|
Basic question in the title. I have a player who has gotten his hands on some Galvanic Gauntlets, which are extremely thematic for his character. The question is, he's wondering if he gets the Conductive quality on his weapon, if he can use it with any of the abilities of the gauntlets. The gauntlets (shown below) have several abilities, one that functions like a shocking grasp, one that gives your unarmed strikes shocking, and later shocking burst. The main question is, Conductive states that you can channel supernatural and spell-like abilities through your weapon, so do any of the galvanic gauntlet abilities count? This lead to me asking, are magic item abilities like this supernatural, or spell-like, or neither?
Secondary question. The activation of the electric tough ability is a standard action, correct?
Galvanic Gauntlets
Price 1,882 gp; Slot hands CL 5th; Weight 2 lbs.; Aura faint evocation; Scaling prize
These gloves are woven of a fine copper mesh and wire, and infuse the wearer’s hands with an electric charge. The wearer can use the galvanic gauntlets to make a melee touch attack dealing 1d6 points of electricity damage. She gains a +3 bonus on the attack if the target is wearing metal armor or is composed of metal.
7th Level: The touch attack’s damage increases to 2d6 points of electricity damage.
9th Level: If the wearer uses her hands to make unarmed strikes (including when making a combat maneuver check to damage an opponent in a grapple), those attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage on each hit, as if she were using a weapon with the shock weapon special ability.
11th Level: Any item held in the wearer’s hands gains a powerful static charge, and any creature attempting to disarm the wearer of an object she is holding (or to make a steal combat maneuver against the gloves themselves) takes 1d6 points of electrical damage and must succeed at a DC 19 Fortitude save or be staggered for 1 round by the shock. This static charge does not harm items the wearer is holding.
13th Level: The shock ability of the gauntlets improves to the shocking burst weapon special ability.
15th Level: Once per day when the wearer hits a creature with the gauntlets’ touch attack, she can create electric arcs that strike nearby creatures. This functions as though the target of the attack had been the primary target of a chain lightning spell (Reflex DC 19 half), though the hit creature doesn’t take any additional damage.
If I am correct in my understanding, your main concern seems to be "can my player use a conducting weapon to use the Galvanic Gauntlet powers through a manufactured weapon".
Luckily we don't have to look very far because the item description covers this. The answer to your question is "The item does what it says it does". So only the 11th level ability could work with a held manufactured item.
If you or your player want a weapon that can channel the power of the gauntlet, I would advise creating a unique magic item for him. "Galvanic greatsword" rolls off the tongue nicely.
As far as the original question goes, magic items are created by using spells, but often manifest abilities that are altered or only partially related to the magic imbued in them. I can't find anything about magic item descriptions in general that clarifies this.
|
|
Thanks, that is more focused. My question lead into answering the one you pointed out. I'm trying to classify the effects of magic items, and it is proving difficult. They aren't spell-like, or supernatural, or extraordinary. So a dwarf's "hardy" racial ability wouldn't give them any bonus to saves against say, a circlet of blasting, even though it's replicating a spell, or the last ability of the gauntlets above (The chain lightning ability). It is clearly magic, but it's not enough magic? Sorry if this seems clear to other folks, but lack of definition in these type of areas bothers me.