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View Full Version : 1001 Uses For A Dull Gray Ioun Stone!



Socksy
2014-07-07, 09:10 PM
So it's 3am and I have no idea why I'm on the webpage I'm on, but I click onto this thread (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=13233.0) anyway because it looks groovalicious.

Turns out I was correct, but while it was indeed groovalicious, it was also both long-dead and on a forum I'm unfamiliar with.

So without further ado, let the GiantITP thread for uses of a dull grey ioun stone begin!



1) It can be painted and made to orbit a Treant at Christmas time
2) A bunch of them can be painted to disguise your real ioun stone.
3) Shout "Delayed Blast Fireball!", throw it at someone, and watch the flailing as they try to get it to stop orbiting them.

tyriuth
2014-07-07, 09:17 PM
Permanent silence and then throw it at enemy spellcasters (Same with other distracting spells).
The obvious continual flame (Though in all fairness; this would be INCREDIBLY distracting, and I prefer a non-magical ring for this).
Lich's Phylactery, you don't loose it and adventurers think it's useless (except for above).
Have several of them and tie a light cloth; portable changing room.

JusticeZero
2014-07-07, 09:24 PM
Manifesters (psions, etc.) buy them by the crate. Burn one to use a 1st level power, unenhanced. There's a number of 1st level powers that are useful at one point.

Lord Torath
2014-07-07, 09:34 PM
Give it to Charlie Brown on Halloween.

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-07, 09:40 PM
Get a bunch of them, paint them different colors and have them in orbit around a Lantern Archon as an easy reference for the current layout of the solar system. It should give you a bonus on Profession (Astrology) checks.

Use Magic Aura and pawn it off as a more valuable stone. While wearing your Hat of Disguise, naturally.

Segev
2014-07-08, 11:04 AM
Put one on your Unseen Servant to mark where it is.

Spend 500 gp to enchant it as an intelligent item and have it Aid Another on any skill you care to attempt. (May have to spend gp to give it minimal ranks in some skills.)

Socksy
2014-07-14, 04:55 AM
Paint it a different colour/pattern and claim you invented a new ioun stone altogether.
Paint many and swap then with your allies' ioun stones when they aren't looking.

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-14, 05:46 AM
Paint them rainbow colors, set them spinning around a bunch of rabbits' heads, and have the most memorable Easter Egg Hunt ever.

DigoDragon
2014-07-14, 07:06 AM
Having been a former magic item, they should technically still be a masterwork stone. I had a player use them as ammo for a slingshot. :smallsmile:

Jay R
2014-07-14, 08:05 AM
Having been a former magic item, they should technically still be a masterwork stone. I had a player use them as ammo for a slingshot. :smallsmile:

If I were the DM, they would circle around your foe without hitting him.

Kane0
2014-07-14, 08:14 AM
If I were the DM, they would circle around your foe without hitting him.

If i were the DM, they would circle around your foe and hit them from a random angle.

Segev
2014-07-14, 08:16 AM
Dull Grey Ioun Stones are good targets for emanation spells, like Silence, Darkness, Daylight, etc. They don't take up hands, and can have little bags draped over them that you can pull off at a moment's notice to expose them and gain the emanation's effect. They also are decent targets for Nondetection, but so is any item you happen to be carrying.

toapat
2014-07-14, 08:17 AM
Get a bunch of them, paint them different colors and have them in orbit around a Lantern Archon as an easy reference for the current layout of the solar system. It should give you a bonus on Profession (Astrology) checks.

Use Magic Aura and pawn it off as a more valuable stone. While wearing your Hat of Disguise, naturally.

figure out how to enchant a dull grey ioun stone to cause lantern archons to orbit it.

Leviting
2014-07-14, 08:21 AM
Would a sufficiently massive amount give you partial concealment when orbiting?

Segev
2014-07-14, 08:24 AM
Would a sufficiently massive amount give you partial concealment when orbiting?

Not per the RAW.

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-14, 08:27 AM
Well, they only orbit around your head, so... they might give your enemies partial concealment? :smalltongue:

Mystia
2014-07-14, 09:58 AM
Get a bunch of them, and cast Faerie Fire on each. Make sure that every stone has a light of different color. Then:
a - Become a walking party. Bonus points if you are a bard.
b - See if you can get them to orbit around your enemies, and if you can, ask the DM for rules on epilepsy. Argue extensively about how your foe should be at least dazed by them.
b.1 - Eventually, debate on how they should be as effective as a Color Spray spell. On any enemy.

Alternatively, cast continual flame and have a tiny fireball that follows you around harmlessly.

DigoDragon
2014-07-14, 10:23 AM
Get a bunch of them, and cast Faerie Fire on each. Make sure that every stone has a light of different color.

Suddenly I thought of having two of the stones (with red and blue lights, one each) circling a paladin Warforged. Call yourself Robocop.
Bonus point to have a holster built into your leg for a hand crossbow.

"Your move, creep."

Jay R
2014-07-14, 11:11 AM
If I were the DM, they would circle around your foe without hitting him.
If i were the DM, they would circle around your foe and hit them from a random angle.

Different DMs interpret the rules differently, of course. My logic is that they would do what the rules have always said that Ioun stones do since they were first introduced in the 1970s.

Mystia
2014-07-14, 11:44 AM
Suddenly I thought of having two of the stones (with red and blue lights, one each) circling a paladin Warforged. Call yourself Robocop.
Bonus point to have a holster built into your leg for a hand crossbow.

"Your move, creep."

Holy goddess, this sounds amazing :smallbiggrin:
Awesome character concept acquired. Common warforgeds simply weren't robocop enough yet.

Socksy
2014-07-14, 03:51 PM
Holy goddess, this sounds amazing :smallbiggrin:
Awesome character concept acquired. Common warforgeds simply weren't robocop enough yet.

I think I may have to steal that at some point o:

The_Werebear
2014-07-14, 04:27 PM
Use five to win a hula hooping championship with no invested skill ranks.

Put sticky notes on them to serve as reminders

Attach tiny baskets of snacks to them so you always have some available and at hand.

There are lots of artistic jewelry uses. Imagine a torque or necklace that doesn't actually touch flesh, but instead was suspended and rotating around your neck, held up by three guilded ioun stones via thin gold chain.

Invade people's personal space so that it bounces off of them in an annoying fashion.

Use Arcane Mark, Permanency, and invisibility to make hard to find tracking beacons.

Sartharina
2014-07-14, 04:49 PM
If I were the DM, they would circle around your foe without hitting him.

Meh. For the cost, they're fine as masterwork sling stones. I'd have them start orbiting after they hit the target for normal damage.

Jay R
2014-07-14, 04:57 PM
Meh. For the cost, they're fine as masterwork sling stones. I'd have them start orbiting after they hit the target for normal damage.

Cost is irrelevant. A 10,000 gp painting on paper is not a masterwork weapon, regardless of cost.

A masterwork weapon has to have the masterwork weapon quality built in when first made. This only works if the original Ioun stone was intended as a sling stone when first created.

The crucial fact is that an Ioun stone is created and enchanted to circle somebody without hitting them. Is it really such a stretch to believe that it would encircle somebody without hitting them?

Ionbound
2014-07-14, 04:59 PM
Hmm...Would an AMF keep an ioun stone from orbiting?

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-14, 07:49 PM
The crucial fact is that an Ioun stone is created and enchanted to circle somebody without hitting them. Is it really such a stretch to believe that it would encircle somebody without hitting them?Considering how little force it takes to move them once they're circling, is it really such a stretch to believe that they would hit, bounce off, slow down and then start circling?

Or, if you like, I believe ioun stones require an intelligence score of three before they can orbit a creature, which implies that a certain degree of willingness might be required from the host. In which case they might just work as masterwork sling bullets and never orbit at all. Though that would be slightly less funny, as it would also rule out a lot of the other hilarious shenanigans people are coming up with. :smalltongue:

Also, a 10,000 gp painting would surely be on canvas (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ComicallyMissingThePoint) rather than paper.

~~~~

I'll bet if you strapped a magnet to one (or several) and wrapped your head in copper coils you could generate a small but steady supply of electricity.

Cyrion
2014-07-14, 10:48 PM
Sadly, the stone only orbits the owner who must grasp it and release it. It won' orbit the enemy.

My take on the gray stones (admittedly carried forward from AD&D) has always been that they're dead and useless- i.e. won't orbit. But I like everybody else's ideas better.

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-15, 01:59 AM
Ah. My first exposure was Pathfinder, where the burned-out ones still orbit and casting continual flame on one results in a fairly cheap magic item (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-torch) that's exactly what you think it is.

nedz
2014-07-15, 05:34 AM
Attach wine corks to them with short lengths of string. This is to keep the flies off you when you make your Crocodile Dundee character.

Socksy
2014-07-15, 08:53 AM
Tie a length of cord or rope around them and set them orbiting around someone in opposite directions.

Fire Lord Pi
2014-07-15, 11:18 AM
Cast light and haste to make it look like you have a halo!

Shrink it to make it look like a gnat. Don't know how this would be useful.

IAmTehDave
2014-07-15, 11:41 AM
Scribe some miniature Explosive Runes on them, and hand them out to party members you don't like.

FabulousFizban
2014-07-15, 03:53 PM
throw them into empty squares to see if they start orbiting invisible enemies.

Leviting
2014-07-15, 05:35 PM
Scribe some miniature Explosive Runes on them, and hand them out to party members you don't like.

How about symbol of insanity? [insert Xykon face]

DigoDragon
2014-07-16, 07:26 AM
Shave your head, throw a few stones around yourself, go as the solar system for Halloween.

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-16, 07:34 AM
Scribe some miniature Explosive Runes on them, and hand them out to party members you don't like.At first I read that as "hand them out at parties."

I am slightly disappointed now.

Edit: In brighter news, I'm pretty sure that, in binary, we've already met our goal! Great job, everyone. :smallsmile:

Segev
2014-07-16, 08:44 AM
Dull Gray Ioun Stones would make decent bases for intelligent magic items. They're probably the cheapest permanent magic item out there. Make them skill-filled, and they can either shore up a weak skill or be Aid Another buddies.

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-16, 08:54 AM
Dull Gray Ioun Stones would make decent bases for intelligent magic items. They're probably the cheapest permanent magic item out there. Make them skill-filled, and they can either shore up a weak skill or be Aid Another buddies.Get a bunch of them, give them ranks in all the Perform skills and the ability to cast Ghost Sound, and you have your own tiny backup band!

Your own incredibly annoying (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GePzVWnwgFE) tiny backup band. :smallcool:

Segev
2014-07-16, 08:59 AM
Get a bunch of them, give them ranks in all the Perform skills and the ability to cast Ghost Sound, and you have your own tiny backup band!

Your own incredibly annoying (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GePzVWnwgFE) tiny backup band. :smallcool:

Give them enough spot/listen to make a DC 10 consistently, and never fail another spot/listen check.

Stick one in a pink ball and glue dragonfly wings to it. Give it the speech ability. "Hey! Listen!"

Socksy
2014-07-16, 09:58 AM
You could probably play a very interesting game of marbles with a bunch of them and a friend.

Sgt. Cookie
2014-07-16, 10:21 AM
Get a bunch, make em intelligent, give them the various "Detect X" abilities and have them constantly cast them. Then, when one detects something, have it tell you. Never be surprised again!

Slipperychicken
2014-07-16, 11:49 AM
Make their orbit rotate turbines* and generate power. This could be possible if the stones are able to exert force/overcome resistance to carry out their orbit. Perhaps you'd make the stones orbit a creature placed near the center of the turbine?

*I'm not an engineer. By "turbine", I mean to refer to a tiny version of those things you spin to generate power, such as water wheels, hamster wheels, crank-generators, and windmills.

IAmTehDave
2014-07-16, 11:55 AM
At first I read that as "hand them out at parties."
I am slightly disappointed now.

Actually, if you research a version of Explosive Runes that doesn't deal damage, just generates a tiny explosion...magical floating Party Poppers! Otherwise you're handing out <CL>d6 damage/person as party favors. And that's terrible.


How about symbol of insanity? [insert Xykon face]
Special conditions for triggering a symbol of death can be based on a creature’s name, identity, or alignment, but otherwise must be based on observable actions or qualities.
Hey now... that's brilliant. Attune your party to the symbol, make it permanent, and have it trigger on "When I start singing Black Eyed Peas lyrics"
The non-radio-edit of the song is not worded "it started"...yes I'm a terrible person who's going to hell for this.

If we could figure out a way to have all the ioun stones be under the effect of My Light (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/myLight.htm) instead of Light, it's directional. Instant laser-esque show!

Attach streamers to the stones for a festive look.

Leviting
2014-07-16, 05:42 PM
Make their orbit rotate turbines* and generate power. This could be possible if the stones are able to exert force/overcome resistance to carry out their orbit. Perhaps you'd make the stones orbit a creature placed near the center of the turbine?

*I'm not an engineer. By "turbine", I mean to refer to a tiny version of those things you spin to generate power, such as water wheels, hamster wheels, crank-generators, and windmills.

I think you mean motor(as opposed to turbine), and I think that would work, with a bit of gearing attached to your head

Slipperychicken
2014-07-16, 06:23 PM
I think you mean motor(as opposed to turbine), and I think that would work, with a bit of gearing attached to your head

Thank you for that.

And it doesn't have to be your head, either. It could just as easily be a chained-up goblin, or a paid commoner, or something of that ilk.

Cowardly Griffo
2014-07-16, 09:58 PM
Can intelligent items have ioun stones orbiting them? Can intelligent ioun stones have ioun stones orbiting them?

Give them all the ability to cast Dancing Lights and Shield, and pretend that your AC bonus comes from your bulletproof bishie sparkles.

Slipperychicken
2014-07-16, 10:08 PM
You could enchant it with continuous Prestidigitation, so that it constantly cleans/warms your clothes and give you sparkles.

Because seriously. Getting that awesome freshly-cleaned-laundry feeling all the time?! And without costing a body slot? Even after you just had the fight of your life, with your expensive Courtier's Outfit soaked in nasty Troll blood, you can be all fresh and clean just rounds later?? That's definitely worth 4000gp 2000gp right there.

Socksy
2014-07-17, 04:59 AM
You could probably enchant them to hang invisibly in midair down a narrow passageway with traps along the side of the walls. They'll start orbiting any intruders, who'll think they're safe as long as they don't touch the traps along the sides of the walls :D