Best spells for a 3.5PF staff?

[gadren]

So, my 5th level sorcerer just won a longshot bet with a high level wizard, and because he lost the bet he has to craft me a custom magic staff worth up to 25,000 gp. This is a PF campaign, but the DM allows almost all 3.5 spells.
The question is, what would be the optimal choices for such a staff? Keep in mind that PF staffs are 10 charges instead of 50, but recharge one charge per day.

The campaign is pretty varied as far as what we run into. We've done classic dungeons crawls, diplomatic missions, and covert missions, and I'd be hard pressed to say we fight one creature type more than another (I guess slightly more undead and humanoids).

Edit: it may be helpful to note that I'm an elemental fire bloodline sorcerer and add my cha modifier to my fire spells damage as a quest reward. My 1st level spells known are burning hands, lesser orb of acid, hail of stone, sun stroke, charm person, and disguise self. My second level spells are ice knife, scorching ray, glitterdust, and invisibility.

I'm the only arcanist in the party.

EDIT 2: ok, I guess more details are necessary. Though I'm almost level 6, we level very very slowly in this campaign, so I'd rather have a staff that's useful at level 6 than at level 7+. Also, we typically get a couple weeks of downtime between adventures, so recharge time is not an issue. Since at level 6 I can only recharge a staff that has at max 3rd level spells, but can make the staff up to level of the crafter (18), it might be best to get a higher level staff with spells that benefit most from a high caster level.

[With a box]

Recharging Staves: Staves hold a maximum of 10 charges. Each spell cast from a staff consumes one or more charges. When a staff runs out of charges, it cannot be used until it is recharged. Each morning, when a spellcaster prepares spells or regains spell slots, he can also imbue one staff with a portion of his power so long as one or more of the spells cast by the staff is on his spell list and he is capable of casting at least one of the spells. Imbuing a staff with this power restores one charge to the staff, but the caster must forgo one prepared spell or spell slot of a level equal to the highest-level spell cast by the staff. For example, a 9th-level wizard with a staff of fire could imbue the staff with one charge per day by using up one of his 4th-level spells. A staff cannot gain more than one charge per day and a caster cannot imbue more than one staff per day.
due to this thing, you can't recharge a staff until you can cast highest spell level that it cast.
and you must know one of staff's spell list. add a cantrip you know on it

[gadren]

due to this thing, you can't recharge a staff until you can cast highest spell level that it cast.
and you must know one of staff's spell list. add a cantrip you know on it

Good to know. So probably want to keep it to level 1-3 spells then. (I figure it won't be too long before I'm level 6.)

[JDL]

First, reverse engineer the maximum value to see what the highest level you can select would be. Per the Pathfinder rules for pricing a staff:

400 * spell level * caster level = cost

Let X = spell level and (2*X-1) = caster level

400*X*(2*X-1) = 25000
X*(2*X-1) = 62.5

Solving using a quadratic equation, we arrive at the answer of X=5.8, thus we're okay to have a single spell of up to level 5 on the staff.

Let's instead assume you use the double charge rule. The answer then becomes X=8.1, so you could have up to an 8th level spell that consumes 2 charges per casting.

Finally, let's use the scenario where we add a 0th level spell to the staff and then solve for the highest level spell. We'll still use the 2 charge rule since otherwise we'd be looking at a fairly low spell level. Remember that the rules state the caster level must be a minimum of 8th, even for a 0th level spell.

200*X*(2*X-1)+150*0.5*(2*X-1)=25000

Solving the above yields a result of X=7.9, so you could add up to a 7th level spell that you could cast 5 times per day and recharge one use every 2 days by spending a cantrip into it. Too bad you didn't get a slightly more valuable result or you could have just squeaked in with an 8th level spell!

So in conclusion, pick your favourite 7th level spell and go wild. I'd probably go with something that gives you utility like Greater Teleport, which most Sorcerers wish they could have but can't justify taking since they already have regular Teleport on their list.

[JDL]

If you're looking to invest in a few lower level spells due to the rules regarding recharging, I'd suggest the following, using the double charge rules to make it possible:

Stoneskin (double charge) = 0.5*400*4*8+25*250=12,650 gp
Resist Energy, Communal = 300*3*8=7,200 gp
Haste=200*3*8=4,800 gp
Total=24,650 gp

Assuming you can caste one of the above spells, this squeaks in just under the limit. You can spend one charge for either Haste or Resist Energy, Communal, or two charges for one Stoneskin.

[With a box]

Finally, let's use the scenario where we add a 0th level spell to the staff and then solve for the highest level spell. We'll still use the 2 charge rule since otherwise we'd be looking at a fairly low spell level. Remember that the rules state the caster level must be a minimum of 8th, even for a 0th level spell.

200*X*(2*X-1)+150*0.5*(2*X-1)=25000

Solving the above yields a result of X=7.9, so you could add up to a 7th level spell that you could cast 5 times per day and recharge one use every 2 days by spending a cantrip into it. Too bad you didn't get a slightly more valuable result or you could have just squeaked in with an 8th level spell!

So in conclusion, pick your favourite 7th level spell and go wild. I'd probably go with something that gives you utility like Greater Teleport, which most Sorcerers wish they could have but can't justify taking since they already have regular Teleport on their list.

no you should be able to cast 7th level spell if you want to recharge a staff that contain 7th level spell

but the caster must forgo one prepared spell or spell slot of a level equal to the highest-level spell cast by the staff.

a cantrip is for bypass the limit that you must know one of the staff's spell to recharge it.

[JDL]

In that case, if the OP wants to limit the maximum spell level to level 3 spells, rather than have to wait until he reaches 8th level to recharge a Stoneskin staff, the best option would be:

3rd level spell: 400*3*8=9,600 gp
3rd level spell: 300*3*8=7,200 gp
3rd level spell: 200*3*8=4,800 gp
2nd level spell: 200*2*8=3,200 gp
Total: 24,800 gp

I'd suggest Haste, Fly and Resist Energy, Communal for the three 3rd level spells, and probably Invisibility for the 2nd level spell to allow you to recharge it.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Getting a staff with spells of 3rd level or lower on it is a waste, because the minimum CL is 8. Unless you expect the campaign to finish soon i'd rather plan for the future and get a staff that will actually be useful now and stay useful when you get to higher levels.

The second consideration is that you can only recharge 1 charge per day, so putting your go-to blasting spells on it leads to the staff being permanently empty, making it little better than an occassional extra slot.

Taking that into account the best use for a staff is utility spells, especially those that you need in bursts. Teleport is a pretty good example, because there are days when you don't need it at all and other days you need two or even three of them.

Or you could just get a Staff of the Master (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/staves/staff-of-the-master-necromancy) and use it for free metamagic, because that's an ability that will never get old.

[gadren]

I guess more details are necessary. Though I'm almost level 6, we level very very slowly in this campaign, so I'd rather have a staff that's useful at level 6 than at level 7+. Also, we typically get a couple weeks of downtime between adventures, so recharge time is not an issue. Since at level 6 I can only recharge a staff that has at max 3rd level spells, but can make the staff up to level of the crafter (18), it might be best to get a higher level staff with spells that benefit most from a high caster level.

[gadren]

What do you guys think of an 11th level staff of Scorching Ray (1 charge) and Dispel Magic (2 charges)? 3 Scorching Rays per cast as a level 6 pc is pretty nice, and dispel magic would get the full +10 bonus to the dispel check.

[With a box]

What do you guys think of an 11th level staff of Scorching Ray (1 charge) and Dispel Magic (2 charges)? 3 Scorching Rays per cast as a level 6 pc is pretty nice, and dispel magic would get the full +10 bonus to the dispel check.

I think pathfinder Dispel magic doesn't have caster level cap. how about caster level 20th dispell magic staff?(24000gp) it's almost automatic dispell in 6th level.
add a cantrip to fix it would need to lower caster level by one(19th)

[gadren]

I think pathfinder Dispel magic doesn't have caster level cap. how about caster level 20th dispell magic staff?(24000gp) it's almost automatic dispell in 6th level.
add a cantrip to fix it would need to lower caster level by one(19th)

Oh wow, didn't notice that before.
However I am limited to CL 18 since that's the level of the wizard that lost the bet.

[With a box]

Oh wow, didn't notice that before.
However I am limited to CL 18 since that's the level of the wizard that lost the bet.

18*(400*3+300*0.5)=24300gp.
a cantrip and 18th level dispell magic.
18+1d20 >11+caster level..
so you will be able to succeed dispell anything up th 8th spellcaster.
and you have 90% of dispell a spell cast by 10th one.

and if we don't tied up to a staff, can I ask a wand of Shadow Conjuration?

or ask a scroll of SImulacrum and metarial componunt and you use the scroll to copy the 18th wizard.
it's under 10000gp, so it would be acceptable?(to the wizard, not DM)
now you have 9th wizard to play.