The Bones

If the target can hear the bones, they can be controlled by them. The target need not be capable of hearing for the control to happen, all that is needed is that the sound must be able to reach the body of the target. Typical range can be up to about 12 meters or more (6"on tabletop)
(Note: Environmental Body Armor and Power Armor will prevent the sound from reaching the bodies of those wearing it)   Recorded sounds, and any amplified sound or sound played through speakers has no effect. Only the natural sound waves coming from the bones themselves will create the controlling effect. There is no limit to the number of creatures a set of bones can control other than the actual physical limitation of how many can fit within range of their sound.   Certain clacking patterns and rhythms will induce certain responses. A skillful bones player wlll be able to play more complex patterns and rhythms and thereby has a larger repertoire of commands, even causing affected targets to act against their own nature. The person playing the bones must be aware of the pattern they are playing for it to have an effect. Thus not just any arcane user can pick up the bones and create the effects they desire. Training at the hands of an experienced instructor or at least a significant amount of trial and error is a prerequisite for effective use.   In general, the player of the bones can cause responses similar to issuing a one word command. Complex commands the equivalent of two and even three words are possible, but the difficulty increases and the skill level must be exceptional to play them.

  Interestingly, practitioners of the bones have also discovered that they can play a bone flute from the same beast to combine a string of movements together for even more complex control. Any commands provided by the bones that occur while simultaneously playing a bone flute from the same species gains the bonus of extra complexity without the elevated risk of failure associated with the increased complexity. Of course, the skill level to play both the bones and a bone flute simultaneously makes this a capability reserved for only the most elite bones players.   Below is a video showing the combination of rhythm bones and bone flute:   A bone flute serves as a melodic thread weaving a continuity through the clacking patterns. It has only a negligible effect when played by itself without the clacking of the bones to go with it. At most, a solo bone flute may give a queesy sensation of unease that might induce a subtle fear effect on the most weak willed or shaken individuals.   A bones player may forego the bone flute and choose to operate two pairs of bones. Two pair of bones of the same creature can produce more complex rythms than a single pair in one hand. This would be the equivalent of an added command word. If both pair are for the same target species, the effects are also harder to resist. But both pair can be from different species and in such a case both can be in effect simultaneously. There is obviously a skill threshhold when attempting to control more than one species at a time and the chance of failure for each is elevated. Playing two pairs of bones requires penalties for dual weapon use as well as multi-action penalties if both are used during the same combat round.   As one might expect, playing The Bones is more of an art form than a science. Musical performance is the skill to use for this item. And even though the ritual to create The Bones requires a powerful necromancer, any performer with an arcane backround should be capable of using them with the expenditure of 2 PPE or ISP per use as if they were a Techno Wizard item.   Note that while any number of creatures can be affected by the bones, all controlled creatures obey the same commands at the same time. The player of the bones can not select who is and who is not a target of the control. The control is present in the sound itself and so affects whatever creatures are impacted by the sound waves emitted by the bones. Only the player of The Bones will be immune from their effect.   Any control effect created by the bones will stay in effect for a full minute if no further commands are given, unless the bones are broken.

In order to construct this item, the bones must be removed while the "donor" is still alive. The removed bones must first be salted to remove any flesh from them. Then runes are inscribed along each bone. While the runes are being inscribed is when the enchantment is infused into the bones, the power of the enchantment comes from the life force of the "donor." When the ritual is complete, the "donor's" life force is trasferred entirely into teh bones, with the death gasp providing the final seal upon them. This is a powerful ritual, and not just any necromancer will be able to succeed at it.   The runes do not make the bones any more durable than any other bone would be from that creature. A pair of bones used in the manner of The Bones will eventually crack and splinter. Once this occurs, their sound is altered and they are worthless for this purpose. Translated into game mechanics, the bones break on a critical failure. A roll is not necessary while a control effect is in place if no clacking is performed.

If you hear the sound of bones clacking, it may already be too late for you. Run anyway.