4.2.22 Weapon enhancement enchantments

Enchantment nature: Weapon enhancement

Magical skill used: Darkness, Death, Earth, Fire, Light, Water; Death and Earth magic are best.

Characteristic used: WP

Description: A weapon enhancement enchantment is one that improves the effectiveness of a weapon, making it easier to strike targets and more deadly when it does hit.

Power: The power of a weapon enchancement enchantment determines how much bonus is added to the basic value for the damage dice roll, to determine how much damage the weapon does when it hits a target. The bonus to the basic value is equal to half the Power of the weapon enhancement enchantment. Hence, if the caster launches a Power 4 weapon enchantment spell, there will be a bonus of +2 on all damage dice rolls made using the weapon.

The minimum Power of a weapon enhancement enchantment is 1.

Finesse: The finesse of a weapon enhancement enchantment determines how much bonus is added to the basic value for the attack dice roll, to determine whether or not the weapon successfully hits the target. The bonus to the basic value is equal to half the Finesse of the weapon enhancement enchantment. Hence, if the caster launches a Finesse 6 weapon enchantment spell, there will be a bonus of +3 on all attack dice rolls made using the weapon.

Limitations: The magical skill used limits the effects of the weapon enhancement the caster can perform. The referee should apply discretion, but the following list may help.

Skill Weapon enhancement restrictions:
Darkness Shadow weapon. Bonus to attack chance and damage applies only against light-aligned beings. Maximum concealment is 3.
Death Weapon of death. Weapon homes in on the opponent's life force and drains it when it strikes. The effectiveness (Power and Finesse) is halved against death-aligned beings (such as undead).
Earth Diamond weapon. Hardens (and sharpens, where relevant) the weapon. No limitations.
Fire Weapon of fire. Always very obvious - maximum concealment is zero. Any additional damage done is reduced by any fire resistance the opponent has.
Light Weapon of light. Bonus to attack chance and damage applies only against darkness-aligned. Always very obvious - maximum concealment is zero.
Water Weapon of ice. Weapon becomes ice cold. Any additional damage done is reduced by any cold resistance the opponent has.

Examples:

Tim has a Fire magic score of 5 with no specialism in weapon enhancement spells, and a WP of +2. It is a hot sunny day on arid plains. Seeing a party of hostile warriors ahead, Tim seeks to improve his companion's effectiveness in the forthcoming combat by making his blade burst with flames. Tim chooses an enchantment with Power 4, Finesse 4, Range touch (i.e. 1), Concealment 0 (very obvious to onlookers), Duration 1 Minute, autonomous (i.e. 2 +1 = 3), Area of effect one target (i.e. 0), Investment 0 (focused enchantment into the sword) = Difficulty 12 in total. His basic value is 5 +2 = 7. He uses hand gestures and words when casting to give a modifier of +2, plus the referee rules that the arid conditions give him a +1 modifier to the use of Fire magic. This gives him an overall basic value of 10. He risks 9 points to get a dice roll of 3D + 1. In the event, he rolls a 4, 4 and 3, giving a dice roll result of 12; the enchantment succeeds. His companion will get a bonus of +2 on attack dice rolls and +2 on damage dice rolls for the next minute, when striking with his now-flaming sword.