# of charges in DMG staffs?

[Ferox4]

Why, if a newly created staff has 50 charges, do the staffs in the DMG have so few? What am I missing?

 

[da chicken]

They make the assumption that a previous owner used the item after creating/stealing/purchasing it.

 

[Ferox4]

Really? So then it is variable at my discretion as DM. Seems simplistic, which is good IMO.

Thanks

 

[Dr. Zoom]

I am trying to understand your question, Ferox4, but where are you seeing the low charges for staffs in the DMG? They have 50 charges fully charged. If you find one, page 178 suggests rolling d%/2 for the number of charges left, which could yield a low number of charges, but not always. I guess I am asking you what you mean?

 

[Ferox4]

I am trying to understand your question, Ferox4, but where are you seeing the low charges for staffs in the DMG? They have 50 charges fully charged. If you find one, page 178 suggests rolling d%/2 for the number of charges left, which could yield a low number of charges, but not always. I guess I am asking you what you mean?

i.e., Staff of Swarming Insects - Summon Swarm (1 charge); Insect Plague (2 charges).

That's it? 3 charges total for 20,000 gp market value? That's why I asked if I was missing some key sentence somewhere.

 

[Nifft]

That's the charge cost, not the number of charges! Each staff starts with 50 charges, and some powers cost charges -- some cost one charge, and some cost more than one.

In the case of the Staff of Swarming Insects, casting Summon Swarm costs one (of the 50) charges, while Insect Plague costs two charges.

Make more sense now?

-- Nifft

 

[Ferox4]

That's the charge cost, not the number of charges! Each staff starts with 50 charges, and some powers cost charges -- some cost one charge, and some cost more than one.

In the case of the Staff of Swarming Insects, casting Summon Swarm costs one (of the 50) charges, while Insect Plague costs two charges.

Make more sense now?

-- Nifft

(me, head down, kicking invisible stones on the ground) Ummm, yeah......

So I'm a dumbass, tell me something I don't know.

Thanks, (me, skulking away.....)

 

[Nifft]

(me, head down, kicking invisible stones on the ground) Ummm, yeah......

"There are no stupid questions, just ambiguities waiting to be clarified."

-- Nifft

 

[Dr. Zoom]

i.e., Staff of Swarming Insects - Summon Swarm (1 charge); Insect Plague (2 charges).

That's it? 3 charges total for 20,000 gp market value? That's why I asked if I was missing some key sentence somewhere.

Yeah, that's how many charges each power uses. When the staff reaches 0, it's a stick.

Also, check page 178 in the DMG. Even if you found a Staff of Swarming Insects with 3 charges, its value would not be 20,000 gold. That's the value of the staff fully charged. You divide the value by 50 to get the per charge value, in this case 400 gold. So your Staff of Swarming Insects with 3 charges is worth 1200 gold.

 

[Ferox4]

"There are no stupid questions, just ambiguities waiting to be clarified."

-- Nifft

Or as my friend likes to say, "There's no such thing as a stupid question, just a lot of inquisitive idiots."

Cheers!