D&D 5E (2024) +3 Vicious Weapon/Flametongue?

[Zardnaar]

In game a vicious and flametongue both grant +2d6 damage but have no bonus to hit and damage.

Oil of sharpness is essentially a +3 weapon. Pour it on a weapon thats non bludgeoning it becomes a +3 weapon. Its s very rare item however same as an actual +3 weapon. No duration.

RAW however you can pour it on an existing weapon however. Hence +3 weapon.

If you follow the suggestions the earliest you can do this is tier 2. 1 very rare item can drop. Tier 3 theyre a bot more common. Doubt to many DMs would drop these specific items though.

However if youre using the crafting rules perhaps with artificer this combo can be done potentially in tier 2 somewhat reliably. Adventures in Faerun and the wealth suggestions in the DMG you could probably get the required resources.

So this combo works. Perhaps an example of letting PCs assemble combos and magic item marts/crafting s a bad idea. Thoughts?

 

[Zardnaar]

I'm wrong nvrmind. Has to be non-magical.

 

[Whisper-Kitten]

So crisis averted then?

 

[Zardnaar]

So crisis averted then?

Yeah interwebz was wrong

 

[MarkB]

Weird that they removed the one-hour duration in the current version. Does make it a nice drop as treasure, though - instead of giving the party a +3 weapon that turns out not to work with anyone's build, you effectively just give them whatever +3 weapon they want, subject to picking up a mundane one in town if they don't have one handy.

 

[Zardnaar]

Weird that they removed the one-hour duration in the current version. Does make it a nice drop as treasure, though - instead of giving the party a +3 weapon that turns out not to work with anyone's build, you effectively just give them whatever +3 weapon they want, subject to picking up a mundane one in town if they don't have one handy.

Yeah thats my thoughts as well.
Nice drop tier 2.

 

[Silam]

I’ve been thinking about +3 vicious weapons and wondering what cost they should have…

• Vicious is rare (no attunement).
• +3 is very rare (still no attunement).
• There is a +1 vicious weapon in Acquisition Incorporated but apparently without any rarity nor attunement info (unless I missed it?)…

So based on the above… the combination of a rare and a very rare property into a single item should for sure be at least very rare, though given how powerful both of these props are, there is a case to be made for legendary. Or if not legendary, then at least very rare with attunement.

What do you think? If you were DM and decided that the campaign timing was right to allow your players to craft stuff, and one of them said they wanted to make a +3 vicious weapon, how would you rate it? (Or would you let them spend a ton of time/money and as soon as it was finished, have Asmodeus appear and steal the blade for himself, since you had no intention of letting that item in play, then thank the player for so graciously setting up the next adventure hook …?)

 

[Kobold Stew]

What you are describing is more powerful than the Sword of Answering.
Legendary, with attunement.

 

[Silam]

What you are describing is more powerful than the Sword of Answering.
Legendary, with attunement.

Yep. Another comparison that comes closer (at least potentially) than the Sword of Answering would be a Moonblade, though its properties can vary widely and be both both weaker or stronger than a +3 Vicious weapon.

If rolling for the Moonblade’s properties rather than letting the DM choose them arbitrarily, the most common property is to increase the + bonus (60% chance, up to a max of +3) and the second most common property is to add 1d6 of Force damage (15% chance, up to a max of 3d6).

A moonblade is legendary and requires attunement.

So, yeah, it seems pretty clear that crafting a +3 vicious weapon should likewise be legendary and require attunement.

 

[Belen]

I create homebrew +x flametongue etc weapons all the time.

I miss +5 weapons.

Personally, I bring back old items a lot as I tend to always run deadly level encounters.