Advanced Masterwork Weapons system

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I really like this idea. I think it's strange that magical gizmos are the only way to get better than a +1 to hit! The differences between elven and dwarven manufacture are neatly done...

How does the elven +Dex finesse ability work?


A couple of things...

Crafting:

How about teamwork. A master with 5 helpers - each adding +2 for assisting him on his skill check... going to make things go a little faster? Given that and some masterwork tools, even the 5th level expert human could be able to make some impressive stuff - (+8 skill ranks, +3 skill focus, +3 Int, +2 tools, +10 helpers - total of +26)?

Time is another whole issue though, but surely rich people would make it worth his while to make this kind of stuff?

Or 9th level high craft skill wizard with a Fabricate spell...


Costs:

These do seem to work out cheaper than magical weapons... IMO their non magical nature is in some ways a bonus - it makes them still functional in an antimagic field, not subject to dispel/disjunction/etc. Also, if it exists, the application of the first level spell Magic Weapon will make them magical when you really need it? Not that this is a bad thing!

If creation/comissioning is dropped into player hands, it might lead to some interesting choices... 2 handed weapon, spend only on + to hit, take power attack... it would be cheap and very nasty. If these are only found items, then it's not really a problem!

Course some players give you all sorts of problems with any system you let them near.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I like this system, but the costs do seem a bit low. If I was to use this system, I think that I would not allow PCs to purchase them for less than a comparable magic weapon, due to their rarity. Do you have any ideas for adding the non-flashy magic qualities like keen or throwing, or even defending for a fast weapon like a rapier or thinblade?

 

[Veritas]

I really like this idea. I think it's strange that magical gizmos are the only way to get better than a +1 to hit! The differences between elven and dwarven manufacture are neatly done...

How does the elven +Dex finesse ability work?

Like Mighty composite bows, but with dex rather than strength. So, if you have a +3 finesse weapon, someone can use up to +3 of their dex bonus to hit. Of course, you still need the Weapon Finesse feat to use it properly.

A couple of things...

Crafting:

How about teamwork. A master with 5 helpers - each adding +2 for assisting him on his skill check... going to make things go a little faster? Given that and some masterwork tools, even the 5th level expert human could be able to make some impressive stuff - (+8 skill ranks, +3 skill focus, +3 Int, +2 tools, +10 helpers - total of +26)?

Time is another whole issue though, but surely rich people would make it worth his while to make this kind of stuff?

Well, basically, this was meant to still keep humans down. heh. I don't think that humans should be able to craft the higher kinds of weapons, just given the time it takes to learn your craft well enough. Humans can make up to +1, but that's it. The age differences are just too much. If a human was able to extend his lifespan, maybe. And using helpers, other than having someone to hammer (like we saw in the reforging of Narsil), I don't think too many helpers could really help with weapon forging. One maximum, I think.

Or 9th level high craft skill wizard with a Fabricate spell...

This is true, and would account for many magical weapons.

Costs:

These do seem to work out cheaper than magical weapons... IMO their non magical nature is in some ways a bonus - it makes them still functional in an antimagic field, not subject to dispel/disjunction/etc. Also, if it exists, the application of the first level spell Magic Weapon will make them magical when you really need it? Not that this is a bad thing!

If creation/comissioning is dropped into player hands, it might lead to some interesting choices... 2 handed weapon, spend only on + to hit, take power attack... it would be cheap and very nasty. If these are only found items, then it's not really a problem!

Course some players give you all sorts of problems with any system you let them near.

Don't forget that the special powers bonus is added to the now-magical attack bonus to calculate the cost of enchanting the weapon, and then the masterwork cost is added on top of that. So, this results in weapons costing MORE than the standard price.

So, you pay the cost of forging your elven +2 attack/+3 damage longsword:
+1200gp for attack bonus, +3000gp for damage bonus, +300gp for combining them = +4500gp, or 4515gp total cost. Then you add say, keen to it, which is a +1 bonus power. This plus is added to the attack bonus of the sword, to get +3, and this would add a total cost of +18000gp to the weapon.

So, the total weapon cost would be 22,515gp, whereas a standard DMG +2 magic sword with keen added would cost 18,315gp.

The only difference here is that this sword has an extra +1 to damage, but I think that's balanced well by the extra 4200gp. heh

Oh, the finesse bonus applies as an attack bonus for this too. I should have added that in. So, if you make a +2 finesse longsword with keen, it would cost 18,615gp total.

 

[Veritas]

Oh, the Magic Weapon spell would still be subject to "stacking" rules... so Magic Weapon would only give it a +1 bonus, which would technically trump the masterwork bonus. I am going with magic being the stronger factor than the mundane in this.

Greater Magic Weapon would cover higher bonuses, of course, but would also be subject to stacking rules. If you only have high enough levels to make a weapon +2, then only +2 of the masterwork bonus will be made magical.

Granted, they changed DR in 3.5e so that the magical bonus doesn't really matter, as long as it's magical.

And yes, there are points of abuse for this system. Power gamers could have a field day with it, but again, the time factors of having a character have someone forge one of these weapons will deter most from attempting it... and the high-craft mage would be sure to charge extra for that Fabricate spell. hehe.