Veramund's Lucent Orb
Veramund of the Glasspeaks was said to have ground this orb from a single vein of sky-quartz found only where lightning had fused sand into perfect clarity. He carried it through seven campaigns and three wizard duels, claiming it learned the shape of every spell he cast and remembered each one as a small, bright warmth. When he disappeared into the Mirrorfen, the orb was found floating calmly at the water's edge, still warm to the touch.
Mechanics
A crystalline orb that stores ambient magical resonance and releases it to sharpen your next spell or shield you from harm.
Resonance Pool
This orb holds up to 3 charges and regains 1d3 expended charges at dawn. You may use this orb as a spellcasting focus. Whenever you cast a spell of 1st level or higher using this orb as your focus, the orb passively absorbs a thread of magical resonance — this produces no game effect on its own but powers the abilities below.
Clarion Surge
When you cast a spell that requires a spell attack roll, you may expend 1 charge as part of casting the spell (no additional action required) to grant that spell's attack roll advantage. You must decide to expend the charge before rolling.
Lattice Ward
As a reaction, when you take damage from a spell or magical effect, you may expend 2 charges to reduce that damage by 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. If you have no spellcasting ability modifier, use your Intelligence modifier instead.
3 charges
Recharges 1d3 at dawn
DM Notes
Balance considerations: Clarion Surge gives advantage on a spell attack roll at the cost of 1 charge — comparable to casting a support cantrip or spending a low-value resource. At tier 2 this is meaningful but not dominant, since three charges recharge inconsistently (1d3) and splitting them between offence and defence creates genuine choices. Lattice Ward costs 2 charges, so a player cannot both surge and ward in the same short rest period without careful rationing. The 1d8 + modifier damage reduction on a reaction is roughly equivalent to a 1st-level defensive spell effect, appropriate for uncommon. Suggested use: reward spellcasters who enjoy reactive play. Works especially well for a Warlock or Sorcerer who has fewer spell slots and benefits from the non-slot resource. Consider having the orb glow faintly brighter each time a charge is spent, giving the DM a visual signal for resource tracking at the table.
Generated with: Level 5 · Arcane focus · Heroic · Uncommon