Appearance

Randomly generating an artifact’s appearance is an entirely optional and useful exercise. Generating an artifact appearance is fun and helpful for the campaign. Unidentified equipment is called artifacts, and giving them a distinct appearance helps keep track of them. If the players know what a device is, its description is purely cosmetic. When the players don’t know what a device is, it’s description offers a fun way to record it on her persona record. For example, a red pistol with glowing tubes is more dramatic and fun than pistol #2f421.

The referee can use appearance to fuel the milieu of her campaign. The appearance generated for artifacts can influence the culture from which they arose. An imperial city may have lazer pistols that sport roman flourishes and dark red alloys. Artifact appearances need not be utterly random, and the referee’s milieu can inform how they appear.

An ideal description is a short sentence that differentiates the artifact from everything else.

Appearance Checklist

Shape
Style
Descriptors
Colour

Shape

The general shape depends on the hardware, and it’s tech level. Tech level ten devices tend to appear as familiar mundane terran devices. For example, a tech level ten rifle will look like a rifle. The rifle may have unique colours, style and descriptors, but it will still look like a rifle. A tech level twenty rifle may not look like a rifle at all. A tech level two rifle may not look like a rifle either. So for familiar devices, the shape remains the same. The artifact shape may be random for aberrant tech level artifacts.

Basic

The volume of the device will fit into this shape. Feel free to contort the shape.

**Basic Shapes Table**
Everything has to looks like something.
Die Roll (1d100)	Basic Shape
01-05	Cone
06-09	Decahedron
10-15	See Junque
16-60	Cuboid
61-69	Disc/Saucer
70-77	Octahedron
78-85	Pyramid/Prism
86-92	Sphere
93-00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Basic Shape

Contortion

This table manipulates the basic shape to reflect the infinity that is commercial design.

**Shape Distortion Table**
Stretch it, bend it, squash it, extend it.
Die Roll (1d100)	Shape Adjustment
01-20	Elongated/Stretched
21-40	Flattened/Squashed
41-49	Inverted
50-85	Normal
86-90	Involuted
91-99	Add another shape
Die Roll	Shape Adjustment

Adornments

These are fun and aggravating descriptors to distract the players.

**Bomb Strange Adornment**
The adornment may be relevant to the bomb’s function, but most likely not.
Die Roll (1d100)	Fancy Attachment
01-04	Access Panels
05-08	Antennae, Coiled
09-12	Antennae, Straight
13-16	Antennae, Up and Down
17-20	Hoses, Dangling
21-24	Hoses, Looped
25-28	Indentations, Random
29-32	Indentations, Round
33-36	Indentations, Square
37-40	Indentations, Triangular
41-44	Knobs, Glowing
45-48	Knobs, Inflating deflating
49-52	Monitor, Data Stream
53-56	Monitor, Static
57-60	Protuberances, In and Out
61-64	Protuberances, Pointed
65-68	Protuberances, Springs
69-72	Protuberances, Wobbly
73-76	Protuberances, Gnarled
77-80	Random, Sparks
81-84	Random, Squirts or Drips
85-88	Random, Steam Puffs
89-90	Things that Whiz and Click
91-94	Tubes, Liquid Filled
95-98	Tubes, Pulsing
99	Tubes, Solid
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Fancy Attachment

Style

Artifact style calls upon references from mundane terra to help describe a device. Styles are a useful tool because they allow the players to use their imagination and quickly identify an artifact. The Aztec accented blue suitcase offers a description and a distinct identification. The styling does not affect the tech level of the artifact. For example, a TL10 lazer pistol with Ancient Greek design principles is not technology.

**Artifact Style Table**
Quick and inaccurate artifact stylings.
Die Roll (1d100)	Style
01-03	Ancient Egyptian
04-06	Ancient Greek
07-09	Art Deco
10-12	Art Nouveau
13-15	Aztec
16-18	Bakelite
19-21	Bauhaus
22-24	Brutalism
25-27	Celtic
28-30	Chromed Out
31-33	Cyberpunkish
34-36	Dadaist
37-39	Danish Modern
40-42	Deutscher Werkbund
43-45	Dutch Style
46-48	Expressionism
49-51	Functionalism
52-54	Gothic
55-57	Klaus Nomi Angularity
58-60	Militaristic
61-63	Neoclassical
64-66	Neogothic
67-69	Orchard Fruit Reductionist
70-72	Organic
73-75	Ornate Pirate
76-78	Post Modern
79-81	Rationalism
82-84	Romanesque
85-87	Shaker
88-90	Soviet Constructivism
91-93	Sporting Goods
94	Steampunk
95	Streamline Moderne
96	Surrealist
97	Swedish Flatbox Utilitarian
98-99	Wet Coast Waterproof
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Pattern

Descriptors

Descriptors reflect the cleanliness, age and usage of the device. Descriptors have no impact on device performance or value. For example, a persona could clean yup her dirty radiation detector. A destroyed looking black detector box is perfectly functional.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is a description and does not reflect the artifact’s performance or value. High tech level artifacts may have self cleaning properties that make them appear very clean.

**Cleanliness Table**
How clean it looks.
Die Roll (1d100)	Cleanliness
01-10	Filthy
11-20	Dirty
21-30	Dishevelled
31-70	Cleanish
71-80	Clean
81-90	Pristine
90-99	Immaculate
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Cleanliness

Age

Age is a description and does not reflect the artifact’s performance or value. Age appearance also does not reflect the actual age of an artifact. High tech level artifacts may have self cleaning properties that make them appear brand new.

**Artifact Age Appearance Table**
How old it looks.
Die Roll (1d100)	Age
01-10	Ancient
11-20	Old
21-30	Just Past Due
31-70	Indeterminate
71-80	Newish
81-90	Brand New
90-99	Brand New + Smell
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Age

Usage

Usage is a description and does not reflect the artifact’s performance or value.

**Artifact Usage Appearance Table**
How used it looks.
Die Roll (1d100)	Usage
01-10	Destroyed
11-20	Worn Out
21-30	Heavily Used
31-70	Normal Use
71-80	Light Use
81-90	Minimal Use
90-99	Unused
00	Ref’s Own Table
Die Roll	Pattern

Colour

Colour has the most impact on the appearance of the artifact. Artifacts can have any colour: a red and blue rifle, a lime green detector, or an orange striped aerosol.

Colour Your Whirled

Add colour. Use 1d12 for snap colours. Roll 1d100 to go zany. Further tables are optional

**Colour Table**
Colour your world.
Simple		Fancy
(1d12)	Colour	(1d100)	Colour
1	Black	01-04	Black
		5	Carbon
		6	Charcoal
		7	Midnight
		8	Oil
2	Blue	9-12	Blue
		13	Blueberry
		14	Cyan
		15	Cobalt
		16	Denim
		17	Navy
		18	Robin
		19	Sapphire
3	Brown	20-22	Brown
		23	Coffee
		24	Oak
		25	Mocha
		26	Taupe
4	Gray	27-29	Gray
		30	Fog
		6-10	Granite
		31	Silver
		32	Slate
		33	Smokey
5	Green	34-36	Green
		37	Apple
		38	Avocado
		39	Emerald
		40	Forest
		41	Jungle
		42	Lime
		43	Olive
		44	Sage
		45	Seaweed
6	Orange	46-48	Orange
		49	Gold
		50	Dijon
		51	Spice
7	Pink	52-54	Pink
		55	Blush
		56	Daisy
		57	Violet
		58	Watermelon
8	Purple	59-61	Purple
		62	Eggplant
		63	Grape
		64	Indigo
		65	Magenta
		66	Maroon
		67	Plum
		68	Violet
9	Red	69-72	Red
		73	Burgundy
		74	Cherry
		75	Scarlet
		76	Lava
		77	Ruby
		78	Violet
10	White	79-81	White
		82	Milk
		83	Shell
		84	Vanilla
11	Yellow	85-87	Yellow
		88	Corn
		89	Goldenrod
		90	Macaroni
		91	Manilla
		92	Mustard
		93	Peach
12	Choose	94-00	Ref’s Own Table
(1d12)	Colour	(1d100)	Colour
Simple		Fancy

**Colour Affect Table**
Optional roll to change how the colour appears.
Die Roll (1d20)	Affect
1	Bright
2	Clear
3	Dark
4	Dirty
5	Drab
6	Dull
7	Florescent
8	Grizzly
9	Iridescent
10	Light
11	Metallic
12	Muted
13	Normal
14	Punchy
15	Ruddy
16	Shimmering
17	Shiny
18	Sparkly
19	Transparent
20	Choose
Die Roll (1d20)	Affect

**Colour Pattern Table**
Roll a more colours (and affects).
Roll below to see how the colours interact.
Die Roll (1d20)	Pattern
1	Accents
2	Bolts
3	Cammo
4	Digicam
5	Diamonds
6	Dots
7	Hexagons
8	Ovals
9	Patchy
10	Plaid
11	Polka Dots
12	Poke A Dots
13	Splashes
14	Splotches
15	Spots
16	Squares
17	Squiggles
18	Stripes
19	Tartan
20	Triangles
Die Roll (1d20)	Pattern