04-19-2021, 08:14 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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What's the sizzle of the stake-staff?
ITL 148: "must be silver, or it’s just a stake"
What are the stats of the stake-staff? Cost, weight, material? (Wood?) Damage? Can it be used in HTH? Drawn like a dagger? Can you defend with it? Does it require a talent and if so which talent?
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04-19-2021, 09:03 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Boston area
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Re: What's the sizzle of the stake-staff?
I wouldn't interpret that sentence too literally. It's just saying that wizards should use silver daggers. Iron daggers can't be staves and wooden daggers are no better than fighting with a stake, which surely does less damage than a proper dagger, maybe a point or two.
Are you seriously considering a character using a wooden knife as a staff? I'd allow flint knives as a possibility, with less damage than a proper dagger. Aside: in the excellent solo adventure Vampire Hunter Belladonna, David Pulver interpreted silver stakes as equivalent to daggers. I'd make them unthrowable. |
04-21-2021, 02:28 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Jun 2019
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Re: What's the sizzle of the stake-staff?
Picture a flint dagger blade mounted to a wooden handle.
The handle could be a Staff, and none the wiser. Of course copper or bronze would work for the blade as well, but a flint blade can be tapped out to be even sharper than a modern scalpel! Our ancestors were pretty smart :) If anything, a flint dagger blade might do an extra point of damage, but it would be more prone to breaking.
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06-12-2021, 12:30 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Cali
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Re: What's the sizzle of the stake-staff?
Personally I hate dagger staves.
Just like a brand, they should be of a minimum size, 2 feet is probably the smallest I would want. I would like to see more wizards use visible Rods, and Staves in the conventional use, I am also okay with the Martial Wizard with the Saber-staff slung on his hip but I utterly detest the 4 oz. silver dagger serving as a "hidden" staff up a sleeve or just inside a cloak. and of course... no need to even comment on abuses like a staff being some type of vampire slaying silver stake. |
06-12-2021, 03:37 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
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Re: What's the sizzle of the stake-staff?
I wouldn't use a 4 oz. (0.25 pound) silver dagger.
Instead I swat aside pike axe thrusts with masterly use of my 3 oz. (0.2 pound) unhafted throwing knife. Don't use a Main Gauche because that's of no use against two-handed weapons and the claws of giant dragons. "A roll of 31? The dragon breaks its claw against your tiny blade and runs off sobbing."
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06-12-2021, 06:55 AM | #6 |
Join Date: May 2018
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Re: What's the sizzle of the stake-staff?
If you can make a dagger staff, could you make a spear staff, a sword staff, a halberd staff or a black arrow staff?
If so, the enchantment must work on the whole item, shaft and all? By the way, is the only difference between a main-gauche and a regular dagger is it' extended guard, which is designed to hook other weapons? If so, shouldn't main-gauches instead of daggers as there isn't an in game disadvantage for a main-gauche vs dagger and it has the benefits for someone with the talent to use it. Last edited by pzmcgwire; 06-12-2021 at 07:04 AM. |
06-12-2021, 09:20 AM | #7 |
The Fantasy Trip Line Editor
Join Date: May 2021
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Re: What's the sizzle of the stake-staff?
Such details vary by GM. If you have a PC who knows the Staff spell, ask your GM about the details the PC knows. If you have a PC who doesn't have that much knowledge, you could play out having your PC talk to a wizard in the game world about it.
Your last question seems to be missing a word. If you just mean why doesn't everyone with a dagger instead carry a main-gauche... they cost twice as much, are larger, heavier, more conspicuous, and only some people would ever choose to use them that way (so they're also pretty uncommon in some places/campaigns). |
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