Re: (TFT) Staff and Pole Ax

[lifeisfun@aol.com]

Looking at the books, the Staff spell states: "This spell is used to make any piece of wood into a staff."? Later it says: "Regardless of what the staff looks like (rod, wand, quarterstaff, etc.) it is a physicial weapon which does one die of damage when the wizard hits with it."? I think that the parenthetical reference to "quarterstaff" is particularly interesting.? In advanced melee the quarterstaff is listed as doing 1d+2 damage at a strength restriction of 11. Clearly the quarterstaff is in the stregth range of a 40 point wizard if they choose to do extra damage and pick up the quarterstaff's disarming ability (an attractive tactic for an engaged wizard).? But, clearly the spell "staff" would diminish a quarterstaff's damage.? 

Thinking on this information, and without any other presented facts to follow, I would proably rule that you cannot make a spear or halberd, etc. into a magic staff without removing the metal from the shaft reducing it to it's "wooden" component.? If I slid on this, I would definately diminish the damage to one die, but I would not require the wizard to swing the weapon to do the one die damage, meaning they would simply need to touch the opponent with the weapon to do that one die damage.? Clearly a puny wand also does the one die damage, so it must be magic damage, not clubbing force doing the damage.? 

Chris mentioned the house rule of making a staff behave as a strength battery.? I would strike that down simply because it's an IQ8 spell.? That would throw our world our of wack since the greatest strength battery ever found was 4st.? 

I'd be interested in someone finding the rule that helps support having a wizard use his wizard's staff as an extension of himself.? We use that rule too, but I didn't see it in my precursory search.

Good Fortune,
Richard
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