Magic Weapon Builder

Magic weapon pricing in Pathfinder 1e follows a formula that catches most players off guard: every weapon starts as masterwork (300 gp), then the enhancement and special properties together determine cost as total equivalent bonus² × 2,000 gp. A +1 longsword is 2,300 gp total — but add Keen and you're paying for a +2 equivalent (8,300 gp) for a sword that now threatens a critical on 17–20. Cold iron and adamantine add their own surcharges on top. This builder walks through every cost component, shows the critical threat range before and after Keen, and breaks down all damage contributions so you can compare loadouts before visiting the magic item shop. For archers, use the Magic Arrow Builder for ammunition pricing.

Configure Your Weapon

Weapon Type

Enhancement

Special Property

Material

Result

Critical Profile

DR Bypass

Damage (normal hit)

Total

How It Works

Every magic weapon starts as masterwork (300 gp). Then the total enhancement equivalent — the base enhancement bonus plus any special property equivalents — is squared and multiplied by 2,000 gp. A +1 weapon costs 1² × 2,000 = 2,000 gp in enhancement, plus 300 gp masterwork, for 2,300 gp total. Adding Keen (+1 equiv) makes it a +2 equivalent: 2² × 2,000 = 8,000 gp in enhancement, for 8,300 gp total. The squaring is what makes high-level weapons expensive: a +5 weapon is 5² × 2,000 = 50,000 gp before masterwork.

Both Keen and Improved Critical double the threat range, and they do not stack with each other — you get one or the other, not both. For most melee characters, Keen wins early because feat slots are precious. Improved Critical wins if you already have Keen on your weapon and are replacing it at higher levels. One practical difference: Keen is tied to the specific weapon, so if you switch weapons mid-dungeon you lose the benefit; Improved Critical stays with the character.

Cold iron bypasses DR/cold iron — most fey and some demons. It's the most common material upgrade because fey enemies appear throughout a typical campaign. Alchemical silver bypasses DR/silver — lycanthropes and some undead. The −1 damage penalty is real but usually worth the slot in a party without a druid or cleric. Adamantine bypasses DR/adamantine and ignores hardness below 20, which matters more for sundering doors and constructs than for standard monster DR. Alignment properties (Holy, Anarchic, etc.) bypass alignment-based DR, which is why they're +2 equivalent instead of +1.

Enhancement bonuses do not stack — if your +2 bow fires a +1 arrow, you use +2 (the higher). Special properties do stack freely: a Flaming bow firing Undead Bane arrows gives you Flaming (bow) and Bane (arrow) simultaneously, with the +2 enhancement from the bow on all attacks. This is why dedicated archers enchant the bow for the enhancement bonus and carry multiple Bane quivers for the properties. Use the Magic Arrow Builder to price and configure your quivers.

Burst properties (Flaming Burst, Icy Burst, etc.) add their bonus dice only on a confirmed critical. On a normal hit they behave identically to the non-burst version (+1d6). On a crit, the multiplier applies to base weapon damage and the enhancement bonus — but not to energy dice from special properties. Those dice are added flat, after multiplication. For a ×3 greataxe with Flaming Burst hitting a critical: (1d12 + enhancement) × 3, then +1d6 fire (normal portion) + 1d10 fire (burst bonus). Bane's 2d6 is likewise not multiplied.

Recommended Loadouts

Click any loadout to pre-fill the builder above.

+1 Longsword

2,300 gp

Entry-level magic weapon

+1 Keen Longsword

8,300 gp

Fighter's choice — threatens 17–20

+1 Keen Rapier

8,300 gp

Rogue/swashbuckler — threatens 15–20

+1 Undead Bane Longsword

8,300 gp

Dungeon delver — acts as +3 vs undead

+1 Holy Longsword

18,300 gp

Paladin blade — +1 enh + Holy (+2) = +3 total

+1 Flaming Greataxe

8,300 gp

Barbarian — bypasses fire-based regeneration

+1 Disruption Morningstar

8,300 gp

Cleric — undead save vs destruction each hit

+2 Longbow

8,300 gp

Archer's primary — pairs with Bane arrows

How is a magic weapon priced?

Is Keen better than Improved Critical?

What materials bypass damage reduction?

Do bow and arrow enhancements stack?

How does critical hit math work with burst properties?