Magic weapon abilities

[jaker2003]

Here's some of the stuff I've come across and some stuff I've thought up. Comments, insults, and more abilities all desired.


Offered by Nifft:

Seething Corrosion: This weapon drips with a dangerous black liquid. Any foe struck takes +1 point of acid damage, and on a critical hit, the weapon deals +1d8 acid damage. (x3 crit grants +2d8 acid damage, x4 crit grants +3d8 acid damage, etc.)
Moderate conjuration; CL: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, acid fog, acid storm, Melf’s acid arrow, or storm of vengeance; Market Price: +1 bonus.

My own:

Skinsplitter: A skinsplitter weapon hates creatures that can naturally shrug off damage. Skinsplitter weapons increase their enhancement bonuses by 2 against creatures with damage reduction. These weapons also deal incredible damage to any target. A skinsplitter's bonus damage from the weapon’s enhancement bonus is multiplied by 3. Moderate conjuration; CL: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Power Attack, summon monster IV; Market Price: +2 bonus.

Outsider Bane: An outsider bane weapon excels at attacking Outsiders. It’s effective enhancement bonus is +2 better than normal against Outsiders and also deals an additional 2d6 damage when striking them. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the bane property on their ammunition.
Moderate conjuration; CL: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, summon monster V; Market Price: +2 bonus.

and from http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/magicitems/grayenergyweaponproperty.html,
Gray Energy (Weapon Property): A strange counterpart to the brilliant energy weapon type, a gray energy weapon has its significant portion--such as its blade, axe head, or arrowhead--transformed into a dull gray energy that sheds barely enough light to illuminate itself. A gray energy weapon is disruptive to nonliving material but ignores living matter. Against objects, undead, and constructs made of nonliving materials, it ignores hardness and natural armor (armor, Dexterity, deflection, dodge, and other such bonuses still apply.). Bows, crossbows, and slings cannot be crafted with this ability. A weapon cannot have both the brilliant energy and gray energyweapon properties.
Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, gaseous form, deeper darkness; Market Price: +2 bonus.

You'd think that a weapon designed to damage objects (such as armor) would ignore armor as easily as it would ignore the natural armor of an undead . . . go figure.

 

[kanithardm]

Wait... isn't some this stuff in the DMG II?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Ignoring the various new energy types, let's take a look at the more interesting enhancements:

Skinsplitter: A skinsplitter weapon hates creatures that can naturally shrug off damage. Skinsplitter weapons increase their enhancement bonuses by 2 against creatures with damage reduction. The weapons also deal additional damage equal to the weapon’s enhancement bonus against any target multiplied by 4. So a +2 Construct bane Skinsplitter Maul (1d10+1.5*str crit 20/x3) used against an Iron Golem with DR15/adamantine will deal 1d10+(1.5*str) + 2d6 + (((+2construct bane +2enhancement +2skinsplitter) = 6)*5 = 30) damage.
Moderate conjuration; CL: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Power Attack, summon monster IV; Market Price: +2 bonus.

This looks a bit too complex to me. In order to know whether or not you hit, you need to know if a monster has DR or not. Fair enough. But then you multiply some, but not all of your damage bonusses by 4 and add them to the original damage bonus (which seems a rather clunky way to say it; I'd just say instead of its enhancement bonus damage, it deals damage equal to five times its enhancement bonus).

In any event, it's probably overpowered since nearly all high CR monsters have DR and a +5 greater magic weaponed one of these will deal an additional 35 points of damage to any critter with DR. That about doubles the per hit damage output of a lot of 20th level characters.

Outsider Bane: An outsider bane weapon excels at attacking Outsiders. It’s effective enhancement bonus is +2 better than normal against Outsiders and also deals an additional 3d6 damage when striking them. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the bane property on their ammunition.
Moderate conjuration; CL: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, summon monster V; Market Price: +5 bonus.

This seems overpriced. At a +4 equivalent cost, you could add holy, evil outsider bane, and chaotic outsider bane to a weapon and you'd get the +2 enhancement bonus and more bonus damage against most outsiders you'd fight and dramatically more against demons. And you'd cut through DR/evil.

It would probably be better as a +2 or +3 power. (It'd be very good for a +2 but might be reasonable if you knocked it down to 2d6 extra damage; it might be a bit weak for a +3 considering that holy, evil outsider bane is also +3 total enhancements).

Opposing: An opposing weapon receives a bonus to its enhancement according to the strength of its target:
Target HD: = Bonus to Enhancement:
0-7 = +0
8 - 14 = +1
15 - 21 = +2
22 - 28 = +3
29+ = +4
Faint transmutation; CL:10; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bull’s strength; Market Price: +1 bonus

My instinct is to say that it's not balanced because it's basically a +2-+4 enhancement bonus without the normal pre-epic limit once you pass level 12 or so.

Strength: A strength weapon receives a bonus to its enhancement equal to its wielder’s strength bonus (max +5). Only composite bows and melee weapons may have this weapon property.
Moderate conjuration; CL: 10; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bull’s strength, Strength Domain, Caster Level 10; Market Price: +1

Definitely not. Not in a million years would this be balanced. For nearly all relevant circumstances, it's a +4 or +5 enhancement bonus for the cost of a +1. 20 strength is decidedly low for a melee type after level 10.

Dim Energy: A dim energy weapon has its significant portion transformed into shadow, although this does not modify the item’s weight. It always gives off dim light in a 20-foot radius. A dim energy weapon ignores living matter. Natural armor bonuses to AC (including any enhancement bonuses to that natural armor) do not count against it because the weapon passes through the flesh. (Dexterity, deflection, dodge, armor, and other such bonuses still apply.) A dim energy weapon specifically harms undead, constructs, and objects. This property can only be applied to melee weapons, thrown weapons, and ammunition.
Strong transmutation; CL 16th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, gaseous form, darkness; Price +4 bonus.[/b]

Does this harm living creatures too? If it does, it's probably too good as it's basically a "license to power attack anything that's not incorporeal or a classed humanoid" for full and still hit every time. Unlike a brilliant energy weapon which is good against classed humanoids, works against most living creatures, and is utterly useless against undead and constructs, this is very good against both larger groups and may still work against the smaller group. If it doesn't harm living creatures, it's probably more balanced but is still problematic.

 

[Nifft]

In the Core rules, Acid is thought to be between the Big Three (Fire, Cold, Electricity) and the Unresisted One (Sonics). So, I'd not allow a Corrosive weapon that's equivalent to Flaming.

Instead, consider one that's more like Thundering.

Seething Corrosion: This weapon drips with a dangerous black liquid. Any foe struck takes +1 point of acid damage, and on a critical hit, the weapon deals +1d8 acid damage. (x3 crit grants +2d8 acid damage, x4 crit grants +3d8 acid damage, etc.)

-- N

 

[Land Outcast]

[Dim-thingy]

Hehey!

Who needs picks now?, we can cut a mountain with this!
Well, I forgot to explain you, you've got no more armor, nor shield.

, but, seriously, Dim energy needs more explanation:
Does it harm living matter?
Is it special against non-living enemies?

BTW: I support elder-basilisk's points, specially in the outsiderbane,
"+1 good outsider, evil outsider bane" vs "+1 outsiderbane"
Outsiderbane's benfits over the other: +1d6 damage, good against neutral outsiders
--> +3 enhancement

 

[jaker2003]

Wait... isn't some this stuff in the DMG II?

There's a second?

This looks a bit too complex to me. In order to know whether or not you hit, you need to know if a monster has DR or not. Fair enough. But then you multiply some, but not all of your damage bonusses by 4 and add them to the original damage bonus (which seems a rather clunky way to say it; I'd just say instead of its enhancement bonus damage, it deals damage equal to five times its enhancement bonus).

How about 3 x the Enhancement bonus?

In any event, it's probably overpowered since nearly all high CR monsters have DR and a +5 greater magic weaponed one of these will deal an additional 35 points of damage to any critter with DR. That about doubles the per hit damage output of a lot of 20th level characters.

My players just might need a super weapon in my campaign; I would give them an artifact, but then it might not fit the choices they make (an artifact targeting mindflayers isn't much help if they decide to go to Celestia)

This seems overpriced. At a +4 equivalent cost, you could add holy, evil outsider bane, and chaotic outsider bane to a weapon and you'd get the +2 enhancement bonus and more bonus damage against most outsiders you'd fight and dramatically more against demons. And you'd cut through DR/evil.

It would probably be better as a +2 or +3 power. (It'd be very good for a +2 but might be reasonable if you knocked it down to 2d6 extra damage; it might be a bit weak for a +3 considering that holy, evil outsider bane is also +3 total enhancements).

Well, it's general; It'll kick in against even the neutral and (Native) Outsiders (options not available for the Bane ability). Basically, anything with an Outsider HD is going to be targeted. - Honestly, I didn't know what to price it, I just figured it was general enough to apply to a long list of subtypes, so it would probably be expensive. And if it was gonna cost that much, you should get a little more Oomph when you hit. I can see it as a +2 if we drop the bonus damage to +2d6.

My instinct is to say that it's not balanced because it's basically a +2-+4 enhancement bonus without the normal pre-epic limit once you pass level 12 or so.

Definitely not. Not in a million years would this be balanced. For nearly all relevant circumstances, it's a +4 or +5 enhancement bonus for the cost of a +1. 20 strength is decidedly low for a melee type after level 10.

I don't have any problems throwing these out.

Does this harm living creatures too? If it does, it's probably too good as it's basically a "license to power attack anything that's not incorporeal or a classed humanoid" for full and still hit every time. Unlike a brilliant energy weapon which is good against classed humanoids, works against most living creatures, and is utterly useless against undead and constructs, this is very good against both larger groups and may still work against the smaller group. If it doesn't harm living creatures, it's probably more balanced but is still problematic.

The weapon is incapable of striking a living creature (a dead body is fair game, though). How is it a problem? You can't hurt the dwarf, but you cut his full plate armor in half . . . it sounds comical, not problematic.

Also (and I can't believe no one brought this up), a dim energy weapon ignores the natural armor of undead, constructs, and objects. Before you grab the nerf-stick, remember that its priced at +4 and cannot harm living creatures.

Instead, consider one that's more like Thundering.

Seething Corrosion: This weapon drips with a dangerous black liquid. Any foe struck takes +1 point of acid damage, and on a critical hit, the weapon deals +1d8 acid damage. (x3 crit grants +2d8 acid damage, x4 crit grants +3d8 acid damage, etc.)

We can do that, but what about the Screaming ability? I'll make some edits in response to your posts on the 5th, remember, any comments are always welcome.

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

Dim weapons remind me of "grey energy" weapons or some such posted by SKReynolds on his website. Lets see if I can find the link. . .
http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/magicitems/grayenergyweaponproperty.html
There. Somebody else has already done the work for you.

 

[Nifft]

We can do that, but what about the Screaming ability? I'll make some edits in response to your posts on the 5th, remember, any comments are always welcome.

Didn't see that. Wouldn't allow it, since Thundering exists and covers the [Sonic] descriptor already.

(I mean, you see that Screaming is much stronger than Thundering, right? Who would ever take Thundering if Screaming were available?)

-- N

 

[jaker2003]

some one would take both +1 abilities if they like bursting weapons.

-

oh, and I'll just use his grey energy ability and credit & link his site.

 

[Nifft]

some one would take both +1 abilities if they like bursting weapons.

That's not the question. The question is, would you like +3.5 sonic damage every hit, or +4.5 sonic damage when you confirm a crit?

What person would prefer to only do damage on a crit?

Thus, Screaming is too strong.

-- N