We all know there are weapon properties for ranged or melee weapons only. Seeking, Brilliant energy, Spell storing I'm sure I could go on.
Most of these properties obviously cannot be enhanced on one weapon type.
What about methods that instill these into the weapon without buying them?
Forgemaster Dwarf
Spoiler:
*Spellglyph: The inscribed weapon gains the spell storing special ability. The forgemaster must be at least 4th level before learning this rune.
Warpriest
Spoiler:
These bonuses stack with any existing bonuses the weapon might have, to a maximum of +5. The warpriest can enhance a weapon with any of the following weapon special abilities: brilliant energy, defending, disruption, flaming, frost, keen, and shock. In addition, if the warpriest is chaotic, he can add anarchic and vicious. If he is evil, he can add mighty cleaving and unholy. If he is good, he can add ghost touch and holy. If he is lawful, he can add axiomatic and merciful. If he is neutral (with no other alignment components), he can add spell storing and thundering. Adding any of these special abilities replaces an amount of bonus equal to the special ability's base cost. Duplicate abilities do not stack. The weapon must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before any other special abilities can be added.
Warpriest Blessing
Spoiler:
Spell-Storing Weapon (major): At 10th level, you can cast a spell into a magic weapon as if it had the spell storing weapon special ability. If the stored spell is not used within 10 minutes, it dissipates.
Magus
Spoiler:
At 1st level, a magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves.
At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal.
Paladin
Spoiler:
The first type of bond allows the paladin to enhance her weapon as a standard action by calling upon the aid of a celestial spirit for 1 minute per paladin level. When called, the spirit causes the weapon to shed light as a torch. At 5th level, this spirit grants the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus. For every three levels beyond 5th, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon bonuses to a maximum of +5, or they can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: axiomatic, brilliant energy, defending, disruption, flaming, flaming burst, holy, keen, merciful, and speed. Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's cost (see Table: Melee Weapon Special Abilities). These bonuses are added to any properties the weapon already has, but duplicate abilities do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. The bonus and properties granted by the spirit are determined when the spirit is called and cannot be changed until the spirit is called again. The celestial spirit imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the paladin but resumes giving bonuses if returned to the paladin. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon. A paladin can use this ability once per day at 5th level, and one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 5th, to a total of four times per day at 17th level.
As you can see there are a huge number of these abilities in existence there are also spells which confer these abilities and some of them are worded differently than others.
Unless there is a very good reason not to (e.g. the ability adding it expressly indicates otherwise) I would still apply the restrictions found in the weapon quality descriptions. Because when you add keen to a weapon, by whatever means, you add the entirety of that description for keen including the limitations.
Not strictly relevant, but as I'm here it is worth noting that Ultimate Equipment appears to have removed the restriction on brilliant energy.
Why would any of these abilities function differently than regular enhancement?
Well some of these ability types don't read identically to every other.
Quote:
Spell-Storing Weapon (major): At 10th level, you can cast a spell into a magic weapon as if it had the spell storing weapon special ability. If the stored spell is not used within 10 minutes, it dissipates.
It's possible they don't function normally due to duration restrictions. I'm not sure.
Quote:
Because when you add keen to a weapon, by whatever means, you add the entirety of that description for keen including the limitations.
Just as a note there is a keen bow in a specific adventure path.
Because when you add keen to a weapon, by whatever means, you add the entirety of that description for keen including the limitations.
Just as a note there is a keen bow in a specific adventure path.
Yes, and has since been noted as deliberately breaking the rules. As GM you can break whatever rules you want, but that is a different subject altogether, one more suited to a different forum.
Right but it begs the question can the keen edge spell is proof that for example spells and effects aren't bound by the item creation rules
Keen Edge
Spoiler:
KEEN EDGE
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Targets one weapon or 50 projectiles, all of which must be together at the time of casting
Duration 10 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless, object); Spell Resistance yes (harmless, object)
This spell makes a weapon magically keen, improving its ability to deal telling blows. This transmutation doubles the threat range of the weapon. A threat range of 20 becomes 19–20, a threat range of 19–20 becomes 17–20, and a threat range of 18–20 becomes 15–20. The spell can be cast only on piercing or slashing weapons. If cast on arrows or crossbow bolts, the keen edge on a particular projectile ends after one use, whether or not the missile strikes its intended target. Treat shuriken as arrows, rather than as thrown weapons, for the purpose of this spell.
Multiple effects that increase a weapon's threat range (such as the keen special weapon property and the Improved Critical feat) don't stack. You can't cast this spell on a natural weapon, such as a claw.
Take a look at the 'Mage Bullets' ability from Spellsinger (Wizard archetype). It has a lovely mix of melee and ranged abilities you can add to your gun.
Unfortunately, unless you house rule the melee-only properties, they only work if you try to use the barrel of the gun as an improvised weapon!
RAW, if an ability adds a melee-only enhancement to a weapon, it will only work/be useful if that weapon is a melee weapon.
Keen is particularly annoying since, as you noted, the spell works on ranged/ammunition, yet the enhancement does not.
That bow is intended to be unique. None of the methods you list have anything in them that indicates they can bypass the limit of the enhancement they are adding.
Seeing as spells break the "rules" regarding weapon enchantments regularly, I've always assumed that abilities such as the Warpriest's weapon enhancement can be applied to whatever weapon the Warpriest is wielding, as long as it isn't excluded by the text of the ability itself.
For example, you still couldn't Keen a bow or a quarterstaff since upon review the Keen enhancement specifically states it is only applicable to slashing or piercing melee weapons.
Conversely, the Spell Storing property does not specify in its text the type of weapon it must be applied to, so I don't see why you wouldn't be able to gift a bow with Spell Storing if you had an ability capable of imbuing it.
Not sure how a bow with spell storing would work. The ability triggers when you strike the opponent with the weapon, so I guess if you want to bash him over the head with the bow like a club...
Not sure how a bow with spell storing would work. The ability triggers when you strike the opponent with the weapon, so I guess if you want to bash him over the head with the bow like a club...
Or be a spellslinger and bash someone with the barrel... No, it's still terrible.
