Why must special swords/weapons always be intelligent?

[Catavarie]

Well i can honestly say that I've never seen an Intelligent/Sentient item in any game that I've ever played, nor have i ever created one to give to player in one of my games. As a DM you have to be able to step back from the "rules" and realize that they are simply guidelines to point you towards ideas. If you DM is giving you only sentient weapons then perhaps you should suggest that he simply omit that step in the item creation process. Until epic levels and then use it very sparingly. Afterall if you have a setient sword at lvl 3 odds are you wouldn't be able to control it, due to sheer lack of will/mental discipline.

 

[Psion]

Myself and my DM were talking the other day and one of my peeves with 3E, or actually with D&D all the way back to 1st edition is that they ALWAYS made it so swords with special powers had to be intelligent.

I haven't exactly noticed any such trend. In any game I have been in, intelligent items tend to stand out and tend to be rather rare.

 

[Impeesa]

Well thats _your_ game. Regardless, if you look at the rules they push a DM in to the corner because for special weapons with powers they require that the weapon possess mental stats, alignment, and some sort of personality, etc. That shouldn't have to be your only choice when it comes to creating special weapons,

That's my point. The rules as they are written are limiting. Now of course most DMs worth their salt go outside of the rules when needed but the game designers shouldn't have made it so limited in the first place.

You know why that is? It's because you're looking at the intelligent item construction section. When I want a non-intelligent weapon, I use the 'weapons' section, earlier on in the magic item chapter. If I want to give it unusual powers, I use the general item pricing guidelines that come a little later. No requirements for the weapon to be intelligent.

--Impeesa--

 

[tetsujin28]

Intelligent weaponry mostly comes from Michael Moorcock's Elric stories.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

You know why that is? It's because you're looking at the intelligent item construction section. When I want a non-intelligent weapon, I use the 'weapons' section, earlier on in the magic item chapter. If I want to give it unusual powers, I use the general item pricing guidelines that come a little later. No requirements for the weapon to be intelligent.

--Impeesa--

That would explain it!

The Auld Grump

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Whats this complaining? I've had all of *one* intelligent magical item in my entire history of GMing.

Intelligent weapons are something special, and definately not to be overused.

But then, neither should magic weapons. Most of my magical weapons basically drive to a purpose - the purpose of which they were made.

PC: "Whoa! What's this basket-hilt things statistics? Vorpal Plus five wounding what?"

ME: "I'm not telling. The last assassin falls in a heap at your feet."

PC: "I turn, grinning at my companions."

ME: "Hmm. Make a will save."

PC: "....18."

ME: "That grin seems dangerous. Too dangerous. Froth comes from his mouth, the sword raising above his head. His black eyes stare at you (Points to another player).."

PC: "I drop it! I drop it and I don't pick it up again!"

 

[kirinke]

Well. Way back when I first came on, I requested a weapon that would grow in power with my character, so I didn't have to keep on 'upgrading' to a new weapon. This would provide lots of roleplaying opportunities and give a bit of meaning to a 'warrior's weapon' you know?

Well, the DM gave my character an intelligent mithril longsword imbued with the spirit of an ancient dwarven war-princess. Get this, my character is a mildly insane elvish fighter-priestess of Sehanine Moonbow. Their relationship at first was quite rocky, though it's now smoothing out. It helps that my character respects the sword as a person and not a sharp pointy thing.

The group I'm in is roleplay intensive with some hack-n-slash, which is what I like in a game, it's not just a straight dungeon crawl, though we got that too. Heh. My character is beginning to think that sewers are inherintly evil though.

But, back to the case in point. An intelligent weapon doesn't nessisarily mean that it's very powerful. Right now, the sword is only a +1 weapon, a very interesting +1 weapon.

 

[LondonReign]

Ummmm, no. Sorry, but I think you've got the wrong end of the stick there. There is no *requirement* that weapons be intelligent. But furthermore, who says you need to stick to any rule as written? Its your game, dammit!

Bah, rules!