Wish or Miracle, perhaps Limited Wish.
Alchemical Silver as written says it can be applied to any metal weapon, rather than the wording for other materials that say the weapon is crafted of the other material. Even then, It's something I'd ask my DM about if I was trying to do.
There are weapon blanches, detailed in the Adventurer's Armory or APG that let you "charge" a weapon for one strike with a particular material, but that only works for the next strike (or maybe few, it's not been something I considered doing)
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hey all,
Is there a way to transform a weapon's material from normal (steel) into a special material (adamantite)?
Thanks!
If it's of any importance to your question there's an obscure rule in the very back of the magic item section that states a +5 weapon bypasses adamantine damage reduction (among other types at lower bonus levels).
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hey all,
Is there a way to transform a weapon's material from normal (steel) into a special material (adamantite)?
Thanks!
I don't think there is (but could be wrong). The one spell that sounds like it should do it is Polymorph Object, explicitly states that it can't make valuable materials, such as adamantine. And that's an 8th level spell. Plus it doesn't work on magic items, so it's useless for changing the type of an already magic sword.
I'd let Wish do the job, as you are blowing the 25k to cast the spell and adamantine for weapons is only an extra 3k. Heck, I'd let you do for heavy armor and that's a 15k upgrade. Limited Wish for changes less then 1,500 GP would probably work fine as well.
If you wanted to make a custom spell that did it, I'd suggest it being at least 5th level, as that's where we find spells like Fabricate, Major Creation, and Polymorph. and require expensive materials equal to the cost of the upgrade.
There is no RAW way to do make the change.
This is where you go to your GM adn say, "I'd like to hire an alchemist to research a way to transform my weapon to adamantite", and hope that he feels it's reasonable, and that you're not trying to cheese the system.
If I were GMing, I might allow it (particularly for an heirloom weapon), but have the cost be double what purchasing a base adamantite weapon would cost.
FWIW, in my Kingmaker game, there was a situation in which a being is supposed to give its weapon to the party...but I knew the party would just end up selling it. So instead, as a reward the being transformed one of the party's weapons into mithril.
TLDR: Can't do it by RAW, but RAW isn't the only option.
Sounds like a perfect quest starter to me: The characters hear about an alchemist who created some sort of philosophers stone (what are alchemists known for if not for transforming metall?) but oh well, there's that little catch...
Yar.
If it's of any importance to your question there's an obscure rule in the very back of the magic item section that states a +5 weapon bypasses adamantine damage reduction (among other types at lower bonus levels).
Just to clarify, the actual rule is this
Yar.
As for the OP, your best bet is with Wish or Miracle, or the temporary measure of Weapon Blanches. I leave out Limited Wish and Major Creation for a reason. LW is a 7th level spell, while Polymorph Any Object is an 8th level spell. Polymorph Any Object specifically states that it canNOT create Adamantine or effects similar to it. Major creation can make adamantine, but is also as Minor Creation, which has this line at the end of it: "Attempting to use any created object as a material component causes the spell to fail." Meaning, using an already made weapon as the base item in the spell to be upgraded into a different material does not work. Thus: Wish, Miracle, & Weapon Blanches are your RAW options.
~P
Limited Wish and Polymorph any Object are both massively broad spells that let you do a lot of things. I brought up Major Creation as a benchmark of power for custom spells, not a possible answer. In my opinion, a hypothetical "Transmute Weapon" spell that let you change the material of a sword would be a 5th level spell. It's a very narrow, specific power, not out of line with other 5th level spells.
A limited wish lets you create nearly any type of effect. For example, a limited wish can do any of the following things.Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 6th level or lower, provided the spell does not belong to one of your opposition schools.
Duplicate any non-sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, provided the spell does not belong to one of your opposition schools.
Duplicate any sorcerer/wizard spell of 5th level or lower, even if it belongs to one of your opposition schools.
Duplicate any non-sorcerer/wizard spell of 4th level or lower, even if it belongs to one of your opposition schools.
Undo the harmful effects of many spells, such as or insanity.
Produce any other effect whose power level is in line with the above effects, such as a single creature automatically hitting on its next attack or taking a –7 penalty on its next saving throw.
It's the last option that gives some flexibility. IMHO the effect we are looking to generate is a 5th level transmutation one. The fact that there is not a spell in the core rules that does what I want doesn't change what level I (as a GM) think the power effect should be. Obviously this is my ruling; I'd not go to some tournament or official play and expect it to fly.
Here is a spell I'd allow in my game, It could use a little more polish, but as an example.
All of this is IMHO, YMMV, check with your GM, etc...
Transmute Weapon & Armor
School: Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 5, Alchemist 4
Casting Time: 10 Minutes
Components: V, S, M (See Text)
Range: Object Touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Will Neg. (Obj, harmless)
SR: Yes (Obj, harmless)
You transform the material of a weapon or piece of armor into a different one, such as mithril or adamantine. The object must be able to be made from the material (so you cannot create adamantine padded armor.) An amount of the new substance must be provided as a material component for the spell equal to the material cost of the new item. For example, to change a steel longsword into an adamantine one, the caster would need to provide 3,000 GP in adamantine ore or ingots. Magically created ore cannot be used; it must be natural. Each end of a double weapon requires a separate casting.
Yar.
My only issue with this is that it blows Major Creation out of the water.
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 5, summoner 4, witch 5; Domain artifice 6
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Duration see textThis spell functions like minor creation, except that you can also create an object of mineral nature: stone, crystal, metal, or the like. The duration of the created item varies with its relative hardness and rarity, as indicated on the following table.
Vegetable matter 2 hr./level
Stone, crystal, base metals 1 hr./level
Precious metals 20 min./level
Gems 10 min./level
Rare metal* 1 round/level* Includes adamantine, alchemical silver, and mithral. You can't use major creation to create a cold iron item.
(...) Components V, S, M (a tiny piece of matter of the same sort of item you plan to create with minor creation)
(...) up to 1 cu. ft./level
(...)Attempting to use any created object as a material component causes the spell to fail.
Here we have a 5th level spell that allows you to create adamantine for a max of 1 round / level. This is no where close to making a weapon permanently adamantine.
As I mentioned, Polymorph any object is a higher level spell than Limited Wish (and thus should be more powerful), and it specifically calls out the fact that even it cannot turn an item into adamantine.
Target one weapon, suit of armor, shield, tool, or skill kit touched
(thus, no targeting a wall of iron or a solid steel huge sized table and turning it into a wall/table of adamantine)
The material component for the spell is magical reagents worth the cost difference between a normal item and the equivalent masterwork item (typically 300 gp for a weapon, 150 gp for armor, or 50 gp for a tool). If an object has multiple masterwork options (such as a double weapon, or a spiked shield that could be made masterwork as a weapon or armor), you choose one option of the object to affect (though you can cast the spell again to affect another option).
If you create a custom spell to transform existing weapons/armor into different base materials, you should follow the same component cost... that is, the difference in cost based on type of armor/weapon being transmuted.
~P
...Yar.
My only issue with this is that it blows Major Creation out of the water.
** spoiler omitted **
Here we have a 5th level spell that allows you to create adamantine for a max of 1 round / level. This is no where close to making a weapon permanently adamantine.
As I mentioned, Polymorph any object is a higher level spell than Limited Wish (and thus should be more powerful), and it specifically calls out the fact that even it cannot turn an item into adamantine.
** spoiler omitted **
Instead of Major Creation, try comparing to Fabricate. Both are 5th level. Creation is something from nothing, while Fabricate is something from something. The difference between my example spell and fabricate is mostly flavor. Yes, there is no craft check, but presumably someone made one when they made the sword you are changing. Right now, with RAW, someone with a 3,015 gp lump of adamantine can cast fabricate, make a craft skill check, and have a adamantine longsword. A permanent, non-dispellable real one.
It's the reason I included the expensive material component. And by having it be the real stuff you want to change it into (instead of diamonds or generic reagents) you prevent people changing swords into random, hyper-rare stuff. You still need to go out and collect a swords worth of it.
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You are discussing doing the whole weapon. What about the old standby of the Admantium battle axe. If the battle axe was your heirloom, could you keep the haft and just replace the head with a better metal?
Same for a spear?
I know I've seen references for double weapons with different metals on the ends.
