Off-Menu Special Materials

[Judge_Worm]

I've always wondered what the RAI should be for "common" materials that aren't fully covered. In other words, their hardness, hp, and value. Here's a list of the ones that really bug me in order from most to least:

Obsidian- Commonly used by Central Americans, part of the reason they never had metal tools/weapons.

Iron- Not Cold Iron or steel, plain everyday iron used by people who were too cheap for bronze and without the technology for steel.

Bronze- The DMG never goes in depth enough on this one, and what it has is generally wrong. Bronze was better than iron and early steel, it just was cost inefficient.

Copper- People with metallurgy, and no tin or iron often made things out of copper.

Quartz/other crystal- It is a fantasy setting. Bethesda's ES series has glass, which is probably this.

Aluminum- For most of human history aluminum was worth more than gold. If gold and silver weapons exist, why not aluminum?

Bone/flint- The tool heads of primitive peoples were often made from flint, I included bone because why not?

Lead- Once more it's a fantasy setting and lead is a common material, it's both heavy and soft, great to mix with steel for hammer type weapons. Or to overcome some sort of damage resistance.

[Coidzor]

Iron- Not Cold Iron or steel, plain everyday iron used by people who were too cheap for bronze and without the technology for steel.

Quartz/other crystal- It is a fantasy setting. Bethesda's ES series has glass, which is probably this.

Bone/flint- The tool heads of primitive peoples were often made from flint, I included bone because why not?

Considering our love for Wall of Iron > Fabricate shenanigans, that is a good questoin, aye.

Deep Crystal/non-psionic crystal probably covers that one at least, I think.

I think Pathfinder covers bone and bone has been covered here and there, mostly in individual items. I think stone weaponry is covered in the DMG at one point, and most of that would be flint or chert, I think. And, again, I think PF may cover that as a general material.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Pathfinder covers Obsidian, and bronze. Some stuff for flint, as well. Under the Primitive Materials category. As for aluminum, isn't that what Mithral is for? :smalltongue:

[malonkey1]

Pathfinder covers Obsidian, and bronze. Some stuff for flint, as well. Under the Primitive Materials category. As for aluminum, isn't that what Mithral is for? :smalltongue:

Actually, mithril does fit in as an aluminum equivalent pretty well. It's demonstrably lightweight, has a shiny silvery color to it, and it's exceedingly difficult to get in meideval times. Meaning that a sufficiently industrialized setting could have mithril soda cans.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

I've seen several theories that Mithril is supposed to be titanium or aluminum in Tolkien's work. Only thing in D&D/PF it doesn't hold up to if its basically aluminum is the 'strong as worked steel' part.

[Drrakerr]

The stronghold builders guidebook has obdurium which is basically super adamantium.

[Fax Celestis]

Mithril = aluminum
Adamantine = tungsten carbide

Quartz is in some FR supplement somewhere.

[Andion Isurand]

Mixing Oerthblood (DR351 pg45) into a metal, doubles its resulting hardness and increases its hit points by 50% while also giving it the properties of Adamantine plus a luck bonus to saves against magical effects (shield/armor) or a +1 luck bonus to attack and damage rolls (weapon).

Oerthblood weapons also inflict upon those they harm, a cumulative -1 penalty against magical effects that lasts for 1 round.

It's also easier to enhance, and the time and XP costs of fashioning magic armors or armor from it is reduced by 25%.

[Coidzor]

I've seen several theories that Mithril is supposed to be titanium or aluminum in Tolkien's work. Only thing in D&D/PF it doesn't hold up to if its basically aluminum is the 'strong as worked steel' part.

Aluminum doesn't really seem like a very good material for making armor out of, though.

Or weaponry for that matter. :smallconfused: To my knowledge, the purpose it's used for in our world that would most translate to a D&D style setting is lightweight cookware(a cast aluminum dutch oven being a lot more lightweight than a cast iron dutch oven, for instance) and utensils. From what I recall it isn't even that popular as a component in any alloys for making lighter-weight steel for knives or hardware tools. :smallconfused:

[Judge_Worm]

Aluminum doesn't really seem like a very good material for making armor out of, though.

Or weaponry for that matter. :smallconfused: To my knowledge, the purpose it's used for in our world that would most translate to a D&D style setting is lightweight cookware(a cast aluminum dutch oven being a lot more lightweight than a cast iron dutch oven, for instance) and utensils. From what I recall it isn't even that popular as a component in any alloys for making lighter-weight steel for knives or hardware tools. :smallconfused:

Status symbol, mostly. Aluminum despite being the second most common metal on the planet, prior to the end of second(in the early 1900's) industrial revolution Aluminum was more valuable than gold, in volume. As for weapons/armor? It would work well until it hit something harder than it (like a humanoid bone), but the purpose isn't to be a good material, but as a decoration. Much like aforementioned gold and silver weapons/armor, with/without the benefits that silver gives.

Someone also mentioned comparing it to mithral. This kinda works but aluminum is useless for most of mithral's functions.

Here's what I figure it to be (by foot3)-
Hp: 5**
Hardness: 10
Counts as masterwork
Provides spell resistance 10*
*except for
Gives weakness to heat/fire 5
Gives weakness to lightning 10
**Breaks on a roll of 5 or less
**Damaged on an attack roll half of attack roll die or less (ie. 3 for d6, 8 for 2d8)

Ps. Does anybody know where I can dispose of these catgirl corpses?