What enchantment(s) should I get on my weapon?


Advice


I'm playing a two handed fighter (falchion crit build) in one of my campaigns and he is level 11 currently. My DM gave me a home-brew falchion that is equivalent to a +2 and improves at 12, 16, and 20. I can't do anything with it myself but I also have a +1 admantine falchion that I had made before I got the other sword.

The home-brew one has 10 rounds per day as a swift action of the following:

2D8 of physical sand rock damage on crit
+2 to confirm crits when active

I'm not sure what to put on my other weapon. I'm currently sitting on 3700 platinum after a big payday and trying to figure out what to put on it that would be useful. I was thinking Returning because I drop weapons a lot.


Returning is only for thrown weapons, it does nothing for dropped weapons. If your weapon don't have a range increment, it isn't a thrown weapon.

That being said, you have +3 worth of bonuses you could buy. I like ghost touch because doing full damage is better than doing half damage.

Sovereign Court

I'm assuming you have Improved Critial (Falchion) as a feat already? Otherwise, Keen is the obvious enchantment to start with.

Is Damage Reduction a thing you have trouble with? Because in that case you may want to consider going for the straight +5, or +3 and Holy.

Other than that, Brilliant Energy sounds pretty badass.


Brilliant Energy has serious problems. It's ludicrously expensive and makes your weapon useless against certain foes. It also does nothing against most monsters since they tend to have their AC coming from dexterity, natural armor, and spells.

Other than that Ascalaphus has the right of it. Your bog standard +X is the best thing you can put on a sword outside keen and some class specific UC stuff unless Holy would let you get through alignment DR when you otherwise wouldn't (ie. because you can't get +5 for love or money because of caster level requirements).


I never noticed the range requirement on Returning before. Weird. Well I can't afford a +4 bonus so I'm basically stuck with +2 enhancements. DR has only come up once so far and it was against some golems we fought in our last session. Luckily it was DR 10/Adamantine so I could get through it. I have Improved Critical: Falchion so Keen isn't necessary.


Ascalaphus wrote:
Other than that, Brilliant Energy sounds pretty badass.

Placing Brilliant Energy on an Admantine weapon makes its damage bypass wasted. You use admantine to bypass a construct's DR, but Brilliant Energy is useless vs. constructs.

That said, Dancing at +4 equivalent, is a little too expensive unless you have a crafter in the group. Speed at +3 equivalent is good if you cannot rely on a haste spell being active. Spell Storing at +1 equivalent is good if you can pick a good spell. Mighty Cleaving at +1 equivalent lets you get extra attacks. Heartseeker at +1 equivalent lets you ignore concealment miss chance. Called at +1 equivalent lets you call the weapon back into your hand if in 100', even if in another's possession. Any X Burst at +2 equivalent lets you make the most of your crits.

If you want speed, however, I recommend the boots instead, as they work for all weapons, and won't jack the price of subsequent attacks.

The Pale Green Prism Ioun Stone at 30,000 gp, gives +1 competence bonus on attack rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks. Other stones have other things you might want. Dusty Rose Prism at 5,000 gp, gives +1 insight bonus to AC. The cracked version at 500 gp gives +1 competence bonus on initiative checks.

/cevah


I think when I said Returning I was thinking of Called. We have a Wizard so Haste isn't an issue. I don't have Cleave either so Mighty Cleaving is out the window. I think Speed is probably the best enchant for me, but seeing as how I already have a +1 enhancement I wouldn't be able to afford it. A burst effect of some sort is probably the best bet for me. Maybe Acid Burst.


I would say Holy, a solid damage boost against the majority of foes and helps overcome a lot of DR.


Now that I think about it, the thing with Called is that the weapon I drop isn't my main weapon anyway so Called wouldn't be doing a whole lot for me. Either Holy, a burst effect, or increasing the weapon enhancement are probably the best. Or I could do something else entirely and see if I can get some wondrous items. This character has a wizard in his party like I mentioned earlier, but still having Boots of Speed would be nice for when he doesn't have it active.


To be honest, you should be using the Nodachi if you can. It deals 1D10 damage, so it scales better. It has the same 18-20/X2 threat range, the Brace weapon property, and counts as both slashing and piercing damage.

Getting that off my chest, I would refer you to my Two-Handed Fighter guide; specifically, what are some great Secondary Weapon properties.

If you are going to be using the previously purchased Falchion as a back-up/secondary assisting weapon, the best thing you can do is put the Called and Dancing properties on it, and ramp its Enhancement Modifier up to +5 afterward, assuming you somehow can't enhance your primary Falchion anyway. On a surprise round, or before the first round of combat begins, loose the Dancing Weapon, and then proceed to combat. When you get into position to attack, it can make full attacks right away along with you, and if you're good enough, you can shoot enemies running away or pecking at your squishies while the Dancing Weapon cuts up some mooks infront of you. Though it only lasts a few rounds, it falls to the ground, allowing you to bring it back into your hands as a Swift Action, and loosing it again in that same round, making full attacks as soon as you loose it.

Buying elemental or elemental burst properties is a waste of money, considering many creatures by your level will have immunities/resistances to them, making them less worthwhile. In addition, there are more useful properties to buy, and for cheaper. The Courageous and Defiant weapon properties are great starters, and synergize with Improved Iron Will (assuming you've taken that feat, though I suggest you do, since you're a Fighter).


ponmbr wrote:
I think when I said Returning I was thinking of Called. We have a Wizard so Haste isn't an issue. I don't have Cleave either so Mighty Cleaving is out the window. I think Speed is probably the best enchant for me, but seeing as how I already have a +1 enhancement I wouldn't be able to afford it. A burst effect of some sort is probably the best bet for me. Maybe Acid Burst.

+1 Speed = +4 equivalent = 32,000 gp = 3,200 pp. You have 3,700 pp, so you can afford it.

/cevah


Darksol the Painbringer wrote:

To be honest, you should be using the Nodachi if you can. It deals 1D10 damage, so it scales better. It has the same 18-20/X2 threat range, the Brace weapon property, and counts as both slashing and piercing damage.

Getting that off my chest, I would refer you to my Two-Handed Fighter guide; specifically, what are some great Secondary Weapon properties.

If you are going to be using the previously purchased Falchion as a back-up/secondary assisting weapon, the best thing you can do is put the Called and Dancing properties on it, and ramp its Enhancement Modifier up to +5 afterward, assuming you somehow can't enhance your primary Falchion anyway. On a surprise round, or before the first round of combat begins, loose the Dancing Weapon, and then proceed to combat. When you get into position to attack, it can make full attacks right away along with you, and if you're good enough, you can shoot enemies running away or pecking at your squishies while the Dancing Weapon cuts up some mooks infront of you. Though it only lasts a few rounds, it falls to the ground, allowing you to bring it back into your hands as a Swift Action, and loosing it again in that same round, making full attacks as soon as you loose it.

Buying elemental or elemental burst properties is a waste of money, considering many creatures by your level will have immunities/resistances to them, making them less worthwhile. In addition, there are more useful properties to buy, and for cheaper. The Courageous and Defiant weapon properties are great starters, and synergize with Improved Iron Will (assuming you've taken that feat, though I suggest you do, since you're a Fighter).

I've taken Iron Will. The problem with Nodachi is that I've already invested the feats into falchion. Dancing is out of my price range currently. Maybe if I get Called now I can save up for Dancing later. Only issue would be saving up to afford it.


For the Nodachi, I'd refer you to the Retraining Rules from Ultimate Campaign, as it allows you to retrain all kinds of things into something more desirable. Assuming your GM will allow it, of course... For retraining a single feat, it costs 10 X number of days listed X level. Since you are 11th level, it will cost 550 gold and take 5 days to change out a single one of your feats. Also, don't forget that you can switch out Fighter Bonus feats every 4 levels, meaning the next time you level up, you can take one of the Falchion feats and switch it to a Nodachi feat, assuming you took Weapon Focus/Specialization feats with Fighter Bonus Feats.

You'll need Improved Iron Will for the Defiant's extra usage per day effect to work, since Improved Iron Will gives you the reroll. It's otherwise a very strong +2 property, since it also makes sure you don't drop weapons while stunned and such, and I believe it gives you a bonus on stabilize checks too...

Again, if you are going to make it a secondary weapon, give it the Dancing and Called properties, so you can technically use both that and your main weapon at the same time (or a bow).

A +4 property is difficult to save up for, if not simply obtain in the first place. If you were going to buy properties, I'd save up for the Dancing property first, since applying the Called property next makes it cost that much more to get the Dancing property later.


Our campaigns don't often afford us 5 days of sitting around sadly. Plus, I'm using a nodachi on my paladin character I rolled last week so I'll be sticking with falchion here. There isn't a huge difference and brace is highly situational as far as I can tell. I have a scythe for piercing as well as a lucerne hammer and a heavy flail. I've got all damage types covered.


Falchion to Nodachi is a whopping 0.65 average damage after crits. It's not worth retraining.

Dancing is an effect for people that won't be holding a weapon. It's not for you.

Burst effects are not worth it. They just aren't worth the +2 equivalent over two +1 equivalent elemental 1d6 effects and those aren't great to start with.

Just get the biggest +X you can find a crafter with the caster level for and fill the rest with either holy or maybe spell storing if one of your casters has a good touch spell to stick in it. If frostbite gives multiple attacks with a spell storing weapon it's the best option, though chill touch is still better than a 1d6 elemental if multiple attacks from multitouch spells are allowed but you don't have a druid, witch, or magus willing to feed your sword.


Atarlost wrote:

Falchion to Nodachi is a whopping 0.65 average damage after crits. It's not worth retraining.

Dancing is an effect for people that won't be holding a weapon. It's not for you.

Considering he gets an increased damage dice that's easier to max out and scales better in the long run, count as both Slashing and Piercing for damage reduction purposes, and still retains the other great benefits of the Falchion, it only becomes not worthwhile if he invests in (Greater) Penetrating Strikes, since it reduces all damage reduction points by 10 (and DR/- by 5), and even that's debatable since upgrading to 2D8 or more via Impact property (and/or Enlarge Person) in comparison to at best 3D4 is a great bargain, even more so when he decides to get a Colossal-sized Dancing Falchion cleaving faces.

That's precisely why I didn't say for him to put the Dancing property on his main weapon, because he wouldn't be holding it, defeating the purpose of having a primary weapon. According to his claims, he cannot enhance his primary sword, though it scales with him (I smell 3.X's Weapons of Legacy at work), so he wants to spend money either on other items (it's probably a better solution at this point), or to make his secondary weapon (which used to be his primary weapon) more useful in combat.

Having a Dancing Secondary Weapon making full attacks using your base attack bonus and dealing decent damage while you make full attacks in conjunction makes for the best use of any secondary weapon, period. Is it going to be as strong as you swinging it yourself? No. But it's still increased DPR, and makes for great pre-combat "buffing," so to speak.


The impact property it most 5.85 on a medium weapon for a +2 equivalent ability. That's terrible. It might be worth it for huge creatures, but it's absolute garbage for mediums until the sword is already at least +5. And then you probably want to look at high level properties like Nullifying or Spell Stealing.

You certainly never want to even consider impact dancing because that limits you to +4 (and is a +10 total weapon that you're using as backup, talk about Monty Hall.)

Making a property that is terrible at best slightly better is not worth the money and time to retrain probably three feats.

DR piercing almost never comes up compared to slashing and budgeoning. Still not worth the time to rebuild.


Retraining isn't really an option. I already have a hard enough time trying to find time to get enchantments done because we are always under some sort of time table. We might have finally hit a time where our characters can afford to take the time to get these expensive enchantments. And besides, the falchion is actually a staple weapon of my character's people. The one I have that can only be enhanced via me leveling up actually came from the character's mother.

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