Transparent, really strong material?

[Eaglejarl]

Back in days of yore, there was a spell called Glassteel that would turn glass as strong as steel. As far as I can tell it doesn't exist in recent editions. Is it still official under 3.5? If not, are there any materials (or ways to create materials) that are transparent and at least as strong as steel?

[Greenish]

Invisible Spell Wall of Iron.

[Emperor Tippy]

The easiest way is to just whack it with Invisibility + Permanency. Transparent Adamantium.

Races of FR has Glasssteel (as a material, not a spell) in it.

IIRC there are a couple powers and spells that render material see through but I can't remember the names off the top of my head.

[Karnith]

Glassteel is detailed in the 3.0 book Races of Faerun, and was updated (and also nerfed, as I recall) in the 3.5 book Champions of Valor.

[Uncle Pine]

Riverine (Stormwrack) is made from Elemental water under VERY high pressure inside walls of force.

[Kelb_Panthera]

3000gp, access to the invisibility spell, and the craft wondrous item feat can let you build a transparent wall, per the stronghold builder's guidebook.

[Dimers]

Many kinds of crystal are transparent, and there are stats for mundane and "deep" crystal in the XPH. Obviously, this needs a DM call, but there's no particular reason for it NOT to work.

[limejuicepowder]

What about regular ol' wall of force?

I like invisible spell too, that creates all kinds of funny situations. It makes me want to play a wizard who prepares every spell as an invisible version.

[Dalebert]

There's hardening (http://dndtools.eu/spells/spell-compendium--86/hardening--4682/).

[TuggyNE]

There's hardening (http://dndtools.eu/spells/spell-compendium--86/hardening--4682/).

A better source is the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/spells/hardening.htm). Matter manipulation also works, and they stack.

[Darrin]

Glassteel is detailed in the 3.0 book Races of Faerun, and was updated (and also nerfed, as I recall) in the 3.5 book Champions of Valor.

Not really nerfed. It's still transparent, same properties as mithral, hardness like adamantine, and way too expensive.

[Karnith]

Not really nerfed. It's still transparent, same properties as mithral, hardness like adamantine, and way too expensive.
They dropped the nonmagical enhancement bonus in the Champions of Valor version, though, didn't they?

[Darrin]

They dropped the nonmagical enhancement bonus in the Champions of Valor version, though, didn't they?

Ok, yes, that would probably be a nerf.

[Sugarbear007]

In the Sunless Citadel module there was a whistle made out of a glass like metal. Here is the description given.


Nephelium: Found only in the rarest of veins of areas saturated
with magic, nephelium has all the attributes of iron (it is
ferrous), except that it is transparent. It does nor add to the quality
of a weapon or a suit of armor, but alloys made from
nephclium arc transparent. Thus, nephelium plate appears
glasslike, as does a nephelium battleaxe. Purposely adding mineral
impurities to nephelium can produce shades of sapphire,
emerald, and ruby. Nephclium can be enchanted just like standard
iron. Weapons or armor fashioned from nephelium cost 100
gp more than weapons or armor fashioned from standard materials,
due to its scarcity.

[Chronos]

You could also cast Sequester on an ordinary steel item, which has the advantage over Invisibility that it lasts for a day per level, so you'd only rarely need to re-cast it.

[TuggyNE]

You could also cast Sequester on an ordinary steel item, which has the advantage over Invisibility that it lasts for a day per level, so you'd only rarely need to re-cast it.

Invisibility can be made permanent (on objects) at CL 10, so that's probably better unless you really want to come back around every week or two to refresh it.

[Kelb_Panthera]

If you want to get ridiculous with it, you can manufacture whatever it is out of riverine, as was suggested previously. It'll be translucent rather than transparent but nothing short of magic can destroy it. Even then it's pretty specific magic; disintegrate, rod of cancellation, etc.

Less ridiculous, if you're talking about a wall, is to build a transparent obdurium wall. Hardness 30 and 60 hp's per inch of thickness. Costs double what adamantine does and behaves as adamantine when used to make weapons or armor.

Even less ridiculous is actual glassteel. Same stats as adamantine for durability but it's naturally transparent.

[Dalebert]

What happens if you break a permanently invisible object into two or more pieces? Do the pieces stay invisible?

[Kelb_Panthera]

What happens if you break a permanently invisible object into two or more pieces? Do the pieces stay invisible?

That's a DM call. There's no RAW to cover that particular situation.

Assuming they're of roughly equal size I'd say determine at random which becomes visible or make both visible.

If one is clearly smaller than the other, that one becomes visible as though it were an object dropped by the spell's target.

[Milo v3]

I saw the Glassteel spell in the 3.5e Waterdeep book and have been wondering which materials to use it on myself.

[Helluin]

There is also the blurstrike weapon property out of some FR book. When activated the weapon turns invisible. But even when inactive a blurstrike weapon still looks transparent-ish.

[Grams]

Back in days of yore, there was a spell called Glassteel that would turn glass as strong as steel. As far as I can tell it doesn't exist in recent editions. Is it still official under 3.5? If not, are there any materials (or ways to create materials) that are transparent and at least as strong as steel?

Nephelium is a transparent material used to make weapons. (Auto keen/impact) Super expensive though.

[Eaglejarl]

Oh, cool, it actually is still in the game. Shiny. And even failing that, there are a ton of other options, apparently.

Thanks everyone.

[Thurbane]

That's a DM call. There's no RAW to cover that particular situation.

Assuming they're of roughly equal size I'd say determine at random which becomes visible or make both visible.

If one is clearly smaller than the other, that one becomes visible as though it were an object dropped by the spell's target.
That just conjured up an interesting mental image of an Invisible creature being successfully critted with a Vorpal weapon. :smalltongue:

[Ossian]

Just a bit off topic, I think you guys will find this article VERY interesting, especially if you are fans of Star Trek like me.

Remember the ultra hard yet transparent aluminium sheets needed to store the humpback whales? Yup, it's almost here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2088257/Star-Trek-really-IS-good-guide-future--Scientists-able-produce-transparent-aluminium.html?ITO=1490

[Chronos]

That's transparent alumina, not aluminum. Which is nothing new; alumina is better known as sapphire.

[nedz]

Yes, it's best not to get your science from the Daily Mail.

[Curmudgeon]

Ok, yes, that would probably be a nerf.
If you've got enemies who like to use Antimagic Field, it's a pretty big nerf. Having a weapon that's still +2, and armor that's still +3, can make for a game-changing level of difference.

Retaining the older version of glassteel (Races of Faerûn, page 158) is one of my house rules. The newer version has nearly identical properties to mithral (matching exactly in weight, ASF, MDB, and ACP), so there's hardly any reason for its existence.