Power Staff

Power Staff is a 4e note on Thaumatology 52 before Paut and Cone of Power.
It is a treatise on how to represent powerful staffs.
==option one==
The first suggestion is to cast Powerstone on a staff itself. Although not noted: Manastone could also be cast on a staff, and this should in theory work on ANY WEAPON. Casting it on large weapons could make it harder to destroy your powerstone, but it also makes it harder to have other powerstones the required 6 yards distant to avoid interfering with each other's recharge.
==option two==
"incorporate a Powerstone into a staff" is the 2nd suggestion. Unless the staff had the Staff enchantment, the wizard would still need to actually touch the stone. For example the walking stick of William Headley uses a gem in the grip, probably for that reason.
The enchantment "staff" would allow you to touch a powerstone with the staff instead of your hand, allowing you to tap them at a distance. Logically the staff is "automatically touching" (no strike roll needed) any powerstone attached to it (though this is not required).
"Such a stone can energize any spell enchanted into the staff" is mentioned. Note however that it is not necessary at all to build a powerstone into an item to power that item: a wizard might be holding a powerstone, or holding a DIFFERENT staff with a powerstone, and still use that powerstone to power a normal item.
What it is PROBABLY trying to get at is M70's Dedicated Powerstone note: pre-enchantment attachment of a powerstone doubles the output but limits the powerstone to use with that item until the powerstone is removed. Removing the powerstone will always destroy the enchantment. Some "built into" powerstones can require skill rolls to avoid breaking (or perhaps merely damaging) the powerstone itself.
:one other key difference with an "exclusive" powerstone (rather than one merely attached) is also that touching the powerstone itself is no longer necessary to access it's energy: merely touching the item is adequate. No "staff" enchantment is needed.
M70's Exclusive Powerstone is also an option: it triples output, but makes item only usable by integral powerstones. The user of the item (and any non-integrated powerstones they may have) can't power it in this case.
==option three: Spells cast through==
The final note is the most interesting:
:Letting it empower any spell cast through the staff doubles its effective output, which is probably too generous – but some GMs might like this way of boosting wizards’ power.
"Letting" might imply this is an optional add-on rule, but this is actually already how Dedicated/Exclusive Powerstones work with the Staff enchantment:
:The item’s user may tap its energy – but only to power the spells cast by or through that item.
The term "by" refers to items casting spells (usually at minimum Power 15 under basic rules, though Thaumatology proposes relaxing the minimum) while "through" could only refer to using "staff" to extend the range of spells.
Why this isn't generous is because it actually has a drawback: the inability to touch the powerstone from a distance using ANOTHER staff. You can't just daisy-chain multiple staffs to increase range. Normally you could touch a distance powerstone to use it to fuel your spells, but if that is an Exclusive Powerstone to a staff, you actually need to be able to touch that staff yourself (not with a backup staff) to draw on it's energy.
An Exclusive Powerstone for a staff is even more limited, because that staff can't draw upon a wizard's FP to cast spells anymore, only triple-output from the stone.
==3e background==
28 October 2010 a post from arnej said that Kromm said this sometime during 2003 (prior to 4E in 2004)
:Dr. Kromm specifically stated (and was archived in Kromm Notes II) that Dedicated and Exclusive Powerstones can only be used to power spells enchanted onto an item.
:Yes, this is apparently an area where Magic has been superseeded.
:I read it the same way you did at first (and second) pass.
:d) If a staff with the Staff spell on it has a dedicated powerstone imbedded in it (and nothing else), does this allow the user to cast spells such as Deathtouch, Lightning, (heck even History or Analyze Magic) through the staff and power it with the stone?
::No. A dedicated Powerstone is only useful for powering spells that are enchanted onto the item it is part of.
::A mage cannot use the stone at double efficiency (or any efficiency) just because he's casting spells through the item it's in, even if the item does have a Staff spell on it.
::The stone is dedicated to the spells enchanted onto the item.
This contradicts how Powerstone is described. Perhaps in deference to this is why Thaumatology included the Power Staff note. The "option" is to play RAW while it might be assumed you otherwise play RAI.
Kromm Notes II is referenced in https://rec.games.frp.gurps.narkive.com/qkmqAG0b/powerstone-recharging in a 10 December 2003 quote from Eric B. Smith, which appears to be who arnej quoted seven years later.
An archive of the three "Kromm Notes" from 2001 can be seen at https://web.archive.org/web/20010413202634/http://www.krommnotes.org/
https://web.archive.org/web/20010815182230/http://www.krommnotes.org/kromm2.html states it was last modified 25 October 1998, five years prior to Eric Smith quoting it.
The 16 August 1999 Kromm Notes I also has an interesting note at https://web.archive.org/web/20010418214111/http://www.krommnotes.org/kromm1.html
:Q: If a character has an enchanted magic item that lets him cast a spell, and a loose powerstone, can he use the powerstone to power the item?
::Technically, I think that since a powerstone in a Staff item can be used by a mage holding the item to cast one of his own spells (i.e., not one of the spells the item is enchanted with), the opposite should be true:
::a powerstone held my a mage can be used to cast a spell using an item if the item has the Staff spell.
::Assume that the Staff spell acts as a conduit for magical energy.
It is not entirely clear what Kromm means by this. A mage is already the conduit of energy into an item he holds. It would only make sense if using TWO staffs: one to connect mage to stone, other to connect mage to casting item
==option 3 - energy reserve==
A suggested limit of IQ+Magery is given for allowing mages to purchase non-unique energy reserves. The "hard work" of replacing a broken staff isn't quantified here, but requiring "repair" recasting "staff" spell is one suggestion Kromm made in 2008 at http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=590834&postcount=18
:The real question here isn't about the Staff spell but about other things stuck on the staff as advantages; e.g., Energy Reserve.
:If physical repairs and/or Repair, followed by recasting Staff, would restore those, then I think the gadget rates as reparable. Otherwise, it doesn't.
Kromm does not address how to deal with "can be stolen" however, so that remains an enigma. Even if a mage were to half a self-destruct mechanism to keep it out of enemy hands, he'd still need to cast Repair on the remnants to rebuild the old staff.
T52's "nobody can have more than one functional staff at a time" however suggests that it may be possible to just build an entirely new staff so long as the old one is destroyed, in which case self-destruct would be useful to allow that for long-gone stolen ones.
Another might be to take additional limitations on the energy reserve, like Preparation Required for example. Since only one ability can be prepped with PR, it naturally follows the limit of one staff. Given that PR "use" is 1 minute though, that creates a problem of needing to re-prep energy reserves to activate them at a later time.
Another possibility might be to allow "Alternative Abilities" for energy reserves: pay 1/5 cost for the new staff, and while using it, you can't use your old one.
It's implied you can't use 2 energy reserves simultaneously already (per the Improved Zombie Gromm did in pyramid 1. So requiring a ready to switch attunement between the two is no big deal.
For "long than 1 second to switch" there is a guideline in PU4 ammo enhancements for piercing attacks Ammo Types (though not for Thrusting Blade)
==See also==
*Staff of Power from Fantasy Trip
*Staff Attunement
*Staff Vault
*Wizard's Staff
Category:Rules