A few questions about Brilliant Energy

[Scion]

Seems dangerous..

if poison is evil because it could possibly harm innocents that werent meant to be harmed (I have heard this as one reason, but I am not saying it is true, merely useing it as a reference) then obviously brilliant ammunition is evil. You shoot it, if it misses your target it goes right into the ground.. and who knows what it might hit then and what innocents may be harmed?

The idea of shooting through walls though? very cool. Not so sure about having to worry where all of that ammunition went though..

 

[Shayuri]

1) Judging by the SRD, only weapon abilities that specifically note needing to be activated can be de-activated. So I'd have to judge that Brilliant Energy is a permanant change to the weapon's nature. I wonder what happens when it's suppressed by a Dispel...hmm...

2) It's something to view with a measure of caution, I think...I will explain below.

3) By a strict interpretation of the rules, force effects have no special defensive properties against brilliant energy. Brilliant energy is not incorporeal, nor ethereal (but see below).

4) If you used Brilliant Energy as written (with apologies to Hypersmurf, but technically no ability to pass through walls is granted, though the flavor text implies it), I can't see an issue with making it apply to ranged weapons. However, if the Hypersmurfian variant is used, then there could well be.

--

I myself am not a big fan of Brilliant Energy as written. It's confusing, and oscillates between being nigh-all powerful to being completely useless...without much room in between.

Forgive me if I sneak a house-rule suggestion into this Rules Forum answer.

I would suggest making Brilliant Energy strike as an incorporeal touch. Force effects would apply, but armor, shield, and natural armor would not, unless augmented with the Ghost Touch extra. This isn't nearly as bad as saying armor is useless against it, since there is an available enhancement to counter it (and it's cheaper too). It also helps make Ghost Touch more attractive for a +3 armor mod, since incorporeals are fairly uncommon, especially at high levels. Plus, it uses an existing set of rules, thus avoiding a lot of confusion over what it can and can't bypass, under what circumstances.

Plus, it would allow Hypersmurf's wall-piercing arrows, which I think are just too cool.

But that's just me.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I would suggest making Brilliant Energy strike as an incorporeal touch. Force effects would apply, but armor, shield, and natural armor would not, unless augmented with the Ghost Touch extra. This isn't nearly as bad as saying armor is useless against it, since there is an available enhancement to counter it (and it's cheaper too). It also helps make Ghost Touch more attractive for a +3 armor mod, since incorporeals are fairly uncommon, especially at high levels. Plus, it uses an existing set of rules, thus avoiding a lot of confusion over what it can and can't bypass, under what circumstances.

Great suggestion, Shayuri. (Or should I say.... Brilliant?)

Anyway, I mentioned it to my DM- and he came up with an idea for creating Brilliant Energy ammunition. In a recent campaign he gave a PC a magic item- a vest with several pockets, all marked with either a diamond, a club, a heart, or a spade- which, if a masterwork throwing dagger were put into any of the pockets, it would gain the Flaming Burst property when drawn and thrown, but it had a 50% chance of being destroyed in the process. It effectively provided him with an endless supply of Flaming Burst throwing daggers, as long as he kept providing masterwork throwing daggers once the others were destroyed. The initial throwing daggers that came with it were rectangular, resembling playing cards. (Cough cough Gambit cough).

Anyway, using the same idea, he came up with a bandolier or bag or something for my character that, if bullets were placed inside it, they would gain the Brilliant Energy quality when loaded and fired from a firearm. That way, the gun could then fire Brilliant Energy bullets, but still be able to fire normals- in the case of Undead or such- and I wouldn't have to keep shelling out thousands of GP to do so. I can't remember what price he put on it, but I won't be buying or making one for a while.

What do you all think?

 

[Hypersmurf]

4) If you used Brilliant Energy as written (with apologies to Hypersmurf, but technically no ability to pass through walls is granted, though the flavor text implies it)...

You're assuming "ignores non-living matter" is flavour text.

Plus, it would allow Hypersmurf's wall-piercing arrows, which I think are just too cool.

Arrows might not work, depending on how one interprets the 'significant portion' clause. If not all of the arrow is transformed, the arrow might not pass entirely through a wall.

It's why I suggested shuriken or bullets, to avoid the ambiguity.

-Hyp.

 

[dcollins]

1. No. (No mention of a command word.)
2. House Rules.
3. Yes.
4. House Rules.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

It's why I suggested shuriken or bullets, to avoid the ambiguity.

Yes, but the hole portion of the shuriken isn't 'brilliant', so it would still stop when it hit the wall.

 

[Camarath]

It seems you can't go buy the "ignores living matter" part of it's description, because shield bonuses still apply, and as you said many forms of natural armor are made up of dead cells.

I believe that Brilliant Energy does ignore shield bonuses.

From SRD

Brilliant Energy: A brilliant energy weapon has its significant portion transformed into light, although this does not modify the item’s weight. It always gives off light as a torch (20-foot radius). A brilliant energy weapon ignores nonliving matter. Armor and shield bonuses to AC (including any enhancement bonuses to that armor) do not count against it because the weapon passes through armor. (Dexterity, deflection, dodge, natural armor, and other such bonuses still apply.) A brilliant energy weapon cannot harm undead, constructs, and objects. This property can only be applied to melee weapons, thrown weapons, and ammunition.
Strong transmutation; CL 16th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, gaseous form, continual flame; Price +4 bonus.

 

[sledged]

Looks like an oversight in the DMG, then. The "and shield" part is absent on page 224.

 

[UltimaGabe]

Looks like an oversight in the DMG, then. The "and shield" part is absent on page 224.

Sledged's got a point. Although I claimed to have gotten it from the SRD, my original post was typed word-for-word from the DMG, and thus the "and shield" is missing. I always assumed Shields were included, however.