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I have a character idea I'm tossing around that wields scissors as a weapon. This is a PFS-specific question dealing with rules on item enhancement in the campaign.
In the Inner Sea Gods book, there are magical scissors called 'Fate's Shears' (pg 263). They have some minor magical properties, but they also list the following:
"If used in combat, the Shears function as a masterwork dagger."
My question - in PFS, could I use the normal item enhancement rules to upgrade this to a +1 weapon (spending 2000gp)?
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Unfortunately, they're a named item so you can't upgrade it.
It's a named item, but only a masterwork weapon. A mithral shirt is also masterwork, but can be upgraded. That's why I thought I'd ask. There's also the funky verbiage 'functions as a masterwork dagger', which isn't to specifically say it counts as a weapon in all circumstances.
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Fate's Shears is a magical item, so unfortunately you can't upgrade them.
The upgrade for names items rules, cover items that are named, but don't actually have a magical effect on them. Like Elven Chain.
You can usually tell if a named item is magical or not, by checking if it has a Caster Level, CL, in its description.
Fate's Shears is a CL 6th item.
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If basic, non-magical scissors are listed in some book somewhere as legal to buy, then I see no reason why making them masterwork and enchanting them as a weapon couldn't be done.
I'm assuming that's how Amara Li got hers.
If basic, non-magical scissors are listed as a weapon somewhere, you could. But if they are listed as a tool or other gear, then you would be out of luck, because they would be improvised weapons.
Not to mention what happens if you decide to make one blade out of adamantine and one out of cold iron.
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What's wrong with using an improvised weapon? Just take the Catch Off Guard feat, follow it up with Weapon Focus: Scissors, and you're all set! I would stick to one material per pair of scissors, though.Nothing at all. but the man wants to enchant his weapon, and you can't do that if it's improvised.
Why not? Pay the extra 300 to get a pair of scissors made sturdy enough to use as a weapon (aka masterwork weapon cost), and then pay 2000 to enchant them as a +1 weapon.
I just checked, and not only doesn't it say that only traditional "weapons" can be enchanted, but the exception of shields being able to be enchanted as both a weapon and as an armor type shows that weapon enchantment can be done on things not primarily designed as weapons.
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What's wrong with using an improvised weapon? Just take the Catch Off Guard feat, follow it up with Weapon Focus: Scissors, and you're all set! I would stick to one material per pair of scissors, though.Nothing at all. but the man wants to enchant his weapon, and you can't do that if it's improvised.
Correct. Improvised weapons don't scale well at higher levels - without being able to enhance them, you miss out on useful enchantments, such as holy, keen, ghost touch, etc...and even the +1 every 4 levels from a greater magic weapon is noticably absent from a build (an improvised weapon is not a legal target of GMW spell).
If I could find a normal set of scissors that I could use as a weapon, that would suit my purposes just fine. That's the only place I've seen such a thing...and as was previously mentioned, named magical items cannot be further enhanced (regardless of whether they are actually MAGICAL weapons or not).
I was considering a swashbuckler midwife PC.
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I know it's PFS, but could you use a dagger and just call it a pair of scissors?
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I know it's PFS, but could you use a dagger and just call it a pair of scissors?
I'm sure I could call it whatever I wanted ("No, I'm not wielding a morning star...it's a shovel."). However, when the castle guards stop me and search me for weapons, I doubt the DM would hand-wave a weapon that is not a weapon. 'Flavor' is not the same as actually changing something to something else - at least, if it can matter for gaming purposes. Changing a hat to a cap is easy to do. Changing a shirt to a blouse is probably fine. Changing a normal, everyday item into a weapon is a little more dramatic.
