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Talanic
2008-11-08, 05:39 PM
Who takes +2 bonus or more on a weapon these days? Here's a few to try to make that a viable option--not to replace current enchantments or be best, but to open up options and allow synergies.

If you think these suck, please say why--and if you think they're TOO good, let me know that too. Some of them are intended to be especially good for monks.

If I get a good amount of feedback from this, maybe I'll do some bonuses on armor.

Expertise

The Expertise enchantment is extremely rare, and far more subtle in its effects than most enchantments. It brings forth greater skill in the wielder of the weapon. While an Expertise weapon winds up striking no more accurately than a similarly enchanted weapon, the finesse it brings comes from within the wielder rather than from within the weapon.

The +1 to +5 enhancement bonus that accompanies the Expertise enchantment is applied to the wielder's Base Attack Bonus for all attacks made with the Expertise weapon. For example, a 20th-level bard with a +1 rapier of Expertise would have a BAB of 16; the same bard with a +5 rapier of Expertise would have a BAB of 20, granting extra attacks.

The bonus only applies to BAB if the weapon of Expertise was used to attack in that round; if multiple weapons are used to attack that round, the BAB bonus does not stack with enhancement bonuses on the other weapons for the purpose of chance to hit with attacks made in that round. For example, a level 10 rogue with 10 strength using a shortsword of Expertise +5 and a +2 dagger in offhand has a normal BAB of 7/2 and an effective BAB of 12/7/2, but would attack at +10/5/0 with main hand and 10/5 with offhand, gaining no +2 to hit from the dagger.

Multiple Expertise weapons used in the same round only add the highest numerical bonus to BAB. Expertise bonuses to BAB only apply to attack rolls.

Special: An Expertise weapon of at least +3 can have one of the following enchantments applied for 10,000 gold, without increasing the effective enhancement bonus of the weapon: Bane, Defending, Ki Focus, Mighty Cleaving, Spell Storing. Alternatively, the weapon can be enchanted to confer proficiency in itself on the wielder for this price. All other prerequisites still apply.

Special: Rings may be enchanted with Expertise and given an enhancement bonus. This allows the bonus to be applied to attacks made with unarmed strikes and with spells which require both somatic components (stilled or not) and attack rolls. They do not apply to the use of weapons, even if the hand with the ring on is used in an attack. They do not allow a monk wearing one of these rings to apply the bonus to a Ki Focus weapon. They do not count as occupying a body slot. Multiple rings with weapon enchantments do not stack or overlap; only one ring's benefits can apply in any round.

Faint transmutation; CL 5th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Fox's Cunning or Augury, Greater Magic Weapon, BAB equal or greater than the weapon's enhancement bonus; Price +2 bonus

Expertise, Greater

As Expertise, but the addition to Base Attack Bonus is doubled.

Strong transmutation; CL 19th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Wish or Miracle; Price +5 bonus.

The next one's a little bit wordy, but I made it this way to try to make one enchantment rather than a dozen that do the same thing for different elements or alignments.

Energized: X

An Energized weapon draws upon the magic inherent in the weapon to both shield the wielder from its specific element or alignment and strike down the wielder's foes with the same.

At time of creation, the element or alignment to be applied must be chosen. If it is an element, the wielder of the weapon has resistance towards that element of one per point of bonus the weapon has; this stacks with elemental resistance granted by armor, but only applies when the weapon is held in hand. The weapon also deals one point of damage of that element per point of enhancement bonus.

If the weapon is energized with an alignment instead, the weapon deals twice its enhancement bonus in aligned damage to creatures that do not match its alignment. If its enhancement bonus is +2 or better, the weapon can be enchanted to signal its wielder of the presence of the opposing alignment by glowing, ringing, or otherwise announcing said presence; this extra enchantment costs 15,000 gold. If the weapon is +4, the warning can be given subtly to the wielder only, and if it is +5, the weapon can be ordered to indicate the direction of the opposed alignment. If the weapon is energized with multiple alignments, the alignment detection is upgraded and performed separately.

Characters of alignment that do not match an alignment which the weapon has been energized with do not gain any benefit from any enchantments on the weapon. Characters with a subtype that opposes the weapon's energized enchantment (e.g. a Fire subtype creature and a Cold-energized weapon) gain a negative level for as long as they carry or wield the weapon, but it works.

If a +5 Energized weapon has another enchantment applied of a matching alignment or element, the extra enchantment is more effective, increasing in power as if a weapon were increased in size (1d6 to 1d8, 1d8 to 2d6, 1d10 to 2d8, 2d8 to 3d8, etc). This only applies to a single extra enchantment per Energize enchantment. An Energized weapon can't have any other enchantment with an elemental or alignment component that does not match its Energized enchantment, e.g. Energized: Law can't be paired with Holy if the weapon is not also Energized: Good, and Energized: Acid can't be paired with Flaming Burst--but it could be enchanted with Wounding, Merciful or Keen, as those do not have elemental components.

A weapon can be Energized up to three times. Its effects stack.

Special: A ring can be Energized and given an enhancement bonus. Its effects are then applied to unarmed strikes made by the wearer, as well as spells of appropriate descriptor with somatic components (stilled or not) that require an attack roll. They do not apply to the use of weapons, even if the hand with the ring on is used in an attack. They do not allow a monk wearing one of these rings to apply the bonus to a Ki Focus weapon, nor any other magical item or effect (e.g. Amulet of Mighty Fists). Multiple rings with weapon enchantments do not stack or overlap; only one ring's benefits can apply in any round.

Strong Evocation; CL 10th, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, a spell of appropriate descriptor of a level equal or greater than the enhancement bonus on the weapon, Greater Magic Weapon; Price: +1 bonus.

Examples:
+3 Energized: Flame & Good [Warning] Greatsword. +5 bonus total; damage 2d6 +3, +3 fire damage, +6 versus non-good. Wielder has 3 damage resistance towards fire. The weapon's flames glow bright red when evil creatures are near. Total price: (350 Masterwork Greatsword + 50,000 for +5 equivalent bonus + 15,000 for warning) = 65,350 gold.

+5 Energized: Flame [2], Flaming Burst Greatsword. +9 bonus total; damage 2d6 + 5 physical, 10 + 2d6 fire damage, +3d8 fire damage on critical hit. Wielder has 10 damage resistance towards fire. Total price: +9 bonus.


Mobile

The Mobile enchantment springs from the doctrine that speed and mobility are the most important factors in victory. The enchantment involves some sacrifces, but their wielders rarely complain.

Mobile weapons do not apply their enhancement bonus to damage. For every point of enhancement bonus on the weapon, five feet of their movement that round is considered a free action. If the wielder chooses to use this movement, it can not interrupt other actions, though it can be taken before and after action if feats allow (e.g. Spring Attack). This movement still provokes attacks of opportunity as normal, and can't be used with the normal five-foot-step. It also can't cause the wielder to exceed their normal movement speed. It does not get augmented by actions that increase movement in the round (e.g. charge or run)--a character with a +5 mobile weapon can charge 25 feet and perform a full attack, but not 30.

Multiple Mobile weapons readied by the same character stack, granting the character extra movement regardless of whether or not the character actually attacks with the weapons, so long as they are readied that round. The character can't exceed their normal movement speed by use of these moves.

For a price of 10,000 gold, a Mobile weapon of +3 enchantment or greater can be enchanted to allow the wielder to cast Dimension Door as the spell, with a caster level of tenth, once per day.

A Mobile weapon of +5 enchantment can have the Speed enchantment applied to it for a +2 bonus, instead of +3. A Mobile weapon with the Defending enchantment applies its enhancement bonus to reflex saves rolled while the weapon is readied, and a Mobile weapon with the Mighty Cleaving enchantment allows the wielder to take a single five foot step per round between attacks in a Cleave.

Special: A ring can be made Mobile and given an enhancement bonus. Its effects are only applied to the wielder in any specific round if the wielder uses neither spells nor weapons in that round, just unarmed attacks. Multiple rings with weapon enchantments do not stack or overlap; only one ring's benefits can apply in any round.

Strong transmutation; CL 9th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Haste, Dimension Door. Price: +2 bonus.