I have been pondering a low magic setting for a while and thought it would be great if players had more options with unusual/special materials as well as giving materials more options to compensate for the lack of magic. However these changes could also be applied for normal high magic settings of course.
Disclaimer: The setting is still in the works so please no comments on how no magic items favors caster and that the heroes can't compete with the monsters and the other usual stuff of low magic settings. Keep it on topic please.
Also I know that some of the effects would be rather powerful or not very powerful. This isn't about balance. For now it's about collecting interesting ideas. Balancing comes later.
Basic Idea:
Each material should have at least an effect as weapon and as armor. But it would also be cool to have a general effects for objects and lastly an activated effect in a pseudo magical fashion.
Another thing I'd like to associate with each material are an element and an alignment.
This is what I got so far. Near the end I ran out of creative juice. Input is appreciated. Some of the stuff is based on real world mythology other stuff is made up.
The classic materials from D&D/Pathfinder
Silver:
In mythology it stands for the moon and the soul. Also traditionally mirrors were made out of silver (and mirrors can reveal the truth or conceal it).
Association: Moon, Soul, Mirror, Illusion, Truth.
Element: Cold - Alignment: LG (both from silver dragon)
Armor: Creatures with the shapechanger subtype take 1d4 damage when grappling or attacking with natural weapons.
Weapon: 1d6 extra damage against shapechangers. A crit forces the shapechanger to take on its true form. -1 damage against others.
Object: Deals 1d4 when shapechangers touch it. Wearing an amulet or ring of silver gives you an +2 bonus to saves against diseases and curses.
In mythology it stands for the moon and the soul. Also traditionally mirrors were made out of silver (and mirrors can reveal the truth or conceal it).
Association: Moon, Soul, Mirror, Illusion, Truth.
Element: Cold - Alignment: LG (both from silver dragon)
Armor: Creatures with the shapechanger subtype take 1d4 damage when grappling or attacking with natural weapons.
Weapon: 1d6 extra damage against shapechangers. A crit forces the shapechanger to take on its true form. -1 damage against others.
Object: Deals 1d4 when shapechangers touch it. Wearing an amulet or ring of silver gives you an +2 bonus to saves against diseases and curses.
Mithral:
A fantasy element. Mostly noted for its high durability and low weight. In this setting it would not count as silver! Instead I would it make the metal of (arkane) magic, since mithral armor does not interfere with casting as much.
Association: Magic, Arkane, Flight
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: The usual bonus.
Weapon: A mithral weapon counts as ki focus weapon. However you can also channel magic attacks through it.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of mithral gives you a +2 bonus to concentration checks.
A fantasy element. Mostly noted for its high durability and low weight. In this setting it would not count as silver! Instead I would it make the metal of (arkane) magic, since mithral armor does not interfere with casting as much.
Association: Magic, Arkane, Flight
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: The usual bonus.
Weapon: A mithral weapon counts as ki focus weapon. However you can also channel magic attacks through it.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of mithral gives you a +2 bonus to concentration checks.
Adamantite:
Another fantasy element. Famed for its hardness and general robustness.
Association: Destruction, Invincibility
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: The usual bonus.
Weapon: The usual bonus.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of adamantite gives you a +2 bonus to AC against critical hit confirmation.
Another fantasy element. Famed for its hardness and general robustness.
Association: Destruction, Invincibility
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: The usual bonus.
Weapon: The usual bonus.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of adamantite gives you a +2 bonus to AC against critical hit confirmation.
Cold Iron:
The truly antimagic material. No magic will effect it or stick to it. And it offers a strong protection against magic. Casters are negatively affected by it if they wear it. Also a Fey’s DR/cold iron becomes DR/iron in this setting.
Association: Anti-magic
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: Armor and Shields made from Cold Iron add their bonus to your touch AC against magical attacks. Seeking full cover behind a Cold Iron Tower shield prevents a caster from targeting you completely. You cannot cast spells or use spell like abilities as long as you wear Cold Iron armor.
Weapon: Deals 1d6 extra damage against casters. Gives a -5 penalty on conc checks for 1 round after a hit.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of cold iron gives you a +2 bonus on saves versus spells. A caster has 20% spell failure chance when wearing or carrying an cold iron object. Manacles made from this material prevent casting completely.
The truly antimagic material. No magic will effect it or stick to it. And it offers a strong protection against magic. Casters are negatively affected by it if they wear it. Also a Fey’s DR/cold iron becomes DR/iron in this setting.
Association: Anti-magic
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: Armor and Shields made from Cold Iron add their bonus to your touch AC against magical attacks. Seeking full cover behind a Cold Iron Tower shield prevents a caster from targeting you completely. You cannot cast spells or use spell like abilities as long as you wear Cold Iron armor.
Weapon: Deals 1d6 extra damage against casters. Gives a -5 penalty on conc checks for 1 round after a hit.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of cold iron gives you a +2 bonus on saves versus spells. A caster has 20% spell failure chance when wearing or carrying an cold iron object. Manacles made from this material prevent casting completely.
Iron:
Often associated with life itself since it is in our blood. But compared to other materials it is considered impure (as it corrodes easily). Fey and druids hate this impure material and are especially susceptible to it. It does have some mystical properties however, since it is one of the few materials that can be magnetic. It is associated with Mars and thus the male gender.
Association: Impurity, Strength, Life, Magnetism, Male
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: Protects you from fey and druidic magic. The duration of any debuffs are reduced to half and the armor itself gets +5 on saves against the magic (except rusting grasp which was specifically created to destroy iron armor). Weapons made partially made from iron gain a +2 bonus (such as a spear targeted by warp wood).
Weapon: 1d6 extra damage against fey type creatures.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of iron gives you a +2 bonus to saves against Fey and druidic magic.
Often associated with life itself since it is in our blood. But compared to other materials it is considered impure (as it corrodes easily). Fey and druids hate this impure material and are especially susceptible to it. It does have some mystical properties however, since it is one of the few materials that can be magnetic. It is associated with Mars and thus the male gender.
Association: Impurity, Strength, Life, Magnetism, Male
Element: ????? - Alignment: N ???????
Armor: Protects you from fey and druidic magic. The duration of any debuffs are reduced to half and the armor itself gets +5 on saves against the magic (except rusting grasp which was specifically created to destroy iron armor). Weapons made partially made from iron gain a +2 bonus (such as a spear targeted by warp wood).
Weapon: 1d6 extra damage against fey type creatures.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of iron gives you a +2 bonus to saves against Fey and druidic magic.
.
Other materials that could be used for equipment:
Gold:
Gold is associated with wealth as it is very valuable. However it is also considered one of the purest metals since it is impervious to corrosion. In Alchemy it also stands for the sun, the source of light and fire.
Association: Impervious, Sun, Positive Energy, Willpower
Element: Fire - Alignment: LG (Gold Dragon)
Armor: Armor made from gold is incredibly heavy and bulk. Double the weight and the ACP increases by 2 for each weight category (-2 light, -4 medium, -6 heavy. Shields have -2, Tower Shields -4). However the connection to the sun and the aether makes it a natural ghost touch armor. It also has the brittle property.
Weapon: Can injure incorporeal creatures as if it was a ghost touch weapon. However the soft material makes it difficult to use for bladed/piercing weapons. They have -1 dmg and the brittle property. Blunt weapons work much better, however they are heavy and unwieldy. -2 atk, +2 dmg.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of gold gives you a +2 bonus to saves against negative energy effects.
Gold is associated with wealth as it is very valuable. However it is also considered one of the purest metals since it is impervious to corrosion. In Alchemy it also stands for the sun, the source of light and fire.
Association: Impervious, Sun, Positive Energy, Willpower
Element: Fire - Alignment: LG (Gold Dragon)
Armor: Armor made from gold is incredibly heavy and bulk. Double the weight and the ACP increases by 2 for each weight category (-2 light, -4 medium, -6 heavy. Shields have -2, Tower Shields -4). However the connection to the sun and the aether makes it a natural ghost touch armor. It also has the brittle property.
Weapon: Can injure incorporeal creatures as if it was a ghost touch weapon. However the soft material makes it difficult to use for bladed/piercing weapons. They have -1 dmg and the brittle property. Blunt weapons work much better, however they are heavy and unwieldy. -2 atk, +2 dmg.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of gold gives you a +2 bonus to saves against negative energy effects.
Jade:
Jade has a long tradition as magical material in the eastern civilization. It is said to have healing properties and to bring good luck. The things it has been used for are too numerous to list here.
Association: Purity, Wisdom, Healing, Harmony, Luck
Element: ???? - Alignment: NG
Armor: Jade Armor has the brittle property. However it prevents you from raising as spawn when slain by a creature with this ability.
Weapon: Creatures considered impure (Undead mostly, but also certain aberrations and outsiders) suffer an extra 1d6 damage from Jade weapons. Jade weapons also have the brittle property.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of jade lets you heal an additional 2 HP every time you rest or targeted by a heal spell. If you wear a specially shaped amulet (disc with a square hole) you also get a second save to remove an ongoing negative effect during resting.
Jade has a long tradition as magical material in the eastern civilization. It is said to have healing properties and to bring good luck. The things it has been used for are too numerous to list here.
Association: Purity, Wisdom, Healing, Harmony, Luck
Element: ???? - Alignment: NG
Armor: Jade Armor has the brittle property. However it prevents you from raising as spawn when slain by a creature with this ability.
Weapon: Creatures considered impure (Undead mostly, but also certain aberrations and outsiders) suffer an extra 1d6 damage from Jade weapons. Jade weapons also have the brittle property.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of jade lets you heal an additional 2 HP every time you rest or targeted by a heal spell. If you wear a specially shaped amulet (disc with a square hole) you also get a second save to remove an ongoing negative effect during resting.
Lead:
Unlike Cold Iron which basically destroys magic, Lead simply absorbs it. It is especially effective to block divinations and such it is often used in constructing secure locations (lead glass in windows also works for that). It is rather toxic and many cultures have suffered from using the easily manageable lead for pipes and dishes.
Where other metals shine and reflect light, lead is dull and dark. This underlines its absorbing qualities. It even absorbs sound... lead bells sound terrible.
Association: Toxicity, Weight, Darkness, Deafness
Element: ????? - Alignment: NE ???????
Armor: Armor made from lead has the same ACP as gold armor and the brittle quality. However it absorbs spells directed at the target resulting in Spell Resistance of 5 + the AC of the armor.
Weapon: Lead weapons have the same limitations and drawbacks as gold weapons (minus ghost touch). However wounds cut with it can sicken an enemy (DC 12, poison effect, lasts 1 round)
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of lead protects against divination attempts on your person (DC is increased by 2). Especially secure locations are lined with sheets of lead to prevent scrying. Cold Iron could also be used to shield a location, however the price difference to lead is so high it is almost never used.
Unlike Cold Iron which basically destroys magic, Lead simply absorbs it. It is especially effective to block divinations and such it is often used in constructing secure locations (lead glass in windows also works for that). It is rather toxic and many cultures have suffered from using the easily manageable lead for pipes and dishes.
Where other metals shine and reflect light, lead is dull and dark. This underlines its absorbing qualities. It even absorbs sound... lead bells sound terrible.
Association: Toxicity, Weight, Darkness, Deafness
Element: ????? - Alignment: NE ???????
Armor: Armor made from lead has the same ACP as gold armor and the brittle quality. However it absorbs spells directed at the target resulting in Spell Resistance of 5 + the AC of the armor.
Weapon: Lead weapons have the same limitations and drawbacks as gold weapons (minus ghost touch). However wounds cut with it can sicken an enemy (DC 12, poison effect, lasts 1 round)
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of lead protects against divination attempts on your person (DC is increased by 2). Especially secure locations are lined with sheets of lead to prevent scrying. Cold Iron could also be used to shield a location, however the price difference to lead is so high it is almost never used.
Bronze:
One of the earliest alloys produced in large quantities. Weapons made from this metal were the first to be more durable, however compared to modern iron weapons they were still very easily broken.
Association: Beauty, Battle, Honor, Aggression
Element: electricity - Alignment: LG
Armor: Armor made from bronze gives the wearer a +2 morale bonus against fear effects. This bonus can effect others that can see the wearer, if said wearer is doing well in battle (usually the leader of an army will have a bronze armor to instill courage into his soldiers). It has the brittle property.
Weapon: Bronze weapons deal an extra 2 damage when wielded by someone who benefits from a moral bonus (such as rage, heroism and such). Bronze weapons have the brittle property.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of bronze gives a +2 morale bonus against fear effects (does not stack with armor). This bonus becomes +4 if the wielder saves to prevent getting panicked.
One of the earliest alloys produced in large quantities. Weapons made from this metal were the first to be more durable, however compared to modern iron weapons they were still very easily broken.
Association: Beauty, Battle, Honor, Aggression
Element: electricity - Alignment: LG
Armor: Armor made from bronze gives the wearer a +2 morale bonus against fear effects. This bonus can effect others that can see the wearer, if said wearer is doing well in battle (usually the leader of an army will have a bronze armor to instill courage into his soldiers). It has the brittle property.
Weapon: Bronze weapons deal an extra 2 damage when wielded by someone who benefits from a moral bonus (such as rage, heroism and such). Bronze weapons have the brittle property.
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of bronze gives a +2 morale bonus against fear effects (does not stack with armor). This bonus becomes +4 if the wielder saves to prevent getting panicked.
Brass:
A little softer than Bronze, Brass was used as cheap alternative to gold due to the similar color. It has good sound qualities and is used for instruments.
Alchemists believed the process of turning copper into brass was the key to the philosopher’s stone due to the gold like substance it results in (zinc was unknown back then and added as ore).
Association: Music, Alchemy
Element: fire - Alignment: CG
Armor: Armor made from brass have the brittle property. Wearing well made armor from brass gives a +2 bonus on diplomacy checks when dealing with nobles and merchants.
Weapon: Brass weapons have the brittle property. ????????
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of brass ??????????.
A little softer than Bronze, Brass was used as cheap alternative to gold due to the similar color. It has good sound qualities and is used for instruments.
Alchemists believed the process of turning copper into brass was the key to the philosopher’s stone due to the gold like substance it results in (zinc was unknown back then and added as ore).
Association: Music, Alchemy
Element: fire - Alignment: CG
Armor: Armor made from brass have the brittle property. Wearing well made armor from brass gives a +2 bonus on diplomacy checks when dealing with nobles and merchants.
Weapon: Brass weapons have the brittle property. ????????
Object: Wearing an amulet or ring of brass ??????????.
Copper:
Copper was used for jewelry and to make Brass and Bronze. It conducts both heat and electricity well. This conductive property is also applied to divine energies and such holy symbols are often made from copper. It is associated with Venus and thus the female gender.
Association: Female, Divine
Element: acid - Alignment: CG
Armor: Armor made from copper has the brittle quality. ?????????
Weapon: Copper weapons have the brittle property. ??????????
Object: When using a holy symbol made from copper to channel energy, the amount healed or the amount of damage dealt is increased by 1 per hit die.
Copper was used for jewelry and to make Brass and Bronze. It conducts both heat and electricity well. This conductive property is also applied to divine energies and such holy symbols are often made from copper. It is associated with Venus and thus the female gender.
Association: Female, Divine
Element: acid - Alignment: CG
Armor: Armor made from copper has the brittle quality. ?????????
Weapon: Copper weapons have the brittle property. ??????????
Object: When using a holy symbol made from copper to channel energy, the amount healed or the amount of damage dealt is increased by 1 per hit die.
Wood:
The earliest resource worked by humans. Even in modern times it has not lost its value for construction and art. In this setting all undead with DR/silver have DR/wood instead.
Association: Nature, Plant, Warmth, Home
Element: earth - Alignment: N ?????
Armor: Armor made from wood has the brittle quality and gives a +2 bonus on Diplomacy when interacting with druids and fey. It also adds its AC to touch attacks made from undead creatures (except incorporeal undead).
Weapon: Since it was crafted from a living source, wooden weapons are especially effective against undead. Wooden weapons deal 1d6 extra damage against undead.
Object: Wooden objects are often used for construction and offers limited protecting against undead in this way. No vampire can enter a building that was constructed using wood unless invited for example.
More ??????????????
The earliest resource worked by humans. Even in modern times it has not lost its value for construction and art. In this setting all undead with DR/silver have DR/wood instead.
Association: Nature, Plant, Warmth, Home
Element: earth - Alignment: N ?????
Armor: Armor made from wood has the brittle quality and gives a +2 bonus on Diplomacy when interacting with druids and fey. It also adds its AC to touch attacks made from undead creatures (except incorporeal undead).
Weapon: Since it was crafted from a living source, wooden weapons are especially effective against undead. Wooden weapons deal 1d6 extra damage against undead.
Object: Wooden objects are often used for construction and offers limited protecting against undead in this way. No vampire can enter a building that was constructed using wood unless invited for example.
More ??????????????
Mercury:
The only metal liquid at room temperature this almost alien material has fascinated people for ages. Surprisingly heavy despite its fluidity it is famous for fusing together with other metals to form amalgams. It does not wet most surfaces and its silvery shine gave it the name Quicksilver.
Association: Shapeshifting, Fusion, Change, Divination
Element: water - Alignment: ???????
Armor: Can’t be made.
Weapon: Can’t be made.
Object: And amulet containing mercury (usually a glass vial) increases the duration of any polymorph effects on the wearer by 2 rounds. It also gives lycanthropes more control over their shapeshifting (+2 bonus on Will saves to avoid or force a transformation).
A pool of mercury is a powerful scrying tool and increases the DC and the caster level of divination spells cast with its help by 2.
The only metal liquid at room temperature this almost alien material has fascinated people for ages. Surprisingly heavy despite its fluidity it is famous for fusing together with other metals to form amalgams. It does not wet most surfaces and its silvery shine gave it the name Quicksilver.
Association: Shapeshifting, Fusion, Change, Divination
Element: water - Alignment: ???????
Armor: Can’t be made.
Weapon: Can’t be made.
Object: And amulet containing mercury (usually a glass vial) increases the duration of any polymorph effects on the wearer by 2 rounds. It also gives lycanthropes more control over their shapeshifting (+2 bonus on Will saves to avoid or force a transformation).
A pool of mercury is a powerful scrying tool and increases the DC and the caster level of divination spells cast with its help by 2.
.
Addition: Activated effects
I have not gotten far with this, but I have a few ideas.
Gold weapons for example could be turned into holy weapons for a short amount of time by using channel positive energy.
Bronze weapons could interact with Rage of a Barbarian (like a furious weapon?)
Adamantine could grant Fortification... but what would activate it?
Mithral could be activated with arcane spells, but I got no good idea for the effect it would grant.
Lead could be used for Molybdomancy for seeing into the future.
Mercury could increase the effect of repair spells.
Meteorite! Space sword!
:D
Isn't that Adamantite? ^^
Sometimes?
Incidentally, I've just added a list of special materials in my Archmage setting to my worldbuilding thread.
Would fulgurites be of any interest? I'm using them as figurative 'captured lightning', but there could be other magical properties based on their origin.
Yes. Fulgurites would be a cool material to use.
Thanks for the suggestion, but I for this threat I would like the focus to stay on materials.