Cold Iron Brilliant Energy Longsword?

[Gaiden]

post not moot

I thought there might have been something to the armor vs. NA thing. However, I thought somewhere it was written that for the purposes of DR, a brilliant energy weapon was treated as a touch attack (it is essentially the same thing, just that in this case, NA applies).

However, if you wanted to get particular about the descriptive text, NA is not living either. A carapace, toughened skin etc. are all non-living tissues covering a living creature - the natural armor itself is usually going to be calcified, or keratinoc-yzed (is that a word?).

Personally, just make brilliant energy weapons into what they were designed to be - light sabres. They bypass everything physical: all armors, shields, and natural armor.

 

[likuidice]

Brilliant energy

course, if the weapon loses the properties of its original material, it should also be immune to sunder, it cant be both light, and cold iron, in fact whats the hardness and hit points of light? and, if sundered, wouldn't the striking weapon pass through it.
On a related note, isn't the effect use activated? it comes into effect when the weapon is swung etc?
Use Activated: This type of item simply has to be used in order to activate it. A character has to drink a potion, swing a sword, interpose a shield to deflect a blow in combat, look through a lens, sprinkle dust, wear a ring, or don a hat. Use activation is generally straightforward and self-explanatory....
Use activation doesn’t mean that if you use an item, you automatically know what it can do. You must know (or at least guess) what the item can do and then use the item in order to activate it, unless the benefit of the item comes automatically, such from drinking a potion or swinging a sword.

 

[BryonD]

Well, that significantly says you can't make a brilliant energy weapon into an adamantine weapon. But it doesn't say all too well that you can't enchant an adamantium weapon with brilliant energy.

That is because you absolutely CAN enchant an adamantium weapon with brilliant energy.

However, once you do that the admantium brilliant energy weapon no longer meets the mostly metal requirement and losses the benefits.

Pretty much just like a DEX 13 guy with the dodge feat. He can take DEX damage and still HAVE the dodge feat, he just can not use it.

 

[reiella]

On a related note, isn't the effect use activated? it comes into effect when the weapon is swung etc?

The activation section leading into SRD Weapon ability states funly :

Activation: Usually a character benefits from a magic weapon in the same way a character benefits from a mundane weapon—by attacking with it. If a weapon has a special ability that the user needs to activate then the user usually needs to utter a command word (a standard action).

So it's hard to say.

That is because you absolutely CAN enchant an adamantium weapon with brilliant energy.

However, once you do that the admantium brilliant energy weapon no longer meets the mostly metal requirement and losses the benefits.

Pretty much just like a DEX 13 guy with the dodge feat. He can take DEX damage and still HAVE the dodge feat, he just can not use it.

Which ironically has its own little rule to explicitly detail the situation of the Losing Feat Access. It also behaves differently when dealing with classes too, doesn't it (matter of perception mostly there as what is 'general training' and what is 'class related training' admittantly)?

It would make Brilliant Energy unique, in that it would remove any special material used in its construction. Hmm, fun question, if you assume that the weapon in question loses its special material traits (because, as you said, the special material isn't there anymore), wouldn't a mithral weapon made brilliant energy have to weigh more than it did before it was made mithril (further proof that mithral is in fact lighting than light!).

Unrelated sidenote :

Wouldn't a character w/ a brilliant energy and a ring of adamantine touch treat their attacks as Adamantium regardless of the situation of "metal" of the blade.

And remember kids, don't try to wield a Brilliant Energy Quarterstaff .

[ Space Reserved for future DDg research ]
Nerull : +5 brilliant energy keen speed scythe (mean, but he is DR 17).
Odur: +5 Brilliant energy bastard sword
Surtur : +5 brilliant energy flaming burst longsword
Taiia: Huge +5 brilliant energy longsword

Hmm, interesting, and none of them have special materials (well Lifecutter is made of an ebony-esque wood, but hardly notable there). Could have swore someone used an adamantine brilliant energy weapon in either DDg or BoED, oh well.

 

[Izer]

>.-) Brilliant Energy is totally worth it. Not on a longsword, no, but enchant a reach weapon with it and take the blindfigthing feat. You can now attack people through walls, celings and floors. Including impromtu barriers courtesy of the party magus. Take a brilliant energy Spiked chain and make whirlwind attacks as you walk down a narrow corridor, for that indiscriminate slaughter of who-ever is in the ajoining rooms! Wield a greatsword in confined spaces! Have dart traps that are really hard to spot because the launch mecanism is on the other side of a brick wall! Lots of fun can be had with this.

 

[Lela]

>.-) Brilliant Energy is totally worth it. Not on a longsword, no, but enchant a reach weapon with it and take the blindfigthing feat. You can now attack people through walls, celings and floors. Including impromtu barriers courtesy of the party magus. Take a brilliant energy Spiked chain and make whirlwind attacks as you walk down a narrow corridor, for that indiscriminate slaughter of who-ever is in the ajoining rooms! Wield a greatsword in confined spaces! Have dart traps that are really hard to spot because the launch mecanism is on the other side of a brick wall! Lots of fun can be had with this.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOINK!

 

[ARandomGod]

>.-) Brilliant Energy is totally worth it. Not on a longsword, no, but enchant a reach weapon with it and take the blindfigthing feat. You can now attack people through walls, celings and floors. Including impromtu barriers courtesy of the party magus. Take a brilliant energy Spiked chain and make whirlwind attacks as you walk down a narrow corridor, for that indiscriminate slaughter of who-ever is in the ajoining rooms! Wield a greatsword in confined spaces! Have dart traps that are really hard to spot because the launch mecanism is on the other side of a brick wall! Lots of fun can be had with this.

Oh My.
Goodness. That's genius!

 

[allenw]

Oh My.
Goodness. That's genius!

Sadly, since only the "significant portion" is transformed to light (or whatever), I think it would only work for weapons for which the entire weapon could be considered the "significant portion". And the only one of those that springs to mind is the suriken, and even that's debatable.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Sadly, since only the "significant portion" is transformed to light (or whatever), I think it would only work for weapons for which the entire weapon could be considered the "significant portion". And the only one of those that springs to mind is the suriken, and even that's debatable.

Spiked chain.

 

[werk]

...However, it clearly WAS, and still in some magical way IS the metal that it started out at. Think of it as magical plasma.

This gets my vote.

Don't look for rules that say what you can do, look for rules that say what you CAN'T do.

All the properties stack because you paid for them and I don't really see anything saying that any of the special properties do not stack for any reason. If they don't say you can't do it, then you can, even if it doesn't make sense.

SRD
In addition to an enhancement bonus, weapons may have special abilities. Special abilities count as additional bonuses for determining the market value of the item, but do not modify attack or damage bonuses (except where specifically noted). A single weapon cannot have a modified bonus (enhancement bonus plus special ability bonus equivalents) higher than +10. A weapon with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.

-also SRD but a little out of context:
Adding New Abilities
A creator can add new magical abilities to a magic item with no restrictions.


If you are allowed to add BE to a cold iron later, with no restrictions, there should be no argument about the special abilities stacking.


Also, brilliant energy should henceforth be refered to as 'glow stick'.