Staff actually works quite well for "battlemage" character, because it enables you to focus fully on intelligence, while doing quite good attack damage, AND mainly enables you to use some warfare skills - for example whirlwind, battlestomp and such can be used with staff and will do magic damage. Beware, you will not be able to fully utilize their physical CC, as you still cant break armor, and knockdowns and such will still check for physical armor.
