Wait, the halfling sling staff isn’t a staff?

[VampByDay]

Is that right? The sling staff can’t be used as a melee weapon? That was like, it’s main selling point, that you could beat people up with it in at range or in melee. Is there no errata on this?

[Moppy]

It's still also regular staff, right?

[Gisher]

There's no errata for this. It's a ranged weapon only.

[Captain Zoom]

VampByDay wrote:

Is that right? The sling staff can’t be used as a melee weapon? That was like, it’s main selling point, that you could beat people up with it in at range or in melee. Is there no errata on this?

Yes it is a melee weapon, specifically an Improvised Weapon!

[WatersLethe]

I would not hesitate to let someone use it with the stats of a regular staff.

[Squiggit]

It is a little odd. "Doubles as a club" was, from my understanding, one of the main features of the weapon in PF1.

Also odd in its relationship with Staff Acrobat. Nothing broken rules wise but just kinda odd that it's a strictly ranged weapon you use with a dedication that has melee flavor.

[Ferious Thune]

There is also a little bit of uncertainty whether or not any of the halfling feats that work with slings work with the sling staff. Admittedly, it’s a little better of a situation in 2E, since it’s in the Sling group. In 1E it generally got ruled that feats that worked with slings didn’t work with a sling staff.

Specifically for 2E the ambiguity comes in for Titan Slinger:

Titan Slinger wrote:

You have learned how to use your sling to fell enormous creatures. When you hit on an attack with a sling against a Large or larger creature, increase the size of the weapon damage die by one step (details on increasing weapon damage die sizes can be found here).

Does it mean sling the weapon, or sling the weapon group?

[Ravingdork]

Mighty Elmon doesn't play that way. :P

[Wheldrake]

There are several problems with the slingstaff as presented in PF. First off, the historical model for this weapon didn't look like an oversized slingshot, as the PF2 description suggests:

CRB wrote:

This staff ends in a Y-shaped split that cradles a sling.

This picture shows what the weapon *ought* to look like: https://www.pinterest.fr/pin/496944140116093257/

Second, since the item description begins with the words "This staff..." it is a not unreasonable reading of the RAW to determine that it can also be used in melee as a staff. The thing about arguing RAW is that you have to realize that the RAW is often ambiguous, and doesn't necessarily mean what you want it to mean.

Some folks here take themselves entirely too seriously.

[Temperans]

Well another thing to errata since Sling staffs are clubs.

[Wheldrake]

Temperans wrote:

Well another thing to errata since Sling staffs are clubs.

I'm sincerely curious. Where do you get that?

The item description refers to "this staff..." so I get the interpretation that some folks make, that they can use it in combat as a staff. But why would you make it a club? Legacy issues?

[HumbleGamer]

It should also count as a staff.

Or else some maneuvers with the "Staff Acrobat Dedication", like

- Staff Sweep
- Pivot strike
- Levering strike

Wouldn't work.

Also, the maneuvers you get from the dedication ( trip and shove) are meant to be performed in melee reach and not ranged.

I'd go with 1d6 damage for melee stuff ( or just follow improvised weapon rules)

@wheldrake: staffs are under the club group.

[Moppy]

Wheldrake wrote:

Temperans wrote:

Well another thing to errata since Sling staffs are clubs.

I'm sincerely curious. Where do you get that?

The item description refers to "this staff..." so I get the interpretation that some folks make, that they can use it in combat as a staff. But why would you make it a club? Legacy issues?

Why not make it a halfling too? :-)