Our Summoner wants a staff, and I did not see one that really fits that class, so I made one, and any thoughts are appreciated. Oh, and you can use it if you like it.
I tried to combine what a summoner can do with his limited spell list, and what the eidolon means to the summoner. I added a twist to allow extra flexibility for the summoner and his eidolon- I think our summoner would love this feature.
staff of desires
Aura strong conjuration; CL 13th
Slot none; Price nyd Weight 5 lbs.
DESCRIPTION
This 5' black iron staff is topped with a cold blue sapphire held in a bat’s mouth. Created by those who summon creatures from the ether, this staff has several unique abilities beyond spellcasting.
Rejuvenate eidolon, lesser- 1 charge
Rejuvenate eidolon- 2 charges
Rejuvenate eidolon, greater- 3 charges
Purified Calling- 5 charges
Transmogrify- 5 charges
Altered Reality I- swap one evolution point (eidolon) as a standard action*- 2 charges
Altered Reality II- swap 2 evolution points (eidolon) as a standard action*- 4 charges
*Altered Realities require Evolution Surge and Greater Evolution Surge (respectively) to recharge these uses in the staff. The changes granted by the Altered Realities last 24 hours. The eidolon reverts back to its previous conception after that.
Nope.
Nope.
That's it? Jeez, I get enough 4-letter words in my day-to-day ;)
I see the flaws in the design, I was hoping for a little constructive criticism. I'm OK with destructive criticism, too. But just a 'nope'? Dang.
"Nope" as in you wouldn't use it, or "Nope" as in it's terrible? Staves only hold 10 charges, I'd guess a summoner could get some use out of it. The last part about "Altered Reality I & II" was just an idea, like, "Quick, slap some wings on that thing" or "Screw it, It'll grow gills and breathe like a fish!"
Even 10 "free" lesser rejuvenates might be nice. Heck, a Transmogrify and a Purified Calling might be worth it at 5 charges each.
Like all staves, this design is intended to enhance, replicate, and/or do something that a caster can already do, but does not/cannot specifically plan to do.
I'm no expert on staves, but my first thought would be that it has too many spells. I would keep Rejuvenate Eidolon and discard the other 2 versions and keep Altered Reality I and discard the other version. Also, IMO, you're missing one important spell: Summon Eidolon.
Hope that helps.
I'm no expert on staves, but my first thought would be that it has too many spells. I would keep Rejuvenate Eidolon and discard the other 2 versions and keep Altered Reality I and discard the other version. Also, IMO, you're missing one important spell: Summon Eidolon.
Hope that helps.
Very helpful, thank you. I don't see a restriction on the number of spells a staff can use in the rules, I think that more spells=greater cost.
It makes sense to drop the Lesser and Greater Rejuvenate spells for balance, great point.
Still on the fence with Summon Eidolon in the staff, though, only because that little bump-in-the-road (1 minute ritual to summon the eidolon) forces the summoner to make distinct choices with that power. Though the spell itself has some limitations that creates balance...
And it'd be pretty awesome to use that spell in a pinch, considering staves are generally considered high-level magic. (They can hold a spell of any level and the Caster Level is minimum 8)
Altered Reality II might be too much book-keeping. Nice to have but unless you have one or two "go-to" swaps, it might slow things down too much.
Thanks!
I hammered out the math (because I've apparently taken leave of my senses) and using Evolution surge and greater evolution surge to price out alter reality I and II, the staff comes out to about 37560gp.
What level is this party cause that seems damn powerful. You're basically giving the summoner free reign to not police his spells to keep his eidolon up. A dangerous prospect.
I hammered out the math (because I've apparently taken leave of my senses) and using Evolution surge and greater evolution surge to price out alter reality I and II, the staff comes out to about 37560gp.
What level is this party cause that seems damn powerful. You're basically giving the summoner free reign to not police his spells to keep his eidolon up. A dangerous prospect.
Thank you for the math! The APL is a shade under 11 (4 11's and a 10). Staves are powerful and should be expensive, that's what makes them a coveted item. Serpent's Skull is a very magic-light AP, as far as rewards go. And this is a specific-to-class item, so it will be a bit "overpowered"- like a Monk's Robe or Staff of the Magi. And therefore should cost a ton of gold.
Great point on the pricing- I haven't even got that far yet, but your summation rings true. The 'Alter Reality' bit may stay at level one, for book-keeping purposes.
Summoners have a severely limited spell selection, this staff would let one trade out eidoon-support stuff for other spells. And that said, our Summoner has no qualm dismissing the eidolon to call on xills and hound archons when the mood is right.
Thank you!