Orbs

Orbs (also known as Skorbs, as they are called by Anesh) are commonly found throughout The Dungeon, appearing from defeated Monsters or Traps. Depending on the size and type of Monster, the Orb can vary in size and color.

Orbs can be used in several different ways. They may be broken, absorbed into oneself, imbued into something mundane, or built into a ward/totem/node. Different colors of orbs have different effects for each usage, and larger orbs have effects of greater magnitude. Absorption requires the user to first comprehend the correct mind state for the orb, while totems require a correctly configured device, usually a result of either instinctive behaviour by Life, or extensive research and study (and can go horribly wrong if mis-designed).

Of note is that orbs will appear the same color to all people, including those with forms of color blindness. It is unknown how they appear to those who are blind.

User memzak on the discord has a list of the skills which characters have obtained from orbs here

Yellow

 * Imbuing a Yellow orb into a mundane object results in Life. To reclaim the orb, one must kill the creature.
 * Absorbing a Yellow orb causes you to gain "operational time". For humans this removes all bodily needs for the duration, while for dungeon creatures this seems to be a necessity of Life.
 * Breaking a Yellow orb results in instantly gaining skill in a specific subject. The number of ranks depends on the orb size. The subject is not visible in advance to humans, but can be determined by an iLipede scanning the orb.
 * The warding properties of Yellows are unknown.

Green

 * Breaking a Green orb results in an improvement to the local area.
 * The imbuing, absorption and warding properties of Greens are unknown. Rufus and Ganesh are seen referring to enemies that drop green orbs as 'Puppets', raising questions about the dangers of absorbing Greens.

Blue

 * The effects of imbuing blues are unknown.
 * Absorbing a Blue orb grants an ability with a set number of uses. This demonstrates that tools created by blues and absorption are different as objects such as the horse magazine have apparently infinite uses. The abilities granted can be very flexible and potent when creatively applied; "Remove Half Of", for example, was successfully used to reduce the empty space inside a Copier (which crushed it), and "Rotate Sixty Degrees" can be used to snap monsters' necks.
 * Breaking a Blue orb results in a 'problem' of some type being solved. This effect is random and uncontrollable.
 * Despite not being seen thus far, Blue orbs have been said by Sarah to create tools when used in a totem.

Red

 * The effects of imbuing Reds is believed to be somehow related to the ILlipedes.
 * The absorption properties of Reds are unknown.
 * Breaking a Red orb results in an increase in "emotional resonance" which seems to basically move you further from being a psychopath with that particular emotion.
 * Building a Red orb into a totem causes all individuals in the affected area to receive live updates as to a specific piece of information. The first known Red totem projected knowledge of the local weather into nearby minds. The next one they built gave proximity to the nearest 3 hospitals, along with the expenses of being treated there.

Orange

 * The imbuement properties of Oranges are unknown.
 * Absorbing an Orange orb results in a quest which when completed grants a reward.The first use of this comes from Anesh who absorbed an Orange and gained the ability to make a duplicate of himself if he removes six license plates from separate white four-door sedans that have functioning radios. James' first quest was to eat seven apples within 3 days, to be rewarded with a small amount of saffron. Once gained, quests can apparently be completed as many times as the user wishes.
 * Breaking an Orange orb results in gaining credentials, but not the associated skills.
 * Building a Orange orb into a totem warps space and time in the affected area. These are the only nodes found naturally in the dungeon so far. It is noteworthy that one such ward was found inside the copier Puppet.

Purple

 * Imbuing a Purple orb into a mundane idea results in a memetic effect that can, if properly cultivated, lead to it becoming a living meme. It is not known how to reclaim these orbs. The proper term for living memes is not known, but they are usually referred to as infomorphs.
 * Breaking a Purple orb results in an improvement to your body (referred to as a "shell"). These range from physical resilience, to brain speed, to reduced organ rejection rate, to electromagnetic field manipulation.
 * The absorption and warding properties of Purples are unknown.

Notable Uses

 * The Stuffed Shirt James killed dropped the single largest orb either James or Anesh had seen. It is also the only multicolored orb so far, although it is described as being mostly yellow. For many chapters, it was being scanned by Lily, James' pet iLlipede. The scan finished in chapter 44, and revealed that it it was "Power unit type : Personal. Operational time : 15,670 hrs/1k. Contains : Jerome."


 * Alanna used a purple orb after killing the Stuffed Shirt that was about to use the Orb on James for currently unknown reasons, but suspected by James to be related to Secret. It gave her a "Shell Upgrade" increasing her "Surface Fracture-Energy Value" by 2,250 Newtons. This has made it so that, without extreme effort, she can't even break through her skin.
 * James, with the help of Secret, was able to absorb a blue orb by perceiving it as a Monster would. It gave him the ability to sublimate rubber. It is now the norm for all dungeoneers who are able to have one absorbed for just in case abilities.

Used orbs
(By chronological order of use)

Green

 * [Local Area Shift: Internet speed increase, +32Mbps Down/+18Mbps Up] – Dungeon
 * [Local Area Shift: Hours of operation +1] – 24 hour Diner
 * [Local Area Shift: Average crime rate, -18%] – ER
 * [Local Area Shift: Increased Value, $22,825] – ER
 * [Local Area Shift: Ambient temperature adjustment, +/- 2°C toward 21°C] – Apartment
 * [Local Area Shift: Rent change, -$255/month] – Apartment
 * [Local Area Shift: Exercise efficiency, -280 kcal use/hour, +14% muscle development rate] – Playground
 * [Local Area Shift: +1 Friendly Dog/Day] – Apartment
 * [Local Area Shift: +.8 Hours Allocated to Sleep / Day] – Apartment
 * [Local Area Shift: +1 Closet] – Apartment
 * [Local Area Shift: +2 Kilowatts Generated] – Apartment
 * [Local Area Shift: +1.4 Comfort] – Apartment
 * [Local Area Shift: -10% Entropy] – Apartment