Staff of Violet Fire

4th-level evocation

Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Components: V, S, M (mummy dust)
Duration: Concentration, but see description

You create a quarterstaff of pure necrotic energy that blazes with intense purple light; it appears in your chosen hand. If you let it go, it disappears, though you can evoke it again as a bonus action if you have maintained concentration on the spell.

This staff is an extremely unstable and impermanent magic item; it has 10 charges and does not require attunement. The wielder can use one of three effects:

• By using your action to make a melee attack and expending 1 charge, you can attack with it. On a hit, the target takes 5d10 necrotic damage.
• By expending 2 charges, you can release bolts of necrotic fire against up to 3 targets as ranged attacks for 1d8+4 necrotic damage each.

The staff disappears and the spell ends when all the staff's charges have been expended or if you stop concentrating on the spell.

At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 6th level or higher, the melee damage increases by 1d10 for every two slot levels above 4th, or you add one additional ranged bolt for every two slot levels above 4th.