[PF] Lightning based longsword (fine-tuning)

[Norix]

Hi,
For my current campaign I wanted to create a lightning based longsword. I have most of its abilities finished, but there are some fine details left.

It is a normal +1 longsword, but with charges (max 10 charges).
As long as it has at least one charge left, it is a +1 shock longsword.
It has two different active abilites (each consuming one charge):
- As a standard action the wielder can fire a lightning bolt (120 ft. line, 10W6, DC 18 Reflex half).
- As a full-round-action the wielder can call down bolts of lightning on up to 10 targets within 30 ft. of him (3W6 per bolt, DC 18 Reflex half). No target can be hit by more than one bolt.

Recharging:
To recharge the longsword, the wielder can ready an action to absorb (negates the damage dealt and any other side-effects) the next lightning based attack against him, except melee touch attacks. So things like a lightning bolt spell or a blue dragons breath, but not a shocking grasp spell. Alternatively the wielder can attract a lightning bolt if he is inside a thunderstorm (full-round-action). Each of these actions restores one charge and you can only absorb one attack per round.

Questions/Optional:
First of all, what do you think about it? Is it rather strong, or rather weak?
I am thinking of increasing the damage dealt by its abilities if the wielder is outside and within a storm (10W10 and 3W10 respectively).
The save DC is more or less random at the moment, but the minimum DC of 14 (spell level 3, ability score 13) seemed a bit low.
Should I allow spell resistance or not?
One problem I have with the recharge system is that it works fine with single use attacks (lightning bolt), but not with things like call lightning (druid spell). Both are level 3 spells, but the latter could restore multiple charges. So I was thinking of setting a minimum damage dealt by the attack for a charge to be restored (like 15-20 damage). The effect is absorbed in either cases.
Last one: How much do you think should it cost?

+2 weapon enhancement: 8000gp
Staff with lightning bolt and call lightning: 3*10*(400+300) = 21000gp
Absorption+Recharge: ????


Thanks.

[Cieyrin]

What you've basically made is an alternate Staff that's in sword form with an alternate recharge method, so I'd use the Staff creation rules for making it. What that comes down to is that you'd go by its pricing and rules, perhaps with some tweaks here and there.

Since staves are minimum 8th level and both of those spells can be cast by then, so I'd cost the spells at those levels, since as a staff it'll use the CL and ability score of the user if they're higher. That means the Lightning Bolt would deal a minimum of 8d6 (up to 10d6 if CL is 10th) with a save of DC 14 or 13+Cha mod, whichever's higher. The Call Lightning doesn't work at all like how it normally does, at it usually takes 1 round (which isn't the same as a full round casting, as full round means it ends by the finish of your turn, not by the beginning of your next turn) and you get 1 bolt/round up to the CL of the wielder or 8 bolts minimum. Your effect is much more powerful than normally, as while the Lightning Bolt does 8d6 all at once, averaging 28 damage, Call Lightning dishes out 24d6 over 8 rounds, averaging 96 damage overall and you're doing it all at once and choosing those targets wherever you feel like. I'd call that a SL boost close, if not on par, with Call Lightning Storm's effect, with a commensurate increase in cost.

For the recharge, since we're calling it a staff, I'd not bother increasing the cost for it, though I'd perhaps let it use either the normal method (i.e. allow recharging at the beginning of the day by a caster with the spell available) or the lightning catching method, as a non-caster having to hang around waiting for a storm may be infrequent if it's winter, the dry season or something similar that makes tumultuous weather unlikely. If you're worried about multiple charges per effect, just say that while you can negate multiple instances of damage from the same effect, you only regain one charge per instance.

With the above in mind, that means I'd cost it at (400*3*8=9,600)+(300*3*8=7,200)+315+8,000= 25,115 gp originally. If you adjust for your Improved Call Lightning, it becomes (400*5*9=18,000)+7,200+315+8,000= 33,515.

Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.

[young_genuis]

You should make a spear version of this.
But the longsword version is totally epic