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Metamagic Rods that are also weapons

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assuming that you can make your own custom rods

is it possible to have a metamagic rod that also functions as a magic weapon ?

e.g.
Lesser Metamagic Quicken and can be used as +2 heavy mace.

and if that is possible would it mean if your using the rod in melee to make attacks can you also use its swift power in that round to fire off swift level 1-3 spells ?
Phasics wrote:

assuming that you can make your own custom rods

is it possible to have a metamagic rod that also functions as a magic weapon ?

e.g.
Lesser Metamagic Quicken and can be used as +2 heavy mace.

and if that is possible would it mean if your using the rod in melee to make attacks can you also use its swift power in that round to fire off swift level 1-3 spells ?

Nothing stopping you from having a rod that is also a weapon. Several exist in the Core book. If your rod is Quicken, then yes you should be able to fire off a quickened spell and still smack someone upside the head.

Lathiira wrote:
Phasics wrote:

assuming that you can make your own custom rods

is it possible to have a metamagic rod that also functions as a magic weapon ?

e.g.
Lesser Metamagic Quicken and can be used as +2 heavy mace.

and if that is possible would it mean if your using the rod in melee to make attacks can you also use its swift power in that round to fire off swift level 1-3 spells ?

Nothing stopping you from having a rod that is also a weapon. Several exist in the Core book. If your rod is Quicken, then yes you should be able to fire off a quickened spell and still smack someone upside the head.

was thinking for a class like paladin or ranger this could be very handy to apply thier spells without effecting thier melee pr spending actions before melee

Phasics wrote:
Lathiira wrote:
Phasics wrote:

assuming that you can make your own custom rods

is it possible to have a metamagic rod that also functions as a magic weapon ?

e.g.
Lesser Metamagic Quicken and can be used as +2 heavy mace.

and if that is possible would it mean if your using the rod in melee to make attacks can you also use its swift power in that round to fire off swift level 1-3 spells ?

Nothing stopping you from having a rod that is also a weapon. Several exist in the Core book. If your rod is Quicken, then yes you should be able to fire off a quickened spell and still smack someone upside the head.
was thinking for a class like paladin or ranger this could be very handy to apply thier spells without effecting thier melee pr spending actions before melee

Paladins can find other ways to do this, but it works. Rangers don't have many decent combat spells core. Try doing this with a cleric, druid, or bard. I am not responsible for the dirty looks your GM gives you;) Try the fun of a battle-oriented sorcerer with haste. Then duck;)

There is a distinction that needs to be made, are you 1) creating a rod that can turn into a weapon, with a rods normal uses? if so, then definitely yes, but the limitation is that the weapon type and magical properties are set when the rod is made, and cannot be changed/upgraded later. Or are you 2) creating a weapon that permanently incorporates a rod into its handle, thereby making the weapon magically upgradable? If so, then the answer is still yes, but the rules are much less clear as to how (from memory anyways hehe).

As far as item creation rules go you can do it, but would add +50% cost to the lower cost magical augment (rod vs weapon) as they are taking up the same slot.. question would then become which is the lower cost?

Examples:

Lesser rod of Quicken=35,000
+1 longsword=2,000 for the magical +1

would you make the +1 = 3,000? how about the subsequent +2, does that count as a continuation of the lesser enchantment? if so, you are looking at 12,000 instead of 8,000... a +4 is 48,000 instead of 32,000, it would get out of hand quickly.

I would instead suggest the weapon would automatically be considered the "primary" enhancement (at 1.0x cost) and the rod would then be billed at 1.5x cost. That as well is quite costly, and unless you are just rolling in cash, most likely never worth it.

The other option, and I cannot remember what 3.5 splat book it was from offhand, but you can build in rod sockets to any weapon that would naturally accommodate them (a morningstar, the haft of a battle axe, etc) but not into unsuitable weapons (a dagger, cestus, or sap). The cost was minimal, and the only downside is that the rods weren't permanently affixed, but then, I don't see that as a downside really.
Stubs McKenzie wrote:


As far as item creation rules go you can do it, but would add +50% cost to the lower cost magical augment (rod vs weapon) as they are taking up the same slot.. question would then become which is the lower cost?

rods and weapons are not slot items.

core rules pg.459
A humanoid-shaped body can be decked out in magic gear
consisting of one item from each of the following groups,
keyed to which slot on the body the item is worn.
Armor: suits of armor.
Belts: belts and girdles.
Body: robes and vestments.
Chest: mantles, shirts, and vests.
Eyes: eyes, glasses, and goggles.
Feet: boots, shoes, and slippers.
Hands: gauntlets and gloves.
Head: circlets, crowns, hats, helms, and masks.
Headband: headbands and phylacteries.
Neck: amulets, brooches, medallions, necklaces, periapts,
and scarabs.
Ring (up to two): rings.
Shield: shields.
Shoulders: capes and cloaks.
Wrist: bracelets and bracers.
skrahen wrote:


rods and weapons are not slot items.
core rules pg.459

Well then I guess a character can use 10 rods at the same time, right?

Mynameisjake wrote:
skrahen wrote:


rods and weapons are not slot items.
core rules pg.459

Well then I guess a character can use 10 rods at the same time, right?

i guess if you had ten hands you could hold ten rods. your actions determine how many you could use.

and what does my comment regarding magic item creation rules have to do with how many rods a character can use at the same time?
skrahen wrote:


rods and weapons are not slot items.

core rules pg.459

So i guess a character can ride ten horses at the same time, right?

(sarc)

I'm under the impression a rod would function basically just as a club. Enchanting it for weapon use would probably still be able to make it up to +10 total bonus, but it would suffer from cost penalty of lowest cost +50%
General Chaos wrote:
I'm under the impression a rod would function basically just as a club. Enchanting it for weapon use would probably still be able to make it up to +10 total bonus, but it would suffer from cost penalty of lowest cost +50%

Same impression but I will give the penalty for using improvised weapon though...

just as an example

the Rod of Viper can be used as a +2 Heavy Mace for 19'000gold

The Rod of Flailing can be used as a Dire Flail +3/+3 for 50'000

so if you use one of these rods as a abse and thn add the lesser quicken on top of that at so 35'000gold +50% cost

so Viper + Quicken = 35'000+19'000*1.5 = 63'500 gold

Flailing + Quicken = 50'000+35'000*1.5 = 102'500 gold

Yes Skrahen, you are correct that neither take up a slot, but I wasn't referring to magic item slots on a characters body, poor wording on my part. I meant to suggest that you would incur a 50% increase in cost due to 2 dissimilar abilities on one item. I didn't have the book in front of me at the time, but now I do, and see that a non slotted item with dissimilar abilities cost is just simple addition. The only time you incur a 50% increase in cost is for a slotted item (which is what I think you were trying to suggest, it was just difficult to tell without some sort of explanation).

I would still tend to suggest making the magic weapon and the rod(s) separately, and building a slot into the handle of the weapon, so you can switch out the rods as the day progresses.
Rdodsone wrote:
skrahen wrote:


rods and weapons are not slot items.

core rules pg.459

So i guess a character can ride ten horses at the same time, right?

(sarc)

If you had 10 asses, then yes.

...I just looked at what I typed...should I make a comment about asses riding horses?

to fiddlersgreen----->I think rdodsone was referring(sarcastically) to the comment jake had made about using ten rods at once. it is so hard to judge tone online, i try to stay out of (possibly)incendiary banter, so i didn't respond to the comment.
skrahen wrote:
to fiddlersgreen----->I think rdodsone was referring(sarcastically) to the comment jake had made about using ten rods at once. it is so hard to judge tone online, i try to stay out of (possibly)incendiary banter, so i didn't respond to the comment.

Yeah, I know he was being sarcastic and was trying to be funny. And yes, it is hard to read tones online. XD

Pretty sure Rhodsone was referring to Skrahen's comment. That is who he/she quoted, after all.

While a rod doesn't take up an item slot, it also isn't actually a "non slotted" item. If it were, then you could, in fact, have unlimited rods, each usable at will, just as you can have unlimited "non slotted" items that are usable at will.

The fact that you can only use a rod while it is in a hand, makes it closer to being a slotted item than a non-slotted one.

http://dragonage.bioware.com/

You decide if the dude in the trailer has a staff or a metamagic rod built into the pommel of his sword. =D
FiddlersGreen wrote:

http://dragonage.bioware.com/

You decide if the dude in the trailer has a staff or a metamagic rod built into the pommel of his sword. =D

I think it's the other way around - I think it's a staff with a sword blade stuck on the end...

Mynameisjake wrote:

Pretty sure Rhodsone was referring to Skrahen's comment. That is who he/she quoted, after all.

While a rod doesn't take up an item slot, it also isn't actually a "non slotted" item. If it were, then you could, in fact, have unlimited rods, each usable at will, just as you can have unlimited "non slotted" items that are usable at will.

The fact that you can only use a rod while it is in a hand, makes it closer to being a slotted item than a non-slotted one.

I was referring to jakes comment.I didn't think i was being "incendiary" sorry.

items either use slots or they don't. rods don't use slots. it's not a "closer to being" or whatever, it is or it isn't and it isn't. Rods are not necessarily usable "at will". rods activation varies depending on the type of rod. some are use activated, rod of alertness needs to be planted and willed to work(standard action) etc.
you can in fact have an unlimited number of rods useable in whatever specific way each rod functions. a multi-armed creature(lets say 10) for instance can hold ten rods of absorption and use the absorption ability of each and every one. it requires no action and must simply be "in hand".
the restrictions of slotted items do not apply to rods, because they are not on the list. the same applies to the construction of rods, they don't use the item occupies a slot modifiers for creation, which is the root of all of this.
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