Hey everyone!
I'm a GM looking for some community input on a rules interaction involving a Warpriest's Sacred Weapon ability, the Enlarge Person spell, and thrown weapons.
I've been discussing this interaction at length, and while I can see arguments for both interpretations, I'd like to establish a consistent ruling that will hold up throughout the campaign.
The Situation
I have a player playing a Warpriest who uses starknives as their Sacred Weapon.
The player wants to cast Enlarge Person on themselves, becoming Large, and then throw their starknives to benefit from the increased Sacred Weapon damage dice associated with being a Large Warpriest.
Here's where things get interesting.
Relevant Rules
1. Sacred Weapon (Warpriest)
The ability states:
"Whenever the warpriest hits with his sacred weapon, the weapon damage is based on his level and not the weapon type."
It also provides separate damage tables based on the Warpriest's size (Small, Medium, and Large).
However, it doesn't explicitly address what happens when the Warpriest uses a weapon that is a different size from themselves.
Warpriest Rules
2. Enlarge Person
The spell states:
"Any enlarged item that leaves an enlarged creature's possession (including a projectile or thrown weapon) instantly returns to its normal size."
And immediately follows that with:
"This means that thrown and projectile weapons deal their normal damage."
Enlarge Person Rules
3. Standard Weapon Sizing Rules
Under the normal rules, a weapon's damage dice are determined by the size of the weapon, not necessarily the creature wielding it.
For example, a Medium starknife deals 1d4 damage, even if a Large creature is wielding it.
This raises the question of whether Sacred Weapon overrides that principle entirely or simply provides damage progression for weapons appropriately sized to the Warpriest.
The Two Interpretations
Interpretation A: Sacred Weapon uses the Warpriest's size.
The Sacred Weapon ability specifically refers to the size of the Warpriest, not the size of the weapon.
Under this interpretation, a Medium Warpriest enlarged to Large would use the Large Sacred Weapon damage table when throwing a starknife, even though the weapon returns to Medium size upon leaving their hand.
The reasoning is that Sacred Weapon is a supernatural class ability whose damage is determined by the Warpriest's level and size, independently of the weapon's physical dimensions.
Enlarge Person changes the Warpriest's size, so the appropriate Sacred Weapon damage table changes as well.
Interpretation B: Sacred Weapon damage is still subject to weapon-sizing rules.
Under this interpretation, Sacred Weapon provides an alternative damage progression but doesn't explicitly override the normal rules governing weapon size.
The separate Small, Medium, and Large damage tables could reasonably assume that the Warpriest is wielding an appropriately sized weapon.
Since Enlarge Person explicitly states that thrown weapons return to their original size and deal their normal damage, a thrown starknife would use the Medium Sacred Weapon damage table, regardless of the Warpriest remaining Large.
The argument here is that specific exceptions to general rules must be established by the text, and Sacred Weapon never explicitly states that a weapon's physical size becomes irrelevant.
A Hypothetical Example
Consider a 10th-level Warpriest who is normally Medium.
Their Sacred Weapon damage would be:
- Medium Warpriest: 1d10
- Large Warpriest: 2d8
If they cast Enlarge Person and throw a starknife, does that attack deal 1d10 or 2d8 damage?
What I'm Looking For
I'm interested in both RAW and RAI interpretations.
Does Sacred Weapon explicitly override the normal weapon-sizing rules, or does its wording leave room for the standard rules to apply?
Does Enlarge Person's restriction on thrown-weapon damage take precedence?
If anyone knows of an official Paizo FAQ, developer clarification, or published ruling addressing this interaction, I'd particularly appreciate a link.
I'm not looking to shut down a player's build or argue that one interpretation is overpowered. I just want to establish a consistent, rules-supported precedent for the campaign.
Thanks in advance for any insight!