Shattered Kingdoms

Until recently, I've always been under the impression that staves only explode into chain lightning if you overcharge them beyond their capacity. But in the past two months, I've blown up some single-charge staves that can potentially hold two charges.

My question is, what are the definitive circumstances in which I will set off chain lightning during a recharge? Though I'd love an "official" response, I'm open to player responses, so long as they are not pure speculation.

Wen stik go bum.

This.

If you don't have recharge mastered, there's a percent chance the stave will blow up on any given attempt to recharge it.
Also, if you overcharge it, it will explode, and if you leak energy when it is already depleted, it can explode.

And if you look at it funny, it will explode.

I made my character use a stave to play stickball. It exploded.

Thanks for the responses so far... it's amazing to see so many completely accurate results.

Toward Baldric's response -- I've also heard that non-mastery of the spell in question might also contribute to failure, so I guess I'll phrase a question more specifically this time:

Has anyone made stick go boom when stick has charges (but not too many charges), is good at making stick recharge, but not good at spell for which stick has charges?

In more technical terms: staff has non-zero charge, an extra charge will not 'overcharge it', and recharge is mastered (regardless of whether the brandishing spell is mastered) -- and yet the staff still explodes?

I wouldn't be surprised, but I'm not sure. It might be that not having the spell mastered just makes it more likely to leak energy.

You already got your answer. If it's not mastered, there's always a chance you blow it up into CL.

Yes. I had that happen to Xorvi before. Didn't happen often, but once in a while I would get a bad roll and blow up a staff that shouldn't have blown up. (And I had the spell in question, as well as recharge, mastered)

sleeps