In my previous post, I shared the “boxed text” description I wrote for an item called The Orb of Fledalious, which transforms a PC into a massive crystal dragon.
Which sounds crazy, right? I try not to be too much of a Monty Haul GM, preferring grounded low-fantasy to superheroic PCs.
This is a big swing, but it’s one I feel comfortable taking.
There’s a great deal of shared trust between us. Most of us have known each other for over a decade, and we’re all older and wiser gamers. We’ve been playing this particular campaign over 2 years. I can throw them plot twists and curveballs (they were literally sucked into Ravenloft for 6 sessions and didn’t know!) and (to my knowledge) there are no hard feelings. I try to be a fan of the player characters, not a competitor. I’ve told them this item could change for balance reasons. I feel comfortable experimenting in this space.
They’re already level 15. This isn’t too far out the range for what they can already do. In fact, I think it requires them trading off one set of powers for another, which I hope adds to the strategy.
There are significant downsides. The transformation reliably lasts 3 hours; after that you can’t be sure when you’ll revert. And when you do revert back to humanoid form, you take 5 Exhaustion (up to a max of 5). They have to spend a day waiting for it to recharge–and that’s not predictable.
And the fact is, I didn’t design this item primarily to be used in combat. It’s meant to give them new logistical options: long-term flight, and the ability to carry passengers and the artificer’s new magic tank. The players can now drop into an area they might not be able to reach otherwise, and then must devise a plan to get out while protecting the weakened orb-user.
I’m excited to see what they do with it, because I hope this changes their planning. They have a whole new way to affect the world. I hope they use it to take some big, risky swings.
Orb of Fledalious
Requires attunement.
Holds 1 charge. Recharges on a 1d6 roll of 6, made at evening.
You may take a Magic action and spend 1 charge to take on Fledalious’s draconic form. This transformation takes 10 minutes. The following changes occur:
- Your size becomes gargantuan (5×5 square)
- Your speed becomes 40 ft., burrow 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
- Your stats are replaced with: STR 25 (+7), DEX 12 (+1), CON 26 (+8). Other stats remain as normal.
- Your AC becomes 18
- Your HP becomes 16 x your level
- You gain resistance to cold and radiant damage
- You gain blindsight 60 ft and darkvision 120 ft
- You cannot use weapons, armor, tools, or any other item made for human hands. Other forms of equipment (pendants, rings, etc.) adjust to fit you.
- You gain the following actions:
- Multiattack: Make one Bite and one Claw attack per round
- Bite: Melee attack. +9 to hit, reach 10 ft, one target. 2d10+5 piercing + 1d8 radiant damage.
- Claw: Melee attack. +9 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. 1d8+5 slashing.
- Breath Weapon: Recharge 6. Exhale a burst of brilliant radiance in a 60 ft cone. Each creature makes a DC 17 Con save, taking 9d8 radiant damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. You or an ally you choose within 120 ft gains 15 temporary HP by absorbing the energy.
- Starlight Strike. Recharge 6. You release a searing beam of starlight at a creature within 60 ft, who must make a DC 17 Dexterity save or take 9d6 radiant damage.
- Once per day, you may use Legendary Resistance. If you would fail a saving throw, you may choose to succeed.
- You lose access to class features:
- Spellcasting, abilities that require spell slots, or abilities that require a Magic action
- Any feature that modifies your AC or Speed
- Any feature that requires a weapon, armor, tools, or spellcasting focus
- You gain the following psionic abilities:
- Cast with Intelligence. Spell save DC 19.
- At will: dancing lights, guidance
- 1/day each: command, divination, greater restoration, hypnotic pattern, invisibility
When you use the orb to transform, choose any number of creatures you can see. They gain Telepathy 120 ft with you and each other as long as you are transformed. You are large enough to carry large objects in your claws and passengers on your back.
You may take a bonus action to revert to your natural form. You may remain in Fledalious’s draconic form for 3 hours. After that, you must roll 3d8 + the number of hours you have been in draconic form each hour. If the roll is greater than your level, you immediately revert to your natural form.
If you become Incapacitated or would die, you instead revert to your natural form, unconscious but stable at 0 HP.
You take 5 levels of Exhaustion upon regaining your humanoid form.