d&d 3.5 need help making a bludgeoning weapon count as slashing

[samduke]

pretty much like the title says, need help making a bludgeoning weapon count as slashing

lets say I have said Bludgeoning weapon, the feats Improved Unarmed Strike, Versatile Unarmed Strike
and place the Aptitude Weapon on the Bludgeoning weapon, would this combination Allow said Bludgeoning weapon count as a Slashing weapon for the Vorpal Weapon Enhancement ?

if not then

Is there any known way in 3.0 / 3.5 1st party , dragon magazine, with Feats or other Magic items to do this, as the race is set and there are no class levels available to use & the weapon can not change ?

we are attempting to put Vorpal on a Bludgeoning weapon is the goal.

[Beni-Kujaku]

Does it really need to be vorpal, and does it really need to be slashing all the time? Using the artificer infusion Personal Weapon Augmentation (Morphing) can change your hammer into a sword, then cut the BBEG's head, then morph it back into your beloved whacking mallet. Alternatively, you could put Sending (Lost Empires of Faerun p.152) instead of Vorpal on your weapon. Same requirements (20, then confirmed crit), but instead of having their head cut off, they get teleported anywhere on the world that you have seen. You can fluff it as having them get Home-Runned through the oceans and into an active volcano (or in the middle of the ocean, or in the middle of the "city currently watched and protected by their mortal enemies" (don't look at me like that, they always exist) or at the current location of an unprotected sphere of annihilation, depending on the level of threat). Pro tip: you have already seen the sun.

[Anthrowhale]

The executioner's mace in dungeon magazine (135 page 61 according to the internet) does bludgeoning/slashing damage, so it should be a legal target for the vorpal property.

[loky1109]

The executioner's mace in dungeon magazine (135 page 61 according to the internet) does bludgeoning/slashing damage, so it should be a legal target for the vorpal property.
It does bludgeoning/slashing/piercing damage.

[samduke]

Does it really need to be vorpal, and does it really need to be slashing all the time?

yes I would prefer that

executioner's mace in dungeon magazine (135 page 61) while yes B & P or B & S

I indicated that the weapon could not change and it is solely B at this point

Sending does not kill the enemy and I need it to actually die not be teleported

that leaves Personal Weapon Augmentation requires artificer levels, and I indicated that no class levels available
But that said it reads "The weapon you touch temporarily gains a special ability commonly found on magic weapons. You can choose any special ability whose market price is equivalent to a +1 bonus or up to 10,000 gp, such as flaming or keen

If I apply the DMG p285 rules Continuous Item to Personal Weapon Augmentation
(1x1x2000x1.5) for 3,000 gp I could get Morphing - and while in hammer form the vorpal would be dormant I believe

a morphing weapon can reshape it into any other weapon of the same type (light, one-handed, or two-handed) as a standard action.


and I still have not addressed

the feats Improved Unarmed Strike, Versatile Unarmed Strike
and place the Aptitude Weapon on the Bludgeoning weapon, would this combination Allow said Bludgeoning weapon count as a Slashing weapon for the Vorpal Weapon Enhancement ?

edited

[Anthrowhale]

It does bludgeoning/slashing/piercing damage.

Technically, Bludgeoning/Slashing or Bludgeoning/Piercing as chosen at the moment of attack, but yes.

[Anthrowhale]

Are you looking for the vorpal property or an instant death property more generally? There are a few other instant death properties.

[ShurikVch]

I'm pretty sure: I seen somewhere a +1 weapon enhancement which adds +1d6 slashing damage...

[InvisibleBison]

lets say I have said Bludgeoning weapon, the feats Improved Unarmed Strike, Versatile Unarmed Strike
and place the Aptitude Weapon on the Bludgeoning weapon, would this combination Allow said Bludgeoning weapon count as a Slashing weapon for the Vorpal Weapon Enhancement ?

No, this doesn't work. Aptitude weapon doesn't let you apply Versatile Unarmed Strike to a melee weapon.

[samduke]

Are you looking for the vorpal property or an instant death property more generally? There are a few other instant death properties.

well if there is a way to hit a monster that auto kills them that is not vorpal - please share


No, this doesn't work. Aptitude weapon doesn't let you apply Versatile Unarmed Strike to a melee weapon.

uh yes it does.


Effect: A wielder who has feats that affect the use of a particular type of weapon, such as Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, or the like, can apply the benefits of those feats to any weapon that has the aptitude quality. In addition, if any of the wielder's weapons use feats are specifically keyed to the aptitude weapon's type he gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls.

Improved Unarmed Strike: Benefit You are considered to be armed even when unarmed
Versatile Unarmed Strike: Prerequisite Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefit As a swift action, you can opt for your unarmed strikes to deal your choice of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage

[InvisibleBison]

uh yes it does.


Improved Unarmed Strike: Benefit You are considered to be armed even when unarmed
Versatile Unarmed Strike: Prerequisite Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefit As a swift action, you can opt for your unarmed strikes to deal your choice of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage

The clear and obvious intent of aptitude is to let you use feats that require you to select a specific kind of weapon with weapons that aren't of the type that you selected. But even if you choose to ignore that and let the feat apply more broadly, it still can't apply to Versatile Unarmed Strike, because an unarmed strike is a specific weapon, not a type of weapon.

[Anthrowhale]

well if there is a way to hit a monster that auto kills them that is not vorpal - please share

Complete Psionics has the "Flayer" heavy flail which extracts brain on a confirmed 20.

Dragon #308 has an "Extractor Globe" which is a ranged bludgeoning weapon that extracts a brain on a critical hit.

[samduke]

Complete Psionics has the "Flayer" heavy flail which extracts brain on a confirmed 20.

Dragon #308 has an "Extractor Globe" which is a ranged bludgeoning weapon that extracts a brain on a critical hit.

well nice thought but I am unable to change the weapon I have hense the whole ordeal

[Darg]

No, this doesn't work. Aptitude weapon doesn't let you apply Versatile Unarmed Strike to a melee weapon.

Guantlets are weapons that you use to make unarmed strikes.

[Telonius]

So, you need something that auto-kills a monster on a hit/crit. What do we know about the monster in question - type, creature? Just from the SRD, a Disruption weapon forces a save (vs DC 14) or be auto-killed, but it works only on Undead (and requires the weapon be bludgeoning). Nice part is that it doesn't require a crit, just a hit. A Mace of Smiting destroys a Construct on a crit, no save. (Also bludgeoning). I think there are a few other (potentially) insta-kill weapons and abilities out there.

[samduke]

I have most of the things covered that needs covered on the weapon for any enemy I might encounter

Aptitude, Effect: A wielder who has feats that affect the use of a particular type of weapon

Unarmed Strike is a particular type of weapon

Improved Unarmed Strike grants the ability You are considered to be armed even when unarmed & unarmed strikes can deal lethal or nonlethal damage

Versatile Unarmed Strike changes the type of damage that unarmed strike can deal with a swift action

I can apply the benefits of those feats to any weapon that has the aptitude quality

the usage with aptitude is not in question , what is is question is if it counts as slashing for Vorpal as the only thing that matters is this - A vorpal weapon must be a slashing weapon.

[SirNibbles]

Technically, Bludgeoning/Slashing or Bludgeoning/Piercing as chosen at the moment of attack, but yes.




Some weapons deal damage of multiple types (for example, the morningstar, which deals both bludgeoning and piercing damage). If a weapon is of two types, the damage it deals is not half one type and half another; all of it is both types. Therefore, a creature would have to be immune to both types of damage to ignore any of the damage from such a weapon.

In other cases, a weapon can deal either of two types of damage (such as the dagger, which can deal either piercing or slashing damage). In a situation when the damage type is significant, the wielder can choose which type of damage to deal with such a weapon.

Player's Handbook, page 114


The damage in this case is all types.

[AnonJr]

Some weapons deal damage of multiple types (for example, the morningstar, which deals both bludgeoning and piercing damage). If a weapon is of two types, the damage it deals is not half one type and half another; all of it is both types. Therefore, a creature would have to be immune to both types of damage to ignore any of the damage from such a weapon.

In other cases, a weapon can deal either of two types of damage (such as the dagger, which can deal either piercing or slashing damage). In a situation when the damage type is significant, the wielder can choose which type of damage to deal with such a weapon.

Player's Handbook, page 114


The damage in this case is all types.

Except in this case the description for the mace in Dungeon 135 (page 61) states that it's either Bludgeoning and Piercing - or - Bludgeoning and Slashing.

[Rebel7284]

well nice thought but I am unable to change the weapon I have hense the whole ordeal

Are you able to use Polymorph Any Object or Wish to change the weapon while maintaining existing abilities? Those are the big guns, but may be called for here...

[Darg]

Seriously, gauntlet with versatile unarmed strike. Gauntlets do your UAS damage. VUAS is a permanent effect. While in effect for slashing damage your gauntlets do slashing damage. Therefore is a slashing weapon.

[Troacctid]

A dread weapon (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/magicItems/weapons.htm#dread) acts as a double-strength bane weapon and procs an instakill on a crit against creatures of that type. They get a save against it, but it also works on any confirmed crit, not just a nat 20, and it doesn't care whether the target can survive without a head. Works on any melee or ranged weapon. +7 bonus.

[SirNibbles]

Except in this case the description for the mace in Dungeon 135 (page 61) states that it's either Bludgeoning and Piercing - or - Bludgeoning and Slashing.

Good catch, I definitely read way too quickly and assumed incorrectly.

___

You could try using Beast Strike (Dragon Magazine #355, page 76) to add claw damage to your Unarmed Strikes; since claw attacks deal slashing, maybe the whole attack does now? Very much up to DM interpretation.

[MornShine]

Morphing magic item property from MiC should let you turn the weapon into a slashing weapon, apply vorpal, and return it to the original weapon.

I think the vorpal is retained.