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Butterfly sword 20 gp 1d4 19–20/×2 1 lb. S monk
Butterfly Sword: These short matching swords come in pairs, cleverly nested together to appear as a single blade. Both weapons can be drawn at the same time, and they can be separated as a free action and wielded in both hands to make wickedly effective chops and slashes. Their thin, broad blades extend just 1 foot in length. A butterfly sword has a hardwood grip covered with braided cord, and a metal D-shaped guard to protect the wielder's hand.
I spend 20gp to buy a Butterfly sword. Do I have 2 swords or do I have one? The description implies they only come paired together, so I believe I have 2 swords. You can draw them together, and separate them into one blade per hand as a free action. Does this mean that you can enchant a butterfly sword, and get the enhancement bonus on both main hand and off hand attacks? Maybe this is the answer to the monks flurry of blows change. Also not a bad way for TWF ranger/fighter/etc to get both weapons enhanced for the cost of 1. Since these are merely light martial weapons, anyone with martial proficiency can use them.
I'd like official clarification on this, as searching didn't pick up anything. For 20gp, do you get a single butterfly sword, or do you get 2? If you get 2, does an enhancement count toward both of them?
Butterfly sword 20 gp 1d4 19–20/×2 1 lb. S monk
Butterfly Sword: These short matching swords come in pairs, cleverly nested together to appear as a single blade. Both weapons can be drawn at the same time, and they can be separated as a free action and wielded in both hands to make wickedly effective chops and slashes. Their thin, broad blades extend just 1 foot in length. A butterfly sword has a hardwood grip covered with braided cord, and a metal D-shaped guard to protect the wielder's hand.I spend 20gp to buy a Butterfly sword. Do I have 2 swords or do I have one? The description implies they only come paired together, so I believe I have 2 swords. You can draw them together, and separate them into one blade per hand as a free action. Does this mean that you can enchant a butterfly sword, and get the enhancement bonus on both main hand and off hand attacks? Maybe this is the answer to the monks flurry of blows change. Also not a bad way for TWF ranger/fighter/etc to get both weapons enhanced for the cost of 1. Since these are merely light martial weapons, anyone with martial proficiency can use them.
I'd like official clarification on this, as searching didn't pick up anything. For 20gp, do you get a single butterfly sword, or do you get 2? If you get 2, does an enhancement count toward both of them?
From what you're quoting, you have:
- Two swords- These appear to be one sword, but they are not
- Thus, they have to be enchanted separately
They are pretty pricy for their stats. Their saving grace is
- they can be drawn at once -> for monks really useful
- they appear to be one blade: might be useful for RP
I often wondered about that also. I don't think that was the intent, but an official answer would be nice.
Buying them as a set would be nice, but I don't think the official answer is going to allow them to be enchanted together. Paying for the enhancement of two weapons will still be cheaper than the amulet of might fist though.
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In real life they come as a set so in my game you would have two swords. If you're GM has a hard time conceptualizing this send him to your local Kung-Fu club to check out the weapons first hand.
The swords in my club were of the mundane quality so I can`t comment on the enhancement part of your question ;)
If you were playing in my game I`d probably let you enchant both swords for 150% of the cost to do 1.
I'm with diego here. Although on masterworking I'd say one set of masterwork butterfly knives would only run you 320g. so if nothing else it's a tiny little discount =)
Asta
PSY
Well maybe its THE solution for TWF. Would be cool.
And there should be a feat for butterfly fighting style to provide further coolnes. I mean come on, everyone who knows WingChun knows what im talking about.
I think that double weapons are a clear example of how you should go around enchanting the butterfly sword.
They are a single item but you need to enchant both ends of the weapon separately.
Maybe the should have listed it as a double weapon instead.
Since they didn't, how do you think enchanting butterfly swords as they are currently listed works?
I think you enchant both as one. You buy them as one too and its not specifically listed. Just like with the halfling slingstick.
Can you attack with the swords still connected as a single attack? I know you would only get the damage as if it's one weapon, but must you separate them?
There was another sabre working like that, chicken sabre?
You could defninately use it as one, but it seems the text has changed or it was antoher one.
You spend 20 gp and get two swords.
You enhance them separately.
Sangalor has it right.
Nope said the pope.
What about masterworking them Cheapy? 320gp or 620gp? Special materials? When do they suddenly become "two" weapons versus "one"?
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There would be no reason to choose any other weapon when TWF'ing. I chalk it up to very bad editing. Paizo tries to not make one choice so much better than other similar choices.
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620 gp for masterwork, of course. And you would pay for special materials twice. Why? because it clearly says it's two blades you are getting for that 20 gp.
I'm not even sure if they can be used as "one weapon", since they aren't one weapon. They just appear to be. But that interpretation isn't as clear cut.
620 gp for masterwork, of course. And you would pay for special materials twice. Why? because it clearly says it's two blades you are getting for that 20 gp.
I'm not even sure if they can be used as "one weapon", since they aren't one weapon. They just appear to be. But that interpretation isn't as clear cut.
The reason I asked that was because if you do make them both magical with different abilities, you could get essentially double the special abilities at half the cost.
620 gp for masterwork, of course. And you would pay for special materials twice. Why? because it clearly says it's two blades you are getting for that 20 gp.
I'm not even sure if they can be used as "one weapon", since they aren't one weapon. They just appear to be. But that interpretation isn't as clear cut.
"You can't add the masterwork quality to a weapon after it is created; it must be crafted as a masterwork weapon (see the Craft skill). The masterwork quality adds 300 gp to the cost of a normal weapon (or 6 gp to the cost of a single unit of ammunition). Adding the masterwork quality to a double weapon costs twice the normal increase (+600 gp)."
A butterfly sword is not a double weapon, so it should only be +300gp. You agreed that you get 2 swords for the 20gp.
To be consistent, I would say the entry in the table is for a single butterfly sword, and to buy the pair is 40gp. Masterwork versions are 320gp each. And you get the benefits of drawing/wielding them as described in the text.
None of this is made clear however, which is why I'd like to get a hard answer.
Right, and it's 300 to add it per weapon, and this is two :D
It's just a bad description all around.
Ah welcome to the new monk weapon weirdness!
Incidentally, I'd never allow them to be enhanced as a single weapon. That's clearly broken. Especially since the "loop hole hunter" player will want different enhancements for the same cost.
I might let the masterwork thing slide since these are always, always, made in sets of 2.
But that seems wrong as well.
This is not a fix for the monk, it's one of the symptoms.
There is a weapon form in Southern Preying Mantis (?) that involves a "draw and strike" with both swords in one hand. I don't remember what it's called and it's been 25 years since I've seen it done. It may not be from SPM at that.
I studied Ving Tsun for many years, and am trained in the use of the Butterfly Swords. They are two swords that fit together, and are not effectively usable in their combined state beyond parrying and as a bludgeoning weapon. They are in actuality two different weapons, and should not be enchantable as a single weapon unless you intend to use them as an improvised club.
The correct reading, as far as I can tell, is that they come in pairs, but a single one costs 20g, so in most situations you are going to be spending 40g on a pair, unless you have lost one or it has been destroyed, in which case you buy only the replacement sword. A masterwork pair would cost 640g, and a +1 pair would cost 4640g. Any more liberal reading is either a misunderstanding or an attempt to find a loophole in the system of weapon pricing and enchanting.
One may find many loopholes in the rules by inferring what is not implied, and combining those loopholes results in such absurdities as RAGELANCEPOUNCE.
BTW, UE added this text to the end.
The listed price is for a pair
of butterfly swords. Masterwork butterfly swords cost 320 gp for
the pair. If you add magical enhancement bonuses or properties
to a butterfly sword, treat each sword in the pair as a separate
weapon (for example, adding a +1 magical enhancement bonus
to a pair of masterwork butterfly swords costs 4,000 gp).
So, you pay the masterwork cost once, I reckons you pay for special material cost once, and then pay twice for any magical enhancements? Weird that it doesn't work like a double weapon.
Master Arminas
Yea, it's a weird item all around.