Draft:Staff of missiles

Omega 0.90.4

Staff of missiles/TypeWandBase value (Au)50Item level1Weight80Unidentified appearanceRandom wand appearanceCursed nameStaff of missiles

A staff of missiles fires a magical projectile which deals physical damage. Despite its magical origin, its attack checks normal-damage immunity rather than other-magic immunity.

Generation

It is an item-level-1 random wand, normally with 1–20 charges, random blessing and +0 enchantment. Random loot, pawn-shop stock and acquirement can supply it.

Ambrosias transforms manticore spikes into a blessed +4 staff with 20 charges for normally 40 Au. The enchantment does not raise its missile damage. The manticore's own ranged attack and its alchemical remains do not mean that it carries this staff as fixed loot.

Description

Property	Effect
Hit rating	2 × current Dexterity + player level, against the creature's defense
Raw damage	Random 0–19 physical damage
Positive blessing or enchantment	No increase in damage or accuracy
Curse	Forces the projectile back onto the user

The missile stops at its selected endpoint or first obstruction. Against a creature it makes the standard hit roll, including the natural-zero hit and natural-nineteen miss. Monster damage is not reduced by player-style armor absorption, but physical immunity prevents it. The charge is spent and the type revealed before aiming.

Self-targeting is blocked by deflection. Otherwise player physical immunity or armor absorption applies; without immunity, the physical damage handler takes at least one HP even on a zero raw roll. Unlike fire and electrical bolts, a missile does not clear ordinary hedges or vaporize water.

Strategy

The cheap manticore recipe can provide twenty ranged attacks without spending mana. This makes the staff useful as an inexpensive reserve, though a successful hit's 0–19 damage is modest against high-HP enemies. Spend charges where physical damage works; a ghost or another physically immune creature needs a different answer.

Do not pay for enchantment expecting more damage. A stronger elemental bolt is useful against an enemy susceptible to its element; this staff remains an alternative when that element is blocked but physical damage is not. As with other aimed wands, cancel at item selection rather than trusting every targeting Escape path.