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Given the discussion of the price of magic items, I thought it might be useful to discuss the most cost-effective ways for a character to become more effective.

Getting maximum dwarf-quality weapons adds +2000% for +2 to strike and parry, and +500% for +4 damage. Thus, a max dwarf-quality weapon will be 26x as expensive as a standard quality weapon. A battle axe of this quality costs 1040 gold, and a longsword costs 1430 gold. If you get these weapons Hex Mastercrafted in Northolme (Eastern Territories, p80), they cost four times as much, and their damage bonuses are doubled.

Thus for 4,000-6,000 gold, you can get a 1-handed weapon that is +4 to strike/parry and +8 to damage. For about a thousand gold, you can apply these bonuses to a knife and inflict slightly more median damage (11.5) than a standard flamberge (10.5).

What other low-cost tricks do you use to upgrade your characters on the cheap (or on the cheap-er)?

Use a battle axe and get free 1d6 damage at level 2.
Basilisks Eye Poison, 200gp for possible paralysis
Have the weapon enchanted to be blue, 500gp and now the weapon is magical.
Fleet feet potion 800gp
Superhuman strength potion 1000gp for the strength and no fatigue and the fact the spells last 1 or 2 melees per level of caster and the potions lasts 10 minutes.

A 1st level Blade Mage from the optional article in Rifter 23 , provided they have a caster or three around to contribute most of the P.P.E., can via ritual create basic holy weapons for the party. At 3nd level they can make those same or other weapons indestructable for about double the P.P.E. cost. At 6th level they can add enchantments to their personal weapons at the cost of permanently expended P.P.E., with perhaps the most potent combination being a Rippling, Severing, Viper Kissed weapon (total cost to enchant is 550 P.P.E. and 12 P.P.E. sacrificed), which deals triple damage (or M.D.C. in appropriate environments), treats every successful attack as an automatic critical, and forces a quite nasty Save vs. Lethal Poison along with a minor save vs. Horror Factor.