As the title says, I'm wondering if +1 weapons are considered magical. When I try to look it up I get answers varying between a flat "Yes" and "No, they're masterwork." so I wasn't sure if there was a definitive answer.
Does the source matter? (As in, a weapon crafted to be +1 vs. one made that way via things like Artificer infusions.)
If you are referring to some other kind of item please explain exactly what it is and provide a link if possible. If it is something your DM homebrewed then it is up to the DM to decide if it is considered a magical weapon or not.
If you are referring to some other kind of item please explain exactly what it is and provide a link if possible. If it is something your DM homebrewed then it is up to the DM to decide if it is considered a magical weapon or not.
I wasn't sure what Masterwork was either, it just tended to come up when I tried to research this on my own.
And yeah, I was just referring to your average +1 weapon. Thank you for the concise answer!
I wasn't sure what Masterwork was either, it just tended to come up when I tried to research this on my own.
And yeah, I was just referring to your average +1 weapon. Thank you for the concise answer!
I think "masterwork" weapons are something from 3.5e that gave a +1 to attack but not damage.
Every example we have of "+X" weapons in the written rules of 5e marks them as magical.
There's certainly nothing wrong with introducing "masterwork" weapons as a homebrew item in 5e though. Particularly if you're trying to play a zero or low magic campaign and just want to flavour them as non-magical or if you're trying to let players craft better weapons when they have no ability to enchant them magically.
I wasn't sure what Masterwork was either, it just tended to come up when I tried to research this on my own.
And yeah, I was just referring to your average +1 weapon. Thank you for the concise answer!
I think "masterwork" weapons are something from 3.5e that gave a +1 to attack but not damage.
Every example we have of "+X" weapons in the written rules of 5e marks them as magical.
There's certainly nothing wrong with introducing "masterwork" weapons as a homebrew item in 5e though. Particularly if you're trying to play a zero or low magic campaign and just want to flavour them as non-magical or if you're trying to let players craft better weapons when they have no ability to enchant them magically.
The main point of asking was to figure out if the +1 weapons you can make with infusions synergize with the Battle Smith's ability to attack from Intelligence with magical weapons.
I wasn't sure what Masterwork was either, it just tended to come up when I tried to research this on my own.
And yeah, I was just referring to your average +1 weapon. Thank you for the concise answer!
I think "masterwork" weapons are something from 3.5e that gave a +1 to attack but not damage.
Every example we have of "+X" weapons in the written rules of 5e marks them as magical.
There's certainly nothing wrong with introducing "masterwork" weapons as a homebrew item in 5e though. Particularly if you're trying to play a zero or low magic campaign and just want to flavour them as non-magical or if you're trying to let players craft better weapons when they have no ability to enchant them magically.
The main point of asking was to figure out if the +1 weapons you can make with infusions synergize with the Battle Smith's ability to attack from Intelligence with magical weapons.
Any weapon that has been infused is magical. The first line of the feature reads "You’ve gained the ability to imbue mundane items with certain magical infusions, turning those objects into magic items."
As others have already said - +1 weapons are magic weapons with all that implies, further, infused weapons are magical weapons as well. Also as others have said “masterwork” items are from earlier editions and don’t exist in 5e outside of homebrew. They came in in 3.x as a 2 fold item - 1) they were crafted by master craftsmen to the highest standards having the best nonmagically enhanced characteristics hence the +1 to hit, 2) only masterwork items could be magically enhanced which is where the damage +1 effectively came from.
If you want to include masterwork items in a campaign some historical background can be useful so here goes my understanding. In the Middle Ages skilled trades (and other trades) had a 4 step training/development set up. You started, in childhood, as an apprentice learning the basics of the trade. After they have learned the basics and have developed some real skill they become Journeymen. They were free to leave, journey and take work where, when and with whomever they wanted to. They could open their own shops as well. When our characters take a proficiency in a skill or tool you are really at the journeyman level, the Bard’s half proficiency is really at the advanced apprentice level. Next up is the master craftsman the person with expertise in their skill. In order to become a master craftsman you hade to create a masterwork item that other master craftsmen agreed met the highest standards of the craft. This is where the idea of “masterwork” items come from - works that meet those masterwork requirements. The final step was the craft master.a lot of the time this was often as much political as anything else but ideally these were the masters who didn’t just meet the top skills but also advanced the skills and abilities of the craft. So the first smiths to work with Mithril or Admantine were not just master craftsmen but were craft masters. if your incorporating this into a campaign keep in mind that the craftmasters and master craftsmen were typically found in the larger cities or working for wealthy sponsors.the vast majority of craftsmen were journeymen- especially outside of the cities.
Masterwork is a term that has been redacted. It simply meant an item that was created with superior craftsman ship.
It would cost a lot more and it would have a bonus for attack. However Masterwork were not magical.
Think of a Katana made by Yoshihara Yoshindo
It would cost you a small fortune but it would be one of the best swords in the world. \
Masterwork probably should not have been redacted for lore as it really makes sense. But I think it was confusing too many people.
I allow Masterwork in my world, but it is not something you are going to buy at a local vendor. It will be a major treasure in a quest, or purchased by a master craftsman at great expense.
Masterwork items most certainly exist in the real world.
The only problem with that is that in game worlds you also have magic swords/items that have to fit into the price schedule. On Earth masterwork are the best of the best so an Ulfbearth longsword or a yoshinoda katana is worth huge $$$$$$. In a world like Faerun where regular weapons grade to +3 and legendary and artifact grade weapons also exist masterwork should be both significantly more common and significantly lower in price. In my version of Faerun masterwork also exist and typically cost 3-5 times what a normal weapon costs. Magic weapons ( when available) are in the tens to thousands of times the cost of a normal longsword.
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Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
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As the title says, I'm wondering if +1 weapons are considered magical. When I try to look it up I get answers varying between a flat "Yes" and "No, they're masterwork." so I wasn't sure if there was a definitive answer.
Does the source matter? (As in, a weapon crafted to be +1 vs. one made that way via things like Artificer infusions.)
As far as the RAW there is no such thing as a "Masterwork" weapon. As described in the DMG a +1 weapon is defined as a magical weapon: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/magic-items-u-z#Weapon12Or3
If you are referring to some other kind of item please explain exactly what it is and provide a link if possible. If it is something your DM homebrewed then it is up to the DM to decide if it is considered a magical weapon or not.
I wasn't sure what Masterwork was either, it just tended to come up when I tried to research this on my own.
And yeah, I was just referring to your average +1 weapon. Thank you for the concise answer!
Yes +1 weapons are uncommon magic items
Masterwork was a term used in previous versions of the game. It doesn't exist in 5e. A +1 weapon IS a magic weapon in 5e as mentioned already.
I think "masterwork" weapons are something from 3.5e that gave a +1 to attack but not damage.
Every example we have of "+X" weapons in the written rules of 5e marks them as magical.
There's certainly nothing wrong with introducing "masterwork" weapons as a homebrew item in 5e though. Particularly if you're trying to play a zero or low magic campaign and just want to flavour them as non-magical or if you're trying to let players craft better weapons when they have no ability to enchant them magically.
The main point of asking was to figure out if the +1 weapons you can make with infusions synergize with the Battle Smith's ability to attack from Intelligence with magical weapons.
Any weapon that has been infused is magical. The first line of the feature reads "You’ve gained the ability to imbue mundane items with certain magical infusions, turning those objects into magic items."
As far as I know, weapons are uncommon magic items.
donkey kong
Some do some don't. Some weapons are common, rare, very rare and even legendary.
As others have already said - +1 weapons are magic weapons with all that implies, further, infused weapons are magical weapons as well. Also as others have said “masterwork” items are from earlier editions and don’t exist in 5e outside of homebrew. They came in in 3.x as a 2 fold item - 1) they were crafted by master craftsmen to the highest standards having the best nonmagically enhanced characteristics hence the +1 to hit, 2) only masterwork items could be magically enhanced which is where the damage +1 effectively came from.
If you want to include masterwork items in a campaign some historical background can be useful so here goes my understanding.
In the Middle Ages skilled trades (and other trades) had a 4 step training/development set up. You started, in childhood, as an apprentice learning the basics of the trade. After they have learned the basics and have developed some real skill they become Journeymen. They were free to leave, journey and take work where, when and with whomever they wanted to. They could open their own shops as well. When our characters take a proficiency in a skill or tool you are really at the journeyman level, the Bard’s half proficiency is really at the advanced apprentice level. Next up is the master craftsman the person with expertise in their skill. In order to become a master craftsman you hade to create a masterwork item that other master craftsmen agreed met the highest standards of the craft. This is where the idea of “masterwork” items come from - works that meet those masterwork requirements. The final step was the craft master.a lot of the time this was often as much political as anything else but ideally these were the masters who didn’t just meet the top skills but also advanced the skills and abilities of the craft. So the first smiths to work with Mithril or Admantine were not just master craftsmen but were craft masters.
if your incorporating this into a campaign keep in mind that the craftmasters and master craftsmen were typically found in the larger cities or working for wealthy sponsors.the vast majority of craftsmen were journeymen- especially outside of the cities.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Masterwork is a term that has been redacted. It simply meant an item that was created with superior craftsman ship.
It would cost a lot more and it would have a bonus for attack. However Masterwork were not magical.
Think of a Katana made by Yoshihara Yoshindo
It would cost you a small fortune but it would be one of the best swords in the world. \
Masterwork probably should not have been redacted for lore as it really makes sense. But I think it was confusing too many people.
I allow Masterwork in my world, but it is not something you are going to buy at a local vendor. It will be a major treasure in a quest, or purchased by a master craftsman at great expense.
Masterwork items most certainly exist in the real world.
The only problem with that is that in game worlds you also have magic swords/items that have to fit into the price schedule. On Earth masterwork are the best of the best so an Ulfbearth longsword or a yoshinoda katana is worth huge $$$$$$. In a world like Faerun where regular weapons grade to +3 and legendary and artifact grade weapons also exist masterwork should be both significantly more common and significantly lower in price. In my version of Faerun masterwork also exist and typically cost 3-5 times what a normal weapon costs. Magic weapons ( when available) are in the tens to thousands of times the cost of a normal longsword.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.