So I'm kinda new to this, and I was looking at magic weapons and getting very confused. I have a couple of questions:
1. Do effects like flaming, frost, etc. cost the same as a +1 enhancement, or do you have to have a +1 enhancement on the weapon before you can get the effect? Like, would I have to have a +1 rapier (that gives +1 to attack and damage) before I put flaming on it, or do I just pay the same as a +1 bonus and it becomes a flaming rapier (not a +1 flaming rapier)?
2. Why on earth is everything phrased in terms of +1 enhancements and such? Why can't they just say 1,000 GP? I saw the cost for adding effects and it was like:
(cost of existing enhancements + cost of new enhancements) - cost of existing enhancements
Is there a reason for it being drawn out like that and not just "pay the cost of the new enhancement?"
Essentially I'm wanting to make a character with a Keen flaming burst rapier and I'm really confused on how much that costs. Someone please help me figure this out.
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First, a weapon must have at least a +1 before any other magical properties are applied to it. So your theoretical rapier would have to be (at minimum) +1 before keen or flaming burst are added.
Second, the reason things are listed as +X enhancement is that, to determine the price, you add ALL of the +X together to determine the cost. For example:
+1 (base)
+1 Keen
+2 Flaming Burst
---
+4 weapon total
This can cause the price for a property to change based on what the weapon already is before the property is added. So a plain +1 rapier is 2,000 (plus masterwork rapier cost). Adding Keen would cost the difference between that ~2000, and the total of a +2 weapon (8,000 plus cost of rapier, for a difference of 6,000).
Thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of answer I've been looking for, that clears everything up.