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Old 08-04-2009, 01:18 AM   #1
Stone Dog
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Default (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

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Originally Posted by Dungeon Fantasy 6
The Spheres of Weirdness are glowing crystal globes filled with what appears to be a roiling mass of brightly colored smoke. Pre-scored and conveniently hand-sized, they’re obviously some sort of grenade. Tossing one without knowing the details is unwise.
Spheres of Weirdness are exactly the kinds of wicked awesome old school things I enjoy putting people through. However, there just aren't enough examples in the book to really make full use of the idea.

That is what the internet is for! Lets make a plethora of these little balls of mischief!

Quote:
Any number of other Spheres might exist. The only rule is that the effects should be odd, perhaps scary, but never instantly lethal. If there are dozens or hundreds of Spheres, and some interact (like Purple and Yellow Spheres), they may justify a new Hidden Lore specialty! (“Sorry, that’s a Blue- Mottled Cream Sphere, not a Marbled Blue Sphere.”)
I'll add another rule in addition to the above. No Sphere can duplicate the effects or color of a previously listed and described sphere. There can be similar colors, but not identical ones. They must be easily distinguishable if placed side by side.

I'll start the game off riffing off the above examples of similar colors. The Blue-Mottled Cream Sphere (Creates a swarm of hungry pixies that devours all rations except dwarf bread and replaces the food with pretty rocks over the next few hours) is distinguishable from the Marbled Blue Sphere (Allows 1d6 days of perfect telepathy and translation for all water elementals, even the ones in your drink who scream in pain if you try and swallow them) in that the Marbled Blue Sphere is merely various shades of blue making a marbled pattern, without swirls of true Cream color.

For reference, the existing colors of Sphere's are these; Banishment Sphere (Purple), Improbability Sphere (Red), Normalization Sphere (Green), Release Sphere (Yellow), Teleportation Sphere (Blue) and the Topsy-Turvy Sphere (Orange). I'm pretty sure I can't quote what they do, but if I am wrong I'll go ahead and quote the first line of their description. It is pretty much self explainatory though.
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Old 08-04-2009, 02:02 AM   #2
nick012000
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

Created by the clerics of Xom, God of Chaos, the rainbow-colored sphere causes a random effect when thrown. Sometimes it'll create a giant cloud of butterflies of every color of the rainbow (and a few that aren't). Sometimes it'll create a treasure; usually one noone in the party is capable of using, if magical; bulky or otherwise inconvenient, if its primary value is monetary; or simply mostly worthless (such as a few rations of bread when used in the middle of a feast). Sometimes it'll mutate you; these mutations are as likely to be beneficial as not. Sometimes it'll summon a pack of slavering demons who want nothing more than to eat your face off.

It all depends on the will of Xom, and you had better hope Xom is amused.

The most useful aspect of these items is that using them can attract the attention of Xom, allowing a character to pay the points to pick up a suitable Lens.
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Old 08-04-2009, 02:11 AM   #3
Stone Dog
 
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

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Originally Posted by nick012000 View Post
The most useful aspect of these items is that using them can attract the attention of Xom, allowing a character to pay the points to pick up a suitable Lens.
This is actually a pretty nifty aspect. The item itself was a little more "Wand of Wonder" than I was really hoping for, but the ability to attract Xom's attention for a moment and buy a lens without paying training fees or anything could be very useful for the right character.
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Old 08-04-2009, 04:16 AM   #4
nick012000
 
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

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Originally Posted by Stone Dog View Post
This is actually a pretty nifty aspect. The item itself was a little more "Wand of Wonder" than I was really hoping for, but the ability to attract Xom's attention for a moment and buy a lens without paying training fees or anything could be very useful for the right character.
You still pay character points, and you'd be limited to Unholy templates. Xom isn't a god that demands demonic rituals or anything, but he's a dick and he is known to do things like summoning a bunch of demons to wreak havoc in a fair and laugh as his follower attempts to stop them. His followers also tend to begin looking like unholy demon-men after a few years of constant mutation to suit his whims.

If you're a swordmaster, and you're alone and weaponless, he might be amused at your reaction when he gives you a powerful magical axe. If you flip the axe around and use its handle as a wooden sword, he's likely to find it hilarious (unless you make it a habit, and thus boring). If you proceed to use it to kill the Wood-men of Xellthorpe three weeks later when you could have easily sold it, simply because it might come in useful some day, he'd laugh at you for turning something useless into something useful in an unforeseen way.

He'd also laugh when you die horribly, so watch out.

His Evil Clerics and Unholy Knights add Daredevil (Unholy, -10%) [14], Modular Abilities (Divine Inspiration; Uncontrollable, -10%; Unconscious Only, -20%; Unholy, -10%) [3.6 base + 2.4/level], and Wild Talent (Uncontrollable, -10%; Unconscious Only, -20%; Unholy, -10%) [12/level]. His Unholy Knights replace Higher Purpose (Slay Forces of Good) with Higher Purpose (Amuse Xom).
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:10 AM   #5
tanniynim
 
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

Hehehe. I don't have DF6, but this seems like TONS OF FUN. Let me know if this concept doesn't fit in with the other ideas.

Red Swirling Sphere With Specks of Off-White: This sphere, when thrown, causes anyone in a 5 yard radius to painfully lose their teeth over the next few seconds as sharp teeth push their old teeth out of their gums. Victims gain the Sharp Teeth advantage for 1d6-3 (minimum 1) days. Afterwards, their sharp teeth are painfully replaced by their original teeth once again.

EDIT (Addition here to save space):
Red Swirling Sphere With Swirling Lines of White: The Red Swirling Sphere With Swirling Lines of White creates 3' high of white smoke in a 10 yard radius that dissipates quickly to reveal a small horde of gypsy children. These children surround the targets in the area and rob them blindly of anything that can be grabbed quickly. After a few seconds of robbery, the children disperse and disappear with the stolen items as soon as they are out of sight. Any children who are captured speak a language that cannot be understood and do not have any of the stolen items on them. As soon as no one is looking at the captured children, they disappear as well.

Last edited by tanniynim; 08-04-2009 at 09:30 AM.
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:17 AM   #6
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

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Originally Posted by nick012000 View Post
If you're a swordmaster, and you're alone and weaponless, he might be amused at your reaction when he gives you a powerful magical axe.

He'd also laugh when you die horribly, so watch out.

His Unholy Knights replace Higher Purpose (Slay Forces of Good) with Higher Purpose (Amuse Xom).
I LIKE Xom. :)
I might have to convince someone to run a short DF campaign just so I can be a cleric or Unholy Knight of his.
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:38 AM   #7
Stone Dog
 
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

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Originally Posted by tanniynim View Post
Red Swirling Sphere With Specks of Off-White:

EDIT (Addition here to save space):
Red Swirling Sphere With Swirling Lines of White:
I dub these the Fang Sphere and the Sphere of Urchins.
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:43 AM   #8
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

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I dub these the Fang Sphere and the Sphere of Urchins.
Those are great names and they make me very happy. Especially the Sphere of Urchins, because it can be seriously misunderstood.

Do the DF6 spheres have names such as these or are they called only by their color description?
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:54 AM   #9
Stone Dog
 
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

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Originally Posted by tanniynim View Post
Those are great names and they make me very happy. Especially the Sphere of Urchins, because it can be seriously misunderstood.
there was a Planescape item called a mimir. It was basically a catagory of floating items that stored and relayed information. I'm tempted to include an incomplete mimir that only has an index of names and colors, but does not give a hint as to a Sphere's function.

"Mimir, what is this one?"
"A Sphere of Urchins."
"Kids? Spiny things? What?"
"A Sphere of Urchins."
"... Great."

Quote:
Do the DF6 spheres have names such as these or are they called only by their color description?
At the end of the OP I mentioned the ones published in DF6 with their titles and colors.
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:57 AM   #10
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Default Re: (Game) Spheres of Weirdness

The Sphere of Fun! An Orange Sphere with Yellow Specks: All weapons, armor, and shields of within a 20 yard radius are changed to ineffective wooden toys. Mauls and clubs are hollow and lightweight, swords and axes have no sharp points or edges, bows and crossbows shoot with very little force and armor is painted cloth and shields are clunky and uncomfortable. The effect persists for 1d6 minutes and continues to alter any new item brought into the radius during that time-including missile weapons shot in from the outside. Any non-magical items are permanently changed, while magical versions only remain this way for the duration of the effect.
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