To+The+Nines

To the Nines
Stacks of Books got you down? In love with the infinitely-splitting complexity of the D&amp;D game, but you're always forgetting that there's 'one more cool thing in that one book?"

Well, then you're like most of us. Little Fragments of rules, spread out across something that must approach fifty books nowadays. So let's get it started...in here.

=Melee Weapons= //Step I: Budget// Determine how much you can spend on your weapon, relative to other pieces of equipment. Even if you are a fighter, most of your damage potential will come from within at any given point; the power of your weapon is as a //force multiplier.// Power attack and sneak attack dice are the chief source of substantial damage; your weapon's abilities beyond this should be directed towards ensuring that damage will take hold.

This means several things: at anything except very low levels, you will need to spend 2300 gp for a +1 weapon, which is all but a must. Usually, these are easy to come by from monsters, but aren't the type of weapon you want. Magical light weapons are always in short supply relative to two-handed weapons and longswords, which the DM is more likely to choose as treasure as they will hurt you more before you'll get them. Therefore, I postulate that spending the 2300 gp is the bare minimum for fighting characters.

What is a 'fighting' character? Ultimately, they are characters that make their mark by stabbing, hacking, and clubbing the enemy, hopefully making an impact above and beyond the damage they deal to the monster, imposing some other penalty or blocking attacks on more fragile party members. Anyone who //isn't// a fighting character, money spent on a weapon is of...questionable value. Any given standard action can arguably be better spent casting a spell or using a reserve feat.

//Step II: Type// What sort of weapon is it? There are many exotic weapons that take the virtues of an existing weapon and emphasize them. The Greatspear (CW), Longaxe (CV), and longstaff (CV) all add additional utility to existing weapon specializations and are arguably worth the feat spent on proficiency if one is already devoted to the base weapon. Overall, slashing weapons are perhaps the best choice; they have higher crit ranges and typically deal 2dX more often than other weapon types. The more predictable the damage, the better able to anticipate how to behave tactically.
 * summary**: for fighters, devote about 1/3 of your wealth into your weapon. For thieves, 1/4 or less, and anyone else, spend...nothing.

High crit ranges are typically better than large crit multipliers, as a larger crit range represents an increased likeliood that you will be able to double your power attack damage. The equation is upended, however, for NPCs, where the rare x4 critical from a pick or a scythe is not only fearsome, but can turn an equal-CR opponent into a life-threatening battle. Whille they will happen rarely, PCs will be more fearful of the heavy pick than they will be of the scimitar, and thus DMs enjoy using these weapons.
 * Cost**: for anything except planar handbook weapons, the base cost of a weapon is somewhere around 50gp on aveage, enough to be negligible compared to other budget considerations.

//Step III: Magic// How magical is it? It's typically a smart move to have at least a +1 enhancement bonus, which will cost you 2300 gp, as all +1 weapons are also masterwork. Sometimes, you can get away with just a masterwork weapon, and for backup weapons, I don't even advocate paying that much. Beyond this, you'll have to pay increasingly hefty prices for more enhancement. +2 at 8,000 is arguably as high as any weapon in its right mind should go, as the money spent on a weapon is like a marriage waiting to end...you never know when the DM will disburse a superior sidearm, or when an ogre or babau will ruin your day by busting your fancy sword clean in half.

In any case, special abilities on weapons can cost you something in the range of 6000-30,000 gp and represent a dangerous investment. If you choose to go this way, make sure to cough up the extra 3,000 gp so that your weapon is adamantite (see below). While special abilities like //frost// and //flaming// are very common choices, it's really better to have a +2 sword in most cases; you can use a Capsule Retainer (see step III) for extra hurt to [cold] and [fire]-suptype monsters. A higher enhancement bonus means an extra point of power attack, expertise, or a 5% greater chance of actually hitting the foe.

There is another, less expensive form of magic that can leverage victory: the 'surge' abilities, from DMGII, cost only 2,000 gp and can either add 2d6 damage to an attack that has already hit, repulse a foe, or increase armor class at a desperate moment. The interesting thing about these inexpensive options is that they are usable CHAmod-times a day, an unusual quantity for a fighter to be concerned with.
 * Cost:** anywhere between 2300 and 12300 gp is appropriate here. Any more and you're risking a lot, and losing wealth critical to the enhancement of your armor class, saving throws, stats, and so on.

//Step IV: Material// The DMG materials, Alchemical Silver, Cold Iron, and Adamantite are usually fine. Google //the world of therra// if you'd like to look into other types; Eberron has produced a number of mourning-related materials that are of fair interest; pandemonic silver (CW) has an interesting wind-related morale effect, while acting as silver. Various Abyssal and Stygian metals exist that deal sinister wounds or more damage. Blueice (FB) deals additional cold damage, making it a good buy at low levels.

Overarching all other materials, though, is adamantite. For a mere 3,000 gp, you get a weapon that holds up to ogre's sundering blows better than anything else, and you also become consummately better at sundering yourself. DMs love to ruin PC's day by breaking their big, fancy, expensive weapons with 5 dollar ogre clubs, and with an adamantite weapon, your investment just got more secure.
 * Cost:** 3,000 gp. Other materials have novelty, and you should be able to hit demons and vampires with cold iron and silver, but save that for the backups.  Adamantite is the clear winner.

//Step V: Template// All templates, to my knowledge, come from DMGII. They add something in the range of 1,000 gp to a weapon's cost, and discount other enchantments, enhance hardness, and grand a minor aid. All told, they're worth it most of the time. Soulforged is by far the best of these, ringing in at 800gp, adds hardness 1, 5 hp, and deals +2 damage to foes in the process of charging. You will have to buy these at character creation, unless the campaign is high enough level to entreat planar natives to craft or sell the items. The fire-associated template is an exception, as one can imagine the //laissez-faire// economy of the City of Brass would mean you could get one easily.
 * Cost:**600-1500 gp. The discount to specific enchantments means that these templates often pay for themselves.

//Step VI: Widgets// 'Widgets' are useful modifications or devices that are added to a weapon that increase its utility and make it more unique. I honestly recommend buying all of these. Hopefully, I'll manage to mention all of them, but already I'm thinking that I've missed some book.
 * All Weapons** Should have an Oil Canister (dungeonscape) that will allow you to dispense Oil of Bless Weapon, Oil of Flaming weapon, and so on, right onto the blade with a swift action. They cost 300gp if I reckon right.
 * All Weapons** Should mount a three-capsule retainer, which in a pinch can make a weapon ghost touch, silvery, cold, and so on. All told, this upgrade costs around 500 gp.  This appears first in CV, and more capsules became available in CS.
 * All Weapons** Should have a potion compartment, concealing and placing at hand a can of Cure Light at the very least, and even better, expeditious retreat. Again, This appears in Dungeonscape.
 * Two-Handed Weapons** reallly appreciate a close-fighting blade (RoW).

A new and yet-unpublished widget, the hilt crystal, promises to be an interchangeable upgrade for a weapon, billing in at 500gp and increasing in price in three grades. These appear to be eminently valuable, but more information is needed. They will appear in Magic Item Compendium.

Summation
Overall, really valuable, career-worthy weapons will cost you something like this sample: 50 gp, Base Greatsword Price. Hardness and HP are now 10/10. 3,000 gp, adamantite Price. hardness is now 20 and final HP are increased by 1/3. 300 gp, Dwarvencrafted price (adamantite weapons are automatically masterwork, and so the dwarvencraft price is 300gp, the difference from 600gp). The hardness and HP are now 22/20. 800 gp, Soulforged price. H/HP is now 23/25. 2,000 gp, +1 enhacement. H/HP is now 25/35. 2,000 gp, holy surge enhancement. 100 gp, close fighting blade. 450 gp, triple capsule retainer. 50 gp, quicksilver capsule 100gp, ghostblight capsule 25 gp, quickfrost capsule 300gp? potion compartment 300gp, oil canister.
 * Total**: 9475gp, not including a potion for the compartment and a nice oil for the can. Final H/HP is 25/46.  I dare you to try and sunder it.  While this may seem like a lot to pay, keep in mind this is the sort of weapon that will save your life, and be useful all the time.  Also, anytime you get 6,000 gp lying around, this weapon will still be there, unbroken due to its fortitude against wear.  If a party member has craft magic arms and armor, you could have  a +1 defender for a mere 2,700 gp.

And last but not least, it's frickin' sweet and has all kinds of Batman-Van Helsing-Brothers Grimm cred. Meaning in eberron, well, it's just a perfect fit. In the realms, people will regard you as being a Lantanna or a Waterdhavian, which is good, if they don't think worse and assume it's some gadget the thayans put out. In either case, there's lots of good roleplaying material, bound up right in your weapon.

=Armor= //Step I: Why?// The question to ask yourself here is, what do I want out of my armor? Do I want armor? The answer, always, //always// is yes. Armor is the cheapest, best way to increase your armor class. It's also the cheapest way to pick up native abilities, as the armor bonus scale is much more forgiving to the wallet than the weapon bonus scale.

Spellcasters? why do you want armor? One, it's cheap, relative to bracers d'armor, or burning up a spell slot. Thistledown padded has a 0% ASF and no ACP if masterwork, and it's one point on your AC for a measly 400 or so bucks. But just wait. it gets better.

//Step II: Budget// I'm afriad that in most builds except 'AC Maxman,' armor is the stepchild in terms of budget. The real trouble is that sometimes your armor is meaningless, because you're fighting a monster with a breath weapon, or with an attack bonus so terribly high that it will hit automatically. At character creation, you should spend a lot on armor. Later, you should be ready to get what's thrown to you by the DM, or as hand-me-downs from other party members. Ultimately, armor's importance erodes over time, unless you pay attention to it and consider how it can continue to protect you.

The answer, to that argument you just read, is that you have to keep reinvesting in protecting yourself, and looking at new ways to upgrade your protection. Invest in resistances, in DR, in concealment, and in evasion.

So what does all of it mean? Non-weapon swingers, you should be spending about 1/4 to 3/8ths of starting gold on an armor that's just right for you. H2H combatants should spend fully half on their armor. Remember, you're joining a party, and you don't know when something will drop that will be right for you.

//Step III: Magic// Armor has a very forgiving bonus scale that scales upward with a less sharp curve than weapons. Don't ask me why; weapons are only helping when you swing them, and are only helpful one swing at a time; armor is helping all the time, for every swling //at// you. What kind of bonuses should you be interested in?

First, consider how big the benefit of a +1 to AC is. For a fighter, who works hard on his armor class, a clean +1, rather than an ability, is amost always the most attractive option. However, 'second-line' fighters--remember that you can carry a shield, which also ramps bonus at the same scale. Don't ramp the bonus on armor too quickly if you are a cleric, shield fighter (you're TWFing with shield and sword, perhaps?), AC Maxman, druid, or anyone else that should have a shield in at least one hand. For others, magic that comes in the form of a 'plus' may actually help more, filling a needed gap in defenses. Of the abilities that add to the armor's 'plus,' fortification is perhaps one of the best, especially for low HP characters--it can take only one critical hit, sneak attack, or bad day to kill a low CON caster. When choosing between light fortification and another 'plus' **Always** choose light fortification unless you are a Warforged.

Armor also has a host of 'non-plussing' abilities it can accumulate. For those in heavy armor, restful, from Dungeonscape, is appropriate at a mere 500GP; for those with low Grapple modifiers, Slick (DMG), at 3,000 GP, is another great buy.