Unique and Rare Metals and Ores


Ores of Flamespace

Lesser White Copper
An adulterated, impure form of white copper, this substance is created using secret methods by efreeti-enslaved azer on the planet Warfire in Flamespace. The fortress of Krak al-Hatash is the primary location where lesser white copper is forged, because the alloy requires several minerals indigenous to Warfire which are found in great quantities beneath the fortress (notably, the fortress stands atop the largest known deposit on Warfire of the bluish powder called hatash).

Lesser white copper has a number of known applications, including efreeti Great Armor, incendiary explosives, flame-projecting weapons, and enhancement of flame magics in a manner similar to true white copper. The metal's application appears limited to the sphere of Flamespace. This may be because lesser white copper channels the power of Warfire itself.

Hearthstone

An extremely hard, igneous stone of dull grey to black color, this stone is virtually impervious to all known types of fire. Before the destruction of Hearthfire, the azer of that world created hearthstone by mixing a number of rare magmas native to that planet. Once formed, it is possible, though difficult, to carve hearthstone, but it can never be melted back into magma.

Hearthsteel

Before Hearthfire's destruction, the azer of that world forged hearthsteel by purifying and mixing a number of indigenous molten metals from the planet's molten surface, then hammering or molding the mixture into shape. Once cooled and tempered, hearthsteel can never again be forged.

A quality black steel which is always cool to the touch, hearthsteel is virtually impervious to all known types of fire. Moreover, it repels heat. A weapon crafted of hearthsteel can always inflict its full damage on any creature native to the Plane of Fire or which is composed of fire energies, regardless of its enchantment. A full suit of armor crafted from hearthsteel has a nonmagical +1 enhancement bonus, grants a +4 resistance bonus to saving throws against fire attacks, and acts as a Greater Ring of Fire Resistance, absorbing 30 hit points of fire damage each round.



Metals from Volo's Guide

Adamant
A hard, black, brittle metal, adamant is used primarily in dwarven experimentation and the making of tools to work metal. Its weakness is its brittle nature, which accompanies its hardness. Thus it is used more in making tools than in fashioning armor and weapons.

Adamantine

As described in the Dungeon Master's Guide, save that it receives a +6 bonus to all saves.

Arandur

As described, save that it receives a +4 saving throw bonus to all saves. Arandur easily takes enchantment, granting an enchanter a +4 bonus to his spellcraft roll when crafting an item from Arandur. Finally, Arandur blades easily keep an edge, and is a favored material for keen and vorpal weapons.

Copper

As described.

Darksteel

As described, save that darksteel items receive a +4 bonus to all saving throws.

Dlarun

As described, save that the items of adornment crafted of this metal grant a +1 resistance bonus to saves against mind effects. Dlarun items have a +2 bonus to all saving throws.

Gold

As described, save that it grants a +2 to all item enchantment rolls.

Hizagkuur

As described, except that hizagkur gains a +6 saving throw bonus against all energy attacks, and a +2 saving throw bonus against all other attacks.

Mithral

As described in the DMG.

Silver

As described, save that it grants a +2 bonus to all rolls to enchant the item, and a +4 bonus if the item's magic is related to the moon, electricity, or pure energy discharges.

Starmetal

As described in the gem section.

Telstang

As described. However, contrary to popular rumors, telstang is no mere alloy of copper, mithral, platinum, and silver. It requires special processes and possibly additional (secret) ingredients to forge. Moreover, a charm made of telstang does not render one immune to state altering magics. Rather, such a small object or token grants +1 to +3 resistance bonus to saves vs. these attacks (depending on the size of the charm). Only a full suit of armor plated with telstang actually grants true immunity, though smaller objects like amulets, belt buckles, and rings can be enchanted to grant full or partial immunity with the proper procedures and spells. Telstang receives a +3 to all saves.

Zardazil

As described. However, zardazil will not phase impurities on the blade (like poisons). These impurities will either rub off on the skin as the zardazil is passing through it, or possibly break the skin, thereby injuring the subject.



Stones of the Prime Material

Underdark Stone
So named by surface dwellers, these ores and minerals exude radiation which render scrying nigh impossible, and teleportation either impossible or very dangerous. They vary in color, appearance and strength (some underdark stones merely block teleportation and scrying through themselves, while others exude auras which interfere with teleportation and scrying in an area). Many types of underdark stone (especially those which create areas of interference) lose their special properties if removed from their native environment or exposed to sunlight.

Durneth Stone

Found in large quantities in the area around Nesme and other places in northern Faerun, durneth stone exudes an aura which masks and suppresses magical auras nearby.

Shadowstone

As described in the gem section. Found in spheres with a great deal of dimensional travel and/or interference from extra-planar creatures, this black, obsidian-like crystal is alien dimensional energy which leaked into and was solidified by the Prime Material Plane in a manner which sages compare to that by which oysters create pearls. Shadowstone is generally useful in all manners of dimensional magics, and is easily rendered volatile and unstable (usually resulting in dimensional, rather than physical, explosions).

Zangrit

An brownish orange, sulfur-like stone that is found in large deposits in Koffuspace, this rock is ground into dust and then mixed with any number of indigenous poisons to form noxious gasses and airborne toxins. It has a bitter, acrid smell that brings tears to one's eyes.



Metals of the Planes

Green Steel
Mined and smelted in Baator, this extremely lightweight metal holds a very fine edge, granting weapons improved damage (see the Planewalker's Handbook for details on weight and damage). Such weapons also easily take baneful enchantments and are capable of affecting tanar'ri which require +1 weapons to wound. Armor made from green steel is lighter than normal armor. It reduces armor penalty by 2 and spell failure chance by 5%, increases maximum dexterity by 1, weights 75% as much as normal armor, and has a +1 non-magical enhancement bonus. Green steel shields do not gain the non-magical +1 enhancement bonus, but do gain the reduction to armor penalty and spell failure chance. Green steel weapons all grant a +1 non-magical enhancement bonus.

Red Steel

Mined and forged in certain layers of the Abyss, this metal is almost the exact parallel to green steel, save that it wounds baatezu which require +1 weapons to harm.

Greysteel

Greysteel functions exactly like adamantine. Greysteel weapons (and armor) take defensive enchantments with ease (+2 to all spellcraft rolls), and greysteel is mystically equivalent to cold iron for the purpose of harming creatures vulnerable to that substance. Unfortunately, greysteel weapons and armor are slightly heavier than normal steel, causing a -1 penalty to armor checks and increasing encumbrance.

Silversteel

Native to Arborea and often crafted by the elves of that plane, silversteel weapons are extremely lightweight and whip-cord quick, but keep a very fine edge and are as tough as steel. Silversteel weapons all gain a +2 non-magical enhancement bonus (to hit only), regardless of size. Silversteel armor reduces armor check penalty by 2, increases maximum dexterity by 1, and reduce spell failure by 5%. Silversteel weapons (and armor) also easily take enchantments which augment the wielder's skill (+2 to all spellcraft rolls). Silversteel is mystically equivalent to silver for the purpose of harming creatures vulnerable to that substance.

Greysilver

Created by certain skilled smiths among the gnomes and dwarves of Bytopia and Mt. Celestia, this greyish-silver alloy is formed by mixing silversteel, greysteel, and certain unknown substances of both Bytopia and Mt. Celestia. This metal grants a +1 non-magical enhancement bonus to all weapons, and a +2 non-magical enhancement bonus to all armor. Unlike adamantine, mastercrafted greysteel armor does decrease armor penalty normally. Greysilver is mystically equivalent to both cold iron and silver for the purpose of harming creatures affected by those substances. Greysilver weighs the same as standard metal, and is extremely rare and expensive. It cannot be enchanted except by a priest of law and good.

Efreeti Steel

An iron-like substance formed by a secret process that includes smelting iron into steel within a forge containing the ashes of a slain efreet, this metal has the same damage and weight characteristics as green steel. Efreeti steel, however, is capable of injuring any creature that the efreet whose ashes were used in its creation could injure. In addition, efreeti steel can easily be enchanted with harmful flame magics.

Dull Iron (Waste Iron)

Mined in the Grey Waste, this metal is less popular than other planar metals. It remains brittle even after forging, and does not take tempering well. Dull iron armor weighs twice as much, and is 1 AC point worse, than its standard steel counterparts. Its main advantage resides in its ability to absorb positive material energy of all forms - sound, light, fire, etc. An individual wearing a suit of dull iron armor gains a +4 to saves and 15 points of damage resistance against all such attacks.

A further downside of dull iron armor is that its residual Waste energies dull the wearer's senses; wearers suffer a -4 to all spot, search, tracking, and listen checks, an additional 2 point armor check, 1 point worse maximum dexterity, and 10% worse chance of spell failure. Additionally, wearers of such armor suffer a 20% worse miss chance for attacking someone in cover or invisible, because of an inability to fully use other senses to compensate.

Weapons made from Dull Iron are also not very popular. Though they do not impose the above penalties, they are crude and ungainly, weighing 50% more than standard steel weapons. They also do not accept enchantments easily. The only advantage of dull iron weapons is that they can strike any creature based on the Positive Material Plane and its Quasi- Planes, or the Elemental Plane of Fire, and its Para-Planes, regardless of the normal levels of magic necessary to harm such creatures. Dull iron weapons also strike creatures that require cold iron to wound.



Metals of the Prime

True Iron
The special process of producing true iron is known only among a few chosen dwarves, and knowledge of the secret is said to be a direct gift from Moradin to each smith who receives it. Only dwarves can obtain true iron. It is never sold or given to non-dwarves, and any non-dwarf who bears it will constantly be faced with attacks from dwarves seeking to recover the substance. True iron items are extremely difficult to damage, gaining +3 to all item saves, and +6 to saves against magic. True iron's primary value, however lies in its resistance to magic. A full suit of armor crafted of true iron grants a natural +4 resistance bonus to saves against magic, damage resistance 15 against all forms of magical attacks, and a spell resistance of 21. Unfortunately, it also imposes an additional +50% chance of spell failure, making spell casting virtually impossible. Smaller items grant proportionally smaller benefits and impose proportionally smaller penalties.

Aurebony (or Black Gold)

This vile and very rare metal is crafted primarily by goblinoid races for use against dwarves and gnomes. When a weapon made of aurebony strikes a member of these races, the victim must succeed at a fortitude save vs. a DC of 15. The poison causes an immediate loss of 1d6 Con points, followed by a loss of an additional 1d6 Con one minute later.

Silbony (Black Silver)

Weapons made of this metal shimmer like black mother of pearl. Such weapons burn when they strike faeries and elves of good alignment, with the same results to the victim as aurebony. Silbony was said to have originated in the infernal planes. Though rare and difficult to smelt, such weapons are often wielded by the unseelie fae against their age-old enemies.

Vatril

Vatril is an alloy of lead and copper which is used by those who do business as night. Known to such folk as the priests of Shar and Mask, armor and weapons made of vatril weigh one and a half times normal. However, such tools have a dull matt black color and tend to absorb noise. Vatril imposes no penalty to hide and move silently checks, but imposes an additional -2 armor penalty for all other activities.

Myrillium

This heavy alloy, smelted from a powdery grey stone, tends to absorb and dissipate psionic energy. In very large quantities, it doubles the cost of powers and imposes a -5 penalty on attempts to use psionics within an adjacent area. Suits of armor made of myrillium impose similar penalties on individually targeted attacks.

Ancillium

The counterpart to myrillium, this metal is found in somewhat smaller quantities. Its surprising conductivity to psionic energy makes it ideal for empowering psionic items, improving the psionicist's Empower rolls by 2 points. Moreover, the metal finds many uses in enchanting magical items which focus psionic powers or store psionic strength. It is theorized that ancillium may be used to channel large amounts of psionic power.

Mystaran Red Steel

Relatively common along the Savage Coast region of Mystara, red steel is relatively unknown elsewhere. Its primary ingredient is depleted cinnabryl, which is smelted using processes known to the smiths of the region. The steel takes on a crimson hue, and develops special properties. It weighs only half as much as normal steel, yet retains the same tensile strength and hardnes

Note: All bonuses to item saves which are from materials are considered resistance bonuses, and are not cumulative with other resistance bonuses.