Do the enhancment bonuses from a bow and from an arrow stack?

[drunkmoogle]

Sooo... what would fall under "an ability incompatible with an ability that you’ve already rolled" [DMG, footnote under weapon special properties]? If not the alignments, if not the elementals, then what is that line referring to?

 

[Staffan]

I hate the Axiomatic/Anarchic terms, just a way to confuse poor half-orc barabarians. "Hey! Krusk wadda you want the Axiomatic Great-Axe or the Anarchic Greatsword?" Krusk- UHHHH, which one of those makes Krusk wimpy again?"

I like them. They separate the property of "does extra damage to Chaotic/Lawful creatures and inflicts negative levels on Chaotic/Lawful wielders" from the weaker "is lawfully/chaotically aligned" effect. The former requires an actual Axiomatic/Anarchic weapon, the latter only a weak (2nd level) spell - or even being used by the right wielder (someone with the Lawful or Chaotic subtypes).

It's kind of like Holy is a stronger version of Good.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

What if you had a sword where one side of the blade was Lawful and the other side was Chaotic.

Or perhaps a multi-headed flail with each of the heads having a different alignment.

Its not THAT hard to imagine some sort of weapon that could be both at the same time. I thought one of the cooler things in the Baldurs Gate PC game series was the multi headed flail where each head did an extra point of different sorts of elemental damage. It was great seeing the line....

Trogdor swings at orc and hits (16+5).
Damage: 5
+1 fire
+1 cold
+1 electricity
+1 acid
+1 sonic

DS

 

[schnee]

This is exactly the kind of hair-splitting, rules-lawyering, profligate thinking that has caused the explosion of exacting rules in D&D. People complain about the staggering amount of crunch and nit-picky nerfing... well, folks, this thread is exactly why.

Keep fighting the good fight, Hype.

 

[Hypersmurf]

What if you had a sword where one side of the blade was Lawful and the other side was Chaotic.

I wouldn't allow it on a longsword, but I'd allow it on a double weapon, since each head is effectively crafted as a separate magic item.

I'm quite fond of the Gyrspike, with an Axiomatic Holy longsword end, and an Anarchic Unholy flail end...

The shining silver, keen, rigid blade represents Hope, and Order, and Glory; the sinuous, flexible chain and the black iron spikes represent Unpredictability, and Cruelty, and Evil.

-Hyp.

 

[Zimri]

Anything lacking in intelligence and wisdom can not have any alignment other than neutral. If a thing can not form intent it can uphold the law no more effectively than it can break it neither can it on it's own effect the balance between morality and immorality.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Anything lacking in intelligence and wisdom can not have any alignment other than neutral.

Not according to the text of the Holy, Unholy, Axiomatic, and Anarchic abilities.

"Lawfully aligned" is "an alignment other than neutral"...

-Hyp.

 

[Zimri]

So tell me oh most learned one. If you make a weapon holy and then leave it rusting on a porch somewhere exactly what good is it accomplishing on it's own ?

 

[Hypersmurf]

So tell me oh most learned one. If you make a weapon holy and then leave it rusting on a porch somewhere exactly what good is it accomplishing on it's own ?

It's not. If you animate a skeleton and then leave it sitting on top of a mountain doing nothing for a century, what evil is it doing?

They're not accomplishing anything... but the sword is good, and the skeleton is evil.

-Hyp.

 

[Scion]

It doesnt matter though, it is 'lawfully aligned' with that enhancement, and 'chaotically aligned' with the other, but neither of those make it anything on the alignment chart. They simply give it two aspects magically. Sure they would normally clash, but the magic fixes that and it doesnt care. Just like making the weapon hot and cold at the same time, the magic fixes it and it doesnt care.

Really, I see no difference here. I know you would allow fire and cold on the same weapon, why not lawful and chaotic? Same thing really. Both are real 'forces', both are diametrically opposed.