The Monk's Staff

[Changing Man]

Osiyo,

Ok, so I'm referring to the Shakujo or Khakkhara or Xizhang - the staff topped with a ring and/or rings. How would that be statted out for PF? I mean, it's like, an incredibly stereotypical & historical monk's weapon/ implement, so... how did it get lost in the shuffle? Thoughts? Ideas? Advice?

Thanks in advance :)

[Mojorat]

Probably because it has heavy association with a specific real world religion. The reason for the rings and the numbers is all connected to Buddhism. Quarter staff works fine really.

[Changing Man]

Well, that's one theory... and yet it has appeared in Pathfinder Tales, and there is even a bit of a discussion about it in Master of Devils. A quarterstaff does work fine, yet it lacks that distinctive flavor...

[Azten]

Use the mechanic, not the flavor. Easy.

[Zhayne]

It's a staff. A fancy staff, a decorated staff, a staff with rings, but just a staff. Flavor/describe it however you like.

[Changing Man]

Excellent points. Although, there is precedence for different staves being statted slightly differently (cost notwithstanding): case in point, the Quarterstaff vs. the Bo Staff. Mechanically, they are almost the same, though the Bo staff costs more, is an exotic weapon (thus, needs an exotic weapon Feat), and has the Blocking special quality. In it's (the Bo Staff's) description, it says that it is "similar" to a quarterstaff- but as we all know, "similar" does not mean "same".

In some ways from the historical descriptions, a Shakujo seems to have more in common with some (light) polearms than with quarterstaves.

Thoughts?

[The Shaman]

Frankly, I think statting the bo staff differently was a mistake - for the cost of the exotic weapon feat (it´s about as simple as weapons come) there could be a staff-oriented combat feat that gave you the bonuses it does. Just because there is a precedent for something doesn´t make it a good idea.

Some of the magic staves look a lot more different from a quarterstaff than the monk staff does, and yet are equivalent mechanically. I think it can be perfectly ok to use the stats (is there a compelling reason to make it do any other than 1d6 blunt damage and crit on x2?). The special ones may be magic - native outsider bane, holy, defending etc seem like common enhancements for them.

[tristerfalm]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/weapons#TOC-Creating-New-Weapons Scroll down to sample weapons, it's called "khakkhara". I realize this post is like three years old, but for anyone else searching, here it is.

[lemeres]

And this is different form a quarterstaff as a beat stick...how?

[tristerfalm]

Many ways. It's not a double weapon, it deals 1d8, not 1d6, and crits x3.

[Drahliana Moonrunner]

Changing Man wrote:

Osiyo,

Ok, so I'm referring to the Shakujo or Khakkhara or Xizhang - the staff topped with a ring and/or rings. How would that be statted out for PF? I mean, it's like, an incredibly stereotypical & historical monk's weapon/ implement, so... how did it get lost in the shuffle? Thoughts? Ideas? Advice?

Thanks in advance :)

I would treat it as ..... a staff.

[lemeres]

tristerfalm wrote:

Many ways. It's not a double weapon, it deals 1d8, not 1d6, and crits x3.

Ah, didn't realize you brought up an actual thing.

I was more responding vaguely to the original post. I didn't realzie they made something with that silly weapon creation system.

[GypsyMischief]

I don't see why it would do anything different than what a normal staff does. Is there anything in particular that you had in mind, OP? Or do you just want a D8 weapon that you can apply 1-1/2 strength to while flurrying? No shame in that.

[Cevah]

tristerfalm wrote:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/weapons#TOC-Creating-New-Weapons Scroll down to sample weapons, it's called "khakkhara". I realize this post is like three years old, but for anyone else searching, here it is.

Easier to give the direct link to the Khakkhara.

/cevah