How to make an Unholy item safe for use

[Damon Griffin]

Short of Wish, Limited Wish or Miracle, does anyone know of a way that the Unholy weapon quality might be removed from a weapon? or flipping the alignment so that it becomes a Holy weapon instead?

Our party just captured a fairly cool weapon -- a repeating crossbow a 100-shot capacity (extradimensional clip) being used by an assassin. Since the weapon's Unholy and we're all good aligned characters, we can't really use the thing as is. But like the man said "If it could be turned, it would be a powerful ally."

I can't find any spell other than the three listed above that look like they'd have any effect. What about using the normal rules for upgrading magic items? Any qualified spellcaster could take this weapon and add qualities to it via the rules for magic item creation; can those same rules be exploited to remove existing qualities, or substitute one for another?

I'm crossposting this to Rules, in case I'm overlooking an existing rule option, but I also wanted to check here to see if anyone has handled this sort of thing in their campaign.

Presuming there is currently no "official" way to handle this, here's what I'd like to suggest:

1. Allow a spellcaster to exploit the magic item creation rules -- while in the middle of the item creation/upgrade process, and not at other times -- to delete an unwanted quality from a magic weapon. (The idea is that, figuratively speaking, you have the magic item's case open and its electronic guts spread out on the workbench, so you can make modifications to it in this state that wouldn't be possible when it's assembled and ready for use.)

2. Require that the time and cost to remove a quality is either:

(a) the same as the time and cost to add that quality originally; or

(b) the time and cost needed to add a NEW quality of the same value; or

(c) half the time and cost needed to add a new quality (because it's almost always cheaper to tear down than to build.)

So, if the crossbow in question currently counts as a +4 equivalent weapon overall, then the cost to remove the unwanted Unholy quality would be:

(a)
Market value of a +4 equivalent weapon: 32,000gp
Market value of a +2 equivalent weapon: 8,000gp
Difference: 24,000gp

(b)
Market value of a +6 equivalent weapon: 72,000gp
Market value of a +4 equivalent weapon: 32,000gp
Difference: 40,000gp

(c)
Market value of a +6 equivalent weapon: 72,000gp
Market value of a +4 equivalent weapon: 32,000gp
Difference: 40,000gp
Halved: 20,000gp

A spellcaster would need either (a) 12,000gp plus 960 XP, or (b) 20,000gp plus 1600 XP, or (c) 10,000gp plus 800gp to remove the Unholy quality. The weapon could subsequently be upgraded in the usual manner at the normal cost. For example, the Holy quality could be added for 12,000gp plus 960 XP.


Any thoughts on (a) vs. (b) vs. (c)? I think I like (c) myself.


3. Optionally, require some sort of skill check to remove the unwanted quality without messing anything else up. Failure could mean that you deleted the wrong quality ("Cut the red wire! No, the RED wire!"), or deleted the one you'd targeted plus one other. Critical failure could magically degauss the whole item, leaving you with a mundane masterwork weapon.

 

[msisden]

There is also the "Use Magic Device" skill, which allows you to emulate an ability, so you wouldn't suffer negative levels. Sure, the weapon would still be unholy, which will impose some drawbacks (like vs undead), but you would still have all the other goodies.

 

[Judas]

I would imagine it would take some high level goodly clerics to "bless the item, purify it, consecrate it, or something of that nature to remove/netralize the unholy out of it.

Interesting idea though... the group I dm is about to run into a similar situation. Hmmm......

 

[Nifft]

Frankly, anything short of a Wish or Miracle would result in removing the Unholy quality, but leave a curse on the weapon -- those powers who provided the original "energy" aren't happy to see their contract revoked!

-- Nifft

 

[Hypersmurf]

Critical failure could magically degauss the whole item, leaving you with a mundane masterwork weapon.

"You did take all our bolts of slaying out of the extra-dimensional magazine before you started, right?"

-Hyp.

 

[yennico]

Re: Re: How to make an Unholy item safe for use

"You did take all our bolts of slaying out of the extra-dimensional magazine before you started, right?"

. The extra-dimensional magazine works like a quiver of a solar.

Just my 2 cents
yennico

 

[yennico]

Frankly, anything short of a Wish or Miracle would result in removing the Unholy quality, but leave a curse on the weapon -- those powers who provided the original "energy" aren't happy to see their contract revoked!

-- Nifft

If I would allow removing a weapon special ability only after a long time of research and by casting a wish or miracle, but there will always be a curse on that weapon.

Ooh I have found a cool +X lawful and other weapon specialities weapon, but I am not lawful.
So I just remove the ability lawful .....

Sounds awful to me.

Just my 2 cents
yennico

 

[Tzudralkor]

haste nullifies slow and reduce nullifies enlarge. i'd say that if you make the weapon holy, the abilities should cancel out, leaving you with whatever non-unholy enhancements the crossbow had. unfortunately, this gives you the most costly option

(b) the time and cost needed to add a NEW quality of the same value; or....
....(b)
Market value of a +6 equivalent weapon: 72,000gp
Market value of a +4 equivalent weapon: 32,000gp
Difference: 40,000gp

 

[Tzudralkor]

haste nullifies slow and reduce nullifies enlarge. i'd say that if you make the weapon holy, the abilities should cancel out, leaving you with whatever non-unholy enhancements the crossbow had. unfortunately, this gives you the most costly option

(b) the time and cost needed to add a NEW quality of the same value; or....
....(b)
Market value of a +6 equivalent weapon: 72,000gp
Market value of a +4 equivalent weapon: 32,000gp
Difference: 40,000gp