[Free] Broadsword Guide to the Negative Energy Plane Monsters - Blackball

The blackball, or deadly sphere, is an entity of unknown origin—a perfectly featureless black globe, five feet in diameter, that moves silently through the void, disintegrating everything in its path. It has no known intelligence, no clear purpose, and no way to communicate. It does not hunt or stalk, yet it is drawn toward sentient life, floating toward anything that thinks or feels. Whether it is a living being, a force of nature, or something worse is unknown.

Combat. A blackball is pure negative energy, and anything it touches ceases to exist—living creatures, objects, even enchanted magic items vanish without a trace. Only relics of cosmic significance seem to resist its effects. It phases through walls and barriers, destroying without effort, ignoring all obstacles. Though slow, it moves unerringly toward creatures within 60 feet, disregarding anything that stands between it and its next victim. It cannot be reasoned with, fought, or stopped—it simply is, and its presence erases all certainty.

Habitat & Theories. Where Blackballs come from remains unknown. Scholars have debated their nature for ages, proposing several theories:

• A Singular Entity. Some believe only one blackball exists, the last remnant of an imprisoned fiend or a forgotten catastrophe. However, there is no proof that more do not exist elsewhere.

• An Ancient Experiment. Another theory claims it is an artificial construct, a weapon or containment force gone rogue. Some believe it was meant to transport beings elsewhere, though all evidence suggests true annihilation, not relocation.

• A Tool of the Old Ones. The most feared possibility is that the Old Ones, beings far beyond mortal comprehension, created the blackballs as instruments of destruction, their purpose still unfolding.

No mortal has ever seen more than one blackball at a time, leading some to believe that it is unique. Others suspect that more exist, hidden beyond reality’s veil.

Ecology & Effects. Blackballs have no place in the natural order. They do not feed, reproduce, or rest. When they pass through an area, they leave nothing behind—not even dust. Wizards compare their effects to disintegration magic, yet the blackball’s destruction is absolute. It does not belong to this world—it is a hole in existence, a force that does not create, corrupt, or consume. It only erases.

Creative Team

Writing and Design DMDave

Thumbnail Art Shutterstock