Are you better off with special materials or enhancement?

[Senkoau]

I'm tossing up between a cold iron longsword +1 or a normal longsword +3. Special abilities are easy to judge but are special materials like mithril, cold iron or the like better for weapons or more enhancement?

[Cutlass Jack]

You'll want a single cold iron weapon in your bag someplace. Type or plus doesn't matter. There's a few enemies that can only be killed by cold iron, so you'll need it for killing blows. (Optionally you can use the Coup De Grace ability for these enemies, but it takes longer to succeed)

A Mithril weapon is just lighter. It wont help you kill anything that couldn't otherwise be killed. An Adamantine weapon will help you get through /adamantine damage resistance.

The other 99% of the time a +3 weapon will be superior.

[Senkoau]

I thought Mithril as good for lycanthropes as it counted as silver?

Thanks for the advice I'll stick with the cold iron +1 for now.

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by Senkoau:

I thought Mithril as good for lycanthropes as it counted as silver?

Thanks for the advice I'll stick with the cold iron +1 for now.

Never heard of that.
Where did you get that information from?

[Senkoau]

From the mouse information on the weapon if it's mithril it say's it counts as silver which lycanthropes have damage reduction against.

[Pink Eye]

Originally posted by Senkoau:

From the mouse information on the weapon if it's mithril it say's it counts as silver which lycanthropes have damage reduction against.

Huh, I did not know that. Next time I get a mithril weapon I should test that out.

[Lord Yanaek]

Originally posted by Senkoau:

I thought Mithril as good for lycanthropes as it counted as silver?

If it works like the tabletop Pathfinder rules (which it should), then yes Mithril counts as silver (without the -1 damage penalty of alchemical silver) and thus should ignore lycanthropes DR.

Special materials can be very useful for some situations, but due to the absence of the crafting rules (which would allow you to add the enchantments you want on your weapon of choice) they are doomed to stay as secondary weapons.

[PhocasByz]

there are 2 differents things whith special material

* the DR/ effect that can be overthrew with a ++ weapon
+3 breaks cold iron/silver dr
+4 breaks adamantine dr
+5 breaks good/evil dr

* the special effect himself that can not be overthrew

so if something (linorme for exemple) says (DR 10 / cold iron, regeneration / cold iron)
you will suffer no DR with a +3 weapon but regeneration will stay on
unless you have a real cold iron weapon in the fight

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons/magic-weapon-special-abilities/

[jsaving]

Also if you have a paladin in the party, smite evil lets you bypass DR. For that reason you sometimes see vivs or rogues take a paladin level (or two if you're willing to pump charisma a bit for saves).

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by Pink Eye:

Originally posted by Senkoau:

From the mouse information on the weapon if it's mithril it say's it counts as silver which lycanthropes have damage reduction against.

Huh, I did not know that. Next time I get a mithril weapon I should test that out.

Mithral punches through DR x/silver. It's been that way in the pen and paper RPG for years and it says so in the CRPG too.