Elven Longblade?

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

davidb

Jun 26, 2005 15:29:35
I tried to use the "fixed" search feature but it didn't work so here I go.

In the DarkSun 3 from athas.org there is a weapon listed as Elven Longblade but the description is stong on rules but does not really tell me what one is or what it looks like.

Does anyone know where I can find this sort of information.

I was able to find a reference to an Elven Quickblade and an Elven Thinblade in Complete Warrior.
#2

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Jun 26, 2005 15:42:18
I tried to use the "fixed" search feature but it didn't work so here I go.

In the DarkSun 3 from athas.org there is a weapon listed as Elven Longblade but the description is stong on rules but does not really tell me what one is or what it looks like.

Does anyone know where I can find this sort of information.

I was able to find a reference to an Elven Quickblade and an Elven Thinblade in Complete Warrior.

I believe it can be found in The Elves of Athas.
#3

davidb

Jun 26, 2005 16:06:55
I believe it can be found in The Elves of Athas.

Thanks for the suggestion but no go.

I downloaded the pdf and did a search on longblade and it found nothing.

Issue I have is that both the bard's friend and the widow's knife contain a description along with the rules for the weapons but the elven longblade contains only the rules.
#4

pringles

Jun 26, 2005 16:18:47
Elven longblade are invented by Dark sun fan. Its a bone long sword made by elves.
#5

ruhl-than_sage

Jun 26, 2005 18:26:47
hmm... I think we need a bit more description then that. Who came up with the weapon? Maybe they have a description for it, or could come up with one? I at least want to hear what they have to say about it.
#6

kalthandrix

Jun 26, 2005 19:14:25
I concure doctor!

The elven longbalde is a sweet weapon, but even in the 3.0 version it was kinda lacking in detail- perhaps they cut some to save space.

I bet Jon would know more.
#7

davidb

Jun 26, 2005 21:07:59
Well I did some searching with Google and all I could find is some discussions of an Elven Longblade that is a bastardsword sized weapon that when trained in its use and used two-handed an elf (or half-elf) may use the weapon finesse feat with it.

But it does not match as the damage is 1d10 (1d8 for small) and weighs 6lbs, the crit is the same (18-20/x2) and the damage type is the same (slashing).

There is added fluff that "any non-elf carrying this is either really important to the elves or dead on sight."
#8

jon_oracle_of_athas

Jun 27, 2005 4:10:21
The DS3 Elven Longblade was mechanically inspired by the elven thinblade when it first appeared in Dragon Magazine around the time of the 3.0 Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting release. Thematically it builds on the elven tradition for the longsword, for which I wanted to create a unique elven variant that did not suffer the normal penalties for being constructed by inferior materials.

The elven longblade is the same length as a longsword, but is thinner and lighter, allowing it to be used with the Weapon Finesse feat. The weapon has strong elven traditions and can be used for armorpiercing thrusts as well as slashing attacks.
#9

davidb

Jun 27, 2005 6:20:51
The DS3 Elven Longblade was mechanically inspired by the elven thinblade when it first appeared in Dragon Magazine around the time of the 3.0 Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting release. Thematically it builds on the elven tradition for the longsword, for which I wanted to create a unique elven variant that did not suffer the normal penalties for being constructed by inferior materials.

The elven longblade is the same length as a longsword, but is thinner and lighter, allowing it to be used with the Weapon Finesse feat. The weapon has strong elven traditions and can be used for armorpiercing thrusts as well as slashing attacks.

So what is it made of? and should the damage type be piercing/slashing or just slashing as listed?
#10

jon_oracle_of_athas

Jun 27, 2005 7:04:05
It's made of bone. It should probably just be slashing, I should moderate the description.
#11

jon_oracle_of_athas

Jun 27, 2005 7:07:40
The elven longblade is the same length as a longsword, but is thinner and crafted from bone, making it lighter. This allows the elven longblade to be used with the Weapon Finesse feat. The origin of the elven longblade can be traced to the legend of Coraanu Star Racer, and to this day the weapon remains an important aspect of elven tradition.
#12

Sysane

Jun 27, 2005 7:51:51
I'm pretty sure that they have "elven longsword" stats in Races of the Wild. Its similar to the longblade.
#13

flip

Jun 27, 2005 7:58:39
Elven longblade are invented by Dark sun fan. Its a bone long sword made by elves.

It's an extension/replacement of the idea behind the longswords from DS1 -- every major elf tribe has it's own longsword that they belive was the one carried by Corranu Star-Dancer, the legendary elf. We adapted it to add a bit of mechanical uniqueness to it as well, (longsword, with rapier threat range) ... In appearance, elven longblades are modeled after their tribe's original (metal) longblade, which means that every elf tribe has a somewhat different looking longblade.

As a general stroke, I'd say that they're all slightly longer than a longsword (hey, elves are seven feet tall) and bear a slight curve starting around the last half of the weapon -- not as dramatic as a sabre.

Oh, and there's nothing two-handed about it; it's not a bastard sword.
#14

kalthandrix

Jun 27, 2005 11:27:27
I know that the Tribe of One series has some on Star Races's sword, but is there anymore in the other material, like Elves of Athas?
#15

davidb

Jun 27, 2005 22:14:20
Ok, an Elven Longblade is made out of bone, so does that mean that it has a Hardness of 6 and 2 Hit Points as well as having a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls?

Or as a special Athas weapon does it not have these penalties?

Can it be magically enchanted or psionicly enhanced?

As a side note, how do the inferior materials handle both magical enchantments and psionic enhancements?
#16

Pennarin

Jun 28, 2005 0:36:53
Ok, an Elven Longblade is made out of bone, so does that mean that it has a Hardness of 6 and 2 Hit Points as well as having a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls?

Yes and No. Hardness and hp come from material, but the penalty to attack and damage rolls is only for weapons that badly work when made of inferior materials. See the DS3 Equipment chapter, the section before the weapons' table, for reference.

Or as a special Athas weapon does it not have these penalties?

Effectively.

Can it be magically enchanted or psionicly enhanced?

Why not?

As a side note, how do the inferior materials handle both magical enchantments and psionic enhancements?

They handle fine. As a magical or psionic item, such a weapon has a minimum enchantment of +1 to attack and damage rolls. In the end, a +1 bone longsword has the following characteristics: +0 to attack and damage rolls.

Hmm, although, an enchanted weapon subsumes the bonus conferred by its masterwork state into its enchantment bonus, could it do that for the inferior weapon penalty? Thoughts?
#17

xlorepdarkhelm_dup

Jun 28, 2005 2:22:20
Ok, an Elven Longblade is made out of bone, so does that mean that it has a Hardness of 6 and 2 Hit Points as well as having a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls?

There's usually no negative penalty to attack and damage rolls, for "Athasian weapons" - those penalties appear when a "normal" D&D weapon is used with those materials, under the general idea that those weapons are not designed to work with the inferior materials. Athasian weapons, however, are designed completely with the inferior materials in mind, and thus aren't penalized in attack or damage. They do have a reduced hardness and hit points, however, resulting in being far easier to break with sunder (than metal weapons do).

Or as a special Athas weapon does it not have these penalties?

More or less correct.

Can it be magically enchanted or psionicly enhanced?

Yup.

As a side note, how do the inferior materials handle both magical enchantments and psionic enhancements?

I believe that the magical or psionic bonuses have the inferior penalties subtracted from them, but I could be wrong on this. personally, I can see the rationale and logic behind Pennarin's argument in the post above mine.
#18

jon_oracle_of_athas

Jun 28, 2005 3:26:01
Can it be magically enchanted or psionicly enhanced?

Yes, if it is a masterwork weapon.

They handle fine. As a magical or psionic item, such a weapon has a minimum enchantment of +1 to attack and damage rolls. In the end, a +1 bone longsword has the following characteristics: +0 to attack and damage rolls.

Exactly.

Hmm, although, an enchanted weapon subsumes the bonus conferred by its masterwork state into its enchantment bonus, could it do that for the inferior weapon penalty? Thoughts?

No. Despite being magical, the base material is inferior. You would throw the pricing system out of sync if the inferior penalty was removed upon enchanting the weapon.