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View Full Version : [3.5] Weapon Spells (not gish)



DragoonWraith
2010-04-15, 10:22 AM
Hmm, does anyone know any good weapon-spells? I mean things like Thunderlance, Whirling Blade, the Metal Wu Jen's scarves, that one that's like a storm of knives from Spell Compendium (AFB, so can't look it up). Basically, spells that create weapons and can be used like weapons, with a preference for ranged weapons.

Obviously, the character will be a bit gishy, but I'm not really looking for a gish, so much as a spellcaster whose spells emulate weapons.

Keeping a list:
Adamantine Wings (Complete Mage)
Arrow of Bone (Spell Compendium)
Blade of Pain and Fear (Spell Compendium)
Black Blade of Disaster (Spell Compendium)
Blackstaff (Magic of Faerūn)
Cloud of Knives (Player's Handbook II)
Coat of Arms (Complete Mage)
Dancing Chains (Book of Vile Darkness)
Decastave (Unapprochable East)
Flame Dagger (Spell Compendium)
Flaming Whips (Spell Compendium)
Howling Chain (Spell Compendium)
Ice Axe (Spell Compendium)
Ice Darts (Frostburn)
Ice Knife (Spell Compendium)
Lash of Force (Complete Mage, I think)
Launch Bolt (Spell Compendium)
Lightning Blade (Complete Arcane)
Mace of Odo (Player's Guide to Faerūn)
Mordenkainen's Sword (Player's Handbook)
Mystic Lash (Player's Guide to Faerūn)
Persistent Blade (Spell Compendium)
Prismatic Bow (Complete Mage)
Scimitar of Sand (Sandstorm)
Spectral Weapon (Spell Compendium)
Sphere of Ultimate Destruction)
Steeldance (Spell Compendium)
Sword and Hammer (Player's Guide to Faerūn)
Sword and Hammer, Greater (Player's Guide to Faerūn)
Sword of Darkness (Spell Compendium)
Thunderlance (Spell Compendium)
Whirling Blade (Spell Compendium)

SilverStar
2010-04-15, 10:32 AM
Mordenkainen's Sword (PHB)
Black Blade of Disaster (SpC)
Prismatic Bow (okay, this one's not great....) (Complete Mage)
Ice Knife (Spell Compendium)
Lash of Force (Complete Mage, I think)

I like most of those, though I believe good old Mord's Sword is still one of the better ones.

DragoonWraith
2010-04-15, 10:35 AM
Heh, I can probably work with "not so great" ones too. Anyway, thanks! That's a great start. I hope there's some more, though...

SilverStar
2010-04-15, 10:39 AM
I have three homebrew ones- Thunder Blade, Prism Sword, and Holy Lance, stolen straight from the Tales of Destiny series.

Sphere of Ultimate Destruction is sort of a weapon, but the Whirling Blade spell only works on a held melee weapon if I recall...

DragoonWraith
2010-04-15, 10:41 AM
Yeah, but Whirling Blade gets the whole "casting ability to attack and damage rolls" thing, which qualifies it in my head. But you're right, it's not really ideal for what I want.

SilverStar
2010-04-15, 10:45 AM
There's also Sword of Darkness (SpC) but it has the Evil descriptor. Not sure if that's an issue.

There's more, I just couldn't think of them at the moment. Most of them are also higher level. Ice Knife is the lowest of those I've listed at level 2, but the vast majority are 6+.

DragoonWraith
2010-04-15, 10:47 AM
I have not gotten very far with this concept, so there are currently no restrictions on anything, I'm really hoping to just get a nice thorough list.

Ernir
2010-04-15, 12:36 PM
There is a whole bunch of these spells, especially in the SpC.
The thing most of them have in common is being really, really bad.
Some I'd consider using:

Cloud of Knives. Awesome if you have ways to add extra damage/procs on your attacks, complete crap if you don't. Ranged, PHB2. (This might be reason enough for Talya to pick up Lyric Thaumaturge. :smalltongue:)
Fist of Stone. Turns your fist into a brick, gives a slam attack and a strength bonus. OK for its purpose. Melee, SpC.
Spectral Weapon. Makes a fake weapon. Melee, but does not say melee only, so I suppose you could make a throwing axe or something. SpC.
Flaming Whips. Melee, but 15' reach. Prevents you from casting spells with S components (takes up both hands), so it's crap, but it can look scary when an NPC does it. SpC. :smalltongue:

arguskos
2010-04-15, 12:40 PM
Mace of Odo, Mystic Lash, and Sword and Hammer (and Greater Sword and Hammer) from Player's Guide to Faerun.

Persistent Blade, from Spell Compendium.

PairO'Dice Lost
2010-04-15, 12:54 PM
Lightning Blade, Complete Arcane. You can use it as an electricity-damage longsword or fire lines of lightning, so it's one of my favorite weaponlike spells.

DragoonWraith
2010-04-15, 01:07 PM
The thing most of them have in common is being really, really bad.
Well, they are, as a rule, direct damage spells, which, yeah, makes them really, really bad.

That said, I can work with the weaker ones, too, if you know of any. I think I'm going to homebrewing something for this.


Cloud of Knives. Awesome if you have ways to add extra damage/procs on your attacks, complete crap if you don't. Ranged, PHB2. (This might be reason enough for Talya to pick up Lyric Thaumaturge. :smalltongue:)
I'm forgetting what Lyric Thaumaturge does but I'll give it a look when I get home, heh.


Fist of Stone. Turns your fist into a brick, gives a slam attack and a strength bonus. OK for its purpose. Melee, SpC.
Meh, less what I'm looking for; emulating an actual weapon is more my interest. Thanks, though.


Spectral Weapon. Makes a fake weapon. Melee, but does not say melee only, so I suppose you could make a throwing axe or something. SpC.
Nice.


Flaming Whips. Melee, but 15' reach. Prevents you from casting spells with S components (takes up both hands), so it's crap, but it can look scary when an NPC does it. SpC. :smalltongue:
Is it TWF? Otherwise, why would it take two hands?


Mace of Odo, Mystic Lash, and Sword and Hammer (and Greater Sword and Hammer) from Player's Guide to Faerun.
Cool, will look at those.


Persistent Blade, from Spell Compendium.
Thanks!


Lightning Blade, Complete Arcane. You can use it as an electricity-damage longsword or fire lines of lightning, so it's one of my favorite weaponlike spells.
Ooh, sounds cool! Will look into it.

Prime32
2010-04-15, 01:11 PM
You know, you could just refluff your spells as involving weapons. :smallwink:

Say, manyjaws becoming "manyblades".

There's a spell (in CA I think) which gives you bladed adamantine wings that can be used as weapons. You might also be able to shoot the feathers at people - maybe I'm confusing it with the chronotyryn.

Saph
2010-04-15, 01:12 PM
Steeldance is one of my favourites. You have to get up close to use it, but the action advantage is gives you is great.

DragoonWraith
2010-04-15, 01:26 PM
You know, you could just refluff your spells as involving weapons. :smallwink:

Say, manyjaws becoming "manyblades".
And I intend to as necessary, but it's much easier to just write a spell list than to say "Manyblades (as Manyjaws except daggers instead of mouths)", ya know?


There's a spell (in CA I think) which gives you bladed adamantine wings that can be used as weapons. You might also be able to shoot the feathers at people - maybe I'm confusing it with the chronotyryn.
Wings of Flurry? Awesome spell, I hadn't even thought of that. Hmm. It is Sorcerer-only, not sure I want to go there... but maybe I do.


Steeldance is one of my favourites. You have to get up close to use it, but the action advantage is gives you is great.
Yeah, that had caught my eye when I was reading yesterday. Very nice spell.

arguskos
2010-04-15, 01:29 PM
Arrow of Bone works too, sorta (SpC).

Coat of Arms and Adamantine Wings from CMage might fit as well.

Burley
2010-04-15, 01:56 PM
I'm a big fan of Launch Bolt. Not a lot of damage, but if you can add precision damage in there somewhere, and slap the chain metamagic feat onto it, you can get some immense damage potential, at fairly low levels.

Prime32
2010-04-15, 02:25 PM
Wings of Flurry? Awesome spell, I hadn't even thought of that. Hmm. It is Sorcerer-only, not sure I want to go there... but maybe I do.Not what I was thinking of. This spell gives you flight and natural weapons. I think the name is adamantine wings.

arguskos
2010-04-15, 02:26 PM
Not what I was thinking of. This spell gives you flight and natural weapons. I think the name is adamantine wings.
Yup, it is. C.Mage. I mentioned it above.

Ernir
2010-04-15, 02:43 PM
I'm a big fan of Launch Bolt. Not a lot of damage, but if you can add precision damage in there somewhere, and slap the chain metamagic feat onto it, you can get some immense damage potential, at fairly low levels.

There's also always the trick of launching Colossal bolts...

DragoonWraith
2010-04-15, 03:39 PM
I'm a big fan of Launch Bolt. Not a lot of damage, but if you can add precision damage in there somewhere, and slap the chain metamagic feat onto it, you can get some immense damage potential, at fairly low levels.
Good call, had forgotten that one.


Not what I was thinking of. This spell gives you flight and natural weapons. I think the name is adamantine wings.
Yup, it is. C.Mage. I mentioned it above.
Yeah, I realized that when Arguskos said it, but didn't go back and edit. Heh. But thanks, I'll definitely look into that one.


There's also always the trick of launching Colossal bolts...
Yes, well, that is debatably stupid. A nice trick, and wouldn't be bad if it was part of how the spell scaled, perhaps, but to be able to do it at level 1 is just dumb.

DragoonWraith
2010-04-16, 04:03 PM
Hmm... gonna give this just one little bump in case there's any we've missed.

The Glyphstone
2010-04-16, 04:12 PM
I don't know of any other weapon spells to add, but the idea of a mage who fights with nothing but conjured weapons is very cool, especially if they're persisted via Incantatrix or something else. You could have a 'Swordmage' who's followed around by a Mordekainen's Sword, a Black Blade of Disaster, a Spectral Weapon, Persistent Blade, and Sword of Darkness. Wear a few Belts of Battle for extra move actions so you can spend your entire first turn commanding your army of self-propelled swords into battle.

arguskos
2010-04-16, 04:13 PM
Hmm... gonna give this just one little bump in case there's any we've missed.
There is one... I can't remember it now, I found it the other day and I KNOW we missed it. I'll go see if I can dig it out.

Ok, Flame Dagger (SpC), Decastave (Unapprochable East), Howling Chain (SpC, sorta), Blackstaff (Magic of Faerun), Dancing Chains (BoVD, sorta), Ice Darts (It's Cold Outside), and Scimitar of Sand (It's Hot Outside) have all not been listed yet.

Keld Denar
2010-04-16, 04:14 PM
I know you've mentioned Whirling Blade, but maybe you don't realize how amazing this spell is. It is treated in EVERY respect as if it were a melee attack. That means you activate any weapon abilities the weapon may have (Spellstoring and Sudden Stunning are my favorites), and it triggers any relevant weapon feats, particularly Knockback. You can also get 1.5x your Str (if you are Str focused) and 2:1 PA with it if you are wielding the focus weapon in both hands.

There are probably a number of other things, but those are some of the more awesome ones.

DragoonWraith
2010-04-16, 04:30 PM
I know you've mentioned Whirling Blade, but maybe you don't realize how amazing this spell is. It is treated in EVERY respect as if it were a melee attack. That means you activate any weapon abilities the weapon may have (Spellstoring and Sudden Stunning are my favorites), and it triggers any relevant weapon feats, particularly Knockback. You can also get 1.5x your Str (if you are Str focused) and 2:1 PA with it if you are wielding the focus weapon in both hands.

There are probably a number of other things, but those are some of the more awesome ones.
Hmm - if you substitute Int or Cha for Str, would it retain the 1.5x multiplier? I think it would. I mean, you're literally putting your Int or Cha modifier into the formula where you'd normally plug in Str...

Kobold-Bard
2010-04-16, 04:34 PM
I don't see it in your list, so I'll offer Blade Barrier, though it's in the SRD so maybe that's why it's not there.

Replaced with a pic because I misunderstood of the thread.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1089/1448898953_123e3d72ca.jpg

arguskos
2010-04-16, 04:35 PM
I don't see t in your list, so I'll offer Blade Barrier, though it's in the SRD so maybe that's why it's not there.
While a great spell, it's not there because it's not a weapon-like spell in the same way that Thunderlance or Mord's Sword are.

jiriku
2010-04-16, 04:36 PM
ice axe (SpC)
blade of pain and fear (SpC)
flame blade (PHB)
blade of sand (Sandstorm, i may be misremembering the spell name)

Kobold-Bard
2010-04-16, 04:41 PM
While a great spell, it's not there because it's not a weapon-like spell in the same way that Thunderlance or Mord's Sword are.

Aaaaah I see. I retract my suggestion and replace it with a picture of the first spell suggested.

Keld Denar
2010-04-16, 04:49 PM
Hmm - if you substitute Int or Cha for Str, would it retain the 1.5x multiplier? I think it would. I mean, you're literally putting your Int or Cha modifier into the formula where you'd normally plug in Str...

No, you don't in the same way you don't get 1.5 x dex to damage with a Spiked Chain + Shadow Blade. The multiplier is purely a function of Str and can't be applied to any other stat.

Prime32
2010-04-16, 04:57 PM
I don't know of any other weapon spells to add, but the idea of a mage who fights with nothing but conjured weapons is very cool, especially if they're persisted via Incantatrix or something else. You could have a 'Swordmage' who's followed around by a Mordekainen's Sword, a Black Blade of Disaster, a Spectral Weapon, Persistent Blade, and Sword of Darkness. Wear a few Belts of Battle for extra move actions so you can spend your entire first turn commanding your army of self-propelled swords into battle.I am the bone of my sword
Steel is my body, and fire is my blood
I have created over a thousand blades
Unknown to death, nor known to life
Have withstood pain to create many weapons
And yet these hands will never hold anything
So, as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzf9FxVFKu0).

DragoonWraith
2010-04-16, 05:04 PM
ice axe (SpC)
blade of pain and fear (SpC)
flame blade (PHB)
blade of sand (Sandstorm, i may be misremembering the spell name)
Sweet, thanks! It's Scimitar of Sand (and Flame Dagger), btw.


No, you don't in the same way you don't get 1.5 x dex to damage with a Spiked Chain + Shadow Blade. The multiplier is purely a function of Str and can't be applied to any other stat.
Uhh... where is that rule? The generic rule about wielding a two-handed weapon does not indicate (at all) that this is the case, IMO.

arguskos
2010-04-16, 05:06 PM
Sweet, thanks! It's Scimitar of Sand (and Flame Dagger), btw.
Did you note my large list earlier? It includes both of those, and some other stuff we missed. :smallwink:

DragoonWraith
2010-04-16, 05:08 PM
Ah, didn't see that you'd edited it in. Will add, thanks!

How are Howling and Dancing Chains "sorta"s?

arguskos
2010-04-16, 05:12 PM
Ah, didn't see that you'd edited it in. Will add, thanks!

How are Howling and Dancing Chains "sorta"s?
Neither creates a weapon you personally wield. Howling does it's own thing, but doesn't actually attack really, just wraps folks up and crushes them, and Dancing animates chains so they wield themselves.

tonberrian
2010-04-16, 05:16 PM
There's Sword of Deception, I think, in Complete Arcane.

It might have gotten reprinted in Spell Compendium.

It's Sword of Darkness's little brother.

FMArthur
2010-04-16, 05:27 PM
The Call Weaponry (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/callWeaponry.htm) first-level Psychic Warrior power is really cool and sounds like exactly what you're asking for... but Psychic Warriors themselves may be a little gishy for what you're trying to do (but look into it! You can make a fairly caster-like Psychic Warrior if you need to!). Augmentation grants higher enhancement bonuses; 4pp for every +1. While I've always used melee weapons, it can summon a ranged weapon at no disadvantage if you're going that way.

The Soulbound Weapon (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070214a) alternate class feature, replacing your first-level power and your second-level bonus feat, lets you pick a specific, persistent weapon you call with the Call Weaponry power and gain a weapon enhancement progression with your class level. It can also augment for an additional +1 enhancement for every 5 extra pp spent.

This sounds power point intensive, but using Linked Power and taking Metapower a few times, you can have the strongest weapon faster than pretty much anyone else in D&D.

DragoonWraith
2010-04-16, 08:04 PM
Neither creates a weapon you personally wield. Howling does it's own thing, but doesn't actually attack really, just wraps folks up and crushes them, and Dancing animates chains so they wield themselves.
Hmm. Still, worth looking at, I can adapt them for my homebrew needs.


There's Sword of Deception, I think, in Complete Arcane.

It might have gotten reprinted in Spell Compendium.

It's Sword of Darkness's little brother.
Yup, did. Neat, added. Weird that they're different schools and descriptors despite being related like that (Sword of Deception is Evocation [Force], Sword of Darkness is Necromancy [Evil])...


The Call Weaponry (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/callWeaponry.htm) first-level Psychic Warrior power is really cool and sounds like exactly what you're asking for... but Psychic Warriors themselves may be a little gishy for what you're trying to do (but look into it! You can make a fairly caster-like Psychic Warrior if you need to!). Augmentation grants higher enhancement bonuses; 4pp for every +1. While I've always used melee weapons, it can summon a ranged weapon at no disadvantage if you're going that way.

The Soulbound Weapon (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070214a) alternate class feature, replacing your first-level power and your second-level bonus feat, lets you pick a specific, persistent weapon you call with the Call Weaponry power and gain a weapon enhancement progression with your class level. It can also augment for an additional +1 enhancement for every 5 extra pp spent.

This sounds power point intensive, but using Linked Power and taking Metapower a few times, you can have the strongest weapon faster than pretty much anyone else in D&D.
Interesting. But I've decided that I'm homebrewing something for this, and this doesn't quite fit what I have in mind. Really nice way of doing this without homebrew, though.