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Old 12-17-2020, 07:38 AM   #1
MikMod
 
Join Date: May 2019
Default Reverse Staff Zap

How do people run the staff zap when it's directed behind you?

RAW p18 "the staff ... does one die of damage when the wizard points with it" - so you need to point it - and that ties up very nicely with RAW p148 "you cannot have a staff in the form of a ring, shoe, false tooth or whatever, the symbolism is all wrong"

But then RAW p26 "[staff III] occult attack may strike a figure two hexes away in any direction ... at DX+3" with no indication at all how this interacts with any of the usual issues attacking someone behind you. Can the wizard 'kinda' see behind themselves, but only for this one spell? Don't they get a DX penalty for attacking someone they cannot see as opposed to one they can - as they 'point' their staff at them?

Worse - you might think you can do this attack with the a dagger staff sheathed at your belt, because RAW p148 "the wizard must be holding or wearing the staff for it to be useful", which is hella vague, but does this open the door to a wizard sat having a beer and at the same time blowing a hole in someone behind him at DX+3?

What do you allow? And what do you consider RAW? :/
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Old 12-17-2020, 07:39 AM   #2
hcobb
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Reverse Staff Zap

My ruling is that the staff itself must see the target, hence the knob on the end.
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Old 12-17-2020, 11:19 AM   #3
Shostak
 
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Location: New England
Default Re: Reverse Staff Zap

No DX bonus to zaps, staff must be held ready, and -6DX to attacks out of view (among additional nerfs).
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Old 12-17-2020, 03:30 PM   #4
JimmyPlenty
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Reverse Staff Zap

I'd just take away the "any direction" thing.

The eyes behind spell would make it possible though.
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Old 12-19-2020, 04:23 PM   #5
David Bofinger
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
Default Re: Reverse Staff Zap

It raises all sorts of other scenarios like: a wizard has a summoned myrmidon a few hexes in front of him and a hostile orc one hex behind him. The myrmidon can see the orc and the wizard can see through the myrmidon's eyes. When the orc attacks should he get the full +4 modifier?
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