Magic Weapon

[Kallias]

Currently as Magic Weapon is coded:

* the weapon must be mundane
* the weapon must be in your inventory
* the spell affect does not show on benedictions list
* there is no echo for when spell affect wears off

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What I propose:

* spell is cast on self
* spell shows in benedictions
* spell has echo when worn off
* since spell is cast on self, it would work unnarmed
* since spell is cast on self, it would work with magic weapons
* bonus is classed as "enhancement" bonus
* with a magical weapon, bonus does not stack with weapon "enhancement" bonus, but supplant if higher

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The give and take on this change is this:

My revision would make the spell more useful in that you are able to see when the spell wears off, and gives the caster the ability to refresh the spell on himself if the spell dissipates (with current state, caster would have to remove weapon and cast when in inventory).

My revision would make the spell less useful in that you are not able to cast this on someone else's weapon in your inventory and returning to the owner. Making the spell self only limits it's versatility.

I don't see the problem with the spell working on unarmed. The main reason I see this as not a problem, is that the core dice for unnarmed is very low - low enough that even a mundane dagger would still be more damaging than unnarmed with +3 enhancement.


Thanks for reading! Love you!
Tyson

[Tamryn]

I don't really like this. Since magic weapon is cast on a weapon, it doesn't make sense that you could drop a weapon, wield another one, and still get the benefit. The other weapon hasn't been enchanted. If the spell is going to become a general enhancement to the user's hit / damage roll, it should be renamed into something that more clearly matches its actual mechanics.

I have never seen anyone actually use Magic Weapon, but I always imagined the most useful purpose of it was for a wizard to enchant the fighters' weapons before entering combat. Since fighters get the most attacks and do the most damage, that's the most efficient way to use the spell. Changing it to only affect self would rule out this use entirely, which seems like a shame.

I would like to see a way to know when it's worn off, though. Perhaps it could make the weapon glow while in effect?

[Kallias]

Changing the name, to reflect the change, would be ideal.

I believe it's currently unused because of how clunky it is. Forcing the item to be specifically in your inventory is tiresome. I suggested making it self only because that is the only way I can see it working well with our zmud interface, and becoming a more streamlined spell.

All your points are valid. Though I do believe Clerics and Paladins would get the most use out of the spell when casting on their own weapon - wizards, of course, would get more returns when enhancing someone else.

[Rhangalas]

I think it should stay as a spell that targets mundane weapons. If not being able to see when it expires is the issue, then maybe that should be the focus of the revision - either a way to have the affect appear on your list or an echo that indicates the affect has worn off.

[Kallias]

I'm ok with it staying just mundane. The problem is that, since it is specifically cast on the weapon, the item needs to be in the inventory...at least, that is my perception.

If there is a way to make magic weapon an affect that is visible, and allows you to cast it on the weapon while being held - that is the best solution. I proposed the alternative because it's my impression that is not possible with current code.

Forcing the weapon to be in your inventory makes little sense, and also diminishes the spells worth significantly. Imagine if every time stoneskin wore off, you were forced to remove your armor to recast it - that's the issue with the spell currently, along with no echo showing dissipation.

[Vibius]

It would be nice if instead targeting an item in your inventory it would target a pc/mob.

cast 'magic weapon' <main/offhand> pc/mob.

Then the buff goes to the weapon in that hand, if the pc/mob wears a weapon in both hand, no matter the choice it gets the buff.

[Zorinar]

I have used this spell. I would cast it on party members weapons that were mundane. The problem is that you have no way at all (unless you keep spamming score) to see how long it lasts and it is hard to jugde it's usefulness, thus. Adding a flag to the weapon would solve this, a blue glow or just an echo that the magic has seeped away from the weapon would go a long with this spell.

[Gwain]

Make it the same as weapon of energy, where you type use and the flag shows up, though for both flags it would be nice to see an echo of when it is no longer working.

[Hrosskell]

Poison weapon has an echo, so I assume it's possible to just code the spell as is.

[Rhangalas]

Make it the same as weapon of energy, where you type use and the flag shows up, though for both flags it would be nice to see an echo of when it is no longer working.

I support this message. Like the new avatar by the way. Sinister.

[Raona]

The Magic Weapon spell did not have a wearoff echo coded, but adding one doesn't work. When the spell wears off, one gets

Log: Warning, trying to remove an Bonus modifier of -1 (type:18) from Gorby, but they don't have such a modifier!
Log: Warning, trying to remove an Bonus modifier of -1 (type:19) from Gorby, but they don't have such a modifier!
Log: [*****] BUG: Affect_obj_modify: unknown location 19 (damroll).

...and no echo. But the affect does fade, and it is applied when the spell is in effect. So it's just making it clear that such is the case that is a challenge.

The enchanted weapon does not take on a magic flag, and perhaps it should, if that can be given a duration. (Also critical to make it work where a mundane weapon would not? I'd think that the most useful aspect of this spell...)

There's more to fixing this than this simple patch, but it will take more time than I have this morning.

[Kallias]

Love you lots!

[Raona]

I spoke too soon - this actually did the trick, but as per poison weapon, only someone actually wielding the enchanted weapon will get the echo.

To check: do weapons enchanted with this spell work against creatures immune to non-magical attacks?

[Raona]

Follow-up - Can't test this, as it looks like resistances in general are still broken. For future testing, though:

m6211 is ostensibly vulnerable to magic damage

Moving to bug reporting for eventual check/follow-up on resistance bypass with this spell.

Brought spell code update to game port - it should be active with the next copyover.