Arcane Bond Staff, useable as weapon?

[Ash_Gazn]

I'm creating a wizard.

I've decided to go with Arcane Bond as an item, instead of going for a Familiar.

Can I smack someone with the staff?
If so, what damage do I use? As a quarterstaff, but not as a double weapon?
A club?
Something else?

[Remco Sommeling]

If it is a staff I'd say quarterstaff, either as a double weapon or 2hand weapon, fairly only one end should be masterwork unless you paid extra.

[erian_7]

They should follow the rules in the Magic Item section for staves I believe:

PRPG wrote:

A typical staff measures anywhere from 4 feet to 7 feet long and is 2 inches to 3 inches thick, weighing about 5 pounds. Most staves are wood, but an exotic few are bone, metal, or even glass. A staff often has a gem or some device at its tip or is shod in metal at one or both ends. Staves are often decorated with carvings or runes. A typical staff is like a walking stick, quarterstaff, or cudgel. It has AC 7, 10 hit points, hardness 5, and a break DC of 24.

So, it could be a quarterstaff or a cudgel if you want to wield it as a weapon (the iconic wizard Ezren has a cudgel, which is treated as a club).

[Rakshasa]

erian_7 wrote:

They should follow the rules in the Magic Item section for staves I believe:

PRPG wrote:

A typical staff measures anywhere from 4 feet to 7 feet long and is 2 inches to 3 inches thick, weighing about 5 pounds. Most staves are wood, but an exotic few are bone, metal, or even glass. A staff often has a gem or some device at its tip or is shod in metal at one or both ends. Staves are often decorated with carvings or runes. A typical staff is like a walking stick, quarterstaff, or cudgel. It has AC 7, 10 hit points, hardness 5, and a break DC of 24.

So, it could be a quarterstaff or a cudgel if you want to wield it as a weapon (the iconic wizard Ezren has a cudgel, which is treated as a club).

That makes sense especially since one of the wizard abilities allows you to use your arcane bonded item as a flying weapon attack.

Apologize for not knowing what the term or ability is called...I am usually off the cuff when I am on the forums.

[LazarX]

Arcane Bond by itself does not change any of the other properties of the item.

If you make a quarterstaff an arcane bonded item, you fight with it as a quarterstaff the exact same way as you would if it were not such. Only for purposes of getting the free enchantments only one end is enchanted. (then again how many wizards are going to be doing two weapon fighting?)

In Pathfinder Society play you're then done with the item as Magic Item creation of any sorts is not allowed. You can however change your arcane bond if you find a new staff or other item you'd want to designate instead.

[Ash_Gazn]

Lazarx...

I don't think treating a Staff that is selected at 1st level for an Arcane Bond according to the rules presented for using a Staff from the Magic Items section is a violation of the rules as you suggest.

I mean... at that point, do I say "It's a staff and I bond with it as a staff, but I'm using as a weapon" or "it's a cudgel, and I bond with it as a weapon"? Both rules would tell me to do the same thing.

[LazarX]

Ash_Gazn wrote:

Lazarx...

I don't think treating a Staff that is selected at 1st level for an Arcane Bond according to the rules presented for using a Staff from the Magic Items section is a violation of the rules as you suggest.

I mean... at that point, do I say "It's a staff and I bond with it as a staff, but I'm using as a weapon" or "it's a cudgel, and I bond with it as a weapon"? Both rules would tell me to do the same thing.

I didn't say it was a violation. What I said and it's in the rules that the Arcane Bond properties can only apply to one end of a double weapon.

[Majuba]

LazarX wrote:

Ash_Gazn wrote:

Lazarx...

I don't think treating a Staff that is selected at 1st level for an Arcane Bond according to the rules presented for using a Staff from the Magic Items section is a violation of the rules as you suggest.

I mean... at that point, do I say "It's a staff and I bond with it as a staff, but I'm using as a weapon" or "it's a cudgel, and I bond with it as a weapon"? Both rules would tell me to do the same thing.

I didn't say it was a violation. What I said and it's in the rules that the Arcane Bond properties can only apply to one end of a double weapon.

They really don't actually.

Lots of misunderstandings I think:

DM decision whether to prevent getting a double-masterwork double weapon (including staff).

There are no "free enhancements" on an arcane bond, and any crafting done on one is not limited to one end.

As I recall, crafting your Arcane bond is the sole *exception* to PFS' "no-crafting" rule.

Nothing explicitly requires you to bond to your item "as" something - you just bond to it. If more than one craft feat (that you have the caster level for) applies to it, yay you. There's a reason Wizards iconically have staves.

All that to say, Go for it!

[LazarX]

Majuba wrote:

There's a reason Wizards iconically have staves.

Yes there is... but it has nothing to do with melee combat. Staves are a measure of station (provided they're simply not crude quarterstaffs) and a foci for magical operation, Wizards are not melee fightes with staves as a primry choice. Not even Gandalf used his staff for that purpose. (especially not if you have a kickblade sword like Glamdring:)

[LazarX]

Majuba wrote:

.

As I recall, crafting your Arcane bond is the sole *exception* to PFS' "no-crafting" rule.

What PFS allows you to do is to designate an item as an Arcane Bond. You are not allowed to give it any other magical properties. You can however, if you obtain an eligible magic item in play, designate said item as an Arcane Bond.

[Majuba]

LazarX wrote:

What PFS allows you to do is to designate an item as an Arcane Bond. You are not allowed to give it any other magical properties. You can however, if you obtain an eligible magic item in play, designate said item as an Arcane Bond.

I may not be completely up to date, but this post from Josh in August states the Arcane Bond item *can* be crafted on.