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DementedFellow
2008-01-09, 11:58 PM
I am new to D&D in the relative sense. I usually tell friends what I want and they draw it up without much fuss.

However I am doing a campaign with this other group.

I am playing a 7th level rogue halfling. Simple build really. We have a total of 34 k gold to spend so I bought a bag of holding, a bag of tricks, an everlasting flame, ring of jumping, ring of warmth, hat of disguise, +2 bracers of armor, boots of elvenkind, cloak of elvenkind.

After all these purchases I was left with 13 k g in change (I'm a bargain shopper). Anyway, I wanted my rogue to have a neat weapon. A simple light crossbow that is enhanced with flame and shock bringing it to +2 weapon bonus.

So is the price 8550 gp? 8000 for the +2 enchant, 450 gp for the masterwork, 100 for the crossbow? Or am I totally misreading the DMG?

Also does that mean it will get a +2 on attacks and damage like other weapons I've seen?

Because if that is the case a successful sneak attack would do 1d8+1d6(flame)+1d6(shock)+4d6(sneak attack at level 7)+2?

I'm such a n00b I know but I have lurked on this forum for a while and I know you guys will tolerate questions that are not totally asinine. Hopefully this isn't one of those questions.

Thanks in advance.

DementedFellow
2008-01-10, 12:02 AM
Aww man, I just found out that the starting gold is drastically less. no bag of holding for me. At any rate I'd still like this kick ass crossbow.

Chronicled
2008-01-10, 12:16 AM
Well, any magical weapon has to have a +1 enhancement before it can be further enhanced.

Also, it's only 300 to masterwork a weapon.

It only gets a +2 to attacks and damage if it is a +2 weapon; a +2 crossbow will do 1d8+2+4d6 sneak attack, while a +1 flaming crossbow will do 1d8+1+4d6 sneak attack + 1d6 fire. The flaming crossbow will have only +1 to hit, as well.

Finally, the flaming/shocking enhancements tend to not be very good, since many enemies have resistances to those types of energies. If you want an element-themed crossbow, try Thundering (which is sonic damage).

Edit: I'd also like to mention that the Bag of Holding (better yet, a Handy Haversack) was my rogue's favorite item, even compared to more expensive items. It was a lot more useful than any enhancements on my weapon.

wadledo
2008-01-10, 12:16 AM
^:What he said.

2 things:
1) Get light armor, not bracers. A Mithral Shirt costs less and gives you more AC.
2) You have to get a +1 magical bonus (basic, not special) before you can get Special Abilities.
So it would be 335(masterwork weapon)+18000(+1, shock, flaming)=18335

Also, remember that you're a halfling, and have to use small weapons.

Chronicled
2008-01-10, 12:19 AM
1) Get light armor, not bracers. A Mithral Shirt costs less and gives you more AC.

That's right. A +1 mithril chain shirt is 2100 gp for +5 to armor, no armor check penalty, and +6 max dexterity. Plus, unlike the bracers it can be further enhhanced (and for less than a weapon).

Talic
2008-01-10, 12:42 AM
I'm going to weigh in against the Thundering enchantment, at least for a rogue. There are times when stealth is more important than the damage benefit. Better to go with a +1 crossbow, and get that mithril chain enchanted with a +1 and maybe shadows for a hide bonus.

For rogues, the best defense is not being seen or heard.

Nebo_
2008-01-10, 12:47 AM
Rogues are pretty useless with crossbows. You're better off with two weapons, weapon finesse and two weapon fighting.

Talic
2008-01-10, 01:01 AM
Rogues are pretty useless with crossbows. You're better off with two weapons, weapon finesse and two weapon fighting.

Sniping is a decent tool for the short range sneak attack rogue. 1 attack, works with sniping and crossbow. With the right feats, sniping is only at a -10. An optimized hidey character can get quite good with this... Greater Shadow provides a +10 hide bonus that offsets the hide penalty from sniping, and it makes for a very hard to kill character. Add poison and it's a pretty irritating build to deal with.

Chronicled
2008-01-10, 01:20 AM
There's a feat called Crossbow Sniper from the PH2 (it requires Weapon Focus) that lets you sneak attack with a crossbow from 60 ft, and add half your Dex to damage. I've had quite a bit of success with a rogue using that and Rapid Reload; much as two-weapon fighting increases your damage, it can be really hard to set up the full attacks, and it leaves your d6 HD self vulnerable to counterattack.

Edit: This was with a whispergnome, so making the hide checks wasn't a problem at all.

Talic
2008-01-10, 01:42 AM
Edit: This was with a whispergnome, so making the hide checks wasn't a problem at all.

Try with a Skulk next time (Races of Destiny). Bonus points if you get a reduce spell to go small.

SoD
2008-01-10, 01:47 AM
Actually there's a question from me, you want to buy a magic weapon, and give it an enhancement or three...lets say you've got enough money.

You want a +1 club (no extra cost for me to remember!) 2300gp. We want a +1 flaming club, is it 4300: 300 (300 mwk club) +2000 (+1 weapon) +2000 (the cost of a +1 enhancement).

Or, is it: 8300: 300 (mwk club) + 8000 (the cost of a +1 weapon, with enhancements makes it +2).

Talic
2008-01-10, 01:58 AM
Actually there's a question from me, you want to buy a magic weapon, and give it an enhancement or three...lets say you've got enough money.

You want a +1 club (no extra cost for me to remember!) 2300gp. We want a +1 flaming club, is it 4300: 300 (300 mwk club) +2000 (+1 weapon) +2000 (the cost of a +1 enhancement).

Or, is it: 8300: 300 (mwk club) + 8000 (the cost of a +1 weapon, with enhancements makes it +2).

The latter. It is a +2 equivalent weapon, so goes by the cost of a +2 weapon on the chart.

Chronicled
2008-01-10, 04:07 AM
Try with a Skulk next time (Races of Destiny). Bonus points if you get a reduce spell to go small.

Eh, that's LA+1 and 2 crappy HD. I'd sooner add the LA+1 Dark template from Tome of Magic to the whispergnome. Whereas the skulk gets +15 racial to Hide and +4 Dex, a Dark whispergnome will have +8 unnamed, +4 racial, +4 size, and +2 dex for an equal Hide; the Dark whispergnome beats the skulk in Move Silent, +10 to +8. AND gets HiPS in shadows... and 40 ft base move... and 2 more rogue levels than the skulk.

The Innate Nondetection, Peerless Camouflage, and Trackless Path are pretty sweet, though, the former most of all since Peerless Camouflage can be replicated by HiPS in shadows.

Talic
2008-01-10, 04:15 AM
Eh, that's LA+1 and 2 crappy HD. I'd sooner add the LA+1 Dark template from Tome of Magic to the whispergnome. Whereas the skulk gets +15 racial to Hide and +4 Dex, a Dark whispergnome will have +8 unnamed, +4 racial, +4 size, and +2 dex for an equal Hide; the Dark whispergnome beats the skulk in Move Silent, +10 to +8. AND gets HiPS in shadows... and 40 ft base move... and 2 more rogue levels than the skulk.

The Innate Nondetection, Peerless Camouflage, and Trackless Path are pretty sweet, though, the former most of all since Peerless Camouflage can be replicated by HiPS in shadows.


Meh, I just like the idea of no hide penalty for movement. Mobility can really mean a lot.