Help me price a weapon enchant

[ghanjrho]

How expensive would you make a weapon that converts all of its damage to energy damage?

[ExLibrisMortis]

Well... such a weapon would be great for any melee class, when dealing with enemies weak to that element. On the other hand, there are a lot more energy-immune creatures than damage type-immune creatures (clay golems and such), so you'd be in trouble, when facing those. Overall, this kind of enchantment encourages a bit of 'golf-bagging' - it's best to carry a +1 fire sword, +1 cold sword and so on, because the +50% bonus damage against vulnerable targets trumps nearly all other enchantments.

I would price it at a +1 or +2 bonus, depending on energy type. Sonic might even be a +3. Force would definitely be +3, even +4, but that's not an energy type.

[Gildedragon]

All of its damage as in all of the weapon's base damage? Or also extra precision damage?
Either way probably a +1 or +2 and need it to have an energy property already

Merciful is a good baseline, as I don't remember any other weapon enhancement that changes the weapon's damage type

[Troacctid]

+1, and it would also deal +1d6 extra damage of that type (+1d4 for Sonic).

Converting your damage to energy damage is more likely to hurt you than help you, because you're now subject to energy resistance and immunity. I would not charge a significant premium for it.

[OldTrees1]

+1, and it would also deal +1d6 extra damage of that type (+1d4 for Sonic).

Converting your damage to energy damage is more likely to hurt you than help you, because you're now subject to energy resistance and immunity. I would not charge a significant premium for it.

8,3XXgp (backup weapon with a +1 ability) is rather cheap item to buy, but you are right that this does not sounds like a positive on a primary weapon.

[ghanjrho]

All of its damage as in all of the weapon's base damage? Or also extra precision damage?
Either way probably a +1 or +2 and need it to have an energy property already

Merciful is a good baseline, as I don't remember any other weapon enhancement that changes the weapon's damage type

I was thinking all damage, but maybe leave precision out, just because it has so many rules in and of itself.

What if it's subject to command word activation? Able to turn the effect in and off?

[MesiDoomstalker]

I was thinking all damage, but maybe leave precision out, just because it has so many rules in and of itself.

What if it's subject to command word activation? Able to turn the effect in and off?

Precision damage auto-types to the type of damage the attack is dealing. So such an enchantment would change Precision Damage by proxy of changing the base damage.

However, if it had a (Standard Action) command word, I'd say its still a +1, maybe +2. If its a Swift or Free Action command word, then its +2 for sure. If it just changes damage type, I'd make it a flat mod, like +8,000 gp or so. Even if it added an extra d6, I wouldn't price it as a +X.

[Gildedragon]

+6000gp to +8000gp sounds good actually. The former if it needs a flaming, shocking, or the like property to be on already.
Give special materials that deal bonus energy damage (such as Blue ice, darksteel, fever iron...) an affinity for that enchantment.

[DeAnno]

The MiC version of Force is Projectile weapon only and +2. I would say Acid, Fire, Cold, or Electricity are +1 with no other requirements. Sonic would be +1-2, Force +2-3; you could balance more expensive versions of the latter two by adding some sort of rider, maybe.

[Troacctid]

Consider the Merciful weapon property, which is similar and adds +1d6 damage for a +1 bonus.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Consider the Merciful weapon property, which is similar and adds +1d6 damage for a +1 bonus.

To be fair, there are whole creature types immune to Non-Lethal, whilst only subtypes immune to various elemental types.

[Necroticplague]

To be fair, there are whole creature types immune to Non-Lethal, whilst only subtypes immune to various elemental types.

To be fair in the other direction, there's whole subtypes of creatures that would take extra damage from one of these elemental weapons, but I don't think there's any creature that takes extra non-lethal damage.

Personally, i'd base it on what element. The more commonly-resisted (fire, cold, electricity) are +1, sonic and acid are +2 (for full damage vs. objects and not being commonly resisted), more exotic elements are either unavailable (no, no weapon will convert all your damage into vile damage) or +3 (force, hellfire). Add an extra +1 if it has the property of making the damage "original and element", in a similar fashion that weapons like Mornginstars operate on.

[Andezzar]

8,3XXgp (backup weapon with a +1 ability) is rather cheap item to buy, but you are right that this does not sounds like a positive on a primary weapon.I think it depends on whether you can turn it off. If it works like merciful, I think it would be an option as a primary weapon.