D&D 5E Comet Staff

[LordEntrails]

So my players are currently in a fight with a bunch of Star Spawn, including a Seer. One of my players has asked if they might be able to take the staff, assuming they kill the seer. Normally I don't make create weapons otherwise magical, but I'm considering it.

Here's the attack/weapon for the NPC;

Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) psychic damage, or 10 (1d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus 18 (4d8) psychic damage, if used with two hands, and the target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the end of its next turn.

I'm considering making it a magic quarterstaff. No attack bonus, but an additional 1d8 psychic damage. Then also giving it an attuned ability of 3 charges (1 recharge at dawn) that does the incapacitated effect for 1 round on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw.

Thoughts? What rarity would you make this?

 

[Eltab]

If this is the Star Spawn's staff, the rarity is ...
Special: You must defeat a star spawn to claim this staff. It cannot be found or created by other means.

 

[LordEntrails]

Yes this is a Star Spawn Seer's staff, so yes it requires you defeat a seer. But that's irrelevant given the situation I outlined above.

When it comes to rarity, would people consider this similar to a Uncommon, Rare, Very Rare, etc magic item?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Weapons with no attack bonus but a bonus die of damage tend to be rare or very rare. The additional ability is fairly strong (especially if they let it recharge a few days) so I'd go with very rare.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The rarity ratings refer to crafting or buying it in a shop. Since you can't do either with this item it is legendary, irrespective of how powerful it is.

I would suggest that a character attuning to a star spawn staff should be afflicted with indefinite insanity.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

The rarity ratings refer to crafting or buying it in a shop. Since you can't do either with this item it is legendary, irrespective of how powerful it is.

If, like many of us, your campaign world does not have magic items in shops that logic would make all magic items legendary.

I assume the interest in rarity here is not in determining the availability of star spawn staves for purchase but rather rather either including rarity for the sake of being complete in designing a magical item or about following guidelines for how many items of various rarities are made available over the course of the adventure.

 

[Torquar]

Obviously you can do what you like with it, but I think it's just a regular quarterstaff. The Star Spawn Seer doesn't even have the Magic Weapons trait, the additonal effects on the attack are down to the creature, not the weapon.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If, like many of us, your campaign world does not have magic items in shops that logic would make all magic items legendary.

If you don't have crafting or magic shops rarity is irrelevant. It does nothing.

 

[LordEntrails]

Yes the reason I'm curious about rarity is for relative understanding of power. It helps me understand the relative power of magic items between the various characters.

As surmised, I don't do magic item shops. And rarely do I allow PCs to trade magic items. And when I do it's always a unique transaction with some notable NPC etc. (Except for some consumables.)

And as I said at the beginning, I normally don't let players take items from NPCs and use them as the NPC can. For instance, in this case, the Seer gets a bonus 4d8 psychic and a DC 19 effect on every hit. Turning it into a player weapon, I've reduced that to 1d8 and when attuned DC 15 with 3 charges. Obviously a big difference. But, to me, it shows that a Seer's staff is not just a staff, it has powers of it's own, it's just that a Seer can do more with it than a non-Seer can.

 

[LordEntrails]

If you don't have crafting or magic shops rarity is irrelevant. It does nothing.

For me it does a lot.

For instance, it helps me look at one character and say "ok, this guy only has a uncommon magic item while everyone else in the party has a rare and a very rare. Seems like the next magic items should be something for them."