Wizard's Ward Spell orb

[swimmer11]

Well I don't usually post here on the forums, but I do want to say one thing.

First of all, I do love all the new content turbine brought out so great job guys, but with that being said I have one complaint:

Why make staves such a great use to a caster (bother random drops and the new War Wizards Staff) and then screw everyone who farmed for them by making the orb non equipable with the staff? Every picture on the load screens leads one to believe that the staff and orb should be able to equip together...I mean I understand that they are 2 handed weapons technically, but in all d&d pnp rules the staff (for a caster) is classified one handed because it is used in aid of walking/casting spells not to be swung. which from my experience in ddo very few casters swing the weapon anyway. So why not implement as an exception to casters with the spell orb ONLY to be equipped with the staff? (I mean you all did it for artis and rune arms, cause we all know xbows are 2 handed as well) just a suggestion, because like I said I love the new content but this really actually made me sick and irritated being that I farmed for my war wizards staff and was looking to get the orb with it, just to find out its useless and ddo is making me respect all my equipment again.

[illusion28]

Well I don't usually post here on the forums, but I do want to say one thing.

First of all, I do love all the new content turbine brought out so great job guys, but with that being said I have one complaint:

Why make staves such a great use to a caster (bother random drops and the new War Wizards Staff) and then screw everyone who farmed for them by making the orb non equipable with the staff? Every picture on the load screens leads one to believe that the staff and orb should be able to equip together...I mean I understand that they are 2 handed weapons technically, but in all d&d pnp rules the staff (for a caster) is classified one handed because it is used in aid of walking/casting spells not to be swung. which from my experience in ddo very few casters swing the weapon anyway. So why not implement as an exception to casters with the spell orb ONLY to be equipped with the staff? (I mean you all did it for artis and rune arms, cause we all know xbows are 2 handed as well) just a suggestion, because like I said I love the new content but this really actually made me sick and irritated being that I farmed for my war wizards staff and was looking to get the orb with it, just to find out its useless and ddo is making me respect all my equipment again.

/signed

Makes absolutely no sense that they would basically force staves in the last UPDATE only to have them now be used to play golf, because of the orbs now working as implements too. They should work on an idea to implement them both together, that way i'd be really useful.

[Luxgolg]

That is strange. Lars Heyton carries a staff in Misery's Peak, and has a Cannith power cell over his left shoulder too.

[Enoach]

I believe it is the same issue as why the Bastard Sword or the Dwarven War Axe cannot be used as a Two handed weapon - Exotic Feat in PnP opened them up to being single handed

I would agree that changing staff to be used as a single handed weapon (possibly adding negatives to damage/to-hit for "awkward" use when swung) would be a good thing, as well as Allowing Bastard Sword and Dwarven War Axes to be used as THF and treated as Martial Weapons when used that way.

[Hendrik]

Gives players OPTIONS so not all of them are carrying staves.

[Musouka]

Gives players OPTIONS so not all of them are carrying staves.

That's the way I see it. It's a new item they are playing with, and hopefully they'll retroactively place one in most packs/chains like they did runearms.

[Syllph]

Agreed fully with the OP. I don't like that Twilight gets introduced, forcing me to wield it in two hands even when I don't attack with it. Then they start introducing items that must be equipped in the offhand. Can we just have the option to hold the staff and not be able to attack with it?

[Memnir]

Equip an Orb and a Staff at the same and lose the ability to melee attack, maybe?

[MindSpecter]

Equip an Orb and a Staff at the same and lose the ability to melee attack, maybe?

It's not like casters cant swap weapons when they want to attack anyway, I don't see too much of a problem with this.

[Musouka]

Agreed fully with the OP. I don't like that Twilight gets introduced, forcing me to wield it in two hands even when I don't attack with it. Then they start introducing items that must be equipped in the offhand. Can we just have the option to hold the staff and not be able to attack with it?

I don't like that I come up with a good gear setup for my guys, but then they start releasing newer items that seem better, but start placing enhancements on different slots than my original setup. I still deal with it and adapt, and don't complain.

Stuff like this has been happening every time DDO releases new content, and now people complain? It's not like casters aren't already really powerful that you have to keep putting your hand out for more.

[DeafeningWhisper]

It gives options sure, like no reason to run CiTW on my casters, at all. That's an option my sanity can approve of

But I still agree with the OP, why create a new type of item if it's basically gonna be shield re-skinned? Seems like a waste of valuable time to me...

Edit: Oh and a shield could be used by caster bards, unlike the orbs.

[FuzzyDuck81]

/signed, making them a special case & able to be in the off-hand like arties & their arm/crossbow combo would be really nice.

[donfilibuster]

I believe it is the same issue as why the Bastard Sword or the Dwarven War Axe cannot be used as a Two handed weapon - Exotic Feat in PnP opened them up to being single handed

Agreed, that sure is an engine limitation more than an intended design.
Some people may say wielding a 1h in 2h is negligible gain not worth the coding.
In the end those little things made a rich weapons system.
Simplification isn't evil, but leads to people asking for underused weapon love.

For staves, yeah, they are supposed to be double weapons.
You could always wield it in one hand but that would only use the powers on one end.

Equip an Orb and a Staff at the same and lose the ability to melee attack, maybe?

Good idea, and they already have the tech for it in the runearms.

If the staff having more powers than a 1h is an issue, it'd be ok to have some of them only work in 2h.
e.g. a quick fix might be to suppress the implement bonus, maybe the potency in thaumaturgy staves as well.
And they have added these orb and staves so it's proof they can make new code for them.

[akiraproject24]

I think that being able to equip an orb and a staff would be allowing one to squeeze in more than they are intending. The whole change to spell power kinda proved the direction they wanted to take minimizing the ease at which casters have. They basically created a situation where you were forced to swap items if you wanted to cast at max potentials...unlike just poppin a clicky and having max potential to everything.

With that said I am not for or against it. If they want to make my job as a caster easier by allowing orb and staff equip fine I wont mind not having to swap for my acid spell or force spell when normal gear set up only covers elec/cold/nullif.

If they dont change it Ill just continue swapping for spells if I think of it or at least plan to swap with the gear on my hot bar but prolly wont end up doing anyhow as Im lazy and its too much work. lol

[ferrite]

AFAIK this item is a quarterstaff. From the PnP rules it is classified as a Two-Handed Melee, Simple Weapon. It is listed under that designation. Here is the rule.

"Quarterstaff
A quarterstaff is a double weapon. You can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, but if you do, you incur all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, just as if you were using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. A creature wielding a quarterstaff in one hand can’t use it as a double weapon-only one end of the weapon can be used in any given round. "

My interpretation is, normally you require both hands to use the item. You *may* use it in in one hand, however doing so would cause the other half of the item to no longer function (the portion that gives the off-hand attack). They'd also have to change the default behavior of all staves, so there's that.

Equip an Orb and a Staff at the same and lose the ability to melee attack, maybe?

This might not be enough of a drawback, since nearly all casters will never melee attack with this item anyway. Maybe

-Reduce the power of the quarterstaff to 50-75% when wielding an orb
-Create a new item in CiTW loot table, "Twilight, Shard of Magic". This item is a scepter with reduced powers similar to the staff, and a one-handed item thus usable with an orb.

Some ideas.

[Feather_of_Sun]

Why can't I use a greatsword in my main hand, and a khopesh in my other hand at the same time?

[Antiguo]

Why can't I use a greatsword in my main hand, and a khopesh in my other hand at the same time?

Because you are lazy and didnt put Monkey Grip in the game.

[Dawnsfire]

Why can't I use a greatsword in my main hand, and a khopesh in my other hand at the same time?

Because you are to clumsy

[Barazon]

Why can't I use a greatsword in my main hand, and a khopesh in my other hand at the same time?

People make a request, and developers respond with sarcasm instead of an actual answer. Then they wonder why we get so snarky.

Well if that's the tone that Feather wants to set, fine. Here's mine:

While the original idea is cool, if they let casters equip a stave and an orb, but be unable to melee attack with them, we would soon have useful developer feedback like this:

• Staves. Yes we know. Here is my known issue for staves. Staves in assorted flavors are borked.

Note: the original comment this is based on is here.

[LordMond63]

Why can't I use a greatsword in my main hand, and a khopesh in my other hand at the same time?

If you're talking in a fantasy (non real-world) setting, I'd suppose that, if your character had a high enough STR and the mass to counterbalance the weight of such a huge weapon being swung with one hand, you could. Doing so accurately, though........

The thing is, a quarterstaff is far, far lighter than a greatsword. Having wielded both IRL, there's just no comparison (and I make no claim to having above average strength, as measured in real-world terms). It's not just the weight of the greatsword that makes it next-to-impossible to swing one-handed but the mass of it as well. A quarterstaff can be roughly the same size, but it's of lighter material- not easily swung one-handed, to be sure, but much easier to do so than a huge sword.

I'm not sure if there is a suitable game mechanic that would allow equipping a staff and orb, but there really should be. It could be as easy as having the orb "float" above the caster's off-hand rather than actually be held in it, thus freeing both hands to hold the staff.