Badge of the Guiding Star

Aura Moderate divination and enchantment; CL 7th
Slot Throat; Price 12,000 gp; Weight —

DESCRIPTION

This silver badge is worn upon a ribbon around the neck or pinned to clothing. Its face bears a many-pointed star surrounded by protective hands.

The wearer gains a +5 competence bonus on Sense Motive checks and Diplomacy checks involving creatures of younger age categories or creatures who are frightened, confused or emotionally distressed.

Three times per day, the wearer may touch a creature as a standard action and grant it the benefits of remove fear and guidance of the avatar (Miniatures Handbook) for 1 minute.

Once per day, the badge may cast status upon up to six willing creatures. While this effect lasts, the wearer always knows if an affected creature is frightened, injured or in immediate danger.

If the wearer successfully aids another on a skill check, the assisted creature gains a +3 morale bonus instead of the normal +2 bonus.

LORE

The first Badges of the Guiding Star were reportedly created by counselors, teachers and healers who spent their lives helping vulnerable young people navigate difficult circumstances. They desired a tool that would allow them to notice suffering before it became tragedy.

Unlike many magical items associated with authority, these badges derive their power from service rather than command. Their enchantments respond most strongly to patience, empathy and attentive listening. A cruel wearer finds the badge's magic growing strangely faint and unreliable.

Stories surrounding the badges frequently focus on moments that never became disasters. A runaway who chose to stay. A frightened apprentice who found courage. A lonely youth who discovered friendship. Chroniclers often remark that the badge's greatest achievements are rarely dramatic enough to become famous.

CONSTRUCTION

Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, status, remove fear, creator must have 10 ranks in Sense Motive; Cost 6,000 gp, 480 XP

Kelwyn's Notes

I have encountered countless artifacts dedicated to seeing things hidden from ordinary sight. Crystals that reveal invisible creatures. Mirrors that expose disguises. Lenses capable of peering through stone walls. Most imagine wisdom consists of discovering secrets concealed from the eye.

This badge suggests a different form of perception entirely.

The greatest mysteries are often not hidden behind magic at all. They reside quietly within ordinary people. A forced smile. A laugh held a moment too long. The peculiar silence that follows a difficult question. Entire tragedies frequently announce themselves through whispers while the world waits for screams.

What I admire most about this item is its refusal to elevate heroism into spectacle. Its purpose is not to slay monsters or overturn empires. It exists to notice when somebody is hurting and to respond before that hurt becomes something larger. Such acts rarely inspire ballads. They do, however, save lives.

One discovers, after sufficient years of wandering strange worlds, that compassion is among the most misunderstood powers in existence. Many mistake it for softness. In truth it requires extraordinary courage to consistently witness another person's suffering without looking away.

The stars that guide travelers do not drag ships across oceans. They simply remain visible in the darkness. More often than not, that proves sufficient.