Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="UltimaGabe" data-source="post: 1688920" data-attributes="member: 16019">I've got a few questions regarding the Brilliant Energy ability in the DMG.1. Can a Brilliant Energy weapon be turned off? Meaning, can you choose to have the weapon revert back to its non-Brilliant and non-Energy self, foregoing the ability to negate armor bonuses and other nonliving matter? Let's say you're playing a Paladin with a +3 Dragonbane Holy Brilliant Energy Longsword, and you've spent the last couple adventures hunting down and killing evil dragons. Then, at one point in your adventuring, the Fighter clumsily sets off a trap that summons a bunch of undead soldiers. Or a Rast, immediately prior to being Disintegrated by the party's Sorcerer, animates several chairs and they attack. Or the party encounters a couple incorporeal outsiders. Or something like that. Is the Paladin's UberWeapon utterly useless against these foes? Can he turn it off and attack them normally, or does he have to sit out and tell his friends, "Sorry, I can't join in because of this 128,000 gp I spent on my weapon a couple levels ago"? Because if it's a one-time decision, that could be more of a drawback than a bonus in many cases- and considering it's got such a hefty cost, you'd think there'd be some way to keep it from screwing the group over in addition to eating up all your money.For balance purposes I'd rule that it could be turned off, but there's no such statement in its description. Even the Merciful special ability (+1d6 points of damage, all damage is subdual) can be turned off so it isn't useless against undead and constructs, and that only costs a +1 bonus. Any official rules?2. Brilliant Energy weapons ignore nonliving matter, and thus armor (and shields, I'm assuming) don't apply to the target's AC. Although this can be quite useful in some situations (such as against a Fighter in Platemail and a Heavy Steel Shield), in other situations it wouldn't be so useful (a rogue in Leather Armor) and in lots of situations it wouldn't provide any bonus at all (a monk, or, more importantly, any creature that isn't humanoid and wearing armor). Against a Dragon it wouldn't provide any bonus. Against a Lycanthrope it wouldn't provide any bonus. One could even rule that against a Druid in Wildshape with Wild armor it wouldn't provide any bonus. Against a Fighter in Full Plate, it's amazing, but that's quite a limited factor for something to take effect. I understand that other enhancements are limited by their situational uses (Alignment-based weapons, and anything with a Bane ability) but those are +2 and +1 bonuses, respectively. Brilliant Energy is a +4 bonus, and isn't useful at all against the majority of the monsters in the Monster Manual (and against some, such as undead, it's useless).I'm not particularly sure that I think it's worth a +4 bonus the way it is. Would it be too unbalanced to allow a Brilliant Energy weapon to bypass Natural Armor as well? After all, I've heard it argued that natural armor isn't any more alive than plate mail (since scales and whatnot are long-dead hardened skin cells or chitin) and thus the description of the Brilliant Energy ability isn't completely scientifically accurate. Allowing it to bypass natural armor would simplify things (it's easier to ask for someone's Touch AC than to ask for their AC without Armor or enhancements but plus their Natural Armor) and it would make it useful in more situations. Since I don't see many people (or anyone, for that matter) rushing to grab Brilliant Energy weapons as it is, I'm sure the +4 bonus will still deter many people from getting it, even if it IS just a touch attack. Thoughts?3. Does a Brilliant Energy weapon bypass Mage Armor or Bracers of Armor? They both provide an Armor Bonus, but neither is nonliving matter (considering it's armor made of pure magical force). If a Brilliant Energy weapon can bypass Mage Armor or Bracers of Armor, can it bypass a Wall of Force?4. The description of the Brilliant Energy ability states that it can only be placed on melee weapons, thrown weapons, and ammunition. The notable point is that you have to place it on your arrows, not your bow. While this makes sense, is it necessary? After all, the Flaming ability can be placed on a bow, and it grants the Flaming ability to its ammunition. Why can't this be the same way? Is there something unbalanced about the bow turning its arrows to energy, rather than the arrows needing to be energy to begin with? As it is, it's fine and dandy to make a melee weapon into a Brilliant Energy melee weapon, I don't think anyone in their right mind would make Brilliant Energy arrows or other Brilliant Energy ammunition. As it is, the cheapest you could make is 50 +1 Brilliant Energy arrows, costing 50,000 gp. That's right. 1,000 gp per shot, just to have your arrows bypass physical armor and shields. Would it be too unbalancing to allow someone to make a Brilliant Energy Crossbow, which bestows the Brilliant Energy property onto its Bolts? Considering it's a +4 bonus, I'd expect it to be in keeping with all of the other similar abilities.Any information (official rulings, ad-hoc rulings made by actual DMs, or even educated suggestions) would be most appreciated.</blockquote>

Verification