Optimize me a staff.

[tanman742]

Optimize me a very powerful or useful staff for my sorcer. Playing 3.5 d&d.

The rules:
• any book is allowed, but dragon magazines are strongly discouraged.
• cost of 500000 or less. This should be high enough too build something awesome.
• 3.5 books only, no pathfinder
• light cheese at most, looking for something really strong and cost effective (even though still can be 500000 or less). Don't want it too break the game or force the DM too take it away or nerf it.
• i don't want it too use charges, it should be a permanent item that I can use as much as I want. This can still have charges per day for certain effects, but don't want it too have a lifetime limit of 50 chargers.
• these rules are just guidelines for the thread. Any awesome staff ideas are acceptable, but the one I will choose will be one that fits these criteria.


Also this staff will have a wand chamber in it. You can also recommend wands to go in it without factoring the cost of the want into the cost of the staff. It's fine that wands have 50 charges, but if you know a way too get around that id like too hear it. As far as I know there is none. Recommending a wand is not required though, just an extra option.

Cleric or arcane spells are okay. A combination is also okay.
Please layout the costs of making it and what each component of it costs if you can.

[skypse]

Staff of Miracles/Wishes

You get to have 3 free Wishes without any kind of limitations. This includes being able to ask for any kind of wand you want in your want storage room AND a free refil as your 3rd wish every time. Also you can ask as a wish that your DM doesn't take it away from you or ban it.

[ericgrau]

Also you can ask as a wish that your DM doesn't take it away from you or ban it.
Lol.

I'm not sure about cost mitigation and no charges, but I'd say good staff spells are situationally spammable spells such as:
[quickened] Wall of force
Forcecage
Quickened true strike if you like rays (not often used, but good for concealment/ridiculous touch AC/etc.)
Intensified ray of enfeeblement (If not epic level then empowered, maybe empowered maximized)
Quickened levitate
Disintegrate (undead, obstacles)
Greater dispel magic
Greater teleport
[quickened] dimension door (note that if quickened you must cast it after your standard action not before, per spell text)
Permanent image
Illusory wall
Mirage arcana
Reverse gravity
Irresistible dance
Bigby's crushing hand or a lesser version of it
Limited wish (the catch-all situational spell, especially for divinations, without getting too crazy expensive)

Dungeon-only buffs:
[Extended] heroism
[Extended] stoneskin
Foresight


I left out invisibility, see invisibility and regular levitate because of wands and because of the uberness that is dust of disappearance (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#dustofDisappearance). I left out many good spells because you should learn them instead. Not that you can't also learn some of the above. I left out splatbook spells because I'm lazy, but hopefully you get the idea and can find good ones on your own.

[Red Fel]

I'm just going to put this out there, because it inevitably comes up, but its cheese level is variable.


Take Ancestral Relic (BoED) at 3rd level, and make it a custom Runestaff (MIC p224). You get to decide every spell that's on it and how often each can be used. Every time you upgrade/modify it you can completely replace its current properties with new ones if equal value. The value of its magical properties has a level-based limit, but there is no limit to the value you can sacrifice into it for later use.

Okay. Here's the explanation. A Runestaff lets you burn a spell slot to cast one of the spells the Runestaff has. You can also create a custom Runestaff with your choice of spells in it. Ancestral Relic is a feat which allows you to take a masterwork item, such as a Runestaff, and upgrade it. The place must be holy or sanctified, but the time it takes to upgrade is dependent upon the increase in the item's abilities.

This next part is key: If your "upgrade" is not an actual increase in power, but simply a reallocation of existing power, it takes no time or expense (other than the 8 hours of prayer), it just requires the sanctified location. And since the spells on a Runestaff have no inherent value, as long as you're simply swapping out spells of the same level, you can pretty much do this without downtime. You have a magic staff that lets you burn spell slots to cast spells in the staff, and you can change those spells out almost any time you like. Note further that, unlike the regular crafting of a Runestaff, you don't have to know the spells involved when using Ancestral Relic. So you can actually make a Runestaff with spells you don't know, burn your slots to use them, and then change out those spells when you find a nice sanctified place (or ask your party Cleric to make one).

It has the potential to be pretty cheesy if abused, but it's mighty fine for a Sorc with limited spells known.

[tanman742]

Ahh that rune staff idea is interesting. i was already doing the ancestral relic part, which is why its value can be so high because im planning for epic level charecter which would allow very high ancestral relic.

[Runeclaw]

This is probably not RAI and I'm not even sure it's RAW. Ancestral Relic (I'm admittedly AFB and relying on website's writeup) says "You own an ancestral heirloom and can invest it with increasing power." While it's not spelled out as clearly as it could be, it seems like the implication is that you can add new powers to your item, not remove powers and apply different ones. The example shows only adding powers to the weapon.

Would you similarly argue that someone with a magical weapon could add different energy affects or other abilities as they expected them to be useful for free and at will? Presumably you would - but does anyone seriously believe that's what's intended?

I mean, sure, ask your DM, and if they say yes, go to town. But I wouldn't allow it in any game I was running.

[tanman742]

Yeah i like the rune staff idea but its probably wouldn't fly. Still just looking for a solid build for a staff. Current plan is limitless Magic Missiles at CL 9, and Limitless Cure Light Wounds at CL 1. This would have a Cost of About 20000, but now i have a bunch of room for other spells but cant decide what would be useful/Cost effective. Have had some other small ideas but havent decided on anything else yet. My DM said i could upgrade it so i could turn the Cure Light Wounds at CL 1 into a Cure Light wounds at CL 2 or a Cure Moderate Wounds at CL 3 by paying the difference, but i probably cant errase effects entirely.