Spellstrike with a Staff of Power

[Caoulhoun]

So, we came upon an interesting question.

Our Magus decided to spellstrike with his new Staff of Power, and used a charge from the staff in order to "do double damage". What is the ruling for which part of the damage would be doubled, since it is like using a charge to auto crit, but it doesn't specify.

Spellstrike:

Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon's critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

Staff of Power paragraph of interest:

The staff is also a +2 quarterstaff, and its wielder may use it to smite opponents. If 1 charge is expended (as a free action), the staff causes double damage (×3 on a critical hit) for 1 round.

Would the spell damage be doubled? Would just the staff damage be doubled? Would his strength or other fixed damage be doubled?

Looking for a input and clarification please!

Thanks!

[Xaratherus]

Caoulhoun wrote:

So, we came upon an interesting question.

Our Magus decided to spellstrike with his new Staff of Power, and used a charge from the staff in order to "do double damage". What is the ruling for which part of the damage would be doubled, since it is like using a charge to auto crit, but it doesn't specify.

** spoiler omitted **

** spoiler omitted **

Would the spell damage be doubled? Would just the staff damage be doubled? Would his strength or other fixed damage be doubled?

Looking for a input and clarification please!

Thanks!

It doesn't really count as an "auto crit"; the fact that it then specifies what happens on a crit in parentheses indicates that. Expending the charge just doubles the staff's damage, in which case I would say that it doubles all damage modifiers from the staff attack itself but would have no effect on the spell.

Now, if the person rolled a CRIT with the staff, then it would deal x3 damage (including all valid modifiers like STR bonus), but the spell would still only deal x2 damage.