An invisible blade?

[Driddle]

re a rapier that's invisible to anyone except the guy wearing its scabbard:

What are the baseline game mechanics that you'd expect to be associated with such a magic weapon? Or in other words, what modifiers would be applied during a duel?

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Good question.

First, start with what being completely invisible gets you: +2 on to-hit rolls, target is denied Dex. Your opponents also get a 50% miss chance.

Only part of you being invisible (in this case, your weapon) should give commensurately lower benefits.

To begin with, any miss chance is right out.

Furthermore, the bonus on to-hit rolls should be smaller, if present at all.

Where such a blade would really shine, I believe is in Feinting. Allow the blade to provide a rather large circumstance bonus to Bluff checks to feint in combat - +5 or +10, even (in line with a new shield enhancement in Complete Adventurer).

 

[Driddle]

And almost zero chance of the opponent binding or otherwise controlling the blade, I'd assume. Which mechanic would apply there?

 

[Andor]

I'd say (with reguard to attempts to bind etc the blade) just treat it as invisible. IE: a 50% miss chance for sunder, disarm, etc.

-Andor

 

[Wormwood]

I'd say (with reguard to attempts to bind etc the blade) just treat it as invisible. IE: a 50% miss chance for sunder, disarm, etc.

-Andor

That sounds good to me.

 

[shilsen]

I'd use a combination of what the previous posters suggested:
+1 circumstance bonus to hit
+5 circumstance bonus to Bluff checks for feinting in combat
50% miss chance when the target of an attack which focuses on the weapon (sunder, disarm, certain targeted spells)

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Bonus on opposed attack rolls to resist being disarmed. Good one!