PHB3 Weapon Properties

[Kaledor]

I haven't gotten to see much out of the PHB3, but I noticed in the recent Dragon article on Sorcerers (Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Sorcerers)) that they mention new weapon properties. Actually, they call them "Superior Implements" and they are implement properties. Namely:

Accurate, Energized (element type), Unerring, Empowered Crit, and Forceful


Can anyone give me more information on what a superior implement is, and/or what these properties do?

 

[abyssaldeath]

A superior implement is an implement, but better. Read this thread at WotC link.

A Heroic Tier Feat gives a character access to one superior implement type - Holy Symbols, Orbs, Rods, Staffs, tomes, Totems, or Wands. The Feat can be taken again for another type. For each type there are four enhancement examples with explanations of all of the keywords included. For example, here's the list for Wands:

Accurate Wand - Accurate
Cinder Wand - Empowered Crit, Energized (Fire)
Dragontooth Wand - Deadly, Unerring
Rowan Wand - Distant, Energized (Lightning)

Accurate is as basic as you would expect, offering a +1 to hit. The Cinder Wand offers an extra 1d10 damage on a crit (scaling upward in Paragon and Epic) along with a +2 damage bonus to fire attacks used with the wand (also scaling upward). A GM could easily build a Glacial Wand or what not by replacing a few simple keywords. Be aware that this system only takes up two pages of the book.

My opinion is that this can be a very powerful option for many builds, but given the specificity of the bonuses a player will absolutely have to be crafting their own implements by now or have a DM that basically seeds what they want for their build.

The cost is almost non-existent, amounting to just a few gold. They can be enchanted just like any other item.

The limit on abilities is whatever is included. Either the implement is Accurate or it has two other abilities, though I suspect a DM could easily take this idea and tweak it to suit.

I think it's balanced vs. superior weapons in that superior weapons are... superior. And so are these! In terms of giving casters a bit of catchup to the options melee and ranged had, yes this does a lot to help.

Deadly - +1 to all damage rolls, scaling to +2 and +3 by tier.

Distant - Range of area and ranged attack powers is increased by 2.

Unerring - +1 attack bonus to attacks against Reflex.

 

[spayne]

Superior Implement properties only apply to implement powers, you cannot get the bonuses on weapon attacks. You also must attack with the implement to get the bonuses.

 

[mneme]

Ooh.

One wonders, can you get superior implement superior weapons? A Drow Warlock, or a revenant (githyanki) warlock or swordmage might very well care.

 

[DracoSuave]

Ooh.

One wonders, can you get superior implement superior weapons? A Drow Warlock, or a revenant (githyanki) warlock or swordmage might very well care.

A warlock can use rods...

But I don't see why not, but there's no available stats for them at this time, and the costs seem inconsistant.

But... hey, they ARE cheap as borsht!

One thing of note tho: If a swordmage happens to use a superior implement, he cannot use its superiority properties on a weapon power.


EDIT:

One thing of note: You don't get proficiency in 'superior rods' for example. You DO get proficiency in 'accurate rod'.

 

[Max1mus]

And you need a specific feat to receive the benefit from that implement ie: Deadly Wands. Sort of like Weapon expertise.

 

[Mr. Teapot]

Ooh.

One wonders, can you get superior implement superior weapons? A Drow Warlock, or a revenant (githyanki) warlock or swordmage might very well care.

Sorcerers have Daggers as implements. Swordmages get Light or Heavy Blades as Implements. So far the only superior implement Light or Heavy blades are the Daggers in the linked sorcerer article. So no superior weapon and superior implement at the same time. Maybe eventually.

(I don't see how it would be unbalanced, as you'd be spending two feats on enhancing different attacks.)


Maybe by combining weapon and implement a different way? Like one of those divine weapon enchantments that counts it as your holy symbol. Avenger with a Executioner's Axe enchanted to be a Wrathful Holy Symbol, maybe.