Transporting Orbs

[gothmaugCC]

I can't wait untill my first 4ed wizard drops his orb and the damn thing rolls away in the dungeon and/or:

Falls of a precipice
Falls through a grate,
Falls into a sewer,
Bounces down some stairs
Gets knocked away like a croquet ball.

Seriously, what a pain in the ass carrying an orb around. At least a wand or staff or tome is large enough to ba stable and not roll away when dropped, and easy to store. What do you do with an orb? Keep it in your pocket? Thats assuming they are cue ball sized. If htey are small (like marbles) then you can put them on a chain, but what if they are large (like a crystal ball)? Can you imagine lugging a basketball sized scrying orb with you through a dungeon?

Anyhow just a bit of fun speculation

 

[Pygon]

Just pluck out a beholder eye and use that.

Sovereign glue might be useful as well.

 

[Sir Brennen]

I could see putting them in intricate metal lattice, with enough protrusions to keep them from rolling. Or carry them in an open weave sack, like glass floats for a fish net (an interesting visual for a pirate wizard.)

 

[Stormtalon]

Isn't that what a codpiece is for?

 

[GreatLemur]

If they're really the size of the classic crystal ball, they'll certainly be a pain in the ass to hold in the middle of combat (especially if you're fumbling around with a staff or giant book in your other hand). Here's hoping they've got finger holes like a bowling ball.

Seriously, though, I don't think they'll necessarily have to be that big, or perfectly spherical, or carried around without any kind of housing. Hell, for all we know, the damn things might just orbit your damn head like ioun stones. I don't think they'll be a problem.

 

[gothmaugCC]

Seriously, though, I don't think they'll necessarily have to be that big, or perfectly spherical, or carried around without any kind of housing. Hell, for all we know, the damn things might just orbit your damn head like ioun stones. I don't think they'll be a problem.

OOOHhhh!

If they float around the characters head like an ioun stone, as a DM, WotC just made my day. I Can't wait to see my players' faces when the club wielding orc runs toward the mage, takes a swing, and sends the orb over the left field wall!

Hillarity ensues

 

[RodneyThompson]

Here's hoping they've got finger holes like a bowling ball.

You didn't think the phrase "wizard strikes" was chosen for no reason, did you?

 

[Lurks-no-More]

I could see putting them in intricate metal lattice, with enough protrusions to keep them from rolling. Or carry them in an open weave sack, like glass floats for a fish net (an interesting visual for a pirate wizard.)

Yeah, both sound like good ideas. Or some elaborate gimbal system, like a miniature orrery, the whole thing hanging from a chain around your neck. I'm assuming the orbs will be relatively small and portable, only a couple of inches in diameter.

 

[Snapdragyn]

I've seen a lot of baseball-sized crystal spheres in the local New Age shop window, with softball-sized seeming rarer (& larger still even more rare). Perhaps they'll be a more manageable size like that.

I love the visual for the pirate wizard with an orb in a net like a glass float.

 

[Sir Brennen]

Perhaps some artisan by the name of Fabergé could think of something that would make them less likely to roll