Hah! Your sword is a Holy Avenger!

[Illiterate Scribe]

Inspired by Jack Zander's thread, I just saw something in the spell list that could be put to similar use. A little spell called 'holy sword'.

Holy Sword
Evocation [Good]
Level: Pal 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Melee weapon touched
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell allows you to channel holy power into your sword, or any other melee weapon you choose. The weapon acts as a +5 holy weapon (+5 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls, extra 2d6 damage against evil opponents). It also emits a magic circle against evil effect (as the spell). If the magic circle ends, the sword creates a new one on your turn as a free action. The spell is automatically canceled 1 round after the weapon leaves your hand. You cannot have more than one holy sword at a time.

If this spell is cast on a magic weapon, the powers of the spell supersede any that the weapon normally has, rendering the normal enhancement bonus and powers of the weapon inoperative for the duration of the spell. This spell is not cumulative with bless weapon or any other spell that might modify the weapon in any way.

This spell does not work on artifacts.

Note: A masterwork weapon’s bonus to attack does not stack with an enhancement bonus to attack.

Let's say you're fighting EvilMcDeath the Face Stabber, the Epic-Level FIGHTAN boss, with his +eleventy billion scythe that always crits.

What's to stop you casting this on his scythe, and reducing it to a simple +5 weapon for 1 round/level?

It seems like a rather nifty way of nerfing a big bad's weapon, and I don't see how you could stop it.

[AmberVael]

Interesting idea, but...

The spell is automatically canceled 1 round after the weapon leaves your hand.

[Azerian Kelimon]

You have to touch the weapon. Better have a few scrolls of Regeneration handy for new fingers.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Azerian Kelimon: Bah, it's a touch attack, if anything.

Vael: damn. Still, it's a worth use of a quickened spell each round, if anything.

[shadow_archmagi]

Interesting idea, but...

Interesting idea; although I'm going to be a generic raincloud and say "At the point where bonuses better than +5 come into play, there are better ways of disarming an opponent."


That said, huge points for originality.

[AmberVael]

Interesting idea; although I'm going to be a generic raincloud and say "At the point where bonuses better than +5 come into play, there are better ways of disarming an opponent."


That said, huge points for originality.

Yeah, especially since I pointed out it only lasts one round. A bit of a bummer, that.
Still, maybe if you were fighting one of those stereotypical demons that recoil from holy things it would be fun. Or maybe just think of how you would react to something like that?

From your perspective (as a demon), it would basically be like this:

"The holy warrior reaches out and touches your sword, and suddenly it gleams with the radiant and searing light of the enemy; it's once soothing and chilling powers turn on you with such hunger that you can feel your power leeching away."

What would you do at that point? Keep the sword? Maybe if you had high enough spellcraft and force of will to recognize the spell and not react instantly to such dangerous magic, but still- I can see evil creatures going "AGH!" and throwing the sword from them before it turned back.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Vael: damn. Still, it's a worth use of a quickened spell each round, if anything.

The only way to pull that off (since paladins generally don't have feats to waste on getting Sudden Quicken) is with archivist abuse, which has to be aided by the DM since scrolls of paladin spells probably aren't so common you can buy them at will.

[Chronicled]

Interesting idea; although I'm going to be a generic raincloud and say "At the point where bonuses better than +5 come into play, there are better ways of disarming an opponent."


That said, huge points for originality.

Ways that, if your opponent is evil, cause them to lose a level for the round? And makes a Magic Circle against Evil spell?

Edit: Gah, ninja'd.

The only way to pull that off (since paladins generally don't have feats to waste on getting Sudden Quicken) is with archivist abuse, which has to be aided by the DM since scrolls of paladin spells probably aren't so common you can buy them at will.

Battle Blessing feat, Complete Champion.

[FoE]

This could work in a few rare situations (as opposed to the Arcane Lock strategy, which could only work if your DM was drunk). But that doesn't mean it's a very smart strategy. In truth, the Barehanded Blade Block is likely to result in you losing a hand or getting the blade buried in your skull, especially against Stabby-Face McEvilDeath, who is very likely superhumanly strong. And for inconveniencing the Big Bad for one round, is it really worth it?

[BRC]

Hmm, I just thought of somthing. Holy weapons bestow negative weapons on evil creatures that wield them. Supposing the Stabbymcevildeath was Evil-aligned, would he then get smacked down with some negative levels?

Also, it says "The spell is automatically cancled one round after it leaves your hand." What if you multiclassed and used some method to deliver it as a ranged touch attack. Therefore, it never actually left your hand because it was never IN your hand.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Hmm, I just thought of somthing. Holy weapons bestow negative weapons on evil creatures that wield them. Supposing the Stabbymcevildeath was Evil-aligned, would he then get smacked down with some negative levels?

Related to this, being disarmed of your holy sword by orcs or the like is one of the most hilarious situations in D&D I know of. One or two negative levels is plenty to kill a lot of unimportant mooks... Start a betting pool on how many times they try to pick it up before they give up.

[JMobius]

...which has to be aided by the DM since scrolls of paladin spells probably aren't so common you can buy them at will.

Complete Divine: The Glory domain grants Holy Sword as a 5th level cleric spell.

That domain is badass.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Yeah, especially since I pointed out it only lasts one round. A bit of a bummer, that.
Still, maybe if you were fighting one of those stereotypical demons that recoil from holy things it would be fun. Or maybe just think of how you would react to something like that?

From your perspective (as a demon), it would basically be like this:

"The holy warrior reaches out and touches your sword, and suddenly it gleams with the radiant and searing light of the enemy; it's once soothing and chilling powers turn on you with such hunger that you can feel your power leeching away."

What would you do at that point? Keep the sword? Maybe if you had high enough spellcraft and force of will to recognize the spell and not react instantly to such dangerous magic, but still- I can see evil creatures going "AGH!" and throwing the sword from them before it turned back.

Ah! That's a good point! Who would get control of how the Magic Circle vs. Evil worked - if it's us, then we can use the constraining effect on the demon.

Hmm, I just thought of somthing. Holy weapons bestow negative weapons on evil creatures that wield them. Supposing the Stabbymcevildeath was Evil-aligned, would he then get smacked down with some negative levels?

Indeed!

Also, it says "The spell is automatically cancled one round after it leaves your hand." What if you multiclassed and used some method to deliver it as a ranged touch attack. Therefore, it never actually left your hand because it was never IN your hand.

Hmm, I was thinking of something along those lines, but a little different - who says that you have to be with your hand? Cast the spell, then use, I dunno, a warforged rocket punch ROCKET PUNCH! to keep hold of it, and grapple it.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Complete Divine: The Glory domain grants Holy Sword as a 5th level cleric spell.

That domain is badass.

Holy crud.

It's not remotely worth a 9th-level slot in any way or sense, though. Just Greater Dispel Magic the weapon or get the wizard to cast Mordenkainen's Disjunction on it.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Holy crud.

It's not remotely worth a 9th-level slot in any way or sense, though. Just Greater Dispel Magic the weapon or get the wizard to cast Mordenkainen's Disjunction on it.

Well, Mordie's DJ blows up everything in the radius, so few demons carrying lewtz will use that ... could we fit in, somewhere, an artificer using metamagic item infusion (spellblade) on the sword? That would

Even without, that, though, we still come out ahead on actions - swift to cast, standard to dispel.

[Person_Man]

The only way to pull that off (since paladins generally don't have feats to waste on getting Sudden Quicken) is with archivist abuse, which has to be aided by the DM since scrolls of paladin spells probably aren't so common you can buy them at will.

Not so. The Gold Dwarf Dweomersmith feat from Races of Faerun gives any Gold Dwarf caster access to Holy Sword (and other must haves like Flame Blade and Greater Magic Weapon).

And as Chronicled points out, Battle Blessing will Quicken EVERY Standard Action Paladin spell for free.

Also, any sufficiently large city will have stores where you can buy any scroll or wand that you want, opening Holy Sword up to anyone with UMD. If your DM chooses to limit this for in game reasons ("Paladins in my world are an elite order that only sell their magical items to other Paladins"), that's his choice. But doing so capriciously ("I'll allow Wizard and Cleric spells, but not Druid, Paladin, Bard, Blackguard, etc, because I don't want you power gaming) really isn't good DMing. It just nerfs your non full casters further.

Having said that, I don't think what Illiterate Scribe proposes would work. But it is cool.

[Draz74]

Doth mine eyes deceive me? Or is this an actual reason why a (crazy) Paladin might actually take Reach Spell?

This still isn't quite as cool as casting Resurrection on the BBEG's gold-dragonskin armor. (But then, that takes 10 minutes. )

[Hal]

Hm . . . do you think there's a DM anywhere crazy enough to let you cast Permanency with that?

[JMobius]

Doth mine eyes deceive me? Or is this an actual reason why a (crazy) Paladin might actually take Reach Spell?

It would have to be DMM Reach.

And yes, this spell is awesome if a cleric can get ahold of it. Magically converting any old sword to the equivalent of something like a +8 item is pretty nice for level 10.

[Jack Zander]

Jack Zander approves of this thread

[Graymayre]

If the problem is that it may leave his hand, then perhaps there is a solution.

It is the item called "Sovereign Glue" (Minor Magical Item in the DM's Guide). This is essentially glue in a flask, which can be thrown, that permanently binds two things together. The description says that only the magical item "Universal Solvent" can dissolve it but who in the Cthulhullian Depths carries that stuff?

[Tsotha-lanti]

Doth mine eyes deceive me? Or is this an actual reason why a (crazy) Paladin might actually take Reach Spell?

No, it's not. That'd be a huge waste of a feat. (And you don't have the spell slots to apply metamagic.)

[Illiterate Scribe]

No, it's not. That'd be a huge waste of a feat. (And you don't have the spell slots to apply metamagic.)

Divine Reach, from Hierophant?

[Tsotha-lanti]

Divine Reach, from Hierophant?

Can you explain how a paladin gets into the Hierophant PrC? Maybe I've missed something...

[Person_Man]

No, it's not. That'd be a huge waste of a feat. (And you don't have the spell slots to apply metamagic.)

Keep in mind, Reach Spell also lets you use Poison, Cure Wounds, and Cause Wound spells at a distance. You can double it with Split Ray. And Divine Metamagic (or Easy Metamagic, or Practical Metamagic, or all of them) will reduce the spell level adjustment. I had a Cleric/Radiant Servant of Pelor who specialized in rays, and he rocked.

I agree that it's a poor choice for a Paladin though. Honestly, Paladins should just buff themselves and their mount (gods bless Share Spell) and kick butt.

[Irreverent Fool]

This could work in a few rare situations (as opposed to the Arcane Lock strategy, which could only work if your DM was drunk). But that doesn't mean it's a very smart strategy. In truth, the Barehanded Blade Block is likely to result in you losing a hand or getting the blade buried in your skull, especially against Stabby-Face McEvilDeath, who is very likely superhumanly strong. And for inconveniencing the Big Bad for one round, is it really worth it?

If you happen to have this spell prepped and don't have other options? I'd say making a touch attack on their sword would work just fine. Anyway, you seem to be missing the point. Of course it's not the best option, it's a 'look what I can do' post.