Familiars: Isn't there a better way?

[JimAde]

I like Conaill's suggestion a lot. The simple ability to cast a touch spell through the staff could be very handy if the target has some kind of nasty effect when touched (like poison skin or something) or simply extending your reach.

Hmm...

Say 100GP, 24 hours and some 200 XP spent up front to make a "mage's staff." If you lose it there's no penalty and you can make another one (spending more XP).

Random idea: The staff allows a wizard to burn a spell slot to spontaneously cast another spell that's in his book that's at least 2 levels lower. So you could burn a 2nd level spell to spontaneously cast a cantrip. Extremely sub-optimal, but sometimes you really need that Detect Magic or Mage Hand. Doesn't do Sorcerers any good, of course.

 

[Conaill]

Instead of "making" a mage's staff, let's call it "attuning" a mage's staff. Otherwise anyone could use another mage's staff. Requires at least a MW quarterstaff.

And there probably should be *some* penalty for losing one's staff. There is for losing one's familiar, after all... I'd tack on similar rules as used for a familiar:

A wizard can obtain a mage's staff instead of a familiar. Doing so takes 24 hours and requires a Masterwork quarterstaff.

If the mage's staff is destroyed, the wizard must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means he loses 200 experience points per wizard level; success reduces the loss to one-half that amount. However, a wizard's experience point total can never go below 0 as the result of his staff's destruction. A mage's staff cannot be replaced for a year and day. A destroyed staff can be restored by a ritual performed by a cleric of at least 9th level, taking one minute and material components worth at least 5,000 gp - in which case the "year and a day" time restriction does not apply.

 

[Len]

How about a staff? Witches have familiars, real wizards carry a staff ([discworld reference] preferably with a knob on the end[/discworld reference])

That sounds familiar... Ah, yes, here it is. And here is the thread discussing it.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

That sounds familiar... Ah, yes, here it is. And here is the thread discussing it.

Interesting read, though by 20th-level your Wizard's staff becomes far more powerful than a standard familiar.

 

[Conaill]

Hey, no fair stealing my ideas... uhm ... in advance... yeah, that's it!

Great minds think alike, I guess. Don't think I ever saw yours, but we were clearly using similar sources for inspiration.

I would be cautious about making it *too* similar to a familiar though. Makes it easier to balance in power, but people might start complaining about wizard's staffs for the same reason why they complain about familiars now...

 

[Len]

Great minds think alike, I guess. Don't think I ever saw yours, but we were clearly using similar sources for inspiration.

The other great mind is Purzel's, not mine.