Short Staff skill

General Information

Historically staff weapons are associated primarily with martial forms of combat. The lack of a curved metal upon which to cut or impale a foe and the fairly forgiving weight of most wooden weapons makes staff weapons a favorite of many martial forms for training purposes. The ubiquitous stick is perhaps the earliest example of armed combat. The early discovery of bronze-working, for all practical purposes, made staff weapons an obsolete tool of war in human prehistory.

Luckily, within Dragonrealms the staff presents a viable (if not ideal) weapon class. Stave weapons in Dragonrealms are divided into two categories: quarter staffs and short staffs. Short staffs represent an eclectic mix of weapon types, from simple staves to nightsticks to odder improvised weapons like chair legs. Short staffs are generally lighter and easier to wield than quarter staffs, often at the expense of damage output.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Extremely light
• Low roundtime
• Easy to sheath and store

Disadvantages

• Considerable lack of power
• Difficult to train into high ranks
• Lack of powerful templates, both player-made or merchant-bought

Guild-Specific Abilities

• Barbarians can WHIRLWIND with any pole or melee weapon. This will attack all targets within range of their chosen weapon (melee or pole), including hidden targets. Hidden targets will be pulled from hiding if hit by whirlwind. WHIRL can also be used on one's self or another to free the target from webbing. Requirements: 350 in the weapon skill, 30 agility, 30 reflex.
• Barbarians and Paladins can parry ranged weapons inside the range of the weapon they are holding.
• Weapons secondary and primary guilds can dual-wield short staffs.

Recommended Weapons

• an iron-banded nightstick (Barbarian weapon shop in Crossing)
• a short steel spear (pike/short staff fest swappable)