How should FEW2 handle staves?

[Anomalocaris]

Lately, in my endless theorycrafting for FEW 2, I've been conflicted on the humble staff. While I dislike Age of Calamity's gameplay, I do like how it handled the elemental rods, and I've been wondering how that would translate into FEW. A way to pull out a Freeze or Slow rod and debilitate a whole group of enemies at once would be a nice addition to gameplay. At the same time, however, I've also been wondering how full movesets based around staves would work; FEW is sorely missing weapons that run off the Magic stat by default, and staves could add a little more variety from tomes.

Of course, making staves a new weapon type would have repercussions on Lissa, Elise, and Sakura's movesets, potentially taking away their axe, tome, and bow. Ideally this would be paired with a class-change system so they could retain their old playstyles as secondary movesets, so don't let attachment to those movesets sway your vote too much.

[Fabulously Olivier]

The current system is actually great. It provides a tangible way to distinguish characters. Just add offensive and supportive staves like Pain, Berserk, Silence, etc. Also add in equipment such as rings/shields/etc. to this slot.

 

Staves aren't really treated as a proper weapon type in the main franchise, unless you count faith magic in Three Houses, which is more of a combination of light magic tomes and staves. Even then, it's not like you're removing the offensive magic to equip a heal.

 

Also, treating staves as weapons in Warriors would create a larger mechanical issue. The current system works because you can build a moveset around that character's primary weapon without sacrificing their ability to support. It would be pretty awkward if Lissa had to choose between her axe and her staff. I'm not sure if the tradeoff is worth it just to have more "magic default" weapons. The franchise itself has done great things with tomes as the only magic default weapons, and tomes are a very broad weapon type comprised of no less than 5 different magic types.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Fabulously Olivier

[Anomalocaris]

11 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

The current system is actually great. It provides a tangible way to distinguish characters. Just add offensive and supportive staves like Pain, Berserk, Silence, etc. Also add in equipment such as rings/shields/etc. to this slot.

 

Staves aren't really treated as a proper weapon type in the main franchise, unless you count faith magic in Three Houses, which is more of a combination of light magic tomes and staves. Even then, it's not like you're removing the offensive magic to equip a heal.

 

Also, treating staves as weapons in Warriors would create a larger mechanical issue. The current system works because you can build a moveset around that character's primary weapon without sacrificing their ability to support. It would be pretty awkward if Lissa had to choose between her axe and her staff. I'm not sure if the tradeoff is worth it just to have more "magic default" weapons. The franchise itself has done great things with tomes as the only magic default weapons, and tomes are a very broad weapon type comprised of no less than 5 different magic types.

These are valid points.

I will note that the fourth voting option would address the choice issue; it'd allow Lissa to fight using an axe or offensive staff but still heal allies regardless of which she chooses, but it also creates an odd dissonance between the staves you equip like a weapon and the staves you equip as a secondary item both being called staves. That's somewhat of a dealbreaker for me, personally, but I included it as an option.

[Fabulously Olivier]

My inner weeb wants to suggest another option. Bo staves as magic damage melee weapon distinct from support staves.

 

(Goddamn did Hoshido ever miss an opportunity in not including bo staves).

Edited April 9, 2021 by Fabulously Olivier

[Interdimensional Observer]

29 minutes ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

My inner weeb wants to suggest another option. Bo staves as magic damage melee weapon distinct from support staves.

 

(Goddamn did Hoshido ever miss an opportunity in not including bo staves).

Same, when I saw this topic, Zhou Yu came to mind. Attach that moveset to a physic staff and I'd be good.

[Anomalocaris]

I feel like bo staves would just fall under the purview of lances, as a variety of medium-range polearm. Like spears and naginata.

[Fabulously Olivier]

43 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Same, when I saw this topic, Zhou Yu came to mind. Attach that moveset to a physic staff and I'd be good.

Zhou Yu is coincidentally my DW main.

 

36 minutes ago, Anomalocaris said:

I feel like bo staves would just fall under the purview of lances, as a variety of medium-range polearm. Like spears and naginata.

You could do much to separate them. Aside from magic damage, they could be blunt (armor effective), fast, excel at blocking, and come with pole-vaulting leaps for maneuverability.