3.5e Help With Magic Weapons & Frost Giant Jarl

[FinalDrake]

Hello Everyone!

I had a couple of questions that I thought some here could help with.
It stems from an argument between me (Trainee DM) and my teacher DM over how magic weapons work.

If we have a +2 shocking spear - what is the att/dmg bonus?

Would the spear be:
1d8+2 Piercing & 1d6 Shock
Or
1d8+1 Piercing & 1d6 Shock

my DM argues that it's only +2 saying that it has 2 magical effect, those being +1 to att/dmg and shocking.
He says that's how he's been doing it for years

From what i read in the book though it should be 1d8+2 Piercing & 1d6 Shock.

His Example is a Frost Giant Jarl attacks: (MM1 Pg 122)
Base Attack: +18 Strength: 32 (+11)
+2 Frost Greataxe +30 Melee (3d6+18 & 1d6) or Slam +28 (1d4+11)

His arguement is that the +30 is from BAB(+18) Str(+11) +1 from the Enchanted Weapon
But then how would the slam work? 18+11=29 which now skews slam

My Reference is:
Half Celestial 9th lvl Paladin (MM1 pg 145)
It has a +2 bastard sword +17 melee (1d10+7)
BAB = +9
STR = 20 (+5)
Exotic Weapon Prof +1 bastard swords

Att: +17 (+9+5+2+1)
Dmg: 1d10+7 = +5+2

To me it feel like the Frost giant reference he is using is broken.

Would anyone be able to help clarify?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

[zlefin]

a +2 weapon would give +2 to attack AND +2 to damage.

as to the example cited; iirc there's a -1 to attack size penalty for being size large; and the jarl is size large.


edit: yeah, looking at the text for enlarge person there should indeed be a -1 attack penalty for being of size large;
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/enlargePerson.htm

though the effects of enlarge person don't match all the normal effects of size modification as per this table
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#sizeIncreases

I guess that's cuz that table os only for improving monsters; rather than for size effects in general.

[FinalDrake]

Thankyou zlefin!
frpm your info i looked in the PhB at pg 134
Table 8-1: Size Modifiers
Large -1

That explains why the giant's stats are the way the are.

thankyou!

[zlefin]

you're quite welcome :)

[Eldariel]

+2 shocking is a +3 weapon far as price is concerned; it has +2 enhancement (alongside all the bonuses and hardness and such this entails) and +1 ability. Thus, +2 to hit/damage and the ability on top of it. Pre-epic this caps out at +5 enhancement and +10 total (enhancement + abilities; though you can have +1 weapon with +9 abilities - but all magic weapons have at least +1 enhancement, +0 Shocking Spear is impossible). The important thing to note is that the bonus marked in front of the weapon is always the actual bonus of the weapon - you get that number, be it +1 or +5, to attack rolls and damage rolls. The other enhancements come on top of that, so if a weapon says +3 fiery, it has +3 to hit/damage (and +3 worth of extra durability stats) and on top of that, 1d6 fire damage per hit. And it has the price of a +4 weapon.