Casters and Implement (or Weapon) Question

[mentaltyranny]

I noticed that the Fire Priest build on these forums recommends "Abydon's Hammer... when in 'caster' mode".  I always assumed that it was for the Mythic accuracy and damage bonuses when casting.  However, then I noticed the Might bonus, and thought it might just be that.  After all, in my old D&D 4th Ed. days only implements contributed to damage and accuracy on Powers with the Spell keyword.  So do wizard, priest, and druid spells benefit from the quality enchantments of implements in PoE1?  If not, what makes an implement an implement and not a ranged weapon?  Just the talents from which they benefit?  Or is it just the name/label of the category of weapons?

[Boeroer]

It is mostly the MIG bonus. The mythic enchantmentonly applies to attacks with the hammer (true for all quality enchantments on all weapons including implements) - same as for example the speed or wounding enchantments and really most other enchantments on weapons: they only apply to the use of the weapon themselves. There are actually very few weapons that you can use as "stat stick" or something like that because they have very special enchantments. See weapons like Spelltongue (the name kind of gives it away), Whsipers of Yenwood (+2 CON), Godhanstunyr (+1 MIG) and so on. Note that attribute bonuses on weapons stack with everything (while they don't with other items) so that's why a +4 modifier on the hammer is quite popular for casters. Casters can't get too many damage bonuses otherwise so they are thankful for a stackable +4 MIG (which translates) to a +12% additive dmg bonus. 

PoE is rather convervative when it comes to the power of weapos and items in general. 

[mentaltyranny]

That is I started to figure out.  So there is nothing specifically different about implements and other ranged weapons other than what talents apply to them?  

Thanks for the clarification!

[Boeroer]

Basically yes. Implements can be used by wizards to great effect though because wizards have a special talent called "Blast" (and also "Penetrating Blast") which only applies to implements' attacks and creates a foe-only AoE explosion on impact. It's not superpowerful but it can proc on-hit effects of the implement (e.g. Golden Gaze's spell chance) and it can be used in combination with Kalakoth's Minor Blights - which is technically a wand that has an innate AoE attack. Every of this AoE attack rolls will triger a seperate Blast - so it piles up pretty quickly and is very good in combination with Combusting Wounds (spell) for example.

For Priests implements do nothing special though. They are mostly viewd as go-to weapons for wizards.