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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Is this magic weapon balanced and what level character should get it? [PEACH]



Bobbito
2018-04-05, 03:08 PM
My DM plans on eventually taking us to a town I created that has a vault full of divine magic items guarded by paladins of Bahamut (I'm a dragonborn paladin of Bahamut, I was trained here). We'll likely have to recover an item that was stolen from the vaults by an oathbreaker paladin, and I was thinking of weapons that might have been stolen. This was my first idea, but was unsure if it was too powerful or what level character should be able to wield it. Perhaps if it's too powerful for a medium level character I could have its second ability unlock at a certain level.

Radiant Blade

To most characters, this weapon is a magical longsword with a +1 bonus that, when attuned, can cast Light as a bonus action.

Paladins and clerics attuned to this weapon also gain the ability to cast Holy Weapon (from XGE) as an action.

By default, this weapon has unlimited uses of Light and 1 charge of Holy Weapon. Once per day, when it has 0 charges, a cleric or paladin may pray for 1 minute to their god for a chance to regain 1 charge. The chance is their combined cleric and paladin levels times five, so a character with only cleric/paladin levels of level 5 has a 25% chance, a level 10 has a 50% chance, and a level 20 has 100% chance.

This weapon may hold a total of 3 charges of Holy Weapon, only going above 1 when granted additional uses by their god (DM decides when this can happen). Actions that earn charges must be uncommon deeds that appeal to the character's deity. For example, a paladin of Bahamut might earn a charge for killing an evil dragon.

thegreatone5224
2018-04-05, 03:14 PM
I personally don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the weapon. However, I'd say remove the % chance bit and make it a 10 min ritual (praying) to regain a single charge. I don't really recall percentile being a thing in 5e features and spells but I could be wrong.

Requilac
2018-04-05, 10:22 PM
My DM plans on eventually taking us to a town I created that has a vault full of divine magic items guarded by paladins of Bahamut (I'm a dragonborn paladin of Bahamut, I was trained here). We'll likely have to recover an item that was stolen from the vaults by an oathbreaker paladin, and I was thinking of weapons that might have been stolen. This was my first idea, but was unsure if it was too powerful or what level character should be able to wield it. Perhaps if it's too powerful for a medium level character I could have its second ability unlock at a certain level.

Radiant Blade

To most characters, this weapon is a magical longsword with a +1 bonus that, when attuned, can cast Light as a bonus action.

Paladins and clerics attuned to this weapon also gain the ability to cast Holy Weapon (from XGE) as an action.

By default, this weapon has unlimited uses of Light and 1 charge of Holy Weapon. Once per day, when it has 0 charges, a cleric or paladin may pray for 1 minute to their god for a chance to regain 1 charge. The chance is their combined cleric and paladin levels times five, so a character with only cleric/paladin levels of level 5 has a 25% chance, a level 10 has a 50% chance, and a level 20 has 100% chance.

This weapon may hold a total of 3 charges of Holy Weapon, only going above 1 when granted additional uses by their god (DM decides when this can happen). Actions that earn charges must be uncommon deeds that appeal to the character's deity. For example, a paladin of Bahamut might earn a charge for killing an evil dragon.

While nothing is blatantly wrong with it, if the player's play their cards right and are patient then they could gain the ability to freely cast a 5th spell three times in the same day without any sort of drawback. That needs to be fixed. The highest level spells a paladin learns are level five, so I would be concerned about letting them cast holy weapon so many times. I would highly recommend scrapping the whole recharge deal and simply letting them cast it once a day and it recharges on a long rest. That is much more streamlined and simple, restricts the power a little bit more and accomplishes the goal.

You are probably going to say that this might make it too weak, but I do not necessarily think that is a bad thing for homebrewed magic weapons. It is best to make it weak to begin with, and if it ends up proving to be to weak in play just make powerful later in the campaign. After all, the result of you increasing the power of one of a player's magic items mid-campaign is going to go over a lot smoother than nerfing their magic item mid-campaign.

Bobbito
2018-04-06, 01:12 PM
If I drop it to a flat once a day what level would you say it is appropriate for? A cleric can cast holy weapon at level 9, but a paladin can't until level 17.

Requilac
2018-04-06, 01:46 PM
If I drop it to a flat once a day what level would you say it is appropriate for? A cleric can cast holy weapon at level 9, but a paladin can't until level 17.

I am not really experienced with much player after 15th level really so I can’t say this for any guarantee, but as a DM I would probably give it to my players at about level 10. Keep in mind though that I present very few magic items to my groups, I think the maximum I ever handed out was 4 magic items over the course of a 10 level long campaigns

Gorum
2018-04-06, 05:27 PM
Radiant Blade

Heavy Blades only

This weapon acts as a +1 weapon. In addition an attuned character gains the ability to cast Light on the Radiant Blade as per the cantrip as a bonus action. In addition, whenever a creature is struck by the Radiant Blade while it has the Light cantrip cast on it, the bearer can transfer the Light cantrip onto the target of the attack as a free action.


When a Cleric or Paladin attunes to it, the Radiant Blade gives the following additional benefits:

First, it can now hold up to three charges, but currently holds none. It loses all its charges if un-attuned, attuned by someone else or not carried for a period of 24 hours.
After an extended rest, the Bearer may spend his highest level divine spell slot. If he does, the Radiant Blade gains one charge.
The bearer can use one charge to cast the Holy Weapon spell on the Radiant Blade as a standard action. While the spell is active, the bearer loses the ability to cast the Light cantrip from the Radiant Blade, and any Light spell active due to the Radiant Blade is negated. This instance of the Holy Weapon spell does not require concentration and will last 10 minutes.
If the Radiant Blade is somehow used to kill the character attuned to it, the killing blow shatters the Radiant Blade in a burst of holy light. When it does, every character in a 30 feet radius must make a Constitution saving throw DC 17. On a failed save, a creature takes 4d8 radiant damage + 2d8 per charge within the Radiant Blade (if any), and it is blinded for 1 minute. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and isn’t blinded. At the end of each of its turns, a blinded creature can make a Constitution saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.


I'd be comfortable having this as a rare weapon for a group lvl 10+.

Requilac
2018-04-06, 06:37 PM
@ Gorum

Outsiders aren’t a thing in 5e and I would be skeptical about making the weapon so heavily based on alignment. 5e hardly has any effects which reference alignment, including protection from evil and good which now effects creatures of a certain type. The only thing that comes to mind when alignment matters in 5e is for determining whether you can use the talismans of ultimate evil or good, though I imagine there are more.

Gorum
2018-04-06, 08:23 PM
@ Gorum

Outsiders aren’t a thing in 5e and I would be skeptical about making the weapon so heavily based on alignment. 5e hardly has any effects which reference alignment, including protection from evil and good which now effects creatures of a certain type. The only thing that comes to mind when alignment matters in 5e is for determining whether you can use the talismans of ultimate evil or good, though I imagine there are more.

1) Enlighten me, what do Angels, Devils and Demons count as? Immortals?

2) You made me realize even Holy Weapon don't have an alignment element to it!

Reworking my previous post.

Requilac
2018-04-06, 09:58 PM
1) Enlighten me, what do Angels, Devils and Demons count as? Immortals?

To my knowledge, there is no equivalant to outsiders in 5e. What you could say is “creatures of extraplanar origin”, but that is a little ambiguous. You could also just go specific and say aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey and fiends.

Also, here is relevant link to a GitP thread which lists all times alignment comes up in game mechanics.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?516989-When-Alignment-Matters-Mechanically

Bobbito
2018-04-07, 01:33 AM
After an extended rest, the Bearer may spend his highest level divine spell slot. If he does, the Radiant Blade gains one charge.

...This instance of the Holy Weapon spell does not require concentration and will last 10 minutes.

Keep in mind that a paladin would only have 3rd level spell slots (2 of them) at 10th level, although I like that it does cost something.

Also, I think the no concentration thing is extremely powerful when you consider that this would let me throw up shield of faith or PfEaG or any of the smite spells on top of holy weapon.

Gorum
2018-04-07, 09:07 AM
Keep in mind that a paladin would only have 3rd level spell slots (2 of them) at 10th level, although I like that it does cost something.

Also, I think the no concentration thing is extremely powerful when you consider that this would let me throw up shield of faith or PfEaG or any of the smite spells on top of holy weapon.

First, there should a wording that the Holy Weapon spell fizzles as soon as it the Radiant Blade is sheathed or changes hands. Otherwise:


The spell comes from the weapon, concentration makes little sense.
It cost you a slot before you have a chance to spend it. It's not like "Welp, I'm going to sleep, might as well dump all unused slots in it.".
It does limit you to one sixth of its maximum duration. Feel free to lower it down to 5 minutes if you feel concentration spells from a melee character should fizzle in even less time than that.
The sword doesn't have options. It's Holy Weapon on itself and for the bearer or nothing.


Tbh, spells with concentration casted by melee characters are pretty crap. I like how it limits one to one spell at a time, but you'll always get better results from buffing a juggernaut and using it as a wall or something. If the spell fizzles after 2 or 3 rounds AND it requires your highest level slot AND casting the spell cost you one round of battle? It's basically worthless.

Might as well cast it from behind another front-liner and release it right away as an area effect.

Now, consider that your average level 7 Rogue Assassin / 3 Fighter Battle Master with a +1 nonmagical longbow and the Sharpshooter feat will, without spending resource, regularly deal 1d8+4d6+dex+10, more if he uses Pushing Attack, Menacing Attack or Goading Attack, powerful options he can dish out 4 times per short rest and at a bow's LONG RANGE. And on top of that, he's sneaky, paranoid, ignores cover and attack from far, far, far away (in open terrain, at least).

So I wouldn't hesitate giving 1 No-Concentration Holy Weapon per day, especially if it costs an attunement and at least another +1 to hit and damage roll. The increased DPS is still not a threat to the rogue's role.

Gorum
2018-04-07, 09:13 AM
That said, Radiant Blade is a tweaked version of Ancestral Weapons (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Ancestral_Weapon_(5e_Equipment))