Changing the Sword of Aaqa


Age of Worms Adventure Path


My group is about to start A Gathering of Winds, and I've been looking at some of the rewards they'll get if they make it through.

There's a bard/paladin of freedom in the group who dual wields, so I believe the Sword of Aaqa and the Lightning Sword will be great things for him to find.

Only one problem, and you might've already guessed it. The bard if chaotic and the Sword of Aaqa is Axiomatic.

I was thinking about changing the Axiomatic feature, which is +2, to two +1 features, namely Chaotic Outsiders Bane and Evil Outsiders Bane. Seems like it would still fit in line with the Wind Dukes history while also allowing the bard to use the weapon.

Couple of questions. Is this silly? It seems like I've got to decide what's more important about the sword: the fact that only lawful characters can use it or the fact that it should strike terror into chaotic and presumably evil outsiders.

Another question that arose was if the character was using the sword to fight a Chaotic Evil Outsider, would the two Bane bonuses stack?

Thanks.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8

That sounds perfectly fine to me - the Wind Dukes were as concerned with fighting chaos and evil as they were with spreading order.

And no, the bane bonuses wouldn't stack.


Or keep Axiomatic, but remove the negative energy levels. It's an artifact after all.

Then have it keep nudging the bard to become lawful. Not intelligent per se, but suggestions.


Demiurge 1138 wrote:
And no, the bane bonuses wouldn't stack.

Why not? They're unnamed, so the normal rule would be that they do stack.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8

Vegepygmy wrote:
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
And no, the bane bonuses wouldn't stack.
Why not? They're unnamed, so the normal rule would be that they do stack.

Well, for one thing, I remembered (incorrectly) that the entry for bane weapon specified that they don't stack. However, the favored enemy bonus, which is similar, specifies that it doesn't stack. By the RAW, there's no reason why they shouldn't stack - the precedent is just there for it not to.


I'd say that you keep it as is. Let the bard roleplay the problem he faces wielding an ancient weapon that was forged to stop chaos. It opens the doors for a lot of in character depth.


Vegepygmy wrote:
Demiurge 1138 wrote:
And no, the bane bonuses wouldn't stack.
Why not? They're unnamed, so the normal rule would be that they do stack.

The effective enhancement bonus would not stack, but there is no reason I can find that the 2d6 damage bonus would not be 4d6 against a chaotic evil foe.


Shogun_of_the_Merciless_Rain wrote:
The effective enhancement bonus would not stack,

Again, why not? It's not an actual +2 enhancement bonus. If it were, it wouldn't stack with the weapon's normal enhancement bonus.

If it stacks with the weapon's normal enhancement bonus (and it does), I see no reason why it wouldn't stack with other enhancement bonuses.


If it stacks with the weapon's normal enhancement bonus (and it does), I see no reason why it wouldn't stack with other enhancement bonuses.

According to page 21 of the DMG , Bonus types of the same name do not stack. Therefore, if you gave the sword of Aaqa the chaotic bane ability, which would increase the +2 enhancement bonus of the Sword to +4 vs. chaotic, If evil bane were then placed on the sword, it would be an enhancement bonus of +4 to evil, but since enhancement bonuses do not stack, (i.e., magic weapon does not enhance a +3 longsword, p. 21 DMG) The new +2 chaotic bane, evil bane mithril longsword would not have a +6 bonus against chaotic evil outsiders, but would instead have a +4. Maybe I'm looking at the glass half empty, because I do see your perspective on it. That's just how I personally would rule on the bonuses.

Liberty's Edge

Engaging my pedantic, hair-splitting, rules-lawyer mode :) I can't help but note that the wording of the bane property is:

"Against its designated foe, its effective enhancement bonus is +2 better than its normal enhancement bonus. It deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against the foe."

Since the "normal enhancement bonus" of the Sword of Aaqa is always +2, I have to agree with Shogun, that the effective enhancement bonus caps at +4, even against chaotic evil outsdiers.

I would allow the bonus damage to stack, since its two lots of "extra" damage.

Ukos

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