Dystechnia

is a mental defect that makes the player much worse at artifact examination, and introduces a chance for artifacts to explode if the examination fails. Furthermore, the player cannot pay tinkers, such as, to inspect artifacts on their behalf.

adds a -20 modifier to artifact examination attempts.

Failing an Artifact Examination
If the player fails at examining an artifact with, the artifact will explode with a force equal to the artifact's complexity times a random number between 2400 and 3600 (note that explosive force is not the same as damage).

If the artifact is of tier 8 or higher, the explosion will be considered a neutronic.

The following is a list of all tier 8+ artifacts:

Disadvantages

 * Only two points are gained from taking this defect.
 * May not be considered a worthwhile tradeoff for being unable to identify artifacts.

Considerations

 * Can be potentially offset by wearing multiple, carrying a powered , and having moderate to high intelligence.
 * Explosions may not be a significant danger at high levels with a lot of HP.
 * Can be an effective mechanical constraint for a no tinkering challenge run.