Keen Luck Blade of Subtlety

[Diirk]

Contrasting things (as I'd done) isn't 100% helpful as other examples where the enhancement bonus is replaced under certain conditions (sword of planes, shatterspike) or where you get an additional improvement to it (dwarven thrower) both spell out explicitly how it works; sword of subtlety is the only one that doesn't do so.

However, I do agree that if you go by strictly what it says, its a +4 unnamed bonus on top of its +1 enhancement bonus. And its probably better balanced that way too. I'm still not convinced its worth the expenditure, tho.

 

[Hypersmurf]

sword of subtlety is the only one that doesn't do so.

If Shatterspike didn't say "including the +1 enhancement bonus", then the +4 would be distinct, and would stack with the existing +1.

That wouldn't be a case of Shatterspike being ambiguous; it would be Shatterspike using a different rule to what it uses now.

Sword of Subtlety hasn't left out any information, or left anything implied; it lays it out quite clearly.

1. The sword has a +1 enhancement bonus.
2. The sword gains a +4 (unnamed) bonus to attack and damage under certain circumstances.

Nothing else is required to tell us whether the bonuses stack or not, because we know that in the absence of specific wording to the contrary (like Shatterspike possesses), an enhancement bonus and an unnamed bonus stack.

However, I do agree that if you go by strictly what it says, its a +4 unnamed bonus on top of its +1 enhancement bonus.

Right.

-Hyp.

 

[Diirk]

If Shatterspike didn't say "including the +1 enhancement bonus", then the +4 would be distinct, and would stack with the existing +1.

That wouldn't be a case of Shatterspike being ambiguous; it would be Shatterspike using a different rule to what it uses now.

Sword of Subtlety hasn't left out any information, or left anything implied; it lays it out quite clearly.

1. The sword has a +1 enhancement bonus.
2. The sword gains a +4 (unnamed) bonus to attack and damage under certain circumstances.

Nothing else is required to tell us whether the bonuses stack or not, because we know that in the absence of specific wording to the contrary (like Shatterspike possesses), an enhancement bonus and an unnamed bonus stack.

As unnamed bonuses and enhancement bonuses always stack, it would appear Shatterspike doesn't grant a +4 unnamed bonus; it grants a +3 unnamed bonus. The +4 is simply the total of all its bonuses.

Wizards less than stellar editing record and similarities in the way the items are worded leave wiggle room for the possibility that the sword of subtlety was intended in the same way and they simply forgot to clarify it.

However thats not what it actually says by a literal interpretation, so there's no real point speculating.