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Townopolis
2009-11-28, 04:23 AM
This is just an idea I've had kicking around for a while. It's part a way to add some magical attributes to items without enchanting them, part a theoretical way to try to tone down caster/fighter imbalances in whatever system you feel needs it, and part just something fun and flavorful.

The basic idea is that metals, all metals, have inherent magical properties. Specifically, they affect how magic interacts with anyone wearing significant amounts of the metal in question. What constitutes a significant amount may depend on the metal in question and its purity. For example, you may need to be wearing a full suit of chainmaille to benefit from steel's resistance, but a mere amulet may grant you silver's protection - provided the silver is pure. Here's what I thought the major metals and their properties might be.

Iron (or Lead): As in most games, cold iron is anathema to all things magical. However, it doesn't destroy magic that comes into contact with it, only nullifies it and doesn't let it pass through. Combine this with the fact that its protection doesn't normally extend beyond itself and this metal loses its usefulness for the traveling adventurer quickly. A full suit of armor would be the only way for most people to use cold iron to protect themselves. Luckily, however, dwarf runes can be worked into this metal like any other (See below). In addition to the above, fey creatures in most settings are repelled by cold iron, which can be a plus.

Steel: Steel is resistant to magic. It isn't impervious like cold iron, but it will give a wizard pause. What gives steel the edge over Iron, however, is that it also happens to be the best known metal for more mundane purposes - like stabbing someone to death or turning aside their attempts to stab you. You can also get the benefits of steel while not being completely encased in it, which is a plus for people who like to breathe.

Tin: Tin is strangely unique in that it doesn't seem to do anything.

Copper: Copper is disruptive to any magic that it comes into contact with. Luckily for mages, a modicum of skill and willpower is enough to overcome the passive properties of copper. Unfortunately for mages, copper is enhanced by the will of the user. Essentially, a warrior with a copper implement can "attack" magic. The degree of success they will meet seems to be determined by the skill of the mage who cast the spell and the wielder's own will to see the spell destroyed.

Silver: Silver simultaneously resists necrotic and demonic magic, and channels positive energy spells. Since very pure silver can protect a being or area in very small amounts, this causes silver amulets to be very popular. The metal acts as steel to the spells it resists, and has the opposite effect on those it channels. Spells that are neither are unaffected.

Zinc: The problem with silver is that zinc does the exact opposite. This is the cause of much strife as most people can't tell the difference between the two metals. That silver amulet you bought to protect yourself? Turns out it was a zinc amulet sold you by an evil cultist planning to enslave your mind. Zinc channels the magic silver resists, and resists what silver channels.

Gold: Gold attracts magic. It doesn't resist or channel magic, but spells and anything magical will be attracted to gold. In D&D3e terms, gold acts as an arrow catching (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#arrowCatching) enchantment except no deflection bonus and for spells. For this reason, gold is both a symbol of opulence and self-sacrifice. Anyone wearing significant amounts of gold must also be able to afford enough protection to at least neutralize the effect. Often, it is only worn by those who can keep a mage on retainer. It is also popular among noble kings/knights/paladins/etc... One of these might adorn their (steel) armor with golden inlay to attract potentially harmful spells away from their allies - of course, this also means they attract potentially beneficial spells as well.

Mithril: In addition to its physical properties, mithril has the opposite effect of gold. It offers no more resistance than tin, but spells and other magical things will shy away from a wearer of mithril.

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Normally, these properties are stronger the purer the metal, and so alloys usually don't work. Some, however, actually work quite well - perhaps due to some inherent synergy.

Bronze: Not so much a synergy as tin not doing anything. Bronze is just as disruptive as copper, while being physically stronger.

Brass: When copper and zinc are combined, the disruptive power of copper becomes focused on the negative spells that zinc channels, and it stops working against all other spells. This makes it popular in the trappings of holy sites, but unpopular elsewhere - there are plenty of dangerous spells brass loses its potency against.

Orichalcum: An alloy of gold, mithril, and copper; Orichalcum is difficult to smelt and as rare as it is desirable. It ends up with the same weight and strength of steel, but for those who make a habit of facing down the supernatural it is worth it. Spells are no more or less likely to target a wearer or orichalcum, but when used like copper the effect is that magic is sundered. In short, orichalcum is as strong as steel and a more powerful anti-magic weapon than copper or bronze. A full suit of orichalcum has never been forged, but pieces forged of the metal have been incorporated into steel or mithril armor. It is the same with weapons - usually a crosshilt, pommel, or other small part will be orichalcum while the rest will be steel or mithril.

I've talked mostly as if these were just for armor, but weapons and other implements have the same effect. A steel sword can potentially "block" a spell, and the same for copper or mithril weapons. A gold implement might intercept a spell and channel it into the wielder. Also, before I forget:

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Dwarf Runes: Dwarf runes can be used to affect the properties of a metal in various and sundry ways. The possibilities are potentially limitless but I wanted to mention one here. A very common technique is to carve runes into a cold iron plate that cause it to extend its property into the area around it - specifically creating an sort of "anti magic wall" on the same plane as the plate. A bundle of six such place can be placed to create a magically impermeable cube. This has all sorts of uses as you can imagine, from prisons to vaults to war rooms to the king's bedchamber - anywhere you want to keep mages in or magic out.

Fortuna
2009-11-28, 05:04 AM
This is intriguing. I am almost inspired to head over to the homebrew forum and whip up something based on this for 3.5 in hard crunch. I may do so at some point.

Pharaoh's Fist
2009-11-28, 05:16 AM
Zinc: The problem with silver is that zinc does the exact opposite. This is the cause of much strife as most people can't tell the difference between the two metals. That silver amulet you bought to protect yourself? Turns out it was a zinc amulet sold you by an evil cultist planning to enslave your mind.
Silver oxide forms unsightly black tarnish. Zinc oxide is white.

Melamoto
2009-11-28, 05:24 AM
This is pretty awesome. Nice touch to those who still rely on heavy armour and weapons, without being overpowered (Although the Dwarven Runes on Cold Iron seem a bit powerful). I can see this working in pretty much any RPG system.

Fortuna
2009-11-28, 05:30 AM
I have just started putting actual numbers on this for 3.5 over in the homebrew forum here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7396462) I am going to bed now, but I love to wake up to a load of constructive criticism!

BobVosh
2009-11-28, 06:17 AM
I may steal bits of this for my game. Very neat.

Oslecamo
2009-11-28, 06:58 AM
Pretty cool idea, altough it would take plenty of work to make the numbers work.

Townopolis
2009-11-28, 10:18 PM
An interesting point was brought up in Random_person's crunch thread about cold iron, specifically that it refers to worked steel in any form.

For those who care, you can simply have all iron/steel use steel's property and give iron's property to lead. Lead makes **** armor and weapons, but it was mostly intended to allow people to line their vaults and cells and prevent wizards from teleporting/scrying quite anywhere they wanted.

I can see about dwarf runes getting powerful quickly. Actually, this is another reason switching to lead is useful. As I understand it, it's fairly cheap to line a room with lead - and (relatively cheaply) magic-proofing rooms was one of the main reasons for involving dwarf runes - while most adventurers would be practically restricted to a lead case for sensitive materials and the like.

AshDesert
2009-11-28, 11:38 PM
Silver oxide forms unsightly black tarnish. Zinc oxide is white.

Ah, but, anyone trying to trick some poor sap by selling them zinc will probably enact their plan before said sap gets a chance to notice that they're silver seems to be turning white instead of black.

This seems like a pretty cool idea, I may just steal the whole "metal has intrinsic magical properties" thing to use as a general theme in my campaign world I'm working on. Also, giving lead (cheap and easy to make) and cold iron (usually expensive and hard to forge) the same properties doesn't really seem like such a good idea. But, I could just be reading something wrong, if not, feel free to ignore:smallbiggrin:.

Townopolis
2009-11-29, 02:11 AM
Giving lead (cheap and easy to make) and cold iron (usually expensive and hard to forge) the same properties doesn't really seem like such a good idea. But, I could just be reading something wrong, if not, feel free to ignore:smallbiggrin:.
The idea was to pick one, cold iron or lead, and not the other. If you pick cold iron, lead is unimportant. If you pick lead, cold iron probably has the same properties as steel.

BobVosh
2009-11-29, 02:16 AM
Or you can keep both. Lead isn't used for armor or weapons for a reason: very weak metal.

Pharaoh's Fist
2009-11-29, 02:21 AM
For those who care, you can simply have all iron/steel use steel's property and give iron's property to lead. Lead makes **** armor and weapons, but it was mostly intended to allow people to line their vaults and cells and prevent wizards from teleporting/scrying quite anywhere they wanted.

It also drove the Romans mad. Mad! MAD!