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The Co-Star of an RPG will invariably wield some kind of stick or blunt object, while the hero gets a sword. In fact, usually it's obvious the stick isn't even going to be used as a weapon; it makes the inevitable magic abilities of this character better.
Early in the game this can give her (this is rarely a guy) a long-range advantage. Once the party finds more dedicated magic users and items, she'd better know some healing spells. Also known as the Girlfriend Healer (as per this sort-of-real-world example ), since she is inevitably expected to fulfill both roles.
Sometimes she'll have the best of some kind of useful spell, but unless it's a Holy Hand Grenade, it's too little too late.
A Staff Chick is quite often a Rebellious Princess or Mysterious Waif as well, occasionally treading into Mary Sue territory.
Sometimes she's the only girl, but more often, she's accompanied by a Black Magician Girl, Cute Bruiser, or Lady Of War for the sake of contrast. They sometimes share an Odd Friendship. The Staff Chick is, as her name implies, often The Chick.
Despite the name (and that first paragraph), a number of examples below don't actually wield a staff. Conversely, not every chick who wields a staff is a Staff Chick.
Examples
Anime
- Mireille in .hack//tasogare no udewa densetsu, an Expy as well as identical daughter of Mistral. She shares the same subversion, being a constantly plotting Genki Girl that drags her teammates around and uses them for information that will benefit herself. However, her young age (and I mean very young) means that she doesn't have the hidden wisdom and maturity of Mistral. She's also contrasted sharply and amusingly with Hotaru, a Black Magician Girl that would fit better as a Staff Chick.
- Which makes Hotaru's OVA appearance a complete subversion of this trope.
- Yuuno, Shamal, and Caro in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, although they use rings and gems instead of staves. Actual staff users in the series tend to be another type of character that would never be mistaken for this.
- Mahou Sensei Negima has Konoka Konoe, the supportive healing mage of the group. Except she uses fans instead of a staff.
- Kaaya of The Tower Of Druaga. While normally a naive and innocent Mysterious Waif, she occasionally shows a very devious and manipulative side.
- Sylphiel in The Slayers. Notable that by the time of Slayers NEXT, her only offensive spell that she mastered was town-destroying Dragon Slave... and the only reason why she bothered to learn it was because she hoped to use it to compete for Gourry Gabriev's heart against Lina Inverse.
- While her powers of demon summoning are more in line with a Black Magician Girl, Mahoujin Guru Guru's Kukuri has a personality more in line with a Staff Chick.
- While Elie finds an actual staff at one point, Rave Master's Belnika is better suited to the role of Staff Chick.
Literature
- Goldmoon, from the Dragonlance series, was a prototypical example of this, although the main hero wasn't her love interest.
- At the same time, the Sword and Sorceress books possibly gave rise to the phenomenon (as well as female duo Ho Yay) and even turned it into a cliche.
Video Games
- The Princess of Moonbrooke in Dragon Quest II is probably the Ur Example.
- Aerith (from the image above) from Final Fantasy VII is probably the archetypical example, though far more developed than your typical staff chick.
- Rosa from Final Fantasy IV (also a Distressed Damsel) was almost a prototype for the breed, except her non-magical archery was often a match for some melee characters. She could wield a staff as well, but her best weapons were bows and arrows.
- Garnet/Dagger, Final Fantasy IX — uses magical "rackets" as well as staves, doubled as a Summoner — otherwise fit the trope to a T.
- Yuna, Final Fantasy X. Averted in Final Fantasy X 2 where Yuna has as much access as Rikku and Paine to all manner of death-dealing hardware.
- Given all the Final Fantasy examples, the aversion in Final Fantasy V is notable. Each character can switch to any job at any time, so in a battle there could be between zero and four staff-wielding party members.
- Also, due to the ability to give characters secondary commands such as Equip Sword or Barehanded, its possible that none of the mages would be using staves anyway. Especially since the Barehanded ability inflicts more direct damage than the most powerful staves in the game...
- Nina in the last three Breath Of Fire games (though she used a rapier in the first and energy-shooting rings in the second.)
- In Shadow Hearts, the main female character - while fitting the standard of a healing-specialist Staff Chick - uses a book... as a bludgeoning weapon.
- In From The New World, it's subverted - the girl using staves (actually magic wands) is a Black Magician Girl. The main character comes closer, although he uses knives; it's suicide to run him as anything but the party's healer.
- Raine Sage from Tales of Symphonia is female, uses a staff, and is the team healer, but is a subversion in just about every other way. She's cold, not the main love interest, and inclined to swat her teammates when they behave in a manner that she disapproves of or when they get the wrong answer to a question. Her place in the story is as the teacher for The Hero, The Chick, and The Smart Guy.
- Tear from Tales of the Abyss is a similar subversion, except that she is the main love interest. She's cold, originally showed up as part of an assassination attempt, and constantly calls the main character on it when he's being an idiot.
- Like Raine, Mistral in the first .hack// games is a staff-using female healer, but is completely unlike the usual personality type. She's hyper and loud, is obsessed with rare items, and is always nosing around for more information. However, she has a mature, serious side that manifests itself in her real-world life and in tasogare no udewa densetsu.
- Elena in Grandia II.
- Subverted slightly, in that Millenia was the third of the top-tier party members, and most definitely wasn't anything like Elena, except in her choice of romantic pursuits. Oh, and that usage of a crossbow, too.
- Rosalind in Summoner.
- Amy Sage in Phantasy Star II. Being a futuristic-themed game, Amy is actually classified as a Medical Doctor. While the actual use of staves in this game is limited to the Fire Staff, which is entirely optional in favour of certain other weapons, she's the only one who can actually equip it.
- Male example in Phantasy Star IV: Raja. All of his plentiful skills and spells are healing/support based, with one exception in the form of a devastating holy flame attack, and— you guessed it— he uses a staff. Somewhat unique in that he's a wise-cracking, elderly, ordained and respected priest, rather than being young and idealistic as the archetype tends to require.
- Mint in Tales of Phantasia. Late in the game, her fairly potent arsenal of heals, cures, stunning hammers and status enhancers is capped off by the power to temporarily stop time. Given, it doesn't work on bosses, but it's freaking sweet to have around.
- Shana and later Miranda from Legend of Dragoon, although they both wield bows. Shana is also a Mysterious Waif.
- Furiae in Drakengard. When she's seen wielding anything, it is always a staff.
- Manah, who was the psychotic antagonist in the first game, returns in the sequel as a playable character. She wields a staff and strong attack magicks.
- Subverted with Mist and Elincia in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (and Radiant Dawn). Both are typical staff-wielding healers, but are also dangerous swordswomen (espeically Elincia with her sword Amiti, who can kill almost any non-boss in one round). In fact, in Radiant Dawn, they gain SS-rank mastery in swords and only S-rank in staffs.
- Also note that both, when casting magic from a staff do so using their swords.
- Speaking of Fire Emblem... A fact present in several of these games is that one of your first allies will be a Cleric (on-foot Staff Chick) or a Priest (on-foot male healer), and some rounds later you'll be able to recruit a Troubadour (mounted Staff Chick), and sometimes a Valkyrie (mounted Staff Chick who is also a Black Magician Girl), a Sage (basically the same, but on foot and with either gender), or a Bishop (Light magic user *and* healer that promotes from Clerics and Priests (they can also promote from the all-male Monks, which use offensive magic instead of staves)).
- Seisen no Keifu: Edin (Cleric), Diadora (Shaman, but has a very effective Silence staff), Ethlin (Troubadour), Lachesis and Claude (High Priest). Though you get Ethlin first. In the second part of the game where you use the children of the first part charas, you have Rana (Cleric), Nanna (Troubadour) and Corple (Priest).
- Fuuin no Tsurugi: Ellen (Cleric), Saul (Priest), Clarine (Troubadour), Cecilia (Valkyrie), Yodel (Bishop).
- Rekka no Ken: Serra (Cleric), Priscilla (Troubadour), Pent (Sage), Renault (Bishop).
- Seima no Kouseki: Natasha (Cleric), Moulder (Priest), L'Arachel (Troubadour), Saleh (Sage).
- "Akatsuki no Megumi" (Radiant Dawn): Micaiah (Light Mage), Laura (Cleric), Elincia (Queen), Mist (Valkyrie), as well as several Sages.
- Though Miciah can also become a Glass Cannon type when she hits higher levels.
- Laura's class is actually Priest rather than Cleric, which made her the first ever female priest in the series.
- Their personality and/or roles also don't necessarily fit the typical mold - Clarine being a Well Excuse Me Princess type, Serra and L'Arachel fitting the Genki Girl type (Serra's more of a Stepford Smiler, though, since she's got some issues), and Micaiah and Elincia being the leaders of their respective armies. Many of them do, though - including some of the male healers.
- Carlie of Seiken Densetsu 3, except she used a mace as her weapon. The actual staff-user of the game, Angela, has the personality and skill set of a Black Magician Girl.
- Completely reversed in Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, where the main, male protagonist Klein is a staff-wielding magic item-chucking alchemist. Lita (The Chick) is a blade-claw wielding, super-fast melee heavy. In fact, she later gets a power to trade defense for offense, making her the most powerful melee character in the game (if your main character can keep her alive with his healing magics).
- The Sorceress in Diablo II is a spell-casting, staff-wielding, Caucasian female. Then again, since this is Diablo II, she isn't required to wield a staff.
- Mia from the first Golden Sun game. Has the weapon, the personality, and specializes in water/ice and healing magic.
- Xehla of Baten Kaitos, although since attacks are dictated by cards she never actually whacks something with her staff. She does specialize in magic, however.
- Estelle of Tales Of Vesperia is a slight variation in that she is a healer that uses a sword and shield. She even learns sword techniques.
- Love Freak Flonne from the first Disgaea.
- Except that (a) any (human) character can use ANY kind of weapon (their proficiency with it notwithstanding), (b) Flonne can actually be useful in a fight beyond support magic, and (c) she's a hell of a lot more effective with a bow anyway.
- You've obviously never used the Mentor System to have Flonne learn every single offensive magic spell in the game, with a superior range to boot.
- Lost Odyssey has three of them. Also somewhat subverted in that the first staff-weilding magic user you get in your party is male (and an inveterate womanizer to boot).
- Riddell from Chrono Cross. Not the main female character, though. Then again, there are forty-four of them. Forty-five if you count Lynx.
- Each Star Ocean staff chick is a subversion in some way.
- 1) Millie Chliette has her tsundere tendencies
- 2) Rene Lanford doubles as a reasonably effective fist fighter and is a fully fledged main character in her own right.
- 3) Sophia Esteed also has the abilities of a fully functional Black Magician Girl.
- 4) Sarah Jerand is not the female lead and seems to be the most pointless character storywise. It's up for debate whether her spears count as staves.
- Princess Peach in Super Mario RPG, though she wields umbrellas instead of staves.
- Cecelia from Wild ARMs, though arguably she is the main character, and eventually gets a full skillset.
- MOMO from Xenosaga, though in later games she gets upgraded to an energy bow.
- Maya from Legaia 2: Duel Saga. She has some of the personality, and the Magic talents, but doesn't actually use a staff. Instead she casts attack magic.
- Cream the Rabbit is the closet to this role in Sonic Chronicles, attacking via her Chao partner Cheese rather than directly. Oh, and she's the BEST WHITE MAGE EVER. As long as you equip Ferox.
- Led from Septerra Core forgoes the traditional staff in favor of a giant wrench half her height. Works just as well, but also allows her to fix things.
- Marle from Chrono Trigger has all but the staff; rather, she uses a crossbow.
- Baldurs Gate has lots of girls with staffs, but the one that fits the archetype is Aerie: Mage/Cleric (so no armour, and restricted weapon usage, and a good healer).
- Sypha Belnades from Castlevania III. Her attacks are weak and have short range (similar to Grant's knife), but she gets powerful magic to offset this weakness.
Webcomics
Film
RealLife
- Although the average male samurai was no slouch with the naginata, the weapon is more traditionally associated with women than with men. When the men switched to using spears, the "obsolete" naginatas were given to the women to defend their homes when their husbands were away at war, and the longer range of the naginata allowed a woman to counter the greater strength, weight, and height of a man.
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