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Re: (TFT) House Rules: Staves?



Perhaps this is just a staff infection, but here goes:

If the wizard is dead, he no longer has a say in what happens to his staff. It is no longer a staff. Unless he is now a ghost and can still command magic.

Also, I would say that a wizard has to actively empower the staff to activate it into trapping a victim. By that I mean, he has to put a trace of attention on the staff. If he is in bed and his servants are mopping his laboratory and knock it down, it won't blow up. If he is in bed asleep and a theif gets past all his defenses and takes the staff with out the wizards knowing, it won't blow up. If the wizard is in bed, hears a noise in his laboratory, knows its got to be a thief because the cleaning help only comes on Thursday, and he remembers his staff is in there, that staff is now empowered to blow up. God forbid, it really is Thursday. If Guido the loanshark comes by to reposes some items and the wizard gives him the staff (and I mean divests himself of ownership of it and grants it to Guido), then I would say that Guido is safe from further harm of it exploding. However, I would also say that the wizard still could use the staff. This approach is a cosmic Lawful approach that considers there are laws that govern ownership and whatnot that are perhaps beyond our ken.

Going back to the dead wizard story...I would also let the magic of a staff leach out soon after the wizard dies. If the wizard did not want to die, but departs (as in 'he is killed'), then this would allow the staff to explode during a rampaging battle and perhaps a little after during the looting process. If its several days later, I would have it be a regular piece of wood that used to be a staff.

Now about that shape. Though the idea of a door being a staff is bizarre, and a living tree as a staff is a bit much, I don't like the idea of a cosmic force making a piece of wood into the "right shape" of Stave, staff, or wand. I think that the item chosen is up to the personality of the wizard. I have a wizard that does not like to advertise that he is a wizard. His staff is a pole that has a silver pigsticker at the end. It is aged to look like iron. He has no poleweapon talent, but since a staff does 1 die damage, it looks like he knows how to use a poleweapon.

Another point: would levitating the staff make it go off? I think I'll have the Illusion pick it up as long as others are watching.

Hey, why does the wizard care if anyone else gets his staff anyways. Don't the rules state that only the wizard who creates the staff can use its power. I can see using the "Blow Up" rule if other wizards could share his staff, but its useless to other wizards, so why would they want it unless for adornment. ...unless of course, another wizard can cast a geas on the staff without touching it, then when the original wizard gets it back, he is geased...but then that evil wizard could have geased the original wizard's eating utensils and stll have him...but I digress. How about letting a mage have the ability to use other wizards staffs? Any wizard with Staff talent can use another wizards staff.

By the way, I really do love the 'what ifs' we come up with. It helps put the parameters of the item in perspective. The door staff or the living tree help broaden the concepts.

"If anyone other than the owner of a staff picks it up against the owner's will, it explodes, doing the fool who touched it 3 dice damage.

Hail Melee,

John Paul


From: "David Michael Grouchy II" >To: tft@brainiac.com
Subject: Re: (TFT) House Rules: Staves?
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 19:17:43 -0500

Thorn,
   I never realized until I read your post that the rule on staff states
"picks it up" against the owners will.  I had been using the fairly the same
interpretation that you describe.  Now I'm thinking its rigged to
blow if handled with out the right instructions.
The last sentence of Staff: "If anyone other than the owner of a staff picks it up against the owner's will, it explodes, doing the fool who touched it 3 dice damage."
   David Michael Grouchy II

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