[EltonJ]

I've been building up the background for my PCs, and now my PCs are ready for their game, and unfortunately I'm not ready yet.  Here are a few notes:

>The Maltese Falcon is stolen, but put on display at the University of Utah Gallery of Art before it's Auctioned Off.

>The Runners were contacted individually to steal the Falcon back.
> The Falcon is protected in an area that is secure with infrared laser beams, and drones (wonder why the SLC police carry stun batons?  They use drones).


The team is made up of a Summoning shaman shapechanging fox, two detectives -- one of which is a magician, a drone rigger, a technomancer, and a troll street samurai. 

With my notes, I originally designed it so they could have a more supple teammate, but it looks that might not happen so I may have to upgrade security.  The Maltese Falcon is an awakened Artifact, and I wanted to see some subtlety in action while they retrieve it.  So, any suggestions?  I was thinking of stealing the high security team from the video game: Dragonfall.  Also, I'd like any suggested pre-printed adventures I can look at that I can use.

[Sendaz]

I once saw a run where the team came across this item which also turned out to be a bit of a twisted artefact.

The Falcon is very subtle magic, if assensed it shows more like a reagent than a foci, which explains why it is not more sought after.

Unbeknownst to the team, it has the unusual ability to lower any dice by half to resist a Con skill attempt made in a 50' radius of the Falcon.

Hence the hazard as while it makes it easier for the team to pull a fast one on someone else, potentially helping them get away with any scheme they got going, however they are in turn also vulnerable and could lose it quickly thereafter.

The table we saw this at had gotten away with the Falcon only to have the Face lose it to a street waif with a really good hard luck story, leading the team on quite a merry chase through the Barrens to try and get it back.

[EltonJ]

I once saw a run where the team came across this item which also turned out to be a bit of a twisted artefact.

The Falcon is very subtle magic, if assensed it shows more like a reagent than a foci, which explains why it is not more sought after.

Unbeknownst to the team, it has the unusual ability to lower any dice by half to resist a Con skill attempt made in a 50' radius of the Falcon.

Hence the hazard as while it makes it easier for the team to pull a fast one on someone else, potentially helping them get away with any scheme they got going, however they are in turn also vulnerable and could lose it quickly thereafter.

The table we saw this at had gotten away with the Falcon only to have the Face lose it to a street waif with a really good hard luck story, leading the team on quite a merry chase through the Barrens to try and get it back.

Ah, thanks man.

[TheWayfinder]

I recently had the Maltese Falcon show up in my campaign (it's in one of my random encounters).  My players do not know what it is.  I haven't even said the words "Maltese" and "Falcon," but so far I don't suspect that even my current crop of players have even willingly have seen a film in black and white. 

In my campaign, the Falcon, the actual bird and not the fake, is not magical.  But it could be made magical.  However,  it's worth is estimated at 10 million Y at auction.  They're still unaware of its value, because the actual bird is, like the fake, painted in dark black enamel.  I felt that the bird being at all magical was too much for it to be, but I did throw in the notion that it might be magical in some way, even if the Street Mage can't find a magical aura on it. 

Currently, the team's Face has it in his shabby apartment, unaware of its real value.