My last character died. Making a replacement. A cleric of course.
Anything better than a +3 greatsword? I was thinking a +1 flaming, spellstoring greatsword would be neat. I can then cast greater magic weapon on it if I have an appropriate spell slot free for the day.
Ideally I'd like to be able to craft the thing myself, given that I have the magic arms and armor crafting feat.
Any advice?
The cleric is 9th level, half orc Cleric of Gorum, domains of Glory and Tactics (sub of war). Channels positive.
i like grayflame and, depending on your build, guided is pretty much the best enchant ever for clerics or monks (if your GM will let you take it).
Depending on your build, those are two of my favorites as well. I also like Spell Storing for a cleric.
The spell Greater Magic Weapon is a great option at 9th level. I suggest a Lesser Metamagic Rod of Extend so that each casting lasts all day long. 3,000 gold is definitely worth it.
Whoa, okay I see what greyflame does and I like it. I have limited channel uses each day (only 4/day), but you get a +1 enhancement bonus AND 1d6 damage? That's very cool.
Guided doesn't work exactly, as I have strength as my prime stat. Wisdom comes in second.
But Greyflame, neat. A +1 Greatsword with spellstoring and greyflame: cast GMW and it's +2, channel energy into it and its +3 +1d6. Hit and cast Bestow Curse or Inflict Wounds.
I don't think I could craft both the spellstoring and greyflame property. The fact that I'm not 12th level means +5 dc on the spellcraft check. The fact that I don't have channel smite means I'm an additional +5 on the check. The highest caster level is +12, so that's a +22 craft DC and I have a +12 skill check. Oy, I can make it if my DM lets me take ten unless I have false assumptions about crafting.
A +1 Greyflame Flaming weapon would also be cool. (Or hot, I suppose. Like walking around with a portable Flame Strike in my hands.)
Edit:
@Silent Saturn: I like keen a lot too. I'll be taking Improved Critical at 11th level so it will stack with the auto-confirmability of Bless Weapon.
@Blueluck: So 9 hours becomes 18 hours? Very nice. Worth the price indeed.
See if you can craft the Blade with the enchantments being added seperately?
I'm not entirely sure how crafting is handled. I'll talk to my GM about it. If I can have a +1 Greyflame, Spellstoring greatswords I'll make it. Otherwise I'll take the easier to craft +1 Greyflame, Flaming weapon.
Thanks for your help, you groovy cats!
A +2 weapon costs 8,000
A +3 weapon costs 18,000
A +4 weapon costs 32,000
Since you plan to use Greater Magic Weapon, instead of shelling out 18,000 for a +3, you could spend 16,000 for two +2 weapons. (+1 and a special ability, actually).
Blueluck has a good idea, there. If you have a greatsword (S), a morningstar (B&P) is a good backup. Give it a +1, and maybe ghost touch, or whatever. Give it some abilities your main weapon doesn't have. You can use it 2-handed, too.
Good point, although the Sword will certainly be my prime weapon.
Also, because I'm crafting, 18k/2=9k.
I was thinking of making a disruption weapon, but it's a +2 bonus and beyond my ability to craft.
A +1 ghost touch morningstar isn't a bad idea, to be sure. I might just leave it as +1 and put Holy or Anarchic on it later.
My armor: +3 Determination full plate (very pricy)
My weapon: +1 Spellstoring, Greyflame greatsword
Backup: +1 Morningstar
Other: +2 Headband for WIS, +2 Belt for STR...
I had better be sure I have enough gold for this...
Depending on your build you might get more use out of Spellstoring than Greyflame.
Here's a thing. What about the Impact weapon quality? +2 bonus for an extra damage die that works on critical hits, size increase (a la Righteous Might), and Vital Strike (which I can take as necessary as a swift action with my Tactics/War domain ability). It's a constant bonus, meaning I don't have to pour resources into my weapon (Channels or Spells), and it's effective against all targets my weapon is normally effective against (Greyflame won't hurt Good creatures, not that I should be attacking 'em).
It looks to me to be somewhat on par with any of the Burst weapon bonuses, with the exception that the extra damage occurs in a few niche situations which I am more likely to encounter than just straight up criticals.
A 15 will still threaten. Even if you don't confirm the crit, you still hit.
This isn't true at all.
From the Combat chapter:
Sometimes your threat range is greater than 20. That is, you can score a threat on a lower number. In such cases, a roll of lower than 20 is not an automatic hit. Any attack roll that doesn't result in a hit is not a threat.
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You are a Half-Orc, and high enough level that Crit range is worth FAR more than damage dice to you. Why aren't you using a Falchion? A Keen one at that. Remember, a high crit range is not just for crits.
Lets say you have a 15-20 crit range. And you need an 18 to hit.
A 15 will still threaten. Even if you don't confirm the crit, you still hit.
If you can build it from scratch, there are TONS of options.
Not to hijack, but that is not correct. You have to hit with something in order to threaten a critical. Just because the critical threat range is expanded doesn't mean you hit automatically on something less than a 20. Natural 20 is the only way to guarantee an auto-hit.
ETA- Ninja'd
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There are a few reasons I'm going with greatsword.
1. It's more badass.
2. It uses 2d6, a common type of die of which I have plenty and in many colors easily paired with complimentary d20's.
3. d4's are awkward to roll. I'd rather not have to roll them often.
4. It's more badass.
5. It's the weapon of my GOD, and it is by his divine majesty I stride into battle!
6. When I'm large (which will be often), it's easier to change the damage my weapon deals: Just add 1d6! Otherwise, I'd be switching from 2d4 to 2d6 anyway, so why not start there?
7. It's more badass.
So, Simplicity, Roleplay, and Badass would have to be my reasons.
Why not simply make it a Keen Holy Greatsword? You get the extra 2d6 with out having to burn one of your channels and you get the expanded crit range.
Granted the 2d6 does not multiply with the crit, but neither would the Greyflame.
Good point, although the Sword will certainly be my prime weapon.
Also, because I'm crafting, 18k/2=9k.
I was thinking of making a disruption weapon, but it's a +2 bonus and beyond my ability to craft.
A +1 ghost touch morningstar isn't a bad idea, to be sure. I might just leave it as +1 and put Holy or Anarchic on it later.
My armor: +3 Determination full plate (very pricy)
My weapon: +1 Spellstoring, Greyflame greatsword
Backup: +1 Morningstar
Other: +2 Headband for WIS, +2 Belt for STR...I had better be sure I have enough gold for this...
I have players that try that trick, too. Table 12-4 gives the GP amount of treasure you are supposed to have creating a new charater. Just because you are crafting it that does not change the Market cost of the item. You would spend 9000 and have 18000 deducted from your total.
Table 12–4 can also be used to budget gear for
characters starting above 1st level, such as a new
character created to replace a dead one.
Impact would be really nice with some set ups. But a keen whatever weapon would be great too, but as you said, you plan on improve crit later, so other enchantments might be better.
There are a few reasons I'm going with greatsword.
1. It's more badass.
2. It uses 2d6, a common type of die of which I have plenty and in many colors easily paired with complimentary d20's.
3. d4's are awkward to roll. I'd rather not have to roll them often.
4. It's more badass.
5. It's the weapon of my GOD, and it is by his divine majesty I stride into battle!
6. When I'm large (which will be often), it's easier to change the damage my weapon deals: Just add 1d6! Otherwise, I'd be switching from 2d4 to 2d6 anyway, so why not start there?
7. It's more badass.So, Simplicity, Roleplay, and Badass would have to be my reasons.
You're right. Keen is nice, but a greatsword is your god's weapon, and you can imbue it with whatever ability works best for your particular campaign. Crits depend on the die roll, and it's not going to be 15 or above 1/4 of the time. Just make it adamantine, add pluses, and hit for decent damage all the time.
Crits are nice, but don't rely on them. Add a +1, and get through more resistance.
I have players that try that trick, too. Table 12-4 gives the GP amount of treasure you are supposed to have creating a new charater. Just because you are crafting it that does not change the Market cost of the item. You would spend 9000 and have 18000 deducted from your total.
Table 12–4 can also be used to budget gear for
characters starting above 1st level, such as a new
character created to replace a dead one.
Hah! If that were the case I wouldn't even bother with the craft feats. Both of the GM's I'm under use the feats straight from character creation.
So to be clear, I'm not trying any tricks. We are encouraged to do so.
The games I play in are kinda ridiculous. The point buy would make you blush. The treasure drops are huge. It's fun, but the encounters are also made by the same standards so things get silly very quickly. In some ways it's oodles of fun. In some ways it punishes that which is not perfectly well built. Each "mistake" so to speak becomes all the more costly.
Back to topic...
I could certainly remake my guy with the Destruction domain and use the 8th level everyone auto-crits aura to make a keen Falchion go VERY far. It's sorta tempting. I'd rather not take that risk with such a squishy party. Instead I (for the moment) look to be taking Glory, so I can have an aura that lets us huddle-up and plan and buff like football players before the game begins. (It sorta works into the roleplay of the character, who believes he is already in a valhalla like afterlife and death merely sends people back to the land of the living.)
One of these days I'm going to have a full crit-fisher. TWF Fighter with some blender-like talents and all sorts of critical feats.
One of the reasons I'm looking at the Impact weapon property is because I'm now looking at changing the Glory domain to Ferocity subdomain of strength. (A chaotic evil outsider summoner in the party makes a fair number of the spells I have party hazards rather than completely a benefit.) This domain provides two growth spells as domain spells, Enlarge Person and the obviously better Rightous Might. The Tactics sub War domain lets me gain Vital Strike whenever I need it. If there's ever a time where I could legitimately excuse this weapon property it would be now.
It also carries the benefit of less resource tracking. I'm very bad at managing multiple resources and prefer to build my characters so I don't have to (which is why I've never really played a full caster till now, and even then, not really.)
But yeah, even the holy property is easy to use. One of the reasons I'm not building a simple +3 weapon is that at 13th I get Holy Sword... which I now think I can't even use since there's the summoner with his demon synthesist. *sigh* Maybe I have to go CN after all.
Well, this turned a little rantier than I intended. Anywho, here's how I see it.
Glory & Tactics: +1 Greyflame, SpellStoring Greatsword, CG alignment, fun for roleplay, potential Summoner exclusion
Ferocity & Tactics: +1 Impact Greatsword or just +3, CN alignment, less fun for roleplay, no Summoner exclusion
Destruction & Tactics: +2 Keen Falchion and the party wizards die from crits as my GM rolls 20 20's consecutively.
I should have made a new threat for this. Ah well.
I have players that try that trick, too. Table 12-4 gives the GP amount of treasure you are supposed to have creating a new charater. Just because you are crafting it that does not change the Market cost of the item. You would spend 9000 and have 18000 deducted from your total.
Table 12–4 can also be used to budget gear for characters starting above 1st level, such as a new character created to replace a dead one.
Um, that's not a "trick". As Sean K Reynolds states in this FAQ:
PC Wealth By Level (page 399): If a PC has an item crafting feat, does a crafted item count as its Price or its Cost?
It counts as the item's Cost, not the Price. This comes into play in two ways.If you're equipping a higher-level PC, you have to count crafted items at their Cost. Otherwise the character isn't getting any benefit for having the feat. Of course, the GM is free to set limits in equipping the character, such as "no more than 40% of your wealth can be used for armor" (instead of the "balanced approach" described on page 400 where the PC should spend no more than 25% on armor).
If you're looking at the party's overall wealth by level, you have to count crafted items at their Cost. Otherwise, if you counted crafted items at their Price, the crafting character would look like she had more wealth than appropriate for her level, and the GM would have to to bring this closer to the target gear value by reducing future treasure for that character, which means eventually that character has the same gear value as a non-crafting character--in effect neutralizing any advantage of having that feat at all.
—Sean K Reynolds, 01/13/12
By not letting PCs gear appropriately taking their crafting feats into account, you're denying them the benefit of their feats.