Kensai Signature Weapon

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Ok, so here's what may be a silly question. I'm creating a kensai
character for a game and the question has come up as to whether a
kensai can enhance his signature weapon with his full allowance if he
starts with an already magical weapon. In other words, if I buy a +2
sword in chargen and am a 3rd level kensai, can I only use 1 of my
kensai bonusses to bring it up to +3, or all 3 such that it would now
be equivalent to +5? I'm leaning toward the former, as otherwise it
seems a little too easy for a kensai to bypass the scaling cost of
magical weapons; a 5th level kensai can buy a +2 sword and suddenly
make it +5 flaming burst for a mere 1k xp? But, your opinions are
welcome.

Drew

 

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Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

<drew_1022@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1117492201.846242.47840@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

> Ok, so here's what may be a silly question.


It's never a silly question if you don't know the answer.





I'm creating a kensai
> character for a game and the question has come up as to whether a
> kensai can enhance his signature weapon with his full allowance if he
> starts with an already magical weapon.


The rules all but explicitly allow you to use existing magic weapons-

"...if the weapon is a manufactured one, it must be of at least masterwork
quality."

"...the signature weapon then becomes a magic weapon (if it wasn't
already)..."



In other words, if I buy a +2
> sword in chargen and am a 3rd level kensai, can I only use 1 of my
> kensai bonusses to bring it up to +3, or all 3 such that it would now
> be equivalent to +5?


Bonuses don't stack. If you want a +3 weapon you'll have to pay for the
whole +3.

You COULD add one or more special abilities (flaming, holy, speed, etc) to
an existing +2 weapon though, stacking doesn't enter into it then.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Hmm, ok first of all this is the 3.5 Kensai from the Complete Warrior,
sorry for not mentioning that previously. Thanks for the responses
anyway, though still some confusion. I don't think there is any issue
of bonus stacking here, as the rules do specifically mention a case of
imbuing a +1 sword up to +3 at a reduced xp cost. "...for instance, if
a kensai has a +1 longsword and wants to imbue it with the power to be
a +3 longsword, he may do so by paying the difference in XP cost
between creating a +1 weapon and a +3 weapon (360 minus 40, or 320 XP)"
I guess the question is at what level a kensai can do this. Can he do
it with 2 kensai levels, as those levels give him 2 enhancement plusses
to allocate, or does he have to wait til 3rd because +2 is the maximum
a 2nd level kensai can imbue?

Drew

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Well as far as I can tell the class description never specifically
states one way or another, just gives a table of level/enhancement
bonus/xp cost and the example of imbuing an already magical item that I
gave above. However, I'm leaning toward the less munchkiny reading of
it anyway, was just wondering if anyone knew anything definite (seems
like this question might have come up before). Thanks again.

Drew

 

[Mouse]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On 31 May 2005 20:06:04 -0700, drew_1022@yahoo.com raised a finger to
the sky and proclaimed:

>Well as far as I can tell the class description never specifically
>states one way or another, just gives a table of level/enhancement
>bonus/xp cost and the example of imbuing an already magical item that I
>gave above. However, I'm leaning toward the less munchkiny reading of
>it anyway, was just wondering if anyone knew anything definite (seems
>like this question might have come up before). Thanks again.
>
>Drew

Well, there's two main possibilities that I see.

1) The table tells you how much you can add to the weapon.
2) The table tells you the maximum on the weapon.

If option 1, then your Kensai 1, on his first day of being a Kensai,
says "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword". Then, a day later, he
says "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword", shortly followed by a
third "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword".

You can easily see where interpretation 1 breaks down.



--
Either way, I hate you Count Chocula, if I didn't already.
- Drifter Bob, rec.games.frp.dnd

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 13:22:40 -0700, Mouse <mail141023@pop.net.invalid>
scribed into the ether:

>On 31 May 2005 20:06:04 -0700, drew_1022@yahoo.com raised a finger to
>the sky and proclaimed:
>
>>Well as far as I can tell the class description never specifically
>>states one way or another, just gives a table of level/enhancement
>>bonus/xp cost and the example of imbuing an already magical item that I
>>gave above. However, I'm leaning toward the less munchkiny reading of
>>it anyway, was just wondering if anyone knew anything definite (seems
>>like this question might have come up before). Thanks again.
>>
>>Drew
>
>Well, there's two main possibilities that I see.
>
>1) The table tells you how much you can add to the weapon.
>2) The table tells you the maximum on the weapon.
>
>If option 1, then your Kensai 1, on his first day of being a Kensai,
>says "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword". Then, a day later, he
>says "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword", shortly followed by a
>third "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword".
>
>You can easily see where interpretation 1 breaks down.

I think it would break down after about a month...after that it would just
get silly.

 

[Mouse]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 22:45:50 GMT, Matt Frisch
<matuse73@yahoo.spam.me.not.com> raised a finger to the sky and
proclaimed:

>On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 13:22:40 -0700, Mouse <mail141023@pop.net.invalid>
>scribed into the ether:
>
>>On 31 May 2005 20:06:04 -0700, drew_1022@yahoo.com raised a finger to
>>the sky and proclaimed:
>>
>>>Well as far as I can tell the class description never specifically
>>>states one way or another, just gives a table of level/enhancement
>>>bonus/xp cost and the example of imbuing an already magical item that I
>>>gave above. However, I'm leaning toward the less munchkiny reading of
>>>it anyway, was just wondering if anyone knew anything definite (seems
>>>like this question might have come up before). Thanks again.
>>>
>>>Drew
>>
>>Well, there's two main possibilities that I see.
>>
>>1) The table tells you how much you can add to the weapon.
>>2) The table tells you the maximum on the weapon.
>>
>>If option 1, then your Kensai 1, on his first day of being a Kensai,
>>says "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword". Then, a day later, he
>>says "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword", shortly followed by a
>>third "I spend 24 hours to add +1 to my sword".
>>
>>You can easily see where interpretation 1 breaks down.
>
>I think it would break down after about a month...after that it would just
>get silly.


I now have the urge to run around the next GenCon screaming "I'm plus
twenty-four! I'm plus twenty-four!"

--
Either way, I hate you Count Chocula, if I didn't already.
- Drifter Bob, rec.games.frp.dnd

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.dnd (More info?)

Heh I see your point but the question is interpretation 3) The table
tells you the maximum you can add to the weapon from kensai levels.
Moot point IMC anyway, I'm going with 2.