| Category | Magic Items |
| Type | ship engine |
| Cost | 550,000 GP |
A Sphere of Arcane is a segment of arcane energy extracted from a Cube of Arcane.
Spheres of arcane energy are inherently unpredictable, occasionally erasing the spells memorized by those practiced in manipulating arcane forces, or even worse, de-magicking items brought too close to them, as if the Sphere is a voracious entity hungry to replenish itself. One hypothesis suggests that every Sphere of Arcane holds the potential to transform into a Cube of Arcane. However, the challenge lies in securing sufficient arcane energy to sustain such a transformation, a task that remains firmly in the control of the Creationists.
Netch'a, an esteemed 11th Order Instructor at Belras Foroderch, is revered as the "Scion of the Cube"
The year 2612 LE saw a specialized unit of demons unleash a sphere of arcane power at an inter-system rift. This act successfully sealed the rift, but left behind a smoking canyon that would become known as Toth Coeus.
One of the initial devices to utilize a sphere of esoteric energy as a power source is the Earthspear.
In the 1800s, the Giff League began utilizing Spheres of Arcane to power their giff platforms. Another vessel that employs a sphere of arcane is the Pillar of Horns, its Sphere obtained from a salvaged giff platform. This practice of harvesting magical energy from the Cube deeply troubles some (cf. Cube Zealots), who believe that siphoning from the Cube diminishes the magic accessible to this world and could potentially precipitate a Cube Collapse.
In 1833, documentation uncovered within the Geledh Arcanum, coupled with first-hand accounts from Hulkurân Zagar, substantiates that the Šukhan employed a Sphere of Arcane to transmute lava into water, albeit on a considerably smaller scale than the ocean-to-lava conversion achieved at Felân-Akthûl.
Spheres of arcane come in a variety of sizes. The larger ones, such as the one powering the Pillar of Horns, measure 6 feet long by 2.5 feet in diameter. As a sphere of arcane is composed primarily of arcane energy, it is remarkably lightweight. The only aspect imparting any substantial weight is the hardened membrane that encases it, akin to the substance surrounding the Cube of Arcane - a nearly indestructible and impenetrable material that requires specialized magical tools to penetrate. The Pillar's engine weighs approximately 220 pounds.
Tetchgud's job title, Chief Arcane Engineer, is a novel one. He has had to familiarize himself with the workings of something that few across the world possess expertise in. He knows certain facts about his Sphere of Arcane, such as it being a parcel of energy carved from something thousands of times larger, specifically a cube fifty miles in size, a kind of battery powering the world's Web of Magic. This field of arcane energy encompasses the world and all within it, also serving as a barrier to keep out entities attempting to cross between worlds and systems via teleportation magic or Rifts. His dissertation focused on Throndar, a world devoid of both the Cube of Arcane and the Web of Magic — a magic-deprived realm. While a grim subject of study, it has been the reality in Throndar for so long that its denizens know no other existence.
from the Godspawn Saga
One device that has been employed to carve a Sphere from the Cube of Arcane is the Matter Penetrator.