Professor Skant
Wondrous Item, rare
- Weight: 5.0 lbs.
The professor orb owned by Vellynne Harpell and stolen by Nass Lantomir calls itself Professor Skant. It is lawful good, and it has a Wisdom of 11 and a Charisma of 9 > [!note]
(as a professor orb, it has an Intelligence of 18). It speaks and reads Common, Draconic, Elvish, and Loross (the dead language of the Empire of Netheril). Professor Skant is a chatterbox and assumes all humanoids are dunderheads. When elaborating on its areas of expertise, it adopts an unintentionally patronizing tone. It has the following four areas of expertise:
- The history of Netheril (see the “Fate of Netheril” sidebar)
- Vampirism and the traits of vampires
- Rituals surrounding the making, bottling, and drinking of Elverquisst (a rare, ruby-colored elven liquor distilled from sunshine and rare summer fruits)
- The tarrasque (see the Monster Manual)
When making an Intelligence check to recall lore from any of its areas of expertise, the orb has a +9 bonus to its roll (including its Intelligence modifier).
Professor Skant takes the form of a smooth, solid, 5-pound sphere of smoky gray quartz about the size of a grapefruit. Close examination reveals two or more pinpricks of silver light deep inside the sphere.
Professor Skant can see and hear normally out to a range of 60 feet. Unlike most sentient items, the orb has no will of its own and can’t initiate a conflict with the creature in possession of it.
In addition to the knowledge it possesses, Professor Skant can cast the mage hand cantrip at will. It uses the spell only to transport itself. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence.
*Source: Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden p. 315, Derived from *