Rules

Equipment
  3E Equipment
  2E Equipment
  Magic Items

Magic

Races

Classes

Monsters

NPC's

Downloads

Articles

New Metals

Information revised and edited from material by Ken Lipka & Josh Rintamaki, additional suggestions by Cory Gurley at ...On the Wings of Mephits

Well pencil neck! Yeah I mean you skinny. I assume your here to learn what ol' Antler has to say about steel. Well I don't have anything much better to do at the moment so I'm supposin' I can spare a few minutes. Now mind y'all, most o' this info's gathered from them there planewalkers. They be more knowledgeable about all these things ya see. But as ta' using it, not a one of em can match a dwarf at the forge. So says I!

The important columns, or so I've been told, are the "Magic Equiv." and "Origin" ones. Thems two columns determine which nasties er.. creatures may be harmed by these metals. That is, if a nasty needs a +2 or better magical weapon to be smashed, any metal with a +2 or higher in the "Magic" column could be used to bash his brains in. Then ya' gotta worry about where the damn metal comes from. If the +2 nasty is Planar, then only a +2 or better Planar metal will affect it. In planer (NOT A PUN!) terms, Mithril or Adamantium are downright useless against a Pit Fiend. The same damn thing applies if the +2 nasty is from the Prime - only +2 or better Prime metals can be used to slaughter em'. Despite all these stupid rules, , vulnerabilities that don't rely on magic still apply, which means I can bash a werewolf no matter where I get the silver from.

STEEL
The good 'ol standby, this here is the standard in most areas of the planes when it comes to weapons and armor. While there may be many different colors and textures depending the Prime World or Plane of origin, one steel works much the same as the other when cutting through an orc. All standard stats of armor and weapons reflects the fact that they are made out of steel.

FINE STEEL
This classification refers to steel that has had extra time spent on it. Either a few extra runs in the refining of the raw metal, perhaps a bit more time spent in the balance of the blade or the angle of the armor plates; a craftsman made this metal, and I'll bet ten to one it wasn't a encil necked human. This grade can be found on any Prime or Plane. Due to the workmanship, items made of Fine Steel weight 10% less than normal and cost 10x as much. Nobody said this was gonna be cheap! Weapons crafted with this metal gain a +1 to hit OR damage.

EXCEPTIONAL STEEL
This grade of steel is the cream of the crop of drawf [man] made steel. Something extra has been put into the mix, creating an alloy that is superior to either of its parts. This metal is only available from Master Craftsmen (Dwarves I reckon), those who spend their lives refining their art. Again, found on any Prime or Plane, items made of this metal weigh 50% less than normal, and cost 100x more. Weapons gain +1 to hit AND damage as well as gaining a -1 bonus to weapon speed.

IRON
Now this stuff has its uses but you'ld be a fool to use it regularly. this was the first metal used to make armor and weapons. Certain nasties are vulnerable to this metal, thus a small number of weapons are still crafted from it. Although it don't cost no more than Steel (1x), it weighs 25% more and will rust if not carefully maintained. Weapons suffer a +1 penalty to weapon speed.

SILVER
This here stuff looks much better as a ring than a weapon, but like iron, certain nasties are vulnerable to this metal - especially undead and lycanthropes. As such, weaponsmakers, like meself, usually keep a small supply of Silver weapons on hand. Being a softer metal, it is not preferred for everyday use and a pain in the butt to keep sharp. Items made of silver cost 25x more than Steel. Weapons do 1d2 LESS damage (ie. A 1d6 short sword now does 1d4); Armor suffers a -2 penalty to its protective value.

GOLD
Like silver, this metal looks much better as jewelry or in the form of coins paid to me. But them arrogant nobles like to make cermonial items from it, and there are a few rare monsters which can only be hurt by golden weapons although I've nev'r seen em'. Items made of Gold cost 200x more than normal, and weigh 100% more. Weapons do 1d4 LESS damage and suffer a +4 penalty to weapon speed; Armor suffers a -4 penalty.

BRONZE
This metal has its place in history between Iron and Steel. Many human cultures exclusively use Bronze due to its greater availability and cheaper cost, always pinchin' coppers they are! Items made of Bronze cost 0.67x that of Steel. Armor suffers a -1 penalty. (While functionally the same as Steel, it is a softer metal. Thus, there should be more maintenance required as well as an increased chance of breaking.)

METEORIC IRON
Me great gran' pappy once found some o' this. T'is only found on the Prime Material and even then is uncommon at best. It is forged from ore garnered from stars that have fallen to ground, or harvested from amongst the rocks of space. Why a sod, %@#*! now I'm talking like them planars. Anyways, it suffers from the same weight penalty as Normal Iron, but doesn't rust and is much better for bashin heads. Items made of Meteoric Iron weigh 25% more and cost 150x as much. Weapons gain a +1 to hit bonus, do 1d2 MORE damage, but suffer a -1 penalty to speed; Armor gains a +1 bonus. Additionally, objects made of this metal gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws and have the ability to strike nasties which normally require +1 magical blades to harm 'em.

MITHRIL SILVER
This rare metal is only found in the hands of the elves of the Prime Material. The secrets of its making are closely guarded; any who have tried to steal them are dead. Mithril is usually the metal most treausred by the Clueless, both for its excellent combat performance and for the fact that it affects monsters the same as normal Silver. Items made of Mithril weigh 30% less and cost 250x more. Weapons gain a +2 hit bonus and 1d2 MORE damage; Armor gains a +1 bonus. Additionally, objects make of this metal gain a +2 bonus to all saving throws and have the ability to strike creatures which normally require +2 magical blades to harm them.

ADAMANTIUM
This here is THE bestest and rarest of all earthly metals. It is only found within the depths of certain Prime worlds; as such, it usually only in the hands of those who live deep underground, curse them stinking duergar! Items made from Adamantuim weigh 25% less and cost 500x more than normal. Weapons gain +3 to hit and 1d2 MORE damage; Armor gains a +2 bonus. Items also have +3 to saving throws as well as being able to affect creatures of +3 enchantment restrictions.

VIBRANIUM
Now this here metal was created by an enterprising Dwarf from the planes. Tis as rare as a beardless dwarf and as powerful as a derned dragon. This metal is an alloy made from adamantium and planar metal. Tis the only known metal to be good for bashing primers and planars alike. It loses some of its purity when ya mix it so it don't perform quite as well as pure adamantium. Items made from Vibranium weigh 25% less and cost 750x more than normal. Weapons gain +2 to hit and 1d2 MORE damage; Armor gains a +1 bonus. Items also have +2 to saving throws as well as being able to affect creatures of +2 enchantment restrictions.

BAATORIAN GREEN STEEL
Green Steel? Got me a hard time believing this one, trees are green not swords. This is the first of the purely Planar metals that is commonly used for armor and weapons. While it is the most common of the "better" metals, it is considered an Uncommon find. It is used in the Blood War [?] not only because it is far superior to normal steel, but it can also strike any planar nasty, regardless of magical restrictions. Now thats sumthin' to be proud of! Items made of Green Steel weigh 40% less and cost 300x more than normal. Weapons gain +1 to hit, -1 bonus to speed, and do 1d2 MORE damage; Armor gains a +2 bonus. All items also have a +2 to saves and can strike all creatures of +2 enchancement.

See also: Celestian Gold, its celestial counterpart in 3E terms, on the Special Materials page.

TANAR'RI RED STEEL
This metal is very similar to Green Steel, but is a little more scarce (counts as Rare). T'is also a standard armament in the Blood War, still not sure where this war is... it acts just the same as Green Steel with regard to the nasties it can bash. Items of Red Steel weigh 40% less and cost 400x more. Weapons gain +2 hit, -1 bonus to speed, and do 1d2 MORE damage; Armor gains a +1 bonus. All items also have a +2 to saves and can strike all creatures of +2 enhancement.

CRANOR (Tree-gold)
This material isn't metal at all! Believe it or not, it is made from the sap of evergreen trees from the forests of Arborea, Arcadia, and the Beastlands. Had t' see it wit' me own eyes ta' believe it. The sap, once treated and hardened, resembles amber but is as hard as a diamond. Cranor is highly resistant to fracturing and denting, but it is prone to chipping. Despite this problem, tree-gold is highly prized by those who hunt blue dragons; the material, not being metal, is essentially immune to electrical attacks. (Rumors persists that tree-gold can actually store electricity, but these remain unproven.) Items of Cranor weigh 50% less and cost 100x more than normal items. Weapons gain +1 to hit; Armor gains a +2 bonus. Cranor items receive a +2 to all saves, but +5 vs. electricity.

LAEN (Steel Glass)
This is another non-metal that is popular with armorers and weaponsmiths. Laen is a form of crystalline gem that is mined primarily on the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Mineral, but can be found in small deposits in some planar mountains. In raw form, the gem is a dark gray color; when refined for weapon or armor use, it takes on a transparent property, hence the alternate name. Steel Glass sees use because it actively resists heat, actually getting stronger. (Thus, to work the material, extreme cold must be used.) Items of Laen weigh 20% less and cost 500x more than normal items. Weapons gain +2 to hit AND damage; Armor gains a +2 bonus. Laen items receive a +2 to all saves, but +5 vs. fire/heat and no bonus to cold attacks.

GITHYANKI MITHRIL
This stuff is Very Rare Planar metal. It resembles the silver expanse of the Astral Plane, or so I'm told. Supos'dly it makes fer good protection and camoflage at distance. It is the exclusive property of the Githyanki so ya can forget 'bout it right now. All of their special Silver Swords are made from this metal, as well as the armor of any Gith of importance in their society. In addition to bonuses similar to the Green and Red Steels (affects all Planar creatures), it has the added benefit of not hindering psionic activity in the slightest (i.e. no penalties for wearing metal armor if made from Gith Mithril). Items made of Gith Mithril weigh 30% less and cost 600x more than normal. Weapons gain +2 hit, and do 1d2 MORE damage; Armor gains a +3 bonus. All objects have +3 to saves and can strike creatures of +3 enchantment.

DWARVEN BLACKROCK
This is THE Planar metal. Evr' since I was told 'bout it, I've been dream of being able to even SEE an item made from this metal. It is found only in the very depths of the Dwarven Mountain in the Outlands and Mt. Clenedaggen in Aracadia. Like the other planar metals, it can harm any planar creature. Items made of this VERY VERY RARE metal weigh 50% less and cost 1000x normal Steel. Weapons gain +3 to hit, -1 bonus to speed, and do 1d4 MORE damage; Armor gains a +4 bonus. Objects gain +4 to all saves and can strike +4 magically protected creatures.

SHADOWMANTIUM
submitted by Lord Hannible Sanguin at Realms of Evil
This metal is dead in intent and in its very creation. The only known way to create this alloy is artificially by placing adamantium into the Negative Energy Plane and leaving it there for more than a century, as such only the long lived, evil races and undead, attempt to forge such an ore. Shadowmantium reduces all weapon speed factors to 0 as it is feather light, the very weight having been sucked from the metal like life energy. Weapons gain a chilling attack that causes 1d4 MORE damage to an opponent and 1d6 more damage to an opponent vulnerable to cold (for a 1d10 bonus points of damage). Items created from this metal are 1000x more expensive than regular adamantite and can only be weilded by undead or other creatures immune to its radiant cold and draining affects. (Living weilders take 1d10 points of damage per round while holding the weapon if the hilt is created from Shadowmantium). Armor made from this metal is extremely rare and extremely powerful in nature and only undead and creatures immune to cold or negative energy can successfully and comfortably wear it. Its feather light weight affects the wearer as if they were wearing supple leather and does not hinder Psionics or magic in anyway. It also can strike creatures normally affected only by magical weapons. It is rumored the metal was forged by the combined work of the Grey Dwarves and an undead spell caster of great power. back to the top

Metal Type	Wght Adj.	Mgc Equiv/ Save Bonus	AC/ Wpn Speed Adj.	Hit/Dam Adj.	Cost Mod/ Avail.	Origin	Dmg Die Mod.
Steel	0	0	0/0	0/0	x1 Com.	Prime or Planar	0
Fine Steel	-10	0	0/0	+1/0 OR 0/+1	x10 Com.	Prime or Planar	0
Exceptional Steel	-50	0	0/-1	+1/+1	x100 Com.	Prime or Planar	0
Iron	+25	0	0/+1	0/0	x1 Com.	Prime or Planar	0
Silver	0	0	+2/0	0/0	x25 Com.	Prime or Planar	-d2
Gold	+100	0	+4/+4	0/0	x200 Com.	Prime or Planar	-d4
Bronze	0	0	+1/0	0/0	x0.67 Com.	Prime or Planar	0
Meteoric Iron	+25	+1	-1/+1	+1/0	x150 Uncom	Prime	+d2
Mithril Silver	-30	+2	-1/0	+2/0	x250 Rare	Prime or Elves	+d2
Adamantium	-25	+3	-2/0	+3/0	x500 Very Rare	Prime or Drow or Dwarves	+d2
Vibranium	-25	+2	-1/0	+2/0	x750 Very Very Rare	Varies	+d2
Baatorian Green Steel	-40	+2	-2/-1	+1/0	x300 Uncom	Planar (Baator)	+d2
Tanar'ri Red Steel	-40	+2	-1/-1	+2/0	x400 Rare	Planar (The Abyss)	+d2
Cranor	-50	+1 mag. +2/+5 save	-2/0	+1/0	x100 Rare	Planar	0
Laen	-20	+2 mag. +2/+5/0 save	-2/0	+2/+2	x500 Very Rare	Planar (Inner)	0
Gith Mithril	-30	+3	-3/0	+2/0	x600 Very Rare	Planar (Githyanki, Astral?)	+d2
Dwarven Blackrock	-50	+4	-4/-1	+3/0	x1000 Very Very Rare	Planar (Dwarven Mountain, Mt. Clanedeggin)	+d4
Shadowmantium	-100	+4	-4/0	+0/+10	x1000 Extremely Rare	Planar	+d4/+d6

Metal Type: Name of Metal
Weight Adjustment: Percentage of change from the object in steel; a postive number indicates an increase in weight
Magical Equivilent and Save Bonus: What the weapon is considered equal to for determining what creatures can be damaged by it as well as the bonus to all item saving throws
AC/Weapon Speed Adjustment: Postive numbers are penalties, negative numbers are bonuses (ex: Gold Chain Mail would be considered AC 9 instead of 5)
To Hit/Damage Adjustment: Positive numbers are bonuses
Cost/Availability: Multiply normal cost from PHB by modifier; Ranking affects purchase chance:

Origin: Where the metal is originally from; along with Magical equivilent it determines what creatures can be harmed by the weapon
Damage Die Modifier: Positive numbers are bonuses

l  News  l  Links  l     About the Raven  l  Sitemap  l

Original content ©1999–2001 Brian D Swedorski. New content ©2025–2026 Jeff. User-submitted material remains the property of its respective authors.