I've been thinking a lot lately about something I wish would have been added in UC. I love magic weapons as much as the next guy, but I would love to see non-magic alternatives for all stages of the game.
I like the idea of weapons that are simply so well made that they are as good as weapons filled with wizardly magic. While things like exotic weapons and different weapon materials hint at this, I would like more in this vein. And most importantly, I would like the ability to add new qualities to weapons. A longsword with trip or disarm or bonuses against heavy armor. A longbow with blades on it for melee or that fires multiples arrows at a time. Basically, physical weapon mods that are as good as enchantments (or maybe a bit weaker) but different and non-magical.
Thoughts? Discuss.
People will just want magical versions of those weapons.
A longsword with a trip bonus can just be a new weapon. I do think the devs are careful to not make mundane things better because when stacked with magic will lead to power creep.
I think this idea works better in a low magic campaign or a steampunk game where technology and magic exist together, but the game should still not be high magic, IMHO.
I'm creating some variant for my next campaign. What i'd like is to have weaponsmith that make good armor, not mage. So if a bonus should be added it is from weaponsmithing (maybe every 4 ranks?), and some SA can be made with materials, etc (keen is quite easy to think). Some strange SA can be added by magic (like flaming), but not the +1 bonuses.
The cost can remain the same.
Alec, the game allows for mastercrafters to create magic weapons and armor through mastery of their craft already.
I know but it needs a feat and the OP wants to try something different.
True... but what the OP is suggesting is simply an opportunity to take those non-magical "super weapons" and enchant them into magical "super-weapons..."
I just suggested something i tried, if he don't like he can ignore it :). Also i wrote that with this system casters can't make the +1 bonuses but only clearly magic SA.
I have no advice for non magical super weapons that can also be enchanted, except for this: magic gear is already too much important, in this way weapons should be more powerful and the best weapon would always be the enchanted one.
I really like this idea.
I do agree however that it would work best in a low magic game. Perhaps you could take a dark sun approach. Where certain types of material are incredibly rare and thus weapons made out of them while not magical are extremely powerful. Maybe you can have iron, steel, darkwood, mithral, adamantium, cold iron all represent different levels of mastery and rarity (in fact they already do). And with that have those particular weapons do special things in a none magical way. To prevent creep just say only wood and metal can be imbued with magic.
I thought about the issue of power creep comboing these with magic, and I to be honest I couldn't think of a way around it other than putting a cap on the total amount of magic and mundane enhancements. Which would be hard to explain in the context of the world, but I'm sure Paizo could come up with something.
Or the substances that provide such robust bonuses cannot be enchanted because . . .
of subtle anti magic properties.
of the molecular density of the metal prevents arcane enhancement like lead blocks radioactivity.
one deity in the setting devloped it and rained it down on the planet centuries ago to destroy blasphemous mages. . . no enchantment because that's how god made it.
Or the substances that provide such robust bonuses cannot be enchanted because . . .
of subtle anti magic properties.
of the molecular density of the metal prevents arcane enhancement like lead blocks radioactivity.
one deity in the setting devloped it and rained it down on the planet centuries ago to destroy blasphemous mages. . . no enchantment because that's how god made it.
So let's put this into role playing terms....
I'm a fighter, and I buy this awesome tripping longsword made out of some crazy rare anti-magic material which keeps me from giving it a magical enhancement.
I encounter a monster that requires a magic weapon to hit it.
I go back to town and ask to have it enchanted. I'm told "can't do it."
I go to the local magic shop and buy a +1 longsword.
That's not even beginning to address the need for scaling weapon bonuses as you level up to maintain your ability to hit level-appropriate targets.
IMC, you can buy "Masterwork Sharp" weapons which are MW but +1 to damage so long as they don't get damaged or blunted against heavy armour. They cost double Masterwork where available. It's an enhancement bonus so doesn't stack with magic. And you'd better sink some skill points into an appropriate Profession (Soldier, Blacksmith, etc) if you want to keep it sharp.
And likewise you might occasionally find "Craft" weapons which are genuine non-magic +1, but still enhancement. Price is at least 3x Masterwork, where available.
All non-RAW, of course.
Crazy idea, but how about giving an NPC the feats Master Craftsman, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, and allowing certain "smith-sages" to aquire another feat that, for a small additonal cost, allows some portion of those magical enhancements to function in otherwise no-magic situations. I'd rate it as an additional cost of (enhancement made "mundane") squared x1000gp, though feel free to give your input (too high/too low?).
This way, you don't have to worry so much about power creep as it is simply an enhancement on the existing rules which allows a part of an existing enhancement to persist even in anti-magic areas, not a separate enhancement that may or may not stack with a magical one.
And let's face it, a +5 weapon that is still +4 in an antimagic field is always gonna be better than a +5 weapon that is reduced to masterwork by the same, so the added cost is well worth it.
And any dedicated crafter could easily afford the 3 feats necessary by 5th lvl. Besides, a weapon like that should not be available at lower lvls, so the lvl requirement for a potential NPC really shouldn't factor too much.
P.S. The name that comes to my mind for this feat is "God's Smith", but what other ideas would you suggest?