Mithral

People always think of the hobgoblin legions as being clad in ominous black and brown, but that is only true when they require stealth. In pitched battle they cast aside the coverings revealing gleaming silver beneath. A hobgoblin legion marching across a battlefield beneath the sun is a shining, glorious thing to behold.

— General Carric Teinithra, "My Regrets"

A silver-coloured metal, mithral is sometimes known by the archaic name "moonsilver". It is strong and exceptionally light-weight, and its bright colour is considered beautiful by most people. Mithral is highly-prized in decorations for its aesthetic value, and in weapons or armour for being very light-weight without sacrificing durability. It is also exceptionally resistant to corrosion and acid. The church of Kiriel particularly prize it, viewing it as a gift from the moon goddess, and mithral adornments feature heavily churches to Kiriel and in her priests' outfits. Mithral is believed to be created by some sort of magical event, and deposits of it are often found at or near the sites of great magical activity.

In Nalunara mithral is very rare in the lands of the Grand Alliance, but is much more prevalent in the lands of the Kwal Dominion. The Dominion expends a lot of effort seeking out and exploiting mithral veins, and uses it to equip as much of its military as possible. The hobgoblin legions in particular use a great deal of mithral in their armour. The Alliance, by contrast, prizes what mithral they have very highly and typically only uses it to equip their elite soldiers.

The Order of the Raven makes use of a black-coloured variant of mithral, identical in all ways save the colour. The Order is tight-lipped on where they acquire their mithral, or what causes its unusual coloration.

Item type

Raw Material

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In-Game Rules

All metal items made of mithral weigh half as much as they normally do. Additionally, all mithral items are immune to the effects of rust, acid and corrosion (including effects such as the special abilities of a Rust Monster or a Black Pudding). In addition, weapons and armour made of mithral have the following benefits:

• Mithral weapons count as silvered weapons for the purpose of bypassing a creature's resistance.
• Mithral armour follows the rules presented on page 182 of the Dungeon Master's Guide (can also be found on the SRD here).