Orbs of dragonkind

From PathfinderWiki
(Redirected from Orb of Red Dragonkind)
Orbs of dragonkind
(Magic item)

Aura (1E)
Caster Level (1E)
20th
Item Level (2E)
25
Type
Slot (1E)
None
Usage (2E)
Held in 1 hand
Source: Artifacts & Legends, pg(s). 32ff. (1E)
Gamemastery Guide, pg(s). 110 (2E)

The orbs of dragonkind1 are major artifacts granting power over dragons of a particular type. Orbs exist for each type of chromatic dragon2 and metallic dragon,3 and varieties for each type of imperial dragon and primal dragon are also rumored to exist.45

History

Apsu battles Dahak.

Although the full history of the orbs of dragonkind has largely been lost, incomplete lore places their origin during the original conflict between the draconic deities Apsu and Dahak and their followers.65

The orbs remained major figures in draconic history following the flight of Apsu and his followers through the Universe, becoming part of draconic hoards to be hidden away or used as tools to enslave other dragons. The orbs have persisted into the modern day as both coveted and feared items among dragonkind, which dragons have killed one another to possess but allied to keep out of the possession of other races.5

Properties

The most significant property of the orbs of dragonkind is that they allow their wielders to magically control dragons. The wielder of an orb can use it to exert powerful mental control over any dragon whose species matches that which the orb is attuned to, effectively enslaving them to their will. Ownership of an orb also grants immunity to the breath weapon of that dragon species, in addition to the ability of the wielder to use such a breath weapon three times per day. Further, someone using an orb can detect the presence of any dragon within ten miles of their location, and of their orb's particular variety within 100 miles.7

An orb of dragonkind also allows its wielder to communicate with any other person currently wielding an orb of their own. As most such figures are dragons themselves, this exposes wielders to the risk of discovery and retribution by dragons enraged at the thought of a non-dragon enslaving their kin.7

The souls used to create each orb remain within the artifacts. Although they are dormant most of the time, they can occasionally be awakened by exceptional individuals. However, the spirits within the orbs are capable of enslaving those who would wield them to their own ancient wills.8

Known orbs of dragonkind

The following are some of the known or suspected orbs of dragonkind, or parts of them:

Lesser orbs of dragonkind

There are other, less powerful, orbs of dragonkind in existence and legend, for instance:10

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

  1. The term orbs of dragonkind when used generically is inconsistently capitalized across publications. The lowercase usage consistently appearing in the Pathfinder Second Edition Gamemastery Guide and the Fists of the Ruby Phoenix Pathfinder Adventure Path is used here.
  2. Paizo ceased the use of chromatic dragons with the publication of Monster Core, as part of the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project. When mentioned in Monster Core and subsequent publications, existing chromatic dragons might be retroactively changed to new or equivalent types of non-chromatic dragons.
  3. Paizo ceased the use of metallic dragons with the publication of Monster Core, as part of the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project. When mentioned in Monster Core and subsequent publications, existing metallic dragons might be retroactively changed to new or equivalent types of non-metallic dragons.
  4. 4.0 4.1 F. Wesley Schneider. “Collection Memorandum” in Artifacts & Legends, 3. Paizo Inc., 2012
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 F. Wesley Schneider. “Legendary Artifacts” in Artifacts & Legends, 32–35. Paizo Inc., 2012
  6. The origins of the orbs of dragonkind in Artifacts & Legends 32–35 associated them with Tiamat, who was later retroactively removed from the Pathfinder campaign setting, and whose inclusion in the setting was also judged to be a mistake. See Meta:Tiamat.
  7. 7.0 7.1 F. Wesley Schneider. “Legendary Artifacts” in Artifacts & Legends, 32. Paizo Inc., 2012
  8. F. Wesley Schneider. “Legendary Artifacts” in Artifacts & Legends, 33. Paizo Inc., 2012
  9. James Jacobs, et al. “Adventure Toolbox” in Broken Promises, 75. Paizo Inc., 2019
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 F. Wesley Schneider. “Legendary Artifacts” in Artifacts & Legends, 34–35. Paizo Inc., 2012
  11. Jim Groves. “NPC Gallery” in Ice Tomb of the Giant Queen, 58–59. Paizo Inc., 2015
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 F. Wesley Schneider. “Legendary Artifacts” in Artifacts & Legends, 33–34. Paizo Inc., 2012