Blackstaff

This is the famous spell that gave its creator, the archmage Khelben Arunsun of Waterdeep, his nickname. The magic causes any nonmagical staff, club, piece of wood, or pole arm held by the caster to shimmer with a black, crawling radiance. A blackstaff weapon has the following properties: * It cannot 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). * It inflicts 1d8 hit points damage, regardless of the weapon's size and shape. * It absorbs magic cast upon it, without consequence, and is apparently unaffected by any magic except a wish or antimagic shell, which can negate it.

In addition, the wielder can choose one of the following abilities at the beginning of each round to use as a special attack: * Touch drains one hit point automatically (the target gets a saving throw vs. death magic to avoid losing the point permanently —failure means the hit point is unrecoverable except by use of a wish), * Touch acts as a dispel magic spell (at 8th level) on all magical barriers, weapons, or effects; failure means the staff can't succeed against the effect at 8th level; caster can choose to use his own level, but this dispels the blackstaff regardless of the outcome. * Touch may cause mental damage (random roll), as follows:

Roll | Effect ------+------------------------------------------------------------------------- 01-45 | Target unaffected 46-65 | Target confused (as the 4th-level wizard spell confusion) for 1d4 rounds 66-75 | Target stunned (as the 9th-level wizard spell symbol) for 1d3 rounds 76-85 | Target affected by fear (as the 4th-level wizard spell) for 1d2 rounds 86-95 | Target affected by repulsion for 1 round 96-00 | Target affected by feeblemind for 1 turn

* Touch causes any spellcaster to save vs. paralyzation or either forget one memorized spell or be unable to use one natural spell-like power for two rounds (if a choice exists, determine the spell or ability at random). * Touch causes a being possessing psionic skills or wild talents to be psionically "scrambled" (unable to use any powers except defenses) for 1d4 rounds.

A blackstaff also can be wielded by any creature able to use a polearm who can withstand (or is immune to) its effects. A blackstaff prevents spellcasting by any being who is 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.