Boordrum the Eyeless, architect of the spherical Kattatonian Palace, tested the magical principles that made that wonder of the world possible on smaller spheres. He considered them by-products of his work and threw them away, but they were salvaged and fetch a pretty penny on the street, where they’re commonly known as Boordrum’s Balls.
Boordrum’s Shield
1 weight
An unusually heavy iron ball the size of a fist, scarred with thousands of cuts that form an intricate pattern across its surface. When you throw it into the air it hovers in a slow orbit around you at heart level. The orb blocks the next successful weapon attack (i.e. not claws, bites, spells etc.) against you, after which it falls to the ground.
Boordrum’s Compass
0 weight
This orb of bright white stone is the size of an eyeball. When you think of something you want to find and throw the orb into the air it hovers at eye level, settling near you to indicate a direction. Roll+INT. * On a 10+ both. * On a 7-9 choose one:
• the orb shows you the safest way to the goal.
• the orb shows you the quickest way to the goal.
Boordrum’s Wings
-1 weight
Two spheres of flawless, slightly blue tinted glass, these orbs have almost no weight at all. As long you hold one in each hand, you are completely weightless. As long as they’re on your person (in a pouch, backpack, etc.) your load is also lightened by 1.
Feedback welcome! This feels like it’ll become quite a large series of items over time – feel free to add your own. 🙂
These are great!
The shield seems underpowered by comparison though.
Thanks Joseph Le May! And yeah, the shield’s definitely the one I’m not so sure about. I’m not sure it’s too weak – removing one complete damage dealing attack against you per fight is kinda handy – but I don’t feel that’s it interesting enough. Any suggestions for improvement will be met with applause!
Hmmmm…roll INT when you are struck while using it. On a 10+, it acts as Armor 3 that stacks with normal armor (it absorbs the brunt of the blow).
On a 7-9, same, but then it drops immediately to the ground.
On a 6-, in addition to any other effects, the Shield begins floating around your adversary.
Boordrum’s Spellshield
Just as your shield, but absorbing spells instead of sword blows. Made of silvery transparent glass. Essence of the spell is trapped inside until it’s purged away by the first rays of the morning sun. Only an empty shield can be used for absorbing spells.
Boordrum’s Ram
2 weight
Perfectly round head-sized sphere of black marble. Rolled like a bowling bowl doesn’t stop until it hits solid obstacle (wall, door, gate, rock…). No matter how slow the ball rolls the force of the impact is equal to two dozen battering ram blows.
https://www.google.cz/search?q=black+marble&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ghkGVIOIEu-v7Ab1xYCoDQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=965
Boordrum’s Bell
0 weight
Two eyeball-sized bronze orbs. Banged together they negate all sound in Near range for next ten minutes.
Boordrum’s Feast Insurance
0 weight
Dice-sized pink pearl. Swallow it to gain the ability to eat anything – wood, rock, bone, poison, acid, obscene amounts of food and alcohol, anything. Downside is that you don’t get any nourishment. Induce vomit to retrieve the pearl and eat normally.
(sry for my english, not my native language)
I like that adjustment Joseph Le May, and I LOVE those Vlastimil Valluch!
Just occurred to me that my mate Joel Priddy could surely think up a couple of bizarre balls…
Matt Balara Can you please reply on hangouts
Love the idea, Matt Balara. Mind if I circle you up? I’ll be sure to report any new Ball ideas.
Of course Joseph Le May!
Vlastimil Valluch I adjusted your spellshield:
Boordrum’s Spellshield
0 weight
A hollow, fist sized ball of intricate silver latticework. When you throw it into the air it hovers in a slow orbit around your head. The orb blocks the next spell successfully cast at you, after which it falls to the ground, filled with faintly glowing energy. The spell is trapped inside until it dissolves at the next sunrise. When you cast the trapped spell, roll+INT. * On a 10+, both. * On a 7-9, choose one:
• The spell’s effects are as expected.
• The spell doesn’t affect you.
Only an empty orb can absorb spells.
And another one…
Boordrum’s Bandage
0 weight
Soft, flesh coloured and strangely warm, when you place this fist sized sphere on a wound, it softens and spreads, closing the wound, removing 1 debility and healing 8 damage. Only the person who applied it can remove it, and when they do it causes 4 damage and the wound returns to its previous state. After each use the orb must be recharged by soaking it for an hour in 1 litre of humanoid blood, which it completely absorbs.
Boordrum’s Band
1 Weight
Fist-sized ball made up of various colorful materials (fabrics, woods, coral…) pressed together. Whenever anyone in it’s presence starts singing, the ball lifts up to levitate one meter above ground and emits sounds to provide whatever instrumental background the singer’s song might require (drums, lute, violin, flute, hundred clapping hands…)
Boordrum’s Gathering Balls
0 Weight
Little candy-sized stone spheres. There is a dozen of them. When you remove one (or more) from the set and place it on a ground, it will slowly roll in the direction of the biggest gathering of its friends back to the set.
Boordrum’s Shreder
1 Weight
Fist-sized sphere of matt, blocky, grey metal. When hurled with a reasonable force it will shatter into a hundred small shrapnel fragments that will damage everything in Reach range of the impact. Few seconds later the fragments pull themselves together back to the sphere shape.
Feel free to add Dungeon World mechanics and ignore my horrible english 🙂
Boordrum’s Giant Sphere
0 weight
Bean-sized sandstone sphere. Grows in size with every strike (of a hammer or similar force) up to a size of full grown ogre. Gentle stroking slowly shrinks it back to it’s original size.
Boordrum’s Lamp
0 weight
Very light fist-sized ball of milky porcelain. Quietly absorbs daylight during the day (charge). Shines like a little sun through the night (discharge).
Boordrum’s Message
0 weight
Eyeball-sized orb of pressurised wood, paper, parchment and ink. When you clench it in your hand you can mentally insert one sentence into it. Then you can give or throw it to someone else, who can also press it in his hand to extract your message and hear it in his mind. The orb can only hold one sentence at a time.
These are so cool! LOVE the Band.
Also I really like the Giant Orb and Gathering Balls. They’re my favorite type of magic item: one without an obvious use, that you’d have to figure out a clever use for in a pinch.
David Guyll great ideas. I’m still not sure about the Shield, but that’s food for thought. And I like the idea of the Compass rolling and improving perilous journey rolls. As for the Wings, the idea isn’t flight, it’s true weightlessness, like being in space. So you could use it to ascend or descend a cliff, cross a room without touching the floor, etc, but you’ll need to push off of something and judge speed and trajectory just right. But adding a roll+DEX move makes sense, not to operate the ball, but simply to get to where you want without problems. Maybe something like:
* On a 10+ all 3. * a on 7-9 choose 2:
– you float to exactly where you wanted to.
– you float at exactly the desired speed.
– you don’t take 1d4 damage from bashing into things.
I also had an additional idea for the Compass: when your press both balls against an object, that object is weightless.
Great ideas Vlastimil Valluch! 🙂 I’ll definitely add some of these to the list!
I think I like this one better now:
Boordrum’s Shield
1 weight
A heavy iron ball the size of a fist, scarred with thousands of cuts. When you throw it into the air it hovers in a slow orbit around you at heart level. When you are successfully attacked with a metal weapon, roll+INT. * On a 10+, the orb blocks the attack completely. * On a 7-9, the Shield gives you +1 armor, and choose one:
• the attack is deflected to one of your companions, who takes 1d4 damage.
• the Shield is knocked to the ground and rolls away from you.
David Guyll I was thinking it was kinda cool if the orb’s as heavy as it looks, but when you toss it, it “turns on” and becomes weightless. So during use, it has 0 weight of course.