Hunter: The Reckoning 5th Edition edge
Artifact
Artifact is an edge in Hunter H5: Endowment Edge representing one genuinely supernatural object the hunter owns and does not fully understand.
Last reviewed
Key facts
- Category
- endowment
Overview
The Artifact Edge means your hunter possesses a real supernatural object: a relic, a blessed weapon, a jar that should not be opened, a mirror that shows the room a second late. Its properties are defined with your Storyteller rather than drawn from a list, which makes it the most customizable Edge in the game. An Artifact also arrives with a previous owner. Somebody held it before you, something may want it back, and it usually came with conditions nobody explained. That is the trade, and it is why this is the only Edge here carrying an explicit risks clause: a well-built Artifact is a thread the Storyteller can pull as much as a tool the cell can use.
How it works
Category: Endowment Effect: Possession of a supernatural object with defined, unusual properties Benefits: Varies by object, commonly protection against a particular kind of creature, heightened perception, supernatural damage, or an effect no mundane equipment could produce Advancement: No dot rating. Buy the base Edge, then Perks at 5 XP each to unlock deeper properties of the object or to learn to use it reliably Risks: Artifacts can demand upkeep, work a limited number of times, draw supernatural attention to whoever carries them, or ask for something in return
Tips and playstyle
Best For: Players who want a signature object, Faithful creed hunters, chronicles where the group's history with the supernatural predates the first session. Playstyle: Write the object's history with your Storyteller before play, including who owned it last and why they stopped. Keep its capability narrow and strange rather than broad and strong, because a narrow Artifact gets used in memorable ways while a broad one gets quietly walked back. Losing it is a story event rather than a shopping problem, so settle in advance what happens if it is taken. Character Concepts: Antique dealer who kept one piece back, archaeologist who never filed the find, inheritor of a family heirloom nobody explained, thief who stole from something, priest handed a relic and no instructions.
Frequently asked questions
What powers can my Artifact have?
Whatever you and your Storyteller agree on: warding one creature type, revealing what is hidden, wounding something ordinary weapons cannot, or a single dramatic effect with limited uses. Define it precisely, because vague Artifacts get argued about in the middle of a scene.
Do Artifacts have drawbacks?
Usually, and the Edge says so outright in its risks. Upkeep, limited uses, unwanted attention, and conditions of use are all standard, and a drawback that is genuinely inconvenient is what buys you a genuinely strong power.
Can my Artifact be taken away?
Yes, and unlike an Arsenal cache it cannot be replaced. Losing it is normally a scenario rather than an inconvenience, which is why many tables agree up front whether recovering the object is a story the group wants to play.