[Skarg]

Originally Posted by hcobb

ITL 142: "A staff does not impede his gesturing; anything else does."
So the possible reasons to not have a staff are:

• Your wizard is IQ 22 or higher.
• Your wizard has sufficient Unarmed Combat talent to defend barehanded.
• Your wizard doesn't cast spells in combat.
• Or your wizard is suicidal.

Or, more sanely:

• Your wizard's career plans don't include wanting to zap things at close range.
• You want to invest the study and XP you'd otherwise put into staff spells and Staff Mana into other things.
• If/when in combat, you can think of other perhaps more effective things to do besides use an occult zap.