[Magic] Other Melee Weapons Functioning as the Wizard's Staff

[Harry O'Gane]

A player came up with an idea to make his weapon (a broadsword) have the same ability as the Wizard's Staff, which prolongs the mages reach when it comes to Melee spells.

Is there any way to figure this out? I've glanced through Magic a bit, the parts regarding Enchantment and Magic Items, but i cannot find anything.

What I had in mind is to add a +CF modifier similar to the one of weapon being Meteoric - +49CF or so, with some kind of Generic name like "Infused". This type of weapon would give the user +2 on rolls to enchant the item, cast a spell on it or to identify its properties, and it would give the ability to prolong the user's reach with Melee spells.

Is there anything regarding this subject in other books, though?

Marko Zadro

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Harry O'Gane

Is there anything regarding this subject in other books, though?

By RAW, I think a staff has to be a once living thing (wood, bone, etc.). That may be 3e memory creep, though, and I don't have my books to check it.

Personally, I might allow something like meteoric iron or orichalcum to be a staff, as well. Other than the added expense of special metal, I wouldn't change anything about the way the Staff enchantment works.

[korbeau]

In thoery, you can't because the staff must be made from once-living material, as detail in Magic p. 13

Remember you play GURPS and all things can be turn inside out! I had a dwarf mage in a campaing where he use his hammer like a Magic Staff with the help of a Perk from his magical school (see Thaumatology: Magical Styles).

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Harry O'Gane

A player came up with an idea to make his weapon (a broadsword) have the same ability as the Wizard's Staff, which prolongs the mages reach when it comes to Melee spells.

Is there any way to figure this out? I've glanced through Magic a bit, the parts regarding Enchantment and Magic Items, but i cannot find anything.

What I had in mind is to add a +CF modifier similar to the one of weapon being Meteoric - +49CF or so, with some kind of Generic name like "Infused". This type of weapon would give the user +2 on rolls to enchant the item, cast a spell on it or to identify its properties, and it would give the ability to prolong the user's reach with Melee spells.

Is there anything regarding this subject in other books, though?

Marko Zadro

It would be an alternate version of the Staff spell/enchantment in my games. There is nothing about the function of the Staff spell/enchantment that limits it to being usable on staff-like items only, except that the spell was only designed to work on staves. So ... design a spell variant that works on swords instead. (Or just assume the variant already exists in-game and that, because most mages don't use swords for whatever reason, it just isn't very popular. Most people who sword at other people don't tend to be mages.)

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by Harry O'Gane

Is there anything regarding this subject in other books, though?

Marko Zadro

I kinda ran across this once.

I was playing a Priest (Clerical Magic) in 1e/3e (later updated to 4e) of the War God. My Broadsword was able to funtion as a Staff for spell purposes...of course because of the nature of the relgion part of the reason why was (after long discussion with the GM) we agreed that IT had a Soul.

As a sometime GM I would probably allow it but would require the PC Mage to Research a Variant Staff Spell (using the Rules), put a point into the Variant Spell and charge more to Enchant it (40-60 energy would be my guesstimate). Not sure that I would require special Matierals tho...(ninja'd by two min...got to tell less stories)

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Harry O'Gane

A player came up with an idea to make his weapon (a broadsword) have the same ability as the Wizard's Staff, which prolongs the mages reach when it comes to Melee spells.

Is there any way to figure this out? I've glanced through Magic a bit, the parts regarding Enchantment and Magic Items, but i cannot find anything.

What I had in mind is to add a +CF modifier similar to the one of weapon being Meteoric - +49CF or so, with some kind of Generic name like "Infused". This type of weapon would give the user +2 on rolls to enchant the item, cast a spell on it or to identify its properties, and it would give the ability to prolong the user's reach with Melee spells.

Is there anything regarding this subject in other books, though?

Marko Zadro

I'm not aware that there is one in RAW but I've been using a Special Set-up perk for the Staff spell, with one perk a peice for a broad class of items you can use. For instance, Special Set-up (Staff spell may be used on swords) would let you enchant a given sword with the Staff spell and then use it as one. The Staff Attunement perk is also useful (which is from GURPS Thaumatology Magical Styles.

In any case I wouldn't charge more than a point for it through either a variant spell or a perk.

Ghostdancer

[Kazander]

The use of a Staff is ultimately a genre-convention.

I allow players out of it through an Extra Option perk, specialized by weapon.

[Harry O'Gane]

I guess I'll go with the variant Staff spell. Instead of 30 energy points, I'll go with 60 energy points for enchants on weapons that are made of unliving material.

If I'm right, the enchant would cost cca $1950 if cast by an enchanter.

Thanks for the quick replies!

MZ

[David Johnston2]

The idea behind magic staves having to be made of once-living things is associated with magic being The Force, an energy field generated by all life. So if you made a sword out of magically hardened wood, bone or even hair...

Then again magic also interacts with crystalline substances...

Or how about a sword created by using the intended user's own blood instead of water...

[Anaraxes]

If the player's notion is to charge up his sword to cast spells when he hits people with it, you might be interested in Imbuements.