Cyphers are numenera objects that can trigger a powerful effect, but can only be used once. Cyphers and your Cypher Limit score are displayed in a special section of the Inventory screen. Take care not to accumulate more cyphers than your Cypher Limit or you will experience unpleasant side effects.
That effect is a Cypher Sickness fettle. The strange forces emanating from Cyphers cause unpredictable, but always harmful, effects when they interact. To reduce or eliminate Cypher Sickness, use some of your Cyphers, sell them to a merchant, or give them to another party member.
List of available cyphers[]
Item | Effect | Location |
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Deal 6 Energy and 4 Physical damage to all characters in area of effect |
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Deals 13 Physical damage and refills all the user's stat pools. | ||
Heals 10 points of Intellect and grants the Fresh Vapors fettle (+1 Intellect Edge). Five uses. |
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Gain Contingent Subroutine fettle (Restores Health and stat pools to full upon reaching 50% or less in any) |
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Refills Health and all stat pools |
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Deal 20 Chemical damage and confer Bleeding (4 Physical damage per turn for 3 turns) on target |
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Heal 10 Health on all allies in target area |
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Deal 12 Transdimensional damage to target and confer Hobbled (-50% movement speed, -15% Evasion) to targets in area |
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All characters in range receive 12 Relativistic damage and are knocked down. |
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Summons a phased humanoid husk to fight alongside you and confers Phased on the user (converts all damage to Transdimensional, grants +30% Evasion, +3 Resistance, all damage received is doubled) |
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Deal 10 damage and confer Dazed to all character in range (-15% Willpower and attack) |
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Heals 13 points of Health on all allies in target area. |
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Deals 15 Physical damage and confers Immobilized, Root Spike fettles (target cannot move and sufers 2 Physical damage per turn) |
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Confers the Furtive Eidolon fettle (+50% on Stealth and Perception tasks, automatic attemt to hide at the end of turn) Lasts 5 turns |
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Deals 4 Energy damage and confers Blinded, Knocked Down fettles on target (immobilized, -60% Evasion, -30% on Speed and Might tasks, -25% damage) |
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+45% on Persuasion checks until next sleep |
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Deal 15 Energy damage in target area. |
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Deal 13 Mental damage and Demoralize enemies in target area (-20% Willpower , -10% Evasion, -15% on all tasks) |
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Gain Hyperkinetic Child (+30% on attacks, +4 Energy damage) |
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Deal 23 Energy damage to target. |
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Reveals fog of war in the current area |
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Confers Stim (+45% on non-combat tasks) |
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+1 to the highest of the stat pools |
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Confers Barrel of Indomitability for the entire Crisis (+6 Health and +100% damage each turn) |
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Deals 18 Chemical damage to target area and confers Bleeding on all targets affected (6 Physical damage per turn) |
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+23 Health on all allies in target area |
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Permanent +1 Training level to Quick Fingers |
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Shade of the Desert Sun |
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Conflict Advisor |
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+1 Might (permanent)
Restores 3 Might |
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Tabletop mechanics[]
Cyphers are in many ways the most important aspect of the Numenera. So much so, that the working title of the game system itself is the Cypher System. Cyphers are one-use, cobbled together bits of technology that characters frequently discover and use. When the PCs come upon an old device, defeat some artificially enhanced or designed creature, or simply sift through the ruins of the past, they can scavenge a handful of new cyphers.
Because the technology of the past is unknowable, cyphers are often determined randomly. A GM, however, can place them intentionally as well. They’re one-use cool powers that can heal, make attacks, or produce effects like nullify gravity or make something invisible. The sky’s the limit. But they’re always consumed when used and they cannot be hoarded. Collecting cyphers together in one place, or carrying many on your person can potentially have a detrimental effect–from the long term (illness) to the short (explosion). So essentially, characters only carry a few at a time. However, they are found with such regularity that players can be pretty free with their use. There will always be more. And they’ll have different benefits.[1]
Sources[]
- The Amber Monolith (First appearance)