Anti-Magic Metal (PEACH)

[Lysander]

Here's an idea for an anti-magic substance that can have many uses in a campaign. Antinium is a metal that naturally emits an anti-magic field. However this anti-magic field only covers the area of the metal itself.

Armor
That means that antinium armor and shields can block some spells that fire projectiles or rays, like disintegrate, but only if they hit the armor itself and not some other part of the target's body or clothing. It provides no defense against spells like Hold Person that do not fire anything, nor does it protect against touch attacks. If someone wearing Antinium armor is plane shifted they vanish and their armor remains behind. Antinium armor prevents spells like Enlarge Person, since the armor remains the same size and restrains their growth, but not Reduce Person since they can shrink and be inside overlarge armor.

Weapons
Antinium weapons ignore most forms of magical protection, and oddly enough count as magic weapons for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction even if they have no enhancement bonus since damage reduction/magic is usually magical itself. But antinium weapons will always be limited by the fact that they cannot be enchanted. Antinium projectiles must be made entirely out of antinium alloy, or a defensive spell such as Protection from Arrows might deflect the non-metallic components.

Defenses
A lock with antinium components is immune to Knock spells. Mixing antinium dust with bricks, plaster, or mortar will block passwall spells and ethereal creatures. Antinium trap triggers cannot be directly manipulated by unseen servants or mage hand. Antinium doors, though absurdly expensive, are difficult to magically blast open.

Metal Strength
Antinium is as strong as iron, but is often alloyed with other metals to improve its quality. This gives it the strength and properties of the secondary metal, in addition to its antimagic field.

Cost
I was thinking it should cost as much as alchemical silver. What do you think?

[BRC]

Interesting. So would Antinium armor provide it's normal armor bonus against touch attacks?

Also, though you don't say it anywhere, I assume Antinum cannot be enchanted in any way.

[Dragon Elite]

I like it. The one problem I can think of is pouring some powder on a caster (or on a wand or such), completely stops it from working! Maybe make a different amount needed for higher level spells or Caster Levels.(The cost, or half the cost to enchant them?)

[Lysander]

Interesting. So would Antinium armor provide it's normal armor bonus against touch attacks?

Also, though you don't say it anywhere, I assume Antinium cannot be enchanted in any way.

That's right, it cannot be enchanted. So no icy burst antinium weapons sadly.


I like it. The one problem I can think of is pouring some powder on a caster (or on a wand or such), completely stops it from working! Maybe make a different amount needed for higher level spells or Caster Levels.(The cost, or half the cost to enchant them?)

Actually that wouldn't prevent a caster or wand from using their spells. It doesn't create an anti-magic field that surrounds the caster, it's just some dust on them that can't be affected by magic.

[Dragon Elite]

Oh, oops. Putting it on a gate or the edge of a castle's wall would help a lot though.

[Harperfan7]

I like this idea a lot. Where can we get a basis for pricing?

[Cieyrin]

Reminds me of this old thread, which went a slightly different path with the anti-magic material idea: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33569 NOTE: Please don't post to the posted thread, it's old, old, old!

[Lysander]

I like this idea a lot. Where can we get a basis for pricing?

I was thinking it should cost the same as alchemical silver, valuable but not ridiculously expensive. Because while it has its uses often your players would prefer enchanted weapons and armor in most cases. Also, keeping that price would prevent DMs from building entire castles out of it, because your players will be too busy melting down the walls as loot to actually explore the area.

Any idea how much powdered antinium used in construction should cost per 10 feet of wall?

[Cieyrin]

If you have access to a copy of the Stronghold Builder's Guide, that would be the best source for pricing of things like walls and whatnot. Also, I think that given such a wall would probably have to be an alloy of iron, it would be based off the cost of building an iron wall, I'd imagine, though, given the cost of non-weapons to be alchemically silvered isn't listed, you'd have to figure out that additional cost yourself.

[Lysander]

If you have access to a copy of the Stronghold Builder's Guide, that would be the best source for pricing of things like walls and whatnot. Also, I think that given such a wall would probably have to be an alloy of iron, it would be based off the cost of building an iron wall, I'd imagine, though, given the cost of non-weapons to be alchemically silvered isn't listed, you'd have to figure out that additional cost yourself.

A solid wall of antinium would be very expensive, but utterly negate any magic an anti-magic field could block. But there's another use of mixing powdered antinium into bricks or mortar. Most spells can still affect these wall since magic affects everything but the embedded bits of metal. But it blocks spells that allow passage through like Passwall, since you can't pass through those tiny bits. So there would need to be two prices, one for a solid wall of metal and a much less expensive price for just mixing tiny specks into otherwise normal material.

[Eloel]

Would this prevent teleporting?
Like, if you had a box made of this material, could you teleport in and out of it?

[Lysander]

Would this prevent teleporting?
Like, if you had a box made of this material, could you teleport in and out of it?

You would be able to, because the antimagic field only covers the space the metal itself occupies. So the hollow area inside the box wouldn't be an anti-magic field.

But antinium chests or safes would still be a good way of protecting valuables against magic using thieves. If it's a small box people won't be able to teleport inside, and the box itself can't be teleported, moved, or opened by magic.

[DragoonWraith]

Why doesn't Antinium armor give its AC bonus against touch attack spells? It seems natural that it would...

[Asheram]

Goodie! Time to mix some of this dust up with some paint. :D

[Lysander]

Why doesn't Antinium armor give its AC bonus against touch attack spells? It seems natural that it would...

I thought long about that. Because it does seem that magic proof armor would block spells. But a touch attack isn't really something you project, like a ray, that has to move through an anti-magic field. It just refers to the range. So if you touch someone's clothing or armor, you aren't targeting the clothing, you're targeting what's behind the clothing.

To clarify things, it's like casting a spell that targets someone on the other side of a 10 foot antimagic field sphere. Disintegrate would stop when it hits the field because its trying to move through it. Hold Person however would work across the field because it doesn't project anything. With antinium armor the same principle applies, just the antimagic field is an inch thick and occupied by metal.

Some spells, like shocking grasp do seem to send something through armor instead of targeting what's behind it, but in that case you could argue that once the electricity is created it's no longer magical in nature and would still work through antinium.

[DragoonWraith]

The way I see it, if you touch the armor, the spell fails. If you touch the person somewhere not covered by armor, then it works. In which case, you need to get past the Armor AC with your Touch attack, because where usually with a Touch attack, all you need to do is literally touch them, somewhere, anywhere, in this case you can't touch them in X area covered by the armor.

[Castiron]

I had an idea like this once, it was for a "Magic Dead" ore.

it could not be enchanted,
Hardness:18
HP:30
Prices:
Med armor= +20,000 gp
heavy armor= +40,000 gp
Shield= +10,000 gp
Weapon (damage 1d4, 1d6)= +10,000 gp
Weapon (damage 1d8, 1d10, 1d12)= +10,000 gp
other items= +2,000 gp/lb

the metal would create a magic dead zone arround it extending 1 foot.
while it wouldnt stop a fireball aimed near by it would stop magic missiles, hold, charm and most all magical effects.

Drawbacks: anyone using it for armor would not be able to gain the benefit of magical items, nor would any form of magical healing work. Using it as a weapon or shield would make any magic items attatched to that arm useless.

a good metal to make arms and armor from if your a magic hating fighter :smallfurious:.

[Harperfan7]

I would think antinium full-plate would block shocking grasp. I don't know, it just makes sense to me.

Does it block ethereal travel?

[Lysander]

I would think antinium full-plate would block shocking grasp. I don't know, it just makes sense to me.

Does it block ethereal travel?

I guess everyone's right about touch spells having to bypass the armor's AC.

Yes, it would block ethereal travel. That's why putting bits of it in your wall is enough to block ghosts, they can't pass through the grains.

[Longshanks]

Sounds interesting. I am guessing it is very rare with that price...

[Harperfan7]

You said it can be alloyed with other metals and retain their strength. So adamantine antinium, how much does it cost?

[Lysander]

You said it can be alloyed with other metals and retain their strength. So adamantine antinium, how much does it cost?

I'd just add the cost of antinium to the cost of adamantine in that case. Although I haven't really figured out what antinium should cost...

[paddyfool]

I would think antinium full-plate would block shocking grasp. I don't know, it just makes sense to me.

Does it block ethereal travel?

Warning: mis-appliance of science to D&D follows.

It seems to me that regular steel full plate, should, "realistically", operate as a Faraday cage and block shocking grasp, lightning bolt etc., right up to the point where the voltage is enough to arc-weld the joints together and immobilise the man inside, and/or heat the metal up enough to cook him. However, to test this, I'm going to need someone very brave, a suit of full plate, and oodles and oodles of voltage :smalltongue:

[Cieyrin]

Warning: mis-appliance of science to D&D follows.

It seems to me that regular steel full plate, should, "realistically", operate as a Faraday cage and block shocking grasp, lightning bolt etc., right up to the point where the voltage is enough to arc-weld the joints together and immobilise the man inside, and/or heat the metal up enough to cook him. However, to test this, I'm going to need someone very brave, a suit of full plate, and oodles and oodles of voltage :smalltongue:

This seems like a job for Mythbusters!:smallbiggrin:

Poor, poor Buster. So abused in the name of science. Ballistic gel people get no respect.