I'm running a game in a world of my own creating, and one of the major plot points for the game revolves around a special metal that the players have discovered. After quite awhile of trying to decide on what the stats for this material would be i have finally made up my mind.
Arcanite:
Arcanite is the result of ambient arcane energy collecting under extreme pressure until it takes on a solid state. In order to craft items out of arcanite you must be within an anti-magic field in order for it to worked with normal crafting tools.
35 hit points/ inch of thickness
20 hardness
Arcanite, although very strong, weighs the same as an equal amount of iron or steel.
A weapon made from arcanite has a natural +1 enhancement bonus, and is always considered magical for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction.
Arcanite provides a special defense bonus against magical effects. Armor and shields made from arcanite gain a +1 bonus to AC (touch and flat-footed included) or saving throw made against magical effects. Tis bonus does not stack with itself. So if you have a shield and armor made of arcanite you receive this bonus only once.
Being composed of solidified arcane energy arcanite takes to magical enchantments especially well. It requires only three quarters (3/4) the time normally required to enchant an item, as well as reducing the cost by 10%.
Let me explain that this material is EXTREMELY RARE, and is not something the players can just say, "I want and arcanite long sword." then just have it. It is completely at my discretion how they come about finding it in it's raw state.
That being said what do you think, opinions welcome.
Yes you would need an anti-magic field in order to mine it as well.
I'm using this as a major plot hook in my game, as the players gain a greater understanding of this material they will gain a greater understanding of the overall story. One of my players has expressed wanting to learn how to manipulate this material. I have already decided that his first attempt will fail and on his second attempt he will inadvertently create an Arcanite Golem (or Elemental, haven't decided yet).
i would really like to know what you think about the properties i gave it. do they fit the concept, is it too powerful etc.
|
Any thoughts on what this metal looks like? Silvery, white, golden, metallic-electric-blue, the metallic-jade-green of Tawny Kitaen's Jaguar, translucent-but-softly-glowing, jet black with a pearlescent 'fire' or 'play' of colors shimmering deep within? Perhaps Arcanite even comes in 'alloys,' depending on what sort of arcane magics went into its creation, with Abjurant Arcanite being golden-white, Glamered Arcanite dull grey but tinted with different shades of color depending on which angle one looks at it from and Necrotic Arcanite black with white 'fire.'
Having the metal be inspired from the old 'orichalum' could be a neat angle to take (and suggest an appearance, reddish-gold and warm to the touch).
I speculated a while back that in a magical society, the coins would increase past gold to mithral and then adamantine, and finally to a coin minted only by the oldest and most powerful guilds of wizards (or, perhaps the technique has been lost completely, and only the surviving coins of this arcane energy-turned-metal remain), with each coin of this metal representing an 'IOU' from the guild that minted the coins for magical services rendered).
Even if the world lacks a guild capable of making the coins, they would still be the highest level of exchange, representing not just the promise of wizardly services (such as high level spellcasting or item enchantment), but a literally irreplaceable and fixed supply of a 'rare' substance, unlike, say, diamonds or gold, which can always be discovered (or imported from the elemental plane of earth). There will never be more arcanite / orichalum / whatever created, unless a powerful enough guild of wizards (perhaps even requiring the magical resources of a *nation* devoted to arcane principles, such as Thay or Halrua, in the Forgotten Realms) appears in the future that can rediscover the process.
I had a special material in my game called Eldrich Steel which when a weapon was forged from it the weapon was considered magical for most things. So an Eldrich Steel short sword would cost an extra 2k, and be considered a +1 weapon, but a +1 eldrich steel short sword would only cost the extra enhancement bonus, i.e. they would stack. It meant a +4 eldrich steel weapon was considered +5 for dmg/hit but only cost as much as a +4 weapon +2000gp for special material.
Just an idea, reduce arcane casting failure chance by 10% or something like that since it's basically solidified magic. Maybe it resonates with spells being cast to keep it from screwing up spellcasting.
Just an idea, reduce arcane casting failure chance by 10% or something like that since it's basically solidified magic. Maybe it resonates with spells being cast to keep it from screwing up spellcasting.
That's not a bad idea, but on top of what it does already, and stacking with arcane armor training, it seems a bit much.
I have taken this Spell Component Powder and tweaked it so that it uses Arcanite shavings.
A fairly deadly roguelike I played once (Left unfinished, but was supposed to be ridiculously hard even for a roguelike) had Arcanite as a material. It was somewhat strong, like adamantine but not nearly as heavy. It and Ebony were common materials to find magical staves made out of.
There's an idea. Maybe the stuff could be used to power staves or wands, as either the sole item used in the construction or like a core or addition onto the item. That way not only do non-wizards want it, even they want it too! Have the GP value of it get taken off from the list price of wands and staves as well when it's used in their construction.
A fairly deadly roguelike I played once (Left unfinished, but was supposed to be ridiculously hard even for a roguelike) had Arcanite as a material. It was somewhat strong, like adamantine but not nearly as heavy. It and Ebony were common materials to find magical staves made out of.
There's an idea. Maybe the stuff could be used to power staves or wands, as either the sole item used in the construction or like a core or addition onto the item. That way not only do non-wizards want it, even they want it too! Have the GP value of it get taken off from the list price of wands and staves as well when it's used in their construction.
I like the idea of using it for staffs and wands.
While reading your post i had the idea of mixing it into ink for magical writings.
This material is going to be used as plot hooks for a lot of game i will be running in my world.
Any ideas of what effect a staff or want would have if made out ot arcanite? Maby +1 bonus to caster level for spells cast through the item, or just a flat +1 to CL when you cast while wielding the item?
I've got a lot of ideas rattling around in my head now.
ps. thanks for bringing new life into my thread. it's getting my creative juices flowing again.
A fairly deadly roguelike I played once (Left unfinished, but was supposed to be ridiculously hard even for a roguelike) had Arcanite as a material. It was somewhat strong, like adamantine but not nearly as heavy. It and Ebony were common materials to find magical staves made out of.
There's an idea. Maybe the stuff could be used to power staves or wands, as either the sole item used in the construction or like a core or addition onto the item. That way not only do non-wizards want it, even they want it too! Have the GP value of it get taken off from the list price of wands and staves as well when it's used in their construction.
I like the idea of using it for staffs and wands.
While reading your post i had the idea of mixing it into ink for magical writings.
This material is going to be used as plot hooks for a lot of game i will be running in my world.
Any ideas of what effect a staff or want would have if made out ot arcanite? Maby +1 bonus to caster level for spells cast through the item, or just a flat +1 to CL when you cast while wielding the item?
I've got a lot of ideas rattling around in my head now.
ps. thanks for bringing new life into my thread. it's getting my creative juices flowing again.
A staff MADE out of arcanite? Wasn't the stuff supposed to be really rare? It should be an effect that lets the PC win at life. Let's say it regains double the charges when you recharge it. The bonus to CL is a good idea. Maybe for a wand it could increase the CL without needing the caster who created it to be a higher caster level. Bonus depending on the amount of arcanite used. Since it is magic it should increase the potency of magic as well, maybe it adds 1 to the save DCs as well? It could also be an either/or thing. I'd suggest an extra 25% to the cost for buying it with that.
Before I say anything else, let me say I really like this idea. I do have 1 question though, what happens when the raging Barbarian with a ridiculous strength and Improved Sunder/Greater Sunder breaks an Arcanite weapon? Does it release magic? Do people take damage? I'm just kind of curious.
A staff MADE out of arcanite? Wasn't the stuff supposed to be really rare? It should be an effect that lets the PC win at life. Let's say it regains double the charges when you recharge it. The bonus to CL is a good idea. Maybe for a wand it could increase the CL without needing the caster who created it to be a higher caster level. Bonus depending on the amount of arcanite used. Since it is magic it should increase the potency of magic as well, maybe it adds 1 to the save DCs as well? It could also be an either/or thing. I'd suggest an extra 25% to the cost for buying it with that.
I'm still kicking ideas around for this. thanks for the suggestions though. when i come up with something i'll be sure to post it.
Before I say anything else, let me say I really like this idea. I do have 1 question though, what happens when the raging Barbarian with a ridiculous strength and Improved Sunder/Greater Sunder breaks an Arcanite weapon? Does it release magic? Do people take damage? I'm just kind of curious.
I had not thought about this at all. I'm thinking it would deal some kind of burst damage... and a decent amount of it (it is compressed arcane energy), but what should i base the damage on...
...caster level of the item...
...flat damage for all arcanite...
...any ideas would be appreciated.
like i said i think the damage would be fairly significant.
Any thoughts on what this metal looks like? Silvery, white, golden, metallic-electric-blue, the metallic-jade-green of Tawny Kitaen's Jaguar, translucent-but-softly-glowing, jet black with a pearlescent 'fire' or 'play' of colors shimmering deep within?
Any thoughts on what this metal looks like? Silvery, white, golden, metallic-electric-blue, the metallic-jade-green of Tawny Kitaen's Jaguar, translucent-but-softly-glowing, jet black with a pearlescent 'fire' or 'play' of colors shimmering deep within?
well hm....
didn't know about that.
as for what it looks like... I hadn't really thought about it that much. So for now if you want to use it in one of your games just go with your gut, and if something come to me i'll post.
Going to nab this and tack it into the home-brew I have been working on which is a wild west/steam-punk setting. Was going to use the basics for ores and all for the various rushes, but this adds something new which is what I am striving for.
well hm....
didn't know about that.
Don't worry. Everything's either a rip-off of The Simpsons, The Bible, or Beowulf, anyway. :)
Don't worry. Everything's either a rip-off of The Simpsons, The Bible, or Beowulf, anyway. :)well hm....
didn't know about that.
Well it's from Warcraft. The fact of the matter is, it already has more fluff in his game which doesn't exist yet, what with "Maybe it's used in magical staffs and is made out of compressed magic!"
Just make sure that high level players don't have to use some kind of metal and a nonsense crystal to make it.
Don't worry. Everything's either a rip-off of The Simpsons, The Bible, or Beowulf, anyway. :)well hm....
didn't know about that.
Ha ha, this is true...
Stumbled across this while working on a ore sheet for my setting, so World of Warcraft took it from the real world and just remade what it is and does.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcanite
You know, it sounds to me like this stuff might have some ugly side effects if handled improperly, either in it's raw form, during processing, or if improperly manufactured.
It would be great to have a +4 arcanite staff of power that was slowly poisoning you, or causing you to grow donkey's ears.