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Escheton
2010-04-28, 09:37 AM
HEAVENLY BURST
Price: +1 bonus
Property: Weapon
Caster Level: 7th
Aura: Moderate; (DC 18) evocation
Activation: —
This weapon emits a low hum that sounds
distinctly like a chorus chanting slowly.
On a critical hit against an evil creature,
a heavenly burst weapon discharges a
shower of radiance that deals 3d6 points
of damage to the target and blinds it for 1
round. A successful DC 14 Fortitude save
negates the blindness.
Projectile weapons bestow this prop*
erty upon their ammunition.
Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and
Armor, holy smite.
Cost to Create: Varies.

jiriku
2010-04-28, 09:43 AM
I wouldn't see a problem with it. It's not well-built, because it ought to do proportionately more damage (and perhaps even have a higher save DC) on weapons with larger crit multipliers. However, it's similar to shocking burst, flaming burst, etc, except that that it doesn't do anyhting on a normal hit.

The restriction on activation (evil creatures only) offsets the blindness benefit. There are plenty of creatures that aren't vulnerable to it, such as oozes, constructs, animals, magical beasts, and non-evil members of other creature types. Likewise, there are many opponents who can pass a DC 14 save on a roll of 2 or better.

A crit-monkey build could make good use of it, but then again, members of the best crit-monkey prestige class, Disciple of Dispator, aren't likely to face evil opponents very often.

Draz74
2010-04-28, 10:19 AM
If by "broken," you mean, "so weak that I would never bother to spend money on it, for any character," then yes.

Starbuck_II
2010-04-28, 10:26 AM
I'd say it is okay, but save is too low.

Caster 7th, but DC only 14? DC should be minimum 16th if as 4th lv spell (holy smite).
The save should be a will save like spell not a Fort save.

Escheton
2010-04-28, 10:30 AM
Draz, I already know you play completely overpowered games and consider railguns squirtguns.

+1, no need for synergy enchantment prior to this one and 3d6 extra dmg on a crit. With any critrange.

compared with thundering, maiming or burst weapons. This is just way more powerful on high critrange weapons.

Mastikator
2010-04-28, 10:35 AM
But it only works on evil creatures. Most creatures aren't evil. And it only activates on a crit, so undead are also immune to it (which happen to represent a significant number of all evil creatures). I'd much rather have a mere flaming weapon, +1d6 fire damage unconditionally. It's not overpowered since you'd only get the effect two or three times :/

Escheton
2010-04-28, 10:37 AM
I forgot about the undead, thanks. That scales it down a bit.

Ranos
2010-04-28, 10:37 AM
This...is not broken in the least. Not even overpowered.
I guess a [15-20] or something crit range would make it worthwhile. At least you would get the benefits a few times, when fighting evil non-immune creatures. I'd still take something else most of the time.

Starbuck_II
2010-04-28, 10:37 AM
As written I'd price it as 2500 gp cost not a +1 enhancement.

If we edit it so it has my changes then worth it (I bolded changes):
HEAVENLY BURST
Price: +1 bonus
Property: Weapon
Caster Level: 7th
Aura: Moderate; (DC 18) evocation
Activation: —
This weapon emits a low hum that sounds
distinctly like a chorus chanting slowly.
On a critical hit against an evil creature,
a heavenly burst weapon discharges a
shower of radiance that deals 3d6 points
of damage to the target and blinds it for 1
round. A successful DC 16 Will save
negates the blindness.
Projectile weapons bestow this prop*
erty upon their ammunition.
Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and
Armor, holy smite.
Cost to Create: Varies.

Tavar
2010-04-28, 10:38 AM
And if you're going for alignment based weapons, Holy is going to be better. Adding 2d6 damage to every attack is generally better than adding a couple dice to a crit, especially once you factor in that the dice won't be multiplied. Of course, I find the best weapon enhancement is wounding. Constitution damage added every hit? Hell Yeah.

Escheton
2010-04-28, 10:47 AM
Thanks guys for putting it in perspective a bit,
Been reading through the magic item compendium and this one just jumped out and bit me.

Ernir
2010-04-28, 10:48 AM
That's an average of 10.5 extra damage on a crit. If the weapon threatens on 18-20, that's an average of slightly above 1.5. IF the target is evil and not immune to critical hits.
It also has the blindness effect, but blindness is not auto-lose, and the save DC is too low.

Color me unimpressed. I'd rather have one of the +1d6 energy damage enhancements.

Rainbownaga
2010-04-28, 11:32 PM
And it only activates on a crit, so undead are also immune to it

How is the wording different from the other 'burst' abilities which work fine against undead and crit-immune creatures?

Escheton
2010-04-28, 11:41 PM
How is the wording different from the other 'burst' abilities which work fine against undead and crit-immune creatures?

hold up, they do?

Keld Denar
2010-04-28, 11:46 PM
And if you're going for alignment based weapons, Holy is going to be better. Adding 2d6 damage to every attack is generally better than adding a couple dice to a crit, especially once you factor in that the dice won't be multiplied.

Added to the fact that it doesn't help overcome DR/Evil like Holy does, which it should, given that on top of the ~1/3 of evil foes that are undead, ~1/3 of evil foes are evil outsiders, most of which have DR.

Then there is also the fact that often times, especially in the 6-9 range where this would see a lot if air time, a crit often will kill a guy, bonus damage or not, unless its a VERY high HP creature who's still at full health.

Its really not that strong. Not at all.

Draz74
2010-04-29, 12:08 AM
Most of you are skipping over what I consider the biggest weakness of this weapon: the save is ridiculously easy to pass by the time you can afford such a weapon.


Draz, I already know you play completely overpowered games and consider railguns squirtguns.

What?!? :smallconfused: I think you must be thinking of Volkov or somebody. If I play characters who are higher than Tier 3, I purposely nerf them; and heck, I've never even gotten into a campaign (that lasted more than two sessions) where non-Core material was actually allowed. I'm definitely not the "overpowered game" type.

Rainbownaga
2010-04-29, 12:56 AM
hold up, they do?

Yes. Can't find track down the exact source, but if it wasn't true then disrupting weapons wouldn't work at all.

According to this post http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-house-rules/105636-critical-hits-undead.html#post1831252 it says so in the DMG, but I'm AFB at the moment so I can't check.