D&D 5E Why is "Frost Brand" rarer than "Flame Tongue"?

[Hussar]

IDHMBIFOM, does the flaming part of a flame tongue require a bonus action every round?

But, as to the question, yup, it's two attunement items in one - ring of fire resistance plus magic weapon. That, right there, would account for the increased rarity.

Also, it's probably a nod to AD&D, where a Frost Brand was a lot better weapon than a Flame Tongue (+3/+6 vs fire creatures vs +1/+2-4 depending on what you're fighting).

 

[Lanliss]

Another reason that has not been mentioned yet is that Flame tongue deals fire, which IIRC, is the most widely resisted element in the MM. frost is a much less resisted element, so that +1d6 is going to be resisted a lot less often than the 2d6 of the flame tongue.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

IDHMBIFOM, does the flaming part of a flame tongue require a bonus action every round?.

No, it's a bonus action to switch on the flames and they stick around until you switch them off by using a bonus action, dropping the sword, or sheathing it.

 

[crashtestdummy]

In addition, it's a well known fact that people can't resist sticking their tongues on the frost blade to see if it sticks. Sadly, this frequently this requires the destruction of the sword to detach the idiot.

I know a lot of people who think that should be "...requires the destruction of the idiot to detach the sword". Priorities, people, priorities...

 

[Ancalagon]

Rarity does not equate to power. It equates to rarity.

Rarer items are harder to produce and take more time. This doesn't necessarily mean the item is more powerful granted, but it is one possible interpretation.

I think that a frost brand is still more powerful, but the gab between the two seems to have been narrowed.

 

[Xeviat]

I was letting the thread simmer a bit before jumping back in. A lot of the explanations are simply "increased rarity doesn't mean increased power". To that, I point to the +1 weapons, +1 armors, +1 shields, belts of giant strength, potions of healing, and countless other similar items that increase in power along with their increase in rarity.

Another reason that has not been mentioned yet is that Flame tongue deals fire, which IIRC, is the most widely resisted element in the MM. frost is a much less resisted element, so that +1d6 is going to be resisted a lot less often than the 2d6 of the flame tongue.

This one, though, made me want to address it directly. If the fire damage is resisted, it will then be, in effect, +1d6, or equal to the frost brand. So it's better than the frost brand against things that don't resist fire, equal to things that resist fire, and stronger against things that resist both fire and cold.

Now, the fact that it is one attunement slot for 2 effects is a big one. It seems the "Ring of Resistance" is a rare item by itself, which pushes it up; to that point, I concede.

Interestingly, I went and crunched the numbers on the benefits of a +1 weapon over a weapon that gives bonus damage dice. I found that a +2 weapon is equivalent to +1d6 damage; this was tested with a Great Sword and no GWFing style.

 

[delericho]

The title says it: Why is "Frost Brand" rarer than "Flame Tongue"?

Because all the cool kids have got them, leaving less for the rest of us. Obviously.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Simply put, because ice IS civilization!

 

[Uchawi]

Because 5E is simple and the developers did not spend alot of time on magical item creation rules. It will be up to the DM to make whatever sense they want out of it.

 

[CapnZapp]

The designers basically took a dump on the desire to have magic otem pricing make sense.

Look to the thread on insane item pricing (that I can't access here, from Tapatalk) for about the only serious attempt so far AFAIK to fix this. Or at least put a band-aid on the worst stuff.