Diametrically opposed weapon enhancements

[Hish]

I was thinking about a two weapon fighter with two weapons that represent opposite concepts. They would be dedicated to a balance between the two ideas.

Unfortunately, I could only come up with Holy/Unholy and Axiomatic/Anarchic.

So what do you think? What weapon enhancements could make interesting pairs of opposing weapons?

[legomaster00156]

Flaming (burst) and Frost (burst) are options.

[Nifft]

There are a huge number of ways to be "opposite".

Like: a big heavy warhammer vs. a nimble skinny rapier.

Or: a thrown weapon ("strike far away") vs. a spiked gauntlet ("no reach but your own").

Or even: a longsword vs. a shortsword.

That's before adding magic into the equation.

[Hish]

True. I was specifically thinking that the weapons were the same type of weapon to exemplify the balance aspect. Probably Oversized TWF so the two weapons could be exactly the same before enchantments (and special materials, if there are any that fit with the theme).

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Years ago I was rolling some random loot for a frost-themed lich, a side quest mini-boss to go against the medium-optimized level ~16 slightly-monte-haul party. I ended up randomly rolling the following weapon:

The Destroyer of Heaven and Hell
+4 Composite Longbow, Holy, Unholy, Bane x2, the fist Bane rolled Evil Outsiders, and I picked Good Outsiders for the other one.

The party had a neutral fighter-type who decided to take it as his ranged weapon. It's able to overcome DR/Epic when used against a good or evil outsider, and with his high BAB he was moderately useful at ranged combat with it.

[Nifft]

True. I was specifically thinking that the weapons were the same type of weapon to exemplify the balance aspect. Probably Oversized TWF so the two weapons could be exactly the same before enchantments (and special materials, if there are any that fit with the theme).

So something like a pair of shorswords, daggers, or kukri?

Sword 1:
- Lawful
- Unholy
- Flame
- Vicious
- Bodyfeeder (XPH)

Sword 2:
- Chaotic
- Holy
- Frost
- Merciful
- Mindfeeder (XPH)

[Nifft]

Here's another pair:

Hammer of Industrial Artifice
- Bane: Constructs
- Collision (XPH)
- Disruption
- Suppression (XPH)
- Shock
- Magebane (MIC)

Sickle of Natural Bounty
- Bane: Plants
- Keen
- Banishing (MIC)
- Curseweeping (MIC)
- Vampiric (MIC)
- Psibane (MIC)

[Crake]

I could totally see a True Neutral character dual wielding weapons with those opposed enhancements.

Keep in mind that alignment based enchantments give you a negative level not if you are the opposite, but rather if you are not the same. So a neutral person wielding a holy sword in one hand and an unholy sword in the other is both nongood and nonevil, and thus would get 2 negative levels.

You can't even bypass this with UMD, because you can only emulate 1 alignment at a time, so at best you could drop it down to 1 negative level.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Keep in mind that alignment based enchantments give you a negative level not if you are the opposite, but rather if you are not the same. So a neutral person wielding a holy sword in one hand and an unholy sword in the other is both nongood and nonevil, and thus would get 2 negative levels.

You can't even bypass this with UMD, because you can only emulate 1 alignment at a time, so at best you could drop it down to 1 negative level.

Be LG and make the unholy one think you are Evil.

use the feat Ordered Chaos
Ordered Chaos

( Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss, p. 86)

[General]

You are an unusually lawful Abyssal heritor.
Prerequisite
base Will save +4, Nonchaotic alignment,
Benefit
Your alignment is not affected by the Abyssal heritor feats you possess. Spells and effects that are keyed to alignment affect you as if you were chaotic, as well as your actual alignment. For example, you become immune to spells such as chaos hammer and word of chaos, you could wield an anarchic weapon without fear of gaining a negative level, and you could take the Primordial Scion feat despite its chaotic alignment prerequisite

[torrasque666]

Be LG and make the unholy one think you are Evil.

use the feat Ordered Chaos
Ordered Chaos

( Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss, p. 86)

[General]

You are an unusually lawful Abyssal heritor.
Prerequisite
base Will save +4, Nonchaotic alignment,
Benefit
Your alignment is not affected by the Abyssal heritor feats you possess. Spells and effects that are keyed to alignment affect you as if you were chaotic, as well as your actual alignment. For example, you become immune to spells such as chaos hammer and word of chaos, you could wield an anarchic weapon without fear of gaining a negative level, and you could take the Primordial Scion feat despite its chaotic alignment prerequisite

Or just be a LG Hellbred with the feat.

[KillianHawkeye]

Keep in mind that alignment based enchantments give you a negative level not if you are the opposite, but rather if you are not the same. So a neutral person wielding a holy sword in one hand and an unholy sword in the other is both nongood and nonevil, and thus would get 2 negative levels.

You can't even bypass this with UMD, because you can only emulate 1 alignment at a time, so at best you could drop it down to 1 negative level.

You are wrong about this. A True Neutral character can wield any aligned weapon.


Holy

A holy weapon is imbued with holy power. This power makes the weapon good-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of evil alignment. It bestows one negative level on any evil creature attempting to wield it.

Unholy

An unholy weapon is imbued with unholy power. This power makes the weapon evil-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of good alignment. It bestows one negative level on any good creature attempting to wield it.

Axiomatic

An axiomatic weapon is lawfully aligned and infused with the power of law. It makes the weapon law-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of chaotic alignment. It bestows one negative level on any chaotic creature attempting to wield it.

Anarchic

An anarchic weapon is chaotically aligned and infused with the power of chaos. It makes the weapon chaos-aligned and thus bypasses the corresponding damage reduction. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of lawful alignment. It bestows one negative level on any lawful creature attempting to wield it.

[Crake]

You are wrong about this. A True Neutral character can wield any aligned weapon.

Huh, I stand corrected. For the longest time ever I've thought it was non-X, rather than opposite-X

[Fouredged Sword]

I put a weapon in the game with all four. It could only be wielded by TN characters without problems. Lots of fun.

[Florian]

Hm... the very good Black Moon Chronicles had a Half Elf wielding two intelligent magical swords, one associated with order, the other with chaos.

[Sapreaver]

A vicious merciful weapon would be interesting. Would the vicious weapon damage become non lethal to both you and the target?

[Fouredged Sword]

A vicious merciful weapon would be interesting. Would the vicious weapon damage become non lethal to both you and the target?

I would say yes. All damage from the weapon becomes non-lethal.

[heavyfuel]

True. I was specifically thinking that the weapons were the same type of weapon to exemplify the balance aspect. Probably Oversized TWF so the two weapons could be exactly the same before enchantments (and special materials, if there are any that fit with the theme).

I'd go with a Two-Bladed Sword

You also need to spend a feat, but it's easier to get access to EWP than it is to get access to Oversized TWF (Exoticist Fighter, for example) and the lack of a Str pre-req makes it so that penalties to Str don't make your build useless.

Also, to quote the TWF Off-Handbook, you'd look AWESOME doing it