Defending Longsword +2

[Dr. Zoom]

I like the idea of the Defender being considered +2 (or whatever its enhancement bonus is) for purposes of hardness, hit points, sundering, basically defending kind of abilities, while only using the actual enhancement bonus kept for the purpose of attack and damage rolls for penetrating DR.

So if you have a +4 Defender and you transfer 2 to AC, you still have the hardness and HP of a +4 weapon, but you will only penetrate DR of x/+2, not x/+3.

 

[Dash Dannigan]

Gentlemen, a +2 sword remains a +2 sword no matter where it misplaces it's enhancement bonuses...it is still a +2 sword (this fact doesn't change). If it did then the silly thing would be unable to exist and we would be unable to debate on it...

The defending +2 sword of course retains it's ability to penetrate DR and other qualities despite placing it's enhancement towards the owner's AC.

 

[Antikinesis]

From the SRD...

A defender weapon allows the wielder to transfer some or all of the sword’s enhancement bonus to his AC...

It obviously allows you to transfer all of the enhancement bonus to AC, without losing the "defending" property. A defending weapon has to have at least a +1 enhancement bonus on it to qualify for the defending property. Therefore, obviously, the weapon is still enhanced, even if it's entire enhancement bonus is being used for AC.

If it retains its enhancement for purposes of qualifying for the defending property, why would it lose that same enhancement with respect to sundering, damage reduction, etc.? This just doesn't make sense to me, and I have trouble believing that this was the intent of the writer(s) of the "defending weapon" description.

-AK

 

[Nail]

When you transfer enhancement bonus to AC, either the Defender is still a weapon with enhancement bonus x - in which case it pierces DR - or it's not - in which case it loses hardness and hit points.

This seems needlessly complex. But complexity is fine, depending on taste, so YMMV.

Here's the relevant SRD quote:

Defending

A defender weapon allows the wielder to transfer some or all of the sword’s enhancement bonus to his AC as a special bonus that stacks with all others. As a free action, the wielder chooses how to allocate the weapon’s enhancement bonus at the start of his turn before using the weapon, and the effect to AC lasts until his next turn.

As written, the enhancement bonus does change, so the ability to penetrate DR and avoid sundering does seem to change.

In my opinion, that's silly; why would the weapon's hp change in mid-battle.....but hey, it's all right there.

In fact, this could get ludicrous:
If the weapon was previously damaged, and you activated the full defending benefits, it would instantaneously break, as it had, at that instant, 0 hp.

Very silly and annoying.

Counter-quotes, anyone? Please?

 

[Hypersmurf]

In fact, this could get ludicrous:
If the weapon was previously damaged, and you activated the full defending benefits, it would instantaneously break, as it had, at that instant, 0 hp.

You noticed it too, huh?

-Hyp.