D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Disruption still worth +2

[mkletch]

In 3.0, the save against a disruption weapon's special effect on undead was a DC 14 Fort save. Being as an undead creature has no Con, and Will was their good save, an undead typically had a low Fort bonus. Disruption was worth a +2, and maybe a little on the strong side at that.

In 3.5, the save was switched to a DC 14 Will save. Will is the good save for undead, and most typically have a decent wisdon. Even a zombie made from a 1st-level commoner (one of the example zombies in the 3.5 MM and the 3.5 SRD) has a 50% chance of making this save.

While this ability might have been strong in 3.0, it seems severely over-priced in 3.5, and it goes against the coolness that a disruption weapon has historically been in even older editions of D&D. Thoughts?

-Fletch!

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I'd still say that Disruption is a worthwhile enchantment. Basically, it's a vorpal weapon vs. undead, that doesn't require you to crit. On the other side, it requires a Will Save, meaning you aren't going to destroy undead with every successful attack.

Put disruption on a quarterstaff and give it to a high-level flurrying monk, and the undead will explode by the dozen.

 

[AuraSeer]

It doesn't seem overpriced to me. Failing the save means instant, total destruction, which is a pretty damn powerful effect. The low DC is a limiting factor, but any target will roll a natural 1 eventually.

Consider that one blow from the weapon could potentially take out a really heinously powerful undead, like the githyanki lich-queen (CR 26?). I think that's surely worth more than a +1 bonus.

[Edited to add]
BTW, they did have a good reason for switching to a Will save. Undead have no Con score, which means they're immune to anything that requires a Fort save, unless it affects objects. By the letter of the rules, a 3.0 disruption weapon was entirely useless. The new version is definitely an improvement over that.

 

[Darkness]

Well, bane costs only +1 now.

I once built a +1 disruption / +1 undead bane quarterstaff in 3.0. (Hm. Might have been ghost touch on both ends as well; I don't remember.)

In 3.0, it was a cool weapon.

Nowadays, though, a simple undead bane weapon is probably better for killing off hordes of low-grade undead.

 

[mkletch]

Re: Re: [3.5] Disruption still worth +2

It doesn't seem overpriced to me. Failing the save means instant, total destruction, which is a pretty damn powerful effect. The low DC is a limiting factor, but any target will roll a natural 1 eventually.

How many other "save or die" effects are basically written "if your opponent rolls a '1' on its save, it is destroyed"? None. This effect is based on Heal, a real undead killer. With this cheesy effect, it should be based on disrupt undead. Look, by the time you are running around with +3 equivalent weapons, disruption is useless. Heck, it's of limited use against punk undead, let alone something serious. If you have to hit it twelve or fifteen times to destroy it, undead bane would be much, much better (especially with its reduced +1 cost).

-Fletch!