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Pirata
2006-11-21, 01:18 PM
Ok. In my setting guns are common (yet expensive) weapons, favored by Engineers (homebrew class, should post it sometime) and Fighters. It's also the only classes that can be proficient with any firearms at first lv and don't need to waste feats. Besides them, Rogues can pick the Pistols Group. We use the weapon group proficiency variant btw. Then, I was creating some weapon enchantments for firearms (some can be used on crossbows as well) and among others, came up with this:

Disintegrating Ammo
Ammo with this property emits a strong green light. When shot, the green projectile shows great penetration, basically disintegrating any armor and other thin physical or magical barriers. Any armor, shield and natural armor bonus (and respective enhancement bonuses) are ignored on attack rolls with this type of ammo. Attacks that hit a medium or heavy armored creature cause 2d6 points of damage to the armor itself before damaging as normal the target. If the creature is not armored or with light armor, it causes additional 2d6 of damage directly to the target. If this 2d6 extra damage woud cause the creature to die, the creature is disintegrated instead, leaving behind only but a trace of fine dust. This ammo can be used to sunder and break objects, the 2d6 extra damage ignores hardness, and if causes enough damage to destroy the object, the object is disintegrated. Incorporeal creatures are immune to the extra damage and the disintegrating effect. This property can only be applied to firearms ammunition.

Strong transmutation; CL 19th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, disintegrate, dispel magic; Price +?

My question is: this is clearly an upgrade over brilliant energy, but how much? Sufficient for just a +5 price modifier or is it epic? Need some help to balance this, thanks.

Callos_DeTerran
2006-11-21, 02:51 PM
Essentially what you've made is a brilliant energy weapon that does an extra 2d6 of damage (The equivalent of a flaming and frost enhancements or some other combination). I would say it would be the equivilant of a +6 normally but that sundering part is what makes it trickier. +7 I think would be good.

Triaxx
2006-11-21, 06:53 PM
It would seem to ignore armor class as well. Assume the armor has an additional damage reduction (magical or not), does it bypass that as well? If so, it should be +8.

Proven_Paradox
2006-11-22, 05:10 AM
Brilliant Energy and Flaming Burst at once, as DeTerran said, so at least +7. I'd say the sundering effects would have it at +8, but only being able to apply it to bullets would put it back down to +7.

Pirata
2006-11-22, 10:01 AM
Only the extra 2d6 damage ignores Damage Reduction (better word it on the description). The shot damage must bypass damage reduction on it's on right. So, someone with an adamantine full plate shot by a pistol bullet with this property would receive 2d6 damage to the armor, and 1d10+X damage reduced by the 3/- DR. If the shot hits at all (however as an effective touch attack, shouldn't be that hard).

We test played this enhancement as a +7 (one BBEG had some disintegrating bullets for his rifle). It was deadly, very deadly, almost breaking the adamantine full plate from the group tank. Some friends though thinks that the enhancement has a great mitigating effect on the specific and limited use, and because of this should be downgraded to +6 or even +5. I think it should be only downgraded to +5 if the damage goes to 1d6.

Callos_DeTerran
2006-11-22, 10:44 AM
For something like this +6 should be the minimium. This is the kind of thing that sunder-machines would love to get their hands on.