Thrawn's Variant Magic Weapon System

[Thrawn183]

There are many things that I like about the 3.5 magic weapon system, one of them being that magic weapons are pretty much designed to be custom made. You can have pretty much any combination of enhancements and enchantments you want, so long as you can afford the weapon in question.

Unfortunately, I also have a couple of issues with the magic weapon system. Firstly, I dislike that weapon enchantments don't scale. When you're level 15 and you have a flaming, spell storing, wounding weapon, does anybody really care that it's flaming? I also feel like putting so many enchantments on a weapon lessens the value of each one relative to the others.

So I came up with the idea of taking various enchantments and making more or less powerful versions of them at different levels. The level of the enchantment cannot exceed the weapon's enhancement bonus (so no +1 weapons with Level 5 Flaming for example) and the Weapon's Effective Enchantment (WEE) allows for scaling saving throws.

I wanted something that could make for easier building of thematic foes. Instead of pouring through 10 different supplements to build your fire soldiers, I wanted to provide a simple place where you can look for a flaming weapon and flaming armor and you're done (I will be trying my hand at armor and shield enchantments next), while also making it easy to build The Fire Warrior of Legend, who wields the original flaming sword of doom (Level 5 flaming), of which all other flaming weapons are mere imitations.

So without further ado:

Spoiler

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Anarchic
Level 2 - as Anarchic
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against lawful foes
Level 5 - if number rolled is even, take half of that (20 is still an automatic hit). If number rolled is odd, double it, (a natural 1 is still an automatic miss)
Axiomatic:
Level 2 - as Axiomatic
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against chaotic foes
Level 5 - the wielder can take 12 on attack rolls with this weapon
Bane:
Level 1 - weapon is treated as +2 greater enhancement and deals an additional +2d6 damage against its designated foe
Level 2 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against its designated foe
Level 3 - weapon overcomes the designated foe’s DR except for DR/-
Level 4 - weapon ignores concealment and cover of designated foes, but not total concealment or total cover and the wielder knows the location of every designated foe within 60 ft. (as blind sense)
Level 5 - weapon is treated as +4 greater enhancement and deals an additional +4d6 damage against designated foes as well as ignoring total concealment of designated foes, but not total cover
Collision
Level 2 - +5 damage
Level 4 - +10 damage
Level 5 - +15 damage
Defending
Level 1 - as Defending
Level 3 - wielder is considered to have the Combat Expertise feat, this does not qualify the wielder for other feats, classes or the like
Level 5 - wielder gains twice the bonus to her AC that she transfers away from the enhancement bonus of the weapon
Enervating
Level 2 - Bestows negative level on target upon scoring a critical hit
Level 3 - Negative levels do not fade away after an hour, Fort save of DC 12+ WEE
Level 5 - Bestows a negative level on target every hit
Flaming
Level 1 - +1d6 fire damage and all damage done by the weapon is fire damage
Level 2 - as flaming burst
Level 3 - on a critical hit the weapon detonates an intense flashfire, target must make reflex save of DC 16+WEE or be blinded for 1d6 rounds
Level 4 - +3d6 fire damage and an extra d10 on a critical
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed weapon lodges a piece of hellfire in the target that deals 10 fire damage a round for 3d6 rounds, multiple effects stack and their durations are tracked separately. Weapon ignores resistance to fire, but not immunity
Frost
Level 1 - +1d6 cold damage and all damage done by the weapon is cold damage
Level 2 - as icy burst
Level 3 - on a critical hit, the target’s limbs begin to freeze and it takes a cumulative -1 penalty on attack rolls until it has rested for ten minutes or receives magical healing
Level 4 - +3d6 cold damage and an extra d10 on a critical
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed, target is frozen (paralyzed) for 1d6 rounds. Ignore resistance to cold, but not immunity
Shock
Level 1 - +1d6 electricity damage and all damage done by the weapon is electricity damage
Level 2 - as shocking burst
Level 3 - on a critical hit the weapon shocks the targets nervous system and dazes them for 1d6 rounds (DC 13+WEE Fortitude save negates)
Level 4 - +3d6 electricity damage and an extra d10 on a critical
Level 5 - On a natural 20 that is confirmed weapon deals 15d6 electricity damage to the target, no save, and lightning bolts dealing 15d6 electricity damage jump to all other enemies within 60 feet that can make a DC 19+WEE Reflex save for half. Weapon ignores resistance to electricity but not immunity
Ghost Touch
Level 1 - as normal ghost touch
Level 2 - criticals and sneak attacks made with the weapon affect undead as if they were living creatures
Level 3 - wielder can see invisible creatures as if subject to a see invisibility spell
Level 4 - incorporeal foe hit loses the benefit of its incorporeal miss chance for 1 round, though it does not lose the other benefits of incorporeality such as the ability to move through solid objects
Level 5 - target loses for 1 round all benefits of incorporeality including but not limited to immunity to nonmagical attacks, the ability to pass through solid objects, and a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma modifier.
Keen
Level 1 - as Keen
Level 2 - +4 to critical confirmations
Level 3 - all critical hits deal wounds that continue bleeding for 4 damage a round for 5 rounds or until the target receives magical healing or a DC 15+WEE heal check
Level 4 - bonus to critical confirmations now stacks with the power critical feat
Level 5 - Keen now stacks with Improved Critical
Deadly - note, this enchantment does not work with the Improved Critical feat
Level 2 - Increase the critical modifier of the weapon by 1
Level 3 - Increase the critical modifier of the weapon by 2
Level 4 - if the target is forced to make a save vs. death from massive damage, the saving throw is increased based on the critical modifier of the weapon (x2: +2, x3: +4, x4: +6)
Level 5 - Increase the critical modifier of the weapon by 3
Ki Focus
Level 1 - as Ki Focus
Level 3 - increase the save DC of special Ki Attacks used with this weapon by 2
Level 4 - wielder can use stunning fist on each attack instead of a maximum of once per round
Level 5 - all of the wielders ki uses for the round count as only a single use of that particular ability
Merciful
Level 1 - as Merciful
Level 3 - weapon deals an additional +2d6 damage instead of +1d6
Level 4 - weapon bestows the level 1 Merciful ability on the weapons of all willing allies within 15 feet of the wielder
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed, the target must make a DC 19+WEE Will save or fall unconscious for 24 hours, this is not a mind-affecting ability
Mighty Cleaving
Level 1 - as Mighty Cleaving
Level 2 - gain a +4 attack bonus on cleave attempts
Level 3 - wielder may take a 5 ft. step before making a cleave attempt
Level 4 - wielder may make 2 additional cleave attempts a round
Level 5 - on a successful cleave attempt, add the damage from the original attack to the cleave attack, this stacks such that if the cleave attempt kills its target, the next cleave adds the damage of the original attack and the first cleave attempt to the next cleave attack and so on
Spell Storing
Level 1 - as spell storing
Level 2 - up to 4th level spells
Level 3 - up to 5th level spells
Level 4 - up to 6th level spells
Level 5 - up to 7th level spells
Throwing
Level 1 - as Throwing
Level 2 - wielder can power attack while throwing the weapon as if it was a normal melee attack
Level 3 - 60 ft. range increment
Level 4 - use strength for attack rolls instead of dexterity
Level 5 - weapon returns after every attack and be caught as a free action
Thundering
Level 1 - +1d4 sonic damage and all damage dealt by the weapon is sonic damage
Level 2 - as Thundering
Level 3 - on a critical hit the target is permanently deafened, DC 12+WEE negates
Level 4 - +3d4 sonic damage and an extra d8 on a critical
Level 5 - on a critical hit, all foes within 30 ft. must make a DC 19+WEE fortitude save or be deafened and all objects within 30 ft. are damaged as if affected by a targeted Shatter spell (caster level 20)
Vicious
Level 1 - as Vicious
Level 3 - the wielder can choose to take damage to his constitution score to inflict the same amount of constitution damage on a foe within 60 ft. as a standard action, a fortitude save of DC 16+the amount of constitution damage taken negates this damage, but the wielder still suffers the damage. This damage can not be reduced in any way
Level 5 - the weapon deals 2 points of constitution damage every attack, but the wielder suffers 1 point of constitution drain
Disruption
Level 1 - as Disruption but the saving throw DC is 10+WEE
Level 5 - all undead within 60 feet of the wielder must make a DC 10+WEE will save at the beginning of their turn or be destroyed
Holy
Level 2 - as Holy
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against evil foes
Level 5 - weapon is considered to have an extra +4 enhancement and deals an extra 4d6 damage against all of evil alignment, the weapon does half damage against foes of good alignment
Unholy
Level 2 - as Unholy
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against good foes
Level 5 - weapon is considered to have and extra +4 enhancement and deals an extra 4d6 damage against all of good alignment
Speed
Level 3 - as Speed
Level 4 - wielder gains a +30 enhancement bonus to move speed
Level 5 - wielder can make another additional attack at her highest attack bonus
Brilliant Energy
Level 4 - as Brilliant Energy
Level 5 - weapon affects creatures not alive such as undead and constructs normally
Dancing
Level 4 - as Dancing
Level 5 - weapon now dances for 7 rounds instead of 4
Vorpal
Level 5 - as Vorpal
Aquan
Level 2 - as Aquan
Level 3 - the wielder does not suffer any of the penalties of moving and fighting under water, as if under the affect of Freedom of Movement, this does not provide any of the other benefits of the Freedom of Movement spell
Level 4 - treat the weapon as having an enhancement of 2 higher than it normally does when fighting creatures of the fire subtype and the wielder gains resistance 20 to fire
Level 5 - the wielder gains immunity to fire damage
Arcane Might
Level 1 - as Arcane Might
Level 3 - the wielder can sacrifice spells as a free action instead of a swift action, this allows the sacrificing of multiple spells to add power to multiple attacks in a single round
Level 5 - the weapon grants a bonus to damage equal to twice the level of the spell sacrificed
Auran
Level 2 - as Auran
Level 3 - the weapon is treated as having a +2 higher bonus against creatures of the earth subtype and the wielder does not need to breath
Level 4 - the wielder gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage while not in contact with the ground or water, but suffers a -2 penalty to both if she is in contact with them
Level 5 - The wielder is immune to being physically hindered by all air-type impediments such as solid fog or gust of wind
Terran
Level 2 - as Terran
Level 3 - the weapon is treated as having a +2 higher bonus against creatures of the air subtype and the wielder gains a +4 bonus to resisting all trip, grapple, bull rush and overrun attempts.
Level 4 - the wielder gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage while in contact with the ground, but suffers a -2 penalty if she is not in contact with the ground or is swimming in the water (being on the ground at the bottom of the water suffices to grant the bonus)
Level 5 - the wielder gains a +12 bonus to resisting all trip, grapple bull rush and overrun attempts, can use earth glide as if she was an earth elemental, and gains DR 5/adamantine
Banishing
Level 2 - as Banishing
Level 3 - the saving throw DC for the Banishing effect is now 16+WEE
Level 4 - target is banished to a random plane instead of its home plane and then removed from the time stream for 24 hours
Level 5 - the Banishing effect can be activated on every attack
Berserker
Level 1 - as Berserker
Level 2 - weapon doubles the duration of the wielder’s rages and the wielder suffers no penalties after raging
Level 3 - wielder gains an additional +2 bonus to Strength and Constitution while raging
Level 4 - the wielder gains an additional use of the rage ability per day
Level 5 - the weapon overcomes all DR except for DR /- while raging
Blindsighted
Level 2 - as Blindsighted
Level 3 - the weapon communicates with its wielder telepathically, removing the dc 10 listen check to hear it and allowing it to function in silence spells and effects
Level 4 - the range of the blind sight is now 60 ft instead of 30
Level 5 - the effect of Blindsighted now functions at all times the weapon is hel
Blurstrike
Level 2 - as Blurstrike
Level 3 - the blur strike property can be activated as a free action
Level 4 - the blur strike property has no limit to the number of times it can be used, though still only on the first attack of the round
Level 5 - the blur strike property now applies to the first 2 attacks made in that round
Bodyfeeder
Level 3 - as Bodyfeeder
Level 5 - wielder gains half of all damage done with the weapon as temporary hit points
Brutal Surge
Level 1 - as Brutal Surge
Level 2 - weapon grants a +4 bonus on all bull rush attempts
Level 3 - weapon grants the level 2 fighter ACF dungeon crasher for bull rushing
Level 4 - weapon grants a +8 bonus on all bull rush attempts
Level 5 - weapon grants the level 6 fighter ACF dungeon crasher for bull rushing
Charging
Level 1 - deal an extra 2d6 damage on a charge
Level 2 - deal an extra 4d8 damage on a charge
Level 3 - wielder can turn 90 degrees in the middle of a charge
Level 4 - deal an extra 8d10 damage on a charge
Level 5 - wielder can make a second attack on a charge, the extra damage granted by this weapon applies on all attacks made while charging
Cursespewing
Level 3 - as Cursespewing
Level 4 - penalty now applies to target’s AC as well
Level 5 - multiple strikes reset the duration to 1 minute and add an additional -2 penalty
Deadly Precision
Level 1 - as Deadly Precision
Level 2 - +2d6 sneak attack damage
Level 3 - +4d6 sneak attack damage
Level 4 - wielder can sneak attack foes with concealment
Level 5 - choose one creature type that is normally immune to sneak attack damage and this weapon can still sneak attack them
Dislocator
Level 1 - as Dislocator, but saving throw DC is 14+WEE
Level 2 - target is teleported 60 feet in any direction you choose
Level 3 - wielder can activate the weapon as a free action
Level 4 - the weapon can be activated once per round instead of three times per day
Level 5 - the weapon now sends the target to a random plane
Dispelling
Level 1 - as Dispelling, but the dispel check made by the weapon is 1d20+10+WEE
Level 2 - the weapon gains a +4 bonus to dispelling effects that have a duration of half an hour or longer, but not permanent ones (such as spells made permanent by a permanency spell)
Level 3 - the weapon can, as a standard action, use one of its normal targeted dispels as an area dispel, with a dispel check of the same value as its normal targeted dispel
Level 4 - the area dispel attempts can now be used as a swift action instead of a standard action
Level 5 - This effect can be used once per round instead of 3 times per day
Fleshgrinding
Level 2 - as Fleshgrinding, but the strength check is 16+WEE
Level 3 - weapon gets a second attack at your normal BAB progression
Level 4 - target takes a cumulative -1 penalty to AC against the attacks of the flesh grinding weapon every time it is wounded by it
Level 5 - weapon gets a full attack at your normal BAB progression, including any extra attacks you had at the moment the weapon was used such as the one from Haste
Force
Level 1 - arrows fired from this bow ignore the first 5 points of damage reduction, except DR /-
Level 2 - arrows fired from this bow ignore wind effects such as wind wall
Level 3 - arrows fired from this bow ignore the first 10 ponts of damage reduction, except DR /-
Level 4 - arrows fired from this bow ignore the first 15 points of damage reduction, except DR /-
Level 5 -arrows fired from this bow ignore all damage reduction except DR/epic and deal lethal damage to targets with regeneration unless you would normally need to overcome DR/epic to deal lethal damage to that target (such as the tarrasque)
Harmonizing
Level 1 - as Harmonizing
Level 2 - the wielder adds the weapon’s Harmonizing Level to their effective Bard Level to determine the strength of the effects of their Bardic music abilities, as well as potentially allowing them access to Bardic music abilities they are not normally high enough level to access, but not while the weapon is maintaining a different Bardic music effect than the wielder is using
Level 4 - So long as the weapon is wielded openly and with chutzpah, the weapon can maintain a single Bardic music effect indefinitely
Level 5 - The wielder can now use the Harmonizing weapon to affect herself with her Bardic music
Implacable
Level 3 - as Implacable
Level 4 - the Heal check and caster level check on magical healing attempts to stop further bleeding are DC 10+WEE
Level 5 - weapon now deals wounds that bleed for 5 damage a round instead of 2, and require magical healing to stop in less than 5 rounds, a heal check is no longer sufficient
Lucky
Level 1 - as Lucky
Level 2 - weapon is now treated as giving an additional luck reroll that can be used with luck feats instead of rerolling an attack
Level 3 - weapon can now be used twice per day (though not on the same roll)
Level 4 - weapon can now be used 4 times per day
Level 5 - wielder can treat any 1 on an attack roll as a 20
Magebane: as Bane, but for creatures that cast arcane spells or invocations (not spell-like abilities)
Manifester
Level 1 - as manifester
Level 2 - wielder can draw 10 pp from the weapon
Level 3 - wielder can draw 15 pp from the weapon
Level 4 - wielder can draw 20 pp from the weapon
Level 5 - wielder can draw 30 pp from the weapon
Metalline
Level 2 - as Metalline
Level 3 - the wielder knows what material to make the weapon once she has hit her target to overcome it’s damage reduction
Level 4 - the wielder can change the material of the weapon as a free action at the beginning of her turn
Level 5 - the weapon automatically overcomes damage reduction that has at least one component that is material based (DR /silver, DR /silver or good, or DR /cold iron and good), but retains the characteristics of the material it was originally made with
Mighty Smiting
Level 1 - as Mighty Smiting
Level 2 - weapon grants +4 to attack rolls and 8 to damage rolls while smiting
Level 3 - smighting attempts overcome DR except for DR /-
Level 4 - weapon grants +6 to attack rolls and +14 to damage rolls while smiting
Level 5 - once per day as a swift action, the wielder can grant one use of her smite ability (unmodified by the weapon) to all allies within 30 feet.
Mindcrusher
Level 2 - as Mindcrusher, DC 13+WEE will save
Level 4 - weapon now counts damage done from strength or other constant modifiers such as the weapon’s enhancement bonus for determining how many power points the target loses
Level 5 - weapon now counts any damage done by the weapon including power attack and sneak attack, but not spells that have been channeled through the weapon
Paralyzing
Level 1 - as paralyzing, but with a saving throw DC of 15+WEE
Level 2 - as paralytic burst, but with a saving throw DC of 17+WEE
Level 3 - the paralyzing enchantment functions twice per day
Level 4 - the paralyzing enchantment functions thrice per day
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed, the target is paralyzed for 3 rounds with no save
Prismatic
Level 2 - when activated, all of the damage done by this weapon is of a random energy type (fire, cold, acid or electricity)
Level 3 - weapon deals an extra 2d6 energy damage when activated
Level 4 - weapon can now deal sonic damage, also deals and extra 3d6 energy damage instead of 2d6
Level 5 - as Prismatic Burst, save DC 10+WEE
Shielding
Level 1 - This weapon, when wielded in the off-hand, is simultaneously treated as a buckler, light wooden or light steel shield as the wielder chooses. The level of shielding with which the weapon is enchanted determines the enhancement bonus to AC supplied by the shield, a level 5 shielding weapon could act as a buckler which supplies a +6 shield bonus to AC. This weapon can still be sundered.
Vampiric
Level 2 - as Vampiric
Level 4 - weapon deals an extra 2d6 damage
Level 5 - weapon deals an extra 3d6 damage
Venemous
Level 1 - as Venemous except save DC for the poison is 12+WEE
Level 2 - increase poison to 1d6 Str/1d6 Str
Level 3 - increase poison to 1d10 Str/1d10 Str
Level 4 - this property can now be activated an unlimited number of times per day
Level 5 - increase poison to 2d6 Str/2d6 Str, poison now overcomes all immunities to poison, including creature type and all spells
Warning
Level 1 - as Warning
Level 2 - as Eager
Level 3 - wielder can not be taken flat-footed from having not acted in initiative, this does not allow the wielder to act during a surprise round she would not normally be able to do so
Level 4 - the wielder is allowed to act in any surprise round
Level 5 - the wielder is the only creature to act in any surprise round
Whirling
Level 1 - as Whirling
Level 3 - the wielder can now make 2 attacks at enemies within reach instead of just 1
Level 4 - there is no longer a limit to how many times the wielder can use the level 3 whirling ability per day
Level 5 - once per day as a full round action, the wielder can make a full round attack against all opponents within reach

Note: I would use these weapons with some rules changes:
- Monster energy resistance applies to each attack instead of each round
- My variant Magic Armor System (coming soon)
- Removal of certain spells/effects (freedom of movement)
- Alteration of Magic Weapon, Greater Magic Weapon and Magic Vestment spells so that higher enhancements require higher level spells instead of a 3rd level spell that scales so rediculously, also possibly the addition of a Magic Enchant line of spells that can grant different levels of enchantments

So uh.... enjoy!

[deuxhero]

If you wanted to make magic item bonuses scale, do it on the +# (hard non-GMW points only?)

[Thrawn183]

If you wanted to make magic item bonuses scale, do it on the +# (hard non-GMW points only?)

I'm not entirely certain what you are trying to say here, hard non-GMW points?

[deuxhero]

make it based of if the weapon is +1 +2 +3 ect (not counting Greater Magic Weapon).

[Thrawn183]

Well, I wanted the weapons to still scale to effective +10 so that you wouldn't have to worry about changing the price of items or anything. It was the easy, cost neutral solution.

You could certainly have the abilities scale purely off the weapons enhancement bonus, you'd just have to be a little more careful about what weapons you hand out.

[Siosilvar]

What does "level" of an enchantment mean? Is it the cost in magic "plus"ses? A direct scaling by the actual "plus"ses of the weapon?

[Thrawn183]

The level of the enchantment means the same as it would for a normal weapon enchantment. Balors carry around +1 Vorpal longswords. That's a +1 enhancement with a +5 enchantment. It comes out to an effective +6 weapon.

A level 3 Flaming weapon would have to have an enhancement of at least +3. This comes out to an effective +6 and would cost 72,000 GP, just like a +3 flaming, frost and shock weapon would under normal rules.

[DracoDei]

The rule that the enchantment bonus to hit and damage must be equal to or higher than the highest level other enchantment is going to prevent certain combinations... Vorpal, especially, is going to be much harder to get, and you can't combine it with too many other enchantments (any at all? can't remember if it is +4 or +5) pre-epic. One partial solution is to remove the +10 total cap on pre-epic.

[Latronis]

You want the elemental properties to turn ALL the damage into the elemental damage? That's likely to lower its versatility as a weapon. And how does a flaming and shocking weapon work in that case?

Why not something like..

Flaming as normal. But you can increase its enchantment value by an additional +1 to increase the die damage by 1 step (eg. d6>d8 and deals all it's damage as fire damage) or to give it the flaming burst quality. Then maybe a 'flaming burst' sword can be upgraded by another +1 to force a reflex save or catch on fire on a critical hit. etc

[Thrawn183]

Basically I did the elemental enchantments the way 4e did. I just felt like I wanted a flaming sword to be more fiery. I want a guy with a 2-handed weapon and a decent strength score to feel like his flashy new weapon is fiery, not just giving him a small boost to damage.

Edit: Also, these different abilities are cumulative, so a level 3 flaming weapon, deal an extra 1d6 fire damge, is flaming burst AND can blind enemies.

[Latronis]

The problem with that is you are potentially wasting enchantment points(ok as a balancing factor but that doesn't seem to be the case atm) for abilities you may not want or need. If you want a fiery blinding sword why can't you use +2 enchantment value to get a flaming - blinding sword without having to pay for the flaming burst you don't want?

[DracoDei]

The problem with that is you are potentially wasting enchantment points(ok as a balancing factor but that doesn't seem to be the case atm) for abilities you may not want or need. If you want a fiery blinding sword why can't you use +2 enchantment value to get a flaming - blinding sword without having to pay for the flaming burst you don't want?

Good point, I would break to up further.

[Dante & Vergil]

I say remove the cap of only +10 pre-epic, and don't force people to have enhancement bonus of +X to get the abilities, in fact don't require an enhancement bonus at all as it allows my magic sword to have magical abilities without them necessarilly being able to hit better and damage more, and don't allow costs of enhancement bonuses stack with the others for determining cost, as adding fiery +1 to a +5 weapon should not cost +6 as it's very weak.

[Anonymouswizard]

I like the idea, but I think that things like blinding should be seperate abilities, and you can increase the cost to increase the effectiveness. For example:

Flaming: when the command word is spoken this weapon is sheathed in flames, adding 1d6 fire damage to the weapons damage. For every point of enhancement bonus you use above 1 increase the die size by one step. IF the cost goes above +4 then you instead receive a +3d6 damage and gain the flaming burst quality.

Also, people should be able to have flaming II longswords instead of +1 flaming longswords.

[FlamingKobold]

Quote me then copy and paste this into the OP. It makes it much easier to read (I also fixed some minor speeling things, though there were only a couple)

Spoiler

Show

Anarchic
Level 2 - as Anarchic
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against lawful foes
Level 5 - if number rolled is even, take half of that (20 is still an automatic hit). If number rolled is odd, double it, (a natural 1 is still an automatic miss)
Axiomatic:
Level 2 - as Axiomatic
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against chaotic foes
Level 5 - the wielder can take 12 on attack rolls with this weapon
Bane:
Level 1 - weapon is treated as +2 greater enhancement and deals an additional +2d6 damage against its designated foe
Level 2 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against its designated foe
Level 3 - weapon overcomes the designated foe’s DR except for DR/-
Level 4 - weapon ignores concealment and cover of designated foes, but not total concealment or total cover and the wielder knows the location of every designated foe within 60 ft. (as blind sense)
Level 5 - weapon is treated as +4 greater enhancement and deals an additional +4d6 damage against designated foes as well as ignoring total concealment of designated foes, but not total cover
Collision
Level 2 - +5 damage
Level 4 - +10 damage
Level 5 - +15 damage
Defending
Level 1 - as Defending
Level 3 - wielder is considered to have the Combat Expertise feat, this does not qualify the wielder for other feats, classes or the like
Level 5 - wielder gains twice the bonus to her AC that she transfers away from the enhancement bonus of the weapon
Enervating
Level 2 - Bestows negative level on target upon scoring a critical hit
Level 3 - Negative levels do not fade away after an hour, Fort save of DC 12+ WEE
Level 5 - Bestows a negative level on target every hit
Flaming
Level 1 - +1d6 fire damage and all damage done by the weapon is fire damage
Level 2 - as flaming burst
Level 3 - on a critical hit the weapon detonates an intense flashfire, target must make reflex save of DC 16+WEE or be blinded for 1d6 rounds
Level 4 - +3d6 fire damage and an extra d10 on a critical
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed weapon lodges a piece of hellfire in the target that deals 10 fire damage a round for 3d6 rounds, multiple effects stack and their durations are tracked separately. Weapon ignores resistance to fire, but not immunity
Frost
Level 1 - +1d6 cold damage and all damage done by the weapon is cold damage
Level 2 - as icy burst
Level 3 - on a critical hit, the target’s limbs begin to freeze and it takes a cumulative -1 penalty on attack rolls until it has rested for ten minutes or receives magical healing
Level 4 - +3d6 cold damage and an extra d10 on a critical
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed, target is frozen (paralyzed) for 1d6 rounds. Ignore resistance to cold, but not immunity
Shock
Level 1 - +1d6 electricity damage and all damage done by the weapon is electricity damage
Level 2 - as shocking burst
Level 3 - on a critical hit the weapon shocks the targets nervous system and dazes them for 1d6 rounds (DC 13+WEE Fortitude save negates)
Level 4 - +3d6 electricity damage and an extra d10 on a critical
Level 5 - On a natural 20 that is confirmed weapon deals 15d6 electricity damage to the target, no save, and lightning bolts dealing 15d6 electricity damage jump to all other enemies within 60 feet that can make a DC 19+WEE Reflex save for half. Weapon ignores resistance to electricity but not immunity
Ghost Touch
Level 1 - as normal ghost touch
Level 2 - criticals and sneak attacks made with the weapon affect undead as if they were living creatures
Level 3 - wielder can see invisible creatures as if subject to a see invisibility spell
Level 4 - incorporeal foe hit loses the benefit of its incorporeal miss chance for 1 round, though it does not lose the other benefits of incorporeality such as the ability to move through solid objects
Level 5 - target loses for 1 round all benefits of incorporeality including but not limited to immunity to non-magical attacks, the ability to pass through solid objects, and a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma modifier.
Keen
Level 1 - as Keen
Level 2 - +4 to critical confirmations
Level 3 - all critical hits deal wounds that continue bleeding for 4 damage a round for 5 rounds or until the target receives magical healing or a DC 15+WEE heal check
Level 4 - bonus to critical confirmations now stacks with the power critical feat
Level 5 - Keen now stacks with Improved Critical
Deadly - note, this enchantment does not work with the Improved Critical feat
Level 2 - Increase the critical modifier of the weapon by 1
Level 3 - Increase the critical modifier of the weapon by 2
Level 4 - if the target is forced to make a save vs. death from massive damage, the saving throw is increased based on the critical modifier of the weapon (x2: +2, x3: +4, x4: +6)
Level 5 - Increase the critical modifier of the weapon by 3
Ki Focus
Level 1 - as Ki Focus
Level 3 - increase the save DC of special Ki Attacks used with this weapon by 2
Level 4 - wielder can use stunning fist on each attack instead of a maximum of once per round
Level 5 - all of the wielders ki uses for the round count as only a single use of that particular ability
Merciful
Level 1 - as Merciful
Level 3 - weapon deals an additional +2d6 damage instead of +1d6
Level 4 - weapon bestows the Level 1 Merciful ability on the weapons of all willing allies within 15 feet of the wielder
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed, the target must make a DC 19+WEE Will save or fall unconscious for 24 hours, this is not a mind-affecting ability
Mighty Cleaving
Level 1 - as Mighty Cleaving
Level 2 - gain a +4 attack bonus on cleave attempts
Level 3 - wielder may take a 5 ft. step before making a cleave attempt
Level 4 - wielder may make 2 additional cleave attempts a round
Level 5 - on a successful cleave attempt, add the damage from the original attack to the cleave attack, this stacks such that if the cleave attempt kills its target, the next cleave adds the damage of the original attack and the first cleave attempt to the next cleave attack and so on
Spell Storing
Level 1 - as spell storing
Level 2 - up to 4th level spells
Level 3 - up to 5th level spells
Level 4 - up to 6th level spells
Level 5 - up to 7th level spells
Throwing
Level 1 - as Throwing
Level 2 - wielder can power attack while throwing the weapon as if it was a normal melee attack
Level 3 - 60 ft. range increment
Level 4 - use strength for attack rolls instead of dexterity
Level 5 - weapon returns after every attack and be caught as a free action
Thundering
Level 1 - +1d4 sonic damage and all damage dealt by the weapon is sonic damage
Level 2 - as Thundering
Level 3 - on a critical hit the target is permanently deafened, DC 12+WEE negates
Level 4 - +3d4 sonic damage and an extra d8 on a critical
Level 5 - on a critical hit, all foes within 30 ft. must make a DC 19+WEE fortitude save or be deafened and all objects within 30 ft. are damaged as if affected by a targeted Shatter spell (caster Level 20)
Vicious
Level 1 - as Vicious
Level 3 - the wielder can choose to take damage to his constitution score to inflict the same amount of constitution damage on a foe within 60 ft. as a standard action, a fortitude save of DC 16+the amount of constitution damage taken negates this damage, but the wielder still suffers the damage. This damage can not be reduced in any way
Level 5 - the weapon deals 2 points of constitution damage every attack, but the wielder suffers 1 point of constitution drain
Disruption
Level 1 - as Disruption but the saving throw DC is 10+WEE
Level 5 - all undead within 60 feet of the wielder must make a DC 10+WEE will save at the beginning of their turn or be destroyed
Holy
Level 2 - as Holy
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against evil foes
Level 5 - weapon is considered to have an extra +4 enhancement and deals an extra 4d6 damage against all of evil alignment, the weapon does half damage against foes of good alignment
Unholy
Level 2 - as Unholy
Level 3 - weapon automatically confirms criticals against good foes
Level 5 - weapon is considered to have an extra +4 enhancement and deals an extra 4d6 damage against all of good alignment
Speed
Level 3 - as Speed
Level 4 - wielder gains a +30 enhancement bonus to move speed
Level 5 - wielder can make another additional attack at her highest attack bonus
Brilliant Energy
Level 4 - as Brilliant Energy
Level 5 - weapon affects creatures not alive such as undead and constructs normally
Dancing
Level 4 - as Dancing
Level 5 - weapon now dances for 7 rounds instead of 4
Vorpal
Level 5 - as Vorpal
Aquan
Level 2 - as Aquan
Level 3 - the wielder does not suffer any of the penalties of moving and fighting under water, as if under the affect of Freedom of Movement, this does not provide any of the other benefits of the Freedom of Movement spell
Level 4 - treat the weapon as having an enhancement of 2 higher than it normally does when fighting creatures of the fire subtype and the wielder gains resistance 20 to fire
Level 5 - the wielder gains immunity to fire damage
Arcane Might
Level 1 - as Arcane Might
Level 3 - the wielder can sacrifice spells as a free action instead of a swift action, this allows the sacrificing of multiple spells to add power to multiple attacks in a single round
Level 5 - the weapon grants a bonus to damage equal to twice the level of the spell sacrificed
Auran
Level 2 - as Auran
Level 3 - the weapon is treated as having a +2 higher bonus against creatures of the earth subtype and the wielder does not need to breath
Level 4 - the wielder gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage while not in contact with the ground or water, but suffers a -2 penalty to both if she is in contact with them
Level 5 - The wielder is immune to being physically hindered by all air-type impediments such as solid fog or gust of wind
Terran
Level 2 - as Terran
Level 3 - the weapon is treated as having a +2 higher bonus against creatures of the air subtype and the wielder gains a +4 bonus to resisting all trip, grapple, bull rush and overrun attempts.
Level 4 - the wielder gains a +3 bonus to attack and damage while in contact with the ground, but suffers a -2 penalty if she is not in contact with the ground or is swimming in the water (being on the ground at the bottom of the water suffices to grant the bonus)
Level 5 - the wielder gains a +12 bonus to resisting all trip, grapple bull rush and overrun attempts, can use earth glide as if she was an earth elemental, and gains DR 5/adamantine
Banishing
Level 2 - as Banishing
Level 3 - the saving throw DC for the Banishing effect is now 16+WEE
Level 4 - target is banished to a random plane instead of its home plane and then removed from the time stream for 24 hours
Level 5 - the Banishing effect can be activated on every attack
Berserker
Level 1 - as Berserker
Level 2 - weapon doubles the duration of the wielder’s rages and the wielder suffers no penalties after raging
Level 3 - wielder gains an additional +2 bonus to Strength and Constitution while raging
Level 4 - the wielder gains an additional use of the rage ability per day
Level 5 - the weapon overcomes all DR except for DR /- while raging
Blindsighted
Level 2 - as Blindsighted
Level 3 - the weapon communicates with its wielder telepathically, removing the dc 10 listen check to hear it and allowing it to function in silence spells and effects
Level 4 - the range of the blind sight is now 60 ft instead of 30
Level 5 - the effect of Blindsighted now functions at all times the weapon is held
Blurstrike
Level 2 - as Blurstrike
Level 3 - the blur strike property can be activated as a free action
Level 4 - the blur strike property has no limit to the number of times it can be used, though still only on the first attack of the round
Level 5 - the blur strike property now applies to the first 2 attacks made in that round
Bodyfeeder
Level 3 - as Bodyfeeder
Level 5 - wielder gains half of all damage done with the weapon as temporary hit points
Brutal Surge
Level 1 - as Brutal Surge
Level 2 - weapon grants a +4 bonus on all bull rush attempts
Level 3 - weapon grants the Level 2 fighter ACF dungeon crasher for bull rushing
Level 4 - weapon grants a +8 bonus on all bull rush attempts
Level 5 - weapon grants the level 6 fighter ACF dungeon crasher for bull rushing
Charging
Level 1 - deal an extra 2d6 damage on a charge
Level 2 - deal an extra 4d8 damage on a charge
Level 3 - wielder can turn 90 degrees in the middle of a charge
Level 4 - deal an extra 8d10 damage on a charge
Level 5 - wielder can make a second attack on a charge, the extra damage granted by this weapon applies on all attacks made while charging
Cursespewing
Level 3 - as Cursespewing
Level 4 - penalty now applies to target’s AC as well
Level 5 - multiple strikes reset the duration to 1 minute and add an additional -2 penalty
Deadly Precision
Level 1 - as Deadly Precision
Level 2 - +2d6 sneak attack damage
Level 3 - +4d6 sneak attack damage
Level 4 - wielder can sneak attack foes with concealment
Level 5 - choose one creature type that is normally immune to sneak attack damage and this weapon can still sneak attack them
Dislocator
Level 1 - as Dislocator, but saving throw DC is 14+WEE
Level 2 - target is teleported 60 feet in any direction you choose
Level 3 - wielder can activate the weapon as a free action
Level 4 - the weapon can be activated once per round instead of three times per day
Level 5 - the weapon now sends the target to a random plane
Dispelling
Level 1 - as Dispelling, but the dispel check made by the weapon is 1d20+10+WEE
Level 2 - the weapon gains a +4 bonus to dispelling effects that have a duration of half an hour or longer, but not permanent ones (such as spells made permanent by a permanency spell)
Level 3 - the weapon can, as a standard action, use one of its normal targeted dispels as an area dispel, with a dispel check of the same value as its normal targeted dispel
Level 4 - the area dispel attempts can now be used as a swift action instead of a standard action
Level 5 - This effect can be used once per round instead of 3 times per day
Fleshgrinding
Level 2 - as Fleshgrinding, but the strength check is 16+WEE
Level 3 - weapon gets a second attack at your normal BAB progression
Level 4 - target takes a cumulative -1 penalty to AC against the attacks of the flesh grinding weapon every time it is wounded by it
Level 5 - weapon gets a full attack at your normal BAB progression, including any extra attacks you had at the moment the weapon was used such as the one from Haste
Force
Level 1 - arrows fired from this bow ignore the first 5 points of damage reduction, except DR /-
Level 2 - arrows fired from this bow ignore wind effects such as wind wall
Level 3 - arrows fired from this bow ignore the first 10 ponts of damage reduction, except DR /-
Level 4 - arrows fired from this bow ignore the first 15 points of damage reduction, except DR /-
Level 5 -arrows fired from this bow ignore all damage reduction except DR/epic and deal lethal damage to targets with regeneration unless you would normally need to overcome DR/epic to deal lethal damage to that target (such as the tarrasque)
Harmonizing
Level 1 - as Harmonizing
Level 2 - the wielder adds the weapon’s Harmonizing Level to their effective Bard Level to determine the strength of the effects of their Bardic music abilities, as well as potentially allowing them access to Bardic music abilities they are not normally high enough level to access, but not while the weapon is maintaining a different Bardic music effect than the wielder is using
Level 4 - So long as the weapon is wielded openly and with chutzpah, the weapon can maintain a single Bardic music effect indefinitely
Level 5 - The wielder can now use the Harmonizing weapon to affect herself with her Bardic music
Implacable
Level 3 - as Implacable
Level 4 - the Heal check and caster level check on magical healing attempts to stop further bleeding are DC 10+WEE
Level 5 - weapon now deals wounds that bleed for 5 damage a round instead of 2, and require magical healing to stop in less than 5 rounds, a heal check is no longer sufficient
Lucky
Level 1 - as Lucky
Level 2 - weapon is now treated as giving an additional luck reroll that can be used with luck feats instead of rerolling an attack
Level 3 - weapon can now be used twice per day (though not on the same roll)
Level 4 - weapon can now be used 4 times per day
Level 5 - wielder can treat any 1 on an attack roll as a 20
Magebane: as Bane, but for creatures that cast arcane spells or invocations (not spell-like abilities)
Manifester
Level 1 - as Manifester
Level 2 - wielder can draw 10 pp from the weapon
Level 3 - wielder can draw 15 pp from the weapon
Level 4 - wielder can draw 20 pp from the weapon
Level 5 - wielder can draw 30 pp from the weapon
Metalline
Level 2 - as Metalline
Level 3 - the wielder knows what material to make the weapon once she has hit her target to overcome its damage reduction
Level 4 - the wielder can change the material of the weapon as a free action at the beginning of her turn
Level 5 - the weapon automatically overcomes damage reduction that has at least one component that is material based (DR /silver, DR /silver or good, or DR /cold iron and good), but retains the characteristics of the material it was originally made with
Mighty Smiting
Level 1 - as Mighty Smiting
Level 2 - weapon grants +4 to attack rolls and 8 to damage rolls while smiting
Level 3 - smiting attempts overcome DR except for DR /-
Level 4 - weapon grants +6 to attack rolls and +14 to damage rolls while smiting
Level 5 - once per day as a swift action, the wielder can grant one use of her smite ability (unmodified by the weapon) to all allies within 30 feet.
Mindcrusher
Level 2 - as Mindcrusher, DC 13+WEE will save
Level 4 - weapon now counts damage done from strength or other constant modifiers such as the weapon’s enhancement bonus for determining how many power points the target loses
Level 5 - weapon now counts any damage done by the weapon including power attack and sneak attack, but not spells that have been channeled through the weapon
Paralyzing
Level 1 - as paralyzing, but with a saving throw DC of 15+WEE
Level 2 - as paralytic burst, but with a saving throw DC of 17+WEE
Level 3 - the paralyzing enchantment functions twice per day
Level 4 - the paralyzing enchantment functions thrice per day
Level 5 - on a natural 20 that is confirmed, the target is paralyzed for 3 rounds with no save
Prismatic
Level 2 - when activated, all of the damage done by this weapon is of a random energy type (fire, cold, acid or electricity)
Level 3 - weapon deals an extra 2d6 energy damage when activated
Level 4 - weapon can now deal sonic damage, also deals and extra 3d6 energy damage instead of 2d6
Level 5 - as Prismatic Burst, save DC 10+WEE
Shielding
Level 1 - This weapon, when wielded in the off-hand, is simultaneously treated as a buckler, light wooden or light steel shield as the wielder chooses. The level of shielding with which the weapon is enchanted determines the enhancement bonus to AC supplied by the shield, a Level 5 shielding weapon could act as a buckler which supplies a +6 shield bonus to AC. This weapon can still be sundered.
Vampiric
Level 2 - as Vampiric
Level 4 - weapon deals an extra 2d6 damage
Level 5 - weapon deals an extra 3d6 damage
Venomous
Level 1 - as Venomous except save DC for the poison is 12+WEE
Level 2 - increase poison to 1d6 Str/1d6 Str
Level 3 - increase poison to 1d10 Str/1d10 Str
Level 4 - this property can now be activated an unlimited number of times per day
Level 5 - increase poison to 2d6 Str/2d6 Str, poison now overcomes all immunities to poison, including creature type and all spells
Warning
Level 1 - as Warning
Level 2 - as Eager
Level 3 - wielder cannot be taken flat-footed from having not acted in initiative, this does not allow the wielder to act during a surprise round she would not normally be able to do so
Level 4 - the wielder is allowed to act in any surprise round
Level 5 - the wielder is the only creature to act in any surprise round
Whirling
Level 1 - as Whirling
Level 3 - the wielder can now make 2 attacks at enemies within reach instead of just 1
Level 4 - there is no longer a limit to how many times the wielder can use the Level 3 whirling ability per day
Level 5 - once per day as a full round action, the wielder can make a full round attack against all opponents within reach

Beyond that, I really like the premise of the system. I completely agree with what you say in the OP. However, I too think that the ideas of previous posters are correct, in that you should abolish the cap and the necessity to have the enhancement bonus.