Good On-Crit enchantments

[thewyrmdude]

Souldrinking from BoVD is pretty nice. Normally deals one negative level when it deals damage. On a crit, it bestows 2 negative levels, and gives the wielder 1d8 temporary hitpoints and a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength for a +4 bonus.

[Maat Mons]

The Magic Item Compendium version of souldrinking is reworked to a synergy ability for enervating.  The major changes are it no longer inflicts a negative level on a normal hit, it gives a +2 moral bonus to damage instead of a +2 enhancement bonus to str, and it's only +3. 

[linklord231]

Sword of Life Stealing thrown on top of a +1 Enfeebling Pitspawned Kukri instead of a +2 Longsword.  It actually comes out cheaper.

How is this possible?  +1 Enfeebling is the equivalent of +2 and Pitspawned is +1k gp.  If we assume Life Stealing adds the same value to a Kukri as it does to a Longsword, shouldn't the Kukri be 1000gp more expensive (the difference between Pitspawned and not)?

The rules for escalating fear effects are on page 53 in the Rules Compendium.  There it also states that multiple uses of the same fear effect don't cause escalation.

I'm not certain how up to date this list is, but it should help.  http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870158/The_3.5_Weapon_Special_Abilities_thread

Thanks, I've been looking for that rule for a long time. 
I started looking in that thread before making this one, but I noticed most of the on-crit enchantments got really low ratings, or were absent entirely.  So I figured this was a specialized enough situation to warrant a new thread. 

I'd go with both Enfeebling and Weakening for an overall -7 to -12 Str "penalty" starting w the first attack

I agree, that sounds sexy.  Follow it up with more 1d6 + 2's because of Str damage stacking as mentioned before 

The Magic Item Compendium version of souldrinking is reworked to a synergy ability for enervating.  The major changes are it no longer inflicts a negative level on a normal hit, it gives a +2 moral bonus to damage instead of a +2 enhancement bonus to str, and it's only +3. 

That's a pretty significant nerf, even if the on crit effect is somewhat better  .  The BoVD Souldrinking was one of my favorite enchants.  But since it's a [synergy] effect now, even though it's only +3 doesn't it even out to be the same as it was in BoVD since you have to buy Enervating too?

[X-Codes]

Pitspawned gives a discount for making a sword of life stealing out of it.  Well, in order to benefit you have to actually *make* the thing, but still.  10% off the gold cost of making it is just about 1k gold.  More if the +1 Enfeebling part also counts.

[dman11235]

On Souldrinking: I think I like the MiC one better from a balance and design standpoint, although it might be too expensive.  The BoVD one was essentially just 1 negative level, and additional negative level on a crit.  The temp HP and str don't really apply, the HP because it's negligible and the str because it's an enhancement bonus.  SO basically, for a +3 bonus, the MiC one gives you 1 negative level, 5 temp HP (still negligible, unfortunately), and a +2 bonus to damage that stacks with everything for 10 minutes (better than a str bonus, but unfortunately not great).  Actually, what I'd do is swap the prereq, so that Souldrinking is a +1 bonus and a prereq for the +2 Enervating...

[linklord231]

Pitspawned gives a discount for making a sword of life stealing out of it.  Well, in order to benefit you have to actually *make* the thing, but still.  10% off the gold cost of making it is just about 1k gold.  More if the +1 Enfeebling part also counts.

Ah, didn't notice the discount for making a weapon Life Stealing.  That's cool. 

On Souldrinking: I think I like the MiC one better from a balance and design standpoint, although it might be too expensive.  The BoVD one was essentially just 1 negative level, and additional negative level on a crit.  The temp HP and str don't really apply, the HP because it's negligible and the str because it's an enhancement bonus.  SO basically, for a +3 bonus, the MiC one gives you 1 negative level, 5 temp HP (still negligible, unfortunately), and a +2 bonus to damage that stacks with everything for 10 minutes (better than a str bonus, but unfortunately not great).  Actually, what I'd do is swap the prereq, so that Souldrinking is a +1 bonus and a prereq for the +2 Enervating...

Well yeah, the old Souldrinking on-crit abilities weren't that great.  But handing out negative levels during a normal Full Attack is stupidly good.  The on-crit ability was just gravy.  Totally agree about swapping the new Souldrinking and Enervating though... even if as a player I wouldn't be thrilled with it. 

[Maat Mons]

But since it's a [synergy] effect now, even though it's only +3 doesn't it even out to be the same as it was in BoVD since you have to buy Enervating too?

I phrased that badly.  Souldrinking is a +1 synergy ability that requires enervating.  Enervating is a +2 ability.  I think of +3 as the “real” cost of souldrinking. 

[X-Codes]

Enervating is just a negative level on a crit, though, isn't it?  If that's the case, then the +4 version is still better IMO.  Even worse, I think Enervating allows a save.  I remember that either Enervating or Cursespewing does.

[thewyrmdude]

Yeah, it only causes the negative level on a crit, but it doesn't allow a save. Neither does Cursespewing. Well, the MIC version doesn't. The BoVD one does, and it's only a DC 15. It does it every time it deals damage as opposed to the on-crit version from MIC, but that low of a DC it might as well be a critical effect; it probably wouldn't get through unless they critically failed their save.
edit: Forgot though, the MIC Cursespewing is +3, BoVD is +1.