House rule for magic weapons/armor

[Grog]

Then there is also other factors and considerations (entirely in the DMs hands) when dealing with this. Why are you handing a 10th level PC 25,000 gp in cash? Just don't. Don't let them sit around for nearly 2 months straight (50 days) for the caster to make the thing in the first place. Mix it up a bit. Make the idea of that kind of downtime less than appealing.

Well, the problem is, I don't want the PCs to not be able to create any items at all, which is what limiting their downtime would accomplish. If a PC takes some item creation feats, and the DM never gives them enough free time to make any items, then they've essentially been stuck with some useless feats - which isn't really fair to the PC.

It just seems by your responses that you are pretty adamant about the whole thing. You seem sure about your opinion and appear to be set to impliment it. This is somewhat different than the impression you gave at the beginning. So it felt like a bit of sandbagging. You start off wondering about it and seeking opinions, then discount all attempts to test your theory in practice. That's how I'm taking it anyway.

Of the 4 posters to respond so far, 3 have recommended you instead fix GMW. [shrug] All I'm saying is, maybe be a little more open to the possibility, is all.

Point taken.

 

[Spatzimaus]

I also wanted to limit the number of enchantments it was possible to put on a weapon so the PCs would have to make choices instead of going hog-wild. Because if I changed GMW to make it not work on a weapon with +9 worth of special abilities, they could just carry backup weapons and GMW those instead for the times they ran into monsters with DR.

Try this then:
> It's not possible to make a weapon with higher than +10 Market Price without the Epic rules
> GMW isn't an Epic spell
> Therefore, GMW, Keen Edge, and any other spell that gives a weapon an ability that would increase it's effective Market Price can't take it over +10. If they've got a +1 Keen Vorpal Flaming Burst weapon, it's already at +9 and the GMW can only increase its Enhancement to +2, since that'd give it an effective +10 total.
(This only applies to spells or abilities that enchant the weapon directly; casting Haste on the wielder doesn't add 3 like a weapon of speed would, since you're not enchanting the individual weapon)
> Add a new spell, Superior Magic Weapon, that lets you go over +10. Maybe it's only a level 7 spell, maybe it's Epic, your call.

Still wouldn't stop GMW on arrows, of course, but it helps stop the people who take +1 Enhancement and then layer the other stuff on.

 

[DustTC]

...

I'm not sure if the GMW thing is always so overpowered. At level 9, you could use it to make a weapon +3. Now this would be a 3rd level spell for most who can cast it, which you don't have *that* many of. It's a pretty important spell slot to you.

Now if you rule that you can never surpass the total (equivalent) enhancement bonus, this is a pretty bad spell (depending on the weapon you have it's either plain bad or just rather weak). Let me explain.

It's reasonable to expect that any (combat-oriented) lvl 9 character has a +2 weapon (unless you're one of those DMs who thinks player should make do with wooden clubs until they reach epic levels).

Suppose you have a +1 <+1 equivalent quality> weapon (+2 total), so now you're getting +1 attack/dmg for 9 hours. Not bad, but there's easier ways to accomplish that (Bull's Strength comes to mind, though that doesn't always stack). You *can* now use it to beat a DR 2 opponent, but those usually can be dealt with anyway. When you meet that DR 20/+3 monster however, you've just wasted a spell to turn your weapon from useless to even more useless.

Suppose you have a +2 weapon, now you're still getting that +1 attack/dmg for 9 hours. Same comments (your bonus isn't really that spectacular), but now you can actually hit the DR 3 monster.

I don't know, but it seems to me that this just encourages players to only buy +x weapons in case they run into that DR 3 monster (which will be high CR, so that's when they need their hitting power the most), which is terribly boring. Anything but straight +x weapons will be useless in the big, important fights so often it's not even funny.

Now with GMW, you're switching the situation around a little: pure +x weapons aren't that attractive anymore. I don't think that's such a bad thing however, I even suspect the designers may have made GMW to encourage people to take non straight +x qualities for their weapons. After all, the way DR works means that otherwise nobody would be seen with anything but a +<maximum they can afford> weapon.

Now as with all things, you have to use moderation when considering this semi-official endorsement of non +x weapons in the form of the GMW spell: if you overdo it (+1 keen flaming shock longswords), GMW isn't terribly balanced anymore.

To me, the main problem seems to be the fact that it's always a lvl 3 spell, which makes it too cheap to use at high level. It scales too well *and* you can make wands of it. So perhaps the original spell should be limited to +3 weapons, with a new spell available at spell lvl 6 that allows you to go all the way to +5.

In fact, I think that last one sounds really good. You couldn't make wands of it either, which is nice.

 

[nookleer]

I dont understand...

I'm assuming that GMW is Greater Magic Weapon (I hate it when people talk in acronyms)...

I dont understand what the problem is, though... for 2 reasons...:

• It is clearly stated that a magical weapon can never exceed a cumulative effective enhancement bonus of +10, or a literal enhancement bonus of more than +5 until epic rules are in effect. Therefore, no +14 weapons period, ever.
• Pardon me if I am wrong, but the bonuses a magical weapon possesses are an enhancement bonus. The bonus Greater Magic Weapon provides on the same object is also an enhancement bonus... I do not believe they stack my friends.

 

[nookleer]

also, DustTC

I dont see why one could not have wands of Greater Magic Weapon. Any spell of 4th level or lower can be made into a wand... ANY spell of 4th or lower.

There is never any distinction beyond that of what could be in a wand.

 

[glass]

So perhaps the original spell should be limited to +3 weapons, with a new spell available at spell lvl 6 that allows you to go all the way to +5.

In fact, I think that last one sounds really good. You couldn't make wands of it either, which is nice.

I don't see why one could not have wands of Greater Magic Weapon. Any spell of 4th level or lower can be made into a wand... ANY spell of 4th or lower.

DustTC was talking about introducing a new 6th level spell. As you yourself note, wands can contain spells of levels upto and including 4th. 6 > 4.


glass.

 

[glass]

It is clearly stated that a magical weapon can never exceed a cumulative effective enhancement bonus of +10, or a literal enhancement bonus of more than +5 until epic rules are in effect. Therefore, no +14 weapons period, ever.

This is true, but has nothing to do with the point.

Pardon me if I am wrong, but the bonuses a magical weapon possesses are an enhancement bonus. The bonus Greater Magic Weapon provides on the same object is also an enhancement bonus... I do not believe they stack my friends.

GMW does not stack with existing enhancement bonuses on weapons, which is why PCs with access to GMW get +1 weapons then load up with special abilities. That is exactly the point.

BTW, why ressurect a three year old thread for this? I was wondering why nobody pointed out that under 3.5 bows and arrows don't stack anyway, until I noticed the dates!


glass.