Staff of Faith

The Staff of Faith has sentience and personality. The staff behaves like a character, complete with personality quirks, ideals, bonds, and flaws. The staff functions as an NPC under the DM’s control. Any activated property of the staff is under the staff’s control, not its wielder’s. As long as the wielder maintains a good relationship with the staff, the wielder can access those properties normally. If the relationship is strained, the staff can suppress its activated properties or even turn them against the wielder.

Stat Line

• Intelligence 15 (+2), Wisdom 19 (+4) and Charisma 15 (+2)
• The staff can speak, read, and understand English. In addition, the item can communicate telepathically with any character that carries or wields it.
• Hearing and normal vision out to 60 feet
• Lawful Good Alignment

Mannerisms and Personality

Like any other NPC, the staff has a personality and mannerisms.

• Uses colorful oaths and exclamations
• Ponderous. When speaking with the wielder, they are slow and awkward in their speech patterns.
• Greater good. The staff believes that it must work towards the greater good of humanity.
• Tradition. The staff values tradition and believes that the traditions within the chruch must be properly honored.
• Loyal. The staff is loyal to the Church of Hope before all else. Thus it will not allow itself to be used by anyone it does not believe is worthy of leading the church.
• Prone to righteous indignation. This is anger that is primarily motivated by a perception of injustice or other profound moral lapse. It is distinguished from anger that is prompted by something more personal, like an insult.
• Protector: The item seeks to defend humans.

Conflict

The staff has a will of its own, shaped by its personality and alignment. If its wielder acts in a manner opposed to the staff’s alignment or purpose, conflict can arise. When such a conflict occurs, the item makes a Charisma check contested by the wielder’s Charisma check. If the item wins the contest, it makes one or more of the following demands:

• The item insists on being carried or worn at all times.
• The item demands that its wielder dispose of anything the item finds repugnant.
• The item demands that its wielder pursue the item’s goals to the exclusion of all other goals.
• The item demands to be given to someone else.

If its wielder refuses to comply with the item’s wishes, the item can do any or all of the following:

• Make it impossible for its wielder to attune to it.
• Suppress one or more of its activated properties.
• Attempt to take control of its wielder.

If the staff attempts to take control of its wielder, the wielder must make a Charisma saving throw, with a DC 14. On a failed save, the wielder is charmed by the staff for 1d12 hours. While charmed, the wielder must try to follow the item’s commands. If the wielder takes damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. Whether the attempt to control its user succeeds or fails, the staff can’t use this power again until the next dawn.

Properties of the Staff

Minor Beneficial Properties

• While attuned to the artifact, you gain proficiency in religion.
• While attuned to the artifact, you are immune to disease.
• While attuned to the artifact, you can’t be charmed or frightened.
• While attuned to the artifact, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.

Major Beneficial Properties

• While attuned to the artifact, your Wisdom score increases by 2, to a maximum of 24.
• While attuned to the artifact, you regain 1d6 hit points at the start of your turn if you have at least 1 hit point.

Minor Detrimental Properties

• While attuned to the artifact, you have disadvantage on saving throws against spells.
• The first time you touch a gem or piece of jewelry while attuned to this artifact, the value of the gem or jewelry is reduced by half.

Major Detrimental Properties

• The artifact dilutes magic potions within 10 feet of it, rendering them nonmagical.
• The artifact erases magic scrolls within 10 feet of it, rendering them nonmagical. 

Destroying the Staff

The staff must be struck and shattered by a hammer made from the bone of the staff's creator, Gloria Dina Montu Averill. Learning this weakness might require extensive research or the successful completion of a quest. And the same would be required to learn the location of the creator's remains.
Any attempt to destroy the staff by other means fails and the staff takes no damage.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The staff is a magical item. However, the members of the church believe that it is faith that manifests the effects of the staff rather then the Dark. it is believed that the staff allows a person to channel and focus the power of their faith. Members of the church believe that the staff's ability to manifest it's effects is a testimony to the power of the wielder's faith and the blessing of the Maker.

Manufacturing process

It is not known how Gloria Dina Montu Averill made the staff as she did not leave behind any records detailing the process. All that she has said on the matter is that she created the staff while communing with the Maker.

History

The rod or a staff was a natural symbol of authority, as the tool used by the shepherd to correct and guide his flock. Moses, in fact, initially carried his rod while tending his sheep, and later it became his symbol of authority over the Israelites.
The staff was created by Gloria Dina Montu Averill. When she created the staff, she believed that it was the power of her faith that embued the staff with its power. She was actually using Dark and it is the magic that created that staff that has given it sentience. Gloria believed that when hearing the staff speak to her that she was hearing the voice of the Maker.

Significance

The staff has come to represent the authority of the Maker and is used to determine who will lead the church. When the Revrend Mother / Father passes, the Elders of the church are asked to approach the staff. The person that is able to wield the staff is determined to be the new leader of the church. This process can take days as the staff speaks to each Elder holding it and often has a long conversation to determine if they are worthy of leading the church. Upon the staff's decision, it declares to all the witnesses that the person wielding the staff has received its divine blessing to lead the church. This is the only time that the staff has been heard to speak by those not wielding it. 
Additionally, the staff has the sole authority to revoke its blessing and thus revoke the power of leadership over the church. While this has never happened in the history of the church, it is understood that the authority given by the staff can also be taken by the staff.
Religious purpose. This item is used in religious ceremonies dedicated to the Maker. It has holy symbols worked into it. The leader of the chruch is believed to be the only person worthy of handling the staff. Because of the function it serves within the chruch, it is the church's most prized posession. Should the staff ever fall into the hands of someone that is not a believer and has not been declared as the leader of the church the Maker's followers might try to persuade its owner to donate it to the church, try to buy it, or try to steal the staff for themselves. The staff has never been possessed by anyone outside the church and thus it would be considered a major afront should this ever happen. This is something that could lead the church into a war.

Creation Date

61SE

Current Location

Camp Hope

Current Holder

Lisha Eryka Keys

Manufacturer

Church of Hope

Creator

Gloria Dina Montu Averill

Owning Organization

Church of Hope

Rarity

There is only one of these.

Weight

10#

Dimensions

4 feet long

Base Price

Priceless Artifact

Raw materials & Components

The staff is made from steel.

The Staff of Faith shall look upon your sole and shall known you better than yourself. It shall judge you and declare if you are worthy to bear the will of the Maker.

-Gloria Dina Montu Averill