Poll: Enforce the Standard Action to activate Energy Properties?

[Pyrex]

Just curious about enforcement of this particular rule.

Since the early days of 3.0, our gaming group has always assumed (unwritten house rule) that energy properties on weapons (flaming, cold, etc) just worked without spending an action to activate (just like Holy, Keen, etc). Thusfar it hasn't seemed to be unbalanced.

Just curious, do y'all make your players expend actions to activate the energy properties on their weapons?

 

[Drowbane]

Just curious about enforcement of this particular rule.

Since the early days of 3.0, our gaming group has always assumed (unwritten house rule) that energy properties on weapons (flaming, cold, etc) just worked without spending an action to activate (just like Holy, Keen, etc). Thusfar it hasn't seemed to be unbalanced.

Just curious, do y'all make your players expend actions to activate the energy properties on their weapons?

Ya know, I never really thought about it. I've played with four distinct groups (not counting stragglers) since 3.0 came out... and everybody has assumed that Elemental/Energy properties just activate as a Free Action. (or Immediate even) Self included.

Standard Action? Screw that.

 

[Stalker0]

Never have, never will.

 

[Deset Gled]

The way I have played it since 3.5 came out is that a weapon needs a standard action to activate a property when the description says so. However, I also play that once an ability is activated, the weapon does not need to be deactivated to be sheathed unless the user wants to, so the issue never really becomes a problem.

I also strongly disagree with the FAQ ruling that you can activate many abilities with one command (as it can result in the Magic Missle Gatling Wand problem).

 

[werk]

The way I have played it since 3.5 came out is that a weapon needs a standard action to activate a property when the description says so. However, I also play that once an ability is activated, the weapon does not need to be deactivated to be sheathed unless the user wants to, so the issue never really becomes a problem.

Voted yes, because we do require a standard action, but like the quoted poster above, players rarely deactivate energy properties.

 

[Vorput]

I dunno... if it's a standard action, suddenly every surprise round is just spent "powering up your weapons..."

It would also mean a party would now walk through corridors as, basically, a small elemental conflux...

I'd say a good rule of thumb would be to say any character with the quickdraw feat now has the ability to activate the weapon even as he attacks with it... in addition to the other benefits of quick draw.

I may just have to implement that now... hmm... thanks for bringing it to my attention!

 

[Murrdox]

Our group basically assumes that the elemental abilities of the weapons are always on... unless it is specificially said otherwise.

If they WERE intentionally disabled though, I would require the standard action to turn them back on.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Absolutely. It says "Upon command..."

-Hyp.

 

[isoChron]

All magic abilities are always on except:
Dancing: needs activation
Defending: needs activation (free action)
Flaming: needs activation
Frost: needs activation
Merciful: needs activation
Shock: needs activation
Spell Storing: needs activation (free action)

note that elemental bursts and alignment enhancements don't need activation.

Activation

Usually a character benefits from a magic weapon in the same way a character benefits from a mundane weapon—by attacking with it. If a weapon has a special ability that the user needs to activate then the user usually needs to utter a command word (a standard action).

Example:

Flaming

Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given. ...

The only problem is that during sleep you need to sleep with the weapon at your belt or it will set the sheath and other things on fire since its no longer in possession of the wielder. If you take it word by word you even can't sheath it because you don't wield it any longer. Who wants to walk around with a hot piece of sheath around ?

Another way is to simply house rule it. Such as autoactivation when wielding. That may be a problem if you attack a creature who heals because of fire damage...

 

[kigmatzomat]

I never noticed that the elemental powers required an action to activate. The archer IMC has soooooo been ripping me off. I always thought he was doing more damage than was reasonable (okay, 3.0 lets archers twink) but the math always seemed to work out.

I caught on last session that he was using manyshot beyond 30' and this time I'll make him spend his actions to turn on the shock power. He's still a little miffed about how two fights in a row monsters ran over to him and killed him or broke his bow but that's what happens when you do three times as much damage as everyone else.