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Pathfinder Unchained / Scaling Items / Scaling Item Examples

Scaling Magic Weapons

Source Pathfinder Unchained pg. 163
The following section includes weapons with unusual powers and magical abilities. Magic weapons can have abilities that need to be activated to function or powers that work passively and constantly.

Legacy Arrow

Slot none; CL 4th; Weight 1/10 lb.
Aura faint transmutation; Price 305 gp; Scaling bauble

Description

This ornately carved arrow always survives being fired. By concentrating as a standard action, the last person to shoot the arrow can sense the direction in which it lies, up to a distance of 1 mile. This effect fades 24 hours after firing. Initially, a legacy arrow acts merely as a masterwork arrow, but it always retains its ability to survive and be recovered after use. Legacy arrows can be found as other sorts of ammunition, including bolts, shuriken, sling bullets, and even firearm bullets.
6th Level: The arrow has the distance special ability, normally not available to ammunition. When fired, it loses this weapon special ability and any gained at higher levels for 1 day.
9th Level: The arrow has the distance and seeking special abilities.
11th Level: When fired, the arrow regains its special abilities after 10 minutes instead of 1 day.
14th Level: Once per day as a standard action, the arrow’s wielder can designate it as a bane arrow for a category of her choice. It retains its current bane properties until they are changed. The arrow still takes 10 minutes to regain the use of bane, as usual.
16th Level: The arrow retains its bane, distance, and seeking special abilities after being fired.
18th Level: Once per week, the wielder can take a standard action to fire the arrow, giving it the properties of a greater slaying arrow (keyed to the same category as its bane ability) in addition to its other special abilities. After being fired, the arrow loses all special abilities for 1 week.
20th Level: The greater slaying ability can be used once per day (after which the arrow loses all special abilities for 1 day) rather than once per week. The arrow overcomes damage reduction as though adamantine.

Construction Requirements

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Heighten Spell, clairaudience/clairvoyance, finger of death, summon monster I, true seeing; Cost 22,000 gp

Multimetal Mace

Slot none; CL 6th; Weight 4 lbs.
Aura moderate transmutation; Price 2,650 gp; Scaling prize

Description

This +1 light mace has bands of several different metals around its hilt, each band one inch thick. Once per day, the mace’s owner can transform the mace into a different metal as a standard action. The multimetal mace remains that type of metal until transformed again. To begin with, it can transform to silver or back to steel. It retains all magical abilities when it transforms, along with any ongoing spells and effects currently affecting it.
8th Level: The multimetal mace can be transformed into cold iron.
10th Level: The multimetal mace can be transformed into adamantine.
12th Level: The multimetal mace is a +2 light mace.

Construction Requirements

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, heart of the metal; Cost 11,405 gp

Sacred Avenger

Slot none; CL 6th; Weight 4 lbs.
Aura moderate abjuration [good]; Price 4,800 gp; Scaling wonder

Description

This masterwork cold iron longsword becomes a +1 cold iron longsword in the hands of a paladin.
8th Level: The sacred avenger is a +1 cold iron longsword that becomes a +2 cold iron longsword in the hands of a paladin.
10th Level: The sacred avenger becomes a +3 cold iron longsword in the hands of a paladin.
12th Level: The sacred avenger is a +2 cold iron longsword that becomes a +4 cold iron longsword in the hands of a paladin.
14th Level: The sacred avenger becomes a +5 cold iron longsword in the hands of a paladin.
17th Level: The sacred avenger allows a paladin to use the area dispel version of greater dispel magic at will as a standard action and grants the paladin and adjacent allies spell resistance equal to 5 + her paladin level.

Construction Requirements

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, holy aura, creator must be good; Cost 64,500 gp

Spear of the Huntmaster

Slot none; CL 6th; Weight 6 lbs.
Aura moderate divination; Price 2,650 gp; Scaling prize

Description

This +1 spear of jet-black wood has a head of polished amber. The spear’s wielder can use know direction at will.
8th Level: With the spear in hand, the wielder gains a +5 competence bonus on Survival checks.
10th Level: A wielder with the quarry class feature can use the spear to use locate creature once per day to find his quarry. If his quarry is within range, the amber spearhead glows brightly when pointed in the proper direction.
12th Level: The spear gains the returning weapon special ability.

Construction Requirements

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, detect animals or plants, know direction, locate creature, telekinesis; Cost 10,380 gp

Thirsting Blade

Slot none; CL 6th; Weight 2 lbs.
Aura moderate necromancy; Price 4,800 gp; Scaling wonder

Description

This long, curved +1 dagger gives off a contented hum when soaked with blood. It can be thrown normally despite its length and has a critical threat range of 18–20.
8th Level: The thirsting blade is a +1 keen dagger.
10th Level: The thirsting blade deals 1 point of bleed damage on a successful critical hit.
14th Level: The thirsting blade is a +1 keen wounding dagger. On a successful critical hit, the dagger deals 2 points of bleed damage instead of 1.
15th Level: The thirsting blade is a +2 keen wounding dagger.
16th Level: The thirsting blade is a +3 keen wounding dagger.
17th Level: The thirsting blade is a +4 keen wounding dagger.
19th Level: On a successful critical hit against an opponent with blood, the thirsting blade’s wielder recovers 2 hit points. This ability functions only for the first wielder each day to score a critical hit with the thirsting blade. The wielder can recover a number of hit points in this way each day up to that wielder’s normal maximum hit points. On a successful critical hit against an opponent with blood, that opponent is flat-footed against the wielder’s attacks with the thirsting blade as long as it continues to take the bleed damage from the critical hit.
20th Level: The thirsting blade is a +5 keen vicious wounding dagger.

Construction Requirements

Craft Magic Arms and Armor, bleed, enervation, keen edge, vampiric touch; Cost 132,000 gp