One of a kind, a Balhannothic Inducer is a contraption of great ingenuity born of a equally cruel mind. It consists of a magically preserved Balhannoth Brain, pin-cushioned by a great number of sensory nodes and needles that stick out of it at haphazard angles, all contained in a jar of embalming fluid. Said jar is held steady by two bases, one at the top of the jar and another at the bottom so that even if it falls, the jar will remain intact. Each base has 4 legs that end in sharp, pointed blades, and the whole contraption is wrapped in a tangle of wires and string that somehow seem to hold everything together, despite the lack of additional parts.
The Balhannothic Inducer has an AC of 5 and a Hit Point Total of 10; it cannot move, it cannot attack, and using it as an improvised weapon will automatically deal 2 damage to it.
This magic item is a stationary contraption that can detect the desires, hopes, and dreams of any creature that comes with 500 feet of it. It will then begin to warp reality within that range to make the surrounding environment fit the description of a place well liked or known to an affected creature. Such places include a comfortable inn, a temple of worship, a childhood home, or any other place that awakens feelings of contentment or happiness. The contraption itself will take on the appearance of an item or object that holds significant value to its target, with the goal being that they touch the Inducer. When more than one creature enters the area of effect, the Balhannothic Inducer will target the individual with the lowest combined Wisdom and Intelligence score, and the target will have disadvantage on any checks made to determine the validity of the altered surroundings. For any other individual, closer inspection reveals very obvious errors or discrepancies, such as books having blank pages, wealth being counterfeit, and designs of any kind lacking any semblance of cohesiveness with the environment. If the target touches the Inducer, they will no longer be able to tell the difference between the real location and current location, losing the ability to make a check to determine the validity of their surroundings.
From this point onward, the target will desire to remain in the location, and can make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw per day to decide to leave. On a success, they may leave and the effects of the Balhannothic Inducer end immediately. On a failure, the DC Saving Throw increases by 2. This can stack up to 7 times, leading to a DC 30 Wisdom Saving Throw. If they fail the final DC 30 Wisdom Saving Throw, they will give up on ever leaving the location.
If a target is ever forcefully brought more than 500 feet away from the Balhannothic Inducer, the effects immediately end and the individual is freed from the illusion. If the Balhannothic Inducer is destroyed, a similar result is achieved.
"Now this little bad boy is a real nasty piece of work; found it laying around in an old, decrepit tower. It was just sitting on a workbench, right next to the bones of who I can only imagine was its creator. Based off of all the schematics and diagrams I saw scattered about the workshop, well, lets just be glad that this was the item they decided to make first."
-Joplin Kager, "Sorties into Shalmar"
Notes: Detection, Deception, Sentient, Eldritch Machine
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