ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

I was trying out an arcane blade as a battle mage. Not specializing in a weapon type and using staves. It seems that a staff is a two-handed weapon (not being able to use a shield) but not a real one? I can't use talents for two-handers when wielding a staff: stunning blow and the others.

Is it a bug or is it planed this way?

It's not a bug
It didn't seem too logical to be able to do such powerful attacks with a frail wooden stick

A frail wooden stick, imbued with reality-altering powers, but a frail wooden stick nonetheless.

exactly !

Frail wooden stick? Are all enchanted staves wooden? Never bothered reading their text descriptions (the stats, on the other hand...)

darkgod wrote:It's not a bug
It didn't seem too logical to be able to do such powerful attacks with a frail wooden stick

Frail? Tell that to someone with a quarterstaff.

registeringislame wrote:Frail? Tell that to someone with a quarterstaff.

That was my first thought, too, but then I realized they're not necessarily fighting staves. They're primarily intended for spellslingers, so any old walking stick (enchanted, of course) will do.

My question was mainly to clear up if it was overlooked to make a staff a two-handed weapon or if it was planed this way. Since it was planed my question is answered.
But for a person who trained staff combat real life for nearly 2 decades (thats the reason i tried out a staff fighter in tome too) i don't think that a staff is that fragile - be it a jo, a bo, a quarter-staff or a walking stick.
Canne, zipota, jogo do pau, jodo, ... several dozens staff combat arts developed all around the world

Hmm, typically you see mages staves as walking sticks, usually with things hanging off them or even a large crystal at the top. That suggests a fragility beyond what 'normal' walking staves would have. Even if nothing is technically stopping you from wacking someone hard with it, you still kinda dont want to.

Theres also the ingame balance thing of not wanting archmages that can both cast and beat the crap out of stuff, but thats secondary to the above fluff

Of course, I would support adding a Quarterstaff weapon. Fighting staff users and mages might both be able to benefit from a +dmg ability on staves, but only fighting staves will be able to use the two weapon skills. In fact, I kinda see mage staves as being one-handed really. You'd need your second hand free for casting, so no shields, but a magic staff and wand seems reasonable.

Antagonist wrote: In fact, I kinda see mage staves as being one-handed really. You'd need your second hand free for casting, so no shields, but a magic staff and wand seems reasonable.

Assuming all spells require some form of gesture, and that none have been developed for shields.

I quite like the idea of a wizard with a shield. Or at least a defensive one. The very profession would seem to attract the 'please don't hit me' type of people.

I feel oddly compelled to quote Terry Pratchett at this point:

The Archchancellor polished his staff as he walked along. It was a particularly good one, six feet long and quite magical. Not that he used magic very much. In his experience, anything that couldn’t be disposed of with a couple of whacks from six feet of oak was probably immune to magic as well.

*Starts singing "A Wizard's Staff Has a Knob on the End"*