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[PFS Legal] Dancing
Source Ultimate Equipment pg. 138, PRPG Core Rulebook pg. 469
Aura strong transmutation CL 15th
Slot weapon quality; Price +4 bonus; Weight —
Description
As a standard action, a dancing weapon can be loosed to attack on its own. It fights for 4 rounds using the base attack bonus of the one who loosed it and then drops. While dancing, it cannot make attacks of opportunity, and the activating character it is not considered armed with the weapon. The weapon is considered wielded or attended by the activating character for all maneuvers and effects that target items. While dancing, the weapon shares the same space as the activating character and can attack adjacent foes (weapons with reach can attack opponents up to 10 feet away). The dancing weapon accompanies the activating character everywhere, whether she moves by physical or magical means. If the activating character has an unoccupied hand, she can grasp it while it is attacking on its own as a free action; when so retrieved, the weapon can’t dance (attack on its own) again for 4 rounds. This special ability can only be placed on melee weapons.
As written, the weapons don't share anything besides abilities that target items.
So an Inquisitor Bane ability or a Magus Arcane pool will work (they target a weapon), but it will not benefit from a rogue Sneak attack or a Fighter weapon specialization.Barring shenanigans with colossal weapons, it seems extremely weak for the cost (standard action to activate and 4 points of enhancement).
Am I missing something?
Any thought?
It can attack in the round it is activated. So, the character gets his full number of attacks in the first round, and twice his number of attacks for 3 rounds. Since activating the ability is a standard action it also allows the character to move before activating it. So, you can get something similar to pounce in the first round. This is something that a full BAB class will get more benefit from. The benefits also increase with the level of the character.
8^0
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It can attack in the round it is activated. So, the character gets his full number of attacks in the first round, and twice his number of attacks for 3 rounds. Since activating the ability is a standard action it also allows the character to move before activating it. So, you can get something similar to pounce in the first round. This is something that a full BAB class will get more benefit from. The benefits also increase with the level of the character.
The dancing weapon does its base damage plus enhancements.
A +1 dancing greatsword would be on par with a Spiritual weapon and cost 50,000 gp.At level 20 it will be 2d6+1 damage and 4 attacks at +21/+16/+11/+6 vs.1b8 damage and 3 attacks at +15+wis/+10+wis/+5+wis.
Most melee combatants will do more damage with a single attack than the dancing weapon full attack.
I think your interoperation is incorrect. What that sentence is saying is that it is not considered an unattended item. The means that spells or effects that only work on unattended items do not work on it while it is dancing.
The weapon is also capable of doing a lot more than spiritual weapon. The weapon can be used to make combat maneuvers or over combat options.
The ability can also be activated before combat. I remember a character in an AD&D campaign I played in years ago managed to find two dancing weapons. He was often able to activate both before combat and wade in making a huge number of attacks per round in the first two rounds.
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Diego’s complaint is that the effectiveness of the dancing weapon is underpowered for the price. It doesn’t benefit from a strength bonus to hit or damage. No feats like Weapon Focus or Power Attack apply. You don’t have to spend 50,000 gp (minimum) on a spiritual weapon or similar magic attack that does comparable damage with (likely) a better to-hit bonus.
As for why, I offer two explanations:
1) It’s a CRB property, when the overall power level of the game was lower. (Was this a 3.5 carryover? Never played 3.5, so not sure.)
2) It would be difficult to make a design argument to price it any lower. Activating the weapon takes one standard action (though the weapon gets a full attack that round). If you put this on a secondary weapon (not the one you plan on wielding yourself); after that it’s three rounds of “your normal turn plus the weapon’s attacks.” Making it a +2 property is too cheap at 18,000 minimum - that’s affordable and very attractive to a level 7 or so fighter. +3 would be 32,000 - that’s better but still probably a little too cheap.
So where we are now is that by the time you can afford a dancing weapon it’s not worth the money you have to spend. Heck, that’s a +2 tome you could have bought! And you probably have better things to do with a standard action anyway. So it ends up as one of the many, many things that are “cool to find but no one is ever going to buy one.”
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I think your interoperation is incorrect. What that sentence is saying is that it is not considered an unattended item. The means that spells or effects that only work on unattended items do not work on it while it is dancing.
And where it matters? It is attended, but it isn't a creature, nor it count as wielded for things that don't target items.
What I am saying is that the dancing weapon only deals the weapon base damage plus its enhancement bonus.No strength bonus, no Power attack, no bardic performance, etc., as all that stuff targets/affects a creature, not an item.
The weapon is also capable of doing a lot more than spiritual weapon. The weapon can be used to make combat maneuvers or over combat options.
Where does it say that it can use combat maneuvers?
Even accepting that, it does them with the character basic BAB, a strength of - and a dexterity of -. Hardly impressive.It counts as wielded for maneuvers that target items. The combat maneuvers that it makes don't target items (with the exclusion of Sunder).
The ability can also be activated before combat.
True for Pathfinder.
I remember a character in an AD&D campaign I played in years ago managed to find two dancing weapons. He was often able to activate both before combat and wade in making a huge number of attacks per round in the first two rounds.
Incorrect for AD&D. With the AD&D rules you had to fight for 4 rounds before releasing the weapon, which then fought by itself for another 4 rounds.