Shadowstaff

A shadowstaff looks like a ghost or wraith: a translucent, shadowy human shape, or a hooded, cloaked form that is little more than ragged cloth, a cowled head and shoulders trailing off into nothing. It walks, floats or flies without a sound, often seeming to rise out of or sink into solid floors, actually turning wraithlike and slipping through cracks. It can never become truly invisible, but can take on the look of a deep shadow that most creatures cannot spot in dim or gloomy places. Each was once a mortal, a Spellwarden or a deeply devoted worshiper, chosen by the high god of wizards or the goddess of magic for this service and willing to accept it.

Shadowstaves are not undead, so they cannot be turned, disrupted or commanded, and holy water only gets them wet. At will one can go insubstantial, passing through the tiniest holes, but in that state it takes double damage from any flame or heat and cannot attack or carry anything. Solid, it acts twice a round: two weapon attacks with the arms it used in life, two volleys of four magic missiles from its fingertips, or one of each. Its control over the missiles is exact; it can fire fewer than four, set each one's damage to the hit point, and split them among targets, and two volleys fly all eight at once. It can instead cast one spell per round from the full list it knew in life, never needing to memorize. It still needs material components unless it touches an enchanted rod, staff or wand, which it may drain of a charge (or render dormant for 1 turn if it has none) to power the spell.

Any magic item is usable to it, whatever the restrictions of its former life, and it knows every power and command after 3 rounds of handling while doing nothing but flying. It can also merge into an enchanted staff, stealing a charge every 4 rounds to regain 1d12 hit points, never above its normal maximum. Inside, it is undetectable and harmed only if the staff breaks, which destroys it. It may leave at will but is then stuck insubstantial for 1 turn.

Whatever it lets go of floats in place for 1 turn after its last touch, so it cannot throw or drop objects. A gust of wind or a grabbing flier can shift the item, but only dispel magic ends the effect early. Shadowstaves steal weapons and leave them hovering out of reach, or hang blades over bound captives as a threat.

At any time it can use a hold touch: an attack roll that acts as hold monster on one creature, saved against at -3, lasting 1 turn unless the target is struck or the shadowstaff ends it. Using it forces the shadowstaff to stay solid and gives up its magic missiles for the next 6 rounds. It often freezes a mortal in place so someone else can catch them where they should not be.

Cold and electricity deal half damage. It is immune to energy drain, poison, petrification, polymorph, death magic, and every spell of the Enchantment/Charm or Illusion/Phantasm schools, and it is 'invisible' to psionics. No psionic power, spell or item, not even an artifact, can control it; only its gods can. At will it can make every magical item within 90 feet glow with a cold white light, even ones it did not know were enchanted. This glow, similar to faerie fire, lasts 2d4 turns unless dispelled.

Shadowstaves love watching intelligent beings, and their gods grant them a tongues power to understand and speak with any speaking creature. Unless ordered to confront someone, they keep mortals unaware of being watched. They never willingly fight one another, though they argue heartily over what should be done, and nearly always work together loyally. They keep their old minds and judgment and, thanks to endless eavesdropping, come to understand magic and world events better than most.

Their duties are many and largely unknown even to most Spellwardens. They keep magical duels free of meddling, advise the few mages and priests who know to ask (including clergy of the god of knowledge on magical matters), and guard temples of magic. Above all, they are secret watchers over sorcery, nudging individual wizards to learn the responsibilities and consequences of magic, not to make them good, and goading them toward ever greater creativity. On a larger scale they help two small neighboring realms hold off the slaver-wizards, foil a secretive cabal of wizards' attacks on small farming dales, and keep the fiends of an ancient elven city from spilling out over the rich lands nearby. Each struggle is kept alive deliberately, so rival mages keep inventing stronger spells instead of wasting their lore in all-out wars, and the ruined city stays a shining legend that lures adventurers.

Shadowstaves eat nothing, have no young, need no sleep or air, and avoid falling damage by going insubstantial. They can be destroyed, though most avoid it, and over thousands of years they slowly fade as their souls wear out. Together their memories hold much of the goddess of magic's history; when a mortal woman rose to become the new goddess, touching those memories matured her greatly, and the weight of grief stored in them nearly drove her mad, until an ancient sage-wizard helped steady her. The two gods can contact their shadowstaves or see through their eyes at any time, but speaking through one destroys it: the shadowy form bursts into a tongue of flame where the deity's eyes float and its voice, sometimes with spells, rolls out. Witnesses say this happens only at grave moments, and wise mortals warn against assuming the gods watch through every shadowstaff at every moment. In time, many grow utterly weary or fall in love with mortals they watch over, and ask for an end, in oblivion or a new life, perhaps mortal again. The gods grant these wishes kindly, but may alter the former shadowstaff's memories to protect their secrets.