Item Seed: Winston Churchill’s Walking Cane.

winston-churchills-walking-cane-google-docs

 

Winston Churchill’s Walking Cane

 

This is the walking cane that Winston Churchill carried throughout World War II. As you might imagine, it can have a certain resonance, in the right hands. And if it ever ends up in the wrong ones, well, the pyrotechnics could be entertaining.  Also, messy.

The Day After Ragnarok

Most people don’t want to believe that this is actually Churchill’s walking cane, given that logically it should then be be buried under megatons of dead Serpentflesh, just like the rest of England.  And yet, there it is. As a weapon, it does (STR+2d10) damage, doesn’t break, doesn’t chip, and is apparently immune to acid, fire, heat, and/or cold… and whoever picks it up can understand any language spoken by a subject nation or colony of the British Empire.  On the other hand, the wielder is also struck with a nigh-insurmountable urge to take Sir Winston’s Cane to Sydney and lay it at the feet of King Henry IX. Attempts so far to thwart this have somehow ended… unfortunately… for the would-be hoarders.

 

GURPS

If psychic powers exist in your campaign, then Churchill’s War Cane is loaded down with psychometry-accessible memories of the British war effort, particularly during the Blitz; and if ghosts exist in your campaign, it is a potent link to the shade of Winston Churchill in particular, and Britons killed in WWII in general.

 

In Nomine

Blessed Winston’s Cane serves as a level/3 talisman that grants the History (British involvement in WWII) skill.  Note that this includes information that is unavailable mundanely.

 

Night’s Black Agents

This is the only ‘mundane’ version of the cane. Technically.  The Churchill Cane is, of course, a high-tech spy device: sword-cane with stainless steel blade and inlays of whatever metal ruins a vampire’s day, aerosol cartridge in the tip that can be loaded with anything from garlic mist to polonium to silver nitrate, handle made of supernaturally and/or theurgically sensitive materials, and of course somebody installed a hidden laser some time in the 1960s.  It was a thing.

 

Unknown Armies

There’s a bunch of low-tier godwalkers (usually of the Captain avatar) who want this cane as a general prop — more like dream of it, because it ain’t happening — but the smart adept wants it because Winnie’s Stick pretty much radiates determination.  The kind of radiation that lets its user lower Helplessness stress checks by one.  I mean, whatever’s going on right now, at least you’re not getting bombed every night by ruthless Nazi pilots, right?

 

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the In Nomine and GURPS systems from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

In Nomine and GURPS are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games, and the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.