Utility Weapons

June 11th, 2015

Today we celebrate the cheapest of magical killing devices. These deadly weapons offer you something that few other weapons do: something interesting to buy when you don’t have a lot of gold. Sure, that +1 sword is a whole lot better than a mundane one, but it isn’t very exciting. This week’s new weaponry offers you something unique for just a little bit of gold. Even further, these great items are useful at various stages of play, making them far more useful in the long run than a +1 sword.

LOCK BREAKER PRICE 4,302 gp

Slot none; CL 5th; Weight 1 lb.
Aura faint universal

This finely wrought dagger is made of a single piece of dark iron and features a thin, straight blade with dozens of tiny notches in the shape of arcane runes. In addition to functioning as a +1 dagger, the lock breaker can be used to destroy all but the finest of locks and even to unbar magically sealed portals and containers. Once per day, the wielder of this dagger can touch it to a device to try to unlock it. When the dagger is touched to a mechanical lock of good quality or less (Disable Device DC 30 or less), the lock is automatically broken, rendering it forever useless. If the dagger is touched to an object which is magically sealed by a hold portal or arcane lock spell, that spell is dispelled. Whenever the wielder of this dagger scores a critical hit, he may use this ability an additional time that day.

None of the lock breaker’s unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +1-equivalent weapon for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.

Construction Requirements Cost 2,302 gp

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, creator must have at least 5 ranks in Disable Device

STAFF OF MANY USES PRICE 4,350 gp

Slot none; CL 3rd; Weight 4 lbs.
Aura faint transmutation

This apparently normal quarterstaff confers a sense of wonder and anticipation upon the holder. In addition to functioning as a +1 quarterstaff, this ingenious staff has the ability to change its shape to become any non-magical wooden object of Medium size or smaller. The object can be of any sort the wielder desires, though it must be made entirely out of wood; once transformed, the object lasts for 1 hour before transforming back into a +1 quarterstaff.

None of the staff of many uses’ unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a +1-equivalent weapon for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.

Construction Requirements Cost 2,325 gp

Craft Staff, wood shape

BOUGH OF BREAKING PRICE 2,500 gp

Slot none; CL 15th; Weight 2 lbs.
Aura strong transmutation

Made from a single piece of fire-hardened wood, this javelin is painted with strange angular lines which twist about the whole of the shaft. Heavy for its size, this magical javelin can be used as a melee weapon without any penalty, though it carries no enhancement bonus to attack and damage whether it is used as a melee or ranged weapon. As a free action made as part of an attack, the wielder of the bough of breaking can choose to destroy it in order to transform any metal object it strikes into wood. The javelin can transform up to two 5-ft. cubes’ worth of metal into wood in this way. If used on a suit of armor or a shield, the resulting object grants only 1/2 the normal armor bonus.

None of the bough of breaking’s unique abilities count as an enhancement bonus equivalent, and it is treated as a non-magical weapon for the purposes of the cost of further improving its magical abilities.

Construction Requirements Cost 1,250 gp

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, polymorph any object