Net of Unseen Tides

Stats

• Origin: Riverton, Massachusetts, 1887 (copper mesh, signed by a missing clerk)
• Sanity Loss: 1d6
• Malfunction: 12% (roll on each casting; on a malfunction the net entangles the user, causing 1d4 damage and 1d6% Sanity loss)

Description

The net is a coarse, copper‑lined mesh stretched over a wooden frame, its knots stained with brine and an odd, oily sheen. When unrolled it smells faintly of seaweed and old ink, and a faint hum can be heard if one holds a ruler to its surface. A weather‑worn receipt hangs from one corner, its signature belonging to a name that does not match any known fisherman in the village.

Powers

When the net is spread and a measuring tape or ruler is held against it, the act of measurement activates a hidden geometry. Any object within a ten‑foot radius that has never been submerged in water—be it a dry book, a stone from a desert, or a memory of a forgotten dream—is drawn into the net as if pulled by invisible currents. The net can hold up to 1d6 pounds of such items per casting. The effect persists only while the measuring instrument remains in contact; once removed, the net releases its catch harmlessly onto the ground.

Price of Use

Each activation requires the user to write a receipt for the capture, signing it with a name that is not their own. The user loses 1 point of Luck per use and must spend 1d4 minutes documenting the event; failing to do so results in a sudden loss of 1d6% of the character’s current Health. After the net has been used three times, the user must make a Sanity check (75%); failure adds an extra 1d6 Sanity loss. The net also draws the attention of unseen entities, making each use a gamble.

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