Editing Star Rod (Paper Mario)

{{italic title|id=yes}}
{{about|the Star Rod from ''Paper Mario''|the Star Rod from ''[[Mario Party 8]]''|[[Star Rod (Mario Party 8)]]|the Kirby series [[List of items|item]] from the [[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros. series]]|[[Star Rod (Kirby)]]}}
[[File:PM Star Rod opening.png|thumb|The Star Rod in the opening scene of ''Paper Mario'']]
[[File:BowserStarRodPM.png|thumb|Bowser, holding the Star Rod]]
{{quote|This fine piece of work has the power to grant any wish in the whole wide world!|Bowser|Paper Mario}}
[[File:PM Starrod.png|frame|left]]
The '''Star Rod''' is a magical rod that can make all [[wish]]es come true. According to [[Russ T.]], ancient magic created the Star Rod long ago. In the intro of ''[[Paper Mario]]'', [[Bowser]] breaks into [[Star Haven]], steals the Star Rod, and captures as well as imprisons the seven [[Star Spirits]], triggering the events of the game. He then uses it to grant all his evil, selfish wishes.

When Bowser battles Mario after usurping [[Peach's Castle]], he uses the Star Rod to make himself invincible so that Mario's attacks are ineffective against him, which in turn allows Bowser to easily defeat Mario. Subsequently, Bowser uses the Star Rod to summon a bolt of lightning to blast the now-unconscious Mario out of the castle. After being revived by the projections of the Star Spirits, [[Mario]] must embark on a quest to save each Star Spirit.

In the first of three rounds of the final battle against Bowser, the Koopa King uses the Star Rod to power himself up. In this state, Bowser's attack powers are doubled. Mario can use [[Star Beam]], bestowed upon him after having rescued all seven Star Spirits, to counter the effects of the Star Rod. In the final two rounds, Bowser is aided by [[Kammy Koopa]], who activates the [[Power Platform]] to enhance his power so that when Bowser again uses the Star Rod to power himself up, the Star Beam is no longer able to negate its effects. With help from the Star Spirits, [[Princess Peach]], and [[Twink]], Star Beam is upgraded to [[Peach Beam]], which is powerful enough to cancel the effects of the Star Rod once again. During the final battle, Bowser uses the Star Rod for the following moves:
*Shockwave Drain (Boost loss for Mario and his partner, [[injured|injures]] Mario's partner)
*Lightning Storm (Does 10 damage, ignores Water Block, but is rarely used)
*Power Up (Doubles Bowser's attack powers; can be negated by Star Beam in the first round, Peach Beam in the third round)
*Recover (20 HP in the first round, 30 HP in the second and third rounds)

After Mario finally defeats Bowser, he takes back the Star Rod and subsequently returns it to the Star Spirits. The Star Spirits then use the Star Rod to bring peace to the [[Mushroom Kingdom]].

In ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'', a Toad who appears in the [[Excess Express]] after Chapter 6 asks Mario, "What did Bowser steal in the first ''Paper Mario''?" to which the answer is "Star Rod". In addition, unused graphics for the Star Rod are present, with an updated design.<ref>{{cite|title=''[[tcrf:Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door#Star Rod|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''|publisher=The Cutting Room Floor|language=en|accessdate=August 7, 2024}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Star Rod Retrieved.png|Mario takes back the Star Rod
Star Rod returned to Star Spirits.png|Mario returns the Star Rod to the [[Star Spirits]]
Star Rod TTYD unused.png|The unused Star Rod in ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jap=スターのつえ
|JapR=Sutā no Tsue
|JapM=Star Rod
|Spa=Varita Estelar
|SpaM=Stellar Rod
|Fre=Baguette Étoile
|FreM=Star Wand
|Ger=Sternenstab
|GerM=Star Rod
|ChiS=星之杖
|ChiSR=Xīng zhī Zhàng
|ChiSM=Star Rod
|Ita=Scettro Star Rod<ref>{{cite|title=''[[Paper Mario]]'' instruction manual|publisher=Nintendo of Europe|language=it|date=2001|page=124}}</ref>
|Ita2=Scettro Stella<ref>{{cite|title=''[[Super Mario Manga Mania|Super Mario Mangamania]]''|date=March 9, 2022|page=4|isbn=978-88349-07122|publisher=Edizioni BD|author=Colombo, Alessandro|language=it}}</ref>
|ItaM=Star Rod Scepter
|Ita2M=Star Scepter/Rod, same as the {{iw|wikirby|Star Rod}} in the {{iw|wikirby|Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series}} and the [[Star Rod (Mario Party 8)|Star Rod]] in ''[[Mario Party 8]]''
}}

==Trivia==
*Despite being said to make Bowser invincible, this is not actually the case, at least in his first and second battle; rather, it merely raises his defense by a certain amount. At the start of the game, it raises his defense from 0 to 1. In the battle right before the final battle, it raises his defense from 1 to an unpierceable 4. In the final battle, however, it does make him truly invincible, causing Bowser to be immune to any sort of damage.

==References==
<references/>

{{Stars}}
{{PM items}}
[[Category:Artifacts]]
[[Category:Stars]]
[[Category:Paper Mario items]]
[[de:Sternenstab]]
[[it:Scettro Stella (Paper Mario)]]