Returning a pointer from a class

Hey everybody, I am trying to do exactly as my instructor has told me to do on a homework assignment and it just isn't working...

HIS Pseudocode:
Class:- MagicWarrior
Method:- dropStaff
tempStaff = staff
staff = null
return tempStaff

BUT, in the other derived class MeleeWarror, the same function needs to return NULL since a MeleeWarrior cannot hold a staff.

So what I'm doing is attempting to use pointers. I have tried:

Staff *tmp = new Staff(*pStaff); // Copy the staff he's holding
delete pStaff; // Delete the staff he's holding
pStaff = NULL; // Get the pointer ready for next staff
return tmp; // Return a copy of the staff

Everything works fine until the very end of the program where it gives me an Unhandled Exception error and crashes...

Any help would be appreciated

You must be sure what happens with your pointer (the one which you return), you have to delete it as well. You need to post complete code and use code tags << !! Posting Code? Read this First !! >>

Hey thanks for your help. I figured it out =)

This might be of some use, especially smart pointers: SourceForge.net: Raw pointer issues - cpwiki