weapons understanding

[Elena_NightWish]

Hey all, So the issue i'm having is my DM gave my character a really cool item. I was told to learn all I could about it. It's a crystal sphere named Legrothra. However I have not been able to find ANYTHING regarding named items. I am currently a lvl 5 warlock and this is my first major campaign. I don't know if this is a DM specific item or if its a legit item in 5e. Anyone know anything about it?

[jkat718]

:smalleek: Oh gods, that font. My eyes!

:smalltongue: Anyway, the DMG doesn't have anything on "Legrothra," and a whole bunch of Googling has turned up zilch (though I did find a few Googlewhacks!). I found Gotra (wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotra), a Sanskrit word that, in the Hindu tradition, mean "clan," so your DM might have word-mashed to get the name. Are you sure about that spelling, or is that based on how your DM pronounced it? Do you have any info about what the orb does? Here're some similar items from the DMG:


Bead of Force: a small black sphere that explodes on impact.
Crystal Ball: reads minds, enables telepathy while scrying, or grants Truesight, depending on which variant you find.
Driftglobe: A small sphere of thick glass which floats around and creates various light-related effects.
Elemental Gem: A crystal which summons elementals when broken.
Gem of Brightness: Sheds light, shoots light rays, or creates light blasts, depending on the command word used.
Gem of Seeing: grants Truesight on command.
Ioun Stone: 1 of 14 different kinds of gems, each with a different minor property.
Necklace of Fireballs: A necklace of small beads, each of which creates a fireball when broken.
Necklace of Prayer Beads: A necklace of magic beads, each of which casts a different spell when activated.
Pearl of Power: Grants user the ability to regain expended spell slots on command.
various periapts: 3 gems which, when worn as necklaces, each grant a different effect. There are Periapts of Health, Proof Against Poison, and Wound Closure.
Sphere of Annihilation: Destroys everything it touches.
Stone of Controlling Earth Elementals: Summons an earth elemental on command.
Stone of Good Luck (Luckstone): Grants +1 to checks and saves.
various rods, staffs, necklaces, and amulets which feature orbs or crystals of some sort, which your DM might have granted you a part of.
if your DM is especially crafty, they might've given you an artifact in disguise: the Eye of Vecna and the Orb of Dragonkind are both spherical.


I hope this helps. If you weasel any more information out of your DM let us know! :smallbiggrin:

[Kane0]

Sounds like a game-specific thing. If you're a GGOOlock, try telepathic contact. I mean, whats the worst that could happen?

Failing that, ask your patron about it if possible or do some old fashioned research with investigation or possibly arcana checks. Hire a wizard to cast identify even. Whatever an inquisitive adventurer would do to find out the properties of a cool magic item they found.

[Capac Amaru]

It's a trap.

[Slipperychicken]

I've never heard of it, but my first instinct is that this item is your DM's invention. Perhaps he meant that you could "learn all about it" in-game, experimenting with the item, making Arcana and History checks, and asking scholars about it. You can also try asking him OOC where he got the inspiration for it.


:smalleek: Oh gods, that font. My eyes!

To put it this a less-insulting (but still patronizing) way: While we appreciate that you're trying to add a personal style to your posts, many of us would appreciate it more if you could use text without overly-bright colors or embellished formatting. It's not that we hate individualism, it's just a lot easier on our poor screen-damaged eyes. If you're concerned with distinguishing yourself from others, a memorable thumbnail picture and/or username are usually sufficient.

[jkat718]

To put it this a less-insulting (but still patronizing) way: While we appreciate that you're trying to add a personal style to your posts, many of us would appreciate it more if you could use text without overly-bright colors or embellished formatting. It's not that we hate individualism, it's just a lot easier on our poor screen-damaged eyes. If you're concerned with distinguishing yourself from others, a memorable thumbnail picture and/or username are usually sufficient.

Yeah, sorry...that came off a bit harsher than I meant. Sorry...

[Elena_NightWish]

Sorry about the color guys... it makes it easier to read on my work PC.. Thanks for the suggestions. However my DM hates OOC talk and meta-gaming do too much of it an he sends his "wish goblin" Jeebus after you and you simply "vanish" from existence and he tears up your Character sheet..

As for the arcane checks I rolled a nat 20 and was informed to know more then its name and how to communicate with it {telepathy} that i would need to roll a 32 and I have points in my arcane and history checks.. :/ Also when Legrothera was "given" to me. My character was Drawn to her among a massive pile of shinnys.

@jkat718: I think thats how it's spelled, I have to pull the index card from my expand-a-file. He Spelled it out and put the physical description on the card. I sadly check gitp only when I'm at work. But i'll try to post what I have noted when I get home. I greatly appreciate the tips.
@Capac Amaru: how is it a trap...? its not nearly as trappy as what our Sorcerer got. The Sphere of Annihilation.... Chained to his ankle following him around like Chomp from Mario.

The campaign is really fun and my DM is too crafty for my own good. He's been playing for 30+ years and DMing for 20+. All of his allied NPCs are characters he actually leveled. I look forward to reading what y'all think once I update with the description.

Normally I play Druid types so playing a Lock is different. Kalista is a lvl 5 lock with the Arch Fey and pact of the chain.

[jkat718]

Is "Legrothra" or "Legrothera" the proper spelling? Because "Legothera" is an anagram for Regal Hero... :smallconfused: So confused.

EDIT: BTW, if you have a second, try out Jeff Boulter's Iterative Anagram Solver (http://boulter.com/anagram/) for help with anagrams.

[Ninja_Prawn]

i would need to roll a 32


So, basically, he told you to "research", and when you tried to 'research' your own memory, he told you it is impossible that you could know anything about it. Thus, it's implied that you need outside help in the research. I'd start with your patron, if you have a decent relationship with them, then look for powerful NPC bards and wizards.

Unless, of course, you can persuade a fellow party member to buff their INT and take expertise in Arcana...

[Elena_NightWish]

It is appearntly the sphere of legendary sight Legrothra.

[Submortimer]

Sorry about the color guys... it makes it easier to read on my work PC.. Thanks for the suggestions. However my DM hates OOC talk and meta-gaming do too much of it an he sends his "wish goblin" Jeebus after you and you simply "vanish" from existence and he tears up your Character sheet..

Your DM is either A) Young, or B) a huge ****. I, honestly, would never put up with a DM that would grab my sheet and tear it up. That's a quick way to alienate players.

[Elena_NightWish]

Your DM is either A) Young, or B) a huge ****. I, honestly, would never put up with a DM that would grab my sheet and tear it up. That's a quick way to alienate players.

He actually is a very fair DM. You have to seriously f-up monumetally for that to happen it takes A LOT.

[Kane0]

It is appearntly the sphere of legendary sight Legrothra.

So is that what the eye of Vecna is calling itself nowadays?

[MeeposFire]

He actually is a very fair DM. You have to seriously f-up monumetally for that to happen it takes A LOT.

That is really inappropriate regardless how good he is otherwise.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Your DM would be better off just declaring it flat-out impossible for you to know it, rather than slapping the item with a ridiculously high DC.
This is an item only specialists know about and you're just not a specialist. That's okay. But *especially* with a natural 20, you should very well know where to find one. It's an obvious plot hook that you're biting on rather hard, so let him know that and encourage him to run the associated adventure.

Also: RE: Jeebus the sheet-ripper for tabletalk? That's not good DM'ing, that's power-tripping.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Your DM would be better off just declaring it flat-out impossible for you to know it, rather than slapping the item with a ridiculously high DC.
This is an item only specialists know about and you're just not a specialist. That's okay. But *especially* with a natural 20, you should very well know where to find one. It's an obvious plot hook that you're biting on rather hard, so let him know that and encourage him to run the associated adventure.

Also: RE: Jeebus the sheet-ripper for tabletalk? That's not good DM'ing, that's power-tripping.

Yeah, they're both red flags. It really annoys me when a DM asks for a roll where there's no chance of success, no risk of failure or no cost to retries. It's wasteful and could even be immersion-breaking if it gets bad.

[Blacky the Blackball]

Sorry about the color guys... it makes it easier to read on my work PC.. Thanks for the suggestions. However my DM hates OOC talk and meta-gaming do too much of it an he sends his "wish goblin" Jeebus after you and you simply "vanish" from existence and he tears up your Character sheet..

As for the arcane checks I rolled a nat 20 and was informed to know more then its name and how to communicate with it {telepathy} that i would need to roll a 32 and I have points in my arcane and history checks.. :/ Also when Legrothera was "given" to me. My character was Drawn to her among a massive pile of shinnys.

@jkat718: I think thats how it's spelled, I have to pull the index card from my expand-a-file. He Spelled it out and put the physical description on the card. I sadly check gitp only when I'm at work. But i'll try to post what I have noted when I get home. I greatly appreciate the tips.
@Capac Amaru: how is it a trap...? its not nearly as trappy as what our Sorcerer got. The Sphere of Annihilation.... Chained to his ankle following him around like Chomp from Mario.

The campaign is really fun and my DM is too crafty for my own good. He's been playing for 30+ years and DMing for 20+. All of his allied NPCs are characters he actually leveled. I look forward to reading what y'all think once I update with the description.

Normally I play Druid types so playing a Lock is different. Kalista is a lvl 5 lock with the Arch Fey and pact of the chain.

So, we have OOC control issues, setting no-chance-of-success rolls, "directing" players about what their characters do, DMPCs, and "hilarious" traps to screw over players...

I think that's just filled a whole line on my terrible-DM bingo card!

[Ninja_Prawn]

I think that's just filled a whole line on my terrible-DM bingo card!

Some quick googling fails to find any 'bad DM bingo cards'. This is a grievous oversight and must be corrected immediately. Anyone have any suggestions?

Actually, I'll start a new thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?417492-Bad-DM-Bingo&p=19310302).

[Elena_NightWish]

Can we get off the subject of wether my DM is good or bad or red flags? I mean seriously each person plays the game in their own way and until you've played with him you have no idea what hes like. That being said my inital post was durring my work. I in work at a call center so i was writing between calls and didnt check for accuracy before i posted. Something i plan on doing in the future.

He lets the dice decide. As for my checks, i rolled really low when getting my stats. My DM is beyond fair and lets us the players determine if we want to roll for knowledge or not. As for the DMPCs those are usually allies.

From what ive learned this game is very open yet its also very structured. That being said, if a player is being a douchbag and trying to on kill the party everytime we turn around i personally feel its fairthat the player getskicked from the game. Thetearing of the character sheetis something i was told while he was super drunk; so on i in have no idea how embellished that was. I personally love feeling apart of his world, feeling like there are checks and balances. Also i feel its important to set expectations.

Now. Stepping away from that. And focusing back on my current issue. Sphere of legendary insight. Ive already gotten the suggestions of checking with my patron(arch fey) and a Wizard. What level would a Wizard need to be to give me any insight?

With that would it make sense at this level to multiclass? I was thinking bard or rouge. Thoughts?

[Capac Amaru]

Now. Stepping away from that. And focusing back on my current issue. Sphere of legendary insight. Ive already gotten the suggestions of checking with my patron(arch fey) and a Wizard. What level would a Wizard need to be to give me any insight?


If its DC32...

A 20th level wizard should have +5 from Int AS, +6 from proficiency bonus, and trained the skill Arcana.

So if he rolls a 20 he hits... DC31...

So you 'conveniently' need to find either a high level multi-class wizard with expertise in Arcana, or one who has somehow boosted his Arcana skill via magic items. Or have some kind of divine intervention.

Its pretty clear the DM has set the check as 'effectively impossible', and unless the mystery around the item is somehow central to the plot its ridiculous to have such a (a. impossibly powerful or b. impossibly difficult to identify) item in the hands of a 5th level character.

[Elena_NightWish]

Knowing my DM its essential to the story somehow. We are currently in puzzles after puzzles. :smallbiggrin:
We play again tomorrow. I will be checking if I can roll again just to ensure its a DC32, I might have been a bit too buzzed and forgot to write that down.

On another note, can anyone suggest some good gear that doesn't make me so squishy? I'm a Tiefling Warlock.

[Giant2005]

What level would a Wizard need to be to give me any insight?
The canon answer is level 1 via use of the Identify spell although he wouldn't even need to be a Wizard to do it - anyone can identify an item by being on contact with it and focusing on it during a short rest (Information on identifying items is in the DMG page 136 btw).

Of course from what you have said, it seems that your DM is going pretty far off-book for this one. So I wouldn't expect focusing on the item to work and I'm not sure I'd even expect Identify to work. Basically the answer to your question is whatever the DM has decided - nothing anyone here could tell you will be of any assistance.

[Elena_NightWish]

Giant2005: makes perfect sense. I guess what I'm also searching for is more experienced players advice on different ways to obtain information in character.

My previous RP experience is in MMORPGs... So fully embracing the freedom of creativity in how to obtain information is a thrilling concept. I was frustrated by not finding what I was hunting for. I'm positive there's a lot of info in the DMG that I don't have access to because I don't have a DMG...

Random question: do meele weapons make sense for a lock or rather what weapons are useful to a lock?

[Ninja_Prawn]

Random question: do meele weapons make sense for a lock or rather what weapons are useful to a lock?

Finesse weapons make sense, because you've probably already got some Dex for AC reasons. Plus you've got d8 hit dice and should have some Con to help with concentration checks.

Since you're not a bladelock, melee weapons shouldn't be your plan A (Eldritch Blast) or plan B (other spells) or plan C (a crossbow?), but they're there in an emergency.

[Elena_NightWish]

Ninja_Prawn: i focus more on AoEs for my spells. I personlly havnt found eldritch blast very useful (yet)...

I have a crossbow as well as daggers. So basically meele weapons are kinda silly since im pact of the chain....
I'm really trying to reduce my squishy status... i have a 13AC and 24HP at lelel 5...

Any suggestions?

[Ninja_Prawn]

Ninja_Prawn: i focus more on AoEs for my spells. I personlly havnt found eldritch blast very useful (yet)...

I have a crossbow as well as daggers. So basically meele weapons are kinda silly since im pact of the chain....
I'm really trying to reduce my squishy status... i have a 13AC and 24HP at lelel 5...

Any suggestions?

...someone's maths is wrong. If you have 8 Con, you should have 23HP. I'm guessing that's studded leather and 12 Dex? You could grab the Armour of Shadows invocation to put you up to 14, then try to find the magic item that sets Dex to 19 for an AC of 17. Not great, but it'll do.

But, like. You have 8 Con. That's like playing on super hard mode. The path to non-squishiness lies in having a decent constitution. It will also help you pass concentration checks. And failing Con saves generally leads to death. Just... Put your next ASI into Con.

[TheTeaMustFlow]

...someone's maths is wrong. If you have 8 Con, you should have 23HP. I'm guessing that's studded leather and 12 Dex? You could grab the Armour of Shadows invocation to put you up to 14, then try to find the magic item that sets Dex to 19 for an AC of 17. Not great, but it'll do.

But, like. You have 8 Con. That's like playing on super hard mode. The path to non-squishiness lies in having a decent constitution. It will also help you pass concentration checks. And failing Con saves generally leads to death. Just... Put your next ASI into Con.

At a guess, they're rolling for hp, and she rolled badly (the moral of the story is, if you have a choice between rolling hp and not rolling them, don't. And I say this as the guy who once had 45hp at level 3.)

May I point you towards this guide (http://community.wizards.com/forum/player-help/threads/4133456)? I've found it to be quite useful in my warlocking.

Specific points:

Eldritch Blast + Agonizing Blast is very good, putting your at-will damage on par with warrior-types. Add in repelling blast for extra fun.

Your defences at the moment are rubbish. Definitely put your next ability score increase into CON, as Ninjaprawn said. You may wish to get the Armour of Shadows and False Life invocations if you can spare the slots. If you don't go for Armour of Shadows, get the best armour you can if you haven't already done so.

Since you're a Tiefling, and thus have darkness, you might also what to consider Devil's Sight, so you could hide in your own darkness and shoot out of it. Since your DM seems to be the puzzly sort, he might appreciate it. (or not, I suppose - sometimes they hate it when you get clever.)

Also, your username has reminded me that I need to check out whatever Nightwish did after Imaginarium.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Since you're a Tiefling, and thus have darkness, you might also what to consider Devil's Sight, so you could hide in your own darkness and shoot out of it. Since your DM seems to be the puzzly sort, he might appreciate it. (or not, I suppose - sometimes they hate it when you get clever.)

This is an excellent point. It won't always work, because it could cause problems for your allies (and it's a once/day trick), but there aren't that many monsters - and hardly any NPCs with class levels - that have blindsight or truesight.

[Zevox]

Random question: do meele weapons make sense for a lock or rather what weapons are useful to a lock?
As a Chain-Pact Warlock, your options are very limited there. You're only proficient with simple weapons, and unlike a Tome-Pact Warlock you can't pick up the Shillelagh cantrip to make a club or quarterstaff into an effective weapon. For you a melee weapon would be an option of last resort, something you only keep around in case you need it, as your Eldritch Blast and other spells will always be more effective than any weapon. Unless you did something very weird with your stats like take more strength than charisma, anyway.

For what few options you have, the best depends on your stats. If your strength is higher than your dexterity, a quarterstaff or spear is your best option. They're just as good as pretty much every other simple weapon by default and do a little more damage if held in both hands, which you'll often be able to do since you don't get shields. If your dexterity is higher than your strength, then your only option is basically a dagger, since that's the only simple weapon with finesse. In that case especially you're just bad at melee and should avoid it whenever possible - though the AC and hp you mentioned means that's pretty much true even if you have higher strength.

[Ardantis]

You could always get a cleric to use his Divine Intervention class feature for you.

[MeeposFire]

Even as a tome warlock melee is not a great place to be because shillelagh is just not that effective by itself. Essentially it allows you to hit somebody with a quarterstaff at normal effectiveness but without the extra attack feature or anything else to make your attack actually worth something.


I would have to do the math but it would not surprise me that at mid to high levels that you would be better off using EB even at melee range over use shillelagh especially if you can push with the blast since that may make your second and greater blasts at normal accuracy.

[Elena_NightWish]

Holy crap! I didn't know about darkness... I'm looking at the 5e PHB and I'm not seeing anywhere in the Tiefling section about Darkness. Is that a spell, invocation, racial...?



Since you're a Tiefling, and thus have darkness, you might also what to consider Devil's Sight, so you could hide in your own darkness and shoot out of it. Since your DM seems to be the puzzly sort, he might appreciate it. (or not, I suppose - sometimes they hate it when you get clever.)
My DM LOVES creativity. Basically the more you separate from yourself and become your character the more fun it is for everyone {my personal experience not a DM rule}. I have Devil's Sight and Armor of Shadows as invocations.


Quote Originally Posted by Ninja_Prawn View Post
...someone's maths is wrong. If you have 8 Con, you should have 23HP. I'm guessing that's studded leather and 12 Dex? You could grab the Armour of Shadows invocation to put you up to 14, then try to find the magic item that sets Dex to 19 for an AC of 17. Not great, but it'll do.

But, like. You have 8 Con. That's like playing on super hard mode. The path to non-squishiness lies in having a decent constitution. It will also help you pass concentration checks. And failing Con saves generally leads to death. Just... Put your next ASI into Con.
At a guess, they're rolling for hp, and she rolled badly (the moral of the story is, if you have a choice between rolling hp and not rolling them, don't. And I say this as the guy who once had 45hp at level 3.)
Yes I rolled extremely low... Almost all ones. I had 8HP to start with... T-T I crit-fail most of my rolls because my dice hate me... as for my AC I'm pretty positive that's what it is but I don't have my character sheet in front of me...

Since I have Pact of the Chain I also have a familiar; are familiar attacks useful or are my spells more powerful and save my familiar for Out of Battle things?

You all are awesome! Thank you so much for helping me figure this all out. :smallsmile:

[jkat718]

@Elena: The familiars' attacks are negligible, for the most part. Rather than using the Attack action, the best option for a Familiar is actually the Help action (PHB, p.192), which your familiar could use to give you advantage on an ability check or attack roll. If your familiar can become invisible, your DM might allow it to take this action and remain so, helping it survive combat more easily.

[Zevox]

Even as a tome warlock melee is not a great place to be because shillelagh is just not that effective by itself. Essentially it allows you to hit somebody with a quarterstaff at normal effectiveness but without the extra attack feature or anything else to make your attack actually worth something.
Oh, melee is certainly not your first choice even then, sure. But with shillelagh it's at least a reasonable secondary option, if you don't want to blow spell slots on what you're up against and there's any reason not to Eldritch Blast, such as already being in melee, and it can be particularly useful at low levels.


I would have to do the math but it would not surprise me that at mid to high levels that you would be better off using EB even at melee range over use shillelagh especially if you can push with the blast since that may make your second and greater blasts at normal accuracy.
Eh, once you have 3+ shots and repelling blast, perhaps. I'd be pretty surprised if it were better without at least 3 shots though, and without repelling blast I feel like it may even be questionable without four. Although I admit I have no idea how you'd do the math to determine that.


Holy crap! I didn't know about darkness... I'm looking at the 5e PHB and I'm not seeing anywhere in the Tiefling section about Darkness. Is that a spell, invocation, racial...?
It's one of the Tiefling's racial spells, listed in their race entry under the heading "Infernal Legacy." They get the Thaumaturgy cantrip from level 1, Hellish Rebuke 1/day at level 3, and Darkness 1/day at level 5.


I have Devil's Sight and Armor of Shadows as invocations.
Only those two? At level 5 you should have a third. And it should definitely be Agonizing Blast: adding damage to Eldritch Blast is what makes it so good, especially once you start getting more than one shot per casting, which conveniently enough starts at level 5 as well.

[MeeposFire]

Oh, melee is certainly not your first choice even then, sure. But with shillelagh it's at least a reasonable secondary option, if you don't want to blow spell slots on what you're up against and there's any reason not to Eldritch Blast, such as already being in melee, and it can be particularly useful at low levels.


Eh, once you have 3+ shots and repelling blast, perhaps. I'd be pretty surprised if it were better without at least 3 shots though, and without repelling blast I feel like it may even be questionable without four. Although I admit I have no idea how you'd do the math to determine that.


It's one of the Tiefling's racial spells, listed in their race entry under the heading "Infernal Legacy." They get the Thaumaturgy cantrip from level 1, Hellish Rebuke 1/day at level 3, and Darkness 1/day at level 5.


Only those two? At level 5 you should have a third. And it should definitely be Agonizing Blast: adding damage to Eldritch Blast is what makes it so good, especially once you start getting more than one shot per casting, which conveniently enough starts at level 5 as well.

If you are going to grab tome and use a cantrip on an offensive cantrip that is not EB why not pick a shocking grasp, chill touch, or one that requires a save? Chances are that would be far more effective than shillelagh especially long term where they improve but shillelagh does not. Magical weapon damage is a good damage type in general but I think dealing more damage dice is better as is getting a secondary effect from the attack.

[Zevox]

If you are going to grab tome and use a cantrip on an offensive cantrip that is not EB why not pick a shocking grasp, chill touch, or one that requires a save? Chances are that would be far more effective than shillelagh especially long term where they improve but shillelagh does not. Magical weapon damage is a good damage type in general but I think dealing more damage dice is better as is getting a secondary effect from the attack.
Other than Shocking Grasp, they tend to be kind of redundant with Eldritch Blast, as they're mostly ranged damage options, and the ones that allow a save do nothing if the save succeeds. Shocking Grasp is good though, probably better in the long run - though it'll be definitely worse than Shillelagh until level 5 and probably slightly worse or on par until level 11, except against enemies wearing metal armor (though on the flip side there's also always the matter of the odd enemy that resists electricity). But you may prefer Shillelagh for flavor or other such non-optimization reasons, or simply because you don't expect the campaign to last to the higher levels where Shocking Grasp is better.

I mentioned it offhand because it's an option for a Warlock of that specific type to have a decent melee weapon if they want it, which is the topic Elena was asking about, not necessarily because I think it's the absolute best thing you can do. Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned it at all, since I knew she was a Chain-Pact Warlock, but hindsight and all.

[MeeposFire]

I keep forgetting that chill touch is not an actual you physically touching a target type spell in this edition.

[Zevox]

Yeah, that was a bit of an odd choice, and makes the spell name kinda confusing. Not sure why they did that.

[Elena_NightWish]

Zevox
Re: weapons understanding

Yeah, that was a bit of an odd choice, and makes the spell name kinda confusing. Not sure why they did that.

Yesterday, 11:38 PMMeeposFire
Re: weapons understanding

I keep forgetting that chill touch is not an actual you physically touching a target type spell in this edition.

If you read the spell description its because of the imagery they give with the spell.
Chill Touch
Necromancy cantrip
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 round

You create a ghostly, skeletal hand in the space of a
creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack
against the creature to assail it with the chill of the
grave. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 necrotic damage,
and it can’t regain hit points until the start o f your next
turn. Until then, the hand clings to the target.
If you hit an undead target, it also has disadvantage on
attack rolls against you until the end o f your next turn.
This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach
5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8). -Taken directly from the 5e phb

This so far is one of my favorite cantrips :smallbiggrin:

[Zevox]

If you read the spell description its because of the imagery they give with the spell.
Actually, you have that backwards: they gave the spell that imagery because they chose to make it a ranged spell. In previous editions it was a touch spell you delivered personally, empowering your hand with necromantic magic. Hence the confusion for those of us who played older editions.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Actually, you have that backwards: they gave the spell that imagery because they chose to make it a ranged spell. In previous editions it was a touch spell you delivered personally, empowering your hand with necromantic magic. Hence the confusion for those of us who played older editions.

Yep, as I recall, it used to be a lower-level version of Ghoul Touch... I never much liked either of them.

[Estrillian]

Back on the subject of the Orb.

The DMG has a downtime action for researching, if your DM is using it then you could devote a certain number of weeks of work (don't have the number on hand) to get a clue where to look next. Of course that's just a simple abstraction for saying "I am researching" so it may not get you much further.

Given the DC that he gave you for researching the memory it sounds like you need someone with external knowledge that you don't have before you can learn more (while I think a Bard with Expertise could make this roll, it's very unlikely, and they wouldn't actually be able to use Telepathy). So your next port of call is probably going to involve taking what you do know (name, appearance) and contacting Wizards of various sorts until you locate one who has heard of it, and getting their information. I suspect each bit of info might lower the DC (that might be how I would do it).

If this is a plot-crucial item in a puzzle-heavy game, then I would expect things like Identify not to work, but you should try them anyway, they might give you a clue. I'm suspecting that you will eventually be pointed at some specific Sage or expert who can get you further, but at the moment you need to find out who *they* are, hence the need for clues.

So your probable next actions


Get a Wizard to cast Identify in case it helps
Meditate with the Orb in case that helps
Go to town, ask at a wizard's guild if anyone has heard of it
If not ask if there are any famous sages who might know more
If all else hit the libraries for a few weeks

[Elena_NightWish]

Get a Wizard to cast Identify in case it helps
Meditate with the Orb in case that helps
Go to town, ask at a wizard's guild if anyone has heard of it
If not ask if there are any famous sages who might know more
If all else hit the libraries for a few weeks


Those are all great ideas! thank you :) That being said, there are a few of those that wont work in the current part of the campaign. We are chest deep in a dungeon.
So the last 3 wont be available for the next couple of weeks lol X3

[KorvinStarmast]

Is "Legrothra" or "Legrothera" the proper spelling? Because "Legothera" is an anagram for Regal Hero... :smallconfused: So confused.

EDIT: BTW, if you have a second, try out Jeff Boulter's Iterative Anagram Solver (http://boulter.com/anagram/) for help with anagrams.

Beyond the fact that Regal Hero has not "t" in it, loved your post and the link.

[Shining Wrath]

You will not get the answers from Intelligence(Arcana). And since you were drawn to it, not someone else in the party, you should have some ability to learn more about it.

Since you're a warlock, working with your patron seems like the first path. If there's a legendary Library somewhere, see if you can gain access.

Or start a search for a wizard known for his knowledge of shiny things.

[jkat718]

Beyond the fact that Regal Hero has not "t" in it, loved your post and the link.

*partial anagram

It was the closest match I could get.

[KorvinStarmast]

Don't have PHB handy: is Legend Lore still a spell?

[Ninja_Prawn]

Don't have PHB handy: is Legend Lore still a spell?

5th level divination, page 254.

[Vogonjeltz]

Is "Legrothra" or "Legrothera" the proper spelling? Because "Legothera" is an anagram for Regal Hero... So confused.

I'm confused by where the 't' went when you anagrammed that.

OP it sounds like your DM has presented you with a sentient item of his own crafting (or renamed an artifact).

Oh, and yeah, DC 30 is a "Nearly Impossible" check to begin with, so presumably your DM won't provide any new information.

[1Forge]

Yeah I think its sentient too. Pull an aragorn and just talk to it:smallbiggrin:. What languages do you know? It might not speak common. Also try to use it as a spell focus, Wizards can use wands, staves, and orbs but I dont know about warlocks. If that all fails see if you can add some RP to the mix, take it to the place you learned magic from and ask one of the magic teachers.

Also forbidden librarys always help if there's one nearby.


And Could you give us a bit of your campaigns backstory? this might help us find options for you.

[Person_Man]

Sounds like a plot hook for a side quest. (Or maybe the main quest). I would just start investigating the McGuffin. I assume your DM will start feeding you clues and adventure locations once you start looking for them.

Also, if you're a Warlock and worried about being squishy, then you should read the Armor of Agathys (Warlock 1) spell. It adds scaling temporary hit points for 1 hour (without the need for Concentration) AND a creature that hits you with a melee attack while you have the hit points takes the same amount of Cold damage. Since Warlock spells auto-scale up to 5th level, and are renewed after a Short Rest, you can/should have it up and active most of the time.

In addition, you can just hang back, avoid the front line of combat, and use Eldritch Blast, which can push enemies away from you.

And don't forget that your Pact of Chain Familiar can give you Resistance to Magic (check all your Familiar options in the Monster Manual), and can use the Help Action to grant you Advantage to lots of things, including an attack roll. And it gets an Opportunity Attack, and can act as a tackle dummy.