"My powers won't heal him!" (3.5 Weapon Material, PEACH)

[Noctis Vigil]

I created this magic metal with powerful effects, and thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

Toxcite
Toxcite is an exceedingly rare alloy blended from a special black iron found in the Abyss or Hells blended with a special white silver from the heavenly realms. None of the metals in the alloy are anything special until blended, at which time the innate divine magic in the silver interacts with the dark power of the steel to create a grey metal containing a powerful innate magic. Toxcite has a hardness of 15 and 30HP per inch of thickness.

Armor crafted from Toxcite provides no real benefits or penalties, but weapons are another story. Any weapon formed from Toxcite sends a wave of dark energy into the wounds it creates, making them totally impossible to heal with magic of any form (including resurrection magic). The only way to overcome this effect is with a Miracle spell, followed by the healing magic. Secondary damage caused by an enchantment of any sort (such as a flaming or wounding toxcite dagger) may still be healed by magic. Because it is a magical blend of infernal iron and heavenly silver, Toxcite counts as both cold iron and silver for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Furthermore, any toxin applied to the blade is twice as potent as normal (every dose effects the next two strikes instead of one, stays potent twice as long as normal if it has a limited time of effectiveness, does 150% the damage it normally would, and the secondary effect occurs after 5 rounds instead of 10). In addition, it adds +2 to the save DC of any poison delivered through the weapon, with an additional +1 per point of Enchantment bonus.

A Toxcite weapon costs an additional 22,500 for ammo, 30,000 gold for a light weapon, 37,500 for a one handed weapon, and 45,000 gold for a two handed weapon. All Toxcite weapons are of masterwork quality (the masterwork cost is included in the price to make a Toxcite weapon).

Toxcite Infusing
A weapon that is infused with Toxcite has some benefits of Toxcite, but not the full benefits. Wounds caused by a Toxcite infused weapon cannot be healed by magic in the same way as a full Toxcite weapon, but any wish, miracle or resurrection spell will overcome this effect. The blade is still treated as both cold iron and silver for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Any poison applied to the blade lasts for two strikes per dose instead of one, does 120% the damage it normally would, and has +2 added to the save DC. Infusing the weapon with Toxcite makes it slightly more durable, granting +2 to the weapon's hardness (to a max hardness of 20) and +5HP per inch of thickness. A Toxcite infusing costs one half the listed price of a full Toxcite weapon, and must be done when the weapon is first created (it cannot be added to the weapon at a later date).

[Garryl]

I created this magic metal with powerful effects, and thought I'd share it here. Enjoy!

Toxcite
Toxcite is an exceedingly rare alloy blended from a special black steel found in the Abyss or Hells blended with a special white silver from the heavenly realms. None of the metals in the alloy are anything special until blended, at which time the innate divine magic in the silver interacts with the dark power of the steel to create a grey metal containing a powerful innate magic.

Armor crafted from Toxcite provides no real benefits or penalties, but weapons are another story. Any weapon formed from Toxcite sends a wave of dark energy into the wounds it creates, making them totally impossible to heal with magic of any form.


So the wounds only heal naturally? That's rather annoying, although in combat it has little effect (since combat healing usually isn't that effective anyways). For player use, this will have little effect as the dead can't be healed anyways. If that also means that death can't be healed, it might help against recurring foes with access to resurrection magic, but that's a bit of a niche case.

Mostly, it's a pain for the players to be hit with, since it means they need to spend a few days not playing to heal their wounds. In time insensitive campaigns, this is just a tedious annoyance. In time sensitive campaigns, it does have an actual effect. It might cause some interesting tension as the characters get closer and closer to death through attrition, but it would take a very fine hand to do that effectively without killing anyone or making the players feel that any combat at all is a loss.

Ironically, this is most effective against undead and constructs, creatures that can ONLY heal magically.



Furthermore, any toxin applied to the blade is twice as potent as normal (every dose effects the next two strikes instead of one, stays potent twice as long as normal if it has a limited time of effectiveness, does twice the damage it normally would, and has twice the normal save DC).


This is absurdly powerful. For starters, the power of the poison is not doubled. It's somewhere between quadrupled (2x uses and 2x effect) and increased infinitely (2x uses and 2x effect and going from enemy always saves to enemy never saves).

Doubling the number of uses seems reasonable. It's just getting you more efficiency out of your poisons (and a slight saving on the actions needed to reapply them).

Doubling the damage is very very nasty. The commonly-used Black Lotus Poison (creatable with Minor Creation and Psionic Minor Creation, and thus readily available for cheap to those who want it) would deal an extra 3d6 points of Con damage (the normal 3d6 Con damage is nasty enough, but adding an average of 10.5 to that makes it just absurd).

Doubling the save DC is just ridiculous. At the very least, it's +10 to the DC (I don't think any poison has a DC less than 10). Taking our Black Lotus poison, it shoots the DC from 20 to 40 (a +20 bonus). Anyone who failed on a 2 now fails on anything but a natural 20.

[TuggyNE]

twice the normal save DC

What Garryl said. If you want to double the DC in a slightly saner way, start by subtracting 10 from the original, doubling that, and adding 10 back in. 15->20, 18->26, 20->30, 22->34, and so forth.

However, that's still way too powerful IMO; a better idea if you even increase save DCs at all would be to add a fixed bonus, perhaps +2 or +3, or even +5 if you want to get a little crazy.

I might also suggest halving the time for secondary effects to appear (in addition to or instead of the other abilities given).

[Noctis Vigil]

Made a few changes. How does it look now? I dropped the extra damage to +50% instead of +100%, made the bonus to saves a flat +10, and noted that this does indeed overcome resurrection spells. I did however add a clause that a Miracle will let the creature be healed, though.

I primarily made this for assassin-type characters, although with the effect it has on undead I could see a LOT of Clerics using it if they can get their hands on it.

[Desmond Tiny]

Adding 10 to the save DC is a really powerful effect. I would say that you should probably lower it more. Also, can wish and true ressurection save people killed by it or specifically only miracle. Most things that need miracle also accept wish.

[Noctis Vigil]

I limited it to only Miracle. It takes a divine effect to cancel out the divine power of the weapon.

+10 is not overpowered IMHO. The highest save on a poison I recall seeing in an official book was in the twenties, and most poisons have saves in the 10-20 range. This makes poisons with saves that a 1st level Commoner will about nail half the time now challenge a 10th level Fighter. If it's still too high, I can just make it a flat +50% rounded down to the DC (so a DC10-11 would become DC 15, DC12-13 would be DC18, et cetera). This would mean the effect is stronger for strong poisons, but strong poisons are expensive. Most poisons with saves in the teens would get +5 to +8 to their saves.

[Acanous]

How about "In addition, if the weapon becomes enchanted, the Enchantment bonus is also applied to Poison DCs delivered through the weapon"?

That way, a +5 Toxite weapon adds +5 to poison DCs. It looks more like infusing it with magic causes more magical reactions from the Toxite, and it's not quite as unreasonably overpowered.

The rest looks good, though. "Poison lasts for two hits" and "Poison effects happen more quickly" are both very reasonable from a special material. "Damage cannot be magically healed" is very powerful, but this material is very costly, so that balances out.
Since there IS a "Poisoning" enchantment you can throw on a weapon, throwing it on a Toxite weapon is natural synergy. Anything that's immune to poison is also (Generally) something that requires magic to heal, so it's good against everything (Which something this expensive really aught to be)
2c.

[Noctis Vigil]

I like the way you think sir. Edited in a similar manner (such that a weapon with no enchantment still gives a bonus), and thank you.

[Demidos]

I might have missed something, but....

1. Wounding weapon enhancement
2. Teleport Away
3. Come back a while later
4. ????
5. Profit?

[Noctis Vigil]

I might have missed something, but....

1. Wounding weapon enhancement
2. Teleport Away
3. Come back a while later
4. ????
5. Profit?

:smalleek: Good catch. Edited to make it not insta-kill with a wounding toxcite weapon.

[Demidos]

:smalleek: Good catch. Edited to make it not insta-kill with a wounding toxcite weapon.

Looks good :smallwink:

[Acanous]

Looks good, I'd definately be OK with using this in a campaign setting.

[Noctis Vigil]

I'm glad you both like it. I enjoy making homebrew, and people telling me they'd use it themselves is the highest praise I can think of, so thank you very much. :smallsmile:

[Acanous]

After stepping back to think on using it in a game for a while, I've come across several problems, and a possible solution.

Problems:
Toxite is expensive enough that a Toxite weapon won't see play until minimum level 9. Poison stops being effective around level 5.

The cost of Toxite weapons is high enough that DMs would avoid using it because it would be a large cash-cow for players after combat.

Toxite has no stated interaction with Damage Reduction, and has no stated hardness or hitpoints.

Solution:
Perhaps a lesser version could be entered as well, like "Alchemical Silver" for silvered weapons. This could be cheaper and carry less benefits, but would bridge the gap and allow for a lesser cost, having Toxite see play at earlier levels, and more often at high levels.

Proposed entry:

Gilded Toxite
Any metal weapon may become a Gilded Toxite weapon, so long as one has the skill and the available means.
Gilded Toxite has the following effects:
Poison applied to a Gilded Toxite weapon is delivered twice per application of poison, with +1 to the DC.
Weapon damage dealt by a Gilded Toxite weapon is unable to be healed by Magical means. This counts only for the weapon's damage, independant of bonus damage from enchantment, a high strength bonus, or feats such as Weapon Specialization.
The unhealable portion of a Gilded Toxite's damage is applied first. Enemies with Damage reduction only apply it once, reducing the Gilded Toxite weapon damage and then all other sources, if sufficient damage reduction remains.
If an enemy is slain by a Gilded Toxite weapon and later revived, the damage from Gilded Toxite remains. If there is more Toxite damage than maximum hitpoints, the creature cannot be raised. Any method of ressurrection that does not require a body nullifies this effect.
Gilded Toxite costs 750 GP to apply to Ammunition, 1000 GP for a Light weapon, 1500 GP for a one-handed weapon, and 2000 GP for a two-handed weapon. This does not include the cost for making a masterwork weapon.
Due to it's corrupting nature, Gilding a weapon with Toxite reduces it's hardness and hitpoints per inch by 1.


That would let Toxite see play earlier, serving as a warning/tipoff to the players, and allow for DMs to equip entire assassin guilds using Toxite weapons as early as level 7, without spoiling the Party.

[Noctis Vigil]

Updated the entry to include a mention of DR, as well as hardness and HP. Toxcite gilding has also been added as an alternative (albeit a still expensive alternative).

[Acanous]

That works XD
Given that change, getting bolts with Toxcite gilding would be 11,250 GP, that's for a set of 50 yes?
Would still be potent loot, but the first batch of people using it would be ranged, so might escape. Selling for half still nets 5,625 GP from the encounter, less broken arrows/bolts. I can see it making play sparingly at level 6, which puts it in RIGHT after poison becomes normally useless.
Also, interestingly enough, that gives Toxcite the same game-entry level as Assassin.

[Straybow]

Well, "gilding" is specifically coating with gold. "Plating" is teh word u want.

[Noctis Vigil]

gild: tr.v.
1. To cover with or as if with a thin layer of gold.
2. To give an often deceptively attractive or improved appearance to.
3. Archaic To smear with blood.

I am using definition 2.

[TuggyNE]

gild: tr.v.
1. To cover with or as if with a thin layer of gold.
2. To give an often deceptively attractive or improved appearance to.
3. Archaic To smear with blood.

I am using definition 2.

That's not a very good usage, IMHO; most people will assume you're referring to the first sense, because of context ("to cover with ... a thin layer of [not gold!]"), and the second sense doesn't exactly fit either, since the idea of a Toxcite plating is not to improve the appearance but to make a weapon more deadly. Alternatives to gild could include cover, overlay, plate, or perhaps even anodize.

[Noctis Vigil]

Change to "Toxcite infusing".

[TuggyNE]

Change to "Toxcite infusing".

Ah, good choice. That actually makes me realize even "alloy" could work here; it's not just a plating necessarily.

[Straybow]

Infusing implies an alloy, a greater dilution of power, perhaps only preventing healing spells below a certain level. Start at 4th level, raise level for each +1 enhancement. A +5 Toxcite alloy wound will be healed by only 9th level spells.

Plating could be added to any weapon after creation. Just impose a restriction that it can't be done to a magical weapon, or rather if added to an existing magic weapon the process removes existing magical enhancements or powers.

Also make it so that an adamantine, mithral, or other special material plated with toxcite has the hit points and hardness of the former but damage properties of the latter, which completely covers the core metal (does not overcome DR based on core).

@@ my 2 cp