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DanielLC
2009-05-05, 12:20 AM
Magic 8-Ball

This lets the user ask up to eight questions. Each time the question is asked, the number on the ball is decremented. When the last question is asked, it turns into a worthless cue ball. To ask a question, the user turns it upside down, asks the question, shakes it, then turns it right side up. It will give the most applicable of the following 20 answers:

Yes
No
Unknown
None
One
Two
Three
Four to Ten
Tens
Hundreds
Thousands
Successful. At lest one of you will die.
Successful. At lest one innocent will die.
Successful, but prohibitively expensive.
Desirable result, but not what was planned.
There is something more worthy of your time.
Run
Hire more mercenaries.
Destroy it.
Go to the nearest city. Travel the NE road until you reach a tavern with a seven-letter name. Ask for Steve. Tell him Aaron sent you.

In addition, it will give the owner a +1 insight bonus when used to play pool.

Moderate divination; CL 9th; Craft Wonderous Item, Commune, Price 2,250 gp; Weight 1lb.

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I'm not sure if that last answer should be something that inexplicably helps multiple times, or should be the result of an oracle having the maker put that in for a specific situation. If it's the latter, people should have realized that there must be 20 answers, but not know what the last one is.

Limos
2009-05-05, 01:05 AM
What do you mean it will give the "most applicable?" What is the point of even having those set responses? Couldn't you either make the responses more general or just let the DM come up with them?

But I guess if you did that there wouldn't really be much point to homebrewing the item if all it does is have the DM answer questions.

Maybe you could have the player roll a d8 and give the following types responses.

1. Overly dense metaphor
2. Roll again
3. Answer a question with a question
4. Yes or No only
5. Vague response
6. Specific response
7. Specific response and extra info
8. Vague to the point of worthlessness

Silence
2009-05-05, 07:40 AM
Cute. A magic eight ball. The problem, although #20 is funny, the players have no way to know that that's one of the default answers, and think that the ball will answer questions perfectly and give great advice.

DanielLC
2009-05-05, 10:30 AM
It gives the answer that the Deity most wants them to have. For example, if the answer to their question is "Yes", but the party is about to be ambushed, they'd probably get the answer "Run".

The commune spell is only supposed to answer yes or no, so it wouldn't make sense to have it give limitless answers. When I wrote that I was thinking the spell allowed one-word answers. As it is, answering the eight questions is equivalent to 35 questions with commune. 22 if you count the fact that they can answer unknown, so there are technically three answers. I suppose I should make it more expensive.

Also, real 8-balls have 20 answers. They have a d20 in there with an answer on each side.

What do you mean making the responses more general?

The players will be told how the ball works before they buy it. They also won't get number 20 until they've used it a while. It might not be their first ball, or even their first campaign.

As is, I don't think #20 would be that unlikely. Most cities will probably have taverns that the owner started just for that. They could use the whole looking for Steve thing for the Gods to warn them of something specific.

Stormthorn
2009-05-05, 09:06 PM
It gives the answer that the Deity most wants them to have. For example, if the answer to their question is "Yes", but the party is about to be ambushed, they'd probably get the answer "Run".

What if the person using it isnt liked by the gods, such as a fallen paladin?

Ya know Dan, if i run that campain, im going to put one of these into it.

DanielLC
2009-05-05, 10:55 PM
Presumably, there's at least one god that likes them. If not, they probably won't live long enough to use this thing.

Stormthorn
2009-05-05, 11:03 PM
Dan, i think i sent you a PM.

So this assumes a discworldy sort of thing where mortals are activly directed by the will of the gods?

DanielLC
2009-05-06, 12:17 AM
It works like the Commune (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/commune.htm) spell. Looking at it again, you could get the god or their agent. I take it agent means secretary.

Stormthorn
2009-05-06, 12:44 AM
Or, in the case of the god of music, you would get the person who arranges record deals for them. Zing!