With his second law, that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” Arthur C. Clarke articulated a concept that could have been a shadowy undercurrent in the wider consciousness for centuries, possibly even millennia.

All of the 86 items in this 60-page sourcebook by game designer Derek Holland were designed with two ideas in mind: they were created using Ancient technology so advanced that it seems like magic and they’ve gone through Hell since the apocalypse. Damaged, jury-rigged, infested with nanites and parasites, warped by energy, rebuilt by insane machines — these are the kinds of changes that make these artifacts dangerous, unpredictable, and, above all, unique.

These items were designed to show game masters the possibilities for superscience artifacts in their campaigns while emphasizing that these items are not just treasure or one sentence, throw-away items. Each has a history that will hopefully enrich, inspire, possibly even drive your own gaming story and most entries are longer and more detailed than for equivalent gear in other equipment or treasure books. Some entries contain plot hooks, some describe NPCs, others provide adventure locations in broad strokes, some have all of the above. Each artifact can become a central plot point or continuing idea for a whole gaming session — or an entire campaign.