Skin of Styx (3.5e Bodily Relic)
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Skin of Styx[edit]
This is a Bodily Relic that takes the form of a network of thin wires that crisscross just underneath the skin of the person who has it. These wires seem to affect the body of the person in such a way that they can do rather difficult actions with ease, such as jumping over great distances or climbing slick surfaces.
Nature of the Skin of Styx[edit]
Physical Affects of the Skin of Styx[edit]
The person who has the Skin of Styx has dark (almost black) lines where the Relic passes close to the skin. These lines flow in patterns over the body of the person in question, making it appear as a full body tattoo. The Relic will stretch and move with the person who has it almost like a second muscular system, extending the capabilities of the person beyond what their muscles should allow them to do. The Relic also seems to affect the blood of the person in question, making it turn a slightly darker color than usual when it oxidizes.
- In game terms the person who has this Bodily Relic lowers the DC of all jump, climb, and swim checks by 3, additionally, add 5 ft. to the distance they can cover with a successful jump check.
Mental Affects of the Skin of Styx[edit]
The person who has the Skin of Styx tends to have a very slightly altered psyche. They become rather morbid thinkers and find that the sight of blood or death doesn't seem to phase them as much as it does others. This is in fact the element of the Relic that the name "Skin of Styx" comes from. The Relic also seems to slow down the reaction time of the person who has it very slightly.
- In game terms the person who has this Bodily Relic has a +2 bonus to all fortitude saving throws made to resist fear effects, and a −1 penalty to all reflex saving throws.
Properties of the Skin of Styx[edit]
Crafting and Transferring of the Skin of Styx[edit]
Transferring the Skin of Styx from one person to another requires an incredibly lengthy process and a lot of work due to the nature of the Relic. If any of the wires of this Bodily Relic are removed from a body for longer than one minute or the person who has the Bodily Relic dies, then the wires harden and will only restrain the body that they crisscross through (this makes creatures who had this Bodily Relic in life completely immobile). Once the wires hardened it is impossible to force them to return to their original state, and so this Relic can only be transferred from one living person to another.
In order to transfer this Bodily Relic from one person to another then the wires must be surgically removed from the person who originally had the Relic (the person need not be awake) and then, within one minute the wire must be dipped into an acidic solution and applied to the body of the recipient (in the same location on the body that it was removed from). The wire then seems to sink into the body of the recipient, leaving a smoking wound that doesn't bleed or leave a scar after it has healed. This process need to be repeated until all of the wires have been transferred from donor to recipient (there are usually anywhere from 100 to 200 wires). After the process is complete and all wounds have healed, the person who originally had the Skin of Styx becomes rather light-headed and happy, reveling in lifes little wonders, no matter the situation they are in. The person who has received the Bodily Relic will usually be very sleepy after the procedure, sleeping for up to a week straight while their body accepts the wires resting just beneath the skin, after they wake up they are considered as having the Skin of Styx. Only a character who has 12 or more ranks in Craft(Bodily Relic) knows any of this information, the craft DC for this entire process is 20, if this DC is failed, then the entire process fails and the Bodily Relic is lost.
If a person does not have all of the wires of this Bodily Relic in their body anymore then they do not receive any benefit from having it. If a portion of a persons skin is removed in battle, then the wire grows back as the skin does. If a person is born with the Skin of Styx and looses it's benefits, then later has a child, consider the person as still having the Bodily Relic.
Immunities of the Skin of Styx[edit]
The wires that are the Skin of Styx are immune to acid and nothing else and can be treated as just another part of the body while they are in the skin of a person. But when the Relic hardens then it gains the physical traits of steel except for the fact that it retains the immunity to acid and it becomes completely immune to divine magic and psionic powers.
Occurrences of the Skin of Styx[edit]
The Skin of Styx is an uncommon Bodily Relic to be found, it found everywhere in the world but only 5 or 6 people per 50 square miles might have it. This Bodily Relic is passed down through bloodlines and is a recessive gene. If two people have a child and they both have the Skin of Styx then there is a 70% chance that the child, whether it's a boy or a girl, will have it also. If only one parent has the Skin of Styx then there is only a 35% chance of the child having the Bodily Relic. If either of the parents were not born with the Skin of Styx, but still have it, then lower the percent chance by 10%
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