Caustic (Melee Weapon Magic Property)

Caustic (Melee Weapon Magic Property)

Enchant Cost: +8 (epic)

You must be level 21 or higher to equip, wield or wear an item with this property.

The wielder of this weapon may activate this property with a swift action, causing the weapon to become filmed in a greasy sheen of acid, dealing 3d6+30 points of bonus Acid (energy, common) damage on a successful hit. The acid does not harm the wielder. The property's effect remains active until another swift action is expended to turn it off, the weapon is sheathed, or until the wielder takes a full night's rest, whichever occurs first.

As an additional swift action, if the wielder wishes, they may declare that all of the weapon's damage is dealt as acid damage. This effect persists for as long as the acid effect is active, or until another swift action is spent to return the weapon's damage back to normal.

The acid damage granted by this property is bonus damage, which is not increased by a critical hit. However, upon a successful critical hit, the wielder inflicts the Sickened condition on the target, in addition to the weapon's normal critical damage. This condition persists until the end of the encounter, or until replaced by another condition on the target (or until the creature is slain), whichever comes first.

While the property is active, all attacks made with this weapon can blast a 2x7 square area (10 feet x 35 feet), where one square of the short side must be adjacent to a flat edge of the wielder's space (i.e., it cannot be made to attack diagonally, and the short side of the rectangle is always flush with a flat edge of your space, not a corner). All attacks must include at least one target within this area of affect that is within the wielder's normal melee reach (that is, this blast effect cannot be used to gain additional reach; it can only be used if it is started from an attack against a foe within reach).

The wielder rolls to hit all targets within the area of effect. All struck targets take the full weapon damage (including the bonus damage from this property). Damage is only rolled once, and that result is applied to all successfully struck targets. Successfully struck targets only take damage once, no matter how many of their squares are included in the area of the blast effect (i.e. you can't hit a large creature twice just because two squares of the effect fall within two squares of its 4-square space).

This blast effect is optional, and the wielder can decide whether they are using it or not with each attack. Note that this blast effect is indiscriminate — it will hit both friend and foe alike, and it cannot be used with selective effects such as the Selective Spell feat. Aim carefully!

If the blast effect is used with a single attack that targets multiple creatures as part of a single attack action (such as Cleave, Whirlwind Attack, or a Monk's Echoing Strike), the bonus damage applies to all creatures struck, but the blast effect can only be used once during the attack (not once for each target). However, the blast's area must always start at a flat edge of the wielder's space, regardless of reach.

While the Caustic effect is active, the weapon can also be used as a tool to loosen bonds and constraints. As a result, Escape Artist checks made while this property is active are made with a +3 competence bonus.

Creation: Creator (Feat), Epic Creator (Feat), Bailiwick Check (DC 65), a vital remnant (tier 6), and an item symbolic of the enchantment.