activating a magic weapon [Archive] - Wizards Community

activating a magic weapon [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Lupo1977
09-05-07, 02:27 AM hello

i am confused about the action it takes to activate a magic weapon.

in the magic item compendium it says (for corrosive) on page 31
activation: [standard] (Command)

which means for me that it takes a standard action to activate the corrosive ability.

on the other hand, on page 220 of the MiC they describe the command activation, and as an example they name the "+2 flaming battleaxe" which "grants the benefit of its magic on attacks you make with it without any special action on your part"

i always believed that "corrosive" is the same kind of weapon enchantment as "flaming" , just it uses acid instead of fire.

is there an actual difference in the actions that are requiered to activate the special energy damage of a weapon, or why don´t you need an action to activate the flaming ability of the greataxe ?
groveborn
09-05-07, 04:30 AM Flaming: Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given. A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition

Activation: Usually a character benefits from a magic weapon in the same way a character benefits from a mundane weapon-by attacking with it. If a weapon has a special ability that the user needs to activate then the user usually needs to utter a command word (a standard action).

Yes, activating the damaging magics are each one standard action. I'd never noticed this, and it really puts a crimp in my style.
Lupo1977
09-05-07, 10:12 AM okay, but why did they name the "+2 flaming battleaxe" which "grants the benefit of its magic on attacks you make with it without any special action on your part" on page 220 MiC ?
Lafing Cat
09-05-07, 01:42 PM okay, but why did they name the "+2 flaming battleaxe" which "grants the benefit of its magic on attacks you make with it without any special action on your part" on page 220 MiC ?

Once you've activated it, you need to spend no special action to receive the bonus fire damage on each of your attacks.

I.e. its Round 1: Activate, Round 2-N: Attack with bonus fire damage

not Round 1: Activate, Round 2: Attack with bonus fire damage, Round 3: Activate, Round 4: Attack ...etc.
Nephlite
09-05-07, 01:46 PM is there an actual difference in the actions that are requiered to activate the special energy damage of a weapon, or why don´t you need an action to activate the flaming ability of the greataxe ?

Yes, both require you to activate.

But, you never have to unactivate since the weapon never harms you or or gear in the scabbard.

Though, DM might reinforce the effects: acid leaves a trail of burn marks on ground, fire makes light (bad for sneaking around), etc.
groveborn
09-05-07, 02:55 PM One could argue that since it only says it doesn't harm you while you're wielding it that it does indeed harm you and your equipments once you've stopped wielding it.

It's fun to note that the command word may be the same for every energy type you've gotten, and then just active the whole thing at once.
Lupo1977
09-06-07, 02:41 AM yeah, thats it.
thing is that our DM ruled that it would damage my gear, so i had to turn on my weapons every time i drew them.

so it was

1. round - acticated primary weapon
2. round - acticated offhand weapon
3. round - started fighting...

after 2 fights i didn´t activate them any more, sold them, and bought other weapon anchantemens which work automaticly. (i.e. Keen)
Kouk
09-06-07, 04:19 AM The activation rule is one of the least fun ones around.

Combats in this system tend to only take a few rounds, and at some point the actions you spend activating it don't come near to being worth the effect.

I have not personally been in or seen a game where this rule was enforced, and I would hazard a guess that many players aren't even aware of its existence.

If someone was to ask me about activating or deactivating their weapon (never happened yet) I can think of a few answers I could give:

I could tell them that their weapon "knows" when it is hitting something, and the effect activates then. As a Standard Action they can "activate" or "deactivate" the possibility of the extra damage, and then the item stays that way until the command is given again. This way it doesn't hurt anything you don't want it to (because you aren't hitting everything, presumably).

I could say that part of getting the weapon enchanted treats the sheathe to resist whatever form(s) of energy the weapon now produces, and so you can sheathe it with no problems, and leave it on forever.

I could say that you can Activate the weapon as part of a free (or maybe Swift) action as part of drawing it. Similarly it would be easier to sheath.

And this concept that I just recently thought of: Perhaps we are all interpreting the description incorrectly. I will use Flaming as an example, but same would go for the other kinds of energy.

SRD:
Flaming

Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given. A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition.

Now, it is possible to interpret this as "The weapon must first be activated before you gain the benefits of the extra damage".

But, it is also possible to interpret it thusly: A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition. Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder.

I just switched the sentences around, and now the meaning is significantly changed.

You could also do this: Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given.

A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition.

This time the sentences are in the original order, but the meaning is still significantly different than the first interpretation by the insertion of a paragraph.

My idea is that the sentences and the actual rules mechanics do not in any way necessitate that the weapon first be "activated" for it to deal its associated damage type.

For evidence I will cite that most of the other enchantments have no such requirement in order for their effects to happen.

Bane enchantment always functions, Brilliant Energy enchantment always functions, Holy, Thundering, Vicious, Wounding, Vorpal, Ghost Touch, Disruption, etc... Why are the elements of Fire, Electricity, Cold and Acid being singled out as enchantments? Even Merciful is "always on" (dealing an extra 1d6 untyped nonlethal damage) unless you command it to turn off.

With this theory, the Flaming weapon would always do fire damage when it successfully hits. You also have the option of making it light up on fire if you wish, by using a Standard Action. Perhaps the fire sheds light or warmth, or just looks more intimidating, but it isn't required to be activated for the fire damage to function.

Any thoughts? This would also allow for the MIC description to be wholly accurate.

Maybe I just missed some small rule somewhere, and if I did please someone point that out (and cite the page if possible). This is just a theory, but I think I may use this in future games.
groveborn
09-06-07, 04:51 AM One could alternately have all of their elemental damage set to the same command. One could then have the off switch with completely differing commands, so one could choose which one didn't want on.

On the other hand, bows and other ranged weapons do not sheath in the energy, and would be harmless when packed away, even when active. It seems to me those may be left active safely. Unless, of course, the effect must be activated for each use! That's not at all clear.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lupo1977 09-05-07, 02:27 AM	hello i am confused about the action it takes to activate a magic weapon. in the magic item compendium it says (for corrosive) on page 31 activation: [standard] (Command) which means for me that it takes a standard action to activate the corrosive ability. on the other hand, on page 220 of the MiC they describe the command activation, and as an example they name the "+2 flaming battleaxe" which "grants the benefit of its magic on attacks you make with it without any special action on your part" i always believed that "corrosive" is the same kind of weapon enchantment as "flaming" , just it uses acid instead of fire. is there an actual difference in the actions that are requiered to activate the special energy damage of a weapon, or why don´t you need an action to activate the flaming ability of the greataxe ?
groveborn 09-05-07, 04:30 AM	Flaming: Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given. A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition Activation: Usually a character benefits from a magic weapon in the same way a character benefits from a mundane weapon-by attacking with it. If a weapon has a special ability that the user needs to activate then the user usually needs to utter a command word (a standard action). Yes, activating the damaging magics are each one standard action. I'd never noticed this, and it really puts a crimp in my style.
Lupo1977 09-05-07, 10:12 AM	okay, but why did they name the "+2 flaming battleaxe" which "grants the benefit of its magic on attacks you make with it without any special action on your part" on page 220 MiC ?
Lafing Cat 09-05-07, 01:42 PM	okay, but why did they name the "+2 flaming battleaxe" which "grants the benefit of its magic on attacks you make with it without any special action on your part" on page 220 MiC ? Once you've activated it, you need to spend no special action to receive the bonus fire damage on each of your attacks. I.e. its Round 1: Activate, Round 2-N: Attack with bonus fire damage not Round 1: Activate, Round 2: Attack with bonus fire damage, Round 3: Activate, Round 4: Attack ...etc.
Nephlite 09-05-07, 01:46 PM	is there an actual difference in the actions that are requiered to activate the special energy damage of a weapon, or why don´t you need an action to activate the flaming ability of the greataxe ? Yes, both require you to activate. But, you never have to unactivate since the weapon never harms you or or gear in the scabbard. Though, DM might reinforce the effects: acid leaves a trail of burn marks on ground, fire makes light (bad for sneaking around), etc.
groveborn 09-05-07, 02:55 PM	One could argue that since it only says it doesn't harm you while you're wielding it that it does indeed harm you and your equipments once you've stopped wielding it. It's fun to note that the command word may be the same for every energy type you've gotten, and then just active the whole thing at once.
Lupo1977 09-06-07, 02:41 AM	yeah, thats it. thing is that our DM ruled that it would damage my gear, so i had to turn on my weapons every time i drew them. so it was 1. round - acticated primary weapon 2. round - acticated offhand weapon 3. round - started fighting... after 2 fights i didn´t activate them any more, sold them, and bought other weapon anchantemens which work automaticly. (i.e. Keen)
Kouk 09-06-07, 04:19 AM	The activation rule is one of the least fun ones around. Combats in this system tend to only take a few rounds, and at some point the actions you spend activating it don't come near to being worth the effect. I have not personally been in or seen a game where this rule was enforced, and I would hazard a guess that many players aren't even aware of its existence. If someone was to ask me about activating or deactivating their weapon (never happened yet) I can think of a few answers I could give: I could tell them that their weapon "knows" when it is hitting something, and the effect activates then. As a Standard Action they can "activate" or "deactivate" the possibility of the extra damage, and then the item stays that way until the command is given again. This way it doesn't hurt anything you don't want it to (because you aren't hitting everything, presumably). I could say that part of getting the weapon enchanted treats the sheathe to resist whatever form(s) of energy the weapon now produces, and so you can sheathe it with no problems, and leave it on forever. I could say that you can Activate the weapon as part of a free (or maybe Swift) action as part of drawing it. Similarly it would be easier to sheath. And this concept that I just recently thought of: Perhaps we are all interpreting the description incorrectly. I will use Flaming as an example, but same would go for the other kinds of energy. SRD: Flaming Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given. A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition. Now, it is possible to interpret this as "The weapon must first be activated before you gain the benefits of the extra damage". But, it is also possible to interpret it thusly: A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition. Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. I just switched the sentences around, and now the meaning is significantly changed. You could also do this: Upon command, a flaming weapon is sheathed in fire. The fire does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given. A flaming weapon deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit. Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the fire energy upon their ammunition. This time the sentences are in the original order, but the meaning is still significantly different than the first interpretation by the insertion of a paragraph. My idea is that the sentences and the actual rules mechanics do not in any way necessitate that the weapon first be "activated" for it to deal its associated damage type. For evidence I will cite that most of the other enchantments have no such requirement in order for their effects to happen. Bane enchantment always functions, Brilliant Energy enchantment always functions, Holy, Thundering, Vicious, Wounding, Vorpal, Ghost Touch, Disruption, etc... Why are the elements of Fire, Electricity, Cold and Acid being singled out as enchantments? Even Merciful is "always on" (dealing an extra 1d6 untyped nonlethal damage) unless you command it to turn off. With this theory, the Flaming weapon would always do fire damage when it successfully hits. You also have the option of making it light up on fire if you wish, by using a Standard Action. Perhaps the fire sheds light or warmth, or just looks more intimidating, but it isn't required to be activated for the fire damage to function. Any thoughts? This would also allow for the MIC description to be wholly accurate. Maybe I just missed some small rule somewhere, and if I did please someone point that out (and cite the page if possible). This is just a theory, but I think I may use this in future games.
groveborn 09-06-07, 04:51 AM	One could alternately have all of their elemental damage set to the same command. One could then have the off switch with completely differing commands, so one could choose which one didn't want on. On the other hand, bows and other ranged weapons do not sheath in the energy, and would be harmless when packed away, even when active. It seems to me those may be left active safely. Unless, of course, the effect must be activated for each use! That's not at all clear.