04-12-2019, 07:25 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Dayton, Ohio
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Unstavish Staffs
I don't quite get why the only apparent requirement for a Staff is that it be long and skinny (or at least, longer in one dimension than the other two).
Personally, I rather like the idea of using a Ring — but Rings are specifically mentioned as unacceptable, because "the symbolism is all wrong". To what symbolism does this refer? The symbolism of a Wizard's Staff™…? If that's the case, why is a Dagger acceptable? And if a Wand is okay (because it's a long skinny piece of wood), then how about a Club or Mace? Or a Spear — or a Halberd, or a Pike? Why not a Bow? Or a Banner Pole? It seems to me that the symbolism is really just stereotype — and if the purpose of that restriction is purely formal, then I am inclined to ignore it. The only practical purpose I can imagine is to ensure that a Wizard's Staff-object is always handheld and therefore capable of being dropped. But if that's the real reason, then why not just make THAT the rule, rather than a vague rule about general shape? Thoughts…? … Incidentally: ITL uses both "staffs" and "staves". This annoys me. Even if both are technically acceptable forms, using both is just inconsistent. Last edited by FireHorse; 04-12-2019 at 08:14 AM. |
04-12-2019, 11:33 AM | #2 |
Join Date: May 2015
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
Mainly, I think it's up to the GM to decide for their worlds/games what the limits are, by whatever logic they like. So if the symbol seems off to you, don't use it.
As for your specific questions about the current written version, I would think: * I think another reason (the reason for the reason?) to disallow ring staffs is that rings are one of the most common/least-interesting-in-logical-side-effects shapes for an item - rings become like just a superpower of the wearer unless you take the ring or their hand/arm. Not only can't they be dropped, they don't need to be readied, don't weigh anything, can reasonably be worn day and night, can be hidden under gloves or shoes, etc. Especially with the new "arcane attack", there's less reason to use a larger object, so you'd end up with less interesting variety of circumstances, and more gamey ideas such as "why do you bother having your staff be an object other than a ring?" * I think the wand/staff is the symbol (seen in other places e.g. Tarot) and a dagger works because it is a pointer like a wand, and because of athames. * I think a spear/pike/pole/club/maul would definitely work, and probably also a halberd, and probably also a bow or mace (with a wood or silver handle). The metal parts might need to be made out something other than steel or iron. |
04-12-2019, 10:51 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
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Having a Staff look like a spear (with a silver blade that is painted to look like steel) will allow a wizard to look like a Hero. And you can still poke with the pointy end. The problem with anything that does not look like a Staff or wand is that somebody cleaning up the area who KNOWS not to mess with a staff will be blown up when he picks up the 'spear' to sweep under. I think we drove SJ crazy when a similar Staff thread came up last year. What would you like Staff to mean? What would you like Stave to mean?
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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 |
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04-13-2019, 03:24 AM | #4 | |||
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Dayton, Ohio
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
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But in the (totally nitpicky, and arguably irrelevant) sense of grammar and vocabulary, I consider "Staves" to be the correct plural form. "Staffs" is only for the other kind, as in: "The staffs of the two offices collaborated to market a new design of Wizard's Staves." :) Quote:
But it still sort of bugs me though, because it means there's one and only one kind of magic-users in this world. I can imagine a great many more, but the system doesn't allow them. Quote:
And now I'm remembering the Priest of Poseidon character I once created (many years ago), for whom I argued vehemently against the stupid clerical weapon limitations in AD&D (1E) — which were based on one very specific, rigidly Medieval Christian interpretation of what a "Cleric" is (or ought to be). And my argument was successful, too. So we dumped that stupid rule, and my Priest of Poseidon was allowed to carry a Trident after all — as Poseidon intended. |
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04-13-2019, 06:22 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Dayton, Ohio
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
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04-13-2019, 07:39 AM | #7 | |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
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In Western musical notation, the staff (US) or stave (UK) (plural for either: staves) is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch or in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments. - Wikipedia
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04-13-2019, 07:43 AM | #8 | |
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
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Or drumsticks for those percussion masters? Only one stick at a time, though. The other one is normal.
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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 |
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05-01-2019, 03:58 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Arizona
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
A walking stick for the fashionable wizard about town...
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05-01-2019, 08:38 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Aug 2018
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Re: Unstavish Staffs
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