magic weapon choice

[da newt]

I have the opportunity to choose an uncommon magic weapon for my 5th lvl EK DEX Fighter. I plan to use Shadow Blade eventually, so I'm thinking a Weapon of Warning - rapier is better than a simple +1 rapier.

What else should I consider, which is better, and WHY?

[firelistener]

Normally you'd probably want the +1 so you can deal magical damage, but as an EK you have plenty of that already. As a fighter though, you will eventually be making multiple attacks per round. In higher tiers, the +X weapon is going to be much better since going first in battle really doesn't give you much.

[CheddarChampion]

Normally you'd probably want the +1 so you can deal magical damage, but as an EK you have plenty of that already.

As far as I know any magical weapon, regardless of type, will bypass nonmagical resistance.
I'd go with the weapon of warning, especially if the DM likes to use surprise.
Getting into position first is good for any melee class, preventing a free round of attacks from the enemy is better.
Your DM may or may not use less surprise against you if you have it, but that's like deterrent so you still benefit.

[da newt]

I also like the fact that the weapon of warning only needs to be on your person to provide it's ADV to Initiative and no surprises - this lets you wield other stuff when it's more advantageous and still get it's benefits. At lvl 8 I'll have the shadow blade spell for example.

I am curious if anyone has tried to figure out what going first in initiative is worth mathematically ...

[JackPhoenix]

I also like the fact that the weapon of warning only needs to be on your person to provide it's ADV to Initiative and no surprises - this lets you wield other stuff when it's more advantageous and still get it's benefits. At lvl 8 I'll have the shadow blade spell for example.

I am curious if anyone has tried to figure out what going first in initiative is worth mathematically ...

It can't be expressed mathematically, because the value changes depending on situation. Sometimes you'll want your enemy to move first (like if you're ambushed and don't know where the enemy is in the first round), sometimes acting first only result in a bit of damage, sometimes (mostly when casters are involved) it'll decide the battle straight away.

[DrKerosene]

A +1 Longbow could be passed off to an Elf, or a Ranger, etc.
Or a +1 Shortsword could be passed off to a Rogue, or be kept for anyone as a general back-up weapon.
The +1 to accuracy boosts your damage by more than just the +1 average, but that’s not a big deal if you’re not using Sharpshooter or GWM.


I do think the Weapon Of Warning is probably better.

Winning Initiative can result in an instant win if you get lucky with something like a Grave Cleric and a an Assassin/Paladin who auto-crits with a Greenflame Blade.
Consider most CR’s say to take the average damage over 3 rounds of combat, I suppose approximating a 33% of encounter efficiency might be a rough arbitrary value.
Being a Fighter who could take out several minions before they do any damage, or to disrupt the Boss’s formation, etc, could win you narrative control of an encounter.
Enabling your whole Party to not be at such extreme disadvantage is also a force multiplier.