The Genius Guide to Apeiron Staves

What In The World Are Apeiron (pronounced a-pay-ron) Staves?

Simply put, they are to spellcasters what a magic sword is to a fighter. They are weapons of war used by the magically inclined to blast away that which ails them. Where the swordmaster passes down his blade to his favorite student, so too does the master wizard pass his apeiron stave down to his star apprentice.

Apeiron staves are magical implements whose most basic function can be used without draining their magical reserves. While they are staff shaped, are magical, and have charges, that is where the comparison between an apeiron staff and a regular magical staff ends. Apeiron staves do not cast spells, but rather offer a number of augmentations to their basic effect. These augmentations do drain a separate reservoir, but even when this pool is empty, the apeiron staff can still be activated to use its basic effect.

Thanks! Now That I Know What They Are, Tell Me Why I Need An Apeiron Staff?

In the core rules, staves are treated as 'spells-in-a-can' - a delivery mechanism for a specific number of abilities the user likely already possesses. Yes, they let you create impressive effects, but at the end of the day they are simply a different way to cast a spell. We already have potions, wands, scrolls, and a multitude of command-word items to do this. Why should the vast majority of magic item categories simply be different ways to cast a spell? That's where apeiron staves come in.

While most apeiron staves are offensively oriented, a fair number also exist to assist your allies. No longer shall a support character be faced with the question of what to do on some rounds. They can help give orders to their allies, boost their offensive capabilities, lift the burdens ailing their compatriots, and much more.

Cool! Last Thing... Apeiron Is A Crazy-Weird Word, Did You Just Make It Up?

Nope. The word apeiron is Ancient Greek for 'infinite' or 'unlimited', or more literally 'without limit' or 'without end'. Perhaps its most famous user was the 6th century B.C. Greek natural philosopher Anaximander, which he used in his response to the Pre-Socratic natural philosophers of his age who were debating which element, Earth, Wind, Air, or Fire, was the basis of reality. Anaximander proposed that the basis of reality was actually the apeiron, or the infinite, and attributed a divine-like aspect to it. And so, much like how these staves create magic, he proposed that the universe was itself a creation of the apeiron. And that's why we think the name 'apeiron staves' is appropriate for a type of magical staff that can continuously create a basic magic effect.

Besides, it just sound cool when you can have your character say "Fear not this savage horde my friends, now that we have recovered my Apeiron Staff of the Spectral Hero, a mighty champion of legendary Mar'Kan shall fight with us this day!"