Technically you can't mix special materials. it's either a darkwood spear or an iron tip spear. The rules don't have anything for mixed special materials.
However, having said that, typically what I've seen in every game ever (both the ones I run and the ones I've been in) is :
MW : 300 (Paid once, no matter what)
Darkwood : 60GP
Cold Iron : 2GP
Spear : 2GP
Total Price : 364GP
Weight : 3lbs (I've seen some people say 2 lbs for the shaft, and 1 lb for the spear head, but I usually use the most expensive math)
Pierces Demon DR (Being Cold Iron). Weight never changes.
prev·a·lent
ˈprev(ə)lənt/
adjective
widespread in a particular area at a particular time.
"the social ills prevalent in society today"
synonyms: widespread, prevailing, frequent, usual, common, current, popular, general, universal; More
archaic
predominant; powerful.
The rule says you can make a dark wood spear with a cold iron tip. The rules say you only get the benefit of one of them. You can only benefit from either the effects of darkwood or cold iron. Pretty black and white.
I would focus on the word "prevailing". But basically, it's up to common sense and GM fiat. Which one do you think is more prevelant? Apply that one. There are no hard rules for gluing weapons together.
I'd forgotten they added that in UE.
Are you using the shaft to hit with, or the striking point. If you're using the striking point, it's cold iron. If you use the shaft, it's dark wood. The weight is fixed. The weight has no effect on it's attack, either way.
EDIT : For example, if you are fighting something with a vulnerability to wood, but you're poking it with the spear, the iron point is prevalent. It's the part doing the striking, it's the one you get credit for. If you are instead using the shaft as an improvised weapon, you get credit for the darkwood, but not the iron head. If you enchant it, you're enchanting the striking head, so that would be the cold iron head, and it wouldn't get it's enhancements being used as an improvised weapon (darkwood shaft). Note : Some class abilities change this.
The game doesn't go into these rules since it doesn't want to create precise specifications for details of handles, weapon tips, adn the like.
Bottom line- you get the benefit of one special material. The rest is window dressing for your descriptions.
Yes, but you get the benefit of one special material. It doesn't say only one ever, it just says only one benefit. I would read that as only one benefit at a time.
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(I know this is the rules forum but...)
On the other hand, getting both mechanical benefits is only a 3 lb. weight loss over only getting cold iron. I would question the priorities of a GM who doesn't allow both.
Personally I would houserule that you can get multiple properties as long as it makes sense. But that is purely a houserule.
I think it's pretty harsh criticism to call a GMs priorities into question if he doesn't allow it, which is clearly RAW. If I were a PFS GM I would rule that (if you were allowed to mess with materials in PFS anyway).
(I know this is the rules forum but...)
On the other hand, getting both mechanical benefits is only a 3 lb. weight loss over only getting cold iron. I would question the priorities of a GM who doesn't allow both.
Elven branch spear on an unchained rogue that dumped str enough that they could be 1 shotted by a shadow.
And they did that so they could pump up DEX as high as possible, allowing them to get x1.5 their stat in damage, as well as high AC and intiative.
there has to be a cost though. And once you take attack/damage from str, it is just carrying weight. And a rogue would actully care, since unlike a wizard they need actualy armor and weapons.
Yes, there are work arounds for that. But those have costs too. Like using up wizard spells early on in the game just so you aren't broken.
By the time you can afford to get MW cold iron/darkwood, you can likely afford tattoo'd muleback cords, and then you don't care anymore about weight. If you are, you get a heavy load belt tattoo.
If your GM doesn't allow tattoo's, you get them added to your cloak/physical belt instead cheaper.
While I agree with CampinCarl9127 for PFS, I'm with Ciaran Barnes for homegames. I might use it as a heuristic for checking what kind of GM I'm dealing with.
"Assuming a player asks to have a spear where the shaft is darkwood (thus reducing the weight) and the tip is cold iron (to overcome certain DR) and the RAW says only the most "prevalent" type applies when using multiple materials, how would you reply to the player?"
A. Rules are rules and/or I don't like to think about it too much or change things, because slippery slope - "book says only one works, it's a stabby spear, so cold iron. But you can pay more to fluff it as darkwood, if you want."
B. Realism is good, working out details doesn't bother me, just don't ask that mid battle or in a dramatic RP moment and we'll be fine: "The spear tip isn't wood, so I'll substract a dagger of weight from the shaft for darkwood price, so 5 lbs * 10 gp/lbs = 50 gp for a darkwood spear shaft + 4 gp for the cold iron spear tip + 300 masterwork = 354 gp, weight 5/2+1= 3.5 lbs" -- says the barbarian "what about my great-axe shaft, can I make that darkwood?" --- "Well rules say no, but I guess you could shave off half a pound to a pound for the price of 10 to 20 gp, assuming you decide that during creation of the masterwork axe." --- "Thanks."
C. Simple, permissive. "Sure. So 60 gp darkwood + 4 gp cold iron + 300 mwk = 364 gp, weight 6/2 = 3 lbs. Anything else?" -- "What about my battle axe?" -- "Do you want the flavor or the fluff, cause rules call it out as example where it doesn't give a benefit, but Mithral would work."
What other replies can you imagine?
D. Anti-min-max "Well that depends. What's your strength?" (i.e. if it doesn't matter I'd allow, but if it does I won't kinda thing?)
Not sure it works too too well as a heuristic...
@Julix - Oh for realism and logic, I absolutely 100% agree with you. That's why I don't play PFS. Because they're not allowed to use that far too often.