d20 LPJ Design The True Arcane Story - Crystal Ball.pdf - LPJ Design - R5700

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THE TRUE

ARCANE STORY

The crystal ball has long been recognized as one

of the tools of most master wizards and spying

diviners. Though very common and utterly useful,

these crystal spheres were created in a fit of para-

noia and delusion by one of the most evil beings in

history.

yet just one could not sate Logar’s gluttonous

needs.

As her power grew, her self-confidence dwindled,

for at twenty-six, her looks were beginning to fade

away and all that she was her magic, something

that Logar had never let her fully develop. So

working with the paltry cantrips she knew, she

crafted a ball made of crystal that would allow her

to spy upon Logar’s many mistresses and destroy

them, no matter where she was or what she was

doing.

CREATOR OF THE CRYSTAL BALL

Seventeen centuries ago in the lands along the

northern coast of the western sea, a girl was born

into a relatively poor household of farmers. Her

parents, though simple people knew Mercada

would never be happy in a simple life in a simple

village, so they did all they could to make her

available to some passing master or tradesman. In

what came about more through careful planning

and the like, the wizard Logar discovered the girl.

Logar was immediately and greatly impressed

by the young girl, and so purchased her from her

family to act as his apprentice.

Slowly, one-by-one Logar’s pretty little things met

unfortunate ends. Logar suspected that another

wizard was to blame, for many of the accidents

and deaths such that they pointed to an arcane

spellcaster, but Logar never once suspected his

self-doubting apprentice, so he continued to train

her what he knew, and she continued to learn

everything put in front of her. It was during this

time, that Mercada began to question her mortality,

since she was growing older and the magics neces-

sary to slow that process were far beyond her

according to Logar, so her hope deteriorated.

This young girl was named Mercada, and if she

was in the tutelage of anyone but Logar, she would

have worked beyond her apprenticeship by the age

of twelve. Yet at the age twenty-six, she was still

bound to act as his student and servant, and some-

thing more. Logar was known for being somewhat

of a letch, and his apprentice bore the brunt of

his desires. Though Mercada was not a beautiful

woman, she was considered by most to be pretty,

After five years of having his dalliances stripped

away from him, did Logar begin to suspect that

his as of yet untouched apprentice; so, in secret

he plotted to slay her. Logar sent Mercada on a

mission that sent her far from the scrying pool that

he allowed her to use. So, in he thought himself

safe from her scrying, and he significantly doubted

CRYSTAL BALL

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THE REAL ARCANE STORY: CRYSTAL BALL

HISTORY OF THE CRYSTAL BALL

Once the lich Mercada was killed, the Dawnsingers were

able to create lesser crystal balls that mirrored many of the

powers of the gemstone crystal balls that were crafted by

the lich. Soon, a rogue member of the Dawnsingers gave

the formulae and texts to a wizard who believed that all

should be able to access magic. He crafted many and gave

them to dozens of more wizards, the mystery of the crystal

ball had truly dissolved and the world now knew.

her ability to even cast a divining spell of that magnitude.

Mercada used her crystal ball to scry upon him, as he

plotted her destruction to his familiar outlining every step

of the brutal and devious plan. So she never returned to

her master’s home, but he would come to find her a few

years later.

Mercada knew that she could not defeat Logar in a

wizard’s duel, so she fled into the wilds. In the snow

covered fields of the north lands, Mercada sought shelter

from the deadly cold in a maze of underground tombs and

crypts that seemed to stretch for a thousand miles. It was

here that Mercada made her home, watching the rest of the

outside world through her crystal ball. She kept careful

watch on Logar and the other wizards she remembered,

monitoring their research, their lives, always watching.

The crystal ball has been used in a dozen dozen coups,

more investigations, and the like more than any other item.

One of the classic examples is in the case of magic using

assassin Nemol. Using the crystal ball, he managed to

foil the pursuit of dozens of bounty hunters, diviners, and

lawmen. The entire nation was in an uproar at the death of

three their most powerful arch-mages. In the end, it was

another crystal ball using wizard who found and brought

the assassin to justice. Studying the location Nemol was

staying at, scrying on others, the young wizard teleported

to the location of the magebane and imprisoned him in the

very depths of the earth.

Over a decade Mercada watched the wizards and explored

the frozen tomb she called her own. Her own mortality, in

a place that seemed to be a monument to mortality began

to haunt her. She became obsessed with death and a way

to defeat it. A powerful wizard, who called Logar his

apprentice, was well over one-hundred and forty years old,

pushing the very limit of restorative magics. This wizard,

named Oyric researched the dark pathdom that would lead

him to becoming a lich.

Another famous example of a crystal ball being used

far beyond its original intent. It actually comes from

the creator of these items. There was a spell crafted by

Mercada that fell into the hands of the Dawnsinger mage,

Edele. Edele than came across the very materials that

would allow her to take advantage of the spell, a living

phase spider and a crystal ball. Using the strange spell, she

was able to see through any active crystal ball in the world.

The sudden burst of omnipresence was more than enough

to shatter her psyche. She stole the spellbooks of Mercada,

many magical items, and destroyed all of her possessions

she left behind and fled, never to be seen again. The spell,

an extremely powerful divination was lost with her.

So using her knowledge of his home, gained by the near

constant scrying, she teleported in and stole his notes,

ready made phylactery, and the deadly brew that would

allow him to become a lich. Oyric passed on to the next

world, never being able to restore his stolen work in time

and Mercada at the age of thirty-five became a lich.

Yet the wizard Logar was still Mercada’s greatest threat,

and she knew that in her own mind. Mercada studied

his ways and found his most vulnerable moment to be

when he attended the services of his patron, the Lord of

Guilds, Coin, and Scales. So, Mercada, teleported in as he

worshipped. In but a moment the elder was slain with but

a word from his old apprentice and she disappeared into

the void.

Crystal Ball Type

Market Price

Crystal ball of translocation

100,000 gp

Crystal ball of far-reaching

148,000 gp

Crystal ball of far-casting

200,000 gp

The Lord of Guilds ordered his most powerful agents in

pursuit of the upstart lich, firm on punishing her for her

impetuousness. Yet, the guildmasters and the like, care-

fully maneuvered the followers of the lord of the fledgling

Dawnsingers into striking the undead creature as their own

assaults failed time and time again. Over five-hundred

years ago the lich Mercada was slain and her crystal balls

were desiminated to the rest of the world. Unluckily, the

demi-lich Mercada has lived on.

Crystal ball of zone truth

52,000 gp

Crystal ball of planar scrying

70,000 gp

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THE REAL ARCANE STORY: CRYSTAL BALL

NEW MAGIC ITEMS

Moderate divination; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item,

scrying, zone of truth; Weight 7 lb. Market Price: 52,000

gp.

CRYSTAL BALL OF TRANSLOCATION

This crystal ball appears to be a normal crystal ball but it

actually contains powerful motive magics that allow the

user to teleport himself or those being scryed upon. Three

times per day the user may use the crystal ball to teleport

himself to the location of the being scryed upon, or teleport

up to 4 willing creatures that are being scryed upon to his

location. This functions as a teleport without error spell

cast by a 13th level caster.

CRYSTAL BALL OF PLANAR SCRYING

Though all crystal balls are capable of piercing the veil

between the planes, few offer the user the ability to

communicate across these borders of thought and madness.

The crystal ball of planar scrying allows the user to send

and receive thoughts with the subject being scryed upon.

The viewer is able to send and receive silent mental

messages with the person appearing in the crystal ball,

similar to that of a crystal ball with telepathy except that

the user is not able to use the suggestion ability.

Moderate divination and necromancy; CL 13th; Craft

Wondrous Item, scrying, teleport; Weight 7 lb. Market

Price: 100,000 gp.

Moderate divination; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item,

scrying, contact other plane; Weight 7 lb. Market Price:

70,000 gp.

CRYSTAL BALL OF FAR-REACHING

This crystal ball looks much like and functions like a

normal crystal ball, but if the user concentrates upon it’s

surface becomes permeable to his hands. The user is able

to create spectral versions of his hands within ‘sight’ of the

crystal ball. Through these ephemeral limbs he is able to

deliver touch spells against anyone within sight. Any spells

cast through the crystal ball have their saving throw DCs

are reduced to the minimum necessary for the appropriate

level.

CRYSTAL SHARD OF TELEPATHY

This shard of crystal appears to be inert piece of quartz,

with seemingly moving clouds within. A single shard by

itself is worthless. If a magical shard is touched to another

crystal shard, the two become linked. This link allows

the pair of crystals to transmit and receive silent mental

messages between each other. A crystal shard may be

linked to any number of other shards.

Moderate divination; CL 13th; Craft Wondrous Item,

scrying, spectral hand, limited wish; Weight 7 lb. Market

Price: 148,000 gp.

Moderate divination; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item,

suggestion, detect thoughts; Weight 7 lb. Market Price:

18,000 gp.

CRYSTAL BALL OF FAR-CASTING

This crystal ball looks much like and functions like a

normal crystal ball, but if the user concentrates upon it’s

surface becomes permeable to his magics. He is able to

cast spells as if he was at close range to anyone being

scryed upon. Any spells cast through the crystal ball have

their saving throw DCs are reduced to the minimum neces-

sary for the appropriate level.

CRYSTAL SHARD OF SHARED SENSES

This crystal appears to be inert piece of quartz, much like

a crystal shard of telepathy. It only truly functions when

it is touched to another crystal shard, be it of the senses or

of telepathy. Unlike a normal shard, it allows the user to

see and hear through the holder of another shard, as well as

allowing communication.

Moderate divination; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item,

scrying, suggestion, detect thoughts; Weight 7 lb. Market

Price: 40,000 gp.

Moderate divination; CL 17th; Craft Wondrous Item,

scrying, spectral hand, wish; Weight 7 lb. Market Price:

200,000 gp.

CRYSTAL SKULL

Also called called a dead crystal ball, these powerful

necromantic devices are created by cracking a crystal ball

and refashioning it in the likeness of a humanoid skull.

It allows the user to see back through events that were

witnessed through the eyes of that are placed within the

sockets. It can also be used to recall anything heard or

CRYSTAL BALL WITH ZONE OF TRUTH

This variant crystal ball functions with a DC 12 or those

within 30’ of the target being scryed up or be affected as if

they were within a zone of truth spell.

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THE REAL ARCANE STORY: CRYSTAL BALL

spoken by the skull if the tongue of the creature is placed

within its open mouth. The most powerful ability of this

morbid device is the ability to scry upon events that have

occurred. If the powdered skull of a creature is poured

over the skull, the item gains the ability to scry upon the

past events that the owner of the skull had been present at.

Moderate divination and necromancy; CL 10th; Craft

Wondrous Item, scrying, speak with dead; Weight 7 lb.

Cost: 70,000.

NEW MINOR ARTIFACT

CRYSTAL SKULL OF MERCADA

There is an age old adage that the only way for evil to

succeed is for good men to do nothing. Sometimes good

men can be deceived into doing nothing. In the heart of

the fortress monastery of the Order of the Dawnsingers,

an order dedicated to the destruction of evil and especially

the undead, sits a lonely crystal ball that has been carved

from gemstones and is layered with powerful magics.

This is actually the very skull of the demi-lich Mercada.

Somehow or another the paladins of the order came across

this powerful tool of evil and were ignorant to it’s malig-

nancy. So, thinking they had found a powerful crystal ball

to spy upon their enemies, took it to their monastery and

have kept it since.

So for more than two centuries the order of paladins has

been under the subtle and twisted machinations of one of

the most powerful undead creatures to exist on the planes.

The skull is far more than a crystal ball for it holds the

spells of the ancient creature.

The skull functions as a crystal ball with far-casting and

additionally allows the user to access the repertoire of

spells available to the lich at the time of her casting off her

coil and projecting herself into the planes as nothing more

than a thoughtform.

Anyone using this item slowly begins to twist toward

neutral evil and must make a DC 20 Will save each time

they use a spell offered by the skull or be affected by the

suggestion spell.

Major necromancy; CL 20th; Weight 7 lb.

Written by Leland Schaidle

All mechanics on all pages is Open Game Content as

defined by the Open Gaming License. See page 5 for more

information.

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