Anybody ever buy a staff?

[rangerjeff]

Just had this thought, haven't ever seen anybody recommend buying a staff, have never seen one included in a build... other than GM awarded loot, do staves ever get PF play?

[MrSin]

I have wielded a staff on any of my characters. I have never heard someone tell me they want to buy a staff or to go out and get one. I've only seen two staves in the hands of other characters.

The first staff I've seen was a minor artifact given to a party member. He rarely used for more than a walking stick. The second was part of the module and the GM thought it would be cool for the wizard. It was used as a walking stick again once its charges were used up.

[The Terrible Zodin]

Never bought a staff because they are too expensive and too hard to recharge.

In the two cases that I got a staff they were rarely used because I didn't want to use charge because they start with too few charges and they are too hard to recharge.

I like them better when they were non-rechargable and had 50 charges.

[martinaj]

JJ himself has stated he thinks the listed price on staves is too high.

[Aioran]

Staff of the Master, without a doubt. 30k for rechargable level-costless metamagic using regular casting time in a school of your choice. (1 charge : +1 spell level)

[rangerjeff]

I'd almost consider getting the staff of courage for my lvl 6 Cleric, since it's 2xPrayer, 2xRemove Paralysis, Remove Fear, and Bless, all spells I would like to have handy, and would definitely use the Prayers every game session. But 19,200 gp... When I can carry a scroll of the same for 1,100gp. Sure, no AoO to use a Staff is nice, and over the long run it would save me money, but that's like almost 60 Prayers (375gp each) to get to 19,200gp.

Now okay, a 3rd level Pearl of Power is 9000gp and would get me a second casting of Prayer as long as I memorize it once, which is not quite the same utility as a scroll or the Staff, but honestly that's still a little too expensive and I'd rather carry a couple copies at a time on a scroll in case I really need it.

But chop the cost of the staff in half, 9,600 gp, and I'd seriously start to think about it. And I don't think it would be underpriced.

[rangerjeff]

Aioran wrote:

Staff of the Master, without a doubt. 30k for rechargable level-costless metamagic using regular casting time in a school of your choice. (1 charge : +1 spell level)

Herolab only shows me the one for Necromancy, but it looks like the highest level spell in the staff is 3rd level, so easy to recharge, holds 4 charges max, can only be recharged 1 charge per day as normal. So in an extended session, not as useful as a rod of the metamagic you like best, but obviously more versatile, and in a PFS like session, assuming full recharge between sessions, pretty handy.

Cheaper than a lesser rod of quicken, but then, you actually have to have the quicken feat to apply quicken with the staff.

Hmm... some of the staves with extra abilities may be useful, though the straight spell staves are all still overpriced it seems.