Wraithlin's page

Under the RAW it appears using these abilities is a "free option", that costs no action and can be activated multiple times per round. Am I missing any errata or rules clarifications that limit the use of these (beyond your pool of Mythic Points)?

Compare:
1. “When a critical hit or sneak attack is scored against a creature wearing an item with this ability, the wearer can expend one use of legendary power to negate the critical hit or sneak attack and instead take normal damage.”
2. “When this item deals damage, its user can use mythic power to double the total amount of damage it deals.”

With the text for Absorb Blow
“As an immediate action, whenever you take hit point damage from a single source (such as a dragon's breath, a spell, or a weapon), you can expend one use of mythic power to reduce the damage you take from that source by 5 per tier”

I'm building towards a Paladin Sword/Board in my current game which will include Mythic elements at higher levels. The plan is to go deep into two-weapon fighting so that the Paladin can maximize his use of smite, up-to an including a Legendary Item Shield that will be "weaponized".

This has created lots of rules analysis which I've summarized at the bottom of my post. However there are two rules questions where we are looking for primary sources specifically:
Can anyone point to a primary source that indicates the +10 cap for armour enchantments is separate to the +10 cap for weapon enchantments (i.e a shield can be +10/+10)?
Can anyone point to the same/similar for double-weapons (i.e. Each head can be +10 independently)

PRIOR ANALYSIS:
What I have found mostly consists of rules discussions on the Paizo boards, which generally conclude that:
• Shields are weapons and can be used/enchanted as such at no penalty relative to other weapons
o This includes the fact that they can be main-handed (if declared) and are eligible for relevant feats such as Weapon Focus and Weapon expertise.
o Also a general agreement that when using Shield master you use the higher of either the Weapon Enhancement or the Shield Enhancement as your Attack Enhancement bonus when attacking (i.e. a +5/+1 shield would be a +5 weapon, NOT a +6 weapon).
• Double weapons appear to already allow for +10/+10 as each head is enchanted separately.
o RAW: “Creating magic double-headed weapons is treated as creating two weapons when determining cost, time, and special abilities.”
o RAW: "you can build a double weapon with each head made of a different special material."
o RAW: "The celestial spirit imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the paladin but resumes giving bonuses if returned to the paladin. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon."
o http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2p6xy?Double-Weapon-Enchantment
o http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2kovt?Quarterstaff-weapon-enchantment
o https://www.epicpath.org/index.php?title=Magic_Item_Crafting_Rules&mobi leaction=toggle_view_mobile

• The Weapon Enchanting is separate from the Shield Enchanting for a shield, they don’t overlap and each has its own +10 cap analogous to double weapons.
o This point seems to come from reference to the 3.5 FAQs and there is an unwritten assumption that those rules clarifications carry-forward into Pathfinder unless they have been re-ruled or changed.
o RAW: “If you use your shield as a weapon, you lose its AC bonus until your next turn. An enhancement bonus on a shield does not improve the effectiveness of a shield bash made with it, but the shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right.” (emphasis mine).
o “it states that shields are enchanted separately for weapon and armor properties. Same as a double weapon pays separate costs for each end, not total for the same item with multiple properties.”

Discussion threads on enchanting shields as weapons:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2q9im?Can-a-shield-qualify-for-weapon-focus
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2oup8?Shields-as-magic-WEAPONS
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2th8d?Magic-shield-enchanting-as-a-weapon
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2r9v4?Enchanted-Shield-Enchanted-Shield-Spikes

Pathfinder FAQ
http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fm#v5748eaic9vdp

DnD 3.5 FAQ:
http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/er/20070731a
Note: I cant’ find anything on the +10/+10 can in this errata, and have a feeling this is something that was clarified in a Q&A separately.

Overall, the argument that two separate pools for enchanting are allows is based on:
• 3.5 Errata and historical understanding that seems to err on this side, based on rules discussions on the boards
• Interpretation of the “shield can be made into a magic weapon in its own right” being analogous to double weapons and hence a separate “item” that can be full enchanted.
• Pricing/cost rules. Using a combined cap leads to pricing ambiguity, as a +1/+1 shield could arguably cost:
o 4k (2^2*1000 under armour enchanting rules)
o 8k (2^2*2000 under weapon enchanting rules)
o 3k (1^1*1000 + 1^1*2000 under mixed enchanting rules)
• The rules state “A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC.”
o This wording implies that the price formula would be as per Example 3, and the +1/+1 shield costs 3k
o http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateEquipment/magicArmsAndArmor/armo rSpecialAbilities.html
• Double weapons already break the +10 cap by enchanting each end independently.

The arguments against are:
• Rules ambiguity: there is a lot of interpreting disparate sentences spread across the RAW, while its never fully clarified that this is how the rules work (nor that this is NOT how the rules work)
• Potential balance issues.
• Cost

A middle-ground would be to use the combined-items rules that allow for stacking abilities on single slot, at +50% cost. In that case the +1/+1 shield would cost 4k (1^1*1000+ 1^1*2000*1.5). This looks like it would be more clearly within the rules.