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?

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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).