Flamming/Flamming Burst and the like (couple ?'s)

[hammymchamham]

Ok, say I have a +1 Flaming long sword and am a 7th level fighter (and thus get 2 attacks). Ok, now the flaming sword discription says 'by command,' does this mean I must spend an action to command my sword to be flamming? And how long would such a command last? Until my next hit? Or until I speak a command word to stop it?

And if I have a flaming burst long sword and get a crit, do I get:
2d8 + str + 1d6 fire + 1d10 fire?

Thanks ladies and germs!

 

[Dr. Zoom]

Ok, say I have a +1 Flaming long sword and am a 7th level fighter (and thus get 2 attacks). Ok, now the flaming sword discription says 'by command,' does this mean I must spend an action to command my sword to be flamming? And how long would such a command last? Until my next hit? Or until I speak a command word to stop it?

Command word to active the flaming and command word to deactivate. By rule, each command word requires a standard action.

And if I have a flaming burst long sword and get a crit, do I get:
2d8 + str + 1d6 fire + 1d10 fire?

There is some debate whether or not you get the 1d6 +1d10 or just the 1d10. Most, including myself, say both. So you get 2d8+2 + 2xStr + 1d6 + 1d10.

 

[Tidus4444]

I'm not sure on this, but if you crit with a flaming burst I think you get:
(weap dmgx)2+ str+(1d10)x2

and as for turning it on, it really depends on the command word. If you make it Flame on (gotta luv the Fantastic Four), then it'll be a free action. If you make it the history of your clan. it will take considerably more time.

 

[Hypersmurf]

and as for turning it on, it really depends on the command word. If you make it Flame on (gotta luv the Fantastic Four), then it'll be a free action.

Nope. As the Doc points out, Command-Word Activation is standard action.

-Hyp.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Not quite.

A critical hit with a flaming burst weapon does the following damage, according to Monte Cook's interpretation of the flaming burst property:

(weapon damage + modifiers) x2 +extra damage dice +1d6 flaming +1d10 flaming burst*

*This last increases to 2d10 if the weapon's crit multiplier is x3, or 3d10 if the crit multiplier is x4

An interesting question is whether a weapon master's ki critical ability increases the extra damage dice done by a flaming burst weapon.

 

[hammymchamham]

So if I use the command word on my flaming weapon, how long does it last? Until my next successful hit? Or until I speak the command word again?

 

[Hypersmurf]

So if I use the command word on my flaming weapon, how long does it last? Until my next successful hit? Or until I speak the command word again?

The latter. Think of the command word as being like an On/Off switch.

-Hyp.

 

[magnas_veritas]

Ok, say I have a +1 Flaming long sword and am a 7th level fighter (and thus get 2 attacks). Ok, now the flaming sword discription says 'by command,' does this mean I must spend an action to command my sword to be flamming? And how long would such a command last? Until my next hit? Or until I speak a command word to stop it?

And if I have a flaming burst long sword and get a crit, do I get:
2d8 + str + 1d6 fire + 1d10 fire?

Thanks ladies and germs!

I don't think that using the elemental dice enhancements on weapons should require an action. For one thing, there's no duration listed on the ability. It could last forever for all we know. Near as I can tell, our group considers it to be use-activated...you're using it to smack the target, after all. We've never bothered using any command words, otherwise the entire party's first action would all be (as they seem to assume) posing with the weapon and shouting "Flame on!", "Freeze, buster!", "May Cuiracaen's wrath be upon thee!", or "EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" An alternate way would be to say it's constantly radiating the energy type while unsheathed unless otherwise commanded.

For that +n flaming burst longsword wielded one-handed on a crit, that'd be (I believe):

2d8 + 2*Str bonus + 2*n + d6F + d10F.

This may have been answered in a FAQ somewhere. It's unclear whether the d6 of elemental damage stays in on the crit, or if it's replaced by the d10. If it's the latter, it's rather pointless; it's an average of 2 more points on a critical hit, for an extra +1 enhancement bonus, and without Keen or Improved Critical, you're only critting maybe on 10% of successful hits on that longsword, so that's only an extra .2 points of damage/hit*. I'd take the extra +1 to hit and damage any day, especially since that would turn into 2 points on a crit.

It's not even cost-effective including the d6; then you're getting an extra 5.5 points on average/crit, so that would be an extra .55 points/successful hit*. Better, but still not more than that extra +1 to hit and damage.

* A while back, at work, I figured out an equation for determining average damage based on hit probabability and crit damage. I'll see if I can't dig it up, but we were a lot less busy then. These are extemparaneous figures, and may not be quite right.

Brad

 

[shilsen]

Re: Re: Flamming/Flamming Burst and the like (couple ?'s)

I don't think that using the elemental dice enhancements on weapons should require an action. For one thing, there's no duration listed on the ability. It could last forever for all we know. Near as I can tell, our group considers it to be use-activated...you're using it to smack the target, after all. We've never bothered using any command words, otherwise the entire party's first action would all be (as they seem to assume) posing with the weapon and shouting "Flame on!", "Freeze, buster!", "May Cuiracaen's wrath be upon thee!", or "EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" An alternate way would be to say it's constantly radiating the energy type while unsheathed unless otherwise commanded.

One could make an argument this should be the case, but as written, it's a standard action to activate such a weapon. You could choose to activate it ahead of time, and walk around with a flaming (or electrically-charged, or whatever). Or house rule it, which is what your group has apparently done.