DM's Workshop: Dragonstone Nacelle powers

Gnomish lapidaries categorize the fragments used to create dragonstone nacelles into five general categories: inferior, minor, middle-grade, major, and near-perfect. This very rough grading determines how much magical output a given nacelle is capable of, and ultimately, just how re-usable it is.

Dragonstone fragment powers are divided into levels much like magical items’ rarities in the newest edition of D&D: common, uncommon, rare, very rare and legendary. Activation usually only requires a simple twist of the nacelle to close the cytronic circuit while willing the desired effect.

The player then rolls 2d6, and consults the following chart to determine the result:

	Common	Uncommon	Rare	Very Rare	Legendary
Inferior	7	T	T*	D	D*
Minor	9	7	T	T*	D
Middle-Grade	11	9	7	T	T*
Major	—	11	9	7	T
Near Perfect	—	—	11	9	7

A “dash” indicates the effect manifests for its longest duration, or to maximum effect. 

If the roll is under a given number, the effect manifests for its normal listed duration.

If the roll is over the given number, the effect manifests, but only for one round or with minimal effect. The user can try to activate it again the next round.

A “T” indicates the effect manifests, but only for half its duration or effect, after which a “cool down” or “recharge” of 2d6 hours is required before another attempt can be made with that given nacelle. If the user tries to manifest another power before this cool down period ends, the player may roll again, but a given powers’ level is counted as two degrees higher (“Common” powers require the energy of a “Rare”, etc)

A “T*” result indicates that the effect manifests, but only for a single round to minimum effect, after which it must cool down or recharge for 2d6 hours. If the user tries to manifest another power before this cool down period ends, the player may roll again, but a given powers’ level is counted as two degrees higher (“Common” powers require the energy of a “Rare”, etc)

A “D” indicates that the dragonstone fragment overloads and burns out. The effect does not manifest, and the fragment will need to be replaced.

A “D*” indicates the fragment overloads and explodes, dealing 5d6 points of damage to the user, and all within 30’ (those in the radius (though not the user) may Save vs. Dragon Breath for half damage). Any other nacelles caught in this explosion must make their own saving throws (As a fighter of 3rd, 6th, 9th, 9th or 12th level depending on the fragment’s quality) or detonate for an additional 1d6 points of damage per grade of quality. Additional effects depending on the type of fragment are possible. (See below)

Nacelle effects are gleaned from the Magic Item Treasure Tables across the various D&D boxed sets, or chapter 16 of the Rules Cyclopedia. Nacelle effects that are not instantaneous or permanent should likely last as either a potion or spell of the same general effect, usually between two to seven turns. It is very rare for the Weapon Special Effects to be generated for anything other than a weapon, with the possible exception of a glove or gauntlet.

	White	Black	Red	Blue	Green
Common	Healing (Light, Moderate)		Extinguishing	Reading	Water Breathing
Uncommon	Defending	Charming	Defense	ESP	Swimming
	Fortitude	Decieving	Fire Resistance	Intellect
	Stunning	Illusion	Metal Detection	Magic Detection
			Ogre Power	Secret Door Detection
				Telepathy
				Translating
Rare	Deflecting	Blinding	Fireballs	Agility	Cold
	Heroism	Commanding	Flaming	Clairvoyance	Dispelling
	Invulnerability	Displacement	Spell Storing	Dreamspeech	Speed
	Remedies	Fear		Gaseous Form	Quickness
		Freedom		Holding	Water Walking
		Lighting Bolts
		Protection
Very Rare	Healing (Serious, Critical)	Draining	Spell Turning	Flying	Cancellation
	Regeneration	Ethereality	Striking		Polymorphing
	Wounding	Invisibility			Slowing
		Life Protection
Legendary			Elemental Form (Fire)	Elemental Form (Air)	Elemental Form (Water)
					Polymorph Self

In some rare (and spectacular) cases, dragonstone nacelle overloads have resulted in chain reactions, causing devastating magical catastrophes. An overloaded black dragonstone could not only petrify its user, but also 1d4 other individuals nearby for every additional black dragonstone fragment that detonates. Overloaded reds unleash maelstroms of magical fire (as the meteor swarm spell), produce devastating earthquakes (again, as per the magic user spell of the same name), or turn the ground to mud (if you’re lucky) or magma (if you’re not). Green and blue dragonstone fragments chained together in detonations have been known to cause tornadoes, hailstorms, or other similarly destructive weather-based phenomenon (as the Control Weather spell).