitation twenty-dollar bills. The imitation bills are a bit heavier than real bills, and have "NOT LEGAL TENDER" printed on both sides. Based on the instructions for "verifying correct installation", it appears that anyone carrying one of the imitation bills through the doors will be suspended in time until the power to the doors is turned off.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A flat black plate, 8" x 8" x 1". When held perpendicular to the ground, it is much lighter than when held parallel.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small, handheld device with a 1x3 inch LCD display, a single black button labeled "SCAN", and two copper contacts (1 inch apart) at one end. If both contacts are placed against the skin of a living organism and the "SCAN" button is pressed, the display will show the age of the organism in hours, measured from the time of conception. Organisms older than 65535 hours (just under 7.5 years), and organisms that reproduce asexually, will cause it to generate an "OVERFLOW ERROR" message instead.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sword and shield, apparently of Roman origin (assuming anyone has the skills to identify them as such). Careful investigation will reveal that the hilt of the sword contains an extensive survival kit (emergency blanket, monofiliment line, fishing hooks, first-aid supplies, compass, etc.), and that there is a small plastic box (about the size of a deck of cards) securely attached to the inside of the shield.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|The Ark of the Covenant. It's locked with a laser retinal scanner. All tests will show that the scaner is as old as the Ark itself, and is an integral part of it.
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|Two stone tablets, written in Arabic. Anyone who can translate them will read them as the Twelve Commandments. The last two have small symbols after them, Arabic for "supress indefinetly"
Alec Fleschner|fles4903@uwwvax.uww.edu|A manilla folder filled with various blueprints for the construction of an andriod. Anyone with a high level of technical knowledge about robotics will recognize the programming as an Assasin program. The andriod appears to be made of an alloy not yet discovered, and has open-ended neural pathways, allowing it to reprogram and react to different situations. Anyone familiar with Asimovian robots will knoe that this means the robot can think, effectively making it an AI. According to the plans, it also has hard-wired instructuons in it, although it doesn't say for what. Along with the folder, if one digs down far enough, is a prototype weapon of some sort. It fires normal .22 bullets, but at speeds so high and fast it can penetrate a car's engine block. The pistol is about a foot ling, with single shot and automatic features, as well as a built in silencer and flash supressor for the single shot mode. if anyone bothers to cross-reference the weapon in the folder, it becomes apperant that the andriod will be an expert with this pistol, turning it into the fighting equivalent of a small army. A note in front says "This'll make our human agents unnessesary. Make sure they're the first targets." Stapled to the note are photos of the entire party.
Gregory Craff|gmcraff@u.washington.edu|Steve Jackson's missing Powerbook. An unusual device has been added to the back that is fastened over the modem port and cannot be removed short of destroying the device. The Powerbook, for all intents and purposes, appears to be perminantly connected to the internet. A new version of Netscape has been installed and the default page is set to http://2.172.98.25.7/apology.html. No other earthly computer can find this page, web server, or network.
Shawn Lockard|slockard@ncs.pvt.k12.va.us|A smaill, black beeper with a golden triangle logo on its side. As you open the crate, it starts to beep, and displays strange symbols where numbers are normally expected. Only as you turn the beeper upside down do you realize that the beeper actually spells 'FNORD'
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a square wooden box (14x14x6 inches) with a hinged lid. Inside is a worn, folded flag. The flag is 4x4 feet. The flag has a red background, two intersecting blue diagonal stripes, and narrow white bands separating the blue from the red background. There are also twenty-one white stars arranged on the blue diagonals, eleven on each diagonal (counting the center star on both diagonals). Except for the number of stars, it looks like the Confederate battle flag.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a case of 12 one-quart bottles labeled "Universal Motor Oil". Using this motor oil in an internal combustion engine will completely eliminate frictional forces (thus allowing most engines to run much more smoothly). However, if this product is combined with standard motor oils, the resulting mixture will polymerize into a solid mass as soon as it reaches 125 degrees F (thus destroying most engines).
Andrew Shultz|ashultz@ai.mit.edu|A body which looks just like you. Close examination will reveal that its teeth are unworn and have no fillings.
Andrew Shultz|ashultz@ai.mit.edu|A hardcover edition of In Nomine in gray, with a complex symbol in an indescribable color on the front cover.
Andrew Shultz|ashultz@ai.mit.edu|An empty crate. Anyone leaning over to examine the crate will fall in, and the lid will fall closed over them. The previously unreadable label on the outside will then be readable: a long number, today's date, and the name of the person inside. The crate is then impossible to reopen.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a pair of thermos carafes. The lids will not come off, although they will rotate 180 degrees to allow the conents of the carafes to pour out. The black carafe pours an infinite quantity of hot, freshly brewed coffee. The orange carafe pours an infinite quantity of hot, freshly brewed decaffeinated coffee. The maximum flow rate from either carafe is 2 l/min.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic 5-gallon bucket labeled "Burn Ointment". If the lid is removed, the ointment smells like rancid butter. If applied to burn wounds, the ointment heals up to 1 point of damage per tablespoon of ointment applied. If all damage has been healed, an additional tablespoon of ointment will completely heal any scars.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic 5-gallon bucket labeled "Burn Ointment". The contents are odorless. Five minutes after being applied, the ointment causes chemical burns for 1 point of damage per tablespoon used.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an unlabled aerosol can. The contents are extremely flammable. When sprayed lightly on rubber products (e.g., automobile tires), the coefficient of friction between the rubber and any other surface is doubled. The spray affects only the outermost 1/16 inch of rubber.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small device resembling a TV remote control. It has a single button that opens an inter-dimensional vortex, which will close in 15 seconds. If anything/anyone enters the vortex, a similar vortex will open in 1d hours, returning whatever/whoever it was to this dimension. For each hour that the subject was gone, its mass and volume will have been reduced by 10%. (From the subject's perspective, everything else is larger.) The vortex will close instantly if any attempt is made to send anything/anyone through a second time.
Guy McLimore|guymc@evansville.net|A rock, apparently some form of granite, about two inches across. It is polished smooth, rounded on top and sort of flattish on the bottom. If left alone in a very dark location, it will extrude hundreds of tiny legs from its bottom side and move, zeroing in on the nearest source of moisture such as a puddle, dripping faucet, or open container. The rock can scurry right up or down the side of a sheer surface such as a wall, chair leg, etc. It will attempt to expose as much of its surface to the moisture as possible, and it can absorb its own volume in liquid in less than one minute. Thus, if left alone overnight, it may be found in a sink, inside an empty glass, etc. the next morning. If exposed to light its legs retract instantly and it remains inert. Even if it is broken into pieces, no trace of any internal structure (other than rock) can be found.
Timothy Coleman|tisaac@tartan.sapc.edu|A printed copy of bad Fan-Fiction stories about the character's lives.
Charles Oines (yep, me again...)|ratboyfit@aol.com|A box of Quisp(tm) cereal, with the usual solar system quiz and diagram on the back of the box. Within the quiz, there are six mentions of a planet on the opposite side of Earth's orbit. The diagram also includes the new planet, plus another one outside Pluto's orbit.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A old-looking black dial telephone with 'too many' numbers. There's a dial tone, but any amount of dialing only produces a high-pitched whine.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A twenty-five foot section of brick wall that only has one side.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A pair of fine leather gloves with seven fingers each. If worn ALL of the fingers move and transmit sensation normally.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A book with numerous medical drawings and photos of dissected creatures, including unicorns, dragons, and griffins.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A box in which a meowing cat can be heard, but when opened, there is nothing inside.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|Numerous cannisters all labeled 'FOOD' in block letters. If opened they are found to contain large eyeballs, and various internal organs.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A machine labeled 'Universal Pantograph'. The input hopper will hold anything up to a cabbage in size and it will duplicate ANYTHING put in it... once. Then the charge runs out and the machine is useless.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A book about the major religious figures of the 20th century, only none of the names are familiar and the last chapter has been burned out.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A box of push-pins from a company call '4D Inc.'. They work normally but can hold anything up to about pound that can be pierced by the point in mid-air indefinitely.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A plain brown cardboard box labeled the 'End of the World Kit'. It contains a variety of poisons and a small, but very sharp knife. About half the tablets are missing. On the bottom is the number #1,432,239,993.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A stack of faces with sewed up eyes, but moving mouths. They crumble if picked up or disturbed in any way.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A hamster cage with an almost skeletal hamster still running on the wheel. The hamster will refuse to do anything but run on the wheel, but doesn't seem to need food, water or air.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A typewriter, of german make, circa WWII. There is key with the stylized double-lightning bolt of the SS. The machine works normally, but every time the SS key is pressed it makes a sound like a gunshot and no symbol appears on the paper.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A cunningly folded box that quite naturally and obiously unfolds into a 20' by 20' gazebo. Though each step seems simple, it is impossible to refold.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A single key that seems to fit any lock into which it is inserted, yet never opens the lock.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A flourescent bulb that is flickering gently. It will burst into full illumination if tapped lightly. There is no obvious power source.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|An entire vehicle (a '57 chevy) with four people that seems to be encased in a block of some clear material. The lights of the car are on.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A body of the last person the opener met casually. Investigation that the person 'disappeared' not long after meeting the opener.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A very expensive envelope, obviously for an invitation, with the opener's name upon the outside. The invitation is missing, though.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A pocket memo taker that functions normally except that the playback is in a voice of opposite gender from the recorder.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|An eight-foot tall solid steel safe with walls two feet thick on all sides. It is unlocked, but the only thing inside is a large silver ring with an image of a pyramid etched onto the face.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A normal physics textbook except the value for 'c' is given as 300 miles an hour. There are some examples exploring this concept.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|A book entitled, "A layman's history of the World 1888-1988". Every year that ends in '0' is missing however, without any explanation in the text. There are no pages missing.
John Karakash|johnk@lucent.com|An immovable object.
Hollis McCray|mccrayh@yoda.cochise.cc.az.us|A listing of all the winners for every major sporting event this century-up to the year 2000. It is signed, "Nostradamus"
Hollis McCray|mccrayh@yoda.cochise.cc.az.us|A fnord. You really can't describe it, but it's a fnord, all right.
John Card II|jcardii@aol.com|A blue plastic label machine with 2 spools of label material. Any label created by the label machine has the ability to gradually change anything to which it is affixed into whatever the label says it is. The labels can be removed at any time. The label maker itself has a label reading "Property of Westlake Phys. Ed. Dept." There is enough label material for 1500 characters of labels.
John Rickards|rickardsj@cardiff.ac.uk|What appears to be a video recorder with no socket for a TV. If switched on using the one button it has, a holgraphic projection flickers into life above it, at just the size the user wants. The user can change channels, volume, record, play etc. etc. just by thinking and waving his hand. The video can pick up all satellite and cable channels as well, and runs off an internal fusion power source. Unfortunately, the instruction manual is written in Inuit.
David Wood|dwood@skipjack.bluecrab.org|Several hundred egg-shaped Wacky Putty containers. However, each container is olive drab in color, six inches across, and holds a fist-sized glob of putty (about eight to ten ounces). After rooting around in the crate a while, you find a single half-empty aerosol can and two military-style manuals written in an alien language. The accompanying pictures in one book suggest that the spray can be used to lock the putty in a particular shape. The other depicts the putty being locked into shapes like daggers, tent spikes, drinking vessels, etc.
Dann Webster|dwebster@ece.utexas.edu|A large, complex remote control box. Each switch, joystick, or button is labelled with a body part. Beside the conrol box is a manual labelled "Instructions for the Mark 40." Inside, each page has a picture of Ronald Reagan with a different facial expression and instructions for generating that expression using the Control Box. The appendix of the manual describes improvements made since the Mark 39.
Jim Foreman|jforeman@wvu.edu|A haphazard boxful of seemingly ordinary wire hangars. When one of the hangars is placed in an enclosed space (closet, locker, box, etc.), a day later there will be ten more hangars, each one identical to the first. This process will continue until there is no room left in the space. Any attempt to study or watch the hangars multiply will reveal nothing.
Jim Foreman|jforeman@wvu.edu|A small, metal, triangular box with a glass plate on the front. Inside the glass plate, there is a triangular arrangement of three glass tubes which extend beyond the metal case, closed off by obvious copper wire-connectors. At the bottom of the box is a small stack of yellowed, typewritten papers dated 1985, written by a Doctor Brown. It describes the use and installation of this device, calling it a "flux capacitor," but suspiciously absent of an explanation of its effects.
Jim Foreman|jforeman@wvu.edu|A painting of a very peaceful-looking European farm house. Art experts will not recognize the painter, but they will note the general lack of creativity and incredible absence of talent. Further inspection reveals the signature of the painter, obviously written in the old-world Latin used by Romans circa 1000 BC. Translation will show the name to be "Adolf Hitler."
Mark Gravitt|brown@successsrv.success.gatech.edu|An apparently normal 40W lightbulb. When placed in lamp and switched on, the bulb's surface takes on a mirror-like finish; every item within a true line-of-sight of the bulb begins to glow with a shimmering, polychromatic light which varies in intensity according to the inverse square of its distance from the bulb. Transparent items are not affected, and the effect ends when the power is cut. The bulb has a service life of 100,000 hours.
Daniel Jasman, Jr.|Stonethrow@juno.com|You find a menu from a local Chinese Restaurant. The most visible difference is the addition of Human to the usual Beef, Chicken, Shrimp dishes.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a contract dated November 30, 1986 between Scott Adams and Tse-Sung Heng. Scott Adams is obligated to undermine U.S. coporate culture by developing a "subversive" cartoon strip. Tse-Sung Heng is obligated to provide "strategic consultation and facilitation", and to match any royalties from the comic strip on a dollar-for-dollar basis until 1996.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a folding cardboard game board. When first opened, it will be a chess board (black and white squares). The next time it is opened, it will be a checkers board (black and red squares). Next, a backgammon board, then a Parcheesi board, and then the cycle repeats as a chess board appears again.
Richard Brown|Richard.Brown@m.cc.utah.edu|The small box apears to contain a mirror covering the botom surface. Close examination however reveals that objects seen in the box do not reverse as in a standard mirror. Anyone who atempts to reach into the box will be qute startled to find another hand touching there's from the other side. The box is a spacewarp generator and twists space back in on itself so that anything going in will meet itself coming back out. Of course the person reaching in may not realize this for a while, leading to the potential for a very interesting tug of war with ones self.:-)
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a normal-looking pair of dice. They will never roll doubles.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an roulette wheel with both 0 and 00 slots. It is a sentient being. It enjoys letting attractive women win, but it especially enjoys making people who use profane or abusive language lose. On a roll of 10 or less, it successfully controls the number that comes up; otherwise, the result is random.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a $1 slot machine. It is operational, but it also functions as a time machine. Each play transports the user and the machine 23 minutes into the future.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a book titled "Gun!" by Sarah Brady. It describes the assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 31, 1981, by John Hinckley, Jr. The book is dedicated to the memory of her husband, James Brady, Reagan's press secretary, who was also killed during the assassination.
Kevin Fawcett|kfawcett@odyssey.on.ca|In the crate you find a device which apears to be made by human manufacture but the side reads in three destincte langueges "NIFF BOB BETTLE FRAX" "010111000110000111100101010110101010101010" (binarey code) and "The Caramelk Seceret".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A seamless sheet-metal cube about four inches on a side, with a six-inch wooden handle attached to the center of one side. A circular adhesive label with the words "left handed" are attached to the handle. When held in the left hand, any smoke within 30 feet will drift away from the user. When held in the right hand, any smoke within 30 feet will drift towards the user.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A printed copy of the U.S. Constitution, dated 1999. Three added amendments make Guam a state, ban same-sex marriages, and declare perjury a crime punishable by death.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a computer keyboard. Between the "=" ("+") key and the backspace key is a key labeled "Any". Pressing the "Any" key transmits the key combination CTRL-ALT-DELETE.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A bloated ball of flesh floating in a wobblly manner. The mass glows from within. Touching the mass of flesh causes the person to momentarily black-out. When they awake, the will know the answers to every question asked in the next 24 hours. However, they will also have contracted a rare form of cancer.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|What appears to be a white bear-skin rug. When removed from the crate, it is shown to have six legs and a somewhat rhinocerous-like head. A tag reads "100% Gnoph-Keh."
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A hydrogen bomb disguised as an ordinary penny. The bomb may be carried safely in one's pocket. The device is triggered by flipping it into the air and exclaiming "BOOM!"
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A number of popular entertainment industry magazines. The only thing unusual about them in the role-playing games appear to be the biggest form of entertainment, rather than movies. Books form a close second. General, the world depicted is a better place.
Chris Nichols|cdnichol@panther.bsc.edu|A bottle of elderberry wine, spiked with arsenic.
Scowling Jim Cowling|scowling@islandnet.com|Several small blister packages, each containing a small square of putty, weighing about two ounces. The packages are labelled "Piezoinfernal Putty". The mildly sticky putty can be pulled and stretched like taffy, and will very quickly grow warm as it continues to be twisted, stretched, and contorted. Any kinetic energy added to the putty will be converted into heat, and very large amounts of kinetic energy will be converted into very large amounts of heat, immediately. It also makes good blu-tak.
Scowling Jim Cowling|scowling@islandnet.com|A large black box with a small red button on one face. if pressed, the box will open, revealing several hundred much smaller black boxes, each with a small red button on one face. Any time the button is pushed on one of these boxes, the box will disappear, and a disembodies voice will shout "Don't press your luck, kid."
Scowling Jim Cowling|scowling@islandnet.com|Yoko Ono. Quick, close the lid.
Scowling Jim Cowling|scowling@islandnet.com|This refrigerated container, several feet on a side, is labelled "Failed Products". Inside the fridge can be found such tasty comestibles as "Active Culture Non-Alcoholic Beer", "Meat on the Bottom Yogurt (Tripe flavored)", "Kiwi-Lima Bean Flavored Drink Crystals", "Anchovy Toothpaste", "Grey Cheese House Dressing", and other assorted items. All have recognizeable name brands.
Scowling Jim Cowling|scowling@islandnet.com|Preserved for all time in suspended animation, the rarely-seen (and some thought, extinct) Atlantean Marmoset. If released from suspension, it's assured of having a #1 pop single that nobody wants to listen to.
Scowling Jim Cowling|scowling@islandnet.com|A Swedish postcard, showing a car which has driven off the edge of a tall cliff. It is labelled clearly on the reverse, in handwriting: "Jan Lars Snord has floored his Ford off the fjord."
Kurt White|doombu@msn.com|A mysterious coiled device, with several large valves attached. A brass plate on the side reads "N. Tesla". Inside the coil is a glass bell, containing a tiny fragment of stone. This is tied to a paper tag printed with the words "Tunguska... oops".
Kurt White|doombu@msn.com|A small slip of paper, bearing the words: "You didn't REALLY think we'd keep it here, did you?"
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|A short book entitled "How to Attain Happiness." If anyone starts reading it, they will violently resist any attempt to stop them doing so, but be unable to convey the book's contents to others, except to say things like "You've just got to read it yourself." Once a person has read the whole book, they will lapse permanently into a state externally indistinguishable from a coma.
Montejon Smith, KE|montejon@juno.com|The perfectly preserved body of a popular cartoon character. It wears a toe tag inscribed with its name, the date of May 15th 1975, and the cause of death listed as "Photocopier Malfunction."
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|A catalogue giving the location of all the items in Warehouse 23 that do not give their own location.
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|Two metal boxes. One (marked "Incubator") is large and empty, with a standard electric plug. Inside the other box (which is insulated), frozen at liquid nitrogen temperatures, are trays of eggs of different shapes, sizes and descriptions. None are labelled. If placed in the incubator (which is plugged in) for one hour, each egg will (perhaps) hatch into something.
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|A list of userids and passwords which, when entered into the proper computer systems, will enable the user to: 1. Set off the nuclear missiles of one nation. 2. Make deposits/withdrawals from various celebrities' Swiss bank accounts. 3. Download data from the "unpublicised" sections of the Library of Congress and British Library. 4. Change records in the main computers of the IRS, several major universities, and the Department of Defense. There is no indication, however, of what the userids and passwords are for: just the list of words. Each successful log-on may (1 in 4 chance) set off an alert that will put the real owners of the passwords onto the user's trail. (Failures do nothing.)
Robert Hopson|hopsonc@eosc.osshe.edu|The U.S. Army's prototype stealth muffin. Designed with counter-espionage in mind, the stealth muffin is designed to infiltrate during the early morning hours when the enemy is judged to be its most vulnerable. The stealth muffin is unrecognizable as anything but a muffin, and tastes terrible to prevent ingestion by hostiles. Oddly, the Army scrapped the stealth muffin in favor of a more mundane approach.
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|One million ballpoint pens of various colors.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a "Liberty" gold eagle (a $10 U.S. coin), apparently minted in 5651.
TickTockMan|exit104@mcs.net|A case of walnuts. Cracking a walnut open will reveal a weird crystal inside. If a roll against HT-6 fails, the person that cracked to walnut open will, over the next three days, grow eyes on the back of their head, lose their thumbs and sense of humor, start drinking air, and begin to have an uncanny resemblence to the late Danny Thomas.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a parchment document. The language is difficult to read, but it appears to be a royal charter for the "Shakspere Theatrical Society". The purpose of the society is to promote quality literature by establishing a panel of authors who would write plays, poems, and other literary works as a collaborative effort. The authorship of anything produced by the panel was to be attributed to "William Shakspere", to help promote cooperation among the members of the panel.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small grave marker labeled "Thomas Alva Edison, February 11, 1847 - March 31, 1860".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small grave marker labeled "Thomas Alva Edison, February 11, 1847 - March 31, 1860".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a 27" color stereo television set. In addition to audio/video inputs labeled "Input 1" and "Input 2" (which can be selected using the on-screen menus), there is a set of audio/video inputs labeled "Input C" (which isn't mentioned at all in the on-screen menus). During commercials in the selected programming, the set will switch to the signal provided to Input C (if any).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large glass container filled with liquid, containing what appears to be a human heart. An adhesive label bears the name of one of the party members.
Ostraka|Library|A pair of 3D glasses that are used in watching 3D Movies. However, these are made of a sturdy platsic. Furthermore, on the side is a small ON switch. When turned on, every person on a regular movie appears without their clothes.. It only works on movies and if used on actual persons the result is that they only look blurry. It takes a camera battery to work.
Brennan M. O'Keefe|bmokeefe@io.com|Several different drafts of, and copious research notes for, Robert Anton Wilson's "The World Turned Upside Down."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a white plastic cube, 3x3x3 inches. In the center of each face is a different type of electrical outlet. They all work, and each provides the voltage and frequency of AC power that is standard in countries using that type of outlet. If the total power consumption exceeds 20 W, an internal circuit breaker trips, and won't reset for 1d+3 hours.
Devin Ganger|lewst@teleport.com|A cardboard filing box full of the "Do not remove this tag" warning labels found on the bottoms of seats. Some are slightly charred, while others have what appear to be bloodstains; all are glowing a gentle, hardly noticeably green.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a roll of "Martin Luther King, Jr." half-dollar coins. They were all minted in 1975.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a deck of cards. The faces are normal, but they are transparent when viewed from the back.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a penny. It transfers the Luck advantage to the character who touched it most recently. When another character touches the penny, the character who loses the Luck advantage also gains the Bad Luck disadvantage for 24 hours.
BlackJack|johnk@mc.net|It's strange...very strange...You look at it carefully, but you still don't know what it is. You pocket it, but don't know why. Your memories become faded...your mind becomes clouded...you know that you should get rid of the strange thing, but for some reason you can't...you no longer have any free will... you are now nothing more than just a pawn to an unknown power... *BJ*
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a gallon-size bottle of "Hole Solvent". According to the label, one teaspoon of this blue liquid should be dissolved in two gallons of water, and the worn/torn fabric should soak in the resulting solution for 45 minutes. After soaking, the fabric should be rinsed with plenty of water, and the hole will have been washed away. In addition to the standard warnings (e.g., keep out of reach of children, test for compatability with new fabrics by applying solution to a hidden location first), there is a strong warning against allowing the solution to enter any sewer or septic system.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a 16-ounce can of Del Monte guacamole. It is absolutely delicious (unless you don't like alvocados or guacamole to begin with), and won't darken when exposed to air.
BlackJack|johnk@mc.net|You find a strange thick red book. You blow the dust of of the cover and see detailed drawings of human and unhuman skulls. Below the skulls are some strange runes. Thinking that you have found a powerful spellbook, you open it and release a thick black smoke. You drop the book and try to get away, but the smoke spreads too quickly and it soon consumes you. You passout, but quickly recover. You notice that you are no longer in the warehouse. You are at the edge of the universe! As you look it over you notice that the black smoke has already taken several galaxies. You realise that you have just caused the end of everything............have a nice day..........
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sealed plastic pouch containing 20 washer-like objects. They seem to be made of some kind of extremely dense plastic. The instructions explain that they should be placed between the base of a light bulb (40W maximum) and the base of its socket. They are advertized to "improve lighting efficiency". When used as directed, a standard 40W bulb will produce as much light as a 200W bulb while consuming only 10W of electricity, and will last an average of 100,000 hours.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a gold-plated fountain pen. While it is possible to deliberately misspell words when using this pen, it is impossible to misspell words inadvertently.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sample ballot for the most recent presidential election from an election district somewhere in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three candidates (Republican, Democrat, and Green) were running for the U.S. Senate, and four (Republican, Democrat, Green, and Libertarian) were running for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Franklin W. Cain|fcain@sct.edu|A severed human head that looks *exactly* like the character who opened the box! (If more than one character opened the box, there's a head per character.) All forms of testing, including DNA ananlysis, confirm that the severed head *is* the character.
Peter Burns|pburns@io.com|A small pyramid shaped block, that fits easily in the palm of your hand. Painted green it has a tag attached to it with the following notice: "Sound Suppressor. May only be used in forests." If the device is tested it will only cancel out the sound of a falling tree....
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|something that looks like a transparent lightweight wetsuit. During the first hour it is worn, the suit takes on the appearance of, and becomes indistinguishable from, the wearer's skin. During the next two hours it is worn, the suit slims the wearer's waist, until the wearer appears to have lost all excess weight (underweight wearers will appear to gain weight instead). During the next three hours it is worn, the wearer's physique takes on the shape of a Mr. Universe candidate (even if the wearer is female). Removing the suit restores both the suit and the wearer to their original condition.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cordless computer keyboard, a cordless two-button mouse, and a 250 ml can of "display paint". When the paint is applied to a flat surface (or any other surface, for that matter), the painted area becomes a computer display for a system that responds to the keyboard and mouse. There is enough paint to cover 3 square meters. A single coat of paint creates an 8-bit color display, a double coat of paint creates a 16-bit color display, and a triple coat of paint creates a 24-bit color display. All this is explained on the label of the can. The system runs an unfamiliar GUI, and comes complete with applications for almost any common technical, graphical, or financial task, as well as several impressive games. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any way to connect the system to any other I/O devices (e.g., CD-ROM, diskette, or tape drives, modems, printers).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a sealed plastic pouch of candy fish, with a soft, chewy texture. They taste like tuna, salmon, halibut, and snapper.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a copy of Juggling Made Easy, by Klutz Press. Two mesh bags attached to the book contains three cube-shaped beanbags each (one purple-and-red set, and one lavender-and-pink set). The book recommends starting with the lavender-and-pink beanbags, and moving on to the purple-and-red beanbags as your skill improves. The lavender-and-pink beanbags have normal inertial mass, but their gravitational mass is half normal. Thus, they fall more slowly than normal, giving the novice juggler more time to catch them.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an enormous "dust bunny" that completely fills the crate.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an assortment of Lego® blocks, in various sizes, shapes, and colors. If more than ten blocks are used to build a structure, they will silently rearrange themselves when no one is watching.
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|The complete print run of "Olson in Oslo", a 60,000-word letter-palindromic novel by "Dr Awkward", published in 1939 but never listed in any library catalogue.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a "New! Updated!" version of the board game Clue. It appears perfectly normal, except that the victim of the supposed murder is Vince Foster (not Mr. Boddy), and that the suspects are various associates of the Clintons (not Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green, etc.).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|twelve 6-gallon water bottles. They are full, sealed, and unlabeled. For each cup of this water consumed, a character's physical age is reduced by one year (to a minimum physical age of 18). However, for each cup of this water consumed, characters must roll vs HT-5. For each point the roll is missed by, the character acquires one point worth of new mental disadvantages (chosen by the GM; points from multiple failed rolls can be consolidated into a single disad). The new disadvantage(s) will take effect a day or two after the water has been consumed.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a bag of 240 individually wrapped hard candies. They are green, with silver speckles, and have a mild spearmint flavor. Each piece lasts for (2dx10 + 200) hours. The packaging claims only the candy "improves your sex life", but that will only happen (if it happens at all) as a side effect of improved oral health. The candy has an antiseptic effect, completely eliminating tooth decay, bacterial gum diseases, halitosis, etc.
Danimal|omv@pacifier.com|An apparently ordinary 3'x4' paper map of the surrounding area (approx 500' radius), with a big "You are Here" arrow in the center. The map will 'update' approximately every 5 minutes, with the arrow remaining centered and the surrounding array changing to match the current area, no matter where the diagram is brought. Humans will be show as small black circles. Interestingly enough, there are always a few black circles on the periphery of the map, but out of visual sight of the party.
Alex|Alex.Wertheimer@ey.com|a small black object hanging from a standard key ring chain measuring 1cm by 4cm by 9cm. It is cold and harder than diamond. It will hum if brought to the dark side of the moon or near the orbit of Jupiter's moon Io.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|fifty-four sealed manila envelopes. Each contains a complete deck of cards with two jokers. Whenever an incomplete deck of these cards (a single card, 53 cards, or anything in between) is placed in a sealed container, it starts "regrowing" the missing cards at a rate of one card every 3d seconds. Note: "sealed container" means anything into which or out of which a flat playing card could not move without bending. Thus, a locked door is not "sealed", unless it has weatherstripping or something similar around all four sides. And a net bag with a 1x1 inch mesh is "sealed", because the mesh is too small for a flat card to pass through it.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a five-foot diameter strawberry. It is slightly over-ripe, but still quite tasty.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A box containing 1000 white, unprinted plastic cards with magnetic stripes along the edge of one side. If presented to an ATM, they will connect to the user's account automatically, without requiring a PIN. (If someone else uses the same card, they'll connect to their own account.) If presented to an electronic credit card reader, they will debit the user's account just like any other point-of-sale use of an ATM card. Note that the person last touching the card is considered its user. Restaurant servers, store clerks, etc., who agree to process transactions using these cards will probably debit their own account instead of their customer's account.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a Model T Ford automobile. Inside the engine compartment is an electric motor and a series of primative wet-cell batteries (although the contents of the batteries evaporated a long time ago, leaving just a powdery residue). The batteries were designed to produce 24V. If the motor is connected to a pair of modern car batteries in series (producing 24V), the motor will exhibit performance appropriate for a well-maintained Model T. It is extremely efficient: A single charge will last between 200 and 300 miles.
ILOVEYOUYOULOVEME|Leong lizard|A book of Swear words,several porno magazines and a NAKED woman who will automaticly have sex with you>
Chris Specker|lutetium@aol.com|A laptop computer running the Illuminated Operating System. When this computer is booted, a sigh is heard in the mind of the user. Since the user interface is telepathic in nature, the user may even operate the computer while asleep and dreaming.
William Smythe|esmith@genxcomputing.com|A parchment pressed between two uniform copper squares. On the squares, etched in fine silver and gold, appear two words written in some dialect unknown to you.
Bill Smith|esmith@genxcomputing.com|A prismatic shard of a clear, glass-like material. Inside the shard you glimpse the phrase, "FNORD: Information Zeroed"
Nathan Kottke|kottken@stolaf.edu| A formula for making an immortality serum, along with a small sample (3 doses). Immediately upon injecting the serum, the person will fall into a 10-day coma, but when he wakes up, the aging process will have ceased (treat as the Unaging advantage). Once taken, the formula must be taken again once every 30 days or the new immortal will lose 5 HT/day until he takes the serum or death occurs. There is also a detailed series of handwritten notes about the serum. At the bottom of the crate are files on several immortals who are believed to "still be at large".
Richard Groff|aegrof@lancnews.infi.net|a large piece of paper filled with tiny boxes aranged in a pyramid. The top box has an ornate eye in it. Other boxes have names of people such as Richard Nixon, Mao Tse-Tung, Elvis, and Note that living organisms have significant non-solid components (e.g., blood), and that the device only transports the solids. Also, frozen foods transport easily, but fresh foods also contain significant non-solid components that remain behind after the solids have been transported.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a U.S. passport for John Doe, 123 Main St., Anytown, PA. The photo depicts a man with very short hair, wearing a dark suit. If anyone touches the photo, the photo changes to a legal passport photo of that person. The photo will not include hats, sunglasses, or anything else the person might be wearing that is not allowed in passport photos, but other than that, it will be an image of the person as he/she appears at this moment.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A normal-looking wet suit. If a person wears it for 24 hours in a row, they will lose 3 pounds of body fat. This effect will continue as long as the suit is worn; each day, three more pounds will be lost until the wearer has no more body fat. While wearing the suit, the wearer will require a minimum of twice the normal amount of water they would drink in a day, but the suit will not cause them to otherwise overheat. When the suit is no longer being worn, the user's weight will return to their original weight at the rate of 1 pound per day.
Jacob Holcomb|jholcomb@jove.acs.unt.edu|A giant wooden swastika with a plaque at the top. The plaque bears the inscription "INRI" in ancient latin script.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|two pairs of sunglasses. Each pair of sunglasses provides the wearer a small "picture-in-picture" view of what is visible to the other pair of sunglasses.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A cardboard box containing 1000 huge "SUPPRESSED" stickers.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|everything is suddenly dark, except for a thin slit of light above you. The slit quickly grows, and you can tell you're inside a box that was just opened. Just outside the box is your own headless body. Your body still responds to your intentions, except your visual frame of reference is no longer above your shoulders, but is inside the box. Furthermore, your head cannot move, and you cannot speak. If multiple characters open the box together, then they are all affected. The effect lasts until 30 seconds after the box's lid is closed (assuming the character's head is still inside the box!).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cardboard box containing "NON-CORRECTIVE CONTACT LENSES, QTY. 144 PAIR". The box is addressed to the Federal Reserve Board, and has a large "SUPPRESS INDEFINITELY" sticker sealing the top and bottom flaps. If a pair of the contact lenses is worn, all counterfeit currency looks blank.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cardboard box containing "NON-CORRECTIVE CONTACT LENSES, QTY. 144 PAIR". The box is addressed to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and has a large "SUPPRESS INDEFINITELY" sticker sealing the top and bottom flaps. If a pair of the contact lenses is worn, all counterfeit or falsified identification documents look blank.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an index card with a recipe for haggis. It looks like a normal recipe for mutton ("or veal, if desired") sausage. At the bottom is a note that says, "Don't forget to tell strangers that it's made from a sheep's heart, lungs, etc."
Robert Kelk|kelkr@piper.pwgsc.gc.ca|A two-foot long wooden rod (of an unknown wood) with an opal attached to the end with gold wire, a gold ring with an opal, and a pair of extremely-well-made leather boots. All of these items are magical. Also in the box is a document mentioning that the original owner of the items appeared near the Warehouse "as if from nowhere", but was successfully captured, subjected to memory supression, and relocated to someplace called only "Zone 42". A physical description of this person is included - it matches one of the party's current "significant other".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a spiral-bound book titled Beginning Guitar. The instructions identify the fingers as L ("large thumb"), 1 ("index finger"), 2 ("middle finger"), 3 ("ring finger"), 4 ("small finger"), and S ("small thumb"). A footnote indicates that an older convention uses T to identify the large thumb, and 5 to identify the small thumb, but that the older convention is rarely seen in modern guitar literature.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|Six carefully paper-wrapped 40W fluorescent tubes. If one is placed in an appropriate light fitting and turned on it will glow with an orangish light. The bulbs function as tanning lamps, although they are completely safe. However, the resulting suntan will have a slightly artificial orange tint.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A small chunk of John Wayne Bobbitt.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a scientific paper reporting the addictive qualities of cocoa products (e.g., chocolate). The paper claims that there is a hereditary predisposition to cocoa addiction among some people, while others are virtually immune.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|5 kg of botulinum toxin. Sufficient to snuff out the entire populace of the planet 5 times over. It's wrapped up in a ribbon that's labeled "For Bill".
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A box of chocolates, made by a reputable chocolatier. Oddly, the map on the inside contains unusual names for the chocolates, including "Spring Surprise", "Anthrax Ripple", and "Crunchy Frog".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a gold pocket watch. If it is opened, it reveals a face without hands. The numbers are arrange like a sundial, however, and the 12 always points north when the watch is held horizontally. If viewed outdoors (even on cloudy days), a shadow indicates the correct solar time, even though there is no gnomon to cast the shadow. Note that solar time ignores daylight savings time, and may vary significantly from the time standard used across the entire time zone.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|Hope. When you look on the inside lid of the box, it reads "Property of Pandora."
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A bottle of Cthulhu Tequila. The worm in the bottle is moving.
lizard|lizard@mrlizard.com|A King James Bible and a Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" CD. Close inspection will reveal that the Bible contains the Gospels of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, while the 'Fab Four' are name Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. No other differences are evident. A small sticky note attached to the CD reads, 'Related to Groucho's Manifesto?'.
Guy McLimore|guymc@evansville.net|an ordinary-appearing standard-size frosted light bulb, marked simply "60 watt". The only unusual thing about the bulb may not be noticed for quite some time, depending on the way it is used -- the bulb is vulnerable to shattering, like any other light bulb. But, short of shattering the bulb, the light never, never burns out, even if it deliberately subjected to a massive overvoltage.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|The dead body of Paul McCartney. Examining the body will reveal that he died in the mid-1960's; cause of death is massive blunt trauma to the head and torso, consistent with a fatal auto crash. The body is perfectly preserved in its damaged state.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A sword marked with unknown runes (Elvish). If there are creatures opposed the the person carrying the sword nearby, the sword glows blue; the brighter the glow, the closer the the glow. The maximum detection range is about 20 feet.
Jason A. Fager|jason.fager@dol.net|A cheap plastic snow-globe, containing a perfect replica of the opener's house. Shaking the globe causes the water within to turn bright red; expertly-detailed miniatures of the opener's family -- their bodies crushed and mangled -- drift lazily through open doors and windows.
Ted Cabeen|cabeen@netcom.com|A standard beige phone. When plugged into a standard phone line, it emits a dial tone. If A number is dialed, the person with the phone up to their ear will hear whatever is currently happening in *any* room which has a phone attached to that number. If the number dialed is currently in use, the phone will allow the user to listen in on the conversation perfectly. Affixed to the bottom of the phone is a label that says: Property of the NSA.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Hundreds of packs of chewing gum of various brands unknown to the characters, all stamped `supress'. Their flavour lasts forever. Sometimes the Secret Masters can seem petty...
Sean A. Simpson|simpson_s@scsu.ctstateu.edu|A slender, leatherbound volume with the words "Akashic Record" embossed on the front cover and spine. Opening it reveals information about any one random person in the world, including a complete life history and a cross-indexed list of that person's previous and subsequent lives. However, the reader will be completely unable to find any reference to him, her, or itself.
Malcolm Rose|malcolm@io.com|Several tangled strands of tiny Christmas lights. Each bulb appears to be coated with dried blood.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|An old mechanical typewriter with an odd key arrangement (not QWERTY). There is and extra key marked The coma will last 1d+7 days. During this time, the patient's genetic makeup will become female, and his/her physical appearance will become female as well (his/her body mass is conserved). At the end of the transition, the patient must a HT roll to retains her memories. On a failure, she awakens with partial amnesia. On a critical failure, she awakens with complete amnesia.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a prescription bottle labeled "XY", containing 11 large blue pills. When administered to males, they have no discernable effect. However, any female who takes one will collapse into a coma 1d minutes later. The coma will last 1d+7 days. During this time, the patient's genetic makeup will become male, and her/his physical appearance will become male as well (her/his body mass is conserved). At the end of the transition, the patient must a HT roll to retains his memories. On a failure, he awakens with partial amnesia. On a critical failure, he awakens with complete amnesia.
Lee Graham|clyde@best.com|1 glass jar containing ashes labeled "T. Leary" with a yellow sticky note attached. The sticky reads "Here's Mr. Leary... I have replaced him one of our men as per your request."
John Crimmins|johncrim@voicenet.com|A box containing 5 standard audio tapes, each consisting of about 90 minutes worth of Whale songs. A trained listener will be able to distinguish several different kinds of whales on the tapes-- Blue, Humpback, Sperm, and Killer, as well as at least one Bottlenose Dolphin-- all singing at the same time. The final minute of the final tape ends with a voice saying, in English, "Then let it be so." Analysis will show this voice to have been that of the Blue Whale....
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|Orders for the slow, painful execution of Frank Zappa by "TG at PMRC" to an executioner by the name of "Little Nicky".
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A collection of over 2000 INWO cards. None of them seem to match any known expansion, and they all have author's credits listed at the bottom. Very few of them have pictures on them, despite the fact that the cards look professionally printed.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A bottle of tritiated water and what appears to be a lawnmower engine with a pull-start cord. However, the underside of the engine reads "Mr. Fusion, patent pending" and a date 30 years in the future.
James Cole|Westonmod@aol.com|A collection of the birthday cards that the PC has thrown out over the past 7 years.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|Plans to indoctrinate youngsters with unspecified values by means of summer camps. The types of camps are arranged on four categories, to be used in turn as each category becomes trite. The first category covers standard outdoor activities, such as archery, canoeing, and hiking. The second category covers particular sports. The third category is computers. The final category is collectible card games, with a list that excludes Illuminati: New World Order but includes one that is first publicly announced shortly after the plans are discovered.
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|An anachronistic artifact linking an ancient civilisation with modern pop culture and/or computing lore.
Matt Harpold|mharpold@zipcon.net|Inside is a copper monkey, roughly 2 feet tall. If the player puts their ear up to it, they hear a faint voice screaming "Let me die!" The voice is curiously similar to that of Richard Nixon.
Matthias the overworked|maladon@geocities.com|A large plastic box containg a working replica of our solar system... life is just starting to develop on the third planet out. The planets float through the air around the sun and everything appears to be normal and exact, just scaled down. There is a series of buttons labeled in a foreign unrecognizable language along the side. The only thing you recognize is a warning label scrawled across the top: "Do not tamper with contents: fragile" and "Do not touch sun"...
Mark Ll. James|m.james@ic.ac.uk|A pocket dictionary, without any words beginning with the letter F.
Peter Barnes|pbarnes@austin.metrowerks.com|A one liter spray bottle 3/4 full of a clear liquid. The spray will cause any surface to have a negative coefficient of friction until the spray evaporates in about 10 minutes. Players foolish enough to get some of the spray on the soles of their shoes will have significant trouble standing, and may even slide into a nearby wall, Ming vase, or other hazardous situation while attempting to regain control...
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|several dozen pieces of 1-inch galvanized pipe, all 11 inches long and threaded at both ends. Some of them are floating up out of the box. (They are completely normal, except for the fact that they have no mass.)
Lassi Seppala|lseppala@dlc.fi|A wooden two-foot stick. On one end it has a handle (like on a shovel), on the other it has a sheet of paper strapped to it. The paper says "Just stick it up to your nose".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a manuscript for the first edition of GURPS Ultra-Tech. Several pages have sections cut out of them, and a few pages are missing entirely. A yellow self-adhesive note reads, "Consider yourself warned."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|several packets of "Topiary Hedge" seeds. The picture on each packet shows a hedge shaped like a different animal. They are hardy in zones 4-8, and need full sun. Most have a list price of $3.95 and contain about a dozen seeds, but a few are recognizable cartoon characters and have a list price of $11.95 and contain about half a dozen seeds. These more expensive packets include fine print that explains that the cartoon characters are owned by Disney, or Warner Bros., or whomever. If planted, the plants will grow into the appropriate shape with minimal care. No pruning is necessary.
mark wilkin|mark.wilkin@sunderland.ac.uk|An early genetic experiment to cross a fruit fly with a pea. Its a small green thing that goes "buzz" every once in a while.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a case of soft-drink cans. The cans themselves are completely transparent, allowing you to see the dark brown liquid inside. The cans contain a generic cola. Except for the fact that they are transparent, they appear to be normal aluminum cans.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a studded leather collar. It adjust to fit necks between 14 and 18 inches. For each hour the collar is worn, the wearer must roll vs. Will-5. On a critical failure, the wearer acquires the Slave Mentality disadvantage and no further Will Rolls are made. On a normal failure, the wearer acquires a level of Weak Will. On a critical success, the wearer becomes aware of the effect the collar has on him/her and is freed from up to 1d levels of Weak Will acquired from the collar. Once the point value of the acquired levels of Weak Will equals the point value of Slave Mentality, the Weak Will is replace by Slave Mentality, and no further Will Rolls are made.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a file folder containing The only way to get them to transmit is to speak the name of the receiving unit at the beginning of the conversation (e.g., "Queen of Diamonds, do you read me?"). The user(s) of the receiving unit will hear the entire transmission, including the spoken name of the receiving unit, in real time. A connection is then established between the sending unit and the receiving unit, which will be broken only by 10 seconds of silence, or by one party speaking the name if their unit, followed by the word "out" (e.g., "Jack of Hearts, out"). Multiple recipients can be named, including most groupings of card suits and ranks (e.g., "All Spades, . . ." or "Kings and Red Jacks, . . ."). The phrase "All Units" can be used to address all the other walkie talkies. No connection is established when broadcasting to multiple recipients.
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|A normal microcassette recorder, with a box of tapes. Each tape has but one word recorded on it: "Oops!" After thirty seconds, it repeats, from a different voice. IQ -4 to recognize the voice.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large mesh bag containing 25# of what look like oranges. They seem extremely soft, however. If peeled, they will be found to contain orange juice. They have no seeds, pulp, membranes, or other solids.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large metal cube, 3x3x3 feet. It is far too heavy to move, but one of its sides has a digital LED display. It is counting down, and will reach 00:00:00 at exactly midnight. Once the digital display reaches 00:00:00, it will begin counting up. When it reaches 24:00:00 (the following midnight), it will begin counting down, and so forth.
Mike|viking@netgate.net|Two ducks, with large cigars and black mustaches, discussing the word of the day.
Randy Bohn|randy_bohn@geocities.com|A poster of Uncle Sam reading 'I want You'. Funny, without the hat he resembles Asmodeus. He seems to be leering.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a folder containing 72 memos typed on stationery from the Milton Ian Brown Memorial Hospital in Cushing, Montana. The memos were issued during the last week of each month over a period of 6 years. Each memo lists the names of twenty female subjects accepted for "the Reproductive Compatability Project". The mothers of several party members will be listed on memos dated roughly 10 months before those party members' birth dates. Outside investigation will be unable to find a Cushing in Montana, let alone a hospital in this "non-existent" town.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a wooden baseball bat. It seems normal, except that when it hits (or is hit by) any object at a relative speed difference greater than 10 mph (about 4.5 m/sec), the bat simply passes through the object.
Simon Proctor|simon@cricketers.demon.co.uk|A small napkin upon which is written the theory of relativity. Written beneath are the words:- "I guess they might just fall for that!"
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an instrument that resembles a beautiful acoustic guitar. The main difference is that it has no strings, and no provision for attaching any strings (i.e., no head, no bridge, no tuning keys--just the neck and body). However, it can be played just like a normal guitar; its virtual strings respond normally, except that they provide no visual or tactile feedback. Its sound is gorgeous, although most musicians will need some time to get used to the instrument's virtual strings.
Eric Gimlin|etgimlin@swbell.net|Absolutly nothing. At least nothing visible on wavelengths your eyes can detect.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A realistic false white beard, of the long, shaggy and flowing variety, moustache included, with matching shaggy white wig and eyebrows. A flowing white robe and golden sandals are underneath these. Anyone wearing the whole set aquires a bright golden aura and Aspect power 25.
matt lentzner|lentzner@inreach.com|A clear plastic package that contains what looks like Top Ramen noodles. When immersed in water the "noodles" grow into an 8 foot tall dull white fibrous cone. The cone emits a psionic distress signal. Sticking around to see who or what comes to the rescue is optional.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a well-seasoned wok. The handles and the outside are cool, but the inside is hot (the perfect temperature for stir-frying food, as it turns out).
Bill Schaeffer|thinker@kih.net|A fresh saltine cracker.
Bill Schaeffer|thinker@kih.net|A Sgt. York Peppermint Pattie.
Bill Schaeffer|thinker@kih.net|A copy of G.U.R.P.S. Forrest Gump. A game about being at places and events in history and not changing them except for appearing in media about said events. The G.U.R.P.S. Time Travel crossover shows a picture of Forrest in the Bayauex Tapestry and a figure waving in several notable historical portraits such as Washington Crossing the Delaware and the Last Supper...
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A blackened capacitor, about the size of a matchbook, labeled 10MF to 50kV. (Over 3 billion kWh!) Sadly, it appears to be burnt out, and nothing can be learned from dissecting it.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A brochure from DisneyPlanet, "only 3.3 parsecs from scenic Beta Canum Venaticorum!"
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|the crate (5x5x9 feet) is empty, except for a hastily scribbled note on ruled 3-hole binder paper: ps, this is like a totally excellent place The images displayed on the screen appear 3D, even with normal TV broadcasts and recorded media. However, the 3D effect only works if the viewer is between 6 feet and 18 feet from the screen, inside the 6-foot-wide region directly in front of the screen itself.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a set of chess pieces and a matching board. To anyone with normal vision, all the pieces (and all the squares on the board) look like they're the same medium-grey color. However, anyone with any form of color blindness will be able to distinguish between the two colors easily.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a semi-automatic pistol of unknown make. Any attempt to load it, unload it, or check whether it's loaded will be futile; there is no mechanism for loading it with ammunition. However, if the safety is released and the trigger is pulled, then it will fire. It seems to have an effectively unlimited supply of 9 mm ammunition. Each time this pistol is fired, somewhere within a 14.3 mile radius, a round of ammunition will vanish. The pistol avoids "acquiring" rounds of ammunition located within a 1.43 mile radius, and has a slight preference for 9 mm rounds.
Jim Foreman|jforeman@wvu.edu|a seemingly ordinary pack of Marlboro cigarettes, wrapped in the usual cellophane. When a cigarette is smoked, the person will instantly crave Hershey's Kisses. When 5 or more are eaten, the person will feel a 'buzz' that lasts for fifteen minutes, twenty seconds. One hour later, the craving will return, with the 'buzz' lasting two minutes, ten seconds less. When the buzz is totally gone, the person will constantly crave the Kisses as though addicted. They will be irratible and cranky if they do not get their kisses, and act strangely paranoid if they do not have any on their person. Only smoking another cigarette will cure the addiction.
Apollyon|a_13666@hotmail.com|A small wad of masticated chewing gum wrapped in its original foil sheath.
Todd A. Zircher|zirto@indepth.com|With a silent puff of dust the seal on the crate's lid is broken. At first glance, the crate appears to be empty. Its bottom is concealed in dark shadow. Shining a light into the crate will banish the darkness. Literally. The black shadow thing will hiss and then slither out of the crate and away from the light source. If it should come in contact with a person's shadow, it will merge and seemingly disappear. That person will feel as if something had stepped on thier grave.
Travis Bryant|zoso@one.net|A glass of cold milk, covered. At the bottom of the glass is an inchworm. If removed from the milk, the worm will inch along, chewing an inchworm-sized hole through any substance which bars its path. If returned to a cold glass of milk, the worm will become dormant again.
Kira|kira@io.com|A pair of what look like earplugs. When worn, they become universal translators, allowing the wearer to understand any spoken language.
David Evans|ddu95183@strath.ac.uk |A large, silvery-golden coloured conch-like seashell, which fits the hand of whoever picks it up perfectly. When placed over the right ear, the word "Plugh" can be heard by the wearer being softly spoken from a few feet behind his left ear. Placing it over the left ear appears to have no effect whatsoever...
David Evans|ddu95183@strath.ac.uk |A small, black tobacco tin, full of stuffed olives. If an olive is placed in any normal martini glass and water is poured into it and left to stand for five minutes, the conents tun into a perfect-tatsing vodka-martini (even if you don't like them usually). There are only a couple of dozen olives or so in the box, and replacing them with other olives will not have the same effect. The last person to touch the box cannot get drunk on the contents of any such manufactured vodka-martinis...
Brian Gilkison|gilkison@one.net|A collection of various documents related to religious cults. Featured prominently are copies of letters from Richard Nixon to Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Marshall Applewhite (among others), thanking them for completing their assignments. There is also a list of addresses for each of these individuals; the addresses appear to be current as of one week ago.
Pat Dewey|BlackWolfe9653@Hotmail.com|The super-secret, long-lost mind-wipe serum. Opening the bottle and taking a sip, you... hey, where am I? What am I doing here?
andy wade|andy_wade@sad28.k12.me.us|a one dollar bill which reads "THE UNITED STATES OF BAVARIA" across the top. Under washingtons image is the name "Weischaupt". The serial number is FNORD. The date is 1766.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|A slim paperback book entitled "GURPS Warehouse 23". All of the pages are blank, except for the last, which contains this description.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|An odd piece of machinery, about the size of a toaster, with hundreds of thousands of gears whirling beneath its clear plastic shell. Instantly, you know that it's a Psychotronic Frombotzer, and its function is to psionically tell everyone in twenty feet its what it is and what it does.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|Four words: Deadly Ninja Throwing Fruitcakes.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|A white monolith of unknown material with a perfect rectangular ratio of 1 foot deep:4 ft wide:9 ft tall. It cannot be damaged by any weapon, and is accompanied by a small tag reading "Stunt Double - A. C. Clarke."
Todd Dennis|dennista@scholar.tacoma.ctc.edu|An old set of bagpipes. If the pipes make any sound, then everyone within 500 yards will dance a jig, all in perfect sync, for 15-20 seconds. If a tune is played, everyone within 500 yards will move toward the pipes while dancing a jig. They will stop if they reach the pipes, can't get any closer, or the tune ends.
Luke Vaughn|lvaughn@peak.org|A floating box up near the ceiling. When you retrieve it, and open it, several cats with buttered toast tied to their backs float out.
Todd Dennis|dennista@scholar.tacoma.ctc.edu|A list of the location of every box in the warehouse that holds a book containing the words "This page intentionally left blank."
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a blow drier. It has three speeds, and draws 1200 W of power on "High". However, it dries hair about twice as fast as a standard 1200 W blow drier, even though the air coming from it doesn't feel hot, or even warm, but merely room temperature.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a decorative "wishing well". It is a portable 3-foot diameter, 2½-foot high stone wall, with a wooden roof supported by two posts and a wooden bucket that can be lowered on a windlass. It is portable, although the stone wall is rather heavy. The rope is just long enough (about 16 feet) to reach the water at the bottom of the well.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an order form from "Currency, Ltd.". There is no address, but an 800 number is listed for faxing orders. The items available are "$100k (5k x $20)", "$100k (10k x $10)", "$500k (25k x $20)", and so on. The prices listed are 10% of the face value. The 800 number will accept faxes.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|several dozen hand-held video cameras, still in their original boxes, but with no documentation. The boxes proclaim, "Take Professional-Looking Home Movies!" The cameras have built-in "steady cam" software that accomodates camera motion, plus automatic video editing that automatically adjusts zooming, panning, etc., and inserts professional-looking transitions (fades, wipes, etc.) between scenes.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org| If the image is applied, at noon the image becomes permanent and active. The wearer will always have a wrist-watch tattoo that shows the current local time. There are no night light, stopwatch, timer, or other functions, just the current local time.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Boxes of cookies modeled after floppy disks - the brand name is `Norton for Humans'. Eating one gives +6 to all HT rolls vs. disease/infection/etc. for the rest of the day.
Collin Condray|ccondray@usa.net|A display case containing the front and back side of the one dollar bill. The bill in the case is identical to the dollar bill in circulation today execept for the abscence of the All-Seeing-Eye Pyramid on the back side of the bill. On the case, stamped in large block red letters are the words "DESIGN REJECTED."
Andrew Bowman|abowman@mindspirng.com|two documents: a course catalog for a small college in central Virginia, Sydney-Hampden College, listed as founded in 1776; and a document detailing the founding of the college on June 4th, 1351.
Andrew Bowman|abowman@mindspring.com|a technical manual for the Sydham Co. Multiplexing Switched Subspace Communications Array, with each of the 426 pages marked "This page left intentionally blank."
Andrew Bowman|abowman@mindspring.com|A 4500 year old canopic urn filled with fragments of computer circuit boards.
Fernando Soares Barrocal|fernando@webmotors.com.br|A box with a red dragon on it, strange dices and lots of tables, indicating an extint RPG game of 80's decade
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A "glass" eye that is harder than diamond and resilient as rubber. Under laboratory scrutiny, it is found to be a flawless sphere, except for a series of microscopic iris valves located where the eye would normally connect to its wearer's optic nerves. When placed in an empty eyesocket, the eye records the visual memories (not auditory or tactile) of its wearer for exactly 23 hours. Playback is accomplished by pressing the pupil and inserting it into another's empty eyesocket, whereupon that person can review the recordings. No inorganic (ie: computer terminal) playback devices are known to exist.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A child's plastic doll, 1960s, fashion airline stewardess design. Limbs are fully poseable at elbows, knees, wrists & ankles. There is a button on the back. Pushing the button normally produces an innocuous, disarmingly sexist comment from the doll. When the doll's limbs are laid flat against a surface, and are rearranged in certain obscure patterns (resembling the legendary hyperborian runes of power), its eyes illuminate. When the head is spun counter-clockwise three times, the mouth opens, and long strips of computer punch card printouts issue forth. Printouts vary depending upon arrangement of the limbs. The doll melts when tampered with, and the printouts are so far, indeceipherable.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A cardboard box with a cute cartoon logo of a bunny rabbit nibbling lettuce. The box is full of individually wrapped, wetted (liquid unknown, but with the consistency and odor of tap water) parsley sprigs. When placed in one's mouth, the soaked parsley reacts with saliva to produce a high explosive. Packets are clearly marked in 10, 30, and 60 second timed versions.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A seemingly ordinary brand-name box of corn flake cereal. Ordinary except for an alarming tendency to set off metal detectors. If examined on a flake-by-flake basis, a single burnt black flake can be found at the bottom of the box. When exposed to stomach acid, the flake sprouts tiny mechanical legs, a tiny camera in an adjustable universal mount, and a tiny microwave transmitter.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A cheap children's Halloween vampire kit in bubble plastic packaging. The kit's tube of "fake" blood serves as a fast acting coagulant, sufficient to seal even massive trauma to the head, chest or abdomen. When placed in one's mouth, the plastic fangs instantly fuse with the dentyne of the user's teeth. The fake plastic fingernails fuze with the user's fingertips, obscuring fingerprints and secreting coral snake venom. Fangs and claws are both fully retractable. Fusion is permanent.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|An ordinary can of chewing tobacco emblazoned with the moniker "Hardtack-Ohio7". When a pinch is placed between the user's cheek and gum, and the user tries to speak, his language is instantly translated into World War Two era classified Navajo Code Talker jargon. The user must be clenching his teeth on the chaw for it to activate properly. Improper use results in the user speaking in 19th century idiomatic Basque.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A manila folder containing a 500 page report correlating the number of deaths inflicted in action movies starring a famous Germanic-accented bodybuilding action hero, with the number of deaths occuring worldwide each year due to shark attacks. The report, complete with scores of charts, printouts, and color glossy photographs, shows the yearly numbers to be equal.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A seemingly ordinary packet of blueberry toaster-tarts. When heated, they generate intense opposing magnetic fields. By placing one tart icing side up on a table, then positioning the other above the first, icing side down, an antigravity field is produced between the two tarts. This field is sufficient to suspend up to 2 metric tons of matter. Unfortunately, it's dimensions only equal the width of the tarts, and the field deactivates when they cool. They are edible and quite tasty.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|An ordinary looking ceramic mug. A sculpted frog rests on inside bottom surface of the mug. When filled with hot black coffee at least halfway, drinking from the mug reveals that the frog has disappeared. The drinker suffers from intense stomach pains for after consuming the coffee, coupled with sharp sensations of movement and kicking. One week later the pains cease, but a hard cyst has visibly formed in the region of the drinker's appendix.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A child's first reader. The pages seem ordinary enough, with sentences like "See Jack Run" and "Jane plays with the Red Ball". If a child ages 5-7 reads this book aloud, he or she will read it normally. A second reading results in the child reciting the complete works of Marcel Proust in idiomatic French.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A pair of knitting needles permanently connected to a ball of twine. The twine feels like felt, but has the strength of tensile steel. Knitting with the needles invariably creates a pattern that shows a picture of the knitter's death.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A metal dental-floss dispenser labelled "Batch 37-G". If all teeth are flossed daily for one month, a second row of teeth erupts from the user's gumline. These new teeth are all incisors. Flossing both rows of teeth for another month generates a third set of teeth (and so on, ad infinitum). The floss is peppermint flavored.
Flemming Ullits Rostock|N/A|A CD-ROM with sofware (Beta-version, very bug-filled) to Control The M.F. Units. The M.F. Units looks like a knot of wire wrap on to an uncomfortable looking helmet. When all this equipment is put online one of the following will happen; If only one helmet is used; 1. You brain comes into a mental loop. And even if the helmet is removed, death will happen within 2 minuttes, because your brain no longer sends signals to the lungs or heart. 2. Only you subconsience comes into a mental loop, 3 succesfull will-rolls is required to snap out of the comatose, but all your mental disadvantages is gone. 3. You learningcenter goes into a hyperactive state, which gives you one level of editic memory, or +1 to IQ, if you have both levels of Editic Memory. 4. Your brainwaves is syncronized and alfalized, which gives you a level of regeneration.
Ernei Parker|x9lr@slic.com|The itchy shirt that you mother made you get in the fourth grade that all the kids teased you about. Your name is sewn in great detail into the collar as you remember your mother did to ALL of your shirts. You SWEAR you buried this in the backyard two days after it was bought. It is in a drycleaning bag with a tag dated the day after you buried it with a red stamp "NOTIFIED" across it. You DISTINCTLY remember brussel sprouts for dinner that night.
Adam Conover|revonoc@i-2000.com|A severed ear, attached to which is a tag reading "Van Gogh". If the severed end is examined very closely, it can be seen that it is rimmed with tiny dotted lines.
Peter Burns|pburns@io.com|A normal looking notebook computer with a fully charged battery. If turned on it will boot into what looks like Windows except in Greek. A stamp on the bottom of the computer displays the following: "Made in Atlantis, 10,096 BC."
Weh-Ming Cho|thechos@nbnet.nb.ca|A large wooden box made out of a hollowed out red wood tree trunk. The box is ornately carved, and has a seam around the top that suggests a lid, though there doesn't seem to be any way to open it. Written on the top, apparently slashed with a blade of some kind, is "Here there be tygers".
Weh-Ming Cho|thechos@nbnet.nb.ca|A large, one ton, stainless steel anchor. There is no chain connected to it. However, anyone who touches it will find themselves unable to move beyond one mile of the anchor's location. The afflicted person will meet a force field that prevents him from moving beyond the one mile radius. Attempting to break through the barrier while driving or flying in a vehicle will result in a terrible mess if moving fast enough.
Lance Truesdell|kitten@ksu.edu|A ream of quality bond paper. All pages have "This page is intentionally left blank" printed in the middle of the page.
Tom Hall @850 ELmwood St. State College, PA|None @ the present time|neatly tagged and bagged you find the dessicated remains of a picnic lunch, plus basket, table cloth, glasses, silverware, etc. And a curious-looking device, roughly the size and shape of a football, weighting aprox. 27 pounds. Everything is covered in a grayish-dust, and some items are still packaged in the origional sampling bags from the Apollo 12 mission, where the suprized astronauts found it. No tent or stucture was found, it has been assumed that the "football" device is some sort of life support/forcefield device-manufacture unknown. A large envelope contains the photographs of the site where the picnic was discovered, including several closeup shots of curious depressions arround the cloth, looking very much like human footprints.
Alex Beckers|orion_b@conan.ids.net|A transcript of a trial, although the details make no sense ("2nd day -- more confusion. Good.") and the defendant is referred to only as K. The last note reads, "Execution sufficient. Implement on large scale." Copies follow in Czech, Russian, and German.
C.Aguirre|CAgui14512@ aol.com|A bright red shiny sphere
Jesse Butler|butlerj@peak.org|An odd collection of books including selections such as "101 ways to serve mankind" and "Assasination: Keys for a Succesful Kill".
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A crate full of thousands of tiny buttons, each about 1 cm in diameter, covered with cloth. When sewn onto the top of a typical baseball cap, and exposed to perspiration, a sharp steel pipette is rapidly extended from the bottom of the button. The speed of extension is sufficient to puncture cartilage. Green fluid is flushed through the pipette from a resevoir within the button. Strangely, the buttons only operate when sewn onto the caps of minor league teams.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A film can marked "Goodbye Mr. Chips". It contains an 8mm film of John F. Kennedy's assassination. The film begins and ends 1 minute before and after the shooting. A shot of the book depository clearly shows Lee Harvey Oswald cleaning his rifle. A lingering shot of the grassy knoll shows what seems to be Lee Harvey Oswald attaching a silencer to a pistol. At the end of the reel, the cameraman shuffles around in front of the camera, which is mounted on a tripod. It is Lee Harvey Oswald, giving the camera an enthusiastic "thumbs up".
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A rusty turn of the century icebox, secured with ancient padlock (analysis reveals the padlock to have been cast in Rouen, France circa 1668). It is filled to the brim with Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum. When the gum is unwrapped, and the comics read, each portrays part of a philosophical dialogue between Bazooka Joe and Aristotle written in greek. A scholar can confirm (before mysteriously disappearing) that the dialogue is one of the political works of Aristotle, lost during the dark ages.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A box in plain brown paper. It is addressed to the Smithson Veterinary Clinic, Honolulu, Hawaii. The postmark is December 1st, 1941. Opening it reveals a large dog's chewy toy in the shape of a bone. An attached tag reads: "For Rex; from Rose". If the toy is chewed (or torn) open, a rice paper scroll is found inside. Japanese characters decorate the scroll. They read: "Climb Mt. Niitaka".
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|An early electric chair. When a dead body is properly strapped into the chair, and the power switch is thrown, the chair will bring the body back to life. The revived person suffers excruiciating pain while the chair is on, and lapses back into death when the chair is turned off.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A box full of unmarked videocassettes. Recorded on them is the entire series of Bond movies, including the most recent installment. All of the sets, scripts, locations and actors are identical to the original films, except that Bond is portrayed as a member of the KGB, and Russian is the spoken language. The newest film has English subtitles.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A plain manila folder marked "Operation Minuteman". It contains 300 pages of text obliterated by black-marker ink. Two dozen black & white photographs show what appear to be US special forces troops instructing natives in the use of modern firearms and tactics. The natives appear to be Zulu warriors.
Steve Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|An original medieval illuminated text. It is a lavishly decorated copy of Aristotle's Politics, and can be confirmed as being prepared in the late 12th century at the monastery at Monte Cassino. In the margins are handwritten latin notes by the monk who originally copied this text. They are the complete lyrics to every song recorded by the rap group 2 Live Crew.
Charles|Zan@verinet.com|A man folded over and stuffed inside the box. Mumbuling something about "that damm Mcloud" and "This imortality isn't all its cracked up to be.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|nothing. Suddenly, you appear--or rather, someone who looks just like you appears--wearing a silvery jumpsuit. Your double stares at you in disbelief, mutters something unintellible, and screams in agony just before vanishing again. There is a silvery jumpsuit inside the box. It looks like it would fit you nicely.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a CD jewel-box, labeled "The Bach Collection: Soli Deo Gloria". The playlist on the insert includes every known composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. The CD inside cannot be read by CD players using current technology.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an anti-static pouch containing a Z80 CPU, and a stack of documentation. The documentation includes specifications for the CPU, including the fact that it needs an external 2.3 gigahertz clock signal.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a child's bicycle. The handlebars are loose, and the training wheels are bent upwards to the point that they are useless for stabilizing the bicycle. If the rider pulls back on the handlebars, the bicycle will fly. It has a maximum payload capacity of 25 kg.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic bottle labeled "Weight Loss Enzymes" containing 17 large tablets. Taking one of the tablets causes the body to restructure its skeletal and connective tissues in such a way that an average adult will lose approximately 10% of his/her original body mass, without losing any bulk, and without compromising skeletal/connective integrity. Taking multiple tablets has no further effect.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a circular amulet on a chain with the word "veritas" engraved over and over around its circumference. The amulet causes the wearer to believe to be true anything that he (or she) says, even if he originally knew it to be false when he said it.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a tube of stretchy, almost transparent fabric. A small tag is sewn into the hem. One side reads "Comfort Slim®", and the other lists care instructions (hand wash, mild detergent, dry flat, do not wring, etc.). If worn around one's waist (i.e., like a corset), it reduces the wearer's waist size by 1% per minute, up to a maximum of 10%. If the garment is worn for 24 continuous hours, half that reduction becomes permanent. Further reductions in waist size are based on this new waist size. Note that the wearer's mass is unaffected. Long-term use by obese individuals can result in unnaturally dense body tissue in the abdominal region.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a 4-foot section of 2x4 lumber. Any individual forcefully struck on the head with this board (i.e., receiving at least 1 point of damage) will have full Eidetic Memory of his/her past for 1d minutes. A second memory-enhancing blow within 24 hours automatically inflicts a critical head hit (in addition to its normal effect).
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|An ordinary cardboard box, flattened. If the instructions for expanding the box are followed, the bottom of the box will act as a perfectly elastic surface; anything hitting the bottom of the box will bounce up at the same velocity it hit the bottom with. The bottom of the box acts normally at all times unless the box is properly expanded.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A large assortment of helium balloons, all inflated. When the box is opened, a character will recognize a particularly distinctive balloon that "got away" from them when they were a child.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A Macintosh-formatted 3.5" disk. On the disk is one file, a molecular model of a substance labelled "Transparent Aluminum".
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A large number of mathematical papers, each by a different author. If the papers are examined by a person with a college degree in mathematics (or equivalent knowledge), the person will determine that each paper proves via a simple proof that P=NP. Studying the proof will find that the proof is valid. Looking up the names on the papers will find that none of the people have ever existed.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|Sperm and egg samples from all members of the party. Analysis will determine that the samples were all taken the previous night.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|A suitcase identical to one that one of the PC's uses. It will be packed with clothes from the last airplane trip the PC took. It is of course the original item. The PC took home a clever duplicate.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|Two disks, about 50cm in diameter and 1cm thick. One disk is red, the other is blue. Anything placed on one disk will instantly appear on the other disk. Placing one disk on the other will cause both disks to permanently disappear.
Merrill C. Pugmire|slr4g@cc.usu.edu|A standard, nondescript PC expansion card. If plugged into any PC, that PC will perform at levels 3-4 years ahead of current technology. That interval will remain, even as time goes on. If removed from the PC, the PC will be destroyed and the person removing the card will gain the jinxed disadvantage whenever he is within 10' of any computer. (The jinx will also affect anybody using a program he wrote.)
Rohayn Sengir|claudius@iinet.net.au|The Old And Mouldy Cheese: a guru and owner of the largest collection of propaganda T-shirts, who lives with the free roaming fishmongers of the Sahara desert, feeding on camel and genetically mutated amphibians for the sole purpose of recovering the three major items of Fnordism; a rusty pot of time travelling noodles, an accessorised fascist lundleploomer camel saddle, and 'The Meaning of; Run Like The Clappers its Tuesday and My Word Aren't The Crisps Looking Morose For the Lovechildren Of The Latest Russian Nuclear Powered Coffee Cup?'(the paperback version), well its a minority cult OK? Should he be encountered give him a Twixle, and run like the nose of a hayfever victim in a potpurri factory...
Ostraka|Library|You find a series of Ornamental clothing. The label on the side of the crate lists these as the personal effects of an ancient goddess named Ishtar. They were won by Ostraka in a surreal game of strip blackjack. The effect are as follows: The Golden Breast Cups of Ishtar: When worn by a woman, it increases her CHARM and SEX APPEAL by +20. The Sandles of Ishtar: When worn add +20 to WILLPOWER. The Jewled Anklets of Ishtar: When worn add +20 to EGO. The Necklace of Ishtar: When worn adds +20 to attributes that deal with wisdom. The Earrings of Ishtar: When worn add +20 to all Magic. The Thousand Petaled Crown of Ishtar: Will do nothing if it is worn by itself. If one of the other items are worn then the crown gives off a buzzing noise. However, if all of the other items are worn, when the woman wears the crown she must make a role v.s. WILLPOWER every 10 turns. If she fails, her mind is replaced by Ishtar's soul and she becomes the Goddess herself! However, if the crown is removed, she reverts back to her normal self. However, it will take some convincing or power to get Ishtar to remove it or let it be removed. Note: Only a woman can gain the effects of these items. If a man tries to wear them, he will only look silly.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A set of track and field shot puts, strangely warm. This is because they are not (regulation) solid iron, but rather a thin layer of iron over a hollow sphere of plutonium, which is in turn filled with lithium hydride. They are all regulation weight, dangerously radioactive, functional as H-bombs given the proper explosive housing, and marked `Springfield Elementary School T&F'. One of the PC's went to Springfield...
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|An Angel food cake. It is delicious, and anyone eating even a few crumbs will die, painlessley, within the hour - a beautific smile apon their face.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A pair of fuzzy hot pink socks, size 12 - extremely comfortable. While worn, they grant the wearer one free level of Luck.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A rabbit. If it is killed, the killer (male or female) will become pregnant.
TickTockMan|exit104@mcs.net|A small sphere made of a metalic-looking plastic. It is dotted with a random-seeming array of projections. It functions like a psionic prism, splitting esper powers into bands of their component fields.
Brad Glenn|bglenn@bc1.com|A perfectly round wooden bowl, said to have held the sap from the tree Yggdrasil for ten thousand years. The sap was spilt, but if water is placed within this dark wooden bowl, one can see images of the afterlife in the reflections on the water.
Don Fnordlioni|donfnord@pitt.edu|An 18th Century musketball, embedded in a fossilized Stegasaurus hind leg.
Don Fnordlioni|donfnord@pitt.edu|An unremarkable Mannlicher-Carcano mail-order rifle, available circa 1960. For anyone with a skill of 9 or above in Guns (Rifle), the weapon will function normally. In the hands of a user with a Guns (Rilfe) skill of 8 or less, the user's effective skill is 23, and the weapon will have a RoF of 3.
Don Fnordlioni|donfnord@pitt.edu|A cellular phone, bearing the logo, "SSTrack." Though it's apparently active with a regular dial tone, most phone numbers dialed will result in a fast-busy signal. However, if a person's social security number is dialed, the call is completed to the telephone nearest that person.
Don Fnordlioni|donfnord@pitt.edu|A stylish black fedora, a black silk tie bearing the United Nations seal, and a pair of dark sunglasses. When all are worn, the user is rendered completely undetectable by any non-Earthling.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A slightly worn fifty-cent piece, US currency, apparently minted in 1970. Both sides are heads. If flipped, it will come up heads half the time, and tails the other half of the time. If it came up tails the last time it was flipped, both sides will be tails.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a statue of a centaur and a black helmet (similar to a motorcycle helmet without a visor). A small antenna protrudes from the top of the helmet. If the helmet is worn, the centaur statue animates, and the wearer suddenly perceives the world from the point of view of the statue. The wearer's body appears comatose. At first, the statue will just stand there, looking around. After a 2d x 10 seconds, the wearer will be able to control the statue's limbs with an effective DX of 6. The effective DX increases by 1 (to a maximum of 12) for each hour of continuous use. Removing the helmet breaks the link: the statue freezes in position and the wearer wakes up.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small orange paperback book titled 1927 Emergency Response Guidebook: A Guidebook for First Responders During the Initial Phase of a Hazardous Materials Incident. Perusing the book reveals that many common, non-hazardous materials (e.g., nonfat milk powder, graphite) are identified as being extremely toxic. Careful study will reveal that several extremely hazardous materials (e.g., various arsenic compounds) are identified as being merely irritants.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|dozens of vacuum-sealed foil packages. They are all extremely lightweight, and the labels identify them as freeze-dried "Stuffed Lobster Tails", "Oyster-Brie Soup", "Chocolate-Raspberry Souffle", "Ceasar Salad", and so on. When prepared according to the simple directions on the packages, they are gourmet delights fit for a king.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|An ordinary makeup mirror. However, when you hold the mirror up to your face, you see a bar code inscribed into your forehead. Other people can see the bar codes on their own foreheads when they look in the mirror, so it's not just a delusion. However, the mirror is the only way you know to see the codes.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an insulated cooler. It is half-full of ice and water, both of which are quite warm. Except for the fact that it has a melting temperature of 123° F, the ice is perfectly normal. Once melted, it refreezes at 32° F, just like normal water.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|...a copy of a book of reviews of SF authors and their works. Each picture accompanying the reviews shows the author being eaten or killed by an alien or demonic creation of his own writing. You vomit at the picture of Newt Gingrich.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|...a map and catalog of what the Warehouse is supposed to contain. It is almost, but not quite, completely incorrect.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|...a sixpack of beer. The box is cold, and so is the beer. It strikes you as slightly odd that the label on the beer bottles is in cuneiform.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large device resembling an enormous camera, and several dozen blank 24x36-inch canvases. The canvases are normal artist's canvases, such as might be purchased at any art-supply store, but if one is placed inside the camera and the camera is operated normally, then the a painting will be produced of whatever was seen through the viewfinder. A completely finished painting takes 24 hours, is extremely detailed and realistic, and includes the signature of the person who operated the camera. If the painting is removed prematurely, it will be a "work in progress". For example, after a few minutes, it will have only a charcoal sketch of the basic visual layout, and after an hour or so, the basic background colors and some rough detail will have been completed. The camera only works with blank canvases, although partially completed canvases can be replaced at a later date and the camera will resume work where it left off.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|several pounds of a stiff plastic substance similar to Silly Putty®. It is sentient, although it can only communicate by reading the text of documents against which it is pressed, and by subtly changing the mirror-image transfer visible on its own surface. If the substance is divided, the sentience remains in only one of the pieces (determined randomly most of the time).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a refrigerator. Although it isn't plugged in (in fact, it seems to be cordless!), its interior is cold. Inside is a full, unopened 1-litre carton of skim milk. The carton is undated, but is still fresh. If the door is closed while the carton is not inside the refrigerator, a new carton (full, unopened, undated, and fresh) will appear the next time the door is opened. If left unused (but refrigerated), the milk will spoil a few weeks after it first appears.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a refrigerator. Although it isn't plugged in (in fact, it seems to be cordless!), its interior is cold. Inside is a half-full, opened 1-litre carton of skim milk. The carton is undated, and the milk has spoiled. If the door is closed while the carton is not inside the refrigerator, a new carton (full, unopened, undated, and fresh) will appear the next time the door is opened. If left unused (but refrigerated), the milk will spoil a few weeks after it first appears.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an unlabled bag of hard candy. The candy is irridescent and smells fruity. It lasts forever, and the flavor changes every 3d minutes. (The candy usually tastes like a specific fruit, but sometimes has a vague "tropical punch" flavor.)
Stephen F Roberts|snafu@io.com|a large silver plaque reading "watch out for falling". Upon seeing the plaque, you begin eyeing everyone in the room with the sharp, razor awareness as a predator would eye his prey before lunging through the dark, dark night to sieze his possibly last meal before his untimely death at the hands of a hunter who would bear his shotgun with the eagerness of a young boy opening christmas presents and finding the toy that had haunted his dreams for months.
Neil O'Brien|Neil.O'Brien@otis.erkware.com|The answers to every test man has or will ever know. Yes, now you too can try to write all 200 thousand pages of answers on the back of your hand. Comes with a pen that lets you write REAL small. (Character, on a sucessful IQ roll, gets a +12 to any roll involving a quiz, test, or written exam.)
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|it is very difficult to open. As you pry the lid off the small wooden crate, you notice that the boards are especially rough-hewn, but very worn. You also notice that the nails are square, hand cut, and very rusty. As lid finally comes off, you discover that the crate is full of sawdust. Under the sawdust (wrapped in dry, brittle oilcloth) are a pair of Radio Shack walkie-talkies. The plastic parts are cracked and brittle, the metal parts are tarnished and corroded, and the contents of the batteries leaked out ages ago.
Jess Heinig|heinig_jess@interplay.com|A small box, apparently a computer game. At the top, in large letters, reads "GURPS". A small logo at the bottom says "Interplay Productions". The title of the game itself has a large [CENSORED] bar in yellow and black tape over it.
Tom Farrell|tfarrell@skepsis.com|A definitive analysis proving that Jimmy Hoffa did *not* conspire with Maybeline to become Tammy Faye Bakker, by showing that it was really Chanel and Imelda Marcos instead.
Matt Riggsby|wombat@sirius.com|A complete set of Beatles records on vinyl. All text and pictures on the record jackets are reversed and the tracks are laid out in reverse, playing backwards from the end of the last track. Barely discernable in "Tomorrow Never Knows," "Rocky Racoon," and "Here Comes the Sun" are announcements that, respectively, John is dead, George is dead, and Ringo is not at all well.
Nicholas the Over-Powerer|none|This appears to be a lump of coal painted silver. When thrown onto the ground, a large cloud of dust envolops the thrower and encases him/her in a suit of invincible armor. The armor lasts 5 seconds.
marcus|none|a crate labled "property of Warner animation". inside is a circular black puddle. the crate is tipped and the puddle flows onto the ground still in its circular shape. anything thrown into the blackness dissapears.
Jess Heinig|heinig_jess@interplay.com|A 6" long model of the USS Enterprise, from Star Trek (classic version). The hull registry number reads NCC-1071. A small note tied to the secondary hull reads "1/128 scale. Copyright 11866 E.D. Atlantean Model & Hobby Supply."
Jess Heinig|heinig_jess@interplay.com|A three-handed sword.
Jess Heinig|heinig_jess@interplay.com|A pair of speaker-like objects, labeled "TasteMaster 32bit." Attached to an IBM-compatible computer, they cause the computer to generate an error message on startup: "TasteMaster driver not loaded."
Charles Oines|ratboyfit@aol.com|A propeller beanie. Anyone who wears it can psychically control the five nearest science fiction fans for up to two hours. While the beanie is working, its propeller spins furiously.
Tom Hall @ 850 Elmwood St., State College, PA|None @ present|Inside is a pasty-white manniquen, devoid of any features. Touching this is forbidden, as within moments the manniquen will change its appearance to match that of the person who touched it-right down to fingerprints and retina patterns. It will obey any uncomplicated instruction given to it without question(IQ 6), but everything needs to be spelled out for it. It cannot be killed, nor will it initiate attacks unless specifically ordered to, and only by the person it has duplicated. After 28 hours and 13 minutes, it will return to it's previous form, and cannot be reawakened for 84 hours and 39 minutes. If injured, it will shutdown sooner, depending on how much damage has been received, and will not allow itself to take on another form until it recovers.
Paul Henrichsen|woefulhc@io.com|What looks like a glossy white notebook computer. When opened it boots up and asks "Mac 17 or Windows 13?" After 2 hours of use a klaxon starts and it says "Warning! Warning! Pressure reservoir is critically low!" It shuts down after another five minutes.
Martin Pape|loki@niflheim.erlangen.de|A large green gelatine blob. It smells like rotten meat but after further oral examination it tastes like strawberry.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|Several notbooks citing proof, not just statistics that the song, "Cookie, Cookie, Lend Me Your Comb." has been played constatly 24 hours a day since its release; includingon summer in 1973 when a continous loop tape was set to play for 109 days in Oslo.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|A spiral bound notebook detailing every appearance of pyramids and pyramid like object in the United States. A slightly thicker second book cites appearances around the rest of the world. Included are the letter "A", the AOL logo, the Transamerica Pyramid, and the One dollar bill. An envelope in the United States notebook holds a letter that says, "If they'll believe this they'll believe anything." Suprisingly, there is no mention of Steve Jackson Games, anywhere in either notebook.
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|The head of Medusa, with a modern translation of the archaic spell Flesh to Stone. It appears reversible.
Caleb Cooper|Fallboy@aol.com|in this crate is a semably unlimetid amount of gold no mater how much you tack out it seems full
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|Yourself.
Dan Ritter|dsr@servtech.com|A bright chrome crescent, about 50 cm across. The tag hanging from it says "#1/2 (2/2 missing)".
Sean M. Breen|mrfnord@shell.rmi.net|An Impressionist painting of a moonlit meadow. However, the Death Star takes the place of the full moon. The painting's frame bears the title "Bad Moon Rising." There's no signature, only a small triangle in the corner.
James Keck|dragon@slinknet.com|A role playing module - it contains everthing that has happened to the party up to this point including picking module. When played look in back they will find encounters, room to go in, and people to meet on a random table. as long as the party has the module GM should just roll for the encounter then ask the players what does the chart shows
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|...a three-year old Thrint. It looks at you pleadingly, and licks its lips hungrily. You feel a fleeting urge to become its lunch.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|The box is labelled "Orbital Catapult". Inside are full plans and instructions for building what appears to be a standard medieval siege catapult. However, anything fired from this catapult will be shot into a stable orbit around Earth. The accelerations and friction involved are too high for a human to survive a launch from the catapult.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|An ordinary belt holster for medium-to-large pistols. When the wearer tries to draw the pistol from this holster, the pistol is teleported into their hand instantly. The holster will work four more times, then become non-functional.
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|THE Ark of the Covenant. Faintly, you hear music. It sounds like something by John Williams...
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|A large wooden throne. It appears not carved, but grown in the shape it is in. Carved on the high back of the throne is a stylized rising sun. Stamped on the bottom, in US government issue ink are the words "LAMAN'S SIN." There appear to be bloodstains scattered over the whole thing.
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|Avendesora.
Charles McGriff|Catcher@Dancris.com|An archaeologist's notebook with entries dated in late 1923. It contains a survey map and site details for what it calls "The secret Libraries of Alexandria".
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A copy of "Stonehenge for Dummies". It gives instructions on how to use a stone circle for calculations ranging from astronomy through advanced calculus.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A metal sphere, about 2 cm in diameter. You cannot move it, no matter how much force you put upon it. If you use the proper measuring instruments, you can discover that the only way to alter the sphere's location is (in essence) to move the planet.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|Buddha.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A velvet bag filled with perfectly spherical 20 karat diamonds. An instructional guide for industrial synthesis of these baubles is also in the box. The dedication page has been ripped out, and the author's name blacked out with magic marker.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A sheet of paper labelled "Famous Last Words", containing various humorous quotes as might immediately precede the untimely end of one's character in a role-playing game. If the person holding the list says any of the quotes on the list, they drop dead instantly.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A dog collar. Any dog wearing this collar can, by barking and pointing with its body, convey detailed information telepathically to any human. The tag on the collar is corroded, but the first letter, an L, can be barely made out.
Dirk Bester|dirkb@mfactory.com|A hermetically sealed jar containing 5 seeds the size and shape of a thumb in a pure helium atmosphere. If the shell of a seed is broken and the contents exposed to a non-inert environment, thousands of hair thin tendrils sprout out to a distance of 21 feet in about 5 seconds. Unprotected bio-matter is penetrated and killed by the tendrils and then consumed in the process of creating 1 new pod per 100 pounds of bio-matter per hour.
Dirk Bester|dirkb@mfactory.com|A black priests robe inside a clear plastic bag that is sealed with tape bearing the bio-hazard warning symbol. The robe contains nano-factories that produce and release viable bubonic plague samples using skin cells and atmospheric contaminants as raw-material.
Dan Wood|m0006-4@mail.orbis.net|Fnord Festival A pitch black subcompact car, tinted windows that convert the ultraviolet light emitted by the head lights, the label on the window states that it can go a maximum of Mach 5.5 (by popping the clutch), unfortunatly, the structure of the car can only handle 55mph. The label further states that there are several Fnord Festival's in geosynchronus orbit over shopping malls. The common therory is that they hit speed bumps. The keys appear to be missing.
Nexxus Kline|hem-dae@inorbit.com|An elf, about 4" tall, 90 lbs. clutching a bottle of Jolt in one hand and a corndog in the other. His skin has a greenish tinge to it and he's got a spork tucked behind his right ear. Upon seeing the party he beguns mumbling something about cows. All of a sudden he jumps up and runs off Mooing like a cow and making penguin noises as he goes.
CGEP9k1|keebler@rustbuckeet.ftw.org|A stolen sign reading, "Danger-- This Building Is Equipped with Explosive Burglar Protection"
Nexxus|hem-dae@inorbit.com|Elvis Presley, shoveling twinkies into his mouth two at a time.
J. Adams|jadams@interaccess.com|A scholarly tome titled 'failed geniuses'. It's a fairly thick book, dealing with people who everybody in the party has heard of. People like Bach, Einstein, Nobel, Graham, Edison, Tesla, Gates, etc. The wierd part is that it appears to consider them failures because they displayed their talents too openly. One party member will be described as a "great unknown". The book will have been published during the month and year of his/her conception.
TickTockMan|exit104@mcs.net|A sharp stick. It negates the penalty for targeting the eyes.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|Several smaller boxes, labeled "Tetanus", "Tuberculosis", "Malaria", "Chlamydia", "Pneumococcus", "M. Leprae", and a few others you don't recognise. Each box is filled with bottles containing liquid. There is one bottle missing from each box.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A 10 cm mirrored metal sphere. If you move it, you can hear something rolling around inside the sphere. If you open the sphere, you discover that it was another metal sphere, and that the inside of the sphere you opened was also mirrored. You can open the spheres ad infinitum, but you will never guess their true purpose. You shouldn't have opened the first sphere.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A large bottle of expensive Irish Whiskey. A frog, still alive, peers at you through the glass. It seems quite happy, despite the apparent lack of oxygen to be found in the closed bottle.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Slinky lace lingere made for various farm animals. If the PCs actually have the guts to put it on an animal (IQ 6- and appropriate disads, if you have wierd PCs) the animal's IQ is boosted to 10 for the duration, and it acquires the ability to talk as well as the lechourous and Xenophile disads. It will resist removal of these clothes and try to follow the PCs everywhere.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A small blue toaster oven. The dials are unusual - the analogue temperature dial is labeled, simply, 1 through 10, and there is and extra, clickable dial, also labeled 1 through 10. The temperature inside the oven is the setting of the first dial times 10 to the power of the setting on the second - giving the oven a range of (virtually) absolute zero to 10,000,000,000K (Considerably hotter than the interior of the Sun. The exterior of the oven is always room temperature, the interior changes from one set temperature to another in one second. Opening it on some settings is rather dangerous. There are no trademarks or other indetifying marks.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A set of venetian blinds and several pairs of sunglasses. The blinds are transparent to anyone wearing the glasses.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A mood ring. If you wear the stone of the ring so that it is on the inside of your palm, it will tell you the mood of the person whose hand you shake. The ring is cheap plastic, and the stone has a Moh's Hardness of 3.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A periodic table of the elements. It goes up to element 126. There are spaces for up to 374 remaining elements, most of which have nothing in them. 5 spaces say "Classified".
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A gold pocket watch. It keeps excellent time. However, there is an extra hand, like on a stopwatch. Pushing the stem causes your perceptions to come into sharp focus; however, everything seems red, and it is difficult to move anything except your body (*not* your clothes) and the watch itself. People around you seem as frozen as stone. The inscription on the back of the watch reads, "To my favorite nephew, your loving uncle, Donald."
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A large box labeled "Dry Water---Just Add Water!" Unfortunately, none of you are carrying purified distilled water to reconstitute it (as per the instructions on the side of the box) and spit doesn't work. The box is too heavy to lift.
Tim Soholt|soholt@io.com|Inside this quite large crate is a gazebo, which will not respond to any provocation.
TickTockMan|exit104@mcs.net|A solid gold apple, scuffed in a couple of places.
lizard|lizard@mrlizard.com|A perfectly normal globe of Earth, except that it is completely unlabled. Examination with extraordinarily sensitive instruments will reveal the continents on the globe are drifting in real time.
Steven Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|A latex rubber mask and gloves of astonishingly high quality. The "material" the mask & gloves are made of has the texture of human skin, and radiates warmth at human body temperature. The mask is molded in image of J. Edgar Hoover, and is fully reversible. When reversed, the mask & gloves are of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Steven Parsonage|steve1@i1.net|An ancient oaken box, 6"X4"X2". On the center of the box is a small stone dial with an sundial-like pointer. There is a stone button on top of the box. Radiating around the dial are the names of thirteen medieval European cathedrals. When the pointer is lined up with a name, and the button pressed, the bells in that cathedral will ring.
Brant Harvey|chimera@io.com|The typed manuscripts for an entire season of _Warehouse 23_, a weekly sci-fi television series. It is written and produced by the same crew which did _Kindred: The Embraced_, and is accordingly cheesy. However, it stars characters eerily reminiscent of those opening the box, or at least caricatures of them, and depicts events not entirely unlike the ones the openers have experienced. The discovery of the script seems to coincide with the seaon finale, during which two characters have a steamy affair, a third dies heroically, and still another proves to be an alien in disguise. Written on the last page in red ink is, "WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK -- SJ."
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|Several different sizes of anisokinetic crystals. If kinetic energy is applied to one face of the crystal, it emerges from another face of the crystal. The crystals (all of different shapes) also appear to be of different compositions. There are quartz crystals, pyrite crystals, diamond crystals, salt crystals, and sugar crystals. Curious, you pick up the anisokinetic rock candy. It is delicious, and tastes of grape.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|hundreds of sealed, postmarked envelopes. They are all stamped "Personal and Confidential". Each is addressed to the home address of a different celebrity. The postmarks range from about 6 months ago to June 3, 1952, and come from locations all across the United States. Each envelope contains a copy of the same anonymous form letter. The letter touts the advantages of life "out of the spotlight", and claims that dozens of celebrities "have been relieved of the burden of public life by taking advantage of our services". The reader is directed to use the phrase "testing, one, two, three, fnord" during sound checks if he/she is "interested in taking advantage of our services".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a heat-sealed plastic pouch containing a plastic decoder ring. The letters A through Z are embossed around the circumference of a rotating disk. Aligning the disk with a fixed pointer will reveal a letter thorough a window cut in the disk. Strangely enough, the letter revealed seems random. The ring will successfully decode any substitution cypher that uses only the letters A through Z, no matter how complex.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a fiberglass canoe. The number "23" is painted on both sides near the stern end. This canoe cannot be tipped over while it is floating in water. The gunwales can be forced to within an inch or so of the water's surface, but will go no further.
Neil O'Brien|Neil.OBrien@otis.erkware.com|(for an IOU campaign) You have found a small boolet marked "Stuff on the Arch-Dean". Stamped on in bold red is the warning "FOR CTHULU'S SAKE DON'T OPEN THIS!!" A feminine shadow loorms over you, draining any warmth from the area. Red lettering appears on the book, saying "I TOLD YA SO!!" The Arch-Dean's cats then proceed to sharpen their claws on your pants...
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a roll of heavy, rough-textured, light-grey paper. The roll is 1 m wide and 100 m long. If this paper is placed on the ground and soaked with water, it fuses with the ground beneath it as it dries, becoming a 10 cm thick slab of concrete.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|thousands upon thousands of get-well cards. Some have notes addressed to "Craig" or "Craig Shergold" inside, and a few have variations like "Greg Shergold" or "Craig Sherwood". Several nearby crates contain more cards. There must be millions of them . . .
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a kidney dialysis machine, with an attached invoice. The invoice acknowledges the receipt of one million "pull tabs, aluminum".
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a guillotine. It has been disassembled for storage, but it is complete (should anyone care to reassemble it). It functions normally, unless used on a victim who has not told a lie (not even a "little white line" or other prevarication) within the last 168 hours. In this case, the blade will jam just before it reaches the victim's neck.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an expensive-looking ball-point pen. Whenever the pen is extended, the local power system will suffer a blackout affecting a 5 km radius around the pen. Power is restored as soon as the pen is retracted.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a hand-held device that resembles a radar gun, with a cord that plugs into a normal automobile cigarette lighter. There is no display, but when the device is pointed at a car and its trigger is pulled, the car's ignition system will fail. The device has a range of 1 km. Note that engines without ignition systems (e.g., diesel engines) are unaffected by the device.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a shiny black cube with a small recess on one side. A red pushbutton is located in the recess, where it is protected from being accidentally pushed. If the pushbutton is activated, gravity no longer affects anything within 4 m of the cube. Pushing the button again restores normal gravity. If the device remains active continuously for 7 minutes, it will vanish suddenly and normal gravity will be restored.
Yuts|Cleo1@pioneerplanet.infi.net|You find a hammer with the words f*ck it on one side if held imposingly over any machen that is not functioning ( or not pluged in) it sudenly begens to work.
Andres Santiago Perez-Bergquist|iago@geocities.com|What appears to be a computer, save that the case is of polished wood, not plastic. It has no power cords, only a hinged lid labeled "coal shute". Opening the case reveals a massively complex miniaturized steam engine. The front of the case reads VaporMac 86/5000. If turned on, the user is presented with an operating system far superior to any found today and programs running at unbelievable speeds. If it used for over four hours, a low coal warning will appear.
Jon Webb|hakker@wco.com|A twisted piece of metal with what look to be small solar panels. The side is labeled "Sputnik" in Cyrillic writing and upon closer inspection you find the plans for a futuristic robot that will be maniaclly evil and take over the capitalist society. The project is codenamed "Gates."
Jon Webb|hakker@wco.com|A typical board game of "Risk." Upon closer inspection you notice the Swiss army moving in on the Bavarian highlands, denoted by the Illuminated Eye(tm). One of the Swiss Army officers is pulling a 12'x 4'x 3' Radio Flyer wagon filled with high tech looking Swiss Army Knives(tm). If you try to move the pieces from their positions on the board, an alarm sounds and small AA guns pop out of the boards and begin shooting at you.
David Wood|dwood@skipjack.bluecrab.org|A pharmaceutical vial labeled "Independol" and a number of perfectly ordinary hypodermic syringes. A little farther down in the crate, there is a notebook describing the dosages and the basic use for independol: to neutralize any substance addiction or dependence. (The downside is that Independol is itself hideously psychologically addictive; once every three days, the user must acquire an addiction to some substance and then use independol to become cured. The use of independol without an addiction does not satisfy this craving; it is actually the sensation of the other addiction being crushed that the user is hooked to.)
Orville Eastland|none yet|The object is a large white weather baloon, seemingly rippling, as if asleep. It is about as tall as a man. Below it is a plaque marked "Rover"
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A bra designed to be used by a cow. It increases overall milk production by 15%.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Several tournament fencing foils. Although there is no evident source, any solid hit will do 1d electrical damage and fry all non-hardened electronics within 50 feet.
Jack Reasoner|preason@tc3net.com|100 cartons of filter-tip cigarettes. The crate is addressed to a non-existent business in a major American city.
Jack Reasoner|preason@tc3net.com|A massive book whose cover reads "The Warren Commission Report". Upon reading it you find that the Commission claims to have identified 14 separate gunmen in Dealy Plaza the day Kennedy died.
Jack Reasoner|preason@tc3net.com|Three hundred and twenty driver's licenses. All of them have your picture. None of them has your name. If you combine all the letters of all the first names on all the licenses in a certain order, you will get an obscene message.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A crate of green olives with pimento, in jars. For each one you eat, your telepathy power increases by one level (even from 0 to 1) for one hour. The process may be repeated up to twenty times. The twenty-first olive in a one hour period will cause incapacitating headaches, the twenty second will cause your head to explode. Consuming the olives wiith any non-minute amount of alcohol in your system will also blow up your head.
Eric Lulie|tiki@tomatoweb.com|A 10 foot by 10 foot by 10 foot sealed, roughly-hewn cube. Upon opening the cube, you see a miniature orc sitting on a miniature chest...
Rob Kamm|vampyre@lamar.colostate.edu|A complete, bug-free, working copy, including intelligible documentation, of Windows 66.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A 2' square of a greyish metal. One side is shiny, and is perfectly frictionless. On the other side is a sticker: "Property MIT Physics Dept. For Undergraduate Physics Labs ONLY!"
Ben Higginbottom|66859352@mmu.ac.uk|A totally empty box......honestly!!!!!%!!!!!
Travis Bryant|zoso@one.net|A toy pistol, cowboy style. It is primarily made of metal, indicating that it's several decades old. Pointing the gun at someone and pulling the trigger will cause hammer to fall and the normal "click". However, doing this and saying "Bang!" will cause the target's internal organs will burst.
Travis Bryant|zoso@one.net|A blue piece of fruit, resembling an orange. Further examination will prove that it is, in fact, a blue-hued orange. Also in the box is a long list of words that rhyme with "blue".
Xplo Eristotle|xplo@mclv.net|The Egg of Yog appears is black and bears the inscription "Yog" in several places. The surface is smooth and shiny like dried polyurethane and a small hole revels that the Egg's initial occupant has already escaped.
Kelly Roberge|kroberge@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca|A normal-looking quarter. If flipped, the quarter will always land on its edge.
Kelly Roberge|kroberge@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca|A Tickle-Me Cthulu (tm) doll.
Kelly Roberge|kroberge@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca|A seemingly ancient cave drawing depicting a vast creature with the head of a squid. Radio-carbon dating will place the drawing before the last ice age.
Kelly Roberge|kroberge@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca|An official government document expaining what the "copywrite" symbol (c) REALLY means.
Cameron Eubanks|Mysteria@castlegate.com| An ordinary deck of tarot cards. On further investigation you find all the magor arcanna are replaced with intricate portrates. The back of each card holds either a unicorn rampant, a twisting sigal, or a combination of the two.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|One thousand boxes each containing Uality brand computer keyboards. Stangely there is no "Q" in the keyboard. The box next to this one has keyboards that have a "Q" but no semi-colon.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|Slightly schorched directions for making various types of boot soles, truck and car tires and tank treads that leave characters from the Koran in any sufficiently soft material they travel over.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|Nearly a hundred yellowish roots resembling yams. Anyone under the age of forty-two will think they smell putrid; however they will smell delicious to anyone forty-two or older, so much so that they must make a will-20 to avoid immediately grabbing one and munching down. PC's between forty-two and fifty will fall into a coma and begin mutating into hideous creatures with large braincases, and knobby joints. They will come out of their coma in about two weeks. Anyone over fifty will die twenty-four hours after falling into the coma.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|A well thumbed copy of the GURPS Fantasy supplement "Sword of the Dark One". Looking inside, a reader will find that it is marked "9th printing".
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|A gourd hollowed out for ladeling water, and a well worn sandal.
Blue Max|None|A medium-sized Harris tweed jacket, the same as any professor would wear...except for the inside pocket, which distorts space to give it a near-infinite carrying capacity.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A wire-rimmed eyeglass frame. No lenses are present. Anyone with any vision at all who wears these glasses will see with 20/20 vision; people who are completely blind are unaffected.
_RosE_ of the Black Tower of Time|rose@emails.com|A black box looking a bit like a CD-player. In front are a little 5" slot. In it many sorts of media can be can be inserted. Possible medias are normal disks of difrent sizes, over CD of the difrent sorts to some exotic thinks like micrchip-cards and memory cristals. On the right lower corner of the front are a lable with the holographic insription reading "ATARI MicroBox". On the top of the cover a big red lable shows " TOP SECRET, Prototyp V5.3". On the right side of this black box a switch can be found who bring this computer to life. If it is switched on a 3d-projektion cube marterialise on top of the box showing a login screen and a lovely female voice pleased you to identify. beside the black box are some books in witch the login-id can be found and some descriptions about the voice controled AI operating system. The computer can connect semself to all existing perephery without cabels. Also it can connect to any existing network if a data or telephone line is around 100m. Also a thin folder can be found in witch a detailed conspiration agains the producers of these computer are described.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A tackle box. Inside is a typical assortment of line, hooks, weights, floats, etc., however there are no lures, flies, bait, or anything similar. The bare hooks will always catch fish (assuming fish are in the water to be caught) at a rate of about one fish per minute.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a black-and-white photograph of an old man with whisker stubble. Anyone who looks at the photo will recall vague childhood memories of knowing him, but will be unable to recall his name.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a package of temporary tattoos. Each sheet is 4x7 inches, and has 14 identical 2x1 inch tattoos. Each tattoo is nothing more than the name of some medical condition (e.g., diabetes, hayfever, hyperactivity, headache). When applied, each tattoo relieves the named condition (assuming the wearer suffers from it) for 48 hours, or until the tattoo is washed off.
Robert Staton|rstaton@uci.edu|A small speck of silver that seems to shy from you - the last of the world's innocence. As you look on, it fades from existence. . .
Bill Tennant|WTennant@aol.com|A memorandum signed by the CEOs of every major computer company in which they agree to release computer upgrades in small increments over a period of 50 years. As an attachment is a schematic for a computer that has in excess of 10 gig of RAM and processor speed in the neighborhood of 1 million megahertz.
Bill Tennant|WTennant@aol.com|An 8mm movie reel marked "Zapruder Film - 1963." If played, it will be the same Zapruder film frames, right up until the shots are fired on JFKs car. At that moment, the camera begins panning left, right, and jerking around a great deal. By slowing the film down, several shooters may be seen, dressed in black, all along the route. They then begin firing indiscriminately into the crowd. The movie ends abruptly...
Aaron Medwin|kupo@io.com|The item is a small little globe about 1" in diameter. Any telepath who touches it will get the stock market exchange listings, updated whenever AOL updates the WWW version of their stock exchange. The small marks 'Copyright 1986 America Online, Inc' is carved on the sphere.
Bert Ross|bertross@msn.com|A small translucent sapphire sphere that will not come closer than two inches to any surface. Any attempt to capture the sphere result in it seeming to "pass through" solid matter and come to rest in mid-air again two inches away from any surface.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Teeth, gums, saliva, a large tongue... The inside of the box appears to be the inside of some very large creature's mouth. From the dentition, it's an omnivore (and it's hungry - it will eat any food placed within, subduing it with a 2d+1 bite if necessary), and from the smell, it doesn't brush. The lid contains a large rubber `soother' nub on the inside. The outside of the box is normal, and quite light.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a crate of aerosol spray cans labeled "Greyco Instant Hair®" in assorted colors. When first applied, it looks like wet spray paint, smells like burning rubber, and stings slightly. However, as the product dries (in 5-7 minutes), it metamorphoses into very real-looking hair that is firmly attached to the scalp. The resulting hair is water-soluble, however. It dissolves into a gummy mass when wet.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|what appear to be the plug and socket ends of a heavy-duty extension cord. There is no cord protruding from either. In fact, it doesn't look like there ever was a cord protruding from either. When the plug end is plugged into a wall socket, socket end will deliver power to any appliance that is plugged into it. The two ends may be separated by any distance and still function normally. There is an internal 15-amp circuit breaker that automatically resets 30 minutes after being tripped.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a black rubber handle roughly 4 inches long. From one end of the grip, a white cylinder ½ inch in diameter protrudes two inches. There is a red pushbutton on the other end of the grip. The pushbutton turns the device on and off. When the device is on, the handle reacts as though the white cylinder extended 5 feet from the handle; blind travellers can use it just like a normal 5-foot white cane. However, while the handle acts as though the virtual cane has hit an obstacle, the virtual cane has no effect the objects it encounters.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|several dozen panes of glass, each 3 by 4 feet. While they appear to be unbreakable, they can be cut with an acetylene torch.
Michael Hayden |hal9500@juno.com|opening the box you find: An italian made rifle, a old flannel shirt and a pair of denim jeans with grass stains on the knees. A quick check in the pockets reveal:a pawnshop stub for someone named "J.R.", and a matchbook from a Dallas Coffee shop with a phone number(now disconnected)and the name Lee.
you're not cleared for this|you're not cleared for this|A Illuminati membership request form. Along side it is a brown paper envelope containing nude photos of Richard Garfield and Bill Clinton (sperately, taken at a different place and time). Also in that envelope are a pair of orange socks I still can't find.Fnord
Coaly Landitch|jplobb@epix.net|A little box of candy bars. Once eaten they give the person incredible super-human strength and a cold that gets progressively worse until the victim turns into Donald Duck.
you're not cleared for that|you're not cleared for that|An origional STAR WARS action figure set complete except for chewbecca who upon further investigation is alive in one of the players pockets and desperately trying to escape although remaining soundless
Marin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A screenplay for a strange Broadway musical about an evil space monster trying to make it in the competitive world of dance -- _A Cthtorrous Line_.
Jim Messer|ShadowMancer@juno.com|10,000 One Dollar Bills. Nothing unusual about them except the print date and serial number are identical. It reads 11100101 1954. One of the Secret Masters had them printed to cheat at Doller Poker.
James Renken|jrenken@sandwich.org|A small, bloodstained piece of parchment with some writing in a completely unknown language. Advanced chemical examination will reveal the "blood" to actually be Heinz brand ketchup. All tests will date the writing at 2000 B.C., the ketchup at 409 A.D., and the parchment itself at October 1994.
James Renken|jrenken@sandwich.org|A small, bloodstained piece of parchment with writing in a completely unknown language. Advanced chemical examination will reveal the blood to in fact be Heinz brand ketchup. All tests will date the writing at 2000 B.C., the ketchup at 409 A.D., and the parchment itself at October 1994.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|Three six-sided dice with digits 1 to 6 apparently screen- printed onto each side. If they are all rolled together, they will show the total number rolled on every side until they are picked up again.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A vast collection of AOL diskettes. They no longer contain that data, however. The diskettes have been relabeled with magic marker, and disk 1 is missing. The data is encrypted, and without disk 1 you cannot determine the meaning of the information. You suspect AOL spends too much on advertising.
Pat Dewey|blackwolfe9653@hotmail.com|A recipe book, in english, which appears to be at least 100 years old. All of the recipes are for various types of meat pies, and, upon very close inspection with a sharp object, an appendix sealed within the inside back cover identifies the various types of meats as pseudonyms for various professions. The indicia at the front of the recipe book credit Mrs. Lovett, Mr. Barker, and Mr. Todd. The recipe which appears to refer to government agents is highlighted, with a note reading "Delicious!" and the signature of the current director of the warehouse.
Jim Messer|Shadowmancer@juno.com|A large hand written and slightly damaged manual describing the manufacture and proper use of widgets. The manual describes how to make all sizes of widgets, from the Micro-Widget(tm), to the Industrial Strength Military Widget(tm). The index contains a complete lost of patent numbers. The box also contains 12 widgets that fit the description of the "Temporal Widget" from page 423. The section for the use of this widget has been torn out. A small note on attached to the book says "Suppress at all costs."
Jim Messer|Shadowmancer@juno.com|A small black box with what looks like a standard computer cable connection port. It is labeled, "Warning. Steve Jackson Brain Tape: Suppress Until Completion of Plan A-3721-4."
Jim Messer|Shadowmancer@juno.com|A small black box with what looks like a standard computer cable connection port. It is labeled, "Warning. Steve Jackson Brain Tape: Suppress Until Completion of Plan A-3721-4."
MIKE WAGMAN|michael.wagman@jadebbs.com|asparGAS Appears to be normal aspargras except if tips are broken off and it is left covered for 24 hrs it will conver to a combustable fuel. 8 lbs make one gallon. note: this item is edible within 24 hrs of picking also tips can be planted to grow new plants.
MIKE WAGMAN|mike.wagman@jadebbs.com|Squash seed letter. enevlope containing 1 squash seed and a note note reads: plant, water, cut along dotted lines, cook, serves 6. if planted in 48 hrs it will produce a vine and 1 squash (squash had dotted lines on it, if cut along dotted lines will serve 6) when cut open enclosed are no seeds, but a piece of paper. paper is a recipe ingreadents include: 10w40 motor oil, barbeque sauce, and 1 lb of shreaded dictionary. when consuned not only is it the best tasting food the character has ever had, he recives a +1 per dice bonus for the next 24 hrs. warning: is 2 servings are eaten within a 24 hr period charactor has become addicted to the squash.
schadwen@aol.com|Erik Appel|A newly dead house cat and a rock. The rock will be found to be mildly radioactive, setting a geiger counter to clicking only twice as fast as would be caused by normal background radiation. An autopsy on the cat will show that it dies the instant the box was opened.
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|Trust me, you really don't want to know. Let's just move on to the next box, shall we?
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|What can only be called a pirate's treasure chest. Somehow you get the feeling that it is VERY angry.
Johan Wahlström|jawahlst@cc.jyu.fi|A pencil. At first clance it appears to be completely normal pencil. X-Ray scans reveal nothing more, neither do magnoematic, hyperklotic or quasi-teonic research techniques. Maybe it would be safe to test the pencil or break it open and look what's inside. Better have somebody expendable do it, just in case.....
A.I.N.O.M.|106713.3367@compuserve.com|A large round of what appears to be edam cheese. Scratched into the red, waxy covering are what look like bizzare, eye-straining runes mixed with high-tech engineering blueprints. A small piece of paper selotaped onto the cheese bears the legend: warning! Smelly. Not ot be approached by nasal sensitives.
j. oberholtzer|eco@ix.netcom.com|A large friendly golden retriever. There is a shiny, gold "MADE IN CHINA" stamp on the inside of its left ear. Other than that it is perfectly normal.
j. oberholtzer|eco@ix.netcom.com|A small, slimy, eel-like fish. Anyone who sticks it in their ear can understand anything, in any language that is said to them. It neither eats or excretes.
Alex Kenlon|dragon@ezy.net|A steel box with the word "Schrodinger" written on the label. Inside the box is a small lead device (the type for holding radioactive materials), a geiger counter, a 9mm pistol (trigger attached to the geiger counter), a spent 9mm round and a cat skeleton with a hole in it's skull. (RE: The Schrodinger's cat paradox)
Marc Gabriele|gootmu@andrew.cmu.edu|A mattress tag, the kind that can not be removed under penalty of law. It seems to have some kind of mystical rune on it. The rune fades away after a few seconds.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|An old, brittle note sealed in plastic. The note is addressed to "Capt. John A. Sutter", and reads: The creature (?) resembles a shy puppy in temperment and intelligence. It cannot see, although its surface has an extremely sensitive tactile/auditory sense. Its original appearance was an attempt to hide by blending into the bottom of the box.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an intricately carved sculpture of an angel, approximately eight inches tall. Its right arm is extended upwards, and its right hand holds a small silver bell. Several times a day, the bell will jingle spontaneously. The ringing appears to occur at random intervals, and the sculpture doesn't appear to move the bell--it moves on its own.
Ostraka|Library|A expensive wall clock. The numbers are in reverse order. 9 is were 3 should be and visa versa. It, however, tells perfect time as the Hour, Minute, and Second hands go off in counterclockwise motion. A small label on the back of the clock simply reads: Property of the Red Queen.
Ostraka|Library|A strange telegram made of an unknown alien material. It's basicly indestructable and cannot be harmed by any form of magic or science. It reads as follows: YOUR REALITY LEVEL IS OUT OF ORDER. STOP. YOU ARE NOW ON YOUR OWN. STOP. It signed by somebody called the Mystics of Murrenburg.
Ostraka|Library|A evil parchment that has the person selling her soul in exchange to be able to produce absolute drivil on t.v. The signiture is that of Roseanne Arnold. Ironically, there is a postscript that says that THEY have decided that they don't want her in hell afterall due to the fear that she would take over.
Ostraka|Library|A peace of scrappaper that is a diary page torn out of a book. It's date is unreadable but the message is clear. It simply states: Mein Gott. M.C. Escher was right. It's signed Albert Einstien.
Daniel W. Johnson|panoptes@iquest.net|An assortment of good luck charms (four-leaf clovers, rabbit feet, etc.). They can and will inhibit any nearby event inconsistent with the possessor's worldview, but they will not cause any events mandated by that worldview. A Flat-Earther with one of the charms would probably cause problems for spacecraft and certain forms of navigation. In the hands of one of the Amish, such a charm would have less of an effect than some might expect. Other items in the Facility (with the exception of the other charms) are not immune to this effect. Thorough searching of the box will turn up a torn scrap of paper on which only "mmittee for the Sci" is legible.
Jason "Jericho" Brown|jason_jericho_brown@juno.com|A hand-held box that appears to be a large remote control. Buttons on the device are marked "Create Planet," "Destroy Planet," "Create Life," etc. When one of the buttons is depressed, the little red LED comes on on the top and the opperator feels a tingle over his whole body, but there are no other visable effects.
Jason "Jericho" Brown|jason_jericho_brown@juno.com|A Rubik's Cube (TM) that has been scrambled. If unscrambled, a tinny voice from inside begins to recite Pi to the Nth decimal point. Listening to the cube for more that five minutes requires a will roll. Those passing the will roll by three or more will gain the Mathmatics skill at their IQ, or add +2 to any existing Math related skill they might have.
Jason "Jericho" Brown|jason_jericho_brown@juno.com|A small, blue turtle that speaks fluent French.
Jason "Jericho" Brown|jason_jericho_brown@juno.com|A diamond cut roughly to resemble an eye ball. If watched closely it will blink.
Jason "Jericho" Brown|jason_jericho_brown@juno.com|A copy of the Anarcist's Cookbook with an inscription from "J.C." to "A.H."
Michael Wagman|Michael.Wagman@jadebbs.com|DNA - Sampler. If a tissue sample is placed in this device in two hours a list of the charecters stats, advantages, disadvantges will be generated, in a supers campaighn that also would include super power. The system has just finished running a sample on the predident of the U.S. and lists 4 delusions.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A full men's business suit, complete with socks, shoes, and boxer shorts, crumpled on the bottom of the box. If a person enters the crate and the lid is closed, the person is teleported to a matching crate, currently in a warehouse in St. Louis, Missouri. Only living creatures can be teleported; goods such as clothing or weapons will remain in the original crate. Note that the receiving crate does not have the same ability.
Emily Smirle|ct005@freenet.carleton.ca|A folder of papers labled "Contingency Plan B". Close inspection reveals it to be a detailed battleplan for the Canadian armed forces, in case the US attempts to thwart "Operation W". It assumes a desparate situation, and indicates deploying "Weapon W" to demoralize Americain troops.
Grant Gainey|ggainey@widget.com|A flat, metallic plate, 3"x5". A dull white stick projects from the center at a 45-degree angle. The stick can be flipped to point in either of two directions, making a sharp, distinct "click" as it snaps into place. The plate will adhere to any relatively-flat, relatively-vertical surface. When so placed, moving the stick into one position will cause the surrounding area, up to a 30' cube, to be brightly illuminated. Moving the stick into the other position will create a similar amount of inky blackness. The plate will come off (and cancel its effects) with a simple pull.
Neil O'Brien|neil.obrien@otis.erkware.com|(Please note: All spelling mistakes are on purpose) A plain blue-green book with an embossed title. The title reads "The sekret of Fnordia: Ye olde travellers guide". There are also two stickers on the book. One reads "Ye olde speciale editione! A complete diktoinary definitoin of Fnord!". The other "Saale: 2 Ilummbits, 1 Fnordione" When you open the book, the entire 4500 page volume is filled with sentances like "...happy blue pigmabeetle sqaush tree blue bird...", or at least the letters will make the book appear so. ANone illuminated will see [ Censored ], as well as a [fnordfnordfnordfnordfnordfnordfnordfnord].
Matt Jordan|mjordan@holly.colostate.edu|A ordinary looking electric razor marked "Norelko". It has two settings, "low" and "high". When used on "low", it gives an incredibly close and comfortable shave. The hair will not grow back. When used on "high", the hair will grow back, in a nauseating shade of purple.
Secret Alien Mentor|SAMscorner@aol.com|Notes from the agents who were keeping tabs on Lee Harvey Oswald - to make sure he was picked up at "the right time". You also find a pair of J. Edgar Hover's ballet shoes.
Mark Brenton|brenton@online.emich.edu|A gallon jug full of a greenish-blue fluid. The jug is marked "Anti-Matter Reactor Coolant." If opened and smelled, the liquid bears a striking similar odor to Wild Berry Kool-Aid. If drunk, the liquid will cause the very messy dissolution of the imbiber.
Edward Easton|eddie@csua.berkeley.edu|A small, brightly-colored clown doll with a pull-ring on its back. When the ring is pulled, the clown doll says, "Hey Bill," or "Hey Billy-boy" in a taunting voice. The current president of the United States (change the name for other presidents, of course) will hear the doll's voice every time the ring is pulled. Eventually he will go crazy and be removed from office for undisclosed reasons.
Edward Easton|eddie@csua.berkeley.edu|An unopened package labeled "Premium-Quality Inkjet Paper --500 sheets." The paper is good inkjet paper of a color that the players have never seen before and doesn't match any known color in the spectrum.
Edward Easton|eddie@csua.berkeley.edu|An unopened package labeled "Premium-Quality Inkjet Paper --500 sheets." The paper is good inkjet paper of a color that the players have never seen before and doesn't match any known color in the spectrum. If the players examine the paper closely, they will notice that the watermark reads, "fnord."
Marc Gabriele|gootmu@andrew.cmu.edu|A gold-plated iron disc. Inscibed on the face of the disc are the letters YHWH. If measured, it will be discovered that the disc has a circumference of 30 inches, and a diameter of 10 inches.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A tv-style remote control labeled "FnordCo Libedo Control". When pointed at someone, it can be used to control their sexual urges and orientation. the channel arrows cycle through Straight/Gay/Bi, and the volume arrow increases or decreases libedo from no urge at all to lecherous with -10 to will rolls.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A case of clear glass 40oz bottles of superb vodka. They have simple glossy black labels with a single golden illuminated pyramid.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A pangolin, and echidna, a capybera, and a duck-billed platypus. They are arranged around a picture of a naked human male, pointing at it and snickering.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Explosive donuts. They look and taste like normal donuts, but detonate with the force of a stick of dynamite if subjected to sudden stress or impact. Such as biting...
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Unlabled black plastic packets of disgusting green paste. The paste is actually pretty decent guacamole, although it also turns the consumers stool neon pink for the next ten days.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Boxes of small chocolate-bar sized plastic packets labeled "FnordCo Desert Survival Bar". Eating one of the tasteless and leathery bars contained in these packets will turn the subject's skin green and waxy (DR 1), reduce liquid exretion to virtually nil, and allow the subject to photosynthesize enough to live off of provided (s)he stays outdoors in the sun all day.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|A freshly shorn black sheep. It looks at you sadly. Anyone befriending this sheep gains on free level of Luck as long as the sheep is within 10 ft.; but loses it and another (normal becomes unlucky, unlucky's effects are doubled) level if the sheep is ever killed. It is normal (and thus mind-boggleingly stupid) in other ways.
Martin Leuschen|martinl@rice.edu|Several cheap plastic toy ray guns, modeled after those seen on a popular TV series. On top is a carbon of a memo with the identifying bits blacked out, stating "You idiot! You got the shipments mixed up and 23 agents died! Not to mention about 1400 civvies who got to near the wrong toddlers!" The guns work as TL9 dino lasers, with 1d*3 shots left in each.
Damien Wellman|damienw@juno.com|A complete set of all GURPS rulebooks ever printed, including first edition printings. Any character, vehicle, weapon, etc. created with the most recent version of each rulebook will be literally created within 42 miles of the person using the books, and if sentient and mobile will seek out the creator. The reaction of a character to its creator will ALWAYS be extremely good or extremely bad, never neutral or lukewarm in either direction.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A cardboard box containing "Everlasting Gobstoppers". This is not actually the jawbreaker candy that most people are familiar with; instead, the candy wrappers seem to have been manufactured circa 1930, and the company name is "Willy Wonka, Inc." The candies are delicious, and none of them ever seems to get smaller. The candies are unbreakable by any means that anyone can think of, and diabetics do not need to add additional units of insulin to their daily regimen, despite the delightful taste of pure, refined sucrose.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A video/vcr - like unit. It's somewhat reminiscent of a microfiche viewer in size, but is clearly set up to display television-quality images. It does not have room to insert a tape. It has several knobs on the front: "Off/On" "Volume" "X" "Y" "Z" and "Time". The power and volume knobs usage are self-evident. The x, y, and z buttons are spacial coordinate axes, and altering them will bring images on the screen displaced from the machine's current location. The knob seems to allow displacements by as little as one centimeter. The time knob allows you to view images from the past, but not the future; the knob's default position is all the way to the right, showing the present. The time knob is sensitive to as little as one second. In essence, this is a machine that allows you to view wherever and whenever in time. However, its use is not as simple as it seems. Since the past is always receding, the machine needs to be constantly reset to view a particular slice of time. Also, since the Earth is rotating, revolving around the sun, and Sol's place in the Milky Way is also changing at a very high speed, the machine does not allow anything but the present to be viewed clearly with ease. On the back of the machine, there is an engraved metal tag that reads "Mark 1".
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A duplicating machine. It is clearly a prototype. On the left side, it has a flat smooth plate that appears to be brown glass; on the right side are two wires. Attaching the two wires to anything will cause a duplicate to suddenly appear on the plate side of the machine. The duplicate is mirror-reversed from the original object, but is otherwise identical, down to the molecular level. There is no instructional manual, and it is not clear where the matter for the duplicated object comes from. Any object can be duplicated any number of times, as far as you can tell. Copying a mirror-reversed object produces an object identical to the template for the mirror-reversed object. Don't attach the duplicating wires to the duplicating machine itself. You don't want to know what happens.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A piece of tubing about 2 feet in diameter and 6 feet long. The outside of the tube reads in bold letters "GNDN". If you enter the tube, you can hear a man yelling in a bad Scottish accent. His voice cannot be heard outside the tube.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|Plans for an intergalactic hyperlight starship. The plans are clearly marked and several different varieties of blueprints are available to use. If the ship is built, however, no one will be able to use it; after all, the computer in the ship will not be programmed on how to use the hyperlight drive, and the required 37,539 kilograms of antihydrogen for the trip from the Milky Way Galaxy to the Lesser Magellanic Clouds is not available here on Earth.
Dave Brumbaugh|MobiusRun@aol.com|Magnetic Accelleration Particle Energy Cannon [MAPEC, may-pek]: The MAPEC is a silvery cylinder (diameter = 1 ft., length = 5 ft.) with a handle and a small port (almost like a headphone jack, but larger) protruding from the center of one side. A large plate next to the handle states the MAPEC's name and function. The MAPEC, when attached, via the included cable, to a neural network (biological or otherwise, through which all commands are made) and held by the handle, it is ready for activation. When activated, the MAPEC builds up a powerful magnetic charge and uses it to force Anti-Iron (the antimatter equivilant of iron, referred to as AFe) through a vacuum tunnel to its target. Due to the nasty annhilliation effects of a matter/antimatter reaction, caution is suggested when firing.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A strange book bound with human skin that emits a strange greenish glow in the soft light of the warehouse. The lock is made of rough iron, and fear overcomes you as you touch it. It seems to emanate with evil beyond imagination.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|Files upon files field with memos concerning something called the "Anti-Alien Intrusion System" and blueprints for Moon-based energy weapons. One memo is dated "July 16, 1948".
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A polished granite Easter Island head sculpture with two large holes for pupils. In a small bag also in the box are two large polished rubies and a note saying "To stop Doomsday, use as directed"
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A large plexiglass sphere with a door in the side and a chair levetating in the middle. In front of the chair, several unmarked knobs and switches on a control panel are suspended in mid air by an unknown apparatus. A manual sits on the chair and a note on the door says "Temporal Travel Device, Found: Jerusalem, 1942 Dated circe 1-10 BC"
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A elven sword and well-worn battery powered lamp sit at the bottom of the box. They are both marked "Found in Great Underground Empire, 932 GU".
Marty Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A pop tart sits on a small pearl saucer. If you move the pop tart, it grows three arms, leaps at you and grasps your throat, screaming "Toast Me!". It will not let go until you do.
Mike Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A patch of strawberries with a strange grey creature lurking within. It seems to have painted it's toenails with strawberry red paint.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A small black book of addresses of unknown people. Under U one entry says "UFO Command and Control Center" written in red and lists an office in the Sears Tower. All addresses except that one are bogus, and the office turns out to be that of a catalog editors
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A small glass vial filled with a red substance. A white computer printed label says "AIDS Advanced Version 2.8 Do Not Open - Air-Born Virus"
Matt Webb|si2au@onr.com|A large self-suffecient cryostasis chamber. Through the window you can see a large humanoid covered with thick white hair. The plaque on the side of the chamber says "Sasquatch, Do Not Revive Unless Under Secure Conditions"
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A piece of material that looks like petroleum jelly. If touched, it grabs onto the hand that touched it and seems to disappear into the skin. The subject seems normal until he or she hears anything sung by Barbara Streisand or the Soviet National Anthem. He or she then goes into an insane rage until the song stops.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A small file folder labeled in cursive "Traitors". Contained inside are pictures of Gary Larson, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Bill Gates, and Steve Jackson.
Matt Webb|si2au@onr.com|A large leather-bound book labeled in gold leaf on cover "Anarchist's Cookbook: Unedited Version". The book seems the same as a normal Anarchist's Cookbook, until the last pages, were it describes the building of cruise missiles, communications satellites, nuclear weapons, and something called a Tectonic Amplification Device.
Matt Webb|si2au@aol.com|The crate contains thousands of 1, 5, and 100 dollar bills, all the same except the portrait on the ones are of Adolf Hittler, on the fives is of Mussolini, and on the hundreds is of Stalin. A typed note taped to top of the crate says "Retrieved from Alternate Dimension #204216"
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|At the bottom of the box is a garage door opener with a large white button on the top and a strange antennae fused into the transmitter. If aimed at any inanimate object within 50 feet and pressed, every door or orifice meant to open will, regardless of any locking mechanisms. When pointed at living being, it dies instantly and is turned inside out.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A several sheets of paper stapled together containing the recipe for creating McDonald's special sauce and Coca-Cola. Both require a nuclear reactor.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A small chrome metal remote control with only one big metal button on it. If the button is pressed, every balloon and bicycle pump within ten miles spontaneously explodes.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A group of high-quality pictures contain what appears to be a Klingon cruiser. The pictures are labeled "Hubble Telescope, March 23rd 1997"
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A box of thirty envelopes. A sticky note on top of the box explains that the first ten envelopes causes those who lick them to die within 1 year, the second ten cause the licker to die within ten minutes, and the third ten cause the licker to spontaneously combust within 30 seconds. It also mentions contacting Department #22 about getting similar stamps.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A large king sized matress with a note taped onto it. It says simply "Warning! Exposure to electricity will cause reanimation."
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A typed manuscript containing a conversation between Steven Hawking, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Sigmund Freud. At top of the manuscript are the words "Bermuda Cryo-Stasis Center, Main Counciling Room, June 15th, 1993"
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|The box contains a handful of dirt in a baggy, a pick-ax, mining helmet, shovel, and a book on ancient Egyptian burial grounds. The note accompanying it reads "Pyramid of Giza, Found in Treasure Room, 1763". All the equipment looks relatively new but helmet needs new batteries for it's headmounted light.
Matt Webb|si2au@onr.com|An old American WWII bazooka. When fired, instead of going straight, it immediately seeks out the nearest Japanese or German make piece of equipment, whether it's a car or stereo or whatever. It is marked as "Experimental Anti-Enemy Force Device".
Matt Webb|si2au@onr.com|A large golden box with a switch at the top. It is marked as a Infinite Improbability Drive. If the switch is pressed, probability has no meaning for 5 miles. 6-sided dice will start rolling 14, whales will come plummeting out of the sky, people will suddenly turn into penguins, and other weird happenings until it is turned back off. It weight 50 pounds and is 5" by 5".
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A large glass jar with a strange spheroid glob of purple substance suspended in the middle of it. The label says "Stable Antimatter Keep in Vacuum" If one of the characters opens it... Well, let's just say it's not a good idea.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A set of architect's rendering drawing showing the cathedral of Notre Dame. In bold letters at the bottom it says "Notre Dame- Original Design". Close inspection reveals that the paneglass windows now bear the visages of demons, not saints and angels.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A large red heart-shaped box of candies. If any members of the party eats one, his or her sex appeal is +5 until the next Valentines day.
Matt Webb|Si2au@onr.com|A old marble bust of Adolf Hitler, with the words "Hail Caesar" written in German on the base.
Matt Webb|Si2au|A old tape version of the Beatle's song "Helter-Skelter". A note attached to hit says "Thanks John, I won't forget this. Yours, Charlie M." When played in the cassete player, it seems to be a original studio recording of Helter-Skelter, but if the audio is analyzed, several violent subliminal messages are found. Repeated exposure causes increasingly violent tendencies in those affected.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|The Covenant of the Ark. A scroll containing an agreement, in Hebrew, for all signatories to refrain from eating each other until the flood is over. It is signed at the bottom by Noah and his sons, below which are many paw-prints and similar markings from every species of animal in existance.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A small black briefcase with an button on the handle. If the button is pressed, any stereo equipment playing at louder than 90 dB within 200 feet blows up in a shower of sparks. The briefcase, if opened, is empty.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A three-foot long, 5-inch diameter cardboard tube. It is apparently normal in every way. If someone puts it over their shoulder and makes a "whoosh" noise, an anti-tank missile is fired from the tube. The tube only works once.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A watch marked with Roman numerals. The watch will always read 6 o'clock at sunrise and sunset, and will always read 12 o'clock when the sun is at zenith. Day and night are evenly divided into twelve hours each, but the lengths of day hours and night hours will usually differ.
Brennan M. O'Keefe|bmokeefe@io.com|A case with a series of small cavities, each labelled with a mass, from 10g to 100kg. Each cavity appears to hold about a dozen grains of sand, though these grains may not be picked up directly. In clips inside the lid of the case are what appear to be two laser pointers. When turned on, these "pointers" are capable of picking up and manipulating the grains. Underneath the (surprisingly heavy) case is a receipt from Edmund Scientific for a "Point Mass Assortment."
Erik Appel|schadwen@aol.com|A seemingly normal, cassette tape. In precise handwriting, side A is labeled, "One Hand Clapping," and side B is labeled, "Trees Falling in Empty Forest." If played on any conventional player, the tape seems to be blank.
Mark Ebbett|marke@quebim.com|A tank containing the remains of an adult sea monkey/human genetic hybrid.
Mark Ebbett|marke@quebim.com|A small ebony box covered with ornately gilded runes. If the rune patterns are followed by touch, the box opens a rift to the dimension of the Cenobites.
Mark Ebbett|marke@quebim.com|A small leather-bound book. When read, the reader discovers the book contains their life story. When the reader gets to the point in the book, where they had opened the crate and started reading the book, they find that they are now and forever in a paradox within the time/space continuum.
Mark Ebbett|marke@quebim.com|A finally crafted sword buried hilt-deep into a large granite boulder.
jessica starr|jstarrow@iupui.edu|An employee personell file marked Microsoft Corp. Inside are the entire life records of someone named Robert Murphey, including medical files, marriage certificate, two speeding tickets, and all financial records. The most curious item in the box is a tiny, stained computer chip. Further analysis will reveal the stain is traces of human blood and tissue from being implanted under the skin.
Dan Stone|CrazyDan@aol.com|A large wooden box is filled with mostly styrofoam packing material. Upon closer examination (and a little digging through the styrofoam "popcorn"), one will find a small 1 foot by six inch box. Inside this box are a number of photographs of famous people, and even photographs of the PCs. Stamped onto each photo are the words, "Property of WotC."
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A six-pack of near-beer. No, not a non-alcoholic drink. It is a pack of regular aluminum cans, which feel empty. If you pop the top (the old fashion pull-tab style) you are instantaneously teleported to the closest microbrewery. Near-beer. Each can only works once. There is no visible mechanism.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A complete set of all the "Big G" monster-themed cereals with marshmallows. The boxes all seem to be the original issues; Count Chocula, Franken-Berry, Boo-Berry and a couple of others that you don't remember. They're still fresh. The bottom of each box has a sticky-note on it that reads "Property of Chuck Biscuit-do not eat."
Robert Alcock|robert@erg.ucd.ie|A voice, inside your head, calling your name.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|A prescription bottle labeled "XY," containing 11 large sky-blue pills. When administered to males, they have no discernable effect. However, any female who takes one will collapse into a coma 1d minutes later. The coma will last 1d+7 days. During this time, the patient's genetic makeup will become male, and his physical appearance will become male as well (body mass is conserved). At the end of the transition, the patient must make a HT roll to retain his memories. On a failure, he awakens with partial amnesia. On a critical failure, he awakens with complete amnesia.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small wooden cask. It is full. If the bung is removed, the contents appear to be a medium dry sherry. The liquid can be poured from the bunghole indefinitely, and contains sufficient nourishment to sustain a human being. It is just as intoxicating as normal sherry, however, and said human being will become rather inebriated.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a bright orange leotard with a blue lightening bolt embroidered on the front. The wearer immediately knows the location of any/every injured human being within 100 meters.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a package of unlabeled adhesive bandages. When placed over any wound smaller than 1", they instantly heal the wound. The wearer will feel a bit lightheaded for a moment however, since they also reduce his/her blood volume by half a pint.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an anonymous manuscript titled Future Trends in Popular Music, dated 1952. It is a rather dry sociological discussion of future (relative to 1952) musical trends in the United States. It includes sheet music for 40 songs "written in styles that will be popular over the course of the next forty years". The songs for 1953 through 1961 are unknown, but similar in style to the top popular songs from those years. The songs for 1962 through 1992 are, word-for-word and note-for-note, the top popular songs for those years.
Matt Schreck|rschreck@ucla.edu|A single red button attached to the bottom of the box. The button is surrounded by pictures of meatloaf and yellow stickies with anti-George Bush propaganda.
Darius Kazemi|kazem@erols.com|It is a crimson banana with a button on the bottom. Apparently, it is concealing a dagger of some sort, because when you press the button, it stabs you for 1d6 damage. However, you can use it after that without penalty.
Darius Kazemi|kazem@erols.com|A wand with a pentagram on the end. An attatched note reads: "Use if confronted with an angry lloigor (Fnord!) or demon. Instantly paralyzes the apparition for a few minutes. If at Bavarian rock concert, beware the Discordians.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a beige telephone. It functions normally, except that it doesn't ring when the incoming call is from a telemarketer of any kind.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a 9 mm automatic pistol. The make is unfamiliar. Anyone who touches or carries the pistol on his/her person will hear a female voice repeat the phrase "Put down the gun" over and over. The voice gets louder and louder unless the instructions are followed; after 10 minutes it will be deafening.
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com|A fossilized human remains, well preserved, identified positively as homo sapiens, wearing what seems to be a tattered fossilized flight suit, and definitely a digital watch on it's right wrist. No badges or insignia can be identifed. Death seems to have been from a crushed skull, although if searched closely, a bullet hole can be found near the left center of the chest. No weapons or other artifacts found with the body. A report states it was found near a skeleton of a T-Rex, in the Mojave Desert approx 35 degrees north, 116 degrees west. Carbon dating of the T-Rex and body confirms death occured for both roughly the same date, give or take 1000 years, in the Mesozoic era.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a cheap paperback romance novel. No one recognizes the author. The dedication page thanks one of the party members, "for inspiring the passion that inspired this book."
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com|The box is filled with what looks to be props from a fifties -early sixties space invasion b-movie. Odd looking, bulky suits, oversized ray guns, a tool kit containing strange chromed tools, and some unidentifible junk, with a thick layer of dust. It seems like a joke...except it all works. The suits with the odd backpack can provide air, temperature control, and contragravity levitation - no apparent limitations on power source. The Ray guns have five settings: Stun, Heavy (Wide) Stun, Low, Medium, and High. Again, no apparent power limitations. At the bottom of the box, an aluminium pole with a small flag states firmly "Earth Expedition 2190 A.D". Taped just below the flag is a faded pink receit, from a New York City seamstress, for one flag, $2.54, dated October 25th, 1957.
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com|Inside is a large, ancient trunk, with strange symbols written on the lid. Strangely enough, the inside of the trunk is shadowed in darkness, and the bottom cannot be seen. Or felt. If entered, visitors will find themselves inside a large 20' x 20' room, with a darkened cylinder in the middle, and a door to the left and right. The right hand door is locked, and cannot, dispite whatever amount of force used, be opened. Nor is there a keyhole. The cylinder is simularly unresponsive, with a note on top stating "Out of Order." There is no dust on any surface. The left hand door opens readily, to another darkened space. Walking through, you find yourself somehow outside the trunk, away from any obstacle. Any attempts to examine the outside of the box is futile, and any attempts to damage or distroy the trunk will cause it to disappear-until the danger is past. The trunk is moderately heavy, but can be easily carried by two people, dispite whatever is put inside.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|the annual reports for the year 3714 for every company that was in the Fortune 500 in 1996. The reports appear to be nearly identical to the 1996 annual reports of these companies. Careful examination and a successful Mathematics roll will reveal that the 3714 annual reports use base-8 numbers. The reports are otherwise identical to the 1996 annual reports published by these companies.
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com|The contents look to be an ordinary oversized woman's purse, plus several trays, each showing a photograph of an unidentified object, which has apparently been disassembled and each piece individually mounted to the surface of the tray. The last tray has an unusual shopping list mounted on it, listing: 500 Units Whole Blood, O pos to AB neg 300 Human Ova 3 Bee Colonies 3 Pregant Pigs, Female 40 Fertilized Cows Embryos Assorted Garden and Vegetable Seeds Two large bottles of Asprin.
Neil Leathers|ct005@freenet.carleton.ca|a four gallon gasoline can. It contains five gallons of olive oil.
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com|Inside is a map, a Fedora hat, a dusty leather whip, and a small, leather-bound book. handwritten in the book is a list of locations and directions for all the secret government repositories and labs, such as Area 51 and Warehouse 23. Included with the directions is a backway to entering each site undetected. Curiously enough, someone has torn out the page for Warehouse 23....
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com|The box is filled with what looks like a mix of kitchen utencils and surgical gear. On top, is a large book with unidentifiable script. Taped below the title, is an index card with "2001 New Ways to Serve Man" and "Cookbook" handwrittened on it.
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com|An old, Elizabethan chest that when open, is found to be filled with incrediably old books, all science fiction titles. Checking further, investigators will discovered the books are listed as belonging to, or as a gift, to William Shakespear, of Strafford-apon-Avon. Many of the titles are unknown to most science-fiction fans...according to the inner cover, most of them have not been published yet....
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|A fist-sized piece of Jupiter's core.
M Jason Lisan|mlisan4@voicenet.com|A Hubble photo of Lucifer, Earth's second sun.
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A namebadge that reads "Hi! My name is" and the word "God" written in green ink underneath. The badge either clips or pins onto cloth. While wearing it, the user is perceived of as a supreme being by anyone who sees them. The disclaimer on the back of the badge says "Warning: do not reproduce while wearing badge."
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|A baseball bat, with the words "Clue Stick" impressed into the wood. Anyone smacked upside the head with it will have a useful personal epiphany, and a blinding headache. A sheet of paper accompanying the bat indicates that other models are also available, such as the "Ugly Stick".
Paul Beyard|pbeyard@erols.com|A set of metal stairs, leading down into the crate -- and through it, into the floor. The crate can be picked up and moved; this has no effect on the stairs. A glow, of a color that cannot be easily described, comes from somewhere near the bottom of the stairs.
Eric Gimlin|etgimlin@swbell.net|I'm sorry, you're not cleared for that information.
ALAN SHAW|CHRIS@AOL.COM|YOU FIND A ROLLED UP MAP OF THE WORLD. WHEN TOUCHED THE MAP ACTS AS A TELEPORTER AND SENDS THE USER TO THE LOCATION POINTED TO ON THE MAP.A SMART TRAVELER WOULD HAVE FIRST LOOKED AT THE BACK OF THE MAP AND READ THAT YOU MUST FIRST TOUCH THE THUMB PRINT TO BIND THE MAP TO THE USER, THUS SENDING THE MAP WITH YOU TO THE DESIGNATED LOCATION. WITH OUT THE MAP THE TRAVLER IS STRANDED IN THE DESIGNATED LOCATION.
ALAN SHAW|CHRIS@AOL.COM|YOU FIND A ROLLED UP MAP OF THE WORLD. WHEN TOUCHED THE MAP ACTS AS A TELEPORTER AND SENDS THE USER TO THE LOCATION POINTED TO ON THE MAP.A SMART TRAVELER WOULD HAVE FIRST LOOKED AT THE BACK OF THE MAP AND READ THAT YOU MUST FIRST TOUCH THE THUMB PRINT TO BIND THE MAP TO THE USER, THUS SENDING THE MAP WITH YOU TO THE DESIGNATED LOCATION. WITH OUT THE MAP THE TRAVLER IS STRANDED IN THE DESIGNATED LOCATION.
Joseph Mason|1jem7163@unixstew.tstc.edu|A small black box with a switch on the top. Opon using the switch the box will hum and a monotone voice will say, "Apocalypse activated" Switching the switch back will stop the humming sound.
The Meta-Bishop Teeter-Totter|The Meta-Bishop, surprisingly, has no need for an e-mail address.|A perfectly ordinary looking Q-tip. Nothing evokes a reaction from the bit of cardboard and cotten so finally, shrugging, you dig into your rich, thick ear-wax deposits. It feels OK, until the fiendish device begins to magnify the normal pleasure of swabbing your ears to an unheard-of magnitude. The pleasure builds and swells so that you cannot remove the device and then, finally, your atoms disintigrate and the Q-tip falls back into the box. The box's specially constructed, lead reinforced, white birch lid falls closed and the Q-tip waits patiently for it's next victem.
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com| There are two helmets, one red, the other blue. Both are covered with wires, leading to a circuitboard on top of the helmets, and needs two 9v. batteries. On the inside of the helmets, small electrodes are found in the lining. The red helmet has a tag stating simply:"67a. Transmitter - Removed from the residence of Stephan Wyrd." The blue helmet's tag states:"67b. Receiver - Removed from the residence of Stephan Wyrd." After replacing the batteries, anyone wearing the blue helmet will be able to sense the surface thoughts of the person wearing the red helmet. Range is only 800 yards, and will disturb radio and television broadcasts locally. A radio set to the transmition frequency will pick up strange noises, nothing intelligible.
Thomas Hall|halltb@corning.com| A metal box, the size of a shoe box, with two electrical outlets at one end, one set for 120v, the other for 240v. On the top, is a rotary switch, marked "0ff" and "1-7". There are no other openings, all seams have been welded. A Geiger counter will detect only slight radiation. If turned on, the box, which is some sort of minature power plant, will produce:1) 1v; 2) 6v; 3)12v; 4)60v; 5)120v; 6)240v; & 7) 480v. Maximum load is 100 amps - exceed it, and the unit will shut down for 30 minutes. A tag affixed to the top states:"62) Power Plant? - Removed from the residence of Stephan Wyrd."
Mark Gravitt|brown@successsrv.success.gatech.edu|A box containing the prototypes for the initial release of "Magic: The Building" -- resulting from the merger of Legos and a popular CCG. A handwritten note in the box says that "implementation of this strategy will be far simpler than the earlier 'Body Snatcher' pod scheme."
Randy Porter|salvo@indy.net|Three tickets to Cats
Seth Cohen|sacohen@umabnet.ab.umd.edu|An entire box filled with "Pause Buttons" for children.
Robert Heil|rheil@maxvax.ci.austin.tx.us|A street plan of Chicago. The downtown is labeled "Phase I", and has eliminated several blocks of office buildings to make room for a large, ornate pyramid. Another section, "Phase II", shows two new major highways leading directly into Lake Michigan, and continuing for several miles along the bottom of the lake.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A portable cassette player with two headphone jacks. If two sets of headphones are plugged in and placed on two different people, the minds of the people wearing the headphones will swap bodies. The swap will work three times before the player loses power; there is no way to change the batteries.
Robert Heil|rheil@maxvax.ci.austin.tx.us|An architect's plans and drawings for several different models of tasteful middle-class houses. With a successful roll vs IQ, the character will notice that none of the houses have bathrooms, and that the kitchens include a large number of small, built-in cages.
Brad Jones|rjones@us.oracle.com|A series of letters in the handwriting of a party member's significant other. The SO is expressing their great dislike of the surveillance job they are doing, saying they can't stand the party member and can barely keep from throwing up when in the party member's presence. The letters are all signed "Alpha Blue 3", and are written to "Section Coordinator". No other indication of the destination is given.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a pair of brown leather gloves. They are extremely soft and lightweight, and are men's size 8. They transmit tactile sensations almost perfectly; the wearer feels as though his hands are bare, except that extreme temperatures (as low as -80° C and as high as +400° C) feel merely very cool or very warm. The gloves have DR 20 (even against crushing damage).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a dozen boxes, each containing a sensor vest and a laser pistol (the kind used for laser tag). They are perfectly ordinary, except that anyone who is not wearing one of the vests and is hit by a laser pistol (within a range of 25 m) must roll vs. HT-3. Failure causes unconsciousness for as many minutes as the roll was missed by. A critical failure causes unconsciousness for 1-6 hours.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic bottle labeled "Hare Tonic". Anyone who applies the tonic to his/her scalp will transform into a giant rabbit-like creature (mass is conserved).
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a plastic bottle labeled "Heir Tonic". Anyone who applies the tonic to his/her scalp will be named the sole beneficiary of an estate worth at least $1 million. It may take a while before the benefactor dies, however, and the probate process is likely to be "interesting", to say the least.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|dozens of pairs of thick-rimmed glasses. They give anyone who wears them 20/10 (better than perfect) vision, provided that the wearer has at least 20/1000 vision normally.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and a matching fountain pen. The pen's writing is invisible (even if it is filled with normal ink), and can only be read by someone wearing the glasses.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a dust-covered crate full of "Mama's Mouth Soap." Anyone who gets any of it in his/her mouth will be unable to say anything rude, offensive, vulgar, obscene, or profane for the next 3d days.
Chief Sidnam|RebCatfish@aol.com|Bob Dole.
Stan Miller|stanmill@nwu.edu|A necklace; two silver crescent moons crossed over each other, suspended on a steel chain. Anyone wearing this item can understand all languages, either written or spoken.
Stan Miller|stanmill@nwu.edu|A very old, one-gallon wine bottle sealed with a cork and wax. The only marking on this bottle is a label that reads "Stanley." Inside this unmarked bottle is the blood of an antediluvian vampire. Any vampire that drinks all of this blood will decrease as much as seven levels in generation. The lowest generation they can attain by drinking this blood is 5th generation. If the blood is injested, all wounds, even aggravated heal immediately. The vampire also gains six humanity points. This blood can also lift a vampire out of Torpor immediately.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A paddleball set, an ostrich nip, and a set of rules for a game called "Hucka-bucka-beanstalk."
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A paddleball set, an ostrich nip, and a set of rules for a game called "Hucka-bucka-beanstalk."
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|Animate, carnivorous tomatoes.
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|A sheaf of notes containing details of rejected ice cream flavors. These include "Bacon and Egg," "Avocado Ripple," "Eggplant Curry," and "Salmon." The notes seem to be authored by a "B. Cohen"
Mike Fessler|mef@netaxs.com|An old-fashioned Thermos of French Canadian Bean Soup. It's still warm.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|an unmarked box of paper clips. When partially straightened and inserted into any normal lock, they will open the lock almost as easily as the lock's key.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a case of iron-on patches. They are all made of heavy off-white fabric similar to denim. When applied according to the directions, they blend seemlessly with the garment's fabric, mending any damage perfectly.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|six pairs of wrap-around sunglasses. They adapt to bright light, allowing the wearer to see everything at a comfortable level of illumination. They also serve as light-intensification devices in dim light, again allowing the wearer to see everything at a comfortable level of illumination. Anyone using the glasses for prolonged periods will gradually acquire the disadvantage Sense of Duty: Men in Black.
James Renken|jrenken@sandwich.org|A study guide for a University of Minnesota correspondence course, Writing Practice I (Comp 1011). Closer examination reveals it to be perfectly normal, except for a small pyramid in one corner of the picture on the cover. Also, the Course Evaluation Form is written in an unknown and somehow sinister language.
James Renken|jrenken@sandwich.org|A standard, 3.5-inch computer disk. It is formatted for MS-DOS, and contains a single text file. The text file is a copy of a particularly terrible and well-known piece of fan fiction. The only difference from the "normal" version is that the main character's last name is "Fnord."
James Renken|jrenken@sandwich.org|A wood carving of the logo for a very popular computer operating system. It looks very old, and subsequent tests will agree.
Alex Karls|brutus@premier1.net|A set of glasses that, when used to peruse a legal document, allow the user to understand all the clauses and hidden meanings in its text. However, the user must make a Will roll every week or slowly view the world in an ever more contract based way.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large velvet jewelry box. Inside is a cross fashioned from hand-made nails and attached to a leather cord. Anyone who wears the cross for 24 hours or longer will acquire a Fate advantage worth +5 points for each 24 hours the cross is worn. The character's Fate will involve him/her dying for some nobel cause.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a black tuxedo jacket, a white dress shirt, and a white undershirt. Each has a single small hole in the back near the left shoulder. Some sort of rubbery, brownish yellow substance has fused with the fabric around the hole of each garment, although little shows on the outside of the jacket.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a shiny metal disk 30 cm in diameter and 10 cm thick, with a handle and strap one one side. If the device is worn as a shield (place hand through strap, then grasp handle), its inertial mass increases enormously (at first it will seem frozen in space). A circular, nearly invisible force field slowly expands outward from the disk (this will be extremely awkward if it occurs in a confined space). When the force field reaches a 5 m radius (about 30 seconds), it suddenly disappears and the inertial mass of the device is normal again. The device will be inert for the next 3d+50 minutes while it recharges.
George William Herbert|gherbert@crl.com|The lost Mars Observer space probe, wrapped up in a strange translucent green netting material and shot with 13 arrows made of what appears to be solid diamond. There is a note on the net which says "Our deepest appologies", signed by the Dali Lama.
Lance Truesdell|Kitten@ksu.edu|Detailed instructions for magic tattoos. These include several small tattoos including a sun and odd swirls. These tattoos apparently help speed, add height to jumps and make the wearers hands magnetic to, of all things, rubber. The tattoos look amazingly like Dennis Rodman's.
Aaron Sawyer|asawyer@icx.net|A photograph of several major world leaders sitting around a table laughing. The photograph has been signed, and it is made out to one of the players. It reads "Thanks for your support!"
Fish Flowers|awflower@midway.uchicago.edu|A seemingly-normal cat which, upon closer examination, doesn't seem to have any sexual characteristics at all. Otherwise it's as normal as cats get. But it sheds a lot. If left unmolested, all the shed fur will collect in the corner under the sofa, and when it reaches a sufficient size, it animates as a small kitten, without any sexual characteristics but otherwise normal.
Jok Montoya|halmat@supernews|Abris una vieja y deforme caja de cartón, atada con con una cuerda raida y podrida. Al abrirla encontrais una bola de papeles de periódicos, si la desenmarañais, dentro hallais algo que parece ser una dentadura postiza, pero, esos incisivos....
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A set of "Captain Cthulhu and the Star Spawn" action figures. There is one action figure of each major member of the Cthulhu Mythos, including Cthulhu, Hastur, Nyarlathotep, Astaroth, and Shub-Niggurath, all of which are dressed in combat fatigues. Interestingly enough, they seem to be the "Good Guys", defending the Earth against a mysterious organization called "Q.U.A.G.G.A." No more information about the organization can be found on the action figure packages.
Nana Yaw Ofori|nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu|A set of In Nomine Action figures. Included in the box are Archangel Yves, "With spring-loaded Destiny Fist!", Arcangel Gabriel "With Sparking wheels of flame!", and Archangel Dominic and the "Judgement-Mobile, with Heresy-Seeking Missiles!". Digging deeper reveals the "Heaven Playset, with working Tether Elevator, and Ejector-Cloud!"
Daniel Manzano|dmanzano@ix.netcom.com|An oval disc. When the PI Meter is pointed at it, the dial swings madly
J. Hinton|jmhinton@cyberhighway.net|One of the Voyager modules, only missing all identifying markings and it's gold record of greetings. The record has been replaced with a record made of unidentifiable metal. When played, unusual sounds, simmilar to a cat fighting a whoopie cushion, are all that can be heard.
J. Hinton|jmhinton@cyberhighway.net|A car engine. On the manifold is written, "Water Only. Do not use regular fuel." Next to it is a carburator. On the carburator is a note, speckled with what appears to be dried blood. The note reads, "147 MPG, Wow! Call Plant Mon. -H.F."
J. Hinton|Jmhinton@cyberhighway.net|Jimmy Hoffa
Gary "Buddha" Dunham|gdunham@uidaho.edu|A plastic relief map of the United States of America showing all 64 states.
J. Hinton|jmhinton|A copy of Jane's Fighting Ships of 1937. Listed in the table of contents is the designation: C.S.A. If you look at the listing, the Confederate Navy is second in size to only the British, and home ported out of Vera Cruz...
J. Hinton|jmhinton@cyberhighway.net|a crude, but effective nuclear bomb. A label on the casing reads: Verboten! Befinden Atlantis, steck dabei Grail, -Drucker. Juli 23, 1939
TickTockMan|exit104@mcs.net|The green brick.
Lassi Seppala|lseppala@dlc.fi|A naked guy, who looks at you with his wide-open eyes, and after a while he whispers "Daddy" and smiles. Then he sticks his thumb in his mouth and starts sucking.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a set of 16 walkie talkies. There are no controls of any kind on any of them, and no documentation. Each one does have a different card name (e.g., "Ace of Spades") engraved near the speaker/microphone. Together, the 16 units bear the names of the ace, king, queen, and jack of each of the four standard suits. BACK SOON. we forgot something. its way important, Dude.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a small gold lapel pin shaped like an angel. The wearer gains 10 levels of the Hard to Kill advantage.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a large, flat cardboard box. Inside is a large, flat wide-screen television (3x6 feet, but only 2 inches thick). It has all the normal connectors, and an infrared remote control.
Ted You open one of the 898 boxes on this floor and find...
You open one of the 795 boxes on this floor and find...
You open one of the 622 boxes on this floor and find...
You open one of the 490 boxes on this floor and find...
You open one of the...
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|a 2x8 inch sheet of stiff paper sealed in plastic. On one side of the paper is a mirror image picture of a unisex wrist watch (the time on the watch face is 12:00 PM). On the other side are instructions for applying the image as a temporary tattoo. Abandon the mill project now. We cannot allow you to profit from this venture. This is your final warning.
Darin McGrew|mcgrew@alumni.stanford.org|the bottom of the box appears to be mirrored. If the mirror is touched, a hole will appear, revealing the bottom of the box. Then the "mirror" will coalesce into a blob that resembles a pint of living mercury.
-- A Friend