12-13-2020, 07:11 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2020
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Wizards without Staves
Has anyone here every played (or GM'd for) an effective wizard who didn't know the staff spell using the legacy edition? If so what was that wizards play style and spell list like?
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12-13-2020, 07:42 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Calen, Elf wizard, age 20
ST 6, DX 12, IQ 14, MA 12 Talents include: Literacy, Unarmed Combat III Spells include: Acid Touch, Drain Strength, 3-Hex Fire, 4-Hex Illusion Languages: Common, Elvish Attacks and Damage: Punch (1d-1), Kick (2d-4, -1 DX) Armor: UC III stops 2 hits and is -2 to be hit. She shall learn Staff II or higher, once she has the spare XP for Mana. She is already maxed out on plausible advancement in unarmed combat other than building up DX to improve shield rush and aimed shots.
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12-13-2020, 09:44 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: North Texas
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Re: Wizards without Staves
That's the problem, though... why would any player forego the new STAFF spells? They are simply too good to pass up. A wizard w/o a staff (or more specifically, the mana they provide) is at a distinct disadvantage under the Legacy rules.
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“No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style.” -Vladimir Taltos |
12-13-2020, 09:48 AM | #4 | |
Join Date: Oct 2020
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Quote:
That is why I was asking. I do plan on making a full discussion post about solutions to the topic in the House-Rules board. |
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12-14-2020, 10:05 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
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Re: Wizards without Staves
If you envision your wizard character to be a wizard that doesn't use a staff, then they don't use a staff, even if it seems too good to pass up or not. Simple really.
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- Hail Melee Fantasy Chess: A chess game with combat. Don't just take the square, Fight for it! https://www.shadowhex.com Last edited by JohnPaulB; 12-15-2020 at 09:10 PM. |
12-16-2020, 04:48 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: May 2015
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Quote:
Literacy Illusion Persuasiveness Blur (1/1) Aid Speed Movement (2>4t) Sleep (3) Reverse Missiles (2/1) Mage Sight (2/1>min) Analyze Magic 3-Hex Fire (2) Fireball Uses a clever danger-avoiding strategy. In combat, casts spells from behind allies and carefully avoids exposing self to danger as much as possible. Supports the fighters. I've had good occasion to use all of the spells. I tend to think of the staff zap attacks as a dangerous thing to try to use except in desperate situations that are best avoided as much as possible. The staff mana thing is the real thing that makes all aspiring powerful wizards probably want to learn about staffs, or feel foolish eventually if they don't. Though if you have enough assistants casting Aid and/or powerstones, you could save some spell-learning for other spells by avoiding Staff. |
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12-16-2020, 07:02 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Dec 2017
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Re: Wizards without Staves
I feel like the overwhelming power of the staff zap attack is a 'white room argument' thing but not a real play thing. The main PC wizard in my current campaign does carry a staff and values it as a reserve of mana, but is not remotely interested in zapping people. You have to get really close to zap, and when you do it is very unlikely your attack will put your foe on the ground. And now you are 1 hex away from someone who is angry and probably much better at close combat than you are. I mean, it's cool that it is in there and i'm sure there are situations where it is useful, but it's not a game changer.
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12-17-2020, 06:42 AM | #9 |
Join Date: May 2019
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Re: Wizards without Staves
I would have thought that it might frequently be the parties best attack against heavily armoured foes - the tanks can engage and defend while the wizard spends a couple of turns blowing holes in them?
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12-17-2020, 07:32 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: Wizards without Staves
Quote:
Uskeche, Elf wizard, age 20 ST 6, DX 13 (11), IQ 13, MA 12 (10) Talents: Acrobatics, Literacy Spells include: 3-Hex Fire, Illusion, Reverse Missiles, Staff III, Staff to Snake Languages: Common, Elvish Attacks and Damage: Punch (1d-4) Armor: Leather armor stops two hits Magic Items: • Staff III: 6' holly staff, value $20 (1d, 1d occult) Special note: This pyromaniac calmly responds to slimes and vermin by casting fire in her own hex and then stepping through that hex until the critters are fried.
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