Dancing weapons in 3rd edition

[Emperawr]

My questions are
1) Since danging weapon fight at your base attack bonus can they get mulitpe attacks?
2) Also do they share the users strength bonus for extra damage on attacks?
3) If so are two handed dancing weapons at 1.5 times the strength bonus to damage for being one handed?
4) Do dancing weapon still crit as normal?
5) and lastly although this is a more general "I just cant remember" question. When criticals are confirmed does it just apply the multiplier to the base damage of the weapon or does that include the strength bonus to damamge, or extra damaged from enhancments like flaming or holy.


thanks in advance for the help

Dancing: A dancing weapon can be loosed
(requiring a standard action) to attack on its own. It
fights for 4 rounds using the base attack bonus of the
one who loosed it and then drops. It never leaves the side of the
one who loosed it (never straying more than 5 feet) and fights on
even if that creature falls. The wielder who loosed it can grasp it
while it is attacking on its own as a free action, but when so
retrieved it can't dance (attack on its own) again for 4 rounds.
Casier Level: 15th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, animate
objects', Market Price: +4 bonus.

 

[Dandu]

1) Possibly; rules are unclear on this.
2) Does not seem so, but the rules are unclear on this as well.
3) Depends on 2.
4) Yes.
5) Extra damage that is static (ie, strength bonus, weapon enhancements of +1 and etc) are multiplied. Variable damage (elemental enchantments) are not. I may be wrong on this.

Overall, considering that it's a +4 enchantment, I'd let it attack with iteratives, apply strength bonuses as if he had wielded it himself, and etc.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've usually run Dancing weapons as having no Str bonus, and not using their master's Str. IOW, they are effectively Str 10. And to my recollection, I can't say I've seen it run any other way.

That said, however, it doesn't mean that EVERYONE runs it that way.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I'd let it get iteratives, that seems fair. I would probably allow it to add str to attack and damage. I would not allow 1.5x str for 2H weapons, since then there'd be no reason to ever have a dancing weapon NOT be two-handed, and the whole reason for getting extra str damage for being a 2H weapon is kind of moot in the case of a dancing weapon.

For crits, all extra damage is multiplied, but extra dice damage, like sneak attack or the flamng property, are not.

 

[Emperawr]

Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Hopefully my dm will see it that way. The iteratives really makes sense because if it didn't get multiple attacks to go with the high base attack then it wouldn't really be worth paying for a + 4 bonus for it.

As far as the strength is concerned I can see it both ways. Still not sure on that one.