This staff can be wielded as a magic quarterstaff that grants a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. While you hold it, you gain a +2 bonus to spell attack rolls.
The staff has 50 charges for the following properties. It regains 4d6 + 2 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 20, the staff regains 1d12 + 1 charges.
Spell Absorption. While holding the staff, you have advantage on saving throws against spells. In addition, you can use your reaction when another creature casts a spell that targets only you. If you do, the staff absorbs the magic of the spell, canceling its effect and gaining a number of charges equal to the absorbed spell's level. However, if doing so brings the staff's total number of charges above 50, the staff explodes as if you activated its retributive strike (see below).
Spells. While holding the staff, you can use an action to expend some of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using your spell save DC and spellcasting ability: conjure elemental (7 charges), dispel magic (3 charges), fireball (7th-level version, 7 charges), flaming sphere (2 charges), ice storm (4 charges), invisibility (2 charges), knock (2 charges), lightning bolt (7th-level version, 7 charges), passwall (5 charges), plane shift (7 charges), telekinesis (5 charges), wall of fire (4 charges), or web (2 charges).
You can also use an action to cast one of the following spells from the staff without using any charges: arcane lock, detect magic, enlarge/reduce, light, mage hand, or protection from evil and good.
Retributive Strike. You can use an action to break the staff over your knee or against a solid surface, performing a retributive strike. The staff is destroyed and releases its remaining magic in an explosion that expands to fill a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on it.
You have a 50 percent chance to instantly travel to a random plane of existence, avoiding the explosion. If you fail to avoid the effect, you take force damage equal to 16 × the number of charges in the staff. Every other creature in the area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes an amount of damage based on how far away it is from the point of origin, as shown in the following table. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage.
Distance from Origin | Damage |
---|---|
10 ft. away or closer | 8 x the number of charges in the staff |
11 to 20 ft. away | 6 x the number of charges in the staff |
21 to 30 ft. away | 4 x the number of charges in the staff |
Notes: Bonus: Magic, Bonus: Spell Attacks, Advantage: Saving Throws, Sorcerer, Warlock, or Wizard, Damage, Control, Detection, Combat, Deception, Warding
Rod of absorption:
You can use your reaction to absorb a spell that is targeting only you and not with an area of effect
Staff of the magi:
You can use your reaction when another creature casts a spell that targets only you
No mention of AoE.
My assumption would be that you can absorb a fireball targeting only you
Thoughts?
could be read either way. Could be a Lighting Bolt\Fireball question. Lightning Bolt could be absorbed as it has line that has to be aimed through a space. Fireball can be aimed at any location, then radiates out from that point. Might be able to absorb it if the fireball is dropped right on the character's space. This is a question for your table to talk out.
That is when the dragon hit the bard with a telephone pole.
So, do you enjoy flying up high when suddenly your concentration breaks, and you are no longer reduced in size?
There is this doppy looking camal creature from older edition called a disenchanter. It eats magic and makes magic items mundane. They are really good at sensing magic to eat. Basically the mage's rust monster. Have one show up and eat some charges.
I'm guessing the daily charge restoration will artificially cap at 50 and thereby not proc Retributive Strike. Otherwise we have the evil DMs easy tpk:
Ex: DM hands out staff with 48 charges, waits for next dawn and tells you to roll 4d6+2. Charges go over 50 boom while party dies in their sleeping bags.
This is probably one of the best magical items in the game.
we can see it does cap at 50 from its natural recharge, as the going over 50 explosion is under the trait "spell absorption" and not the base text where it lists charges and natural recharge
Evil and stupid DMs maybe
without having researched this at all, if you absorb a 9th level spell at 50 charges, that might be the single most damage in one instance you can get rules as written. it explodes at (50+9)*16=944 force damage on yourself. does anything beat that?
haha, that's awesome, a mage hand carries around a feather pillow. The pillow is your chill spot. Hilarious.
I just noticed that it doesn't say anything about knowing the number of charges.
No, it will not work since the wording is like this:
"In addition, you can use your reaction when another creature casts a spell that targets only you."
A fireball dont target only you, not aoes target only you, so it doesnt work. It still works with a feeblemind that is a bane to a sorcerer.
How does Plane Shift work when cast from the staff when you don't also possess a Plane-attuned item?
It auto focuses to whatever Plane you want?
Can you only use Retributive Strike if you are attuned to the staff? Because otherwise, I would give it to the Zealot (he can’t die).
Also,
“It regains 4d6 + 2 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the last charge, roll a d20. On a 20, the staff regains 1d12 + 1 charges.”
So…normally you see something like “on a 1, the magic item dies forever”. Which keeps people from using charges.
But this? This encourages it! Use all the charges you want! Worst comes to worst, you’ll have to rely on your own magic for a day!
This is a Staff of the MAGI I'm pretty sure it's magical considering the stats.
Different name
his was staff of magius
I guess you are aware of the disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws that come with Reduce spell. Your weapons also shrink to match your new size. While these weapons are reduced, their attacks deal 1d4 less damage
He had a staff of Magius. Magius was a wizard from historical Krynn. The staff was a unique item, and a powerful one. But it was not a staff of the magi.
I think the best 5e adaptation is probably this one: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?504051-The-Staff-of-Magius-(Updated-from-2e)