Staffs of Power
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By Mark A. Hart
By Udon W. Jim Zubkavich
For a spellcaster, a magic staff represents prestige, arcane mystery, and incredible power. A staff means as much to a spellcaster as a sword means to a fighter. When a spellcasting character finds a staff in a treasure hoard, the moment should include a feeling of awe and excitement. A staff’s description should evoke both character and a sense of mystery.
Many of the magical staffs described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide offer suggestions for the staff’s design and materials. For example, the rules describe a staff of enchantment as “often made with applewood and topped with a clear crystal.” The appearance of some staffs give a clue to its purpose, such as carvings of bones and skulls upon a staff of necromancy. For other staffs, the construction and appearance have little to do with the item’s powers. The creator responsible for crafting a staff may have followed an aesthetic theme, or perhaps he chose materials from a specific region. Oak might work best with druidic magic, while bronzewood might have an affinity for fire.
The tables below provide an easy way to generate a description for a magic staff. You can either choose an appearance that fits the item you have in mind, or simply roll randomly on the charts. Either way, when a character first glimpses his newfound staff, you’ll have a unique and intriguing description ready.
The Parts of the Staff
Although countless ways exist to describe an individual staff, all staffs possess four basic components: the primary material used to fashion the staff, its overall shape, the texture of its exterior, and its decorations or embellishments. In addition, a magic staff often boasts its own unique feel or personality, a fifth descriptive category.
When you place a staff in a treasure hoard, you should decide if the staff’s design follows a theme related to the staff’s purpose. If so, select appropriate descriptive terms that reflect the nature of that purpose. A staff of necromancy could have a creepy appearance, while a staff of illusion might boast a little more glitter.
Materials
Table 1-1: Type of Material
| d% | Primary Material |
|---|---|
| 01–75 | Wood (roll on Table 1-2) |
| 76–86 | Composite (roll on Table 1-3) |
| 87–92 | Horn |
| 93–97 | Bone |
| 98–00 | Exotic (roll on Table 1-4) |
Table 1-2: Type of Wood
| d% | Primary Material |
|---|---|
| 01–04 | Applewood |
| 05–10 | Ash |
| 11–15 | Bamboo |
| 16–18 | Blackthorn |
| 19–22 | Bronzewood |
| 23–24 | Cherry |
| 25–29 | Darkwood |
| 30–32 | Ebony |
| 33–38 | Elm |
| 39–43 | Hickory |
| 44–45 | Kauri |
| 46–50 | Locust |
| 51–52 | Mahogany |
| 53–58 | Maple |
| 59–70 | Oak |
| 71–73 | Padauk |
| 74–79 | Pine |
| 80–82 | Redwood |
| 83–84 | Roble |
| 85–86 | Rosewood |
| 87–88 | Teak |
| 89–92 | Walnut |
| 93–95 | Willow |
| 00 | Other (DM’s choice, magical or fantasy versions of wood) |
Table 1-3: Type of Composite Materials
| d% | Primary Material* |
|---|---|
| 01–33 | Wood |
| 34–54 | Bone |
| 55–75 | Metal |
| 76–00 | Exotic (DM’s choice or roll on able 1-4 |
* Roll at least twice to determine the different materials involved in the construction of the staf. Alternatively, assume wood represents one of the composites, and roll once for the other material used.
Table 1-4: Exotic Material
| d% | Exotic Material* |
|---|---|
| 01–02 | Adamantine |
| 03–10 | Bronze |
| 11–22 | Ceramic |
| 23–30 | Chitin |
| 31–37 | Copper |
| 38–42 | Crystal |
| 43–48 | Glass |
| 49–51 | Gold |
| 52–60 | Iron |
| 61–68 | Lead |
| 69–74 | Marble |
| 75–76 | Mithral |
| 77–78 | Platinum |
| 79–83 | Silver |
| 84–90 | Tin |
| 91–00 | Other exotic or magical substance |
* A staff constructed primarily of metal or a dense substance such as marble would be exceptionally heavy and unwieldy. Consider having the staff weigh less than its construction material might indicate, either because the staff is magically light, or because the staff has a hollow wooden core covered with a thin layer of special material.
Shape
Table 2
| d% | Result |
|---|---|
| 01–14 | Crooked |
| 15–18 | Curved |
| 19–25 | Forked at one end |
| 26–45 | Natural |
| 46–50 | Segmented |
| 51–56 | Spiral |
| 57–80 | Straight |
| 81–86 | Twisted |
| 87–00 | Warped |
Texture
Table 3
| d% | Texture |
|---|---|
| 01–13 | Burnished |
| 14–16 | Flaked |
| 17–23 | Fluted |
| 24–32 | Gnarled |
| 33–50 | Natural |
| 51–57 | Pitted |
| 58–65 | Polished |
| 66–70 | Scaled |
| 71–74 | Scarred |
| 75–79 | Scorched |
| 80–84 | Scratched |
| 85–97 | Smooth |
| 98–00 | Sticky |
Decorations
Table 4-1: Embellishments & Decorations
| d% | Result |
|---|---|
| 01–04 | Bronze fittings |
| 05–11 | Carved head |
| 12–16 | Carving, bas-relief |
| 17–27 | Carvings, decorations |
| 28–33 | Carvings, runes |
| 34–40 | Capped with a gem |
| 41–49 | Horned handle |
| 50–55 | Iron-shod tips |
| 56–59 | Ivory tips |
| 60–70 | Leather hand grips |
| 71–75 | Sharpened end |
| 76–78 | Sheathed in iron |
| 79–80 | Sheathed in silver |
Table 4-2: Gem Type
| d% | Result |
|---|---|
| 01–04 | Amber |
| 05–08 | Amethyst |
| 09–12 | Aquamarine |
| 13–16 | Bloodstone |
| 17–20 | Clear quartz |
| 21–24 | Coral |
| 25–26 | Diamond |
| 27–28 | Emerald |
| 29–31 | Garnet |
| 32–35 | Jade |
| 36–40 | Jasper |
| 41–44 | Jet |
| 45–49 | Moonstone |
| 50–54 | Obsidian |
| 55–59 | Onyx |
| 60–62 | Opal |
| 63–66 | Pearl |
| 67–70 | Peridot |
| 71–72 | Ruby |
| 73–75 | Sillimanite |
| 76–77 | Sapphire |
| 78–81 | Smoky quartz |
| 82–85 | Spinel |
| 86–88 | Tiger eye |
| 89–91 | Topaz |
| 92–95 | Tourmaline |
| 96–99 | Turquoise |
| 00 | Other (DM’s choice) |
Magical Properties
The following attributes provide a measure of personality for each staff. These special effects enhance the staff’s mystery without including game bonuses or penalties.
Table 5: Unique Attribute
| d% | Result |
|---|---|
| 01–04 | The staff’s owner feels nervous and edgy |
| 05–08 | Contact with the staff blisters skin |
| 09–12 | At times, the staff whispers or mutters to itself |
| 13–16 | Life-like veins extend through the staff |
| 17–20 | Spiders and insects seem attracted to the staff |
| 21–24 | Spider web strands criss-cross the staff’s surface |
| 25–28 | The owner feels energetic when first wielding the staff each day |
| 29–32 | The staff bleeds when cut |
| 33–36 | The staff creates sparks when struck against metal |
| 37–40 | The staff emits a low hum when swung |
| 41–44 | The staff exudes a slick or oily substance |
| 45–48 | The staff exudes an unusual odor (pleasant or unpleasant) |
| 49–52 | The staff feels cold to the touch |
| 53–56 | The staff feels slimy to the touch |
| 57–60 | The staff imparts a feeling of calm upon the wielder |
| 61–64 | The staff is composed of 1d6+1 sections that may be assembled or disassembled |
| 65–68 | The staff includes a hollow core |
| 69–72 | The staff perpetually oozes blood from open wounds along its surface |
| 73–76 | The staff buzzes quietly |
| 77–80 | The staff pulses with energy |
| 81–84 | The staff feels warm to the touch |
| 85–88 | The wielder suffers a mild but persistent headache |
| 89–91 | The wielder feels secure holding the staff |
| 92–94 | The wielder experiences goose bumps whenever he holds the staff |
| 95–97 | The wielder feels mildly fatigued when he holds the staff |
| 98–00 | With each use of the staff, the runes etched into its surface glow |
