Magic Gear: Magic Staff vs Grimore

The Staff and Grimoire are some of the most important aspects of the mage arsenal.

There seems to be only a surface difference but there are unique strengths to both of them.

What they add to the magic system and mage shouldn't be overlooked.

So with that in mind, let’s go over what makes each one special, how they work and which one should you use. Also, I know you can use both but we’ll get to that.

What is a Grimoire and how does it work?

The Grimoire is one of the most important things a mage can have aside from their staff.

Another name for it is Spell Book/Tome.

A Grimoire is where all the spells, rituals, or creature data are stored safely.

The strength of the Grimoire is that it’s an excellent storage for spells and can be passed on. Unlike the staff, what’s passed on is knowledge and that can provide the audience with a glimpse of what's possible.

Grimoires are also much better at world-building. When the main characters find an ancient Grimoire, it can be an amazing scene to flesh out the world.

They can also be:

• Cursed

• Have a human form

• Be a living book that talks.

These are some things you can do with a Grimoire that can benefit the story and world-building.

What is the Mage’s Staff and how does it work?

A Mage’s Staff is the popular default weapon and medium for spell casting. The Staff’s main job is to focus mana which will allow for better and faster spell casting.

The downside is that the staff does not contain spells and if it does it’s usually just one built-in quick spell.

When it comes to passing it on to the next generation, the staff is more of a sentimental item. If there is no built-in spell then it’s just a stick that can control mana better than most.

The Staff is sentimental because it can define a mage and offers more customization.

When the young mage holds their ancestor’s staff he can feel the ancient mana and the weight that comes with it.

The staff is the character builder to the Grimoire’s world-building.

Why not use both?

You can use both but they can become overpowered when given to a character.

When it comes to world-building you can definitely use both. From what I’ve seen the focus is on the Staff while the Grimoire is only for world-building and study notes.

When it comes to spell-casting, that’s where it can get overpowered. These mages use the Grimoire for reference and storage while using the staff for faster spells.

This can easily make the Mage a more powerful threat. The way to use this without being OP is to have this state be rare or dangerous.

Only the most powerful and wise mages can use them both at the same time.

Perhaps having both would put a mental strain on the brain but powerful mages can deal with it. That’s just one idea.

Overall, you can use both but you have to write around the problems it can cause.

Which one to use?

For your story which one should you use as the main medium of spell-casting?

In general, if you want to focus more on the action with quick spell-casting and character building then choose the staff.

If you want to focus more on strategic spell-casting, with a tool for world-building; choose the Grimoire.

You can also ignore these two and make your own or even go in the superpower path like Fairy Tail.

Hopefully, this helps any writers reading. With that, I’m done.