Magic Weapon and Ammo...

[Magpie]

This looks like my first post ever, but it isn't really. I've been away awhile, and had to re-register and all that. I don't imagine I've been sorely missed or anything, but hello again! either way.

Seems to me, about, I dunno, a million years ago, we had a discussion about Magic Weapon, and how it affects ammunition. What did we decide on that? The Sage, so far as I've seen, hasn't had anything to say on it, and I don't see anything in the errata.

My question is, nutshelled: does Magic Weapon affect ammo at all, and if it does, how many pieces?

Thanks kindly for your attention and responses (the latter in advance, of course).

 

[kreynolds]

My question is, nutshelled: does Magic Weapon affect ammo at all

The PH doesn't say so. The errata doesn't correct this. The FAQ doesn't correct this. Looks like a big ol' fat no.

 

[00durrin]

but greater magic weapon does affect ammo...i guess that's one more reason why it's greater

 

[hong]

You could certainly cast magic weapon on an arrow. It's still a sharp stick and you can use it to poke holes in people (even at range). However, you could only cast it on _one_ arrow, instead of on 50 arrows at once, like with GMW.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

It's not clear to me that you could cast magic weapon on an arrow any more than you could on a tomato, a spitoon, or any other object that wasn't a weapon, even if you decided to then try to use it as one.

 

[hong]

It's not clear to me that you could cast magic weapon on an arrow any more than you could on a tomato, a spitoon, or any other object that wasn't a weapon, even if you decided to then try to use it as one.

Unlike tomatoes, spittoons or any other random object, arrows appear in the table of weapons in the PHB, pp.98-99.

 

[Zhure]

If you have the Throw Anything feat could you then cast Magic Weapon on a spittoon? Or maybe if you were a Drunken Master?

Greg

 

[kreynolds]

If you have the Throw Anything feat could you then cast Magic Weapon on a spittoon?

Yes. But you would no longer be able to use Spring Attack.

 

[Dr_Rictus]

Unlike tomatoes, spittoons or any other random object, arrows appear in the table of weapons in the PHB, pp.98-99.

Because they are ammunition. This ground has been gone over before, to death.

 

[Magpie]

Now wait a minute, Hong has a point, pun fully intended. Arrows are addressed specifically as melee weapons in their description, albeit as a melee weapon not designed to be used as a melee weapon, but a melee weapon nonetheless.

To wit, "An arrow used as a melee weapon is Tiny and deals 1d4 points of piercing damage (x2 crit). Since it is not designed for this use, all characters are treated as not proficient with it, and thus suffer a -4 penalty on their attack rolls."