How do you destroy a magic item?

[candidus_cogitens]

Is it difficult to destroy a magic weapon . . . an evil magic weapon, for example? How would you go about doing it, other than taking it to Mordor?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Is it difficult to destroy a magic weapon . . . an evil magic weapon, for example? How would you go about doing it, other than taking it to Mordor?

It's fairly easy to destroy a magic weapon.

You need a weapon with equal or greater enhancement, often easily achieved with a Greater Magic Weapon spell. Then you get someone with Power Attack to hit it really hard a few times, since you can automatically hit an inanimate object if you're not pressed for time...

Alternatively, use a targetted Dispel Magic to suppress the weapon's enhancement temporarily, and then get an orc with a rusty greataxe and Power Attack to hit it really hard a few times.

-Hyp.

 

[Pax]

Is it difficult to destroy a magic weapon . . . an evil magic weapon, for example? How would you go about doing it, other than taking it to Mordor?

Get a clric. Get a hammer. Have the cleric cast GMW on the hammer.

Spend a while beating the unholy heck^1 out of the evil weapon, with the hammer.


^1 I mean this in the literalest sense possible, of course.

 

[Ferox4]

Mordenkainen's Disjunction

and until you have access to that spell the GMW bashing tactic works just fine.

Remember though, it is very difficult to destroy artifacts and if you do manage to there's gonna be a hefty price to pay.

 

[kreynolds]

Remember though, it is very difficult to destroy artifacts and if you do manage to there's gonna be a hefty price to pay.

Maybe. You only have a 1% chance per caster level of actually pulling it off, and even then, you get a save. A 17th level wizard, with an Intelligence of 20 and a Headband of Intellect +2 would have a base Will save bonus of +16, so he'd only have to roll a 9 or higher to make it. Tack on any other minor items, such as a limited bonus to Will saves, and it gets better.

The actual bad part about destroying an artifact is that big ol' fat 95% chance of attracting the attention of a "Big Bad".

 

[Spatzimaus]

The GMW-then-hit-it method is the best if you have a little time to work with. Other options:
> Disintegrate it. The item gets a saving throw, but the odds aren't good.
> Cast Fabricate, declaring the sword to be your raw materials, and make a bunch of collectible figurines of your party. No saving throw. See also: Polymorph Any Object
> Drop it into lava. As long as it can do more than (22+2*Enhancement) points per turn on a good roll, it'll destroy the item eventually. (Half damage from fire/acid/electricity, 1/4 from cold, Hardness 10+Enhancement)
> Hit it with a big Fireball. Okay, it takes half from fire, then -hardness, but a 10-die ball averages 35 points, and a longsword only has 5+Enhancement hit points. A +1 weapon would probably be destroyed on the first hit (average 6.5 HP lost for a 6 HP weapon); an Empowered version would take out even a +5. One good Flame Strike would take out just about anything, since half the damage is divine.

 

[Ferox4]

The actual bad part about destroying an artifact is that big ol' fat 95% chance of attracting the attention of a "Big Bad".

That was more my point. Not so much the act of destroying the artifact, but the repercussions: Deitific or quasi-deitific intervention. Read: Bad.

Cheers

 

[kreynolds]

Read: Bad.

Yeah. If I poured tens of thousands of XP into the creation of a cup and someone broke it, I'd be pretty pissed too.

 

[karateka]

About the destruction of artifacts, they each have their own unique method which should be created by your DM (expose to red dragon breath etc...) Of course finding that particular piece of info is an adventure in itself. You still attract the attention of a biggie thou.
A fellow player destroyed an artifact just today actually. All he needed to was slay 88 demons and take their upper right fangs, make a succubus drink water from the river of Noraj, suffer the flames of the cave of Inferno for an hour and eat your own burnt flesh, wrap the artifact around the intestines of a succubus and cast it down a Cracks of Doom sort of thing. The problem was he had to do this alone. He did manage to pull it off thou
(I believe there were some more steps but can't remember exactly)

 

[Ferox4]

About the destruction of artifacts, they each have their own unique method which should be created by your DM (expose to red dragon breath etc...) Of course finding that particular piece of info is an adventure in itself. You still attract the attention of a biggie thou.
A fellow player destroyed an artifact just today actually. All he needed to was slay 88 demons and take their upper right fangs, make a succubus drink water from the river of Noraj, suffer the flames of the cave of Inferno for an hour and eat your own burnt flesh, wrap the artifact around the intestines of a succubus and cast it down a Cracks of Doom sort of thing. The problem was he had to do this alone. He did manage to pull it off thou
(I believe there were some more steps but can't remember exactly)

OK, so 10,000 flaming hoops later what kind of crap has this PC got himself/herself into? What was the artifact? How did they learn all the requisite conditions for its desruction? I'm not being critical, more curious, really.