Extraordinary Materials

This article outlines some of the extraordinary materials found throughout the High Seas. Most of these are exceedingly rare, or difficult to create or work with.

On this page

• Acerbis
• Adamantine
• Cold Iron
• Cryingstone
• Deep Fost-Ice
• Drakenmetal
• Electrum
• Fulgurite
• Imbued Wood
• Mithral
• Nullmetal
• Starmetal
• Vilewood

Acerbis

A surprisingly common metal that is unfortunately often found depleted of its unique properties, pure Acerbis is known for its unusual property of melting and burning organic materials. An extremely skilled and knowledgeable smith can use Acerbis as a component in weapons. 

Properties 

Weapons can be made with an Acerbis tip, edge, plate, or similar. The Acerbis in these weapons causes organic material, particularly flesh, to melt and burn. Acerbis weapons deal an additional 1d4 acid damage. 

Adamantine

Exceedingly rare, Adamantine is the strongest metal known to the living world. Once smelted from its ore found deep within the earth, it is almost impossible to work except with adamantine tools - it is assumed that in ancient times magic was used in its creation, as forging it is so incredibly difficult. This black-green shiny metal is unique in its appearance, and legends state that seeing your reflection in an Adamantine mirror reveals your true self.

Properties

All Adamantine weapons and armour are considered +2 magical armaments. Adamantine also confers the additional properties:

• Adamantine armour treats any critical hit against the wearer as a regular hit.
• Adamantine weapons and ammunition automatically deal critical hits when they hit objects.

Cryingstone

Cryingstone is a faintly glowing blue gemstone, thought to be magical in origin and closely guarded by the natives of Cryingrock as its most prized resource. It is highly sought after, but contains no real value as a magical component or enhancement for weapons or armour.

Cold Iron

Cold Iron is rarely seen outside of The Koza Isles, largely due to its niche applications. Whilst not as strong as steel, it is particularly adept at dealing with the sorts of creatures found in the forests and swamps of The Koza Isles.

Properties

Usually made into weapons rather than armour, weapons made from Cold Iron gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls against fey, aberrations, and undead. Armour made from Cold Iron suffers a -1 penalty to AC, but attacks by fey, aberrations, and undead have disadvantage against the wearer.

Deep Fost-Ice

Whilst most Fost-Ice melts at around 2C, certain pockets of the ice of Fostian remain solid even up to body temperature.

Properties

Fost-Ice can be worked (by an expert) similar to soft metals such as lead or copper. Any item or equipment made of metal could be made of Fost-Ice instead. Fost-Ice weighs approximately 5 times less than steel, so divide the weight of such items by 5. However, fully formed Fost-Ice is soft and brittle, making it unsuitable for crafting into armour or shields, as they would either dent or break on impact.
Weapons made from Fost-Ice gain the 'light' property as long as they do not have the 'heavy' property.

Drakenmetal

Forged in dragons-breath, Drakenmetal is as rare as it is legendary - in all great stories, the hero wields a Drakenmetal blade that was either passed on as an heirloom or created on their quest. In reality, Drakenmetal requires the cooperation of both a powerful dragon and a skilled smith to forge with it, so whilst not unknown it is impossibly rare. Drakenmetal comes in a variety of forms, denoted by the type of dragon who aids in the forging - for example, a hammer forged in the breath of a green dragon will taken on a sickening green tint and froth continually at its surface with poisonous ruin.

Properties

All Drakenmetal weapons and armour are treated as +2 magical armaments. Drakenmetal also confers the additional properties:

• Drakenmetal weapons deal 1d6 of the damage type associated with the dragon who aided in its forging: Fire, Cold, Acid, Poison, or Lightning
• Drakenmetal armour confers resistant to the damage type associated with the dragon who aided in its forging: FIre, Cold, Acid, Poison, or Lightning

Electrum

An alloy of gold and silver, the magical properties of Electrum have long been forgotten - though that does not mean they cease to exist. Electrum wands and rods were a common find in the initial investigations of The Magi Tower, and the ornamental garb of The Order of Magi sometimes includes Electrum thread or even decorative pieces of the alloy.
Electrum coins are also sometimes used as a secret currency amongst practitioners of Black Magic, making them one of the tell-tale signs that the Witchfinder Conclave seek when trying to identify black magic users in Taranthia.

Fulgurite

When lightning strikes sand or other minerals such as soil or even stone, a dramatic change occurs creating a semi-crystalline glass called Fulgurite. Often held in high regard by blue and bronze Dragonborn in particular (whose breath weapon is not powerful in of itself to create the material in meaningful amounts), it is not uncommon to see Fulgurite medallions and decorations amongst these peoples.

Properties

Some particularly large Fulgurites can be made into weapons, similar to knapped obsidian or used whole-sale as the head of a warhammer or maul. Creatures struck by a critical hit from Fulgurite weapon gain vulnerability to lightning damage as small shards of the mineral are left in the target.

Imbued Wood

Difficult to find - not least because it is closely guarded by the natives of The Koza Isles - "Imbued Wood" refers to wood obtained from trees that grow in areas overflowing with natural magic.

Properties

Weapons and Armour made primarily from Imbued Wood are treated as +1 magical armaments.

Mithral

A bright silvery-white metal, Mithral is incredibly strong for its weight. Especially prized for its use in chainmail, this incredibly lightweight metal can create armour that feels as light as fabric. Mithral is very difficult to find, though a few closely-guarded mines are believed to be found in Vormist.

Properties

Armour made from Mithral is incredibly lightweight - chain shirts and breastplates made from this metal can even be worn underneath regular clothing. Armour made from Mithral has no strength requirement and does not impose disadvantage on stealth checks. Weapons made from Mithral gain one of the following properties, depending on the weapon:

• If the weapon is not heavy, it gains the light property.
• If the weapon was versatile, it becomes a one-handed weapon with the damage dice listed under the now-lost versatile property

Nullmetal

Nullmetal is a relic of the time before the world sank, its composition and manufacture completely unknown. Nullmetal has only been found in one place: the architecture of The Magi Tower, meaning that the only Nullmetal in circulation was either a precious gift, or obtained illegally.

Properties

The full extent of the properties of Nullmetal are unknown, but testing by The Order of Magi reveals potent arcane nullification properties, where it has been implemented by the Witchfinder Conclave to line cages and shackles meant to contain users of Black Magic.

Starmetal

Especially prized by followers of Sinti, Starmetal is a rare metal that occasionally falls from the sky as a blazing meteorite.

Properties

Starmetal is an extremely rare and difficult-to-work metal; anything made from Starmetal is instantly recgnisable as something special. Weapons and armour made from Starmetal are treated as +1 magical armaments.

Vilewood

Similar to Imbued Wood, Vilewood is wood obtained from a tree that has grown under magical influence - though the distinction is made that Vilewood is grown in areas of evil or corrupting magic.

Properties

Vilewood is not as strong as Imbued Wood, but contains a malevolent power. Damage dealt by weapons made primarily from Vilewood also reduce the target's hit point maximum by the amount of damage dealt. A target's hit point maximum cannot be reduced below 0 in this manner.