Post/Author/DateTime	Post
AdroitMonk 02-03-05, 02:25 AM	Is it legal to add enhancements and/or special abilities to masterwork weapons that already exist, and even weapons that have already had prior magical enhancements added to them? Here's my logic: Each magical weapon enhancement/special ability has different requirements (spell, component, feat, etc.), which would each be cast separately, and possibly even by different casters on the item being created/enchanted. That being the case, I don't see why additional enhancements couldn't be added at a later time, since it's unlikely for the original enchantments to have been cast at the same instant when the item was created in the first place. The main reason for asking is that we have a ranger in the party who wants to trade up from a +1 Composite Longbow to a +2 Flaming Burst Composite Longbow, and I figure she could save some money by just adding the additional enhancement(s) to the existing bow. I figure you'd just pay the difference between the original +1 weapon and the new +4 weapon cost. Selling the original only makes up 1,450gp of the cost, whereas adding the an +3 (equivalent) bonus to the existing weapon would save 2,000gp. On a side note, since we are talking about money-saving "tricks," I think she's crazy wanting to add the additional +1 enhancement to hit/dam, since she has an insanely high Attack Bonus to begin with (+17 at level 10, the highest in the party; the next-highest has +14). I think she should just add the Flaming Burst ability and save the 14,000gp difference in price for the additional +1, but I digress...
Beamup 02-03-05, 10:18 AM	Is it legal to add enhancements and/or special abilities to masterwork weapons that already exist, and even weapons that have already had prior magical enhancements added to them? Yes, it is. Here's my logic: Each magical weapon enhancement/special ability has different requirements (spell, component, feat, etc.), which would each be cast separately, and possibly even by different casters on the item being created/enchanted. That being the case, I don't see why additional enhancements couldn't be added at a later time, since it's unlikely for the original enchantments to have been cast at the same instant when the item was created in the first place. Your logic is correct. The main reason for asking is that we have a ranger in the party who wants to trade up from a +1 Composite Longbow to a +2 Flaming Burst Composite Longbow, and I figure she could save some money by just adding the additional enhancement(s) to the existing bow. I figure you'd just pay the difference between the original +1 weapon and the new +4 weapon cost. Selling the original only makes up 1,450gp of the cost, whereas adding the an +3 (equivalent) bonus to the existing weapon would save 2,000gp. You are correct, she'd save money by upgrading the existing bow instead of getting a new one. On a side note, since we are talking about money-saving "tricks," I think she's crazy wanting to add the additional +1 enhancement to hit/dam, since she has an insanely high Attack Bonus to begin with (+17 at level 10, the highest in the party; the next-highest has +14). I think she should just add the Flaming Burst ability and save the 14,000gp difference in price for the additional +1, but I digress... Improving one's weapon is almost always a very good use of cash for a fighting character. The 14k probably SHOULD be put into the bow, the question is how. Well, the Burst enhancements are very poor choices. You're MUCH better off getting two of the +1 elemental damage enhancements than a single Burst. As for the +1 vs. Flaming, etc. question, it depends. Is doing 1d6-1 more damage on each hit more or less valuable than hitting one more time out of 20? It depends on how often you're hitting and how much damage you're doing. How often you fight enemies with energy resistance also is important. But, if she's hitting most of the time anyway, you're probably right that a +1 is a poor choice. +1 Flaming Frost Shocking would likely be the most effective option. Or +1 Flaming Holy if you're fighting mostly Evil creatures - same damage, but less vulnerable to energy resistance and helps overcome DR.