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View Full Version : Undead affecting weapon enhancment (Dnd 3.5)



Stevielash
2010-05-24, 07:10 PM
Not sure wether this should be in homebrew or not,sorry if its the wrong place.

Do you think the following would make a fair weapon enhancment and if so what should its value be. Also if there is a simialer one existing already how does it compare to it. Any suggestions for improvements?

Deadscourge

A Deadscourge weapon allows the wielder to cause monsters with the undead type struck by it to be subject to critical hits and Sneak attack /precision strike damage.The usual rules for confirming criticials and sneak attack criteria still apply.

Moderate Necromany?; CL ?h; Craft Magic Weapons, Price +2 bonus?

Thanks

WorstDMEver
2010-05-24, 08:14 PM
Not sure wether this should be in homebrew or not,sorry if its the wrong place.

Do you think the following would make a fair weapon enhancment and if so what should its value be. Also if there is a simialer one existing already how does it compare to it. Any suggestions for improvements?

Deadscourge

A Deadscourge weapon allows the wielder to cause monsters with the undead type struck by it to be subject to critical hits and Sneak attack /precision strike damage.The usual rules for confirming criticials and sneak attack criteria still apply.

Moderate Necromany?; CL ?h; Craft Magic Weapons, Price +2 bonus?

Thanks

Truedeath crystal from the Magic Item Compendium does this (the Greater one) - actually adds +1d6 damage to undead (least) + ghost touch (lesser) + sneak attack / crit against undead (greater). Effects are cumulative. Costs are 500gp and 40XP for least, 2500gp and 200XP for lesser and 5000gp and 400XP for greater. This only affects the weapon to which it is attached.

And the crystals attach as follows;
• A least augment crystal functions whenever attached to an
object of at least masterwork quality, even if the object itself
has no magical properties.
• A lesser augment crystal functions only when attached to an
object with a magical enhancement bonus of +1 or higher (such
as a +1 longsword or bracers of armor +1).
• A greater augment crystal functions only when attached to
an object with a magical enhancement bonus of +3 or higher.
Only the item’s actual bonus applies, not its “effective” bonus;
for example, a +1 keen holy fl aming burst longsword won’t allow
a greater augment crystal to function, since its actual bonus is
only +1.

So, I suppose to create weapon with the property directly, least is +1, lesser is +2 and greater is +3? Your call....

Boci
2010-05-24, 08:17 PM
As a weapon enhancement this would be +1, and not a particularly good one at that. For a fixed gp price, I'd probably say 5/6k.

Stevielash
2010-05-24, 09:22 PM
Ok thanks a lot, personaly I think if your a rogue its quite valuable but I suppose availibility of the gravestrike spell might make less worthwhile.

lsfreak
2010-05-24, 09:23 PM
Rogues also get partial sneak attack against undead (and other sneak-attack-immune enemies) via Penetrating Strike at 3rd level (ACF from Dungeonscape, replaces the worthless Trap Sense). Any flanked enemy takes half sneak attack damage if they were normally immune.

If the enchantment made everything vulnerable to crits (not just undead), I might pay +2 for it, but only if I was crazy enough to run a crit-heavy build in an undead-heavy campaign. Otherwise I'd use Penetrating Strike, wands of gravestrike, or simply pick a different build.

Stevielash
2010-05-24, 09:32 PM
Rogues also get partial sneak attack against undead (and other sneak-attack-immune enemies) via Penetrating Strike at 3rd level (ACF from Dungeonscape, replaces the worthless Trap Sense). Any flanked enemy takes half sneak attack damage if they were normally immune.

If the enchantment made everything vulnerable to crits (not just undead), I might pay +2 for it, but only if I was crazy enough to run a crit-heavy build in an undead-heavy campaign. Otherwise I'd use Penetrating Strike, wands of gravestrike, or simply pick a different build.

Okay thanks,penetrating strike seems like the way to go really, thanks a lot.
What if it also expanded the weapons threat range by one or maybe two increments but only agaisnt undead, would this add significantly to the value?

lsfreak
2010-05-24, 10:30 PM
Okay thanks,penetrating strike seems like the way to go really, thanks a lot.
What if it also expanded the weapons threat range by one or maybe two increments but only agaisnt undead, would this add significantly to the value?

My personal opinion is that I'd only use it in an undead-heavy campaign, and only on a crit-based build. Rogues and friends are based too heavily on sneak attack, which doesn't benefit much from crit to warrant sacrificing other weapon abilities. Most characters aren't going to benefit enough from the added crits to warrant +2, even in an undead-heavy campaign, though +1bonus/+1threat might be worth it over the crystals. With a decidedly crit-based build, I'd probably use it at +2bonus/+1threat, and definitely as a +1bonus/+1threat or +2bonus/+2threat (assuming they are added in after Improved Crit/Keen).
EDIT: But keep in mind I'm far from the best at eyeballing balance. Most of my knowledge has just been leeched off those smarter than me :smalltongue:

Yorrin
2010-05-24, 10:33 PM
@Original Post- I'm pretty sure there's something like that in Magic Item Compendium. As I recall it's a +1 synergy property that requires Ghost Touch (so +2 overall, but it's also ghost-touch).

lsfreak
2010-05-24, 10:37 PM
@Original Post- I'm pretty sure there's something like that in Magic Item Compendium. As I recall it's a +1 synergy property that requires Ghost Touch (so +2 overall, but it's also ghost-touch).

Aha! So there is.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't take it though. With the crystal available, I'd rather have the +2 to put into something else.

Yorrin
2010-05-24, 10:39 PM
Aha! So there is.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't take it though. With the crystal available, I'd rather have the +2 to put into something else.

I completely agree- just pointing out that this does indeed exist. And if for some reason a DM doesn't like weapon crystals, this is a workable alternative.