Are magic weapons upgradeable?

[Brother Ezra]

I have a character that plans on taking the Forge Magic Arms and Armor feat at his next level. He wants to know if he can create a magical weapon with a +1 enchantment, pay the 1000 gp in material costs, and then later upgrade the enchantment to a +2, paying only the difference between the +1 enchantment and the +2 (3000 gp).

So my question is, do the rules allow for this to occur? Can you upgrade a +1 battleaxe to a +2 and pay 3000 gp in material costs for the upgrade, or would the +2 weapon need to be created from scratch and the full 4000 gp material costs apply?

Thanks

 

[Henrix]

Yes, you can upgrade weapons, paying only the difference.

 

[Bayushi Seikuro]

As far as I know, you can 'upgrade' weapons until you reach a total of +10 enchantments total. That's how I run it in my game - you can add 'pluses' or abilities, but you can't remove... so you could have a +1 axe, and add flaming to it, and then later another +1.

I know Rokugan/Oriental Adventures has rules covering it, but that's specific to ancestral daisho being increased by a spellcaster...

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

I've been toying with the idea of only letting you craft magical arms and armour while you're actually making them, as you make the craft checks, but it hasn't really fit the flavour of any world I've played in yet, except maybe IK. But yeah, in core you just pay the time, gp, and xp.

 

[Tatsukun]

Yes, you can upgrade items (including weapons) and pay the difference (Page 288 in the 3.5 DMG "Adding new abilities").

So, if you have a +1 sword you can pay to have it made it a +2 sword for 6,000Gp. If you have the feat / caster level you can do it yourself and pay half that in gold and some Exp.

Either way, it takes 6 days (1 day per 1,000Gp).

But, the enchantment cannot exceed +5 (page 222 3.5 Dmg). So, if you have a +5 sword you can't have it made into a +6 sword. You have to add something other than an enchantment bonus. So you can have it made a +5 flaming sword for 22,000Gp or, again, half if you do it yourself.

Good luck!

-Tatsu

 

[kenobi65]

Yes, you can continue to upgrade magical weapons, paying only the incremental cost. However, as with all things, it's up to your DM to determine how easy or difficult this is to have done in his game world.

And, BTW, they're not "enchantments", they're "enhancements." In 3E / 3.5, "enchantment" is a term specifically reserved to describe spells and effects from the Enchantment school, which deals with mental control (and, obviously, has nothing to do with magical weapons). (This is one of Sean K Reynolds' major pet peeves... )

 

[dcollins]

Actually, upgrading magic items is not an "up to the DM" thing, it's a well-established core rule. Furthermore, Reynolds is fairly off-base on his narrowly-construed "enchantment" thesis. It's common usage in fantasy stories, and even the DMG itself, for magical weapons and such.

From the SRD:

ADDING NEW ABILITIES
A creator can add new magical abilities to a magic item with no restrictions. The cost to do this is the same as if the item was not magical. Thus, a +1 longsword can be made into a +2 vorpal longsword, with the cost to create it being equal to that of a +2 vorpal sword minus the cost of a +1 sword.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I must say that the ability to increase the enhancement of existing weapons is one of my favorite changes in 3.x. No longer does the brave warrior have to toss the sword of his father if he wants to use a good magic weapon. The same weapon can be enhanced and new spells layered upon it so that it is as worthy a weapon for a 20th level hero as it was for a second level hero.

 

[Staffan]

Note, however, that if you're enchanting a cold iron weapon, you have to pay the 2,000 gp surcharge each time you're doing something to it.

 

[Zoatebix]

Note, however, that if you're enchanting a cold iron weapon, you have to pay the 2,000 gp surcharge each time you're doing something to it.

Ouch! I nearly forgot about that.

When it comes to Cold Iron, it looks like it pays off to "get it right" the first time.