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View Full Version : Club has a lot of synonyms [Augmentation Crystal]



Angafirith
2007-05-18, 12:11 AM
Aww, the WYSIWYG editor seems to be gone now.

I've seen a lot of threads where people seem to think they should be able to use their slashing and piercing weapons as bludgeoning weapons, using the flat side of the blade or the pommel or some such. Personally, I don't think that real weapons work that way, but when has reality ever gotten in the way of magic items?

Cudgel Crystal
Price: 1000 gp (least), 3000 gp (lesser), 5000 gp (greater)
Body Slot: -- (weapon crystal)
Caster Level: 5
This crystal is brown and gray in color and completely opaque.

Any attempt to affix a Cudgel Crystal to a Bludgeoning Weapon automatically fails.

Least: The weapon is treated as a Bludgeoning weapon instead of its normal type, but does damage as if it were one size category smaller than it is.
Lesser: The weapon is treated as a Bludgeoning weapon instead of its normal type, with no penalty to damage.
Greater: The weapon is treated as a Bludgeoning weapon in addition to its normal weapon type.

Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Greater Magic Weapon
Cost to create: 500 gp, 40 xp, 1 day (least); 1500 gp, 120 xp, 3 days (lesser); 2500 gp, 200 xp, 5 days(greater)

You can always just change every instance of "Bludgeoning" to either "Piercing" or "Slashing" and change the physical description if you want to have one like it. I'll probably do it myself anyway, but I don't want to clutter these forums with redundant items.

Any feedback?

DracoDei
2007-05-18, 12:55 AM
There is specifically a style of pommel called a "skull-cracker" IIRC. As for using the flat of the blade, that would tend to do bludgeoning damage, but it could be argued that due to the increased flexibility of the blade in that direction that it is SUBDUAL bludgeoning damage and this is in fact what taking the -4 to deal subdual damage with a sword means in the first place...

In any case I like the items, although I am not familiar with the rules for crystals. 8,000 seems a bit much for the greater version until I remember from the recent discussion of the Sapphire Guard Ghost Martyrs that every high-level fighter-type would want to slap this on his sword (especially paladins with Holy-Avengers) in case they ran into a lich. Don't know how many other things it matters for, and for lower level stuff the other version will work fine ("We are heading into the crypt, better put those crystals on").

Angafirith
2007-05-18, 01:00 AM
That's part of it. My main reason for having the higher cost was feats like Weapon Focus, which would still apply to the weapon after the crystal has been added.

Looking at it again, I'm wondering if I should have thrown something better in for the Greater Crystal. Considering that you can remove an augmentation crystal pretty quickly, it's not all that much better in most circumstances. I'll try to think something up.

DracoDei
2007-05-18, 01:31 AM
In the middle of a fight, every action counts... it seems a nice in theme ability, a logical progression. I would keep the ability and change the cost rather than the other way around.

Angafirith
2007-05-18, 09:17 PM
Sounds like a plan. I dropped the Greater crystal to 5000 gp.

Matthew
2007-05-24, 09:24 AM
No real reason why you can't strike with the flat of the balde or the pommel, it's just not very deadly. I usually consider attempts to deal Non Lethal / Subdual Damage with Swords to be of this type - after all it doesn't make a lot of sense to take a -4 to Hit and do 1/4 Lethal Damage in order to knock someone out, but still be doing Slashing or Piercing Damage... sames goes for Axes, Picks and Spears...

Shiny, Bearer of the Pokystick
2007-05-24, 10:29 AM
I want one of these, so consider it a successful creation. >.>;

Ceres
2007-05-24, 11:54 AM
Can you affix this baby to a vorpal weapon?

SLAM! there goes your head! :D