Staff of Awesome Might

Staff of Awesome Might, also known as Staff of Corrupting Power, is a legendary magical staff. The staff has a close resemblance to the Staff of The Magi¹. The most important difference, however, is that any pleb can be attuned to this weapon, giving them unimaginable power, without requiring any innate magical capabilities or any skills for that matter.

Editorial note I'll mark differences to Staff of The Magi in italic. Note that I removed the Retributive Strike ability.

Description

This staff can be wielded as a magic quarterstaff that grants +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. While holding it, you gain a +2 bonus to Armor Class and a +7 to spell attack rolls.
The staff has 50 charges for the following properties. It regains 4d6 + 2 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expand the last charge, roll a d20. On a 20, the staff regains 1d12 + 1 charges.

Spell Absorption

While holding the staff, you have advantage on saving throws against spells. In addition, you can use your reaction when another creature casts a spell that targets only you. If you do, the staff absorbs the magic of the spell, canceling its effect and gaining a number of charges equal to the absorbed spell's level. However, if doing so brings the staff's total number of charges above 50, it will trigger a wild surge.

Spells

While holding the staff, you can use an action to expend some of its charges to cast one of the following spells from it, using a spell save DC of 25 (regardless of your ability scores) and a +7 to spellcasting rolls:

• Arcane Lock (0 charges)
• Conjure Barlgura (4 charges, the Barlgura is under your control while holding the staff)
• Conjure Elemental (charges equal the level at which the spell is cast, with 7th level being the maximum)
• Conjure Hezrou (7 charges, the Hezrou is under your control while holding the staff)
• Conjure Lesser Demon (charges equal the level at which the spell is cast, with 7th level being the maximum)
• Conjure Shadow Demon (4 charges, the Shadow Demon is under your control while holding the staff)
• Conjure Vrock (5 charges, the Vrock is under your control while holding the staff)
• Darkness (2 charges)
• Delayed Blast Fireball (10 charges)
• Detect magic (0 charges)
• Dimension Door (4 charges)
• Dispel Magic (3 charges)
• Enlarge/Reduce (0 charges)
• Fireball (charges equal the level at which the spell is cast, with 7th level being the maximum)
• Flaming Sphere (2 charges)
• Heal (6 charges)
• Ice Storm (4 charges)
• Invisibility (2 charges)
• Knock (2 charges)
• Light (0 charges)
• Lightning Bolt (charges equal the level at which the spell is cast, with 7th level being the maximum)
• Maelstrom (5 charges)
• Mage Hand (0 charges)
• Magic Missile (charges the level at which the spell is cast minus 1 (so 1st level takes 0 charges), with 7th level being the maximum)
• Misty Step (0 charges)
• Passwall (5 charges)
• Plane Shift (7 charges)
• Telekinesis (5 charges)
• Vampiric Touch (charges equal the level at which the spell is cast, with 7th level being the maximum)
• Wall of Fire (4 charges)
• Web (2 charges)
• Word of Recall (6 charges)

Features

The staff has a few features to ensure that it can keep going during the fight:

• Mighty Protection: At the start of battle, you can spend up to 5 charges to gain 10 times that amount of temporary hitpoints. Awesome Might is there even for the feeblest of creatures.
• Nick's Recharge: If the staff is out of charges and you make a successful melee attack with it, it does 1d6 extra damage and regains twice that (1d6) amount of charges.
• Devourer of Soul: When a melee attack or a spell cast using the staff kills a living creature, which has not been effected by any other soul-related spells, the Staff of Awesome Might will devour its soul, regaining charges equal to the CR of the creature or level of the character, with a minimum of 1.

The staff also grants you a number of spellcasting related features:

• Spell sniper
• War caster

Additionally, you gain all the abilities of metamagic, very similar to a sorcerer. Sorcerers can combine their own innate metamagic capabilities with that of the staff. Instead of costing sorcery points, the staff uses charges, but multiplying the cost of sorcery points by itself, so quicken would cost 2x2 = 4 charges.

Corruption

While the weapon isn't cursed, it's might alone is able to corrupt most minds. One per day, whenever you wield the weapon, you must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC of 20. Failing this saving throw will increase your corruption.
Until I come up with a corruption system that's not specific to the staff, the effects of corruption are as follows:

1. The might of the staff is so enticing, that you don't want to lose it. You are, however, intuitively aware that this staff radiates a strong presence, that is certainly dangerous to hold on to.
   A persuasion or intimidation check of DC 15 can convince you that it's unwise to wield this weapon again.
2. You start to fall in love with the staff, becoming obsessed with its power. You are unwilling to part with the staff, keeping it within reach at all times.
   While not technically a curse, the remove curse spell temporarily breaks the bond between you and the staff, giving someone else the chance to take it from you without becoming hostile.
3. Wielding the staff fills you with joy. You are confident, even cocky and start to become impulsive. You wield so much power, that you can get away with anything, right?
   It's becoming harder to stay Lawful.
4. A sense of the insignificance of humanoids fills your mind. Their powerlessness compared to you makes them inferior, unworthy of your respect. Only those with a semblance of power deserve respect.
   It's becoming increasingly difficult to be a Good person.
5. You become over-protective of the staff, up to the point of acute paranoia to strangers, with the risk of becoming violent without clear provocation.
   If your friends had the unfortunate idea to take the staff from you, you wouldn't hesitate to use your full might against them. Only once unconscious, could they take it from you and save you from its grip.
6. The staff is exacerbates your lesser qualities, making you increasingly unpleasant to be around. You cannot help it to be arrogant and lord your might over others.
   Your have proficiency on Intimidation checks, while having disadvantage on persuasion checks.
7. You're starting to lose your identity. Your obession with the staff overshadows most of your relationships. The staff is all you need, you owe it everything. All these pesky critters are inconsequential, so they better not anger you.
   You are officially too far gone. Even if the staff is taken from you by force, you will frantically go look for it. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to stay (true) neutral.
8. Who in the world is strong enough to stop you? You can do whatever the **** you want, nobody can prevent you from taking what you want.
   You give in and most of your actions are Chaotic. The staff has 5 extra charges for you personally, bringing it to a total of 55.
9. What is this power for if you cannot use it? What is there to entertain you when you've already achieved perfection? I know! Let's blow stuff up!
   You've lost all sense of self and lost sight of any goals you had before. The only joy left is using the awesome might of the staff in whichever way you see fit. Most of your actions are Evil at this point. The staff has 10 extra charges for you personally, bringing it to a total of 60.
10. Do you take the Staff of Awesome Might to be your eternal partner? Yes? When you die, do you pledge your soul to the Staff of Awesome Might? Yes?
    The staff has 20 extra charges for you personally, bringing it to a total of 70.

Footnotes

¹ Dungeon Master's Guide, page 203

Item type

Magical

Rarity

Legendary