Skip to main content

Crystal Ball of True Seeing

Crystal Ball Of True Seeing
  • Category: Wondrous Item
  • Rarity: Legendary (Requires Attunement)

While touching this crystal orb, you can cast Scrying (save DC 17) with it. In addition, you have Truesight with a range of 120 feet centered on the spell's sensor.

Tactical Applications​

Combat Strategy: Provides ultimate reconnaissance through combined scrying and true sight capabilities. Most effective for detecting illusions, hidden threats, and concealed information.

Class Synergies:

  • Spellcasters: Exceptional fit for divination specialists and anti-illusion experts
  • Investigators: Perfect for characters requiring absolute truth in observations
  • Any Class: Universal benefit for piercing through deception and concealment

Build Considerations: Most valuable for characters who must distinguish truth from deception and uncover hidden or disguised threats.

Acquisition Methods​

Crafting Requirements: Requires legendary crystal materials, true sight enchantments, and master-level divination expertise. Typically costs 175,000+ gp if craftable.

Common Sources:

  • Rewards from legendary truth-seeking quests or anti-illusion missions
  • Inheritance from master diviners or legendary investigators
  • Discovery in ancient civilization vaults where truth was paramount
  • Gifts from entities of absolute truth or gods of revelation

Alternative Acquisition: Items of this power often become central investigative tools or campaign-defining truth-seeking artifacts.

Value & Trade​

Estimated Value: 450,000+ gp, with prices reflecting legendary rarity and absolute truth-detection capabilities.

Trade Considerations: Rarely traded commercially, typically serving as investigative assets or truth-seeking campaign tools.

Character Integration​

Roleplay Elements: Suggests dedication to absolute truth, master investigative abilities, or divine mandates for revelation. The true sight creates philosophical implications about reality.

Character Concepts:

  • Legendary investigator dedicated to uncovering ultimate truths
  • Divine agent tasked with revealing hidden cosmic deceptions
  • Master diviner specializing in piercing through legendary illusions
  • Character with responsibilities requiring absolute certainty about reality

Adventure Hooks​

The Ultimate Deception: Cosmic-level illusions or shape-changing threats require true sight to detect and counter.

The Truth Investigation: World-threatening mysteries hidden behind legendary illusions and deceptions must be uncovered.

The Reality Crisis: Campaigns involving altered reality or massive deception require tools to distinguish truth from falsehood.

The Divine Revelation: Sacred quests require seeing through divine or planar illusions to uncover cosmic truths.

Variants & Customization​

Crystal Ball of Absolute Truth (Artifact): Combines true sight with additional truth-detection and illusion-piercing abilities.

Divine Orb of Cosmic Sight (Artifact): Enhanced with deity-level perception and reality-piercing capabilities.

Orb of Planar Truth (Legendary): Specialized for detecting inter-dimensional deceptions and planar illusions.

Specialized Variants:

  • Investigator's Perfect Eye: Optimized for criminal investigation and evidence gathering
  • Oracle's Truth Sphere: Enhanced for prophetic visions and divine revelation
  • Scholar's Reality Globe: Focused on distinguishing magical theory from illusion

Lore & History​

Origins: Created by legendary seekers of truth or divine entities to enable absolute perception and reality detection.

Historical Significance: Major cosmic deceptions and legendary illusions were uncovered using these orbs for truth-seeking investigations.

Cultural Impact: In academic and investigative communities, these orbs represent the pinnacle of truth-seeking magic.

Truth Magic: The orbs combine advanced scrying with legendary true sight for unprecedented reality perception.

Balancing Notes​

Introduction Timing: Only appropriate for epic-level campaigns (17+) where absolute truth detection serves crucial narrative purposes.

Campaign Impact: Provides game-changing investigative capabilities that can dramatically alter mystery and deception scenarios.

Reality Implications: The true sight capabilities require careful consideration of what absolute truth means in the campaign world.

Encounter Design​

Recommended Challenges:

  • Epic-level scenarios involving legendary illusions or shape-changing entities
  • Cosmic mysteries requiring absolute truth detection and reality verification
  • Divine or planar deceptions that challenge normal perception abilities
  • Campaign climaxes where distinguishing truth from falsehood determines outcomes

Tactical Adjustments: Epic-level illusions may require multiple forms of detection or involve reality manipulation beyond normal true sight.

Legendary Truth-Detection Equipment: Other legendary items that provide absolute perception or reality-piercing capabilities.

Investigation Artifacts:

  • Items that enhance truth detection and evidence gathering
  • Equipment that provides protection against deception and illusion
  • Tools that reveal hidden or concealed information

Complementary Equipment: Legendary items that work synergistically with absolute truth detection and reality perception.

Roleplay Opportunities​

Absolute Truth: Characters gain appreciation for the philosophical implications of seeing reality without illusion or deception.

Investigative Mastery: The orb enables solving cosmic-level mysteries and uncovering legendary secrets.

Reality Awareness: Players develop understanding of the difference between perception and absolute truth in magical worlds.