Alt Magic Rules and staves/wands

Jeminai · 05-07-2013, 12:35 PM

If I am using the alternate magic rules (M 9) and a wizard uses a staff, does this mean that every spell this wizard casts, as long as they hold their staff/wand, is at a -2?

Is there a caveat for casting with a wand/staff enchanted with the Staff spell?

If not, it seems that beginning wizards would never really use staves/wands because a constant -2 penalty or the need to constantly drop the staff.

mlangsdorf · 05-07-2013, 12:40 PM

It's pretty reasonable to assume that they can continue to make two-handed magical gestures with a (unready) staff or wand in one hand.

I'd certainly treat holding a ready staff as a minor penalty.

Prince Charon · 05-07-2013, 11:11 PM

With a wand, I'd say it depends on the setting. Doing gestures with a wand might add +1, cost only a -1 penalty, or require a perk or technique (Wanded Gestures?) to remove the penalty - or it might not require anything at all. In some settings (GURPS Harry Potter?), casting without a wand might be much harder, or even impossible.

gilbertocarlos · 05-07-2013, 11:37 PM

I'd say he could, but only if he is not wielding it in a fighting stance(And, as such, he doesn't have the parry bonus, or any other stance bonus.

05-07-2013, 12:35 PM	#1
Jeminai Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Jacksonville FL	Alt Magic Rules and staves/wands If I am using the alternate magic rules (M 9) and a wizard uses a staff, does this mean that every spell this wizard casts, as long as they hold their staff/wand, is at a -2? Is there a caveat for casting with a wand/staff enchanted with the Staff spell? If not, it seems that beginning wizards would never really use staves/wands because a constant -2 penalty or the need to constantly drop the staff. __________________ Two things that I learned from Dungeons & Dragons is that I LOVE GURPS and it isn't really a compliment when a gnome tells you your hair smells nice.

05-07-2013, 12:40 PM	#2
mlangsdorf Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Austin, TX	Re: Alt Magic Rules and staves/wands It's pretty reasonable to assume that they can continue to make two-handed magical gestures with a (unready) staff or wand in one hand. I'd certainly treat holding a ready staff as a minor penalty. __________________ Read my GURPS blog: http://noschoolgrognard.blogspot.com

05-07-2013, 11:11 PM	#3
Prince Charon Join Date: Dec 2012	Re: Alt Magic Rules and staves/wands With a wand, I'd say it depends on the setting. Doing gestures with a wand might add +1, cost only a -1 penalty, or require a perk or technique (Wanded Gestures?) to remove the penalty - or it might not require anything at all. In some settings (GURPS Harry Potter?), casting without a wand might be much harder, or even impossible. __________________ Warning, I have the Distractible and Imaginative quirks in real life. "The more corrupt a government, the more it legislates." -- Tacitus Five Earths, All in a Row. Updated 12/17/2022: Apocrypha: Bridges out of Time, Part I has been posted.

05-07-2013, 11:37 PM	#4
gilbertocarlos Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Caxias do Sul, Brazil	Re: Alt Magic Rules and staves/wands I'd say he could, but only if he is not wielding it in a fighting stance(And, as such, he doesn't have the parry bonus, or any other stance bonus.