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The magic item functions as a Driftglobe with the following additional properties:

  1. Requires attunement by a spell caster
  2. As a bonus action on your turn, you can speak another command word and move the orb up to 20 feet in any direction.
  3. Provides protection from scrying (like an Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location) when the orb is within 5’ of user
  4. Daylight is replaced with Sickening Radiance (1/day)
  5. The user gains the ability to use the Nothic "Weird Insight" as an Action on any creature with 30’ of the orb.
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  • \$\begingroup\$ An action. No limit on uses. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 1:37
  • \$\begingroup\$ Can you edit your question to provide the stats on Sickening Radiance and Weird Insight? What's the rarity of the Amulet? Quoting from existing text with links, helps get answers. \$\endgroup\$
    – aaron9eee
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 2:02

1 Answer 1

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This item is underspecified

Here are two things that will happen once a DM introduces this item into their game.

First:

DM: "The evil wizard utters a word of power, and his crystal orb glows with a sickly green light! The light engulfs you and you feel yourself growing weak. What do you do?
Barbarian: "I smash the orb with my axe."

What happens when someone hits the orb? What's its AC? How many hit points? Does anything happen when it gets destroyed?

Second:

DM: "You meet a gnarled old woman on the side of the road. She's selling apples. There's a blue ring on her finger, and two crows sitting on her shoulders. One of the crows is watching you suspiciously. What do you do?
Wizard: "I spend two minutes haggling with her over the price of her apples. During that time, I use weird insight on her twenty times. On average she fails ten of them. What are her ten most interesting secrets?"

What happens when you use weird insight on someone? Do they notice and get angry? If they succeed, are they immune to subsequent attempts? If they fail multiple times, do you get a new secret each time? Do you get their "most interesting" secret, or can the DM just tell you what they had for breakfast?

If you don't answer these questions, the DM will have to make something up the first time the item is used. (And we can't tell you a magic item rarity if so much depends on what the DM makes up.)

Assuming reasonable rulings, Rare is probably fine

The Driftglobe is uncommon. The Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location is uncommon.

Casting 1/day sickening radiance, a fourth-level spell, is good, but it's not better than the Rare wand of fireballs or wand of binding. This orb is better than a normal sickening radiance cast because you can move it onto your enemies over and over -- but it's worse than a normal sickening radiance cast because your enemies will just destroy it. (I'm guessing the Orb has AC16 and 20hp, and it doesn't do anything too surprising when destroyed.)

If the weird insight really lets you learn someone's ten most important secrets after two minutes of talking to them, then it's way too good and should be considered an artifact. Instead, I'm assuming that this power:

  • lets you learn someone's single most important secret if they fail their first save
  • succeeding on the save means they're immune to the effect for a week
  • if they fail more than once, you just get the same secret over again
  • people always notice the telepathic invasion of their mind and become hostile

which makes the ability roughly as good as charm person or detect thoughts.

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    \$\begingroup\$ To be fair to the querent, most magic items do not specify their AC and HP, and the Nothic's ability does not specify any restrictions either. But you are definitely right that unfettered use of this ability in the hands of a player character as opposed to an NPC is completely unbalanced; asymmetric design rearing its head once more. \$\endgroup\$
    – BBeast
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 7:56
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    \$\begingroup\$ Ad magic items' AC/HP. There is this paragraph in DMG that pretty much covers it all: Most magic items are objects of extraordinary artisanship, assembled from the finest materials with meticulous attention to detail. Thanks to this combination of careful crafting and magical reinforcement, a magic item is at least as durable as a regular item of its kind. Most magic items, other than potions and scrolls, have resistance to all damage. Artifacts are practically indestructible, requiring extreme measures to destroy. – not very specific, but generaly these would be the assumptions. \$\endgroup\$
    – J.E
    Commented Apr 29, 2020 at 11:01

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