Shapeshifting Weapon

[Ziggoratt]

I was wondering if there are any weapons out there in all the books of 3.5 that change shape to fit the user's needs. If so, where would I find it? If not, how much would it cost, and how would one balance it?

The weapon would have an effect somewhere along the lines of the following:
As a swift action, the wielder of this weapon can transform it into one of the following:
1. Any two-handed weapon
2. Any two one-handed or light weapons
3. Any one-handed or light weapon
4. Any ranged weapon (loaded with one arrow/bolt, 5 bullets if sling)
5. Any two one-handed ranged weapons (loaded with one arrow/bolt)

Parameters:
1. Must be familiar (not proficient) with the weapon that it is transforming into
2. Weapon it transforms into may not be enchanted
3. If the Shifting Weapon is of Masterwork quality, so are all of the weapons it transforms into.

Any ideas, suggestions, or references would be greatly appreciated :P

[Zombulian]

Morphing weapon enhancement from Magic Item Compendium. Can turn into any weapon. Ever.

[tuggyne]

Originally Posted by Ziggoratt

I was wondering if there are any weapons out there in all the books of 3.5 that change shape to fit the user's needs. If so, where would I find it? If not, how much would it cost, and how would one balance it?

The weapon would have an effect somewhere along the lines of the following:
As a swift action, the wielder of this weapon can transform it into one of the following:
1. Any two-handed weapon
2. Any two one-handed or light weapons
3. Any one-handed or light weapon
4. Any ranged weapon (loaded with one arrow/bolt, 5 bullets if sling)
5. Any two one-handed ranged weapons (loaded with one arrow/bolt)

Parameters:
1. Must be familiar (not proficient) with the weapon that it is transforming into
2. Weapon it transforms into may not be enchanted
3. If the Shifting Weapon is of Masterwork quality, so are all of the weapons it transforms into.

Any ideas, suggestions, or references would be greatly appreciated :P

The Morphing special (Underdark) can do some of this, but it requires a magic weapon and shifts into magic weapons only. (Also, it can't change handedness, nor shift into ranged weapons unless they are usable in melee.) I believe there's also a specific weapon (Everchanging Blade, or something) in the same book that lifts a few of those restrictions.

Edit: partially ninja'd.

[Darrin]

Originally Posted by Ziggoratt

I was wondering if there are any weapons out there in all the books of 3.5 that change shape to fit the user's needs. If so, where would I find it? If not, how much would it cost, and how would one balance it?

The weapon would have an effect somewhere along the lines of the following:
As a swift action, the wielder of this weapon can transform it into one of the following:
1. Any two-handed weapon
2. Any two one-handed or light weapons
3. Any one-handed or light weapon
4. Any ranged weapon (loaded with one arrow/bolt, 5 bullets if sling)
5. Any two one-handed ranged weapons (loaded with one arrow/bolt)

Sounds somewhat like a Rod of Lordly Might. However, those things are hella expensive...

Fortunately, there's a cheaper knock-off version called a Rod of Surpises (6000 GP, MIC). Pressing the buttons allows you to change it into: a javelin, kama, longspear, quarterstaff, scythe, shortspear, short sword, or spear. This covers #1, #2 (if you count a double weapon as two weapons), #3, and #4 (uh... sorta... you can throw a javelin/spear).

Originally Posted by Ziggoratt

Parameters:
1. Must be familiar (not proficient) with the weapon that it is transforming into

What an odd set of parameters... how exactly are you determining familiarity? I imagine this would only be an issue with exotic weapons.

Originally Posted by Ziggoratt

2. Weapon it transforms into may not be enchanted

You lost me here. You want an enchanted weapon that turns itself into some other kind of non-enchanted weapon? Hmmm. You want a non-magical morphing weapon? Aha!

Shapesand (Sandstorm p. 102). This can do #1 through #5 with just a Wisdom check.

Originally Posted by Ziggoratt

3. If the Shifting Weapon is of Masterwork quality, so are all of the weapons it transforms into.

I don't think shapesand can do Masterwork quality. This would be a moot point with a Morphing weapon. However, a Morphing weapon can only change into another melee or thrown weapon of the same size and type (light, one-handed, or two-handed). You couldn't change a Morphing Greatsword into a throwing axe or light crossbow, for example.

[Ziggoratt]

Originally Posted by Darrin

Sounds somewhat like a Rod of Lordly Might. However, those things are hella expensive...

Fortunately, there's a cheaper knock-off version called a Rod of Surpises (6000 GP, MIC). Pressing the buttons allows you to change it into: a javelin, kama, longspear, quarterstaff, scythe, shortspear, short sword, or spear. This covers #1, #2 (if you count a double weapon as two weapons), #3, and #4 (uh... sorta... you can throw a javelin/spear).



What an odd set of parameters... how exactly are you determining familiarity? I imagine this would only be an issue with exotic weapons.



You lost me here. You want an enchanted weapon that turns itself into some other kind of non-enchanted weapon? Hmmm. You want a non-magical morphing weapon? Aha!

Shapesand (Sandstorm p. 102). This can do #1 through #5 with just a Wisdom check.



I don't think shapesand can do Masterwork quality. This would be a moot point with a Morphing weapon. However, a Morphing weapon can only change into another melee or thrown weapon of the same size and type (light, one-handed, or two-handed). You couldn't change a Morphing Greatsword into a throwing axe or light crossbow, for example.

Familiarity is similar to the Druid's Wild Shape requirements: They must have at least seen/held the weapon in order to have their weapon shift into it.

By the enchanted part, I meant that you can't shift the weapon into, say, a Flaming Longsword, or an Unholy Greataxe.

By Masterwork, I mean that if the Shifting Weapon's base form is of Masterwork quality, so, too, are all of its subsequent transformations.

[Clistenes]

The Morphing (from the Underdark book) option allows to change your weapon into any other weapon of the same size. Combine it with the Sizing option (from Complete Adventurer), and the weapon can change to any size (and hence, it can become any weapon).

[Cog]

Originally Posted by Clistenes

Combine it with the Sizing option (from Complete Adventurer), and the weapon can change to any size (and hence, it can become any weapon).

Sizing only changes the size, not the handedness. Sure, you can wield an incorrectly sized weapon with a different handedness, but that doesn't change the weapon itself.

Adding Changeling could get you both 1H and 2H weapons, though you'd have to rotate through spear/shortspear to be able to use Changeling at any given time.

[Clistenes]

Originally Posted by Cog

Sizing only changes the size, not the handedness. Sure, you can wield an incorrectly sized weapon with a different handedness, but that doesn't change the weapon itself.

Adding Changeling could get you both 1H and 2H weapons, though you'd have to rotate through spear/shortspear to be able to use Changeling at any given time.

I could be remembering the rules wrongly, but I think an one-handed weapon sized for a large creature counts as a two-handed weapon for a medium creature (in addition to the -2 penalty to attack for wrong size), so, if you use it with one hand, the penalty would be -6 (-2 for wrong size and -4 for using a two-handed weapon with one hand).

So, as I see it, a longsword sized for a large creature counts as a two-handed weapon for a medium-sized creature.

So you can use Sizing to change your longsword sized for medium creatures into a longsword sized for large creatures, and then use Morphing to change the large-sized longsword into a greatsword sized for medium creatures.

In the end you have a weapon appropiate for your size.

[Cog]

Originally Posted by Clistenes

...and then use Morphing to change the large-sized longsword into a greatsword sized for medium creatures.

Originally Posted by SRD

This designation is a measure of how much effort it takes to wield a weapon in combat. It indicates whether a melee weapon, when wielded by a character of the weapon’s size category... A weapon’s size category isn’t the same as its size as an object. Instead, a weapon’s size category is keyed to the size of the intended wielder.

The handedness and size of a weapon are inherent to the weapon, not the weilder; a longsword is not simultaneously a light weapon, a 1H weapon, and a 2H weapon, even if there are certain circumstances where it can be treated as such. In the step above, you are changing both the size of the weapon and the handedness of the weapon; that the changes cancel out is irrelevant, as Morphing specifically disallows you from changing either of them.

[Clistenes]

Originally Posted by Cog

The handedness and size of a weapon are inherent to the weapon, not the weilder; a longsword is not simultaneously a light weapon, a 1H weapon, and a 2H weapon, even if there are certain circumstances where it can be treated as such. In the step above, you are changing both the size of the weapon and the handedness of the weapon; that the changes cancel out is irrelevant, as Morphing specifically disallows you from changing either of them.

Even if a strict interpretation of the rules wouldn't allow Morphing to turn a one-handed weapon for large creatures into a two-handed weapon for medium creatures, do you think Morphing+Sizing (count as a +2 enhancement) could be used as inspiration for a property that allows to turn a weapon into any other?

By the way, in which sourcebook can I find the Changeling Spear?

P.S.: I've found it, it's in the Arms And Equipment Guide, and adding the Changeling property to a spear isn't expensive, just +1, like Sizing...

[herrhauptmann]

Originally Posted by Ziggoratt

Familiarity is similar to the Druid's Wild Shape requirements: They must have at least seen/held the weapon in order to have their weapon shift into it.

By the enchanted part, I meant that you can't shift the weapon into, say, a Flaming Longsword, or an Unholy Greataxe.

By Masterwork, I mean that if the Shifting Weapon's base form is of Masterwork quality, so, too, are all of its subsequent transformations.

1)Hmm, not a big deal. By the time you can afford the magic weapon, you should be able to buy 1 of each nonmasterwork weapon that you encounter. Then it's just a matter of being patient and gaining familiarity with each.
2)No, generally a longsword that you give +1 flaming morphing, will also be a +1flaming morphing shortspear. Or scimitar, or whatever.
3)It's a magic weapon. Those are ALWAYS masterwork. It's just that the +1 to hit from masterwork, is overlapped by the +1 to hit (and damage) from being magic. Walk into an AMF, and it's still a masterwork weapon.

[Asheram]

Originally Posted by Clistenes

I could be remembering the rules wrongly, but I think an one-handed weapon sized for a large creature counts as a two-handed weapon for a medium creature (in addition to the -2 penalty to attack for wrong size), so, if you use it with one hand, the penalty would be -6 (-2 for wrong size and -4 for using a two-handed weapon with one hand).

So, as I see it, a longsword sized for a large creature counts as a two-handed weapon for a medium-sized creature.

So you can use Sizing to change your longsword sized for medium creatures into a longsword sized for large creatures, and then use Morphing to change the large-sized longsword into a greatsword sized for medium creatures.

In the end you have a weapon appropiate for your size.

I think what you are looking for in this case is the variant rule in DMG, p27. Weapon Equivalencies which says that, for example, a medium sized dagger can act as a short sword for a small character. Ofcourse, this is a variant rule.

[Ziggoratt]

Alright.. A few questions.

How would I be able to incorporate the splitting-in-two aspect of the weapon? Or the pre-loaded ranged weapon aspect?

Also, what would a decent price for this bizarre weapon be?