New Wizard concept: make staff

[Corlon]

In almost all fantasy stories, wizards carry staffs and get their magical powers from them, whereas in dungeons and dragons, they get their powers from being book worms.

So I came up with a neat idea, instead of giving the wizard scribe scroll at first level, the character may choose to get make staff .

It would let him get a quarterstaff (or any other sized staff depending on how big or small the character is) and make his special staff. The staff would have a slot to place a wand, and whenever the wizard got a spell, they would meditate on their staff which would make a rune appear on their staff (so instead of writing down spells, they would go into the staff.) To "study" the character would meditate with his staff for the normal hour.

I was thinking that the staff would also have a crystal in it to store the information by magic or something.

I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but I want to put this out there for discussion.

Thrash it or compliment and add to the idea, I dont' care.

Have fun

 

[dcollins]

There's actually a specific forum for "house rules" such as these, which this discussion may sit more comfortably in: http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=45

 

[Crothian]

Ypou may want to check out the books Quint Wizard and Path of Magic. I think both of them have Wizard Staff stuff within their pages.

 

[Xarlen]

Can't remember which book it's in, but I saw a magical item that allows you to use your STAFF as your spellbook, basicly raising bumps along it, which you read like brail.

 

[Alchemist]

You're thinking of the Bookrod from BoEM.

 

[Alchemist]

Corlon: I like that idea. The only thing is that it puts your power in a more exposed area. Rolled a one on that save vs fireball? There goes the staff. Doh. Now you're up the creek.

The staff would have to be beefed up and protected, as any uber-valuable item would be. Other than that, I like the flavour. Much better than vanilla.

 

[Corlon]

more ideas plz!

Mabye... energy immunity or resistance something.
And what about spending experience to upgrade it, or making it have certain spells that you could use.. you could give it useful spells such as prestidigitation, light, featherfall, and possibly up to dispel magic by expending experience, or... even better, mabye come up with a whole bunch of staff feats taht the wizard can get to upgrade his staff!


More ideaz!

 

[Jeph]

maybe the wiz could sacrifice XP to give his staff special powers . . .?

Wait, that's an item creation feat, basically . . .

So make it an item creation feat: "Enhance Staff"

Or give it to them for free, or whatever.

Does Gandalf actually *get* his power from the staff, or is it more like Moiraine's little blue stone from Eye of the World?

 

[Corlon]

by the movie, its the staff, from the book it could be either one. Why else jam the staff into the bridge though, and why did it reflect and dispel the balrog's sword??

I don't think Gandalf gets them per say but he channels his power through the staff.

And mabye not, make staff, but it could be "enhance staff" or "bond staff" or whatever you want to call it.

Mabye instead of a familiar... no, i couldn't be without my fuzzy friend.

Any more ideas, it has to be like a spell book, mabye if it died you would lose exp as the familiar but it has energy resistance (all) 20, or something.

Then by spending exp, the staff can get special abilities, the familiar upgrade table would be a good place to start.

 

[Corlon]

Yes, he does need it!

After thinking on it, Gandalf does need his staff.

In the two towers (at least I think so), when Gandalf goes to rohan, when the guards make the party leave the weapons outside, they *MAKE SURE* that Gandalf leaves his staff out, because he is extremely dangerous with it.