Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons - Old School Role Playing

The Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons is what dreams are made of for wizards. It is the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. The Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons first came in existence with the second installment of Dungeons and Dragons entitled “Monsters and Treasure” published in 1974.

Could this be the staff of power? Possibly. Later editions suggest that the staff would have a gem atop it. But the early editions did not specify this

The Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons Original Edition

In the Original D&D game the Staff of Power was an awesome find. The wielder of the staff of power had the following powers at his or her disposal:

Cold
Fireballs
Lightning bolts
Striking (as per the staff of)
Continual light
Telekinesis

If the wielder of the staff becomes desperate enough he or she might break the staff and create a “Final Strike” effect. This effect multiplies the number of remaining charges by eight and applies these as hit points of damage to all those within a 3″ radius of the staff when it breaks including the mage wielding it. In later editions this effect was renamed “retributive strike.”

All powers of the staff are expended at the cost of magical charges. This aspect of the staff continues in all editions after this one.

This staff has no gem atop but it does have a continual flame rising from it. Could this be the staff?

The Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons Advanced Editions

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons changed the Staff of Power a bit. The staff is still an incredible find for the magic user lucky enough to be present when one is discovered. The Staff of Power in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons has both offensive and defensive capabilities.

Offensive capabilities include:

Continual light
Darkness 5′ radius
Levitation
Magic missiles
Lightning bolts
Rays of enfeeblement
Fireballs
Cones of cold

Defensive capabilities include:

Shield 5′ radius
Globe of invulnerability
Paralyzation
Wielder of the staff gains +2 to armor class and saving throws

The staff may also be used as a physical weapon to strike opponents and does so at +2 to hit and to damage (3-8 damage). If one charge is used this damage is doubled. Additional charges used will not triple the damage.

The final awesome power of the staff is the Retributive Strike. If the staff is broken then all spell levels of energy left in the staff will be released instantly. Those who are within a certain radius of the staff when broken will take damage as a result as follows:

Those within 1″ of the staff when it breaks take the full 8 times the spell levels as hit points of damage
Those within 1-2″ of the staff will take 6 times the spell levels
Those 2-3″ of the staff will take 4 times the spell levels

A saving throw versus magic reduces the damage taken by one half. The magic user wielding the staff will either be destroyed completely (50%) or sent to another plane randomly (50%).

This wizard wields a staff and is possibly channeling it’s power

Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5

This edition of Dungeons and Dragons modified the staff a bit from the AD&D version. The description states that the staff is typically found topped by a glistening gem. The powers of the staff are as follows:

Magic missile
Ray of enfeeblement
Continual flame
Levitate
Lightning bolt
Fireball
Cone of cold
Hold monster
Wall of force
Globe of invulnerability
The staff imbues a +2 luck bonus to armor class and saving throws
The staff may be used as a +2 weapon in combat and at a cost of one charge may do double damage
Retributive strike similar to that of AD&D but using distance in terms of squares from the staff wielder

This mage has a staff with a glowing red orb atop it. Is this the glistening gem of the staff of power?

Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition

Even in the newest edition of the game the Staff of Power remains a powerful device for wizards and mages to wield. The powers of the 5th Edition version of the staff include:

+2 attack bonus and to damage rolls
+2 bonus to armor class
Staff comes with 20 charges and regains 2D8+4 charges daily at dawn
If all charges of the staff are expended the DM must roll a D20. On a roll of one the staff loses all properties other than the +2 bonus to hit and damage on a 20 the staff regains 1D8+2 charges
Power strike – expend one charge in a melee attack with the staff and do an extra 1D6 force damage to the target

At a cost of charges the staff will do the following spell like powers:

Cone of cold
Fireball
Globe of invulnerability
Hold monster
Levitate
Lightning bolt
Magic missile
Ray of enfeeblement
Wall of force

The staff still has it’s final devastating power….the retributive strike. If the staff is broken it releases it’s remaining magical energy in a 30 foot radius from the wielder. The wielder of the staff will either be sent to another plane (50% chance) or lose 16 times the number of charges in the staff as hit points of force damage. Everyone else in the area of effect must make a DC 17 dexterity saving throw or take force damage as follows:

Those 10 feet away or closer take 8 times the number of charges left in the staff
Those 11 to 20 feet away take 6 times the number of charges left in the staff
Those 21 to 30 feet away take 4 times the number of charges left in the staff

This wizened old wizard wields a plain looking staff. But is this a deception?

The Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons has evolved

Over the years the powers of the staff have changed a little. In the older editions the number of charges in the staff was a static number that dwindled as it was used and was then not rechargeable. The most recent version recharges itself. But regardless of the edition played this staff is an awesome weapon in the hands of a wizard or mage.

The Retributive Strike is the last insult that the wizard might ever get to use as he breaks the staff over a knee and destroys just about everyone around him

The Retributive Strike is an awesome power

The Retributive Strike is an awesome ability to have. It puts the magic user in the position of deciding the fate of everyone in the vicinity. The lives of both friends and foes alike are in the hands of the wielder of the staff. This is an awesome negotiation tool in times of extreme danger. Creatures who are intelligent enough to know what a Staff of Power is, and can do, will be terrified when they see a wizard threatening to break one over their knee. What was once a certain death situation could be salvaged completely as the wizard threatens this act.

The act itself is an awesome power as well. Certainly the mage could be destroyed. But she can take just about everyone else with her as well. And there is a chance that she might even survive the act (although finding herself all alone on a strange plane might end up being fatal anyway).

Would this be a good time to break the staff of power?

The Staff of Power in Dungeons and Dragons may be too powerful

A dungeon master would be wise to be careful about placing this device in their campaign. Regardless of edition played the staff is an incredibly powerful magical device. It will change the balance of power in a game quite easily. A magic user that was once limited to casting a certain number of spells per day will now have a large number of potential spell abilities to use at his disposal. And with the 5th Edition version recharging itself daily….this might totally unbalance a game. Clearly this should be a device found only at extremely high levels when these powers will not totally change the complexion of the game.

Or perhaps this might be a good time to use the retributive strike

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And this certainly looks like a good time to break the staff

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