Artifact

Basic Information

An artifact is a unique item that may have historical, cultural, or supernatural significance.

In RPG use - especially in fRPGs - the term may also imply a magic item of unusual (and frequently unique) power, often one that cannot be recreated using the normal rules for magic item creation due to its divine or otherworldly origins. Precursors are also excellent sources of artifacts, often radically misapplied by their clueless successors - in sci-fi RPGs the sufficiently advanced technology of precursor artifacts will often serve as the nearest approach to magic to be had.

List of Artifacts

There is a similar but longer list on our Public Domain Artifact page.

• Antikythera Mechanism
• Ark of the Covenant
• Coso Artifact
• Dropa Stones
• Piri Reis Map
• Venerable Man
• Weltmaschine

See Also

• Artifact Of Death
• Artifact of Doom
• Out-Of-Place Artifact
• Public Domain Artifact
• Relic

• News: Looters are pillaging Native American burial grounds
• News: Federal Agents Recover Hitler Bookmark
• News: Sheboygan's Liberty Bell

Sources

Bibliography

1. List of artifacts at the Fairfield Project Wiki

2. Wikipedia entry

Game and Story Use

• Artifacts make excellent MacGuffins for the PCs to quest after.