This 2-foot-diameter black sphere is a hole in the multiverse, hovering in space and stabilized by a magical field surrounding it.
The sphere obliterates all matter it passes through and all matter that passes through it. Artifacts are the exception. Unless an Artifact is susceptible to damage from a Sphere of Annihilation, it passes through the sphere unscathed. Anything else that touches the sphere but isn’t wholly engulfed and obliterated by it takes 8d10 Force damage.
Controlling the Sphere. A Sphere of Annihilation is stationary until someone takes control of it. If you are within 60 feet of a sphere, you can take a Magic action to make a DC 25 Intelligence (Arcana) check. On a successful check, you control the sphere until the start of your next turn, and if it was under another creature’s control, that creature loses control of the sphere. On a failed check, the sphere moves 10 feet toward you in a straight line.
While in control of the sphere, you can take a Bonus Action to cause it to move in one direction of your choice, up to a number of feet equal to 5 times your Intelligence modifier (minimum 5 feet). Any creature whose space the sphere enters must succeed on a DC 19 Dexterity saving throw or be touched by it, taking 8d10 Force damage. A creature reduced to 0 Hit Points by this damage is obliterated, leaving its possessions behind but no other physical remains.
Sphere Interactions. If the sphere comes into contact with a planar portal (such as that created by the Gate spell) or an extradimensional space (such as that within a Portable Hole), the DM determines randomly what happens using the following table.
| 1d100 | Result |
|---|---|
| 01–50 | The sphere is destroyed. |
| 51–85 | The sphere moves through the portal or into the extradimensional space. |
| 86–00 | A spatial rift sends the sphere and each creature and object within 180 feet of the sphere to a random plane of existence. |
Notes: Damage: Force
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Posted Jan 5, 2025Glad to see artifacts mechanically differentiated from other magical items. They're supposed to be distinct & theoretically more powerful then other magical items, at least in older editions. But 5e tended to treat all magic equipment as nigh-indistructible, when everything that's not an artifact should have a breaking point.
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Posted Jan 13, 2025Any ruling on what happens to it in anti-magic fields ? Since its not an artifact, does it just become a black beachball ?
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Posted Jan 21, 2025Yes, but it's formally referred to as the Black Beach Ball of Annihilation.
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Posted Jan 28, 2025Shouldn’t it be “you control the sphere until the END of your next turn?”
The sphere says you use a Magic action to take control of the sphere, but it only lasts until the start of your next turn, while the Talisman of the Sphere item says you can use a Magic action to move the sphere further when you start your turn in control of the sphere. If you only control it ***until*** the start of your next turn, you can never start your turn in control of it. There would be no window to use the Talisman in that way. So I think there’s either an error here or in the Talisman of the Sphere entry in the 2024 DMG.
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Posted Feb 23, 2025I wish the DMG would offer just a sentence or two on the origin of powerful legendary magic items like this. I don't need something like that for an uncommon sword +1, but for an item like this I'd loved to have some sort of background information. Who created this, what was it's original purpose?
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Posted Apr 4, 2025I mean, it really depends on the game.
Homebrew campaigns change things all the time, and what fits one campaign might not fit the other.
I know some people like lore they can use, but I have yet to encounter a campaign where someone sticks to the lore written by the creators 100%
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Posted Apr 29, 2025In Advanced D&D (1st Edition) the Goddess Hecate controlled 2 of these in Deities and Demigods.
That's back when they were instant death if they touched you.