Magic Weapon Special Abilities

[Hawklord]

Do magic weapon "special abilities" - flaming, frost, holy etc. - count as "spell-like" abilities and thus are subject to Spell Resistance on hitting a creature?

I'd be grateful if anyone could point out where in the rules it explicitly states this as it's been the subject of some lively debate in my group recently. :\

Cheers

 

[hong]

Technically, yes, they are spell-like abilities. All magic item specials are spell-like. See the DMG p.214 under "Saving throws against magic item powers".

However, nobody applies SR against weapon enchantments like flaming, holy, etc. I suggest you do the same.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Only spells and spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance.

The question now is whether flaming (e.g.) is a spell-like ability. Hong provided a reference to say so, but the exact wording is that it could be a spell-like effect.

Magic items produce spells or spell-like effects.

Note that it does not say spell-like ability and that is a key distinction. Note that

Usually, a spell-like ability works just like the spell of that name. A few spell-like abilities are unique; these are explained in the text where they are described.

Since there is no "flaming" spell then we are left with looking at the text if we assume it's a spell-like ability. In the text, it does not give us a description of the spell-like ability (notably, saving throw, SR, duration, etc.), therefore it cannot be a spell-like ability. It must be something else, and therefore not subject to SR.

One final point. If you do rule that flaming is a spell-like ability, then you will provoke an AoO when attacking with your flaming longsword unless you Concentrate on it. If that's not proof enough that it's not a spell-like ability, I don't know what is.

 

[full_moon_draw]

Hmm,

I never thought of putting it the way infini2000 put it oh noble Master HawkLord!

Still - it does seem far from "simple"!!!! :-(

Wonder if we'll ever get to the bottom of this one? What do you think? Are we any closer?

Cheers - FMD

 

[Hawklord]

Thanks for the advice chaps.

I can't find anything in the RAW that definitively says weapon "special abilities" are "spell-like" and thus subject to SR . Logic might suggest they are as you require the spells to create them - but since when did logic apply to magic !

I'm tempted to follow the advice and forget about SR in this context - simply to cut down the dice-rolling if nothing else.

cheers

Hawklord

 

[Bront]

You get Elemental resistance against them, but since there is no definitive caster level for flaming, SR would be hard to handle, and reduce the power of such an enchantment even further, so no.