Quick idea: improved magic weapons?

[Amechra]

Alright, here's a random idea:

Instead of a +x enhancement bonus weapon giving you +x to attack and damage, it instead gives you +x to attack rolls, +x to opposed checks using that weapon, and a +xd6 to damage?

Then, we could have neat things like:

Flaming: You deal an additional +1d6 fire damage with your weapon. In addition, you may, as a free action, choose to deal all the dice of damage from your weapon's enhancement bonus as fire damage.

Fiery Burst: As Flaming, but on a critical hit, your weapon deals it's additional damage as +xd10s, instead of +xd6.

So, in other words, if you have a +1 Flaming weapon, it deals +2d6 damage, which can either be half fire damage or all fire damage.

If, instead, you had a +3 Fiery Burst weapon (a +5 equivalent), it deals +4d6 damage, which increases to +4d10 on a critical hit.

Actually, another idea (maybe for another time) is to have enchantments on weapons improve based on your BAB; in other words, Flaming automatically progresses to a better enchantment that let's you, I don't know, light folks on fire, or shoot fire blasts, or maybe even do zany stuff like burn the souls of the guy you just killed.

So if you find a Flaming weapon, your reaction is "Cool. This'll be useful", and not "Oh man, more of this crap?"

[tuggyne]

Hmm. This seems like something that should be fleshed out more. One thing to watch, though, is the problem that most of the time, +1-equivalent 1d6 special abilities are reduced in power by having a non-physical damage type, so there should be an offset for that, or else no one will ever use them. (Perhaps ensure that extra damage is affected by DR for a start, although that's not always much of a downside even when it's relevant.)

Tentative suggestions for specific powers: flaming could have a limited ability to set enemies on fire after hitting them (e.g. 5/day), frost could impose a dex penalty (?) with similar usage restrictions, shock could dazzle or even daze similarly, and so on.

[LordErebus12]

Icy Blast: On command, an icy blast weapon is sheathed in icy cold (though this deals no damage to the wielder). On any hit, this cold washes over the creature struck, dealing +3d6 points of bonus cold damage. On a successful critical hit it instead deals +6d6 points of cold damage (or +9d6 if the critical multiplier is x3, or +12d6 if the critical multiplier is x4). Bows, crossbows, and slings with this special ability bestow the bonus cold damage upon their ammunition.

Strong evocation [cold]; Caster Level: 21st; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, cone of cold; Market Price: +6 bonus.

Fiery Blast: On command, a fiery blast weapon is sheathed in fire (though this deals no damage to the wielder). On any hit, this fire engulfs the creature struck, dealing +3d6 points of bonus fire damage. On a successful critical hit it instead deals +6d6 points of fire damage (or +9d6 if the critical multiplier is x3, or +12d6 if the critical multiplier is x4). Bows, crossbows, and slings with this special ability bestow the bonus fire damage upon their ammunition.

Strong evocation [fire]; Caster Level: 21st; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, fireball; Market Price: +6 bonus.

Lightning Blast: On command, a lightning blast weapon crackles with electrical energy (though this deals no damage to the wielder). On any hit, lightning coruscates around the creature struck, dealing +3d6 points of bonus electricity damage. On a successful critical hit it instead deals +6d6 points of electricity damage (or +9d6 if the critical multiplier is x3, or +12d6 if the critical multiplier is x4). Bows, crossbows, and slings with this special ability bestow the bonus electricity damage upon their ammunition.

Strong evocation; Caster Level: 21st; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, lightning bolt; Market Price: +6 bonus.