Line #6 Main/ArtifactOfPower


1	[[quoteright:287:[[ComicBook/SpideySuperStories https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thanis_cube.png]]]]
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3	->''"This is a relic. Some magic is too powerful to sustain so we imbue objects with it... allowing them to take the strain we cannot."''
4	-->-- '''Karl Mordo''', ''Film/DoctorStrange2016''
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6	You know, these people with their superpowers and [[FunctionalMagic magic]] are really annoying. They can [[PlayingWithFire summon fire up from nowhere]], [[SelfDuplication be in two places at once]], even [[SuperEmpowering give other people abilities]]! Why can't you do that?
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8	What you need is an [[TitleDrop Artifact of Power]]. Each is an item, tool or device capable of astonishing feats, typically ([[AmplifierArtifact though not always]]) independently from any supernatural abilities of their wielder (though they don't necessarily need one), that outstrip anything else that their world can offer. Unlike some types of phlebotinum, Artifacts of Power are not naturally occurring: they are constructed. (The word "artifact" literally means "something made by humans," and contains the same root as "artificial.") They can range from the simplest MagicStaff to the most complex construct and don't even have to be magical either, though [[ClarkesThirdLaw what else can anything on that power level be]]?
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10	To be precise, the thing that separates Artifacts of Power from regular tools is rarity. Modern explosives might [[MugglesDoItBetter do a far better job]] than a Wand of {{Fireballs}} in [[StuffBlowingUp causing explosion-based havoc]]; explosives, however, are (relatively) easy to manufacture today, whereas fireball-shooting wands in many settings won't be. If they ''are'', then, though powerful, they in turn aren't artifacts; the Legendary Wand of Angkor Wat, on the other hand, will be one. As a result, Artifacts of Power are frequently either one-of-a-kind, the methods of crafting it lost to the mists of time; [[{{Unobtanium}} made of a substance that is difficult to find]]; or incredibly, incredibly hard to produce. This rarity, in combination with its might and utility, will often make an Artifact of Power an object of desire for a great many [[TheCollectorOfTheStrange individuals]] and [[ArtifactCollectionAgency organisations]], both savoury and unsavoury, meaning that a {{MacGuffin}} has a good chance of being one.
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12	Subtrope of {{Phlebotinum}}. Has nothing to do with TheArtifact.
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14	[[AC:Common categories, not mutually exclusive:]]
15	[[index]]
16	* AmplifierArtifact: Objects that enhance preexisting abilities.
17	* AncientArtifact: Objects that are old and powerful.
18	* AnimatingArtifact: Objects that provide life to the lifeless.
19	* AnomalousArt: Works of Art with supernatural properties.
20	* ArtifactDomination: Objects that controls the wielder.
21	* ArtifactOfAttraction: Objects that forces people to want it.
22	* ArtifactOfDeath: Objects that kill its wielder.
23	* ArtifactOfDoom: Objects that are MadeOfEvil.
24	* ArtifactOfHope: Objects that are MadeOfGood.
25	* CounterpartArtifacts: Artifacts that complete a set together.
26	** EvilWeapon: Weaponry MadeOfEvil.
27	* FamouslyMundaneFictionallyMagical: RealLife objects with fictional origins.
28	* ImmortalBreaker: Objects that harms immortals or nullifies immortality.
29	* ImmortalityInducer: Objects that make its user immortal.
30	* InstantAllegianceArtifact: Objects that give power, but can also corrupt the user.
31	* ProtectiveCharm: Objects that protects the user.
32	* PublicDomainArtifact: The same objects used all across fiction.
33	* SummoningArtifact: Objects that can [[SummonMagic summon entities]].
34	* UpgradeArtifact: Objects that make the user an InstantExpert.
35	[[/index]]
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37	[[AC:Related:]]
38	[[index]]
39	* ArtifactCollectionAgency: Organizations tasked with collecting {{Ancient Artifact}}s.
40	* ImportedAlienPhlebotinum: Objects made by or given from aliens.
41	* SetBonus: A set of objects that work better together than apart.
42	[[/index]]
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Context Main / ArtifactOfPower