Activating A Flaming Weapon

[Felnar]

do people actually require a standard action to activate a shocking weapon in their games?
or do you all allow activation as a free action?

or maybe i just cant read straight

 

[frankthedm]

do people actually require a standard action to activate a shocking weapon in their games?
or do you all allow activation as a free action?

Some people let them be activated as a free action. I require the standard action.

 

[Sound of Azure]

I require the standard action also (though I forgot about when we first started 3e). You want to cause extra damage, you have to call it. Think of it as a "power up sequence" or something. O Holy Flame...sheathe my weapon with your power!!

It was rather amusing in the case of a Flaming Burst short sword a PC got in an old game. They were unable to identify it, but they knew it was magical. The poor halfling wielding it panicked when the sword seemed to explode in her face when she critically hit an orc (of course the flames didn't hurt her). Funny reaction from the orcs, too.

 

[Darklone]

In low magic low level games, I limited the energy and energy burst enhancements even more... but yes, for flavor in any case: Standard action. And don't put it back into your scabbard without deactivating.

Yet a houserule about these weapons: If you drop it while it's burning (e.g.) after being disarmed, you're the only one that is protected against the energy damage. So good luck for the enemies taking it from the ground.

 

[Sound of Azure]

In low magic low level games, I limited the energy and energy burst enhancements even more... but yes, for flavor in any case: Standard action. And don't put it back into your scabbard without deactivating.

Yet a houserule about these weapons: If you drop it while it's burning (e.g.) after being disarmed, you're the only one that is protected against the energy damage. So good luck for the enemies taking it from the ground.

That's kinda the wierd thing. After you drop the weapon, no one is wielding it. You wouldn't be protected either, at least until you picked it up again. Bad for the carpet, too.

 

[Darklone]

That's kinda the wierd thing. After you drop the weapon, no one is wielding it.

HR: The wielder is designated to be the person who activated the sword in that case.

You wouldn't be protected either, at least until you picked it up again. Bad for the carpet, too.

Wouldn't be the first time that my PCs burn down a city quarter

Accidentally, of course.

 

[Sound of Azure]

HR: The wielder is designated to be the person who activated the sword in that case.

Ah. I can see the sense in that.

Wouldn't be the first time that my PCs burn down a city quarter

Accidentally, of course.

Of course!

 

[Felnar]

this came up while i was looking at the Stormlord PrC
the class grants shock to javelins used by a stormlord

shock on a thrown weapon seems pretty crappy

 

[Darklone]

Javelins of lightning all the way.

When we got the XPH and saw the pyromancerclass, the whole group wanted to take it (last prerequisite fulfilled a dozen times).

 

[Deset Gled]

In low magic low level games, I limited the energy and energy burst enhancements even more... but yes, for flavor in any case: Standard action. And don't put it back into your scabbard without deactivating.

There is nothing in the rules that states that a touching a flaming sword will cause damage. I have always taken the interpretation that you need to activate the flaming portion of the weapon, but can leave it up as long as you want to with no penalty. Sure, you can turn it off if you want to for some reason (for example, you might want to turn off a electrically based enhancement when fighting certain golems), but there is no need to. This is similar to how a monk needs to spend a standard action to activate Diamond Body, but has no reason to turn it off.

To rule that a flaming weapon will hurt a scabbard opens up the debate about whether or not you can make a touch attack with a flaming weapon to do only fire damage, which is a another can of worms entirely.