Gem of Brightness 5e
Wondrous Item, uncommon
This prism has 50 charges. While you are holding it, you can use an action to speak one of three command words to cause one of the following effects:
The first command word causes the gem to shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. This effect doesn't expend a charge. It lasts until you use a bonus action to repeat the command word or until you use another function of the gem.
The second command word expends 1 charge and causes the gem to fire a brilliant beam of light at one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become blinded for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
The third command word expends 5 charges and causes the gem to flare with blinding light in a 30-foot cone originating from it. Each creature in the cone must make a saving throw as if struck by the beam created with the second command word.
When all of the gem's charges are expended, the gem becomes a nonmagical jewel worth 50 gp.
Commentary by Sam West, Twitter: @CrierKobold
Having a Gem of Brightness is kind of like having a lightbulb stapled to a laser pointer and a spotlight, all sharing a battery. You get three modes that each take 0-5 charges from the total pool of 50 it starts with.
You can use the first mode so long as the gem has one or more charges. Even though it doesn’t cost any charges to use, the gem becomes non-magical when its empty, so it’s advisable to keep at least one in it if you want the 60 ft. light pulses the first command word offers.
All the modes are activated by speaking a command word as an action, but the first mode can be maintained with a bonus action command word after the first round.
A DC 15 Constitution saving throw is excellent for an uncommon magic item; this can blind a ton of people and has lots of flexibility in the various modes.
To learn the command words, you’ll need to spend a short rest doing so. If you want to learn how many charges it has, you can attune to it to do so.
Thank you for visiting!
If you’d like to support this ongoing project, you can do so by buying my books, getting some sweet C&C merch, or joining my Patreon.
The text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 6.0.
A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
