Quote Originally Posted by da newt View Post
Q407: magic staffs

If a magic staff allows you to "use an action to expend one or more of the staff's charges to cast ..." Are you casting a spell or is the staff causing an effect? In other words, can you do it while raging?

If the staff's description doesn't include "can be wielded as a magic quarterstaff that grants +X bonus to attack and damage rolls" can you still wack bad guys with it like a standard quarterstaff, is it useless as a melee weapon, or is it an improvised weapon (like a tree branch)? Assuming you can bash with it, does the magic staff overcome Immunity or Resistance from non-magical attacks?

Thanks
A407: From the D&D Beyond* Dungeon Master's Guide (the underlining in my emphasis):
Staffs
[...]

Unless a staff’s description says otherwise, a staff can be used as a quarterstaff.

Spells
Some magic items allow the user to cast a spell from the item, often by expending charges from it. The spell is cast at the lowest possible spell and caster level, doesn’t expend any of the user’s spell slots, and requires no components unless the item’s description says otherwise. The spell uses its normal casting time, range, and duration, and the user of the item must concentrate if the spell requires concentration. Certain items make exceptions to these rules, changing the casting time, duration, or other parts of a spell.

[...]

* The most up-to-date rules reference.