The science of tomorrow brought to you today. Wonders come in many shapes, sizes and categories.

All Wonders have a specific “point rating” that can be used to determine their relative power level and their cost as a Background item. Each type of Wonder has a different way of calculating its value, but the Storyteller may always override it and choose to assign a value arbitrarily. After all, what's a powerful Wonder in one chronicle may be useless in another, and vice versa.

An Invention is an apparently ordinary object empowered with some extraordinary ability. Flying carpets, laser cannons, cloaks of invisibility and powered armor suits are all examples of an Inventions. An Invention's power is not limited to a preset number of uses. Inventions may be used time and again, their power limited only by the power and understanding of the scientist who wields them.

An Invention typically has one or two powers that are either continuous or able to be activated at need. For instance, a suit of powered armor would give its wearer a constant bonus to Strength, while a cloak of invisibility might only render the wearer invisible upon command. Furthermore, an Invention can also be a Device. In such a case, it has its own Inspiration, and the user can rely on the item's natural power instead of activating it with his own knowledge.

Inventions also occasionally have drawbacks, strange little curses or odd limitations on their power. A Storyteller may increase the overall power of an Invention by adding Flaws to balance the item's power, or afflicting the item with specific facets or annoying quirks. Some Inventions are unreliable and they don't always work the way the user wants. Others are downright jinxed, causing all manner of problems. Unfortunately, most such items bear a curse that prevents the owner from ditching them.

Storytellers may wish to assess penalties for characters who sleep in their powered armor suits or never remove their Rings of Invulnerability. He may dictate that the suit has become grafted to the character's flesh permanently or that the jewelry junkie has become addicted to her precious ring. Perhaps the wearer becomes the slave or cat's paw of the inventor who empowered the Invention, especially if the item is also a Device. After all, Inventions are the greatest creations of the Scientists and other beings who create them. As such, they Resonate with the power of that being's Facets and personality, and those who use them cannot help but be affected when they do so.

An Invention's value is equal to the Sphere rating of each of its powers. The price doubles if the effects remain active continuously. Therefore, if an Invention has a continuous Forces 2 power and a normal Matter 3 power, its total rating is (2 x 2, plus 3) seven points. Continuous Effects are always on, or they can be turned on and off at the whim of the user. Standard Effects are built in, but they can be activated by only an Inspired user — in effect, giving an Adventurer access to a power that she normally wouldn't have.

Charms (or Gadgets to the Technocracy and Sons of Ether) are single-use Wonders such as potions, magic candles, vanishing powder, holy water, miracle formulas, magic bullets, sacramental wine, tins of flying salve, sheets of “really good” acid, strings of firecrackers, disposable Kirlian photography cameras and so on. Unlike Talismans, which can have an array of mystical Effects, Charms are usually created for a single purpose. Occasionally, there are Charms and Gadgets with an array of uses (“Cleans teeth and freshens breath!” “It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping!”), but their powers generally come under a single umbrella if one looks hard enough. For example, while true holy water is useful both for dissolving vampires and banishing demons, its main use is to wash away sin, explaining why both the Damned and the Damnable find it so unpleasant. A Charm or Gadget's physical substance is generally used up when its magic is released. These throwaway items can possess mighty Effects, but they disappear eventually. At best, they become mere mementos, non-magical husks of their former power. For example, while a magic mirror that was created as a Talisman would always be magical, a Charm mirror would only work for a set number of times before its magic gave out—possibly with some dramatic effect like the glass shattering once the last magic was done. Such items cannot be recharged as with Talismans, although their physical remnants might be used in the Grafting of another Charm, recycled as parts for a new Gadget or charmed again, depending on the circumstances. Charms are good for only a set number of uses or amount of time before their power gives out, but unlike Talismans, they may sometimes be more useful thus. For example, a bottle may have only five magic pills left, but those pills could be divided between the members of a group. Likewise, a magic candle might be good for two hours, but by chopping it in two, you could get two one-hour candles. Not all Charms and Gadgets are divisible this way — some, like disposable cameras, lose their power when broken, while others, such as individual pills, don't have sufficient magic to share — but most come in sets of charges that can be used as needed. For particularly difficult feats, or in adverse conditions, Charms may also be “beefed up” by increasing the number of charges used at a time. What constitutes a charge or dose and the amount of time for which it's good is a matter of Storyteller arbitration. One hit of acid or frame of a strip of film is obviously one call, based on the item's power and the desired Effect. A candle whose light reveals the presence of ghosts and spirits might be good for five-minutes per charge (one candle obviously consisting of multiple charges), while flying salve, to be classic, needs to last long enough to get you where you're going. Generally speaking, each charge will last a scene, whether it's five minutes of non-stop combat or two hours of leisurely chatting over coffee. After all, as even the Technocracy agrees, an active metabolism processes drugs more quickly. Multiple doses or charges may also be required for particularly difficult feats. One candle would be all that is necessary to see ghosts in a deserted graveyard on a moonless night, but it would take an entire candelabra to make them show themselves at midday in a downtown department store. Logical metaphysics should always apply. Unlike Talismans, Charms may also be used by the uninitiated, as long as the user believes in the paradigm of the mage who crafted the Wonder. For example, any Verbena consor or acolyte could use flying salve, as could a superstitious villager who truly accepted the Verbena paradigm, but the goo would be nothing more than herbal ointment to most Sleepers or even an Awakened Technomancer. However, most Technocratic Gadgets can be operated by all but the most sheltered native or willfully ignorant sorcerer. If you believe in them, then they work “like a charm.” Charms are valuable according to their one-shot power. If a Charm duplicates a particular Effect or Merit, then its value is one-tenth the Sphere rating or Merit cost. Therefore, it is best to buy Charms in groups (like a box of candles, a bunch of flowers or whatnot).

One builds a Charm or Gadget just like an Invention, but because it is not permanently empowered, doing so requires one less level of Prime Sphere skill. With the right Tass, apprentices can forge Charms with Prime 2, so these items are key stepping stones in the creation of more powerful magical Wonders.