Whisper's Darkstaff
(Necromancy)

Range:  0
Components:  V
Duration:  2 rounds per level
Casting Time:  2
Area of Effect:  One staff
Saving Throw:  None

The ultimate spell for the wizard who does not want to bother carrying a staff, but might want to fight some nasty creatures with one since he has the proficiency anyway. This spell calls into being a 7-foot staff of pure blackness. This is actually a piece of the negative material plane, and its powers therefore depend greatly on the control a wizard can exert over the arcane matter, hence on his level. The effects and powers of the staff are listed as follows (make a saving throw versus death magic):

	Wizard's
	Level	Staff	Special Powers
	1-3	+1	no powers
	4-6	+2	drains 1d6 if the saving throw failed
	7-9	+3	drains an additional 1d6 if the saving throw failed
	10-12	+4	stunned for 1d4 rounds if the saving throw failed
	13-15	+5	can be used to shoot globes of negative material for 3d6 points of damage up to 1 yard per level
	14-16	+5	can be used to absorb a spell cast specifically at the caster (physical only)
	17+	+5	drains one level per Hit Die if the saving throw failed

The powers listed in the rightmost column are cumulative. Thus, if an archmage hits with the staff, the victim must make four saving throws versus death magic, and if the target fails all saving throws, he would take regular staff damage plus 5 (bonus) plus 2d6 (first two powers), be stunned for 1d4 rounds, and lose one level of experience.
Note: this spell might be seen by some as too powerful as second level spell, but was put there because of the lack of good offensive 2nd-level spells in the original TSR lists.

