Special materials

Special Materials
In addition to magic items created with spells, some substances have innate special properties.

If you make a suit of armor or weapon out of more than one special material, you get the benefit of only the most prevalent material. However, you can build a double weapon with each head made of a different special material.

Each of the special materials described below has a game effect. For example, some creatures are vulnerable to weapons of a particular material, and some materials are lighter or stronger than their conventional equivalents.

Arn
"Arn is worth its weight in death."

Arn is the among the rarest of metals. The only known source of arn is in the Cities of the Dead in the wastelands of Khulthea, where arn and death are both easy to find. Arn is a lustrous silvery-white metal harder than steel, but which has less than half the weight of steel. Among its other unusual properties, arn does not rust or corrode, and it is not magnetic.

Armor made from arn has Impervious Toughness (M&M, p. 96), and are always of masterwork quality. Thus, the armor check penalty of arn armor is reduced by 1 compared to ordinary armor of its type. Additionally, armor check penalties are reduced by an additional 2 (for a total armor check penalty 3 less than ordinary armor of its type).

Weapons fashioned from arn have a natural ability to bypass Toughness, granting the weapon a +1 damage bonus and the Penetrating feat (M&M, p. 112). Weapons made from arn are always of masterwork quality. Thus, arn weapons and ammunition have a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls.

A cunningly wrought arnsword is an heirloom that will be passed from generation to generation. Bitter feuds have been fought between siblings over the disposition of an arnsword after their parents' passing from this world. Although arn is not normally available for purchase, the table below is provided for the sake of comparison; the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below.

Items made from arn have Impervious Toughness 15 (compared to Toughness 10 for steel).

Cold iron
"Cold iron" is a poetic term for pure iron. It is uncommon because iron of this purity is difficult to produce, and because mixing iron with other materials (such as carbon) produces a superior metal. For example, cold iron does not hold an edge as well as steel, wrought iron, or even bronze. However, weapons made from cold iron are known to be effective against certain supernatural creatures, and armor made from cold iron provides a +2 save against magical effects above its normal Toughness bonus.

Armor and weapons made of cold iron cost twice as much to make as their normal counterparts, and can't be enchanted.

Due to the softness of the metal, cold iron weapons and armor must be made thicker for equivalent strength. Items made from cold iron are 25% heavier than their steel counterparts, imposing a -2 penalty on attack rolls with cold iron weapons, and increasing the armor check penalty and spell check penalty of cold iron armor by 2. Masterwork cold iron items reduce these penalties to -1 each, but do not make the item any lighter.

Cold iron has a Toughness of 7 (compared to Toughness 8 for wrought iron, and Toughness 10 for steel).

Darkwood
Darkwood is a rare wood native to the jungles of Mrisinnia, as flexible as yew but as hard as stone, with a distinctive red-black grain. Due to its very high density (it is one of the few woods that sink in water), fine texture, and ability to polish very smoothly, darkwood is very valuable as an ornamental wood.

Armor made from darkwood is always of masterwork quality; the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below. The armor check penalty of darkwood armor is reduced by by 1 compared to ordinary armor of its type.

Weapons made from darkwood are always of masterwork quality; the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below. Thus, darkwood weapons and ammunition have a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls (although darkwood is too rare to waste using it for arrows). Additionally, the range increment of darkwood shortbows and darkwood longbows is 25% greater than the range increment of normal bows of these types (i.e., 75 ft. instead of 60 ft, and 125 ft. instead of 100 ft.). There is no advantage to using darkwood for composite bows.

Darkwood weighs twice as much as a normal wooden item of that type, and has a Toughness of 5 (compared to Toughness 3 for oak).

Dragonscale
Armorsmiths can work with the scales of dragons to produce armor or shields of masterwork quality. Dragon scales are as hard as steel, but have less than half the weight. Among its other unusual properties, dragonscale armor provides a +2 bonus to saves against acid, cold, electrical, and fire attacks.

One adult dragon produces enough scales for a single suit of masterwork full plate and a heavy masterwork shield, or two suits of scale mail and two light masterwork shields. Dragonscale armor costs double what masterwork armor of that type ordinarily costs, if the dragonscales are provided to the armorsmith. Although dragon scales are not normally available for purchase, the table below is provided for the sake of comparison; the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below.

Dragonscale is as hard as steel (Toughness 10), and the armor check penalty of dragonscale armor is reduced by by 1 compared to ordinary armor of its type because of its masterwork quality.

Troll steel
According to legend, trolls are capable of healing from nearly any injury, including the complete loss of limbs or severe damage to their vital organs. It is said that troll steel was invented by trolls so that they could make war upon each other.

Troll steel is the among the rarest of metals. The only known sources of troll steel are weapons which were forged at the dawn of the Third World. Troll steel is in most ways indistinguishable from conventional steel. However, it can't be enchanted, nor can it be alloyed with other metals.

Injuries inflicted by troll steel heal at one-tenth the normal rate, and can't be healed by magic nor by any supernatural means. Weapons made from troll steel are always of masterwork quality. Thus, troll steel weapons and ammunition have a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls.

Due to its unusual properties, possession of a troll steel weapon is illegal in most civilized areas. In the Seven Cities, for example, it is a serious crime to own a troll steel weapon, and a capital offense to use or brandish one. There are two notable exceptions to this general prohibition. First, executioners acting in an official capacity may use troll steel to perform their grisly duties, though few executioners actually own a troll steel weapon. Second, priests of the cult of Morganthe may use troll steel as part of their rites and rituals; for this reason, troll steel weapons are sometimes called "Morganthe blades".

Troll steel is not normally available for purchase. If a troll steel weapon could be found and the owner could be persuaded to sell it, the cost would likely be over ten thousand silver.

Items made from troll steel have Toughness 10 (the same as ordinary steel).