Upgrade Notes
Upgrading Weapons
Upgading weapons follows a branching path system, with available options split into multiple tiers. At first, a weapon can only be upgraded with a limited selection of 1st tier tags depending on its type, each of which “unlocks” one or more options from the next tier. The following additional rules apply when upgrading a weapon with a new tag:
- All prerequisite conditions must be satisfied to apply a new tag, as shown in the Weapon Upgrades table.
- 2nd tier upgrades can only be applied by a trained craftsman, with 3rd tier upgrades requiring the skills of a master artisan.
- Typically, it takes an artisan a full day of work (minimum 8 hours) to upgrade a weapon with a new tag.
- Once added, a tag can’t be removed from a weapon.
Weapon Upgrade Cost Structure
Upgrading a weapon has a base cost associated with each tier, with subsequent upgrades of that tier costing twice the previous amount for that tier. For example, Erik decides to pay a visit to a local blacksmith in order to have a customized pommel attached to his dagger—adding the balanced tag—for the tier 1 base cost of 100 gp. Later, he returns to have the blade honed—adding the sharpened tag—this time costing 200 gp, with the next 1st tier upgrade costing 400 gp, and so on.
Upgrades are grouped by tier for the purposes of this cost scaling: continuing with the above example, if Erik then wishes to have the blade of his dagger partially serrated in order to improve its effectiveness when slicing and cutting—adding the saw-toothed tag—it would cost 1,000 gp (the 2nd tier base cost) provided that the dagger doesn’t already possess any other 2nd tier tags.
Upgrade Descriptions
Balanced
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Any weapon
You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls made with this weapon.
Critical: Sharpened
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Melee weapons that deal piercing or slashing damage only
Attacks with this weapon score a critical hit on a roll one lower than normal.
Critical: Sight pin
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Bows and crossbows only
Attacks with this weapon score a critical hit on a roll one lower than normal.
Critical: Spiked
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Melee weapons that deal bludgeoning damage only
Attacks with this weapon score a critical hit on a roll one lower than normal.
Runic
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Can only be applied by a runesmith
This weapon can be imbued with rune magic.
Silvered
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Any weapon
Attacks with this weapon count as silvered for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Wounding: Keen
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Melee weapons only
You gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls made with this weapon.
Wounding: Oiled string
- 1st Tier
- Base Cost: 100 gp
- Prerequisite: Bows and crossbows only
You gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls made with this weapon.
Brutal
- 2nd Tier
- Base Cost: 1000 gp
- Prerequisite: Sharpened or spiked tag
When you roll the maximum damage for an attack with this weapon, you can roll the weapon damage dice again and add the new roll to the damage of the attack. If you roll the maximum amount again, you can repeat this process until you don’t.
Enchanted
- 2nd Tier
- Base Cost: 1000 gp
- Prerequisite: Any 1st tier tag. Can only be applied by an arcane spellcaster. Quarterstaffs only.
You gain a +1 bonus to spell attack rolls while using this weapon as a spellcasting focus.
Flanged
- 2nd Tier
- Base Cost: 1000 gp
- Prerequisite: Spiked tag. Can only be applied to maces and mauls.
When you hit a creature wearing medium or heavy armor with this weapon you sunder its armor, inflicting a noncumulative −1 penalty to its Armor Class until the armor is repaired.
Magical
- 2nd Tier
- Base Cost: 1000 gp
- Prerequisite: Silvered tag. Can only be applied by an arcane spellcaster.
Attacks with this weapon count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage, and features such as the black pudding’s corrosive form.
Saw-toothed
- 2nd Tier
- Base Cost: 1000 gp
- Prerequisite: Sharpened tag. Can only be applied to daggers.
Attacks with this weapon deal an extra 1d4 slashing damage. No effect against constructs or undead.
Superior
- 2nd Tier
- Base Cost: 1000 gp
- Prerequisite: Balanced, keen, or oiled string tag. Can only be applied to weapons with one damage die.
The damage die of this weapon is increased by one size (for example, 1d6 becomes 1d8, and 1d10 becomes 1d12) to a maximum of 1d12.
Arcane
- 3rd Tier
- Base Cost: 10000 gp
- Prerequisite: Enchanted tag. Can only be applied by an arcane spellcaster.
You gain a +1 bonus to your spell save DC while using this weapon as a spellcasting focus.
Masterwork
- 3rd Tier
- Base Cost: 10000 gp
- Prerequisite: Brutal or superior tag
You gain an additional +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon.