What actually happens to the wielder of a Staff of the Magi when he triggers a Retributive Strike?

[Aldarionn]

As the title.

Here's Retributive Strike:

Quote:

A staff of the magi can be broken for a retributive strike. Such an act must be purposeful and declared by the wielder. All charges in the staff are released in a 30-foot spread. All within 10 feet of the broken staff take hit points of damage equal to 8 times the number of charges in the staff, those between 11 feet and 20 feet away take points equal to 6 times the number of charges, and those 21 feet to 30 feet distant take 4 times the number of charges. A DC 23 Reflex save reduces damage by half.

The character breaking the staff has a 50% chance (01—50 on d%) of traveling to another plane of existence, but if she does not (51—100), the explosive release of spell energy destroys her (no saving throw).

My question is, does the wielder still take damage from the staff's Retributive Strike power even if he ends up sent to another plane?

My interpretation is that the wielder breaks the staff, then rolls a d%. 1-50 he goes to another plane. 51-100 he is destroyed with no save by the staff's blast. Everyone else takes the blast damage from the staff. That seems to be the way the wording reads, but I'm in a debate with friends who feel the wielder should take the damage from the staff regardless of the outcome because it's listed first in the description.

Thoughts?

[Kobold Catgirl]

Eh, I'd let logic rule the day here. It seems like the half chance is intended as a chance at survival. There isn't even a number given for how much damage he'd take at his location, because that's just flat-out instant death.

[Bob Bob Bob]

So there's two parts here. The first part details the damage other people take from breaking the staff. The second details what happens to the person who does the breaking. Since it says:

Quote:

The character breaking the staff has a 50% chance (01—50 on d%) of traveling to another plane of existence, but if she does not (51—100), the explosive release of spell energy destroys her (no saving throw).

That really seems to imply that the breaker is taking their own damage from breaking the staff, infinite. So it wouldn't really make sense they also take damage from the first part.

[Aldarionn]

Well, that's what I thought but apparently that isn't what others in my gaming group are reading. Seems to me the wielder has a 50/50 chance of instant unavoidable death or planar-relocation, and everyone else has a save for massive damage.

Their argument is that there is nothing in the first section that excludes the caster (basically he is considered within 10 feet of the staff) so he suffers both the save for massive damage, and then if he survives a 50% chance of instant death or planar-relocation. By RAW it seems to read that way, but I am almost 100% positive that is not the intent.

I know how I would rule it at my table. I guess it's their prerogative to use the exact RAW at their table instead of RAI.