Spell: Animate Weapon (Complete Mage)

[Dagroth]

Okay... having an argument with one of my players.

The character carries around a Gargantuan +1 Keen Adamantine Great Scimitar. The character is a 10th level Half-Fey Sorcerer with a very high Charisma (28).

There are two spells he wants to abuse...

1) Whirling Blade (Complete Arcane, Sor/Wiz-2).

He claims that the sword would attack at +15 to hit (+5 BAB, +9 Cha, +1 Weapon), doing 6d6+10 to each target hit.

2) Animate Weapon (Complete Mage, Sor/Wiz-3)

He claims that the sword would attack at +22 to hit (+12 BAB animated object, +9 Cha, +1 Weapon), doing 6d6+10 each hit. It would have 148hp & 20 Hardness


I would like thoughts on both, but my main contention is that a 3rd level Sor/Wiz spell produces almost the same effect as a 6th level Cleric spell. Better, in some ways, with the Swift Concentration skill-trick.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Your friend needs to read more carefully.

The weapon won't work with whirling blade at all unless he's huge. It calls on the capability of the caster wielding the weapon, which he can't do at all if he's large or smaller.

Animate weapon would use the stats for a huge animated object, not a gargantuan one, since it's a one-handed weapon sized for a gargantuan creature. That's +16 (6 for AO BAB, +9 cha, +1 enhancement).

It's nice but the targeting restriction does make it strictly inferior to animate objects proper.

[Bronk]

Neither spell would work.

Whirling Blade keys to a weapon wielded by the caster, and, assuming the caster is medium sized, it's too big to wield.

Animate Weapon keys to the size of the wielder, so it won't work for the same reason, but also because the wielder is medium, so the weapon would somehow end up as medium.

For this to work, the caster would need to have the major titan bloodline, and use a 'great, two handed warhammer'.