Z's Fun and Games With Sticks

Zardnaar

Legend
The humble quarterstaff is actually a fairly great weapon in 5E. It is the only weapon in the game I have figured out how to use it to hit with charisma, wisdom, dexterity and strength modifiers. The humble staff also has a but strike option with the Polearm Master feat. This is not a great powergaming option but you can put out a surprising amount of damage with this stick. How do you do it? Here's how.

1. Strength modifier. This is an easy and obvious one. Have a strength score of 12+ pick up stick and hit someone with it. Do not try this at home.

2. Dexterity modifier. The staff and spear can be used as a finesse weapon in effect. How? Be a Monk. This bumps its damage up to a d8 if you use it as a versatile weapon (why wouldn't you).

3. Wisdom modifier. Druids can cast the cantrip Shillelagh. So can nature clerics. This lets you turn a stick into a 1d8 weapon that deals wisdom modifier to hit and magic damage. Throw in the PAM feat and the nature cleric has reduced MAD and is one of the better beat down clerics. An arcane cleric can double dip here and add green flame blade on top of this keying that off wisdom as well. If they can get Shillelagh somehow (probably via feat such as Magic Initiate) wisdom become even more valuable reducing MAD. Who needs Tempest and war clerics anyway they suck at beatdown;). .

4. Charisma. The obvious way here is a Hexblade. A less obvious way is the 3pp Kobold Press Midgard Heroes Dragonkin race. The Edjet (Soldier) Dragonkin gets Shillelagh as a cantrip. Big deal so do Druids and Nature clerics but this Shillelagh is keyed off charisma. Dragonkin Sword and board Paladin keying everything of Charisma reduces MAD and every charisma boost is +1 to hit damage, saves with your Paladin Aura. All Dragonkin get +2 charisma as well.

So nothing drastically OP just some fun and games things you can do with sticks. Why? Because 5E, and its kind of fun doing some different things. Once again my wife figured a lot of these things out, don't shoot the DM.
 

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Sticks

Charisma. Bard's Magical Secrets also allows you to get Shillelagh keyed off of Charisma.

More fun with Sticks:
Polearm Master works with Quarterstaff even if used one-handed, which means that someone could be holding a shield at the same time as making an attack with each end of a quarterstaff (using any of the four stats!).

and Stones

Similar fun can be had at range with little rocks.

Dexterity. Slung with a sling.
Wisdom. With Magic Stone cantrip (XGTE, also EEPC), on Druid list (or with Magic Initiate).
Charisma. With Magic Stone cantrip (XGTE, also EEPC), on Warlock list (or with Magic Initiate).

That's three. Whether just chucking a rock would count as a (thrown) strength attack is subject to DM approval, I suspect, and probably would not do full damage. But...

More fun with Stones:
The wording of Magic Stone is a bit imprecise, but a strict reading of the range appears to be: 60 if thrown by hand, 30/120 if slung with a sling. When the magic stone is being slung (30/120) it's an attack using a ranged weapon. It's therefore eligible to be used by rogues with Sneak Attack.
 

I would have thought the most obvious way for Charisma is Warlock's Book of Shadows from the Tome Pact to gain Shillelagh as it is in the PHB not the later books.

But yes. I like the Staff.
 


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