Shillelagh + Halfling slingstaff melee?

[Provos]

So the Halfling Slingstaff can be used as a club in melee. I was wondering if I could use Shillelagh on a nonmagical slingstaff to increase the damage from 1d4 to 1d8? It sounds resonable to me but I wanted some thoughts from others.

[Jiggy]

Provos wrote:

So the Halfling Slingstaff can be used as a club in melee. I was wondering if I could use Shillelagh on a nonmagical slingstaff to increase the damage from 1d4 to 1d8? It sounds resonable to me but I wanted some thoughts from others.

Strictly speaking, I read it as a "no". But if I was your GM, I'd probably allow it, as it certainly seems reasonable. So be careful if this is for PFS, but if not, just ask your GM. They'll probably be fine with it.

[Ashenfall]

PFS, they'll probably tell you "no," since the spell description specifically references a club or quarterstaff.

For a home game, I don't think there's any reason to disallow the spell to affect a slingstaff, when used as a melee weapon, since it's similar to a club. Ranged? I dunno. I'd have to put some consideration into it. I can't immediately think of any way to abuse the combo, but abuse would be my only concern.

[Rasmus Wagner]

Ashenfall wrote:

PFS, they'll probably tell you "no," since the spell description specifically references a club or quarterstaff.

For a home game, I don't think there's any reason to disallow the spell to affect a slingstaff, when used as a melee weapon, since it's similar to a club. Ranged? I dunno. I'd have to put some consideration into it. I can't immediately think of any way to abuse the combo, but abuse would be my only concern.

Take the right halfling keepsake, and ranged shillelagh type damage becomes explicitly legal. For a sling, it's still up in the air whether it applies to staff-slings as well. Same with the Warslinger racial trait.

[Starglim]

I'll agree with the others that there's no reason not to allow shillelagh to increase the staff-sling's melee damage. The spell wouldn't alter its sling damage.

[Grick]

Rasmus Wagner wrote:

Take the right halfling keepsake, and ranged shillelagh type damage becomes explicitly legal.

It took me forever to figure out what you were saying.

Halfling Sacred Keepsakes - "Knotted Strap: This coarse bit of leather, drawn into a tight loop, often commemorates tasks involving defending a wild place from encroaching civilization. A halfling who uses it while casting shillelagh can cast the spell on a sling to give it the abilities of a +1 sling. Ammunition launched from this sling deals damage as if fired by a Large creature (bullets 1d6, stones 1d4) regardless of the halfling’s current size. If not wielded by the caster, the weapon behaves as if unaffected by this spell."

The Knotted Strap allows it to work on a sling, but a sling staff (when used as a sling) is not the same weapon:

Sling: 1d3(s)/1d4(m), ×2, 50 ft.
Sling staff, halfling: 1d6(s)/1d8(m), ×3, 80 ft.

So Knotted Strap Shillelagh doesn't work. (Even if it did, it would only grant the +1, the size change wouldn't affect it, and could possibly lower it if the halfling was enlarged)

Shillelagh: "Target one touched nonmagical oak club or quarterstaff"

"A halfling sling staff can be used as a simple weapon that deals bludgeoning damage equal to that of a club of its size."

The damage is equal, but a club has a critical multiplier of x2, while the slingstaff is x3. They're not the same weapon, so Shillelagh doesn't work.

Which is a damn shame.

[Stubs McKenzie]

I would suggest that it doesn't just change the actual dice rolled for damage, but the critical range and multiplier for damage purposes as well, making it in all ways equal to a club. I would also have no issue with the spell being cast on it. If that isn't the case, no one would ever use a club, as you can just pick up the slingstaff and have a club with x3 critical.

[Provos]

In melee, when dealing damage as a club, the crit multiplier and the damage is that of a size appropriate club.