multiple energies on one sword

[kreynolds]

Where does it state that if you have a flaming sword it takes one action to activate it? I thought that whenever you used drew the sword it was wrapped in flames. Like a keen weapon. DO you have to activate the keen ability when you want to use it? It seems like a very odd rule, it is a permanent item not flaming charges on the weapon.

Here...empahsis mine...

Flaming: Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the hands that hold the weapon. Flaming weapons deal +1d6 points of bonus fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so enchanted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition.

Some think that to mean it is command word, or that it simply affirms that it takes a standard action to kick off. Besides, activating a magic item property is always a standard action unless specifically stated otherwise, so it really doesn't matter if it's command word or simply use-activated. The only difference between the two is that one requires speech.

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

Mixing bowl analogy doesn't really apply either though. The sword, imo, is magically generating extreme cold and extreme heat at the same time...not from a common fuel or from a mxiture applied to the blade, but out of thin air through magic.

Generating heat and cold at the same time. You should substract the 1D6 of heat from the 1D6 of cold and apply the remaining damage IMO.

From the top of my head I couldn't find a rule but there are several precedent in D&D that indicates that's the way it should work.

Take the fire shield spell for example. It protects against fire by surrounding you with a cold aura (or protects against cold with a fire aura).

Take wall of fire: if you inflict cold damage on it it goes out.

Take the new epic spell Hellball: It inflicts 10D6 of damage of each energy type except cold. Why? Why not use a Fire/Cold combo? It would be very versatile as not many creature are immune to both and often if one is immune to fire, one is highly vulnerable to cold. But I presume the designer didn't do it for a reason.

I don't know if there is a written rule concerning it, but it's a consistent design as I'm sure you can't find a core example of an object or a spell doing both cold and fire effect at the same time.