Issue: Magical Staves do not interact with runes as expected

[JohnnyQuest1983]

Some issues with how the system handles magical staves and weapon runes.

1. Weapon Runes set a base price.

The standard rule for Magic Weapons is that you effectively treat all weapons as having a price of 0gp and just add 35gp for +1 Weapon Potency, 65gp for Striking (so 100gp for +1 Striking), etc. This is how the pf2e system handles weapons and works fine in most situations, but seems to be an issue with magical staves.

Staff of Elemental Power has a base price of 230gp.
Magical Staves can have Fundamental Runes added.
Giving the Staff of Elemental Power a +1 Potency rune, for example, sets its price to 35gp as if it were a basic 0 or 1gp weapon.

Staff with no runes - 230 gp

Staff with +1 Weapon Potency rune - 35 gp

I'm not sure on the correct ruling for how the price should be handled but I don't think that it should lose the 230gp base value.

It might be that magical staves should be handled as Specific Magic Weapons although in my opinion staves are a bit too generic for that to apply despite essentially following the same rules.

It seems that magical staves are halfway already treated that way as...

2. Adding runes doesn't change a stave's name

The pf2e system automates names when changing runes on any weapon that isn't marked as "Specific Magic Weapon". A 'Crossbow' is automatically renamed to "+2 Striking Crossbow" if a +2 Weapon Potency rune and a Striking rune are added to it. This does not happen with magical staves, despite not being marked as "Specific Magic Weapon".

3. The UI allows Magical Staves to have Property runes added

As noted in the Magical Staves rules linked above, staves can have fundamental runes etched but not property runes, yet in the Details tab of the weapon, as long as "Specific Magic Weapon" is unticked Magical Staves can have Property runes selected as if they were any other normal weapon. Perhaps magical staves need their own rule to disallow Property runes at all times?

[stwlam]

I don't think there is an "as expected" here. Staves being weapons make them subject to magical staff rules and weapon rules, and the two sets of rules conflict.

[CarlosFdez]

As for disallowing property rune selection, the magus feat Student of the Staff allows you to override the core rule and add property runes to your staff.