Amulets

An amulet is a pendant or talisman that has been enchanted with an active spell. Anyone who puts the amulet around his or her neck is immediately subject to its effects. They are usually made of wood, stone, or crystal, but bone, ivory, and certain pure metals1 are also valid options. An amulet is also called a charm.

Amulets are not permanent; once created, they will only work for a limited period of time before the spell degrades and becomes useless. Most amulets function for about a month, though well-made ones can last for a year. An amulet can be made to last much longer if it is built around a core of mithril; this core anchors the spell more thoroughly and provides a place where a large amount of mana can be stored to power it. Mithril-core amulets are very expensive, costing at least a few hundred marks, but they can last for ten years or more.

There are a wide variety of spells that are commonly affixed to amulets. A few that have been seen thus far:

Birth Control/Antibiotic: These charms work by destroying foreign life forms that enter the body after the amulet is put on.2 In addition to birth control, it has the added benefit of preventing infection, though persistent exposure to contagion will cause the amulet to wear out faster than usual. The charm is weak enough that it only functions against microscopic life forms, so it will not harm the wearer's partner during intercourse. Most models are too weak to protect against impregnation by incubi and other outsiders; special models are available that can block a daedra's seed, but these are ten times the price of the standard models.

Doppel Charm: A doppel charm changes a person's body to look like someone else — exactly. The changes are physical but only cosmetic; the wearer's fingerprints, retinal patterns and voice will change, but not his or her DNA. The person's skills, memories, reflexes, and supernatural abilities (if any) are also unaffected by the spell. The spell requires a sample from the person being doppeled — blood, hair, skin, or some other pure tissue sample. It is not illegal to make doppel charms — they're used quite often in movies, stage magic, and Sensualist parlors — but it is illegal to attempt to use them to deceive someone into thinking you really are the person being doppeled, except in an entertainment context. It is also illegal to make a doppel charm of someone without his or her consent.

Disguise: Disguise amulets are a more superficial way of altering one's appearance. Unlike doppel charms, disguise amulets are illusion magic, not transmutation magic. The spell is only a glamour, and doesn't change the wearer physically at all. Disguise amulets are cheaper than doppel charms and require only a skilled illusionist to craft them; a sample of the subject's body is not required. Indeed, most disguise charms are not intended to look like anyone in particular. It is not illegal to wear disguise charms, or to use a disguised alter-ego in the course of conducting ordinary business, but they are prohibited inside skyports, banks and other high-security locations. As with doppel charms, it is illegal to use them to impersonate someone else except for entertainment purposes. It is not illegal to make a disguise amulet that resembles someone else, and many magic shops offer amulets that resemble a variety of famous people.
Disguise amulets are capable of altering a person's visual and olfactory appearance (what they look and smell like) for relatively cheap. Scent-only disguise amulets are very cheap and plentiful at pretty much every sort of shop you could imagine for the simplicity of keeping one's musk and fur odors under control (they don't replace the need for hygiene, however!). These are temporary effect amulets that burn out after a set period of time (at most a week). Auditory illusions are added to basic disguises for a substantially higher fee. There is no additional regulation on the use of auditory illusions, but the law against impersonating others still applies.
By law, disguise amulets being used for non-entertainment purposes must be clearly visible to both normal and mage-sight, though the amulet can be crafted in such a way that it blends in with the person's outfit.

Disguise amulets cannot disguise the sense of touch; for that, a doppel charm or other transmutation magic is required.3

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