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Ioun stones, originally called Congenio's pebbles,[2] were magical stones that granted enhancements or powers to a creature.[3][1]

Description

They were small, crystalline stones, coming in a wide range of colors and shapes that determined their powers.[1]

Powers

Ioun stones hovered permanently in the air.[1]

When one acquired a stone and wished to receive its benefits, they had to first hold it for a brief time and then release it. Thereafter, when functioning, the ioun stone floated in a circular pattern around the bearer's head, at a distance of 1–3 ft (30–91 cm). They could only bestow their benefit on an owner when within this range. Two stones of the same type would repel each other.[3][1] Another person could try to catch or net the stone to steal it, or break it. The bearer could freely grab and pocket a stone, such as when going to sleep, to keep it safe, but they could no longer receive its benefits.[1]

The stones granted various benefits based on their color, as listed below. When drained of power, a stone became a dull grey, but it still possessed the characteristic floating power.[3]

Color & Shape Benefit Cost (gp)
Clear spindle May go without food or water[1] 4000
Dusty-rose prism Insight to defense[1] 5000
Deep-red sphere Enhanced agility & dexterity[1] 8000
Incandescent-blue sphere Enhanced wisdom[1] 8000
Pale-blue rhomboid Enhanced strength[1] 8000
Pink rhomboid Enhanced constitution[1] 8000
Pink-and-green sphere Enhanced charisma[1] 8000
Scarlet-and-blue sphere Enhanced intellect[1] 8000
Dark-blue rhomboid Greater alertness[1] 10,000
Vibrant-purple prism Stores spells as a ring of spell storing[1] 36,000
Iridescent spindle May go without air[1] 18,000
Pale-lavender ellipsoid Absorbs low-level spells as a rod of absorption when readied[1] 20,000
Pearly-white spindle May regenerate wounds or damage by the hour as a ring of regeneration[1] 20,000
Pale-green prism Greater talent in attack, skill, resistance, and physical and mental feats[1] 30,000
Orange prism Increasing level of spellcasting[1] 30,000
Lavender-and-green ellipsoid Absorbs all but the highest-level spells as a rod of absorption when readied[1] 40,000
Blood-red ellipsoid Vampiric regeneration[4]
Deep-purple sphere Protection against poison, as a periapt of proof against poison[4]

As with other items that could store magical energy, the pale lavender ellipsoid, lavender-and-green ellipsoid, and vibrant-purple prism could store spellfire. In turn, they could also be drained by a spellfire wielder.[5]

Creation

Ioun stones could only be created by a veteran spellcaster well versed in the crafting of wondrous magical items.[1]

Only certain types of gemstone could be transformed into an ioun stone through application of the appropriate and generally secret spells. These gems were known collectively as "the nine secrets", though there were at least ten. These were amethyst,[6] chrysoberyl, chrysoprase,[7] greenstone, hematite (though this was rarely known to even powerful wizards), iol (also known as iolite or cordierite, and the most effective of the gems),[8] Laeral's tears (most little known and rarest of the gems),[9] obsidian (the most well known), onyx,[10] and sardonyx.[11]

History

Congenio Ioun, an arcanist of Netheril, created the first ioun stones.[2][12]

Notable collections

The Wyvern Crown of Cormyr was inlaid with ten ioun stones on the tips of its spikes. None of the stones could be removed from the Crown without destroying them, not without a wish spell on each stone.[4]

A ring of a dozen ioun stones was occasionally sighted hovering above the River Vesper in the Vast from the 1350s DR on. The stones avoided efforts to grab them, and by 1370 DR, no one with a net, the ability to fly, or a magical means of catching one was lucky enough to spot the ring. A tale told in riverside taverns claimed that anyone who could grab one of the ioun stones could keep it, but was also compelled by a geas to perform some dangerous task, with a different task for each stone.[13]

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 Template:Cite book/Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5 edition
  2. 2.0 2.1 slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). Netheril: Empire of Magic. Edited by Jim Butler. (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Matthew P. Hargenrader (October 1991). “Bazaar of the Bizarre: Ioun stones: Where do you go if you want some more?”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #174 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 90–94.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), pp. 121–122. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  5. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 88. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  6. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 36. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  7. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 38. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  8. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), pp. 41–42. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  9. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 43. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  10. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 46. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  11. Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 49. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
  12. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  13. Ed Greenwood (October 1998). The City of Ravens Bluff. Edited by John D. Rateliff. (TSR, Inc.), p. 154. ISBN 0-7869-1195-6.
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