D&D 5E Hey should this be rare or uncommon?

[Bladecoder]

Hey so I am designing a custom blade for my D&D game, and I am having trouble classifying it by rarity. Here are the stats:

Longsword
1d8 (1 hand) 1d10 (2 hand)

Special features:

Night Strength: +2 to attack and Damage rolls made with this weapon, strictly at night.

Moon Light: The sword lets out light when the command words "Moon's Glare" are spoken. This light is bright for 5 ft and dim for another 10 ft.




So what do you think, Uncommon or Rare?
Post response below. Also if you think I should add or get rid of something add that to the comment also.

 

[Langy]

A standard +2 Weapon is Rare just by itself, and the Moon Light ability should have pretty much no impact on the rarity of the item; it's not strong enough to matter when compared to the Night Strength ability.

The question of its rarity comes down to whether or not the 'only at night' limitation is sufficient to drop a +2 Weapon down one step of Rarity or not. Any limitation that can be mitigated easily by PC action isn't much of one - 'only at night' is a limitation only if you're forced to fight during the day. There are a few instances where fighting during the day is helpful for PCs, but most of them are more easily gained by use of a Daylight spell rather than use of actual daylight. It'd be more common for daylight to be required due to the PCs not being able to choose when to engage the enemy, such as because they are the defenders rather than the attackers (random encounter tables, defending a fort, attempted assassinations in the middle of a court appearance, etc).

Most of the time, PCs can choose the timing of their combats - they usually determine when to assault the dungeon, for instance. I'd still say that, for a 'generic' campaign, the 'Night Only' limitation is enough to qualify it for a one-level Rarity decrease.

Verdict: Uncommon.

 

[JValeur]

I'd say rare, definitely.

 

[Harzel]

I think Langy has identified most of the salient points, but I think I would have to go with Rare.

However, I am also curious about why you want to classify it, that is, what is the consequence? If it is for purposes of valuation in g.p., then I think the answer is easier - something low in the 'Rare' range.

 

[aco175]

The power of the item would make it rare, but the limitations could make it uncommon. You can also look at it be the number of these created and how common you want it in your campaign. It could even be unique in that it is the only one, but power-wise would be a lot lower.

As an item itself, I have problems with the +2 power at night. Does it work underground in darkness or does it just know when sunset is? I can see players complaining about this. I'd rather see a power or spell that recharges at night, something like a searing light or even detect secret doors. Having a cool utility or attack spell once per day or even 1/rest may be better than a standard increase in power. A +2 weapon scales a lot more than a +1 when you look at the way 5e gives bonuses and scales power.

 

[LordEntrails]

Unless you care about the value (which doesn't matter much in my games) I don't see how it would matter. But, I would error on the side of caution and stay with a Rare ranking.

 

[Langy]

The power of the item would make it rare, but the limitations could make it uncommon. You can also look at it be the number of these created and how common you want it in your campaign. It could even be unique in that it is the only one, but power-wise would be a lot lower.

As an item itself, I have problems with the +2 power at night. Does it work underground in darkness or does it just know when sunset is? I can see players complaining about this. I'd rather see a power or spell that recharges at night, something like a searing light or even detect secret doors. Having a cool utility or attack spell once per day or even 1/rest may be better than a standard increase in power. A +2 weapon scales a lot more than a +1 when you look at the way 5e gives bonuses and scales power.

The weapon somehow knowing what time it is isn't actually that strange - all those 1 use per day items typically recharge at sunrise, after all.

 

[ccs]

Does rarity have some mechanical function in your game?
As in determining how many items someone can have? Or how much you could sell it for?

If those answers are no, then it doesn't really matter....

 

[Prakriti]

The +2 attack is the big issue here. Change it to just +2 damage and make it uncommon.

 

[Jester David]

In a vacuum I'd say Rare. Because +2 is strong.

Honestly, I'd give it some other bonus instead. +2 is rather bland. Maybe the damage goes up to 1d10 (versatile 1d12) at night.