Brillant energy and speed weapons

[dani_gp]

Two rapid questions:

1) A brillant energy weapon ignores non-living matter, so no armor and enhacement armor bonus... but how about the special powers (fortification, deflect arrows, ...) ?

2) If the speed weapon give you another extra attack per round when unsing the attack action (or full attack), what about the spring attack? move - two attacks - move ?

Thanks all !

 

[durath]

2) If the speed weapon give you another extra attack per round when unsing the attack action (or full attack), what about the spring attack? move - two attacks - move ?

I think you are correct here. You could move, get two attacks, and move. There is nothing in the text which limits whether or not you get the additional attack.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

1) since the fortificaiton is part of the armors proteciton I don't see how they could apply against brillian energy weapons. (best weapon buy for a rogue is?) I have not seen official clarificaiton on this though.

2) I don't think so. But I honestly don't know since it provides an extra attack sorta like a haste, you don't necessarrily need a full attack action to get two attacks with it. My rule would be not with spring attack since it is a stick and move ability. But I'd let someone move more than a 5' step and get two attacks, or I'd even let someone with spring attack move/attack/move/attack

edit sneak to spring, just came froma sneak attack thread.

 

[kreynolds]

1) A brillant energy weapon ignores non-living matter, so no armor and enhacement armor bonus... but how about the special powers (fortification, deflect arrows, ...) ?

I would let the enhancements apply. The arrows are negating armor, but they don't negate the magical enhancement of +2 armor. So the enhancements still function.

2) If the speed weapon give you another extra attack per round when unsing the attack action (or full attack), what about the spring attack? move - two attacks - move ?

If you have 1 speed weapon, you get the extra attack whenever you attack with it. The only way to benefit from 2, is to take a full-attack action. So, yes, you'll get the extra attack with spring attack. You get it every time you attack with it.

1 swing - get extra attack
several swings - get extra attack

Nice enhancement, no?

 

[milo]

I think it would negate any armor special ability. It is a +4 enchantment that is only useful against armor and shields. It doesn't bypass any natural armor.

 

[Omegium]

Re: Re: Brillant energy and speed weapons

I would let the enhancements apply. The arrows are negating armor, but they don't negate the magical enhancement of +2 armor. So the enhancements still function.

DMG 186, Brilliant Energy description: Armor and enhancement AC bonuses do not count against it because the weapon passes through armor.

On speed: No, I don't think so: PHB 85, spring attack reads: When using the attack action with a melee weapon you can move both before and after the attack...
A spring attack is uses the attack option, and the attack option allows just one attack. The speed attack is like haste, and since it doesn't stack with haste it uses an extra partial action from your turn. You can use a partial action either before or after your turn, and not in between

 

[kreynolds]

Re: Re: Re: Brillant energy and speed weapons

DMG 186, Brilliant Energy description: Armor and enhancement AC bonuses do not count against it because the weapon passes through armor.

Good point.

On speed: No, I don't think so: PHB 85, spring attack reads: When using the attack action with a melee weapon you can move both before and after the attack...
A spring attack is uses the attack option, and the attack option allows just one attack. The speed attack is like haste, and since it doesn't stack with haste it uses an extra partial action from your turn. You can use a partial action either before or after your turn, and not in between

I gotta disagree with ya' there. The speed attack is not an extra partial action, it's similar, but it's not identical. It's an extra attack at the end of all your other attacks.

 

[Artoomis]

On Speed weapons and Spring Attack - is the extra attack a free action? If so , you could take two attacks during the Spring Attack (in the middle of your action). Is not, then no, it would have to be before or after the Spring Attack.

I'd say no, you can't do it. You get an "extra single attack" which sounds like an extra action to me, not a free action, so I would not allow it in the middle of Spring Attack.

 

[mzsylver]

1) brilliant energy rules. hence it will ignore Fortification Armor (since the armor virtually isnt there!) lesson: good for rogues.

2) speed gives you an extra attack when you attack. hence using it with spring attack would grant you two attacks instead of one. lesson: good for swashbucklers or monks.

 

[hong]

By the rules, a brilliant energy weapon ignores armour and enhancement bonuses to AC, and that's it. It doesn't say anything about negating special abilities of armour, so these abilities would continue to function.

The assumption seems to be that ignoring nonliving matter allows a brilliant energy weapon to ignore magical effects that are placed on that nonliving matter as well. This is rather tenuous; in the case of the abilities that were specifically mentioned, nowhere is it stated that the armour/shield has to physically make contact with the weapon in order for the ability to work. For the Arrow Deflection ability, all that's said is that the shield "deflects the arrow"; this could well be a force-type effect that causes the arrow to veer off course without ever touching the shield. For the Fortification ability, it states that a "magical force" is created that protects vital areas. Again, there's no implication that physical contact ever comes into the picture.

As for the Speed enchantment, it grants a single extra attack each round. Assuming you play it so that the a full attack action isn't necessary for the extra attack (which makes sense IMO for a +4 enchantment), there's no reason it wouldn't work with Spring Attack. There's no requirement that the extra attack has to be taken at any particular time in the round.