The Apparatus?

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Rock of the Fraternity
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The Apparatus?

Post by Rock of the Fraternity »

Okay, I only got into D&D around 3e, so I don't have many sourcebooks from older editions.
Who can tell me more about the Apparatus created by the Alchemist of Mordent? What are its components, and was it ever mentioned how another Apparatus could be constructed? Did it have a set number of charges per day? Did it need fuel? What all could it do?
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Cromstar
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Re: The Apparatus?

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Taken from the 2nd Edition Book of Artifacts:

-"It is unclear if The Apparatus is a single device or a set of plans," meaning it could be either at your discretion, but it has appeared in different forms, leading some to speculate that the artifact is the plans themselves and they are 'completed' by the newest builder
-The 'Rod of Rastinon' is a magic item used in the machine...believed to be set between the two chambers and powered by lightning for The Apparatus to perform any function
-It takes 12 strikes of lightning within 3 hours to provide a single charge for the machine; lightning is the only source of power that will work, as it its the elemental power as well as the electrical force
-The two main powers are 'transpossession' and 'soul-splitting'
-Transpossession is the only power available with the 'Rod of Rastinon' in place
-Tranpossession swaps the minds of the two inside the orbs: the new bodies have their STR, DEX, CON, and CHA of the body and INT, WIS, spells, psionics, and knowledge of the host mind; both subjects are unconscious for 1d3 rounds after transfer and will detect as neutral to any ability or spell that reveals alignment information
-Soul-splitting divides the single occupant of the orb into two halves of themselves: good & evil, lawful & chaotic, wise & foolish, etc. There's effectively no limit beyond DM discretion; These opposites are utterly and completely opposed, unable to cooperate, even if they don't try and kill each other. Their forms depend on the strength of the trait in the original body, so an evil coward's good side might be pale, sickly, and weak.
-Soul-fusing is the inverse of soul-splitting and undoes a soul-split
-Soul-fusing CAN be used to fuse two different souls into one, forcing them to inhabit a single body, but not sharing their abilities with each other; these are rarely harmonious fusions as the two personalities struggle for control; any difference of opinion is resolved by an INT check by both minds: if only one succeeds, they control the body, if both fail, the body is wracked with massive headaches, if both succeed the body undergoes a tug-of-war, acting in jerky motions and erratically as the two minds flip control of the body constantly
-Any subject of any of these must make a save vs. death or go mad, and do the same every day for a week until they have adjusted to the new 'normal'
-Use of the machine in Ravenloft requires a power check; use outside has a 20% to transport the entire machine and environs TO Ravenloft
-The Apparatus is known to explode at exactly the moment the DM has decided it is no longer of use to his/her campaign
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Rock of the Fraternity
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Re: The Apparatus?

Post by Rock of the Fraternity »

So it's an unstable artefact...! Hrmm, that means if I ever want to use it, I'll have to design its construction requirements myself...
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Re: The Apparatus?

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Rock wrote:Who can tell me more about the Apparatus created by the Alchemist of Mordent? What are its components, and was it ever mentioned how another Apparatus could be constructed? Did it have a set number of charges per day? Did it need fuel? What all could it do?
The module used (I10 HoGH) to be a free download at WoTC, but the page doesn't exist anymore. :(. Another one was built by the illithids in the 'Thoughts of Darkness' module.

Cromstar covered most of the effects of the device, but from the description of the Appartus...

"The Apparatus itself is over two stories tall. A great network of cold forged steel rings focuses the power of lightning strikes into a great globe in the dome overhead. This, energy is stored and converted into magical force by an immense spinning ball of sulphur encased in a 15 foot glass globe. This force is channelled into a bank of small spheres situated at its base. From here the energy is focused into the pair of glass chambers where the subjects are held.

An image of it from the module
Image

The module also listed a few of the deliveries to the Alchemist in a shipping manifest which I have added to the list.

So from the description, the image and the shipping manifest you need at least...
15 foot glass sphere
2 x 6 foot glass spheres
Rod of Rastinon
A lot of little glass spheres (leyden jars?)
Cold iron rings
Wrought iron fittings
Heavy wooden support beams
~1700 cubic feet of sulphur
20 Spools Copper Wire
3 cubit Iron riveted sphere
150 brass fastners
7 crates hand blown glassware
A cape to billow in the wind and insane laugh optional - :mrgreen:
Someone sent me a postcard picture of the earth. On the back they had written, "Wish you were here."
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