Rules Gurus: Unique Magic Item Help

[gonzoron]

(originally posted this on the WotC boards and didn't get much response. Trying here instead.)

Hey there, d20 rules experts, I need some help. I came up with a unique weapon special ability for my Ravenloft campaign, and while I've got the flavor down, the crunch is giving me headaches.

ELVISH WHIPVINE
This whip, the treasured weapon of the Darkonian elves, resembles a rustic whip dagger (Sword and Fist), leather entwined around twisted barbs and glass shards. But, the leather of the whip is actually wrapped around a vine of ivy that only grows on the sacred tree of the Nevuchar shrine. The elves soak the whips in water once a week to keep the magic of the vine from going dormant. Some even soak it in a weak tea, broth or even watered-down wine, to keep the spirits of the woods happy.

When the whip is well-watered, tiny buds sprout from between the woven strands of leather. When the whip is used in combat, the buds extend into tiny grasping roots that tear at the target (+2 enhancement bonus).

...

OK, so far so good. Now, here's the tough part:

The whip also has the weapon special ability of "Infusion" which I made up, allowing it to deliver liquids to the target on a successful strike. (Presumably, Infusion could be added to any magic weapon, not just these whipvines.) The idea is, you soak the whip in holy water, and it's extra good against undead. You soak it in wolfsbane broth and it's extra good against werewolves. You soak it in poison, and it's poisonous. You soak it in alchemist's fire, and it makes people flammable. You soak it in a potion of some sort, and the target gets the potion effects. Etc. (The idea here was to make an interesting weapon for my Herbalist PC to put her skills to use with.)

Now, I need some rules for this effect that will make it useful, but balanced, and I'd like to keep the Infusion ability at the price of a +1 bonus. So the baseline for comparison is Flaming, which gives +1d6 damage all the time. (Fire resistant creatures excepted) Since Flaming works nearly all the time for free, and Infusion costs some money in the form of liquids, I believe it's safe to make Infusion a little bit better than +1d6.

The open questions are:
1) How long should it take to infuse? The realistic answer is overnight. But is 1 std. action or 1 full round the more interesting answer for game purposes? Rarely do you know what you will fight later that day. It would be nice to be able to change it on the fly.

2) What does the infusion do differently than just throwing the stuff on them? Is it merely just a delivery system that allows you to make a single attack and do both weapon and liquid damage? Or it it more a sustained release that imbues that effect for an extended time? (i.e. Holy water's the baseline. If you soak in 1 25gp flask, does it do +2d4 damage vs. undead and then use up the dose? Or does it do +2d4 vs. undead all day (similar to flaming, but more damage)) If the liquid does get expended, does a miss expend it? Can you control the release and expend it when you choose? (To avoid wasting holy water on a golem, for example.) How many charges can be built up? How long do they last if not discharged?

3) Should it work at all with potions? What about herbs from the Ravenloft Gazetteers like Hermitshawl Elixir (essentially a non-magical sleeping potion)?

4) Anything else I'm missing?


I'm sure something workable can be hashed out, but I'm at a loss to do so fairly. Help!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) For flavor's sake, take a look at the RW plant, the Bouganvillia. A beautiful flowering creeping vine/bush, it has thorns up to 4" long.

2) I'd make the thing absorb alchemical or magical potions, oils, etc. that are not harmful to plants (so no acids, flaming or shocking potions) and make them use the whole potion at once. One Whipvine should be able to store the equivalent of 3 potions.

To dispense a beneficial potion to its wielder, it must pierce his flesh (1pt damage) on command.

To merely enhance the weapon, make the appropriate command apply the desired effect for 1d4+1 rounds.

3) Alternatively, it could gain set plusses or certain specific benefits depending on the magical power in what liquids or suspensions it absorbs, something like the Forsaker PrCl gaining benefits by destroying magic items.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I thing you need to break the ablity down into two discrete options, and keep it as simple to track as possible:

- Overnight soaking in a herbal formula grants the ability to either penetrate up to 5 points of DR of a specific type, ie Wolfsbane tea overcomes a werewolves DR to Silver, or deal an additional 1D4 damage to a specific creature type..using holy water to infuse an undead damaging capability or using a natural poison to infuse some additional damage.
The extra damage is types based on the material used, so [Holy] and [Poison] in the cases above. You can develop herbal formula's to overcome DR from a variety of critters.


- Short term soaking, standard action to 'pour' a potion {not oil} into the whip. The next successful strike that deals at least 1 point of damage transmits the potions effects.


I would exlude oils, acids, and flaming/frost/etc.. from this.

For cost, I SWAG a +1 for the above. You could allows this enhancement to 'stack', so a +2 version could negate up to 10 points of DR, deal 2D4 additional damage, or provide the benefits of a potion twice. (?)