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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 7389187" data-attributes="member: 6669384">You can, in theory, make a Wondrous item in any shape that you like, staff included.With that thought in mind, look at almost any other wondrous item and see what it takes to shape it like a staff.First, the Staff is "Slotless", in that it isn't something worn in any of the standard slots.  That generally doubles the cost.Second, since it isn't really a "magic weapon", the staff is more easily breakable than the magic staff version of it would be.Third, while you can, in theory, put any spell effect into anything using Wondrous, I'd draw the line at duplicating weapon properties.For several campaigns we've played in my group we did some redefinition of the feats, and the item categories, because Craft Wondrous was really "Craft anything".All oils, salves, dusts, candles etc. in Craft Wondrous got moved to Brew Potion.All pins, broaches, periapts, headbands and circlets etc. got moved to Forge Ring, which we retitled as "Craft Magical Jewelry".With that thought in mind, have you looked at the scabbard of Keen Edge?  Standard Wondrous item that effectively casts the Keen Edge spell on any weapon drawn from it, three times per day.That's a specific example of a Wondrous item that walks around the rules that separate Wondrous from Magic Weapon.  So let's think about what power would make sense to add to a master worked staff.  A Strength enhancement, ala the Girdle or Gloves of giant giant/ogre strength would make sense.  Adding a crystal that could cast Light or Daylight would be very Gandalf-ish.   Adding a spell that turns it into a rope, as part of a Rope Trick ability could be neat.Your idea of a Crystal Ball on there is interesting, though it makes that thing  really expensive (and vulnerable) item.  Have you looked at the price on the Crystal Ball?  They start at 40+K and go up to something like 80k.  Also, since they work like the Scrying spell, I think they take an hour of concentration to use.  (I could be wrong on that).Following a model I saw in a fantasy/fiction book, I once had one that was rough crystal.  To use it you burned incense and let the smoke flow over it.  The image would appear in the air above it, as a smoke form.  No color in the image, but other than that it was just game color, but kinda neat.  But I digress...I could see a staff as a balance/vaulting pole, basically duplicating the effects of Boots of Striding and Springing.  (We used to call those "Boots of Standard Equipment", since they were so cheap in 3.0 that there was no reason why everyone wouldn't get a pair.)Consider a staff with the Weapons Expertise feat:  It allows the user to turn their BAB into AC by parrying incoming attacks.  Coupled with Fighting Defensively that could keep an otherwise squishy Wiz type alive until backup arrives.So be creative.  Like I said, any Wondrous Item ability could, in theory, be put in there, as well as several others.  Consider how well they might fit the Staff motif, and remember to increase the price if the original item used a body slot. And try to avoid duplicating effects that normally appear in other types of magic items, like weapons, actual magical staves, rods, etc.</blockquote>

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