Dragon Orb

• Category: Wondrous Item
• Rarity: Artifact (Requires Attunement)

An orb is an etched crystal globe about 10 inches in diameter. When used, it grows to about 20 inches in diameter, and mist swirls inside it.

While attuned to an orb, you can take a Magic action to peer into the orb's depths. You must then make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On a successful save, you control the orb for as long as you remain attuned to it. On a failed save, the orb imposes the Charmed condition on you for as long as you remain attuned to it.

While you are Charmed by the orb, you can't voluntarily end your Attunement to it, and the orb casts Suggestion on you at will (save DC 18), urging you to work toward the evil ends it desires. The dragon essence within the orb might want many things: the annihilation of a particular society or organization, freedom from the orb, to spread suffering in the world, to advance the worship of Tiamat, or something else the GM decides.

Spells. The orb has 7 charges and regains 1d4+3 expended charges daily at dawn. If you control the orb, you can cast one of the spells on the following table from it. The table indicates how many charges you must expend to cast the spell.

Spell	Charge Cost
Cure Wounds (level 9 version)	4
Daylight	1
Death Ward	2
Detect Magic	0
Scrying (save DC 18)	3

Call Dragons. While you control the orb, you can take a Magic action to cause the orb to issue a telepathic call that extends in all directions for 40 miles. Chromatic dragons in range feel compelled to come to the orb as soon as possible by the most direct route. Dragon deities such as Tiamat are unaffected by this call. Chromatic dragons drawn to the orb might be Hostile toward you for compelling them against their will. Once you have used this property, it can't be used again for 1 hour.

Destroying an Orb. A Dragon Orb has AC 20 and is destroyed if it takes damage from a +3 Weapon or a Disintegrate spell. Nothing else can harm it.

Tactical Applications

Combat Strategy: This artifact-level item offers unparalleled power through dragon summoning and high-level spells, but carries extreme risk of mental domination. Only for characters confident in their Charisma saves or those with backup plans for corruption.

Class Synergies:

• Sorcerers/Warlocks: High Charisma makes them most likely to control rather than be controlled by the orb
• Paladins: Divine powers may help resist corruption, plus thematic conflict with evil
• Bards: Charisma focus and social skills help navigate the orb's mental influence
• Any Spellcaster: The 9th-level Cure Wounds alone makes this incredibly valuable

Build Considerations: Requires maximum Charisma investment and ideally proficiency in Charisma saves. Best for characters who can handle the moral and strategic implications of commanding chromatic dragons.

Acquisition Methods

Crafting Requirements: Impossible to craft - these are ancient artifacts containing actual dragon essences. Lost knowledge requiring dragon sacrifice and forbidden necromancy.

Common Sources:

• Ancient dragon hoards from legendary wyrms
• Ruined towers of powerful evil wizards
• Hidden vaults in Tiamat's strongholds
• Buried beneath sites of great draconic battles
• Sealed away by good dragons or dragon hunters

Alternative Acquisition: Sometimes found in the possession of dragon cultists, evil emperors, or hidden in locations where chromatic dragons were imprisoned.

Value & Trade

Estimated Value: Priceless - no legitimate market exists for artifacts of this power level. Theoretical value exceeds 500,000 gp.

Trade Considerations: Possession marks the owner as extremely dangerous. Most good organizations would demand its destruction, while evil factions would kill to possess it.

Character Integration

Roleplay Elements: Creates constant internal struggle between immense power and potential corruption. The orb whispers evil suggestions and gradually influences moral decisions.

Character Concepts:

• Dragon scholar who discovered an orb and struggles with its temptations
• Former cult member trying to use the orb for good while fighting its evil influence
• Desperate hero who accepted corruption to gain power needed to save others
• Noble trying to control dragons to protect their kingdom, unaware of the true cost

Adventure Hooks

The Dragon War: The orb's call has attracted every chromatic dragon in the region, creating territorial conflicts and threatening civilization.

The Corruption Spreads: The orb's evil influence begins affecting the wielder's allies and nearby settlements, requiring intervention.

Tiamat's Claim: The Dragon Queen sends agents to retrieve her artifact, leading to increasingly dangerous encounters with dragon cultists.

The Dragon Council: Ancient chromatic dragons unite to destroy the orb and its wielder, forcing the party into conflict with multiple ancient dragons.

Variants & Customization

Red Dragon Orb (Artifact): Specifically attuned to red dragons, grants fire immunity and enhanced spell access but increases rage and greed.

Ancient Dragon Orb (Artifact): Contains an ancient dragon's essence, provides even more powerful spells but requires DC 20 Charisma saves to control.

Broken Dragon Orb (Legendary): Partially shattered orb with reduced powers but easier to control (DC 10 saves).

Specialized Variants:

• Tiamat's Eye: Direct conduit to the Dragon Queen with supreme power but immediate corruption
• Prismatic Orb: Contains essences of all chromatic dragon types
• Bound Orb: Modified version with built-in protections against mental domination

Lore & History

Origins: Created through ancient rituals that bind chromatic dragon essences into crystal spheres, each containing the malevolent intelligence of a powerful dragon.

Historical Significance: These orbs have shaped the fate of empires - used by evil rulers to command dragon armies and by heroes desperate enough to risk corruption for ultimate power.

Cultural Impact: Legends warn of the orbs' corrupting influence, with tales of noble heroes transformed into tyrants by their whispers of power.

Magical Craft: Represents the ultimate fusion of dragon magic and artifact creation - a permanent binding of draconic essence that retains intelligence and malevolence.

Balancing Notes

Introduction Timing: Artifact-level item appropriate only for epic campaigns (15+) where world-shaking power is balanced by equally dangerous consequences.

Campaign Impact: Fundamentally alters the campaign's power level and moral complexity. Should be the center of major story arcs.

Corruption Mechanics: The constant risk of mental domination creates ongoing tension and difficult choices about using the orb's power.

Encounter Design

Recommended Challenges:

• Dragon encounters where the summoned dragons may turn on the party
• Social encounters where NPCs react with fear or greed to the orb's presence
• Internal party conflicts over the orb's use and moral implications
• Epic confrontations with Tiamat's forces seeking to reclaim the artifact

Tactical Adjustments: Dragons summoned by the orb may arrive hostile, creating complex encounters where supposed allies become enemies.

Related Items

Dragon Equipment: Dragon Scale Mail, Dragon Slayer weapons, and other dragon-themed artifacts that create thematic connections.

Evil Artifacts:

• Sword of Kas (similar corruption mechanics)
• Hand and Eye of Vecna (comparable power and risk)
• Deck of Many Things (unpredictable consequences)

Complementary Equipment: Items that provide protection against charm effects or enhance Charisma saves to help control the orb.

Roleplay Opportunities

Moral Corruption: The character struggles with increasingly evil suggestions and must decide how much power is worth the cost.

Dragon Politics: Opportunities for complex negotiations with intelligent chromatic dragons who may respect or resent the orb's power.

Power Responsibility: The party must decide when and how to use such devastating power, creating internal debates and moral dilemmas.

Redemption Quest: The character may seek ways to purify the orb or safely dispose of it while resisting its corrupting influence.