New Artifact: Jabo's Wonderful Staff (3.5)

[Tragic_Comedian]

Jabo's Wonderful Staff of Deus Ex Machina

Plain and unexceptional to the eye, this quarterstaff resembles nothing more than a long, twisted length of old wood. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. In reality, this staff is a magic item of unique and exceptional power. Having come into the possession of the famed archmage Jabo the Red in his youth (under very mysterious circumstances) and wielded by him throughout all of his many adventures, it now rests with him in his white-walled tomb, waiting to once more be carried by a worthy mage...

This +2 quarterstaff possesses the ability to rescue its wielder from unfavorable combat once a day. If during the course of a battle the person carrying the staff reaches 0 hitpoints, there is a chance (1+Int modifier percent) the power of the staff will activate. Roll on the chart below to determine what effect the staff will manifest.

1-70: The staff teleports its carrier (as by the teleport spell) to the nearest familiar and safe location.

71-80: The creature that most recently dealt lethal damage to the carrier is the target of a meteor swarm spell (caster level 20th). The staff teleports its carrier to the nearest familiar and safe location.

81-99: The creature that most recently dealt lethal damage to the carrier is the target of a power word kill spell (caster level 20th). The staff teleports its carrier to the nearest familiar and safe location.

100: The staff casts wish.

The staff bestows one negative level on any creature that touches it that is not a wizard. The negative level remains as long as the staff is held or carried and disappears when it is no longer held or carried. This negative level never results in actual level loss, but it cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells) while the staff is held or carried.

Strong (all schools); Caster Level 20th.

Let me know what you guys think of this! I'm not sure whether or not it's too powerful... I thought it was a neat idea, anyhow.

[Cieyrin]

I don't see it as that powerful at all, actually, as it only occurs when you hit 0 hp and you only have 5-10% chance of it actually doing anything. That's worse than even light fortification. Not a chance I'd like to take. I'd rather have a staff that'll do something so that I don't end up in that circumstance at all, which a good wizard should be able to do, so it basically seems fine. If anything, you'd want to buff the staff, as it currently doesn't do a lot.

[Tragic_Comedian]

Do you have any suggestions for buffing the staff?

[Cieyrin]

Consider the Staff of Power or the Magi for staves of artifact power. Staves usually have a theme for their powers and the only thing you've provided about Jabo is that he seems to get into trouble till it finally caught up with him and he's dead in a tomb, his staff buried with him. Perhaps have it be about mobility and escape.

[Tragic_Comedian]

So have the staff have a variety of lesser powers that use charges in addition to the chance of the Deus Ex Machina effect activating? That sounds like a good idea... I was afraid of making the staff overpowered, I seem to have commited the opposite error.

[SinsI]

Whose Int modifier is that - the user or the staff's creator?

It is not powerful at all, but broken and just asks for abuse.

What if the lethal damage is done by the user himself (to trigger Wish)?
Go one or two steps away from "safe place", summon a low level monster, wear an amulet of fast healing - and allow it to reduce you to 0 hp.

[Tragic_Comedian]

Whose Int modifier is that - the user or the staff's creator?

The user. I'll clarify it in the description.

What if the lethal damage is done by the user himself (to trigger Wish)?

I honestly hadn't thought about that, though I suppose if there's no rule about somebody will eventually try it... I'll have to specify. Something like, "The staff will not same its bearer from self-inflicted damage. If the wielder lowers his own hitpoints to zero, there is no chance of the power of the staff being activated."

Go one or two steps away from "safe place", summon a low level monster, wear an amulet of fast healing - and allow it to reduce you to 0 hp.

That does seem ridiculously complicated for a 1 percent chance of casting wish, though.

[SinsI]

That does seem ridiculously complicated for a 1 percent chance of casting wish, though.

But it is really easy to get. With 1 Wish per 3000 rounds, you are getting a free Wish every 5 hours. That's 5000XP that you don't have to earn the hard (and dangerous) way... Not to mention that you might be able to acquire said Staff much earlier than level 17. What's its cost?

P.S. meteor swarm is a ranged touch attack. Whose BAB are you using for it?

[Eurus]

But it is really easy to get. With 1 Wish per 3000 rounds, you are getting a free Wish every 5 hours. That's 5000XP that you don't have to earn the hard (and dangerous) way... Not to mention that you might be able to acquire said Staff much earlier than level 17. What's its cost?

P.S. meteor swarm is a ranged touch attack. Whose BAB are you using for it?

It's an artifact, so you can't buy it.

[Cieyrin]

But it is really easy to get. With 1 Wish per 3000 rounds, you are getting a free Wish every 5 hours. That's 5000XP that you don't have to earn the hard (and dangerous) way... Not to mention that you might be able to acquire said Staff much earlier than level 17. What's its cost?

P.S. meteor swarm is a ranged touch attack. Whose BAB are you using for it?

How is it easy? You have to get it to activate and then you only have a 1% chance of it casting a wish. 70% of the time you teleport away, 29% of the time you get hit by a Power Word: Kill or a Meteor Swarm, so when you try to milk it, you're likely to kill yourself since you're the last creature to damage you, with no save. I think that's enough assurance that you don't try to martyr yourself for a chance at a reality revision.

[Tragic_Comedian]

Well, guys, I've done some tweaking. Here it is, Jabo's Wonderful Staff of Deus Ex Machina vers. 2.0:

Jabo's Wonderful Staff of Deus Ex Machina

Plain and unexceptional to the eye, this quarterstaff resembles nothing more than a long, twisted length of old wood. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. In reality, this staff is a magic item of unique and exceptional power. Having come into the possession of the famed archmage Jabo the Red in his youth, when he was more famed for his cowardice and clumsiness than for his wisdom and power, and wielded by him throughout all of his many adventures, it now rests with him in his white-walled tomb, waiting to once more be carried by a worthy mage...

This +2 quarterstaff contains many spell powers and other functions. When fully charged it contains 50 charges. Some of its powers use charges, while others don’t. The following power does not use charges:
• Expeditious retreat

The following powers drain one charge per usage:
• Levitate
• Spider climb
• Blink
• Fly
• Dimension door
• Teleport
• Overland flight
• Passwall

The following powers drain two charges per usage:
• Greater teleport
• Phase door
• Freedom


Deus Ex Machina:
In addition to the aforementioned powers, the staff also possesses the ability to rescue its wielder from unfavorable combat once a day. If during the course of a battle the person carrying the staff reaches 0 hitpoints, there is a chance (1+ the staff-bearer’s Int modifier percent) the power of the staff will activate. Roll on the chart below to determine what effect the staff will manifest.

1-70: The staff teleports its carrier (as by the teleport spell) to the nearest familiar and safe location.

71-80: The creature that most recently dealt lethal damage to the carrier is the target of a meteor swarm spell (caster level 20th). The staff teleports its carrier to the nearest familiar and safe location.

81-99: The creature that most recently dealt lethal damage to the carrier is the target of a power word kill spell (caster level 20th). The staff teleports its carrier to the nearest familiar and safe location.

100: The staff casts wish.

Jabo’s Wonderful Staff also grants the owner a +2 luck bonus to armor class and saving throws. If the wielder of the staff chooses, this ability can be forsaken in order to allow the staff to absorb arcane spell energy directed at its wielder, as a rod of absorption does. Unlike the rod, when the staff absorbs arcane spell energy, it raises the chance of the staff’s Deus Ex Machina power activating. Each absorbed spell level raises the chance of the staff activating by one percent. For example, if the wizard using the staff had an Intelligence score of 18 and had just used the staff to absorb a 9th level spell, the chance of the staff activating is now 14%, instead of 5. If the absorbed spell energy ever causes the chance of the staff activating to be higher than 50 percent, the staff explodes as if a retributive strike had been performed, though the staff itself is incapable of being used for a deliberate retributive strike. There is no chance of the wielder being transported to another plane.

Once the staff's Deus Ex Machina ability has been activated, or the staff changes hands, the chance of the staff activating returns to 1+ the wielder's Int modifier percent.

Once all charges have been used, the staff regains charges at a rate of one per day. The powers that require charges may not be used until the staff contains a full fifty charges again, but it is still a +2 quarterstaff and the Deus Ex Machina power is still capable of being activated.

The staff bestows one negative level on any creature that touches it that is not a wizard. The negative level remains as long as the staff is held or carried and disappears when it is no longer held or carried. This negative level never results in actual level loss, but it cannot be overcome in any way (including restoration spells) while the staff is held or carried.

Strong varied; Caster Level 20th.

How's this version, y'all?

[Pyromancer999]

You might want to clarify how many charges there are.

[Tragic_Comedian]

You might want to clarify how many charges there are.

50, but I'll add it.

[Cieyrin]

Does the chance of Deus Ex Machina reset after activating or used by a different wielder, as it'd be pretty dangerous if you tried to absorb with a fully powered one that you just acquired.

[Tragic_Comedian]

Does the chance of Deus Ex Machina reset after activating or used by a different wielder, as it'd be pretty dangerous if you tried to absorb with a fully powered one that you just acquired.

Good point, I hadn't thought of that. I'll update the description.

[SinsI]

How is it easy? You have to get it to activate and then you only have a 1% chance of it casting a wish. 70% of the time you teleport away, 29% of the time you get hit by a Power Word: Kill or a Meteor Swarm, so when you try to milk it, you're likely to kill yourself since you're the last creature to damage you, with no save. I think that's enough assurance that you don't try to martyr yourself for a chance at a reality revision.

There's a reserve feat that allows you to summon a small Elemental every round. Using that, Teleport is not a problem because you can just re-summon your elemental in the new place.
Not to mention that elemental is impervious to the Fire damage from Meteor Storm (and the rest of the damage automatically misses because it is a ranged touch attack), and I'm not sure it is "living" for the purpose of PW:K.
Your chances of activating the ability are not slim: starting Int 18 and a +6 Item already gives you 7% chances of that. With just that, you would trigger the Wish once every 1428 rounds. Add extra Int points from all the Wishes, and regular stat increases - and once every thousand rounds is quite easy. With 6 second rounds, you can get numerous completely free and safe Wishes every day.

[Tragic_Comedian]

I'm sorry, that just sounds like such a byzantine process I can't see it realistically being a problem. What do some other people think about it? I mean, almost everything in the game has potential to be abused, but would the average player think of all that...

[Der_DWSage]

I've got to agree with the OP here on the abuse factor. After a certain point, the DM is just going to get tired of the sheer attempts and go, 'Jabo's Wonderful Staff is tired of this BS and teleports -itself- to a new owner right when the elemental knocks you down to -9.'

Something that allows you to abuse the process once every long while, with a DM watching every single round, is not truly abusable unless your DM is a complete doormat who is letting you abuse the system in fifty other ways.

EDIT:Oh, and something I overlooked in the stats. Your assumptions are made assuming that you'll have someone on hand to stabilize you after you get knocked to -1. Unfortunately for you, the directions of the staff are merely to Teleport you away-not to make sure you survive after you get knocked to negative hit points. And seeing as how you have a 15% chance to stabilize every round vs. a 1% chance to get a wish, I'll take my chances with -not- abusing the staff to blazes and back.

[Cieyrin]

EDIT:Oh, and something I overlooked in the stats. Your assumptions are made assuming that you'll have someone on hand to stabilize you after you get knocked to -1. Unfortunately for you, the directions of the staff are merely to Teleport you away-not to make sure you survive after you get knocked to negative hit points. And seeing as how you have a 15% chance to stabilize every round vs. a 1% chance to get a wish, I'll take my chances with -not- abusing the staff to blazes and back.

Hopefully the clause of it Teleporting you somewhere 'familiar and safe' means somewhere you have friends or at least kind strangers that will go "Sweet Ehlona, that guy's bleeding out! Someone get me a healer's kit!" and stabilize you.

[Tragic_Comedian]

I considered having the staff stabilize and/or heal the wielder, but decided against it because there's no reason Jabo's staff would deal with divine magic.

Hopefully the clause of it Teleporting you somewhere 'familiar and safe' means somewhere you have friends or at least kind strangers that will go "Sweet Ehlona, that guy's bleeding out! Someone get me a healer's kit!" and stabilize you.

Yeah, you'd hope for that.