Mage’s Staff

“Ad primo: a staff alone does not make a mage. Ad secundo: staff combat suits the graduates of this Academy. Ad tertio: undisciplined fidgeting is not a fighting technique. Ad quarto: never underestimate an opponent armed only with a staff. Ad quinto: strive to learn perfect control of magic and the staff in combat, as described in the following capitulum.”
— Excerpt from Chapter 3: Control of the Staff, from the book Magic and Combat, published by the Hall of Perfected Combat, in Bethana, 1040 FB

The mage’s staff is the symbol of a guild mage’s status. Many mages prefer long staves (those at least 5 feet in length), but some carry short staves about one-third that length, and others like medium staves. Mage’s staves can be decorated or plain, according to their owners’ preferences.

Regardless of size and décor, all are made from wood and thus can serve as weapons. Many mage academies offer self-defense against brigands and wild beasts as part of the curriculum. Long mage’s staves are more effective for parrying, but less effective for attacks. While staves are not considered particularly lethal due to the lack of a blade, they can inflict worrisome injuries.