Maerok
2006-12-31, 01:19 AM
Soulsteel is a very rare type of metal usually mistaken with quicksilver. The very strange property of soulsteel is that it has a tendency towards life; this means that soulsteel often comes alive through unknown means. As weapon, soulsteel performs very poorly but can come alive to fight for its wielder. However, it is often used as an untamed guardian in many dungeons.
Unattended Masses of Soulsteel
Given a certain weight, a free mass of soulsteel may become animated. Every eight hours, a d100 is rolled to determine this chance. An animated mass of soulsteel is treated as an Animate Object of the given size, but also gains a few extra properties. Once animated, the checks are made each eight hours and a failed check results in the soulsteel golem becoming frozen solid until its next chance. Damage sustained by the golem at this time causes it to drop to a lesser size as dictated by maximum hitpoints for each size of soulsteel golems; it then gains enough hitpoints back to have the maximum amount of hitpoints for its size of Animated Object. Weight is reduced to the average of the low and high weights for that size category.
A slab of soulsteel will take on a shape of an iron golem unless carved into a specific form. In any form, soulsteel is so highly polished that it can physically reflect magic effects.
While inanimate, soulsteel is treated as a creature of the proper size when determining hitpoints. Soulsteel has a hardness of 15 (use this when interacting with soulsteel in its inanimate form; use AC when it is animated).
Soulsteel generally costs around 500-1500gp per pound due to its immense rarity. Special quarries of soulsteel are always small and only contain 20d20 pounds of the material. Only when it is freed of the quarry and left out in the open will it animate.
Weight (pounds)|Size|Animation Chance
0-10 |Tiny|1%
11-50 |Small|2%
51-100 |Medium|4%
100-500 |Large|8%
501-1000 |Huge|16%
1001-5000 |Gargantuan|32%
5001-10000 |Colossal|64%
10001-50000 |Colossal+|75%
50001+ |Colossal++|100%
They also gain the following properties:
SR 14 + 2/size category (targeted spells or effects halted in this manner are reflected back as per spell turning with no limit; resonating fields in this instance have a 70% chance to cause the spell to drain away, and a 30% chance to effect the golem and the source equally)
SR cannot be negated by magical means as this SR is physical (by how incredibly polished soulsteel is) rather than magic-based.
Trample (as Animated Object, if Large or greater)
Improved Speed (as Animated Object for given form)
Additional special abilities, as per the Animated Object entry where appropriate.
Gains natural armor improves by its CR (rounded down).
Starts with full hitpoints
Natural attacks treated as silver and cold iron for overcoming damage reduction.
CR +?Soulsteel as a Weapon
Melee weapons only
6000gp (the entire weapon must be made from a single piece; double weapons cost 12000gp)
Enchants like cold iron
-2 to damage (to a minimum of 1)
Gains the Dancing property once/week for 2d4 rounds (10% chance to attack the wielder or an ally as if berserking like an iron golem).
Being in constant proximity to a wielder seems to negate the chances of a soulsteel item becoming animated. However, the wielder can often overpower the material with their own will.
A weapon left alone for 24 hours will resume its checks for becoming animated (go by weight for what size of Animated Object it will be).Soulsteel cannot be feasibly made into armor as contact with another soul over such large surface area interferes with the stability of the metal.
Some very powerful wizards have managed to construct elaborate living, and moving, castles of soulsteel after granting their creations sentience. Such construction takes unheard of amounts of soulsteel.
Unattended Masses of Soulsteel
Given a certain weight, a free mass of soulsteel may become animated. Every eight hours, a d100 is rolled to determine this chance. An animated mass of soulsteel is treated as an Animate Object of the given size, but also gains a few extra properties. Once animated, the checks are made each eight hours and a failed check results in the soulsteel golem becoming frozen solid until its next chance. Damage sustained by the golem at this time causes it to drop to a lesser size as dictated by maximum hitpoints for each size of soulsteel golems; it then gains enough hitpoints back to have the maximum amount of hitpoints for its size of Animated Object. Weight is reduced to the average of the low and high weights for that size category.
A slab of soulsteel will take on a shape of an iron golem unless carved into a specific form. In any form, soulsteel is so highly polished that it can physically reflect magic effects.
While inanimate, soulsteel is treated as a creature of the proper size when determining hitpoints. Soulsteel has a hardness of 15 (use this when interacting with soulsteel in its inanimate form; use AC when it is animated).
Soulsteel generally costs around 500-1500gp per pound due to its immense rarity. Special quarries of soulsteel are always small and only contain 20d20 pounds of the material. Only when it is freed of the quarry and left out in the open will it animate.
Weight (pounds)|Size|Animation Chance
0-10 |Tiny|1%
11-50 |Small|2%
51-100 |Medium|4%
100-500 |Large|8%
501-1000 |Huge|16%
1001-5000 |Gargantuan|32%
5001-10000 |Colossal|64%
10001-50000 |Colossal+|75%
50001+ |Colossal++|100%
They also gain the following properties:
SR 14 + 2/size category (targeted spells or effects halted in this manner are reflected back as per spell turning with no limit; resonating fields in this instance have a 70% chance to cause the spell to drain away, and a 30% chance to effect the golem and the source equally)
SR cannot be negated by magical means as this SR is physical (by how incredibly polished soulsteel is) rather than magic-based.
Trample (as Animated Object, if Large or greater)
Improved Speed (as Animated Object for given form)
Additional special abilities, as per the Animated Object entry where appropriate.
Gains natural armor improves by its CR (rounded down).
Starts with full hitpoints
Natural attacks treated as silver and cold iron for overcoming damage reduction.
CR +?Soulsteel as a Weapon
Melee weapons only
6000gp (the entire weapon must be made from a single piece; double weapons cost 12000gp)
Enchants like cold iron
-2 to damage (to a minimum of 1)
Gains the Dancing property once/week for 2d4 rounds (10% chance to attack the wielder or an ally as if berserking like an iron golem).
Being in constant proximity to a wielder seems to negate the chances of a soulsteel item becoming animated. However, the wielder can often overpower the material with their own will.
A weapon left alone for 24 hours will resume its checks for becoming animated (go by weight for what size of Animated Object it will be).Soulsteel cannot be feasibly made into armor as contact with another soul over such large surface area interferes with the stability of the metal.
Some very powerful wizards have managed to construct elaborate living, and moving, castles of soulsteel after granting their creations sentience. Such construction takes unheard of amounts of soulsteel.