What's to stop someone...

[IndyPendant]

...from buying a Staff of Magic Missiles for 750gp? Or any other low-level spell? And then using it with their own save DCs and caster level, with one HELL of a lot more utility than wands?

And if the answer is "There is no hard rule, only the GM can stop it." --then should I? Wands do have an advantage, namely that they're small and portable, and if you had the coin you could buy and carry 10 of them around with you. You'd need something like a Quiver of Ehlonna to carry multiple staves, and even then by the rules you'd be capped at 7 (6 in, 1 held). --Which does sort seem to be a 'boohoo, cry those crocodile tears' type situation...: )

I can't be the first person that's thought of this, and there must be some houserules out there thought up to deal with it. Or am I missing something, and just couldn't fine the RAW that tells me?

 

[Crothian]

Ya, it is perfectly fine as far as I see it.

 

[billd91]

I guess I don't see anything inherently wrong with it at all. Except one thing. That staff would take, what, a 12th level spellcaster to make? That's not a huge obstacle, but I would make the player role-play it. 12th+ level casters usually have more important things to do, but could possibly be convinced, especially if the price is right.
It should be more expensive than your average wand, though. I'd be more inclined to base the market price on either the high-end of the spell's potential (maxing out at 9th level for number of missiles) or I'd base it on the median level (5th) as being a good average price.
Given the staff's utility, I should think that a fair consideration.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Staves have a minimum caster level of 8th.

Furthermore, a staff can hold a spell of any level, unlike a wand, which is limited to spells of 4th level or lower. The minimum caster level of a staff is 8th. Standard staffs are described below.

 

[dcollins]

Or am I missing something, and just couldn't fine the RAW that tells me?

By the rules-as-written, only scrolls/potions/wands are open-ended in the sense that any creator can put any spells in one of any level he likes. They're the only ones with hard pricing formulas in the PHB "feats" chapter, have variable caster levels per the published DMG, etc. A new kind of staff counts as a "new item" and needs special DM approval to permit it in the game ("Variant: New Magic Items"; the intention is really that staffs should have some mix of related or flavorful abilities together).

If you don't play by those rules, and allow arbitrary new item inventions by players, then yes, the problems you describe then appear.

 

[griff_goodbeard]

STAFFS

A staff is a long shaft of wood that stores several spells. Unlike wands, which can contain a wide variety of spells, each staff is of a certain kind and holds specific spells. A staff has 50 charges when created.

emphasis mine

As for as RAW that's about as good as I could find. It seems to me that there was a sidebar in the DMG about DM adjudication of item creation but I don't have my books with me. As a DM I tend to try and follow the spirit of the rule as well as the RAW and it seem pretty clear here that the designers intended Staves to be themed and to hold multiple spells. IIRC 3.5 changed staves from being completely overpriced and useless to being a better option for high level characters by allowing the users CL and Abl Mods.

I don't have a problem with my players creating new kinds of staves, but they know to make something that works thematically as well as mechanically.

Just my 2cp

Griff

 

[calypso15]

I don't allow staves that are not themed. Meaning, it contains multiple spells that are related somehow. Plus, it has to have a cool name.

Calypso

 

[Thanee]

What's to stop someone...
...from buying a Staff of Magic Missiles for 750gp?

The rules!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Hypersmurf]

Staves have a minimum caster level of 8th.

Yup. So the bare minimum cost of a Staff of Magic Missile is 6000gp.

-Hyp.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Yup. So the bare minimum cost of a Staff of Magic Missile is 6000gp.

Or, you could craft one that takes 50 charges to cast Magic Missile. That might cost less ...