Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Orbs for the Orbally-inclined

SunderedWorldDM says "orbs are cool and there aren’t enough of them", but also has a criticism for orb-centric adventure design, in the wake of my orbseeker class, which has changed the way games shall be played forever:


To which I say this: do not write what you can automate. Orbs are cool but they are, fundamentally, items. Scatter them thoughtlessly. Scatter them freely. I would recommend putting two magic orbs in a sizeable dungeon, or two per level in a very large dungeon. One orb should be in the first half, and easy to miss. The other should be further in, but obvious if encountered. Further, I would note the location or owner of a magic orb in major settlements and civilized locations, as well as the social relevance of such orbs. nonmagical orbs don't need to be planned for; let them appear as improvisation allows.

Now, a magic orb generator! Roll a d6 six times:

substancesizedetailpowerdomainfound in
1glasseyeball-sizeshimmering fleckscast a cantrip at willdooman alternate exit
2woodbaseballcracksacts a wand of a relevant spellvalora trap
3bonecannonballglimmering sheencommand domaindeception
a leader's belongings
4bronzebeach ballrotates by its own willintelligent but immobileexchangean arcane area
5ironhumanoidetched symbolsis a level 1d4 mysterious orbemotion
an ornamentation
6living mattera small roomfoggycontains a trapped miscreantwaste
the oddest room available

4 comments:

  1. A comment made in jest developed into a VERY usable table that I FULLY intend to steal! Thank you very much!

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  2. O R B

    See also the Shame Orb: https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1567

    ReplyDelete
  3. what counts as "wielding" for a humanoid size orb? touching it? lifting it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good question. I would say you have to touch it fully with your hand, and that others cannot wield it at the same time.

      Delete