Ma'tok Staff
Overview
The iconic weapon of the jaffa, these are, in essence, hand held plasma cannons and they come with all the strengths and shortcomings of attempting to use cannons as infantry weapons.
Design
Approximately the height of the user, the staff weapon is, as its name implies, a staff. It has a slim pole at its center with various grips spaced throughout to allow the weapon to be held in different ways. On either end are large paddles. One is a flattened paddle that holds a blue gem that houses the liquid naquadah. The blue gem could also be lit up to serve as a source of light. The other paddle is oval shaped and conceals the barrel.
A vast majority of jaffa wield staff weapons. As the jaffa rise in the ranks, they are permitted to accessorize their weapon. The forward end of the staff may be modified to hold the head of a halberd or glaive. Bident blades may be added to either side of the firing end. Rods of anguish may also be attached.
Specs
At approximately 2 meters in length, the weapon is unwieldy in the hands of someone who is not a jaffa. The staff fires bolts of plasma held together by a field that contains not just the superheated plasma but the heat itself. When that field is breached, the heat escapes, often explosively. The strength of the bolt can be adjusted to it being weak enough to simply scorch the surface of a dead tree trunk, to blowing holes in thick rock, armored vehicles, and even the blast doors of the SGC. At maximum yield, a missed shot will create a concussive shockwave that will knock a person over.
While the weapon does not have actual iron sights, the paddles serve as a means of aiming. There is a rectangular block right before the paddle. This block can be lined up with the open paddle to form a type of partridge iron sight.
As mentioned before, this weapon is more of a cannon than an infantry weapon. At it is large and relatively heavy for an infantry weapon but its maximum yield carries significant destructive power. The Goa'uld ordered its usage because of its destructive capabilities. However, overkill is not inherently better. Its length and weight was required for its destructive power. This makes staff cannons far more effective as the tripod compensates for its negatives. The length of the staff makes it less effective at close quarters and jaffa will have to resort to using it as a melee weapon.
Variants
Staff Cannon: While often compared to artillery, it is more commonly used as a type of stationary weapon and better compared to a heavy machine gun. The cannon was meant to output more extreme fire that could be both anti personnel and anti material. Staff weapons could be on mounts, wheels, or carried by holy armored units. Much larger staff cannons are mounted on ships or vehicles
Spear Weapon: A longer-ranged variant of the staff, the spear weapon serves as both marksman rifle and sniper rifle. Its bolt is less destructive but more penetrative.
Short staff: a short variant of the staff, the short staff literally cuts the staff in half. Its maximum yield is not as strong and it does not have the longevity of the normal staff, but it is not as unwieldy and more easily aimed. These were most often seen used by the Sodan.
Lance Weapon: While the Goa'uld had vehicles, they were hesitant to give any to jaffa and would rather keep the slaves primitive. This forced jaffa to continue using cavalry. Lance weapons supplemented cavalry units and, rather than being semi automatic, are fully automatic. When charging into battle, cavalry would bury the enemy in weapons fire. They also come in larger variants that are mounted on tripods to be used as stationary weapons or be used by holy armors.
Hand blaster: the shortest variant of the staff possible. Short to the point it is a large pistol. It keeps its forward paddles and are still quite powerful. But it doesn't have the maximum yield of a normal staff and are still quite heavy.
Users
Staff weapons are the weapons of choice for jaffa. It has even been integrated into their culture with every jaffa learning how to fight with a staff. To the jaffa, knowing how to fight with a staff is as basic as knowing how to walk. Duels are done with either a staff or a polearm of some sort. Some jaffa tribes such as the Sodan have variants of the staff weapon such as the short staff.
Development
So I didn't like how staff weapons were treated. They were ok weapons when they first started to the point even O'Neill used them when he got the chance. Then they got pushed to the side. Then their yield decreases. Then they become pew pew sticks. Then they just became 'weapons of terror'. You shouldn't be finding excuses for why your bad guys are impotent. So I can't change what's been established about the staff but this is my chance to expand on it.
