The description of the spell Blightburn Weapon reads as so:
You transform the target weapon into pure blightburn. The weapon functions as normal, but any creature that touches it, or that it strikes, takes 2d6 points of fire damage each round it remains in contact. In addition, the weapon emanates an aura of radiation that causes blightburn sickness. This is as the disease, but with a 10-foot radius and a save DC equal to this spell's save DC.
As written, this would imply that (1) the wielder of a blightburn weapon eats damage every round and (2) someone hit with a blightburn weapon multiple times will only take damage once every round (the same rate as the wielder). Additionally, the wielder is also exposed to the radiation sickness emanating from the weapon.
I initially presumed this was a buff spell (given that this is a magus spell), but it reads much more like a debuff instead. My questions:
*Is this indeed how the spell works? (Am I missing something?)
*IS this indeed how the spell is intended to work (is this supposed to be a debuff)?
I'd say that it is, given the severity of the Blightburn disease.
On a side note, the Blightburn Weapon spell is close range, meaning you can pop it as a Standard, and run the heck away as a Move Action.
To be honest, it doesn't really make sense to cast this spell period, since doing this on anyone worthwhile is going to screw with your buddies hardcore; it could be nice to throw onto ammunition for constructs, undead, or characters who are immune to disease. (Why the heck is this not an AntiPaladin spell?!)
Very badly worded spell...
I initially presumed this was a buff spell (given that this is a magus spell), but it reads much more like a debuff instead
I think it is meant to be a straight debuff spell that could situationally be used as a buff; it says you can target a weapon at range and then says will negates. I imagine that if it were meant to be a buff it would have the harmless descriptor and specify it has to be used on allies.
If you're fighting someone who is incredibly reliant on a certain weapon this could put them in a very uncomfortable position, doubly so if he has allies around him when you cast this. Unfortunately disease doesn't really matter to NPCs though as they usually aren't long for this world when PCs fight them anyway.
Really this sounds like something an NPC with high +'s versus disease and fire would would use, as PCs would actually feel the effects of the disease.
I have a magus with the animate weapon (3rd party) arcana, so I'm going to get blightburn weapon when I can and throw it on the animated weapon.