Brilliant Energy enhancement for weapons [Archive] - Wizards Community

Brilliant Energy enhancement for weapons [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
erc1971
07-14-06, 10:38 AM I was reading this thing last night, and wondered how others felt about this magical ability.

What you get for this magical ability: in effect, it turns all your attacks into touch attacks, as this weapon ignore in-organic material, bypassing armor like it was not there.

What you pay to get it: it costs as a +4 bonus. Any undead and constructs cannot be hurt by this weapon, it passes right through them.

my editorial on this item: Any melee based character is going to have such high bonuses to hit by the time they can afford a +5 weapon (+4 for Brilliant Energy on a +1 weapon), the ability of this weapon is negligable. But, you do get to neuter yourself against a large percentage of the enemies you will be facing. If I had a wizard offer to apply this enchantment to my weapon for free, I would refuse, telling him he better not ruin my weapon! A +4 weapon enhancement?! IMO, it is more of a negative than a positive, perhaps it could be a -1 or -2 enhancement bonus to help offset the costs of other goodies on your weapon!

Do other's agree? It this ability completely worthless?

Eric
Zymeth
07-14-06, 10:40 AM You know, it really depends on your campaign, if there's alot of undead of course it's useless to you... but if your surrounded by monsters with high AC and low dex... this isn't so bad.
tarkin
07-14-06, 11:13 AM As your only weapon, it is a stupid thing to do.

But as one of several weapons, it works well. For example, a TWF fighter can easily get a double sword and have one blade made +1 Brilliant and the other +5.

As for archers, it is a major part of one of the Better builds:

1) +5 Bow of Speed.

2) 30 +1 brilliant arrows

3) 10 +1 Undead Bane Arrows

4) 10 +1 Construct Bane Arrows.
WayneTheGame
07-14-06, 11:31 AM And the obvious: It's not worthless if you want to attempt to have a lightsaber. Personally I always thought that brilliant energy should be a free action to turn on or off, not a constant thing. Like power weapons in Warhammer 40k; it sheathes your weapon in crackling energy that cuts through armor like a hot knife through butter
kjenks
07-14-06, 11:43 AM My 14th level mounted lance charging guy is considering it -- not for his lance, but for a back-up weapon, +1 brilliant energy greastsword.

There are many situations in which a mounted lance charge is not possible. For those situations, I want to have alternative attack forms. Standing toe-to-toe with a heavily armored dude in a tight dungeon corridor is one of those situations, and in that situation, it sure would be nice to be able to apply, say, 10 points of Power Attack for a +20 damage bonus, but still (because of the Brilliant Energy) hitting most of the time.

But the utility of a Brilliant Energy weapon depends greatly on the type of opponent you'd face. I already have a +1 ghost touch adamantine longsword, which deals well with incorporeal creatures, most golems and constructs. And I have a +1 keen cold iron lance that pokes large holes in almost everything else. Do I really need to invest 50,350 gp in another weapon?

Instead, maybe I should invest 1,650 gp in buying an arcane scroll of Brilliant Blade (Spell Compendium), or 2,275 gp in a divine scroll, to give to one of my spellcasting buddies. For the limited number of times when this kind of ability would really be helpful, that would probably be a much cheaper alternative.

There's also the number of actions to consider. If you have the Quickdraw feat, all you have to worry about is putting away your regular weapon and using a free action to draw the Brilliant Energy weapon. (At high levels, you don't want to just drop your regular weapon because those things are expensive, and it's not wise to leave expensive, unattended objects on the battlefield.) But my guy doesn't have Quickdraw, so drawing a weapon is a move action, or is a free action as part of a regular move, and this means I can't make a full attack that round. One attack instead of four.

If I'm asking my spellcasting buddy to cast Brilliant Blade on my weapon from a scroll, that's a move action and a standard action that he has to use to help me hit better. At high levels, he's probably better off just casting a different level 6 or 7 spell. It will probably do more damage than I would with my suddenly-Brilliant weapon.
Arindor
07-14-06, 11:50 AM Actullay it is really good for a melee class if they have power attack. All that extra bab goes right to damage (x2 if it is 2 handed).
mvincent
07-14-06, 12:50 PM in effect, it turns all your attacks into touch attacksNot completely. Natural armor still applies (and this is often far more common on foes than regular armor).

It this ability completely worthless?It's generally not worthwhile. However, imagine an enlarged fighter with a ring of x-ray vision and a brilliant energy spiked chain or whip-dagger... attacking through walls.
tarkin
07-14-06, 01:12 PM As a general rule that does not work. Only the head of the weapon goes through the wall, so unless the walls are VERY thin, and the target is pressed up against them, you can't do anything.

I could only see a spiked chain, which specifically is a reach + adjacent weapon, being considered to have more than a couple of inches brilliant. But even then, I doubt you would have more than 3 ft of brilliant head. The whip dagger should only have the dagger head brilliant.

Also remember that the brilliant part goes through any non-living substance. So that chain would be carried how ? With the spiked head wrapped around your body? That sounds like it should be doing damage to you.
ShinAkuma2
07-14-06, 02:14 PM I imagine you'd hold it the same way you hold a regular spiked chain...
tarkin
07-14-06, 03:31 PM A regular spiked chain has NO problem being held.

Only the last part has spikes, the rest of it is fine. You can easily drape it over your shoulder, wrap it around your body, or coil it up and place it in a pouch/container with the handle end sticking out. In all those cases, the spikes are touching either your armor, your clothing, or a container.

Try that with a brilliant version that has the last 3 feet free and it goes right through your armor/clothing/pouch/container. Either the points dig into your flesh, or the fall to the ground, dragging behind you, entagling in every rabbit/worm/whatever you come across.

It makes far more sense for the DM to rule that only the spikes themselves on the spiked chain brilliant. But then the PC can't pretend they can hit people on the other side of the wall.
Kapalen
07-14-06, 04:19 PM A regular spiked chain has NO problem being held.

Only the last part has spikes, the rest of it is fine. You can easily drape it over your shoulder, wrap it around your body, or coil it up and place it in a pouch/container with the handle end sticking out. In all those cases, the spikes are touching either your armor, your clothing, or a container.

Try that with a brilliant version that has the last 3 feet free and it goes right through your armor/clothing/pouch/container. Either the points dig into your flesh, or the fall to the ground, dragging behind you, entagling in every rabbit/worm/whatever you come across.

It makes far more sense for the DM to rule that only the spikes themselves on the spiked chain brilliant. But then the PC can't pretend they can hit people on the other side of the wall.

Well, how the heck does the blade of a brilliant energy sword stick to the hilt? Oh wait, MAGIC!
Moon-Lancer
07-14-06, 06:51 PM yeah. Qustion is, whats stopping you from putting a command word on the weapon? I dont know much about command words but so far i have not seen an argument that says you cant. After all all the other energy weapons like a fire sword seem to require it.

Also someone told me that getting something with a word activation changes the price but i dont know how and i dont know if what i hurd was right or not. anyone know?
INeedNoSalt
07-14-06, 09:46 PM Well, how the heck does the blade of a brilliant energy sword stick to the hilt? Oh wait, MAGIC!

:D
mvincent
07-17-06, 01:14 AM The whip dagger should only have the dagger head brilliant.When I imagine a brilliant energy whip, I see the entire lash as being brilliant (otherwise trips wouldn't seem to work through tower-shields). Do you disagree? Do you view a whip-dagger as different?

So that chain would be carried how ? With the spiked head wrapped around your body? That sounds like it should be doing damage to you.Would you rule that loin-cloth clad barbarians or monks can't carry spiked-chains in D&D without being damaged? Is so, would you consider this a house-rule? Do you think that the majority of DM's should follow this?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
erc1971 07-14-06, 10:38 AM	I was reading this thing last night, and wondered how others felt about this magical ability. What you get for this magical ability: in effect, it turns all your attacks into touch attacks, as this weapon ignore in-organic material, bypassing armor like it was not there. What you pay to get it: it costs as a +4 bonus. Any undead and constructs cannot be hurt by this weapon, it passes right through them. my editorial on this item: Any melee based character is going to have such high bonuses to hit by the time they can afford a +5 weapon (+4 for Brilliant Energy on a +1 weapon), the ability of this weapon is negligable. But, you do get to neuter yourself against a large percentage of the enemies you will be facing. If I had a wizard offer to apply this enchantment to my weapon for free, I would refuse, telling him he better not ruin my weapon! A +4 weapon enhancement?! IMO, it is more of a negative than a positive, perhaps it could be a -1 or -2 enhancement bonus to help offset the costs of other goodies on your weapon! Do other's agree? It this ability completely worthless? Eric
Zymeth 07-14-06, 10:40 AM	You know, it really depends on your campaign, if there's alot of undead of course it's useless to you... but if your surrounded by monsters with high AC and low dex... this isn't so bad.
tarkin 07-14-06, 11:13 AM	As your only weapon, it is a stupid thing to do. But as one of several weapons, it works well. For example, a TWF fighter can easily get a double sword and have one blade made +1 Brilliant and the other +5. As for archers, it is a major part of one of the Better builds: 1) +5 Bow of Speed. 2) 30 +1 brilliant arrows 3) 10 +1 Undead Bane Arrows 4) 10 +1 Construct Bane Arrows.
WayneTheGame 07-14-06, 11:31 AM	And the obvious: It's not worthless if you want to attempt to have a lightsaber. Personally I always thought that brilliant energy should be a free action to turn on or off, not a constant thing. Like power weapons in Warhammer 40k; it sheathes your weapon in crackling energy that cuts through armor like a hot knife through butter
kjenks 07-14-06, 11:43 AM	My 14th level mounted lance charging guy is considering it -- not for his lance, but for a back-up weapon, +1 brilliant energy greastsword. There are many situations in which a mounted lance charge is not possible. For those situations, I want to have alternative attack forms. Standing toe-to-toe with a heavily armored dude in a tight dungeon corridor is one of those situations, and in that situation, it sure would be nice to be able to apply, say, 10 points of Power Attack for a +20 damage bonus, but still (because of the Brilliant Energy) hitting most of the time. But the utility of a Brilliant Energy weapon depends greatly on the type of opponent you'd face. I already have a +1 ghost touch adamantine longsword, which deals well with incorporeal creatures, most golems and constructs. And I have a +1 keen cold iron lance that pokes large holes in almost everything else. Do I really need to invest 50,350 gp in another weapon? Instead, maybe I should invest 1,650 gp in buying an arcane scroll of Brilliant Blade (Spell Compendium), or 2,275 gp in a divine scroll, to give to one of my spellcasting buddies. For the limited number of times when this kind of ability would really be helpful, that would probably be a much cheaper alternative. There's also the number of actions to consider. If you have the Quickdraw feat, all you have to worry about is putting away your regular weapon and using a free action to draw the Brilliant Energy weapon. (At high levels, you don't want to just drop your regular weapon because those things are expensive, and it's not wise to leave expensive, unattended objects on the battlefield.) But my guy doesn't have Quickdraw, so drawing a weapon is a move action, or is a free action as part of a regular move, and this means I can't make a full attack that round. One attack instead of four. If I'm asking my spellcasting buddy to cast Brilliant Blade on my weapon from a scroll, that's a move action and a standard action that he has to use to help me hit better. At high levels, he's probably better off just casting a different level 6 or 7 spell. It will probably do more damage than I would with my suddenly-Brilliant weapon.
Arindor 07-14-06, 11:50 AM	Actullay it is really good for a melee class if they have power attack. All that extra bab goes right to damage (x2 if it is 2 handed).
mvincent 07-14-06, 12:50 PM	in effect, it turns all your attacks into touch attacksNot completely. Natural armor still applies (and this is often far more common on foes than regular armor). It this ability completely worthless?It's generally not worthwhile. However, imagine an enlarged fighter with a ring of x-ray vision and a brilliant energy spiked chain or whip-dagger... attacking through walls.
tarkin 07-14-06, 01:12 PM	As a general rule that does not work. Only the head of the weapon goes through the wall, so unless the walls are VERY thin, and the target is pressed up against them, you can't do anything. I could only see a spiked chain, which specifically is a reach + adjacent weapon, being considered to have more than a couple of inches brilliant. But even then, I doubt you would have more than 3 ft of brilliant head. The whip dagger should only have the dagger head brilliant. Also remember that the brilliant part goes through any non-living substance. So that chain would be carried how ? With the spiked head wrapped around your body? That sounds like it should be doing damage to you.
ShinAkuma2 07-14-06, 02:14 PM	I imagine you'd hold it the same way you hold a regular spiked chain...
tarkin 07-14-06, 03:31 PM	A regular spiked chain has NO problem being held. Only the last part has spikes, the rest of it is fine. You can easily drape it over your shoulder, wrap it around your body, or coil it up and place it in a pouch/container with the handle end sticking out. In all those cases, the spikes are touching either your armor, your clothing, or a container. Try that with a brilliant version that has the last 3 feet free and it goes right through your armor/clothing/pouch/container. Either the points dig into your flesh, or the fall to the ground, dragging behind you, entagling in every rabbit/worm/whatever you come across. It makes far more sense for the DM to rule that only the spikes themselves on the spiked chain brilliant. But then the PC can't pretend they can hit people on the other side of the wall.
Kapalen 07-14-06, 04:19 PM	A regular spiked chain has NO problem being held. Only the last part has spikes, the rest of it is fine. You can easily drape it over your shoulder, wrap it around your body, or coil it up and place it in a pouch/container with the handle end sticking out. In all those cases, the spikes are touching either your armor, your clothing, or a container. Try that with a brilliant version that has the last 3 feet free and it goes right through your armor/clothing/pouch/container. Either the points dig into your flesh, or the fall to the ground, dragging behind you, entagling in every rabbit/worm/whatever you come across. It makes far more sense for the DM to rule that only the spikes themselves on the spiked chain brilliant. But then the PC can't pretend they can hit people on the other side of the wall. Well, how the heck does the blade of a brilliant energy sword stick to the hilt? Oh wait, MAGIC!
Moon-Lancer 07-14-06, 06:51 PM	yeah. Qustion is, whats stopping you from putting a command word on the weapon? I dont know much about command words but so far i have not seen an argument that says you cant. After all all the other energy weapons like a fire sword seem to require it. Also someone told me that getting something with a word activation changes the price but i dont know how and i dont know if what i hurd was right or not. anyone know?
INeedNoSalt 07-14-06, 09:46 PM	Well, how the heck does the blade of a brilliant energy sword stick to the hilt? Oh wait, MAGIC! :D
mvincent 07-17-06, 01:14 AM	The whip dagger should only have the dagger head brilliant.When I imagine a brilliant energy whip, I see the entire lash as being brilliant (otherwise trips wouldn't seem to work through tower-shields). Do you disagree? Do you view a whip-dagger as different? So that chain would be carried how ? With the spiked head wrapped around your body? That sounds like it should be doing damage to you.Would you rule that loin-cloth clad barbarians or monks can't carry spiked-chains in D&D without being damaged? Is so, would you consider this a house-rule? Do you think that the majority of DM's should follow this?