In Super Mario World, the player embarks on an exciting adventure to collect 12 magic orbs. These orbs are spread across various levels and worlds, each presenting its own unique challenges and obstacles. Collecting all 12 orbs is no easy task as they are often hidden or protected by difficult enemy encounters. However, the reward for obtaining all the magic orbs is well worth the effort. Once all 12 orbs are collected, the player gains access to a secret level where they can face the final boss and save Princess Peach. This secret level is filled with intense platforming sections and tough enemies, testing the player's skills to the fullest.
D&D 5e: Five Magic Bows (and a Magic Arrow) 9
As part of my intermittent series of magic items, this time I’m presenting five new magic bows, ranging (heh) from rare to artifact. Aethershred comes from the Dust to Dust campaign, while the stormbow, bone bow, and Baron Ystorin’s spine bow all come from the Wildlands South campaign. Whisper is a sort of convoluted cross-campaign reference – the person who played Whisper in DtD also played a Storm Archer in WLS. Anyway, on with the show.
This secret level is filled with intense platforming sections and tough enemies, testing the player's skills to the fullest. The 12 magic orbs serve as a symbol of the player's progress and determination throughout the game, marking their journey towards the ultimate goal of rescuing the princess. Throughout the game, players must explore various themed levels such as grasslands, deserts, ice worlds, and haunted castles.
Aethershred
Weapon (longbow), artifact (requires attunement)
This dreaded bow has erased its own history, concealing whatever malicious hands created it. It is, nonetheless, famed for the control that it exerts over its wielder, and its willingness to annihilate any bearer it finds unsuitable. It was recovered by one of the companions of the Paladin Queen, during the campaigns against the Nimori, but even Vyrakotha’s virtuous influence was not sufficient to protect Nuoli dai Oroya. When at last Aethershred subsumed her will entirely, she wreaked terrible slaughter and persisted through every dire incantation that was cast against her, until at last her body had been reduced to ashes for the third time.
The soul within Aethershred has not deigned to reveal its name to any save its wielders, and none have survived wielding it to share that name with scholars. The bow’s purpose is greatly famed and feared, however, among those who understand the nature of the Spirit Court. Until the coming of the Houses of the Nether, only Aethershred could slay one of the genius loci known as Falar. Yet that Falar, being dead and not devoured by Nether, could be known and replaced by the Auvet, so the land did not fall into Forgetting and wasteland. Only in later years was it seen as a prefiguring of Nether, and sought by Nether’s agents.
The soul within Aethershred has not the least care for the preservation of its wielder in the longer term. It seeks to cause as much destruction as possible, and spends its power only to compel the wielder and preserve their fighting ability. The guiding theory of its nature is that it was ill-made upon the Sacrificial Forge. Perhaps a soul that had long dwelt within the Forge entered it, instead of the one its maker meant to commit to it, and turned the bow’s purpose toward revenge against the Forge’s creators.
Magic Weapon. Aethershred is a magic weapon that grants a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it.
Random Properties. The bow has the following randomly-determined properties.
- 2 minor beneficial properties
- 1 major beneficial property (suggested additional options: when a creature attempts to disarm you of Aethershred, they roll a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they suffer 10d10 poison damage, or half on a success.)
- 2 minor detrimental properties
- 1 major detrimental property (suggested: when meeting any person for the first time, roll a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check. On a failure, you immediately attack that creature with Aethershred, and continue until one or the other of you is dead, or you are more than 1 mile apart)
Sentient. While all eleven of the Lenga’Hiduis are sentient, not all of their personalities are as forceful or interested in controlling their wielders as Aethershred is.
- It has an Intelligence of 12, a Wisdom of 12, and a Charisma of 18.
- It communicates telepathically with its bearer or wielder.
- It has hearing and true seeing out to 120 feet, and can choose to share its true seeing with its wielder.
- Its alignment is chaotic evil.
- It craves the destruction and goads its user to fight arbitrarily.
- It demands that its wielder attack anyone it finds repugnant, which is almost every living thing. It will attempt to take control of its wielder to carry this out if necessary.
- Even when a wielder succeeds or fails a Charisma saving throw against it, Aethershred can attempt to charm and control them again in 1 minute. Its control ignores immunity to the charmed condition.
Arcane Projectiles. When you expend an arrow to attack with Aethershred, it deals an additional 1d8 force damage on a hit. You can make a ranged attack with Aethershred without expending ammunition, in which case it deals 1d8 + your Charisma modifier force damage on a hit.
To the Slaughter. Aethershred has 11 charges. When you hit with a ranged weapon attack using Aethershred, you can deal 1d10 additional poison damage for every charge expended. Alternately, when you hit with a ranged weapon attack using Aethershred, you can spend 5 charges to deal your normal weapon damage and also cast disintegrate on the target, ignoring the spell’s range. Aethershred regains its full complement of charges at midnight, and regains 1 charge whenever a target that you damaged in your current or most recent turn is reduced to 0 hit points.
Preserve the Archer. If Aethershred controls its wielder, it can restore 5d8 hit points to its wielder at the start of its wielder’s turn, resolved before the wielder rolls a death saving throw. If its wielder would be killed, it instead suffers a failed death saving throw that persists until it finishes a long rest, and regains hit points equal to half its normal maximum hit points. When the wielder has 3 failed death saves, they are dead and cannot be resurrected by any spell short of true resurrection.
Destroying Aethershred. The only sure way to destroy Aethershred is to sunder it upon the Sacrificial Forge. This requires a way to transport it to the Sacrificial Forge against the will of its bearer. The soul within Aethershred can manifest and wield Aethershred while in the presence of the Sacrificial Forge, and it attempts to kill those who would destroy it.
Each level presents its own unique challenges and enemies, requiring the player's full attention and skill to overcome. Additionally, players can utilize power-ups such as mushrooms, fire flowers, and invincibility stars to aid them in their quest. The magic orbs themselves are often cleverly hidden within levels, requiring players to search high and low for secret pathways and hidden blocks. This adds an extra layer of exploration and discovery to the gameplay, rewarding players who carefully explore their surroundings. In conclusion, Super Mario World's 12 magic orbs add an exciting and challenging element to the game. Collecting them all is a difficult but rewarding task that unlocks a secret level and brings the player one step closer to rescuing Princess Peach..
Reviews for "Unlocking New Worlds: How the 12 Magic Orbs Open Up Expanded Gameplay in Super Mario World"
1. Jake - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Super Mario World 12 Magic Orbs." The game lacked creativity and innovation. It felt like I was playing the same levels over and over again with just different graphics. The controls were also very clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to navigate through the levels. Overall, I expected much more from a Super Mario game, and I was left feeling bored and unsatisfied.
2. Emily - 1 star - I did not enjoy "Super Mario World 12 Magic Orbs" at all. The graphics were outdated, and the gameplay was extremely repetitive. The storyline was also weak, and it didn't feel like there was any real purpose to be playing the game. Additionally, the difficulty level was all over the place. Some levels were too easy, while others were impossibly difficult. It felt unbalanced and poorly designed. I would not recommend this game to any Mario fan or anyone looking for an enjoyable gaming experience.
3. Mark - 2 stars - As someone who has been a fan of the Super Mario franchise for years, I was highly disappointed with "Super Mario World 12 Magic Orbs." The game failed to captivate me with its uninspiring level design and lackluster gameplay mechanics. The power-ups and abilities were nothing more than recycled ideas from previous Mario games, offering nothing exciting or fresh. The difficulty curve was also poorly executed, with some levels being too easy and others being frustratingly difficult. Overall, this installment felt like a lazy attempt to cash in on the Mario brand without putting any real effort into creating an engaging and enjoyable gaming experience.
4. Sarah - 1 star - "Super Mario World 12 Magic Orbs" was a complete waste of time. The game was plagued with glitches and bugs that made it nearly unplayable. The controls were sluggish and unresponsive, adding to the frustration. The level design lacked creativity and failed to deliver any excitement or challenge. Furthermore, the repetitive background music became irritating after just a few minutes of gameplay. Save your money and skip this disappointing installment in the Super Mario franchise.