[3E] Your Opinion: Ghazneth vs. Sphere of Annihilation - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

[3E] Your Opinion: Ghazneth vs. Sphere of Annihilation

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Mr_Miscellany
May 02, 2010 13:34:31
Soliciting your opinions on whether a Ghazneth ought to survive an encounter with a Sphere of Annihilation.

I ruled in my 3E campaign many years ago that a Ghazneth could be well and truly destroyed by a Sphere of Annihilation. Which is to say the Ghazneth couldn't absorb the raw magical power of a Sphere, so its power trumped a Ghazneth's.

However I also ruled that the awesome power represented by a Sphere was a huge lure to the Ghazneths, like pure heroin to an addict or the finest blood to a vampire.

Ghazneths impressed me as almost artifact-like creatures (what we'd later call an "Epic" creature, i.e. something you'd find in 3E's crunch-filled Epic Level Handbook); absent a story-means of killing them you'd need an artifact to well and truly take them out.

Do you agree? Disagree?

I realize now I never considered the implications of several Ghazneths working in concert, maybe to try and overpower the Sphere with their combined magic absorbing powers? Or combining their mental abilities in the same manner? Perhaps there were contingencies that Nalavarra the Devil Dragon built into the Ghazneths that were never used, but could have been?

And what happens if a Ghazneth gets hold of a Talisman of the Sphere? Massive magic absorbing feedback loop? Does the Ghazneth get to "eat" the Talisman? Or did the Ghazneth just get that much more dangerous, now that it has a new toy to play with?
#2
suin_bahhar_02
May 02, 2010 14:48:04 The DMG says a sphere of annihilation that comes into contact with a rod of cancellation (which has the same ability as a Ghazneth namely draining items unless saved on a dc 23 will save) will explode in a 60 ft radius doing alot of damage (2d6x10 unnamed damage!). So I'd go with an explosion when PC's manage to get a Ghazneth to come into contact with sphere of annihilation, resulting an a crater with no trace of either the ghazneth or the sphere.

That's like an atomic bomb like effect in D&D I'd include some shockwave effects too, likened to an empowered gust of wind in all directions out to 120ft from the edges of the explosion.

When a Ghazneth picks up and succesfully drains the magic of a sphere controlling talisman I think it would have made un unwise move as now everyone can control the orb with a little willpower. Uncontrolled the sphere would do nothing but sit there eating air. But given the mental state of a ghazneth a sphere of annihilation under control of one will likely move even faster than normal.
#3
The_Silversword
May 02, 2010 14:55:29 Yeah I would give it to the Sphere of Annihilation. Not much magic to be syphoned from an orb of Entrophy. Of course i dont know much about the Ghazneths, was their magic draining abilities constant or an at will thing? If its a constant thing, then i couldnt see them being able to use a Talisman of the Sphere, if its something they can turn on and off then i wouldnt see any reason why they wouldnt be able to use it.

I had a similiar situation happen in one of my games against a magic golem, from the Ruins of Zhentil Keep box set. They had magic draining powers as well, the characters didnt know what to do, any spell they tried to cast was sucked up by the golem, the golems were immune to magical weapons, but not normal weapons, unfortunatly for the party they didnt have any mundane weapons, if only they would of just threw a rock at it! They ended up sticking a portable hole inside a bag of holding, creating a Sphere of Annihilation, which they then lead the magic golem into which i ruled it ended up sucking up the golem.
#4
markustay63
May 02, 2010 22:30:11 Suin Bahhar's rationale seems solid - the Ghazneth is most like a Rod of absorbtion in ability, and you did say you look at Ghazneths as a sort of 'living artifacts'.

What would be even more interesting is if the Ghazneths encountered the Sojourner's Weave taps...
#5
18DELTA
May 03, 2010 2:00:56
#6
creyzi4zb12
May 03, 2010 2:50:11 I've always thought that the ghazneths could absorb magic even if it wasn't touching it ( a few feet away from it)...
SO what if a ghazneth comes into close contact with the sphere and not into actual contact...Maybe the ghazneth would still absorb the sphere's magic, but then again...most novels defy rulebooks. Do ghazneths have stats?
BTW: I got a better question, how do you stop a sphere of annihilation?
#7
Zireael
May 03, 2010 13:39:20
I've always thought that the ghazneths could absorb magic even if it wasn't touching it ( a few feet away from it)...
SO what if a ghazneth comes into close contact with the sphere and not into actual contact...Maybe the ghazneth would still absorb the sphere's magic, but then again...most novels defy rulebooks. Do ghazneths have stats?
BTW: I got a better question, how do you stop a sphere of annihilation?

Ghazneth stats:
AD&D in Dragon Annual #2 (or was it #4? Never mind). 3 ed. on EN World.
#8
Mr_Miscellany
May 08, 2010 14:30:23 You can't really stop a Sphere, save for the Rod of Cancellation mentioned above or by using your willpower to establish control and move it away from you.

One of my fondest memories as a DM is watching a player's face when they failed to control the Sphere and it started moving inexorably towards them. "I run away!" lolz.

Check this thread on the Candlekeep forums for a post by Freyar midway down that includes links to several Ghazneths done up on EnWorld.

What really intrigues me is that Ed Greenwood mentioned in one of his numerous responses on the "Ask Ed" thread at Candlekeep that there was a cave in Cormyr that was so dangerous that not even a Ghazneth would dare tread too close to it.

I want to know **MORE** about that cave! The thought of what it might be has sparked some interesting possibilities in my mind. Could it be the "heart" of mystical power in Cormyr that binds the Obarskyrs to the place? Could it be the source of power Nalavarra tapped into in order to re-route all teleports into her dragon jaws during the war? Sooooo many awesome possibilities.
#9
pepix
Nov 21, 2011 19:13:46 What would be even more interesting is if the Ghazneths encountered the Sojourner's Weave taps... <--- Gazneth will be like the dragon in Darksun, almost a god maybe? They are devil natives that can absorb magic, so they were affected and then they will heal abosrving the wave... so the power they will get by absorving that... think about it. Rowen is still alive? play with that =D

I ruled in my 3E campaign many years ago that a Ghazneth could be well and truly destroyed by a Sphere of Annihilation. <--- What happens when u summon a demon, or another creature from another plane and use the sphere... The creature anihilated not in his plane, is really really anihiliated? or its sending to his plane of origin? I think its sending to his plane, so you have a gazneth really furious hunting you =)

BTW: I got a better question, how do you stop a sphere of annihilation? <--- Wish or miracle? :D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Mr_Miscellany May 02, 2010 13:34:31	Soliciting your opinions on whether a Ghazneth ought to survive an encounter with a Sphere of Annihilation. I ruled in my 3E campaign many years ago that a Ghazneth could be well and truly destroyed by a Sphere of Annihilation. Which is to say the Ghazneth couldn't absorb the raw magical power of a Sphere, so its power trumped a Ghazneth's. However I also ruled that the awesome power represented by a Sphere was a huge lure to the Ghazneths, like pure heroin to an addict or the finest blood to a vampire. Ghazneths impressed me as almost artifact-like creatures (what we'd later call an "Epic" creature, i.e. something you'd find in 3E's crunch-filled Epic Level Handbook); absent a story-means of killing them you'd need an artifact to well and truly take them out. Do you agree? Disagree? I realize now I never considered the implications of several Ghazneths working in concert, maybe to try and overpower the Sphere with their combined magic absorbing powers? Or combining their mental abilities in the same manner? Perhaps there were contingencies that Nalavarra the Devil Dragon built into the Ghazneths that were never used, but could have been? And what happens if a Ghazneth gets hold of a Talisman of the Sphere? Massive magic absorbing feedback loop? Does the Ghazneth get to "eat" the Talisman? Or did the Ghazneth just get that much more dangerous, now that it has a new toy to play with?
#2 suin_bahhar_02 May 02, 2010 14:48:04	The DMG says a sphere of annihilation that comes into contact with a rod of cancellation (which has the same ability as a Ghazneth namely draining items unless saved on a dc 23 will save) will explode in a 60 ft radius doing alot of damage (2d6x10 unnamed damage!). So I'd go with an explosion when PC's manage to get a Ghazneth to come into contact with sphere of annihilation, resulting an a crater with no trace of either the ghazneth or the sphere. That's like an atomic bomb like effect in D&D I'd include some shockwave effects too, likened to an empowered gust of wind in all directions out to 120ft from the edges of the explosion. When a Ghazneth picks up and succesfully drains the magic of a sphere controlling talisman I think it would have made un unwise move as now everyone can control the orb with a little willpower. Uncontrolled the sphere would do nothing but sit there eating air. But given the mental state of a ghazneth a sphere of annihilation under control of one will likely move even faster than normal.
#3 The_Silversword May 02, 2010 14:55:29	Yeah I would give it to the Sphere of Annihilation. Not much magic to be syphoned from an orb of Entrophy. Of course i dont know much about the Ghazneths, was their magic draining abilities constant or an at will thing? If its a constant thing, then i couldnt see them being able to use a Talisman of the Sphere, if its something they can turn on and off then i wouldnt see any reason why they wouldnt be able to use it. I had a similiar situation happen in one of my games against a magic golem, from the Ruins of Zhentil Keep box set. They had magic draining powers as well, the characters didnt know what to do, any spell they tried to cast was sucked up by the golem, the golems were immune to magical weapons, but not normal weapons, unfortunatly for the party they didnt have any mundane weapons, if only they would of just threw a rock at it! They ended up sticking a portable hole inside a bag of holding, creating a Sphere of Annihilation, which they then lead the magic golem into which i ruled it ended up sucking up the golem.
#4 markustay63 May 02, 2010 22:30:11	Suin Bahhar's rationale seems solid - the Ghazneth is most like a Rod of absorbtion in ability, and you did say you look at Ghazneths as a sort of 'living artifacts'. What would be even more interesting is if the Ghazneths encountered the Sojourner's Weave taps...
#5 18DELTA May 03, 2010 2:00:56
#6 creyzi4zb12 May 03, 2010 2:50:11	I've always thought that the ghazneths could absorb magic even if it wasn't touching it ( a few feet away from it)... SO what if a ghazneth comes into close contact with the sphere and not into actual contact...Maybe the ghazneth would still absorb the sphere's magic, but then again...most novels defy rulebooks. Do ghazneths have stats? BTW: I got a better question, how do you stop a sphere of annihilation?
#7 Zireael May 03, 2010 13:39:20	I've always thought that the ghazneths could absorb magic even if it wasn't touching it ( a few feet away from it)... SO what if a ghazneth comes into close contact with the sphere and not into actual contact...Maybe the ghazneth would still absorb the sphere's magic, but then again...most novels defy rulebooks. Do ghazneths have stats? BTW: I got a better question, how do you stop a sphere of annihilation? Ghazneth stats: AD&D in Dragon Annual #2 (or was it #4? Never mind). 3 ed. on EN World.
#8 Mr_Miscellany May 08, 2010 14:30:23	You can't really stop a Sphere, save for the Rod of Cancellation mentioned above or by using your willpower to establish control and move it away from you. One of my fondest memories as a DM is watching a player's face when they failed to control the Sphere and it started moving inexorably towards them. "I run away!" lolz. Check this thread on the Candlekeep forums for a post by Freyar midway down that includes links to several Ghazneths done up on EnWorld. What really intrigues me is that Ed Greenwood mentioned in one of his numerous responses on the "Ask Ed" thread at Candlekeep that there was a cave in Cormyr that was so dangerous that not even a Ghazneth would dare tread too close to it. I want to know MORE about that cave! The thought of what it might be has sparked some interesting possibilities in my mind. Could it be the "heart" of mystical power in Cormyr that binds the Obarskyrs to the place? Could it be the source of power Nalavarra tapped into in order to re-route all teleports into her dragon jaws during the war? Sooooo many awesome possibilities.
#9 pepix Nov 21, 2011 19:13:46	What would be even more interesting is if the Ghazneths encountered the Sojourner's Weave taps... <--- Gazneth will be like the dragon in Darksun, almost a god maybe? They are devil natives that can absorb magic, so they were affected and then they will heal abosrving the wave... so the power they will get by absorving that... think about it. Rowen is still alive? play with that =D I ruled in my 3E campaign many years ago that a Ghazneth could be well and truly destroyed by a Sphere of Annihilation. <--- What happens when u summon a demon, or another creature from another plane and use the sphere... The creature anihilated not in his plane, is really really anihiliated? or its sending to his plane of origin? I think its sending to his plane, so you have a gazneth really furious hunting you =) BTW: I got a better question, how do you stop a sphere of annihilation? <--- Wish or miracle? :D