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When a magus adds a special weapon property to a weapon using his arcane pool, does he them need to use a standard action to activate it?
Well, some special abilities, like keen and vorpal, don't have to be activated. As for abilities like flaming, this issue has come up before. It takes a command word to activate such abilities, but it also takes a command word to turn them off. Neither state is declared to be the default. So the question boils down to whether the Magus (Arcane Duelist Bard, Paladin, Spell Warrior Skald, etc.) adds, or can choose to add, the ability in its 'on' state. I have decided to assume that they can and therefore don't require any additional actions to activate them. I don't know of anyone who does require a separate action to activate.
One interpretation makes those abilities reasonable, the other makes them worthless s@@*. Given the absence of official rules declaring them worthless s%+!, I think the choice is clear.
I feel those abilities are already normally bad since you have to activate them. So keeping the bad activation makes sense, bad choices are bad choices for a reason.
I feel those abilities are already normally bad since you have to activate them. So keeping the bad activation makes sense, bad choices are bad choices for a reason.
And now I do know someone who requires a separate action to activate them. :)
You give them flaming, flaming needs a command word to turn on. Why would giving your sword flaming already have it on?
EDIT: personally I usually don't enforce activation since the players who took them didn't realize how much of a trap they are, nor are they actually strong on their own, so increasing the power a lot is fine.
You give them flaming, flaming needs a command word to turn on. Why would giving your sword flaming already have it on?
As I pointed out, turning it off also requires a command word. Logically, since the description of the flaming ability doesn't specify whether 'on' or 'off' is the default state, we could just as well ask:
"You give them flaming, flaming needs a command word to turn off. Why would giving your sword flaming already have it off?"
I don't see any written rules that specify whether Arcane Pool adds the ability in one specific state, or if the initial state is up to the Magus, so I think this one is going to vary by GM. I wonder if there is a PFS guideline for this.