The Broken Staff of Naresh Heroic level Artifact
A once-mighty artifact, but having losts its beautiful, bright orb in The Fall, it’s more than a little miffed that no one has endeavoured to return it. Accordingly, the staff has developed a bitter and sardonic outlook on life in general, and detests the fact that all of its wielders since then have been lesser men (i.e, below level 10 or so). Blessed by all gods of Naresh except Toldoth, the staff’s original powers was very diverse and useful, but has since devolved, out of spite and madness, into seemingly total randomness. It can still be quite powerful, but is ridiculously hard to please.
The Broken Staff of Naresh is a +2 quarterstaff. It can be used by anyone able to use staffs as an implement, but it’ll complain endlessly if they don’t worship at least one of the gods honored in Naresh in ancient times.
Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls.
Critical: 1d8
Property: All divine and arcane powers cast using the staff as an implement has their damage type replaced with a totally random damage type at the start of every encounter. Roll a D10: 1- Acid, 2- Cold, 3- Fire, 4- Force, 5- Lightning, 6- Necrotic, 7- Poison, 8- Psychic, 9- Thunder, 10- Radiant
Property: The staff can be persuaded to (reluctantly) share its vast knowledge. It, accordingly, gives a +2 item bonus to Arcana, History, and Religion checks.
Power (At-will): Standard action. The wielder can force the staff to change its damage type, but he can not choose the new damage type; it’ll always be randomly determined.
Favor of the Gods (Encounter): Minor action. Close burst 10. All allies within 10 squares gain a +2 bonus to their next attack roll.
Wrath of Heaven (Daily, Fire or Psychic or Necrotic, Summoning): Standard action. The staff may, grudgingly, summon an Angel that is controlled by the wielder. It appears within 5 squares, has speed 6 and fly 6 (hover). The Angel’s nature depends on the staff’s mood, however. Roll a D10: 1-4: Angel of Fire, 5-7: Angel of Annoyance, 8-10: Angel of Malice.
For Angel of Fire, see the Invoker in PHB2.
The Angel of Annoyance can be given the following special commands:
Minor Action: Melee 1, targets one creature, Wisdom vs Will, 1d4 + wisdom modifier psychic damage, and target is dazed until end of its next turn.
Opportunity Attack: Melee 1, targets one creature, Wisdom vs Will, 1d8 + wisdom modifier psychic damage.
The Angel of Malice can be given the following special commands:
Minor Action: Melee 1, targets one creature, Wisdom vs Will, 1d4+ wisdom modifier necrotic damage, and target is weakened until end of its next turn.
Opportunity Attack: Melee 1, targets one creature, Wisdom vs Will, 1d8+ wisdom modifier necrotic damage.
Goals of the Broken Staff of Naresh:
- Be reunited with its shiny orb
- Restore the glory of Naresh
- Safeguard creation versus the outsiders and the primordial powers
- Inspire proper reverence for the gods of old
- Annoy its wielder
Roleplaying the Broken Staff of Naresh:
The staff can, unfortunately, speak, and does so gladly. It seldom deigns to use other languages than those it considers exalted, however, which would be Zharal-Ku, Esshun, Ashurian, Kahernian, Karrhyan, and the Dark tongue. It can not move by its own accord, but seem to have an uncanny ability to somehow randomly appear where it wants to be. It mostly desires to find its lost part, the shiny Orb of Naresh, and to remind its wielders of just how unworthy they are.
Alignment: Unaligned
Concordance:
Starting Score: 3
Owner gains a level: +1d8
Owner goes searching for the orb: +1d10
Owner does something for the benefit of Naresh: +2
Owner is a divine spellcaster: +1
Owner does something awesome: +1
Owner fails to find the orb: -1d10
Owner gets beaten by someone of higher level with divine power source: -2
Owner disrespects any god of Naresh except Toldoth: -1
The staff dissaproves: -1
Overjoyed (16-20)
The staff actually feels somewhat pleased at this level. It’ll be very responsive and summon powerful angels to aid its wielder, but unless he’ll go searching for the lost shiny orb sometime soon, it’ll quickly get grumpy again.
The staff’s enhancement bonus increases to +3.
Critical: 1d12
Property: The staff’s item bonus to Arcana, History and Religion checks increase to +4
Power (daily): Standard action. The wielder may choose one damage type for the staff for the rest of the encounter, without randomising.
Power: The Angel of Annoyance increases its attack damage dice to d6. The Angel of Malice increases its attack damage dice to d6. The Random Angel Table changes as follows: 1-4: Blade Angel, 5-7: Angel of Annoyance, 8-10: Angel of Malice.
Satisfied (12-15)
The staff starts to warm up to its wielder, and gives good advice more freely. It’s still grumpy, though.
Critical: 1d10
Property: The staff’s item bonus to Arcana, History and Religion checks increase to +3.
Power: The Angel of Annoyance gains a Disturbing Aura of 2 squares, any creature that starts its turn within this aura takes 3 psychic damage. The Angel of Malice becomes insubstantial. The Random Angel table changes as follows: 1-3 Angel of Fire, 4-6: Angel of Annoyance, 7-9: Angel of Malice, 10: Blade Angel.
Content (5-11)
The staff just barely tolerates its wielder - for the moment.
Displeased (1-4)
When displeased, the staff is more annoyed, but unfortunately not less talkative.
Property: The staff’s item bonus to Arcana, History and Religion checks decrease to +1
Power: The Random Angel Table changes as follows: 1-3: Angel of Fire, 4-6: Angel of Annoyance, 7-9: Angel of Malice. On a roll of a 10, the staff gets bored and summons an Angel of Valor to beat its wielder to a pulp; it’ll promptly attack, if not given a good reason not to.
Wroth (0 or lower)
The staff regards its wielder as an affront to the gods and a disgrace to Naresh, and seeks to liberate itself from his unworthy hands. Finally, though, it’ll stop talking.
Property: The staff actively tries to mislead its wielder, and gives a -1 penalty to Arcana, History, and Religion checks.
Power: The Random Angel Table changes as follows: 1-3: Angel of Fire, 4-6: Angel of Annoyance, 7-8: Angel of Malice. On a roll of 9, the Angel of Valor is summoned to vanquish the unworthy. On a roll of 10, it brings 1d4 Angel of Valor Cohorts lvl 8 to root for it.
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