Staff of Nightmares (3.5e Equipment)

Staff of Nightmares
The Staff of Nightmares uses the Functional Weapons of Legacy variant rule.

''A staff of bone and vines is topped with a lit jack-o-lantern head which burns with an eldritch green flame. The air seems cold around it and gripping it sense chills up your spine.''

The Staff of Nightmares is a weapon of legacy quarterstaff associated with the "holiday spirits" of Halloween. It starts out as a +1 quarterstaff (only one end is enhanced) whose enhanced end is tipped with a flaming pumpkin that deals an extra 1d6 fire damage on hit. This stacks with other sources such as the Flaming enhancement. As various rituals are made and power is gained, the weapon starts taking on stronger powers. There are five rituals that are performed, they must be performed in order (the 2nd ritual must be completed before you start the 3rd, even if you achieve the 3rd level pre-requisites). Rituals cost gold (in the form of feeding the weapon raw materials) and xp, with an additional pre-requisite. Once the 1st level ritual is unlocked, the weapon displays its omen effect. You can take time out and spend 8 hours bringing the weapon to the next level once you have the pre-requisites.

The Staff of Nightmares is a unique magic item, on its way to becoming an artifact. While it has a price, it cannot be completely destroyed. If reduced to 0 hp, it instead falls inert in a broken condition, and unable to be used until repaired, but is not destroyed as items usually are. It is treated as an artifact against the effects of mage's disjunction.

Omen: The air seems to darken and vague unnatural events seem to occur around the user, such as shadows moving when they shouldn't, flickering candles, and other minor effects. Animals notice it more than most, the wielder takes a -4 penalty to Handle Animal and Wild Empathy, and animals will not attack them unless trained to attack any creature.

1st Ritual (Fright Night)
Frightful Presence: The wielder gains a frightful presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the wielder attacks, charges, or otherwise acts menacingly. Creatures within 30 ft are subject to the effect if they have fewer HD than the wielder. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a Will save (DC 10 + ½ HD + Cha modifier) remains immune to that wielder’s frightful presence for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures become shaken for 1 minute or frightened for 1 round (then shaken for 1 minute) if the wielder has twice as many HD as the victim. While you hold the staff you yourself are immune to fear.

Imbued Spell: The staff of nightmares grants several spell-like abilities to its wielder, who uses their highest mental ability score for save DCs. The following spell-like abilities are available: 1/day- inflict light wounds, desecrate.

In addition, if enhanced as a magic staff the cost of [Fire] spells and necromancy spells are halved.

Pumpkin Launch: As a standard action you can launch the pumpkin from the end of the staff as a ranged touch attack out to 60 ft. On a successful hit it explodes, dealing 1d6 fire damage per level. You can regrow the pumpkin as a move action, until then you cannot use pumpkin launch nor benefit from the extra fire damage it deals on melee attacks.

Pre-Requisites: BAB +3 or Caster Level 3rd, must render a creature panicked through any means.

Cost: 2000 gp, 80 xp

2nd Ritual (Skeleton Dance)
Dark Fire: You can choose to have half the fire damage done by your staff and any fire damage you deal by other means deal unholy divine damage instead. The flames turn unnatural colors, typically a pale green.

Imbued Spell: Your spell selection for the imbued spells expands with the following spells: 1/day- animate dead, vampiric touch.

Lord of the Dead: You gain the ability to rebuke undead as a cleric of your level. If you already have rebuke undead, you gain a +4 bonus to your effective rebuking level instead. In addition, non-intelligent undead see you as one of their own and do not attack you unless commanded to do otherwise, or until you attack first. You cannot use the rebuke attempts granted by this staff for anything other than rebuking (such as powering divine feats), but any feats and abilities you have augmenting rebuke undead do apply.

Pre-Requisites: BAB +6 or Caster Level 6th, must harvest an undead and study them over 24 hours, then make a DC 20 Knowledge Religion check.

Cost: 8000 gp, 320 xp

3rd Ritual (Night of the Devil)
Hell's Breath: As a standard action you can have the pumpkin on the staff breath a gout of flame in either a 30 ft cone or a 60 ft line, dealing 1d6 fire damage per level with a Reflex save for half. The saving throw is Charisma based, and it has a 1d4 round cooldown before you can use hell's breath again.

Imbued Spell: Your spell selection for the imbued spells expands with the following spells: 1/day- enervation, slay living. In addition your use of your SLAs from your first rituals can be used 3/day.

Improved Frightful Presence: Your frightful presence improves. You can now affect any HD creature (and you still have a stronger effect against creatures with half your HD or less). In addition you may effect creatures normally immune, through they get a +8 bonus to their saving throw.

Pre-Requisites: BAB +9 or Caster Level 9th, must make a peaceful encounter with any fiendish or undead creature not under your control.

Cost: 18,000 gp, 720 xp

4th Ritual (Curse of the Undead)
Imbued Spell: Your spell selection for the imbued spells expands with the following spells: 1/day- create undead, harm.

Necroheart: You heal from both positive and negative energy effects, and are immune to ability damage, ability drain, death effects, energy drain, exhaustion, and fatigue as long as you wield the staff. You show up as undead under detect undead and take on a pale or gaunt appearance.

If you die while wielding the staff, 1 round after later your corpse creates 5 skeletal elite warriors which fight for 1 minute to avenge your death before crumbling into ash.

Utterdark Fire: You can now choose to have all the fire damage done by your staff and any fire damage you deal by other means deal unholy divine damage instead.

Pre-Requisites: BAB +12 or Caster Level 12th, must take half your level in negative levels within 24 hours and survive.

Cost: 32,000 gp, 1280 xp

5th Ritual (Hand of Death)
Fatal Presence: Once per round as a free action on your turn, any creature who has failed their save against the effect of your frightful presence is subject to your terrors. They are affected by phantasmal killer (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha modifier). A successful saving throw against the initial Will save renders them immune to further attempts for 24 hours.

Imbued Spell: Your spell selection for the imbued spells expands with the following spells: 1/day- control undead, create greater undead. In addition your use of your SLAs from your first rituals can be used at will, and those from your second ritual may be used 3/day.

Phantom Aura: A ghostly aura of spirits surrounds you out to 10 ft. In this area, you may force the creature to treat it as difficult terrain and they take a -2 penalty on attack rolls and AC as spirits disrupt their movement with ghostly hands.

Pre-Requisites: BAB +15 or Caster Level 15th, must personally slay 100 HD of creatures within 24 hours.

Cost: 50,000 gp, 2000 xp

Prerequisites: N/A.

Cost to Create: Unique item, cannot be created.