Maybe a walking stick should be made to alleviate the "old person needs it to walk" logic.
Walking stick
This light cane is used to help the elderly get around without falling.
Price: 1 or 2 gold
(as quarter staff)
-4 damage
50% of weight
If the player tries to pull off a switch when showing it to a Watchman they would need to roll a bluff check or something.
Just a thought.
as a player of elderly people, I approve the idea. I would not enjoy to see my hags without means of walking around without support
I think this is rather needless. Whether it does damage or not, a stick can still be used to whack someone, to great effect in some hands, regardless of the mechanics of the stick in question. A watchman can still see a stick in someones hands and see how it can be used as a weapon. Do something about the walking sticks in game, if your pc feels strongly about it.
Screw needing an item for this. Just walk around with the stick and be abused, then yell and complain and send letters to EVERYONE and be unable to pay your fines.
Just hold a quarterstaff and act in character. Emote you're using it for support. An overzealous watchman, NPC/PC might consider it a weapon, so deal with it.