Grith's Staves

Full Item Description
Grith's Staves are generally uniform in appearace, six foot long and shaped from white oak. The ends of the each staff are capped in brass to protect the wood from splitting and fraying. One foot from each end is a second band of brass, each adorned with Grith's personal symbol, a mailed fist etched with a holy symbol.

History
Like many people of the scholarly profession, Grith was not a physically strong or imposing person, and as such had an acute sense of being threatened and menaced. In a world full of ogres, trolls, bugbears, barbarians and mercenaries perhaps this feeling was somewhat justified. Unlike many others who take the magical arts to learn to hurl fireballs or bend the wills of others to their own, Grith just wanted to feel safe while he went about his business. He had no real interest delving into caves, hunting fabulous monsters or duping fiends and such. He just wanted to continue his writing and studies.

After taking a correspondence course in enchantment from Cinque-Parte Polygnostic Grith decided to make a variation of a Staff of Summoning. Rather than summon a number of servants or horrific looking but harmless beasties, he settled on a staff that instead summoned only one creature at a time, but this creature was more than a servant. This creature was to be a bodyguard, large intimidating and while certainly not intended to kill, could easily defend the master of the staff.

Grith's first staff summoned an obviously magical creature, a blue skinned man with curling ram's horns, four arms, and a penchant for bellowing loudly. While the creature was certainly apt for intimidation, and could easily stand on it's own against a small number of opponents it was not practical for casual or public use. After some practice and a few staves sold for more funding, Grith completed his enchantment and sculpted the ideal bodygaurd.

Grith's Protector
The Protector is a large and heavily muscled humanoid. The creature is impossibly wide across the chest and has biceps that would make a barbarian weep with envy. The abdomen and loins of the protector are girded in scale armor while the uppoer torso is bare skin. As a magical creature, this is cosmetic as it has neither vitals to protect and on a material level, the flesh and the armor are composed of roughly the same conjured materia. The Protector is unarmed and proficient at unarmed combat, wrestling, and submission holds. If pressed, it can and will utilize weapons and shields in the process of carrying out it's duty.

Magic/Cursed Properties
Grith's Staff is a masterwork quarterstaff with no magical combat bonuses but can be used as a melee weapon. The staff is actually the Protector's primary weapon when a weapon is required. Breaking the staff destroys the protector, unless the protector is material when the staff is broken. If this occurs, the Protector enters a berzerk rage and uses the maximum amount of force possible rather than subduing foes.

A Protector functions as a highly defensive low level to low middle level fighter class, and is specialized in non-lethal combat, hand to hand combat, and is proficient with all simple martial weapons, such as clubs, axes, staves, and the usage of a shield. The Protector cannot use projectile weapons such as bows, but it can certainly throw things with it's impressive strength. Earlier versions of the Staff will have quirks, highly variable appearances for their summoned bodyguard and powers that vary from staff to staff.