Pocket-able Monsterous Companion Crystals

[Phoenix042]

Pocket-able Monstrous Companion Crystals
Wondrous Item, uncommon

This tiny crystal can easily fit in your pocket. As an action, you can toss the crystal at a creature. The crystal's range is 20ft / 60ft. If the crystal hits a non-humanoid creature, that creature must succeed at a DC 13 wisdom saving throw or become trapped, body and soul, inside the crystal. If the creature's CR is greater than your level, it has advantage on this saving throw. If the creature's CR at least two higher than your level, it automatically succeeds on its saving throw. If the creature is at less than half it's maximum hit points, it has disadvantage on its saving throw. A crystal can bind only one creature in this way at a time.

As an action, you can release the trapped creature from its crystal.

You can choose to attune to the crystal. If you do, the creature inside becomes charmed by you while you are attuned, even when the creature is released. If it's CR is less than or equal to your level, it obeys your verbal commands, otherwise, there is a 50% chance that it will ignore your commands and choose its own actions each round. You can attune to up to two crystals per attunement slot.


Thoughts?

[kraitmarais]

Haha, looks fun. It could even be an interesting option for a single-player game.

Do you intend to have a way to return a creature to the crystal, without needing to go through the throw/hit/save sequence again? It also may be worth having a timer on it (i.e. the creature returns to the crystal after 1 minute, or whatever) in order to avoid the scenario of having a permanently-summoned monster squad.

It's a powerful effect, and I'm sure someone will post a build to grossly exploit it, but between the CR restrictions and the need to hit AND have the creature fail a save, it'll take some serious time spent monster hunting to build a truly obscene army.

[Lord8Ball]

Well, this Pokeball looks pretty fun to play around with. If you happened to be a diviner with a good or in this case bad portant roll oh boy I'd have a fun time. Maybe you could put a limit on the monsters combined cr to be equal to your level. Another possibility is to have the number of creatures you can have under your control equal to your charisma modifier. I like the variety of being you could acquire except for the moral quandary of enslaving sentient beings like a djin, succubus, dryad, etc.

[Phoenix042]

Trying to think of how to phrase the use limit to basically be "you can only have one out AND charmed at a time, if you set any more free, they actually are freed."

And also that if they fall unconscious they end up back in the crystal, stabilized.

[PhantomSoul]

Well, this Pokeball looks pretty fun to play around with. If you happened to be a diviner with a good or in this case bad portant roll oh boy I'd have a fun time. Maybe you could put a limit on the monsters combined cr to be equal to your level. Another possibility is to have the number of creatures you can have under your control equal to your charisma modifier. I like the variety of being you could acquire except for the moral quandary of enslaving sentient beings like a djin, succubus, dryad, etc.

Diviner's a good worry -- maybe taking inspiration from pokemon and have three Saving Throws would help? The DM could then narrate the shakes of the pokeball while the players find an A button to mash.