a wizards staff insted of a familiar [Archive] - Wizards Community

a wizards staff insted of a familiar [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
simon_stern
12-02-06, 03:47 PM during a recent game, a fellow player noticed my wizard didn't have a familiar. i told him i had never played a wizard with a familiar ( not that i don't think they're neat, i just some how never decided to aquire one) and he brought me a dragon magazine with an alternate familiar option, the imbued staff. my DM said he'd allow it, so now by foregoing my ability to have a familiar i have a staff that is keyed to me and will gradually increase in power as i do. has anyone else tried this?
now that i have done it the staff seems a little weak compared to a traditional familiar or level appropriate magic item.
kave99
12-02-06, 04:18 PM cant recall that article in detail can you give the #
there are rules for item familiars in unearthed arcana
simon_stern
12-02-06, 04:30 PM i'm not sure of the number, (i just jotted down the staff level prgression and handed back the magazine after requesting a scan), but i do know that it is different than item familiar and a weapon of legacy. oh, and the guys that brought these to me beleive they all overlap to produce ungodly effects at 18th level somehow, but i don't think i want to go that way.
Neofish
12-02-06, 04:38 PM Dragon 338.

It's a cool idea, you can always scry on the staff and know it's location and cast a few cantrips with it. At later levels it becomes a decent magic weapon (like a wizard needs to be in melee). Its best effects are when you use the feats they prsented aswell, one lets you give up a spell slot to imbue the staff with a SP ability usable 3 times a day, that's kinda nice. Another one lets you refill charges within the staff by expanding spell slots (which is freaking amazing, the only down is that you can't do this until 12th level and you have to pay something 20% more to turn your imbued staff into an actually magic staff [ the kind that holds charges]).
simon_stern
12-02-06, 04:55 PM the ability that i really like is the power to call the staff to my hands, although it seems kind of insignifigant at the level i get it.
Neofish
12-02-06, 05:01 PM the ability that i really like is the power to call the staff to my hands, although it seems kind of insignifigant at the level i get it.

Lol, yeah, 17th level, woot!!!

I guess the idea is to throw the staff at the badguy, run, scry on the staff and then have it return to you.
simon_stern
12-02-06, 05:05 PM Lol, yeah, 17th level, woot!!!

I guess the idea is to throw the staff at the badguy, run, scry on the staff and then have it return to you.

actually i never thought of that, i was more interested in being able to snap my fingers and have my staff and hat poof into existence like some golden age superhero.
simon_stern
12-02-06, 07:23 PM so really what i want now is a way to make my staff tougher (increase hardness?) and to magic it up something good.
now right now i'm only level 5, and i'm looking to go into both the arcmage and Dragonlance warmage prestige classes, so i don't want to take a lot of item crafting feats. which ones should i get :magic arms and armor, craft staff, woundrous item? what if i want my staff to give me spell resistance or skill bonuses or anything else in addition to bonuses to attack and additional types of damage?

i really haven't played seriously played D&D in a while and i think the guys i'm playing with have a really good grasp on character optimization and i might be falling behind.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
simon_stern 12-02-06, 03:47 PM	during a recent game, a fellow player noticed my wizard didn't have a familiar. i told him i had never played a wizard with a familiar ( not that i don't think they're neat, i just some how never decided to aquire one) and he brought me a dragon magazine with an alternate familiar option, the imbued staff. my DM said he'd allow it, so now by foregoing my ability to have a familiar i have a staff that is keyed to me and will gradually increase in power as i do. has anyone else tried this? now that i have done it the staff seems a little weak compared to a traditional familiar or level appropriate magic item.
kave99 12-02-06, 04:18 PM	cant recall that article in detail can you give the # there are rules for item familiars in unearthed arcana
simon_stern 12-02-06, 04:30 PM	i'm not sure of the number, (i just jotted down the staff level prgression and handed back the magazine after requesting a scan), but i do know that it is different than item familiar and a weapon of legacy. oh, and the guys that brought these to me beleive they all overlap to produce ungodly effects at 18th level somehow, but i don't think i want to go that way.
Neofish 12-02-06, 04:38 PM	Dragon 338. It's a cool idea, you can always scry on the staff and know it's location and cast a few cantrips with it. At later levels it becomes a decent magic weapon (like a wizard needs to be in melee). Its best effects are when you use the feats they prsented aswell, one lets you give up a spell slot to imbue the staff with a SP ability usable 3 times a day, that's kinda nice. Another one lets you refill charges within the staff by expanding spell slots (which is freaking amazing, the only down is that you can't do this until 12th level and you have to pay something 20% more to turn your imbued staff into an actually magic staff [ the kind that holds charges]).
simon_stern 12-02-06, 04:55 PM	the ability that i really like is the power to call the staff to my hands, although it seems kind of insignifigant at the level i get it.
Neofish 12-02-06, 05:01 PM	the ability that i really like is the power to call the staff to my hands, although it seems kind of insignifigant at the level i get it. Lol, yeah, 17th level, woot!!! I guess the idea is to throw the staff at the badguy, run, scry on the staff and then have it return to you.
simon_stern 12-02-06, 05:05 PM	Lol, yeah, 17th level, woot!!! I guess the idea is to throw the staff at the badguy, run, scry on the staff and then have it return to you. actually i never thought of that, i was more interested in being able to snap my fingers and have my staff and hat poof into existence like some golden age superhero.
simon_stern 12-02-06, 07:23 PM	so really what i want now is a way to make my staff tougher (increase hardness?) and to magic it up something good. now right now i'm only level 5, and i'm looking to go into both the arcmage and Dragonlance warmage prestige classes, so i don't want to take a lot of item crafting feats. which ones should i get :magic arms and armor, craft staff, woundrous item? what if i want my staff to give me spell resistance or skill bonuses or anything else in addition to bonuses to attack and additional types of damage? i really haven't played seriously played D&D in a while and i think the guys i'm playing with have a really good grasp on character optimization and i might be falling behind.