Hi,
Was having this debate. Should I just buy a weapon with keen edge on it or get the feat Imp Crit?
This is for my PFS Greatsword wielding Barbarian, who presently can't afford/doesn't meet the requirements for either so I am just spitball at the moment...
Keen Edge
PROS:
Doesn't eat up a feat
Can buy it for any weapon
CONS:
Lose the weapon, lose the advantage
Costs $$$ and eats up a +1 enchantment on the weapon
Imp Crit Feat
PROS:
works with any greatsword I pick up
CONS:
Costs a feat per weapon
Those are the pros and cons as I see them for my barbarian. I was originally leaning for the Keen Edge enchantment but after talking to my GM he seemed to think getting the feat was better since I would most likely be able to get the feat before I had the gold to get the item so now I am inclined to get the feat. What are peoples thoughts on this issues in general and my situation specifically.
Thanks in advance!
Keed Edge is spell. Keen is a weapon enhancement. Whether or not to take the feat depends on what you were going to use your other feats for. I normally take the feat if I am playing a fighter. Otherwise I normally pay for keen.
Was having this debate. Should I just buy a weapon with keen edge on it or get the feat Imp Crit?
I usally take the feat with my core martial types. It cannot be dispelled, is not lost if the weapon is, works with any of that weapon you find, works in anti magic zones and allows you to use your money for other magic boost than the +1 keen ability.
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Personally, I would only take the feat if I was a fighter some other class/build that has lots of feats to spare. Anything else, I'd buy keen weapons.
+1 weapon enhancement is +1 attack and +1 damage. That's a feat and a half right there. (Weapon Focus + 1/2 Weapon Specialization)
So, the feat is probably a better bargain unless you find yourself feat starved and in a position to pay more for a feat then it would otherwise be worth.
+1 weapon enhancement is +1 attack and +1 damage. That's a feat and a half right there. (Weapon Focus + 1/2 Weapon Specialization)
So, the feat is probably a better bargain unless you find yourself feat starved and in a position to pay more for a feat then it would otherwise be worth.
Agree with ^.
I would go with the feat normally as most classes where you would be getting the feat have enough that it would be fine to take. Unless you are a super hybrid you should be fine.
Hi,Was having this debate. Should I just buy a weapon with keen edge on it or get the feat Imp Crit?
This is for my PFS Greatsword wielding Barbarian, who presently can't afford/doesn't meet the requirements for either so I am just spitball at the moment...
Keen Edge
PROS:
Doesn't eat up a feat
Can buy it for any weaponi thought keen has to been on a slashing & piercing weapon.....i could be very wrong
aaaaaaaaaaaaaand i just saw that u said he uses a great sword.....completely renders anything i said useless.....
Personally, I would only take the feat if I was a fighter some other class/build that has lots of feats to spare. Anything else, I'd buy keen weapons.
Same here. Any other class but fighter or maybe ranger and you need those feats for other stuff, so take a Keen weapon. No matter what weapon it is, it's worth it.
How do magic items work in PFS? If you just get a bunch of level apporpriate money to spend on stuff and upgrade, definitely keen. A feat is valuable. but if most new shinies come in the form of "whatever the DM drops in the loot," I would get the feat, as in the long run you'll likely find a new sword that obsoletes the one you have.
In either case, I encourage you to reconsider greatsword and get a falchion. With Imp. Crit or Keen, it'll have +10% chance of critting for just 2 less average damage compared to greatsword.
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Personally, I prefer the Improved Critical feat as it does apply to any weapon of the type selected. As most characters have a preferred weapon, it gives the most flexibility.
That said, I would also limit this selection to a fighter (who can spare the feats), rogue (as it could be picked up via a rogue trick and can make the rogue a bit more efficient in combat) or magus (who gains the benefit of expanding the crit range for the spells delivered through the weapon). Other classes I would pick it if it fit with the character concept (i.e. - the cleric who wants to embody the "hand of vengeance").
+1 weapon enhancement is +1 attack and +1 damage. That's a feat and a half right there. (Weapon Focus + 1/2 Weapon Specialization)
So, the feat is probably a better bargain unless you find yourself feat starved and in a position to pay more for a feat then it would otherwise be worth.
And there you have it.
Not to say that a keen weapon isn't a good investment at low levels. If you have the scratch to pick one up it's something to consider. It's like a down payment on a nice house. You don't own it yet and by the time you'be payed for the whole thing (picking up the feat) you've paid more than the selling price due to the interest (roughly 4000 gp) but its nice to live in a big house (cutting stuff up with a 15-20 threat range) before you can afford it outright sometimes.
Nodachi is also a good option if you want to make it keen. 15-20 threat range is impressive.
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I know we're talking about greatswords, but just for completeness sake, if you're a TWF then I'd take the feat, as it affects both your weapons (assuming you're smart enough to wield the same ones)
Also just a thought: Is it possible to make the Keen Edge spell permanent somehow? Might be cheaper than the Keen property.
+1 weapon enhancement is +1 attack and +1 damage. That's a feat and a half right there. (Weapon Focus + 1/2 Weapon Specialization)
So, the feat is probably a better bargain unless you find yourself feat starved and in a position to pay more for a feat then it would otherwise be worth.
And there you have it.
Not to say that a keen weapon isn't a good investment at low levels. If you have the scratch to pick one up it's something to consider. It's like a down payment on a nice house. You don't own it yet and by the time you'be payed for the whole thing (picking up the feat) you've paid more than the selling price due to the interest (roughly 4000 gp) but its nice to live in a big house (cutting stuff up with a 15-20 threat range) before you can afford it outright sometimes.
I would say that keen is worth more than +1, at any level, on a weapon with a large threat range - scimitar, kukri, rapier, katana or elven curve-blade. The extra damage on the critical is well worth the investment.
... a permanent Keen Edge spell is a Keen weapon.
Srsly.
Is it possible to make the Keen Edge spell permanent somehow? Might be cheaper than the Keen property.
If that were possible (and less expensive), it would make the Keen weapon enchantment 100% useless. So, good luck with that.
the feat is better if you have one to spare, a full bab class using one specific type of weapon should pretty much always take imp crit unless they are feat starved for some reason (twf/shield paladin etc).
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Scabbard of keen edges anybody?
Scabbard of keen edges anybody?
Not a fan. A SoKE and a +4 weapon is cheaper than a +5 weapon, but it's also more limited. It's a standard action to activate, that must be done before you draw, and 50 min 3x a day may be enough for all you encounters, or it may not.
Plus, it doesn't help you for TWF because both blades have to be drawn from the same scabbard. It doesn't help you switching weapons mid-combat either for the same reason.
If you know which weapons you'll need ahead of time, it can be useful keening multiple weapons, otherwise you'll just keen your main weapon and hope you fight enough things to make expending the charge worthwhile.
True, if you are a TWF or you switch weapons for the specific situation, then the feat becomes much more attractive.
However, the OP asked about a great sword wielding barbarian. So you don't have 1 of the few classes that have lots of extra feats. He is apparently sticking with the same type of weapon. I've never seen anyone carry around multiple greatswords for different situations, though I suppose it's possible. In this situation, I would say pay for keen.
EXCEPT...
He is playing in PFS. I am not at all familiar with PFS, but from what I've read it is hard to get a specific weapon unless you have alot of faction points or something. Which means you can't get the specific weapon until after a regular play PC could get it by purchase. Also, you can't get a weapon upgraded. If that is true (and it might not be) then I think the improved crit feat would be better.
Thanks for the input everyone. I think I'll be going with the feat. I have the feats to spare and the money could be spent elsewhere.
Thanks for so much advice and pointing out a few things I didn't think of.
Feats are a finite, theoretically non-renewable resource. Gold can be earned far more easily than bonus feats. I never take improved critical.
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go with the feat. when you have the prestige for a +2 weapon get a +1 Furious weapon. By the time you have the prestige to make it a +3 you'll be within a lvl or 2 of getting the feat.
A furious weapon serves as a focus for its wielder’s anger. When the wielder is raging or under the effect of a rage spell, the weapon’s enhancement bonus is +2 better than normal. If the wielder has a rage power that gives a skill bonus while raging (such as raging climber, raging leaper, or raging swimmer), the wielder gains an enhancement bonus to that skill whenever the weapon is wielded or held in hand, even when not raging; this bonus is equal to the enhancement bonus of the weapon (including the +2 when the wielder is raging).
I favorited comments. Along the lines of it's a good idea if you're twf, or poor. Or on dungeon crawl where you can't buy equipment. On routine excursions on adventures then back to town, you might be better off using the feat slot for something you can't buy easily.
On a side note, I may have been playing keen wrong. My wizard casts keen on his bow? I'm pretty sure that it needs to be cast on arrows instead.
I would go with the feat. In the long run, you have a finite number of enchantments you can put on your weapon as well, so even if you had infinite monies, you would still have to make a choice between keen or another +1.