Items/Enhancement

This section details rules, costs, and benefits of enhancing weapons, armor, and implements.

= Base Enhancing Rules = Items such as weapons, armor, and implements are enhanced in one of two ways; directly or gem and seal enhancement. The primary form being Gem and Seal Enhancement.

Gem and Seal Enhancement
When using gem and seal enhancements and special abilities are not tied to the item itself and rather are within Gems and Seals. Each weapon or armor has a single Gem slot and a Seal slot on them. Enhancement gems and seals are typed to Weapons, Armor, and Implements only able to be attached to the type of equipment they were designed for. This means a Gem designed for armor would have no benefit when applied to a weapon.

Enhancement Gems and seals may be broken to enchant 50 pieces of ammunition. Once done this way the ammunition receives the enchantments/special abilities as normal; but this consumes the gem and seal in the process and the enchantments may no longer be transferred.

If a weapon or armor already provides an enhancement bonus or has special abilities, applying a gem or seal overwrites any enhancement bonus or special abilities the weapon already possesses until they are removed.

Armor that is destroyed also destroys any enhancement gem or seals it may possess until the armor is restored; at which point they may be removed from the armor again.

Enhancement Gems
Enhancement Gems range from +1 to +5, and when applied to a weapon or armor grant the equipment an enhancement bonus. This may be only applied to a masterwork equipment requiring a standard action to attach, and may be removed as a move action.

Enhancement Seals
Enhancement Seals work like gems with a range of +t to +5 but rather than conferring an enhancement bonus this is instead in relation to the cost of weapon special abilities. Once applied all special abilities such as flaming, fortification, etc… are applied to the weapon or armor. Similar to gems it requires a standard action to apply and a move action to remove, and may only be applied to masterwork equipment.

Direct Enhancement
Enhancing a weapon directly applies both the enhancement bonuses and special abilities directly to a piece of equipment disallowing the enhancements from being moved to other items like gems and seals.

= Weapon Enhancement = Weapons are enhanced to become more accurate and deliver more damage, having an enhancement bonus from their equipped gem ranging +1 to +5. These bonuses are applied to both the attack and damage rolls of the weapon when used in combat. All magic weapons must be masterwork in quality, but due to the bonus from masterwork being an enhancement bonus this does not stack with the enhancement bonus from making a weapon +1 or higher.

The cost of enhancing an enhancement gem and an enhancement seal is the same following the below chart. Each scaling from +1 to +5. The cost formula is Bonus ^ 4 x 200 making the chart as follows: Because the special abilities are separate a weapon could be made as follows:


 * Example: A +1 Flaming Longsword would have the final cost of 715 gp. 15gp for the longsword, 300gp for the masterwork cost, 200gp for the +1 and 200gp for the flaming.
 * Example2: A +1 Vorpal Longsword would have a final cost of 125515gp; 15gp for the longsword, 300gp for the masterwork, 200gp for the +1 and 125000gp for the Vorpal which has a +5 special ability cost.

Enhancing Shields
Shields are enhanced as weapons, but may also take shield special abilities in addition to weapon special abilities; in addition the weapon enhancement bonus is applied to its shield granting shields a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and to the shield’s shield bonus.

Enhancing Double & Combination Weapons
Enhancing a double or combination weapon requires both ends to be enhanced separately, each requiring their own gem and seal to be applied to each end of the weapon; or in the case of direct enhancement simply enhancing each end as a separate weapon. This allows for each end to not only have its own separate enhancement bonuses but also different special abilities.

= Armor Enhancement = Armor is enhanced to become more effective at protecting its wearer, having an enhancement bonus from their equipped gem ranging +1 to +5. These bonuses are applied to both the armor bonus of the armor. All magic armor must be masterwork in quality.

The cost of enhancing an enhancement gem and an enhancement seal is the same following the below chart. Each scaling from +1 to +5. Armor enchantments will work similarly to armor but the cost is adjusted to Bonus ^ 4 x 100 Clothing may be made masterwork and enhanced like armor, allowing characters who cannot wear armor to still benefit from armor enhancement bonuses and special abilities.

Enchanting Clothing
Characters who are prohibited from wearing armor may choose to enhance their clothing. Clothing is enhanced like armor without counting as armor; as such weapon special abilities that can only be added to light or heavy armor cannot be applied to clothing.

= Implement Enhancement = Implements are enhanced to boost the accuracy and potency of spells, having an enhancement bonus from their equipped gem ranging +1 to +5. These bonuses are applied to both the attack and damage rolls of spells cast while wielding it that require an attack roll and/or deal damage, while also granting this bonus to any save attack rolls of spells. All magic implements must be masterwork in quality, but due to the bonus from masterwork being an enhancement bonus this does not stack with the enhancement bonus from making a weapon +1 or higher.

The cost of enhancing an enhancement gem and an enhancement seal is the same following the below chart. Each scaling from +1 to +5. The cost formula is Bonus ^ 4 x 200 making the chart as follows:

Implements As Weapons
Some classes allow implements to be a weapon they attune to. Weapons or other enhanced equipment used as an implement apply their weapon enhancement bonus to their spells as an enhanced implement at no additional cost. Weapon implements may take both weapon special abilities as well as implement special abilities.

This is generally a powerful and cost effective solution which is why only certain classes have the ability to allow their weapon to also be used as an implement.

= Special Abilities Lists = Different equipment such as weapons, shields, armor, and implements have their own specific special abilities they can be applied to them, ranging in cost from +1 to +5 similar to the weapon enhancement bonus. While the pluses by themselves do not provide a specific benefit they are used to limit the quantity and individual power of special abilities that can be placed onto a single piece of equipment.