Khelben's Blackstaff (Wizard Spell)

This is the unique spell that gave its creator, the archmage Khelben Arunson Waterdeep, his nickname. The magic causes any non-magical staff, club, piece of wood, or pole arm held by the caster to shimmer with a black, crawling radiance.
A weapon enchanted with Khelben's black-staff has the following properties:
* It can never harm the caster or any other beings touching the staff during the casting of the spell.
* It strikes as a +4 magical weapon to hit (no damage bonus).
* Its touch drains 1 hit point automatically (the target gets a saving throw vs. death magic to avoid having this loss being permanent, unre­coverable except by use of a wish), plus 1d8 points of normal damage, regardless of the weapon's size and shape.
* Its touch acts as a dispel magic spell (at the caster's level) on all magical barriers, weapons, or effects, at all times; the wielder cannot turn this power on and off.
* Its touch causes mental damage (see table).
Blackstaff	Mental Damage''
1d100 	Effect
01-45 	Target unaffected
46-65 	Target confused (as the 4th-level wiz­ard spell confusion) for 1d4 rds.
66-75 	Target stunned (as the 9th level sym­bol spell) for 1d3 rds.
76-85 	Target affected by fear (as the 4th level wizard spell) for 1d2 rds.
86-95 	Target affected by repulsion
96-00 	Target affected by feeblemind
Its touch causes any spellcasting being to for­get one memorized spell or be unable to use one natural spell-like power for two rounds (if a choice exists, determine which spell or abil­ity at random; save vs. paralyzation to avoid this effect entirely).
Its touch causes beings possessing psionic skills or wild talents to be psionically "scram­bled" (unable to use any powers except defenses) for 1d4 rounds.
It absorbs magic cast upon it, without conse­quence, and is apparently unaffected by any magic except a wish, which can negate it.
The blackstaff can be wielded by any creature able to use a pole arm who can withstand (or is immune to) its effects. A weapon enchanted with Khelben's blackstaff will prevent spell-casting by any being that is in contact with it dur­ing a given round. It can therefore be used to ruin enemy spellcasting with a successful attack. (It cannot be easily thrown and resists telekinesis and similar movements as it does almost all other magic.) At the spell's expira­tion, the material component (the staff) is instantly and completely consumed.
Notes: Unique to Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunson, premier wizard of the city of Waterdeep in the Forgotten Realms setting. A vari­ation available to other characters is listed elsewhere as blackstaff.
Category:Wizard Spells
Category:Spells from Wizard's Spell Compendium
Category:Spells