Flaming/Frost/Shock?

[Thalia]

Which one is best???

My swashbuckler is having a weapon commissioned. I'm having trouble deciding on which type of magical damage to choose...

Which do people think is the most effective of these three (from the DMG)?

What advantages/disadvantages to the differing types offer?

I'm currently favoring the choice of a +1 Keen Adamantium Rapier of Shock, mostly for style reasons

 

[Heretic Apostate]

If you're in the Forgotten Realms, there's always Elemental Aura, which lets you choose which of the three (four? five?) elemental damage types to apply, on a round-to-round basis.

Of course, you're paying for it with something like a +3 equivalent. (IDHMBIFOM)

 

[James McMurray]

Over the course of an adventuring career all three should come out approimately even.
go with the one that fits you best, shock.

 

[Caliban]

Which one is best???

My swashbuckler is having a weapon commissioned. I'm having trouble deciding on which type of magical damage to choose...

Which do people think is the most effective of these three (from the DMG)?

What advantages/disadvantages to the differing types offer?

I'm currently favoring the choice of a +1 Keen Adamantium Rapier of Shock, mostly for style reasons

Flaming: Pro - stops the most common forms of regeneration.
Pro - You can use it to burn away a Web spell.
Con - Most outsiders are immune or resistant to fire.
Con - Fire based creatures aren't all that uncommon.

Frost: Pro - Slightly fewer creature creatures are resistant to it.
Pro - You can chill your drink.
Con - Most outsiders are immune or resistant to cold.
Con - Cold based creatures are only slightly less common than fire-based creatures.

Shock: Pro - Devils are not resistant to electricity.
Con - most other outsiders are.
Pro - Electricity resistant creatureare probably less common than fire or cold resistant creatures (may not hold true with specific DM's).

The best bet is Holy weapons. +2d6 damage against evil opponents.

 

[Kalanyr]

Flaming is probably the least useful because nearly all high level creatures have fire resistance.

Cold is probably the next most useful because resistance to it is common to (but not as common as fire)

Shock is also fairly widely resisted but at least not as often, on the other hand not a lot is weak to electricity either.

I'd probably say cold because it can exploit the weakness of some creatures (unlike electricity) but isn't as widely resisted as flaming. On the other hand you may want to go with shock just because its resisted less often.

Edit: Yeah what the Rule's Monkey said minutes before I did. Darn you Caliban, I'll get you next time!!

 

[Oscar carramiñana]

I agree with Caliban and Kalanyr said before.
Instead element damage choice alignment damage are more useful

 

[Kodam]

Hi!

Take Cold only if you're not expecting to fight Undead on a regulary basis...

Kodam

 

[UltimaGabe]

If you're going for usefulness and damage-dealing-ability, you'll wanna go with Acidic. The fewest things have resistance against it (I think), it overcomes most regeneration, and it ignores the hardness of objects.

As for style, I'd go with Shock.

 

[Tuzenbach]

1. Acid

2. Fungal Growth

3. Shock

4. Darkness

5. Poison akin to shock (like a bee sting but amplified)

 

[UltimaGabe]

2. Fungal Growth

4. Darkness

5. Poison akin to shock (like a bee sting but amplified)

....Where are you getting these from, exactly? And what do they do?