Well, then I say we make suplex training mandatory in wizard schools.
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All mages need some PE classes for the Joestar Family Ultimate Secret Technique:
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To be fair, if your magic staff is actually magic, whatever powers it has might not be worth risking by possibly breaking it trying to hit someone.
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I dunno, depending on the type of staff, you could probably take a bigger risk and get away with it.
If it’s just a stick, then yeah, maybe don’t risk it.
If it’s some artistically ornate deal, probably don’t risk it (unless it’s sturdier than it looks).
If it’s a solid metal pole, maybe with a crystal on it, go for it, bop all the skulls.
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I discussed something similar earlier.
Short version: per rule of balance, usually what’s magical inclined is not great for physical strikes.
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Honestly? I think it would make more sense for a mage to be physically fit. Like, yeah, obviously magic logic doesn’t need to be reasonable, but wouldn’t it feel fitting if your body and mind both needed to be in a very solid state to comfortably perform greater magics?
I think that the stereotype is just inflated from the stereotype of nerds being physically frail. Most of the jocks I knew were great students, and most of the smart people I knew also had interest in taking care of themselves physically. (I’m actually an exception that fits with the physically inept bookworm stereotype tho lol)
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I do get the appeal of the stereotypical mage, the emphasis on mental strength and willpower rather than the body. It’s a power fantasy for some people.
As for mages being physically fit, I guess it would depend on what kind of magic we’re talking about. If it involves hurling boulders and summoning gusts of wind, it makes sense that it would require strength and/or endurance on the caster’s part. Other spells might need precision and agility instead, so you don’t have to be strong to be able to handle them.
Either way, I’m always down for more mages fighting ATLA or FMA style. Why not throw punches and fireballs? 
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Punches covered in fireballs!
(I would say agility requires being physically fit as well, though. Think gymnasts.)
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I think you can build a monk like that in Pathfinder 
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That’s true, I might not have used the best word for it. I was thinking more like… fine motor controls? The precision and muscle memory of a musician or a painter (or a pro gamer). That kind of thing is probably useful for magic that deals with small particles.
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IMO the main reason why that stereotype is in place is stat systems in RPGs and how the need to balance wizards and fighters and rogues and whatnot led to different stat breakdowns. This is compounded by systems that reward dumpstats, so wizards sacrifice strength for int because even an average strength wizard will never swing a weapon well enough to bother with.
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Actually, I think a mage’s staff can be an effective mêlée weapon, especially one made from a sturdy wood. The top of the staff, which is blunt, can club an opponent while it’s bottom, which can be made pointy and sharp, can be used to stab/spear an opponent.
Like Pokemon moves: Fire-punch, Thunder-punch, and Ice-punch. I don’t see why not.
So, yeah, I’m also in favour of mages/wizards who are good in physical combat. Hand-to-hand combat + magic.
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Plus, if it’s long enough, it can keep your opponent at a distance while you work a spell.
It would be interesting to see other types of weapons used to channel magic too, like swords and maces.
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Of course, any staff can potentially do this. My point is simply that if your staff was filled with, say, highly volatile and destructive magic, you might want to think twice before whacking it hard on anything within melee range of yourself.
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In that case, then it’s understandable. I usually think that a staff is just a tool for channeling, or maybe act as an amplifier for, a mage’s magic .
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bold of you to assume I’m above a kamikaze attack to take my opponent with me
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That’s the logic behind latter-trilogy Dragon Age staves, which have some kind of sharp, pokey thing on the bottom and a staff head that you could probably shatter someone’s skull with if you weren’t careful. (IN PARTICULAR, that one staff where the head is just a geometric mess of cubes in Dragon Age: Inquisition. You could screw someone up for life if they took that across the jaw. And given that latter-trilogy mages like to sorta kinda dance about and twirl their staves like marching batons, that’s a very high risk.)
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Finally, someone said it. I’m kinda overloaded with all of the grey-morally characters portrayed in media. Not that it’s bad to show complexity of human nature and morale ambiguity yada yada, but these days, sometimes it felt CHEAP. It’s like the author just want to be called oh so deep and creat cheap shortcut to show complexity in your character and morale dilema philosophical bullshit. So the fans will analyze it longer, discuss it longer, then remember it longer, in case we could make another (terrible) sequels with extended franchise.
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Yeah, I see what you mean. Like, sometimes you can have some really good introspection on a character’s motivations, but other times, it just doesn’t work at all. Suddenly the nice protag who likes to help innocent people and fight bad guys has a hero complex based on the fact that they… put themselves in danger as much as you’d expect someone in this line of work to. A lot of the times the accusations come out after an act of heroism that wasn’t exceptionally dangerous by their standards. Like they’re supposed to cut their losses on this one mission because there’s like, two more gunmen than usual, and not doing so makes them reckless.
I especially hate it when a character wanting actual appreciation for their efforts is treated as selfish or unheroic. “You’re only doing it for the fame!” No, dumbass, they need positive feedback to know they’re making an impact. The attention is not the primary goal.
One thing I hate even more is the whole “why are people with powers obligated to help people?” bs. Like yeah, if you have the ability to help people in need, you should do that. Boom, question answered. I’ve been seeing it mostly in superhero stuff. “But why do you have to use your powers to fight crime?” Why tf not? Why would I be reluctant to do that? I have super strength and invulnerability, and a bunch of powers exclusively useful for combat; I think my career choices are pretty logical. It’s this or retail.
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That’s why I’ve always liked the Spider-man “with great power comes great responsibility” message. In the original film it even followed by showing that Peter using his powers for money was a selfish thing to do, and that he could use them to help others in a meaningful way instead.
Also I love it when the unheroic characters call out the heroic ones, saying they have a hero complex and selfish motivations. Like, even if they do, they’re still miles better than you, who’re either doing nothing or worse for others. Where do they even get off judging them for it?
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