Difference between revisions of "Special materials"

Revision as of 19:12, 1 November 2018

Faerûn

Metal

Adamant

This is the pure metal form of the hard, jet-black ferromagnetic ore known as adamantite, from which the famous alloy adamantine is made. Adamant is rarely found in nature, but when it is, it is always be in large spherical pockets in hardened volcanic flows.

Adamant is one of the hardest substances known on Toril, but it is also brittle. A sword made of adamant could slice through most metals—but would snap off if struck by another blade or even a smartly wielded wooden cudgel. It sees use in Faerûn only in dwarven experimentation and in styluses used to etch metal with names, strike chased ornamentation, and imprint inscriptions. Such a stylus shatters if dropped to the floor, though the chips can be used to scratch things. Adamant styluses typically costs 35 to 50 gp, if one can be found at all; Waterdeep and the Great Rift of the dwarves are the best places to shop for one.

Adamant is a gleaming, glossy black. Any reflections seen in it acquire rainbow edges, and this peculiar optical property is the sure-fire way to identify this surprisingly light, valuable metal.

Adamant is worth five times its weight in gold and takes enchantments readily. Some dwarves have worked together with human wizards to make adamant plate armor bound about with enchantments so that when it shatters, the pieces hang together around the wearer, providing some—albeit flawed—protection. Specifically, adamant shields against all fire and heat, magical or nonmagical, that it comes in contact with, so a wearer of adamant armor can stride through a small fire (one which still allows him the use of some oxygen to breathe) unscathed and even emerge from a fireball blast suffering only 1d6 points of damage from fiery damage to exposed areas. Items made primarily of adamant automatically succeed in all item saving throws vs. normal fire, cold, and electricity. They receive a +6 bonus to all item saving throws vs. magical fire and a +4 bonus to all item saving throws vs. acid, disintegration, and lightning. Unless items are enchanted to compensate for adamants brittle nature, however, they receive a −4 penalty on all item saving throws vs. crushing blow and fall.

Adamantine

This alloy, of five-eighths adamant to two-eighths silver and one-eighth electrum (itself a natural alloy of silver and gold) retains the hardness of adamant, but combines it with a rugged durability that makes adamantine so hard to shatter that it is the favored substance for the making of war hammer heads, the best nonmithral armor, and harbor chains. (By one of the miracles granted by the gods, adamantine can also be derived by combining steel and mithral—if one knows how.) Adamantine is black, but has a clear green sheen in candlelight—a sheen that sharpens to purple-white under the light given off by most magical radiances and by will-o’-wisps.

Adamantine is tricky to make, and must be forged and worked at very high temperatures by smiths who know exactly what they are doing and who have access to special oils to slake and temper the hot metal in. Almost all such expert smiths are dwarves, as the Deep Folk guard the secrets of working adamant jealously, but a priest or wizard seeking to enchant items can make use of finished adamantine items and need not necessarily have to work with a smith to create an adamantine work anew.

Adamantine readily takes enchantments, adding a +2 bonus to all saving throws of awakening, enchant an item, holy vesting, and wondrous web spells cast upon it. It is often the primary material for enchanted armors.

Items made primarily of adamantine automatically succeed in all item saving throws vs. normal fire, cold, and electricity. They receive a +4 bonus to all item saving throws vs. acid, crushing blow, disintegration, fall, magical fire, and lightning.

Arandur

Copper

Darksteel

Dlarun

Gold

Hizagkuur

Mithral

Known as truemetal to the dwarves, this silvery-blue, shining metal is derived from soft, glittering, silvery-black ore found in rare veins and pockets all over Faerûn—from the depths of the Underdark to surface rocks, particularly in the easternmost Sword Coast North lands. Mithral can be combined with steel (varying alloys of iron and carbon) to derive adamantine if one has no access to adamantite ore, but this process is both difficult and known only to a very few dwarves, who do not perform it for nondwarves unless there is a very good reason.

Mithral is the lightest and most supple of metals hard enough to be used in the making of armor; it is extremely valuable. Against magical attacks, it has an unpredictable nature: Whenever magic contacts it, roll 1d12. On an odd result, it does nothing; on an even result, it alters the magic, either giving a +1 saving throw bonus to beings very nearby (in other words, the wearer of mithral armor) or lessening damage done by the magic by 1 point per die. (The result more favorable to the mithral wearer or bearer should be chosen.)

Items made primarily of mithral automatically succeed in all item saving throws vs. normal fire, cold, and electricity. They receive a +2 bonus to all item saving throws vs. acid, disintegration, magical fire, and lightning and a +6 bonus to all item saving throws vs. crushing blow and fall.

Silver

Telstang

Zardazik

Blueshine

Everbright

Habalar’s Stealth

Wood

Beetle Palm

Calantra

Chime Oak

Blueleaf

Duskwood

Felsul

Hiexel

Laspar

Phandar

Roseneedle Pine

Shadowtop

Silverbark

Suth

Vundwood

Weirwood

Zalantar

Hyborea

Orichalcum

Magic metal of Atlantis, this metal is used in any summoning spell. It acts as a Rod of Rulership on the being summoned. When the being has completed its task the metal will turn to silver and be useless for magical purposes.^(GDGH-50)

Black lotus

Powder made from one of these flowers strikes the inhaler dead, no saving throw applicable. One flower will kill one being human or monster.^(GDGH-50)

Purple lotus

In powder form, one of these flowers induces a deep sleep which can last 1–12 days depending on the die. There is no saving throw for this dust.^(GDGH-50)

This powder, when mixed with any type of liquid and taken into the system through drinking or puncture of any type, causes instant paralysis. One flower makes one application which paralyzes for 1–12 days.^(GDGH-51)

Yellow lotus

Powder made from one of these flowers causes a light unconsciousness from which the inhaler can easily be awakened by a loud noise or a sharp slap. Powder from 2 causes death.^(GDGH-51)