Magical Weapon Abilities
Weapons are often enchanted to improve the effectiveness of the wielder in battle. The following list of abilities can be added to such items, increasing both the value and cost of each item. Those magical abilities not described in Chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide are described below (just follow the links).
| Ability | Market Price | Source |
| Acidic * | +1 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Acidic Burst * | +2 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Augmented | +1 or +2 bonus | D&D Boards |
| Bane | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Brilliant Energy | +4 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Called * | +1 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Chaotic | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Dancing | +4 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Darkest Energy * | +4 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Defending | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Disarming | +2 bonus | Magic of Faerun |
| Disruption | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Distance | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Everloaded * | +1 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Flaming | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Flaming Burst | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Frost | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Force | +2 bonus | Arms and Equipment Guide |
| Ghost Touch | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Holy | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Icy Burst | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Impact | +1 bonus | Magic of Faerun |
| Keen | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Lawful | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Lifebonded | +2 bonus | D&D Boards |
| Merciful | +1 bonus | Sword and Fist |
| Mighty Cleaving | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Precise | +1 bonus | Magic of Faerun |
| Resilient * | +1 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Returning | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Screaming | +1 bonus | Magic of Faerun |
| Seeking | +1 bonus | Sword and Fist |
| Shocking | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Shocking Burst | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Speed | +4 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Spell Storing | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Sure Striking | +1 bonus | Sword and Fist |
| Throwing | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Thundering | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Timeless * | +1 bonus | World of Aenea |
| Tormenting | +1 bonus | D&D Boards |
| Unholy | +2 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Vampiric | +2 bonus | Magic of Faerun |
| Vorpal | +5 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
| Wounding | +1 bonus | Dungeon Master's Guide |
Acidic: Upon command, a weapon with this enchantment constantly exudes a thin layer of potent acid. When the weapon successfully strikes an opponent, it inflicts an extra +1d6 points of acid damage. Bows, crossbows, and slings bestow this effect on their ammunition when fired. The acidic property can be dismissed as a free action by the wielder.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, melf's acid arrow; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Acidic Burst: A weapon with this enchantment function just like an acidic weapon, except that on a critical hit, it inflicts an additional +1d10 points of acid damage. If the weapon's critical multiplier is x3, add +2d10 instead. If it is x4, then add +3d10 instead.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, acid orb; Market Price: +2 bonus.
Augmented: A weapon with this enhancement has its base damage augmented, raising it to the next level of damage die. For example, a short sword that normally deals 1d6 points of damage per hit now deals 1d8 points per hit. This enhancement can be used to raise the damage die up to two times.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, greater magic weapon; Market Price: +1 or +2 bonus.
Called: This enchantment allows the owner to utter a command word and call the weapon to him as a move equivalent action. The weapon appears in hand and ready to use. The weapon appears completely normal otherwise. The weapon can be called from anyplace on the same plane as the owner, so long as the owner has not given it away (sold, gifted, or otherwise voluntarily handed it over).
Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, teleport; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Darkest Energy: A darkest energy weapon has its significant portion, such as its blade, axe head, or arrowhead, transformed into darkness, although this does not modify the item's weight. A darkest energy weapon ignores living matter (passing through it harmlessly) while destroying non-living matter. It ignores object hardness and the natural armor and damage reduction of constructs, undead, and other non-living creatures. A darkest energy weapon cannot harm magical weapons or armor with enhancement bonuses greater than itself. A darkest energy missile weapon such as a bow, crossbow, or sling transforms its ammunition with this ability rather than itself.
Caster Level: 16th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, disintegrate, darkness; Market Price: +4 bonus.
Disarming: A disarming weapon has one special purpose: disarming the wielder's opponent. It eliminates the opponent's bonuses for both weapon size and two-handed weapons. This type of weapon also adds +1 to the bearer's attack roll for purposes of the disarm attempt. This bonus does not apply to any other attack roll.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor; Market Price: +2 bonus.
Everloaded: This enchantment can only be placed on projectile weapons that use separate ammunition such as bows, crossbows, and slings. A weapon with this enchantment magically creates a single arrow, bolt, bullet or other type of ammunition each time it is drawn or readied. This ammunition is considered non-magical, even though it vanishes after 3 rounds (whether fired or not). The arrow takes on any magical properties conferred by a magically enchanced weapon (such as a flaming bow), just as if loaded with a normal piece of ammunition. This ability can be deactivated with a standard action (if the user wants to use a magical arrow, for instance), taking another standard action to reactivate it.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, minor creation; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Force: On a successful hit, a force weapon inflicts an additional +1d6 points of force damage. A weapon with this enchantment does not suffer the normal miss chance against incorporeal creatures. Ranged weapons with this enchantment confers this ability on its ammuntion when used.
Caster Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, wall of force; Market Price: +2 bonus.
Impact: Any bludgeoning weapon enchanced by this ability has its threat ranged doubled.
Caster Level: 10th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, weapon of impact; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Lifebonded: A lifebonded weapon draws magical power from the health of its wielder and glows with a pale blue radiance. Such a weapon actually causes more damage when its wielder is healthy than when he or she is wounded. The enchantment of one of these weapons is such that when the bonded wielder is at full health, the weapon inflicts a bonus +5 points of damage. If the wielder falls below 80% of full hit points, this drops to +4 points. 60% of full hit points means only +3 points of damage, 40% means only +2 points, and less than 20% of full hit points means the weapon only adds +1 point of damage per hit. This damage is in addition to the weapons normal enhancement bonus, but it does not affect attack rolls or help to defeat damage reduction in enemies. As an added bonus, at each level of wounding, the weapon's glow intensifies until it is as bright as a torch when the wielder is under 20% of his or her maximum hit points. In order for this type of weapon to function, the wielder must bond to it by inflicting at least 20 hit points of damage to him or herself with the weapon and sacrificing 500 XP. Once bonded to a wielder, that sword cannot harm the wielder if used against him or her, and it cannot be bonded to another until the original wielder dies. The bonding need only be done once per wielder. This enchantment can only be placed on a melee weapon.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, deathwatch, magic weapon; Market Price: +2 bonus.
Merciful: A weapon with this ability deals +1d6 points of damage with each successful hit. However, all the damage it deals (the normal amount for a weapon of its kind, plus all applicable bonuses), is subdual damage rather than normal damage. Bows, crossbows, and slings so enchanted bestow the exhausting effect upon their ammunition. This property can be deactivated or activate once per round as a free action.
Caster Level: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, cure light wounds; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Precise: This property can only be placed on a ranged weapon. A precise weapon can be shot or thrown at an opponent engaged in melee without suffering the standard -4 penalty. This does not grant any special power to those who already have the Precise Shot feat.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Precise Shot; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Resilient: A resilient enchantment can be placed on melee and ranged weapons. Such a weapon gains three times its normal enchancement bonus in extra hit points and hardness. It is also considered another +3 higher in enchancement for purposes of resisting damage or being sundered. A weapon with this enchantment also repairs itself if not destroyed at the rate of 1 hit point per hour.
Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, greater magic weapon, mending; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Screaming: Upon command, a weapon with this ability emits a low hum that is grating on the ears but does not harm the wielder. Screaming weapons that hit produce a louder high-pitched sound and deal +1d6 points of bonus sonic damage. Bows, crossbows, and slings bestow this effect on their ammunition. A screaming weapon does not inflict this bonus damage within a silence spell.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, shout or sound burst; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Seeking: Only ranged weapons can have the seeking ability. The weapon veers toward the target, negating any miss chance that would otherwise apply, such as from concealment. The wielder still has to aim the weapon at the right place. Arrows mistakenly shot into an empty space, for example, do not veer and hit invisible enemies, even if they are nearby. A bow, crossbow, or sling bestows the effects of this enchantment on their ammunition when fired.
Caster Level: 12th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, true seeing; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Sure Striking: A sure striking weapon harms creatures with damage reduction as if it had a +5 enhancement bonus. This ability can only be applied to melee weapons or missile weapons that do not use ammunition (spears, javelins, etc.).
Caster Level: 6th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, greater magic weapon; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Timeless: A weapon with this enchantment is always well oiled and free of corrosion (if metal) or cracks and wear (if leather or wood). The weapon is completely immune to acid and rust attacks and any effect that corrodes an item. The weapon is also unharmed by the passage of time. Such an item can still be sundered, disintegrated, or destroyed in another manner.
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, resistance, 5+ ranks in Alchemy; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Tormenting: A weapon with this enhancement has its critical multiplier augmented, raising it to the next level. For example, a short sword that normally has a critical multiplier of x2 now has a multiplier of x3. This enhancement can be applied once per individual weapon.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, greater magic weapon, keen edge or weapon of impact; Market Price: +1 bonus.
Vampiric: Any living opponent struck by a vampiric weapon must make a Fortitude save (DC 16) or lose an addtional 1d4 hit points, which are immediately added to the wielder's current hit point total. Any hit points above the wielder's maximum are treated as temporary hit points that last up to one hour. The wielder can have only a total of 4 temporary hit points granted by this weapon at any one time.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, vampiric touch; Market Price: +2 bonus.
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