Help me build an alright weapon?

[Falcii]

I never, i repeat, never have successfully made a martial character. A huge part of that is the equipment. i look at weapon enchants and my eyes glaze over. i cannot do it for the life of me. too that end i ask for help.

I need a weapon for a gish (duskblade/warblade/suel/abj champ flavored as a mage cop with focus in extending buffs for literal days). I am going to be level 14, probably moderate wealth, but i dont want to spend EVERYTHING on this weapon. I also dont want to try to make excalibur 2.0, or even fragarach, i just want something that i can make sense of and use effectively. My dm has been cracking down on us for overoptimizing so nothing crazy please.

I would like it to get one 1h and one 2h, preferably both from the White Raven Favored list (longsword, battleaxe, halberd, greatsword, war hammer) and please for the love of god, please dont try to get me to use tripping lol. Thanks for any help i can get!

[MisterKaws]

A Collision Morphing Magebane +1 enhancement is 50k, one third of a normal 14th-level's WBL. Pretty good for a magic cop, if you deal with a lot of mages. You could change that Magebane into something else, maybe Spell Storing. You could also add some other flat price enhancements, if your campaign has a lot of dark places(Illuminating) or underwater places(Aquatic), among others.

[Brannmuffyn]

As a duskblade getting touch attacks at range can be pretty sweet, my first recommendation for a base weapon would be the whip dagger (http://www.realmshelps.net/stores/weapons/Whip_dagger), a normal whip could also function similarly.

Other options include a Spikard from Magic of Eberron, whenever you hit with it it shoots a crossbow bolt out and does more damage. There are one handed and two handed options for it. By a loose reading of the weapon any enchantments that effect the spikard would effect the bolts that it fires too, so you could double up on damage with it.

If you aren't going the power attack route a large crescent knife would be pretty legit(although eating the size penalty would hurt).

If your DM is cracking down on overoptimization I'd recommend just purchasing utility enchantments that simply help your weapon deal damage consistently. Grab Transmuting, a Demolition Crystal, Crystal of Arcane Steel, and a Truedeath Crystal. Swap the crystals in or out depending on what you are facing

If you are down for cheese grab the Smoking weapon enchantment, it basically fills the square you are in with smoke that grants you concealment(with no duration).

[Rebel7284]

Some enhancements to consider:
- Spellstoring (+1): Why channel one spell when you can do two? Thematic!
- Bloodstone (+1): Why channel two spells when you can do three, AND empower for free! Thematic!
- Magebane (+1): spellcasters are the most dangerous type of enemies.
- Wrathful Healing (+3): great for anyone in a tanking role.

I would get a +1 Wrathful Healing Spellstoring Bloodstone Greatsword with a wand chamber for 72450. Perhaps also consider making it out of a special material. Not sure why you also want a one-handed weapon.

[Falcii]

i want a 1h option for the times i will be without my extra arms from girrallons blessing. i dont have somatic weaponry, so i dont believe i can cast without a free hand. otherwise thanks so much for these! i am trying to figure out what they do now :)

[ExLibrisMortis]

i want a 1h option for the times i will be without my extra arms from girrallons blessing. i dont have somatic weaponry, so i dont believe i can cast without a free hand. otherwise thanks so much for these! i am trying to figure out what they do now :)
You can normally cast when using a two-handed weapon, as long as you have the strength to carry the weapon in one hand (I'm guessing you do). Taking your hand off your weapon is a free action, as is putting it back.

I second the enchantments mentioned above. If you are allowed to use Dragon 358 material, you can get a razor sharp weapon (nonmagical +1 damage for 1000 gp), and possibly a basket hilt (+4 against disarm for 50 gp). There's also Baatorian green steel for another +1 to damage, also costing 1000 gp.

[LordOfCain]

What about having a fiend of possession cohort? :smallbiggrin:

[MisterKaws]

i want a 1h option for the times i will be without my extra arms from girrallons blessing. i dont have somatic weaponry, so i dont believe i can cast without a free hand. otherwise thanks so much for these! i am trying to figure out what they do now :)

That's why I suggested Morphing: it allows you to freely change your weapon into any other melee weapon of the same size category. There's even a silly exploit involving Kensai Monks, where you turn yourself into a sword...

[Rebel7284]

i want a 1h option for the times i will be without my extra arms from girrallons blessing. i dont have somatic weaponry, so i dont believe i can cast without a free hand. otherwise thanks so much for these! i am trying to figure out what they do now :)

There are some FAQ entries that state that holding your two-handed weapon in one hand while performing another action with your other hand is perfectly legal and is a free action. Whether your DM agrees is another question. FAQ is not errata.

Here are some examples.
Can a character with Quick Draw and a base attack
bonus of +6 or better make a melee attack with one weapon
and a ranged attack with another weapon in the same
round? What if the melee weapon requires two hands to
wield?

Yes. There’s nothing inherent in the full attack action that
requires all the attacks to be made as the same kind of attack or
with the same kind of weapon.
A character with a base attack bonus of +6 or better holding
a longsword, for example, could make a melee attack with the
longsword (using his full base attack bonus), drop the
longsword (a free action), use Quick Draw to draw a dagger
(another free action), then throw the dagger (using his base
attack bonus –5). If the character had both hands free (for
instance, if he didn’t carry a light or heavy shield in his off
hand), he could even use Quick Draw to draw a bow (free
action), draw and nock an arrow (free action) and then shoot
the bow (using his base attack bonus –5).
This situation is actually improved if the melee weapon is a
two-handed weapon. A character can hold a two-handed
weapon in one hand; he just can’t attack with it while it’s held
like that. Thus, he wouldn’t even have to drop the weapon in
order to draw and throw the dagger. If Krusk the 6th-level
barbarian had Quick Draw, he could swing his greataxe (using
his full base attack bonus), then leave the axe in his off-hand
while drawing a javelin with his primary hand (free action), and
finally throw the javelin (using his base attack bonus –5). If
Krusk were drawing a ranged weapon that required two hands
to use (such as a bow), he’d have to drop his greataxe.


Can a creature make a slam or claw attack when both
his hands are used for something else, such as holding a
two-handed weapon?

As long as the creature can easily let go with one hand, yes.
A two-handed weapon requires two hands to wield in combat,
but not to hold. A frost giant could choose to make a slam
attack instead of a greataxe attack without having to drop the
greataxe.
On the other hand, a frost giant carrying a heavy weight in
both arms doesn’t have a free hand to use for a slam attack.
He’d have to drop the object (a free action) before making a
slam attack.

[barakaka]

Anybody who is anybody uses one of these babies:
310gp alchemy blade (Magic of Eberron p138)
+300gp masterwork
+2500gp for the sword to be made out of alchemical gold (Magic of Faerun p179)
+450gp triple capsule (Complete Adventurer p120)
+100gp <3 quick elements, 1 alchemist's frost> (Complete Adventurer p122)
+100gp wand chamber (Dungeonscape p30)
= 3760

So now it's an exotic weapon short sword (sort of), except really heavy. So heavy it's treated as a one handed weapon. This means you can power attack with it. As a swift action, you can expel 3 quick element alchemical substances (also detailed in Complete Adventurer) onto your blade, adding elemental damage to your sword or letting you hit ghosts. The alchemist's blade itself can load an alchemist's fire or alchemist's frost, adding more elemental damage. The wand chamber just gives you more options for spellcasting.

This can be further boosted with magical enhancements. Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but it's not overpowered, and you can decide to split up the damage instead of dropping all your substances on a single hit.

If anybody has any other stuff to attach besides Demo/Truedeath crystals, let it be heard. I'm always looking for more stuff to tack on.

[sonofzeal]

Whenever I make a martial character, I spend hardly anything on the weapon. Weapon enchants are super-expensive compared to their benefit, but offensive power scales well with class levels and features. Defence is generally the opposite. For maximum power you want to invest your feats and class levels into offence, and gold into defence.

At this level, I'd go for a +2 weapon, or thereabouts. Maybe +1 Magebane, depending on the campaign. Might be worth making it adamantine too.

[Darrin]

Some general advice:

Avoid enhancements with limited uses per day. Once those uses are gone, all the GP you spent on that property is going to waste. (Exceptions: The {various} Surges and Sudden Stunning from DMGII are well worth getting, and sorta-scale up, but avoid the MIC versions.)

Avoid enhancements that only work on crits. All those attacks that hit but don't crit = wasted GP. (If you want one anyway, get Enfeebling from BoED.)

Avoid enhancements that only work on a failed save. The save DCs on most weapon properties tend to be very low. (If you want one anyway, get Torturous from Ghostwalk.)

Avoid the +3/+4/+5 enhancements. I'd be wary about most of the +2's as well. You're much more likely to get more bang for your buck with a few +1's.

For Duskblades, Bloodstone should be one of your first enhancements, as vampiric touch is one of their signature touch spells. Spell-Storing is also quite good, although you can get a similar effect by attaching a Glyph Seal (1000 GP, MIC) to your weapon. Or heck, do both.

Your primary weapon should be either a greatsword or a quarterstaff. Greatsword has the best average damage of the two-handed weapons. If you can afford it, make it out of starmetal (+5000 GP, Complete Arcane): same properties as adamantine and +1d6 damage vs. extraplanar creatures. Quarterstaff damage is so-so, but it can be gripped two-handed, can accommodate two wand chambers (100 GP, Dungeonscape), and can even become a longbow if you add Elvencraft (300 GP, Races of the Wild). If you have a spare feat slot, take an elvencraft longbow as an Ancestral Relic (BoED) and you can convert loot -> enhancements on both ends of it without the 50% trade-in penalty. If you can afford it, make it out of serren (+4000 GP, BoED) so it gets the Ghost Touch property.

Once you can afford enhancements, start with the damage buffs. Take Caustic first, then Shock, Frost, and Flaming, in that order (acid resistance is the most rare, followed by electricity resistance, cold resistance, and of course fire resistance is the most common). If you need more damage (who doesn't?), then consider adding Desiccating, Psychokinetic, and Screaming, in that order.

You can add a little additional flavor (and utility) to your weapon by adding a command-activated spell effect 1/day. Adding a 1st-level spell 1/day is only 360 GP, and a 2nd-level spell is only 2160 GP. On a melee weapon like a greatsword, enlarge person for 10 rounds can be pretty darned nifty. On bows, I like to add faerie fire 1/day, as that spell can be difficult to get onto a non-druid spell list.

[Vizzerdrix]

I second the enchantments mentioned above. If you are allowed to use Dragon 358 material, you can get a razor sharp weapon (nonmagical +1 damage for 1000 gp), and possibly a basket hilt (+4 against disarm for 50 gp). There's also Baatorian green steel for another +1 to damage, also costing 1000 gp.


Anybody who is anybody uses one of these babies:
310gp alchemy blade (Magic of Eberron p138)
+300gp masterwork
+2500gp for the sword to be made out of alchemical gold (Magic of Faerun p179)
+450gp triple capsule (Complete Adventurer p120)
+100gp <3 quick elements, 1 alchemist's frost> (Complete Adventurer p122)
+100gp wand chamber (Dungeonscape p30)
= 3760

And this shall be one of my favorite weapons from now on and forever and ever. Maybe Ill tack a few more things onto it as well. One of the faerun books has a built in spike launcher, and Ive seen a device for applying oils someplace too.

This, along with either a deep crystal or glassteel mercurial greatsword (picture a giant bladed thermometer)

EDIT- is there any way to alloy the alchemical gold with the green steel?

EDIT#2- Darrin, what page flr the rules on 1/day spell? Ive never seen it before and I think I could have some fun with that.

[Darrin]

EDIT#2- Darrin, what page flr the rules on 1/day spell? Ive never seen it before and I think I could have some fun with that.

DMG page 285 has a chart. Spell effect as a command word is "Spell level x caster level x 1800 GP", and 1/day divides the cost by 5.

When you're adding additional abilities to a magic item, sometimes there's a +50% cost modifier if you're adding something that would normally occupy a body slot or have an effect that doesn't match the "body slot affinity" guidelines. This is to discourage you from combining, let's say, boots of haste with your +1 flaming longsword because you don't want to give up wearing your winged boots. But a simple 1/day spell effect on a weapon (which doesn't have a body slot affinity) shouldn't incur this additional cost. It also helps if the spell fits the "theme" of the weapon: Kelgore's grave mist 1/day on a +1 cold iron frost dagger, for example.

[barakaka]

And this shall be one of my favorite weapons from now on and forever and ever. Maybe Ill tack a few more things onto it as well. One of the faerun books has a built in spike launcher, and Ive seen a device for applying oils someplace too.

This, along with either a deep crystal or glassteel mercurial greatsword (picture a giant bladed thermometer)

EDIT- is there any way to alloy the alchemical gold with the green steel?

The guys on this thread seem to think that the properties of steel and gold don't really agree with each other. But this is fantasy bro. Alchemical Gold has the hardness to keep an edge already, and greensteel has its own set of properties different from average steel. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/19616-can-gold-be-added-to-steel/

As a side note, if you find something weird and wacky like the device that applies oils or the spike launcher, PM me and let me know. I'm trying to set up for crazy inventions that Cannith magewrights and artificers could be making for dastardly deeds in my Eberron campaign, and this sword is one of them.