Chapter 13 · Core Rules
Equipment, Crafting, and Materials
This chapter covers supplies, firearms, crafting, and materials. Martial Combat and Defenses gives common weapon tables, armor categories, and the rules for using them in combat.
Firearms
Ordinary Cerberus firearms are dwarven powder weapons, generally muzzle-loaded and built for one shot before reloading. Rare repeating mechanisms are exceptions. They are expensive, loud, and slow, but place considerable power in the hands of someone without a warrior's Strength or an archer's Dexterity. Dwarven merchants often carry them; Askenon closely guards their mechanisms and powder.
| M1 Weapon | Damage | Critical | DR Ignored | Range | Capacity | Reload | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol | 2d8 | ×3 | 8 | 100 ft | 1 | 2 ticks | 100 gp |
| Repeating Pistol | 2d6 | ×3 | 6 | 100 ft | 4 | 1 tick/chamber | 400 gp |
| Musket | 3d10 | ×3 | 16 | 600 ft | 1 | 3 ticks | 200 gp |
| Blunderbuss | 2d8 | ×3 | 8 | 30 ft cone | 1 | 3 ticks | 250 gp |
Firing spends one attack token, one Action Board slot, and one loaded charge. Strength and Dexterity do not add to damage. Use the normal Reflex modifier when the shot is dodged or parried. Enchantment and quality bonuses add to damage normally.
Reloading. Reloading is a general action spanning several ticks. Every stage spends one general action token and one slot under Reactive Combat. Stages must follow without interruption: prepare powder and ball, insert them, then ram and prime the mechanism. A pistol combines the last two operations and therefore needs only two ticks. Interrupting a stage loses the current reload, though not necessarily all ammunition; the GM decides what was spilled or damaged.
A character carrying several loaded pistols can draw another instead of reloading.
Repeating Pistol. This complex dwarven weapon has four chambers that its mechanism rotates before the barrel. It fires four times before becoming empty, with each shot spending an available attack token and slot. Each chamber reloads separately with a 1-tick general action; the wielder need not wait until all chambers are empty. With two general action tokens and two free slots, two chambers can be prepared during one tick.
Resolve each bullet separately, including its critical d20 and DR.
Blunderbuss. Its shot fills a 30 ft cone and strikes every creature inside, including allies. Each target chooses and resolves a separate defense; damage, critical d20, and DR are also resolved separately, once per target.
Parrying a Bullet. A primarily metal shield can intercept a firearm shot using normal parry rules. A large metal blade wielded in two hands—a greatsword or similar weapon—can also do so, but the defender has disadvantage on the Reflex duel. A small weapon, wooden weapon, or bare hand cannot parry a bullet. This restriction applies to firearms; arrows and other projectiles still follow Deflect Projectiles.
A successful parry stops the projectile entirely. When several shooters form a coherent volley, the grouping rules from Martial Combat and Defenses apply. The shield must cover the direction of every grouped shot.
Unreliable Powder. A maintained firearm loaded with dry powder requires no routine misfire roll. If powder is wet, the mechanism damaged, the charge improvised, or the chamber deliberately overloaded, the GM instead announces a prescribed chance check before the shot and states the consequences of failure:
| Result | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Hang Fire | The primer burns without igniting the charge. The shot fails; resetting costs a 1-tick general action, after which the shot can be attempted again. |
| Misfire | The charge is lost. The weapon must be fully reloaded. |
| Jam | The mechanism locks. The weapon cannot fire until dismantled: ten minutes, tools, and skilled hands. |
| Burst Chamber | The weapon is destroyed, and its wielder takes the model's damage without DR to hands and face. |
The GM chooses according to the fault. Wet powder or a misplaced primer causes a hang fire or misfire. A dirty, dropped, or forced mechanism jams. A chamber bursts only from a deliberately excessive charge, a fatigued weapon, or improvised manufacture—and never without warning the shooter of the risk.
Firearm Quality
Machining precision, chamber sealing, and tolerance for a stronger charge make quality especially important. For a firearm, this progression replaces the ordinary weapon quality damage bonus rather than adding to it. Price multipliers remain those of M1 to M5.
| Quality | Added Damage | Additional DR Ignored | Suggested Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | — | — | ×1 |
| M2 | +5 | +4 | ×2 |
| M3 | +10 | +8 | ×5 |
| M4 | +20 | +16 | ×10 |
| M5 | +40 | +32 | ×25 |
Fixed damage is multiplied on a critical. An M5 pistol deals 2d8 + 40, ignores 40 DR, and normally costs 2,500 gp; an M5 musket ignores 48 DR. Penetration does not distinguish physical DR from magical DR.
Enchanting a Firearm. An enchantment adds its fundamental bonus to damage and nothing else: it never grants penetration. Ignored DR comes from machining—the chamber's caliber, seal, and supported charge—and only quality raises it. A power designed with the GM can be an exception, but must be written on the weapon sheet like any other enchanted effect.
Humans enchant almost all such weapons. Askenon builds the mechanism, Cerberus applies red magic, and the fortune in gold demanded by the ritual adds to the weapon's already considerable price. No one controls both halves alone. Runic firearms exist, but the rune caste makes few and almost never sells them. A rune-marked pistol belongs to a dwarven hero or is the spoils of a theft remembered for years.
Ammunition. One pistol charge—powder and ball—costs 5 sp. A musket or blunderbuss charge costs 1 gp. A repeating pistol uses one pistol charge per chamber. Special powder, adamantine projectiles, and experimental ammunition are not included.
Price and Availability. Powder, plans, and advanced mechanisms are Askenon military and trade secrets. Buying even a simple pistol may require a contact, favor, smuggler, or authorization. An M4 or M5 firearm may require an exceptional commission or be unavailable at any price.
Special Manufacture. Rifling that increases range, a waterproof mechanism, double barrel, compact weapon, cartridge that accelerates reloading, or reinforced chamber are nonmagical crafting projects. The player describes the effect with the GM, who prescribes the chances based on the artisan's experience, Intelligence, tools, plans, available time, and desired quality. A property producing a magical effect follows enchantment rules.
Cannons. A cannon follows the same principles but is siege equipment rather than a personal weapon. Damage, crew, loading time, and area depend on size; the GM sets them for the scene. A true cannon ignores at least 32 DR before quality and can damage fortifications. Valerium cannons have their own operating rules and risks.
Exploding Powder
Black powder can explode when flame, sparks, or electricity reaches a confined quantity. A loaded weapon does not explode merely because it is struck: its container must be pierced, opened, or exposed to an event capable of igniting the charge. When uncertain, the GM announces a prescribed chance check before determining whether the powder catches.
| Powder Quantity | Damage | Radius |
|---|---|---|
| Powder horn or personal reserve | 2d8 | 5 ft |
| Small barrel | 6d8 | 15 ft |
| Large barrel or military reserve | 10d8 or more | 30 ft or more |
DR applies normally, and the explosion cannot produce a critical. There is no standard Save to reduce its damage: every creature in the radius is struck. At the GM's discretion, a high-level character with exceptional Reflex may try to leave the area under the general rule; success avoids rather than reduces the explosion. An explosion ignites exposed powder in its radius and can cause a chain reaction.
Lighting a fuse takes a 1-tick general action. The character preparing it states whether it burns for one, two, or three ticks; an improvised or wet fuse may require a prescribed chance check. Carrying powder in closed containers is normally safe.
Destroying an Object or Structure
To break an object, declare the intended result. If the outcome is uncertain, the GM prescribes the chance of achieving it: splitting a shield, breaking a weapon, tearing out a lock, opening a breach, or collapsing a beam. One roll covers both striking the right point and overcoming the material.
In combat, deliberately targeting a carried weapon, shield, armor piece, or other specific object spends one attack and one tick slot. It always requires a prescribed chance check, even when an ordinary attack would have struck the wielder. The GM considers:
- the object's size and movement;
- its wielder's Reflex, position, and experience;
- the attacker's Strength and experience;
- both objects' shape, quality, material, and enchantment;
- the angle, footing, and actual force of the blow.
Before rolling, the GM states what success achieves. Depending on plausibility, success may chip, deform, disable, or completely destroy the object. Failure spends the attack without harming the wielder. A feat or technique can explicitly state another consequence.
Outside combat, no roll is needed when the result is certain. Given enough time, an axe breaks a wooden door and equipped workers open an ordinary wall. Roll when time, noise, tools, or resistance make the result uncertain. A massive structure may require a cannon, explosives, suitable tools, or several stages of work.
Adamantine Destroys. Its density, hardness, and weight radically change the prescription. An adamantine weapon against wood, iron, steel, or stone makes the chances far more favorable and enables destruction a mundane weapon could not attempt. Against a stationary, sufficiently thin object, success may be automatic. The GM considers tool size, displaced mass, and the scale of the intended result.
Conversely, a true adamantine object is almost impossible to destroy. Another adamantine weapon, epic creature, high-level magic, or comparably violent event may damage it; an ordinary tool simply receives no chance. Compare enchanted objects in the same manner: adamantine does not automatically cancel a superior enchantment but remains a major physical advantage against the material supporting it.
Adventuring Equipment
Choose starting equipment under Character Creation and Progression. Use the prices below when buying supplies, replacing equipment, or bargaining in town.
Economic benchmark. A day laborer—lumberjack, porter, or servant—earns about 2 gold
pieces (gp) per day. Smaller purchases use silver pieces (sp) and copper pieces
(cp): 1 gp = 10 sp = 100 cp. Read every price against that wage: a 1 gp rope costs
half a day's labor.
Adventuring Gear
| Item | Price | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backpack | 1 gp | Hemp rope (50 ft) | 1 gp |
| Bedroll | 1 sp | Silk rope (50 ft) | 10 gp |
| Blanket | 5 sp | Grappling hook | 1 gp |
| Tent (2 people) | 10 gp | Pitons (×10) | 1 sp |
| Torch | 1 cp | Waterskin | 2 sp |
| Candle | 1 cp | Dry rations (1 day) | 5 sp |
| Hooded lantern | 7 gp | Crowbar | 2 gp |
| Oil flask | 1 sp | Hammer, shovel | 1-2 gp |
| Flint and steel | 1 gp | Healing kit (bandages) | 5 gp |
| Polished steel mirror | 10 gp | Manacles, padlock | 15-20 gp |
| Blank grimoire | 15 gp | Ink (vial) and quill | 8 gp |
Lodging, Food, and Services
| Service | Price | Service | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mug of beer | 4 cp | Private room for the night | 2 gp |
| Simple meal | 3 sp | Stabling per night | 5 sp |
| Good meal | 5 sp | Hot bath | 1 sp |
| Common-room floor for the night | 5 sp | Ship passage per day | 1 gp |
Mounts and Transport
| Animal / Vehicle | Price | Animal / Vehicle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donkey, mule | 8 gp | Riding horse | 75 gp |
| Pony | 30 gp | Warhorse | 200 gp |
| Saddle and harness | 10 gp | Cart | 15 gp |
Mundane Weapons and Armor. As a benchmark, a simple weapon such as a dagger or club costs 1-2 gp, a common martial weapon such as a sword, axe, or bow costs 10-40 gp, and a shield costs 7 gp. Armor prices appear in Armor Categories. Even the weakest enchantment escapes this scale and costs thousands of gp (see 16).
Alchemical Projectiles
Throwing an alchemical bomb, ampule, or vial takes a 1-tick general action. It targets a visible point within 30 ft and shatters there. This is not an attack: it spends no attack token and can never produce a critical. Beyond 30 ft, the GM may allow the throw with a prescribed chance check and choose the landing point on failure.
The item's DC is the difficulty of the Save against its effect: Reflex to turn away or escape spreading material, Fortitude to resist an impact, gas, or toxin, and Will only when the preparation genuinely attacks the mind or deceives the senses. A projectile without a DC simply changes the environment.
A physical projectile's ingredients give it fixed power. Alchemical spells instead scale with caster level. Common preparations include:
| Projectile | Primary Effect |
|---|---|
| Acid Flask | burns and corrodes nonmagical DR |
| Incendiary Grenade | creates a persistent area of fire |
| Shrapnel Grenade | projects fragments in every direction |
| Smoke Grenade | blocks lines of sight |
| Spider Resin | sticks feet, a door, or an object |
| Blinding Salt | blinds for one tick |
| Thunderstone | blocks hearing and verbal components |
| Suffocating Spores | causes nausea and prevents speech |
Smoke, wind, water, fire, and cover interact with these effects normally. A player can invent a use not anticipated by the item entry; the GM resolves it through the fiction and, when needed, a prescribed chance check.
Metals and Crafting Materials
A weapon or suit of armor first has the physical properties of its material. Iron, steel, wood, bone, mithril, and adamantine do not produce the same object even when an artisan gives them identical shapes. Material can modify DR, damage, Reflex, or how the object interacts with its environment.
Material and enchantment are separate, cumulative layers. Armor's physical DR adds to its enchantment DR, and other material properties remain active. Dispel Magic can suppress or destroy an object's magic, but never turns mithril into iron or removes its physical and natural advantages.
Several objects made from the same material do not stack the same roll bonus repeatedly unless their entries explicitly allow it. A mithril weapon and mithril armor therefore do not grant +10 to the same Reflex duel. The properties below also require a genuine piece of equipment: a shard, coin, or decorative jewel does not protect like armor.
Craftsmanship Quality
Quality measures workmanship. Its bonuses add to the object's material properties and remain if an enchantment is dispelled.
Every nonmagical crafting project targets a quality from M1 to M5. M1 represents a functional object made by a competent artisan. Each subsequent rank adds +2 weapon damage or +1 physical armor DR.
| Quality | Workmanship | Added Weapon Damage | Added Physical DR | Suggested Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Functional | — | — | ×1 |
| M2 | Fine | +2 | +1 | ×2 |
| M3 | Superior | +4 | +2 | ×5 |
| M4 | Masterwork | +6 | +3 | ×10 |
| M5 | Masterpiece | +8 | +4 | ×25 |
A weapon's bonus is part of its fixed damage and follows critical rules normally. An
armor bonus is added after the coverage factor, so heavy armor never doubles quality.
Magical DR is added afterward. For example, M3 heavy steel armor has 4 × 2 + 2, or
10 physical DR, before enchantment.
Price multipliers are benchmarks rather than a universal catalog. They represent labor, material lost to trials, experimentation, and the rarity of artisans capable of the required rank. Actual price always depends on region, commission, and access to a proper workshop.
Crafting a Nonmagical Object
Before beginning, the artisan declares the shape, material, and target quality. The GM prescribes the chances of success based on:
- Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence relevant to the work;
- the experience of the artisan and assistants;
- available tools, forge, plans, and models;
- the material's difficulty and target quality;
- time invested and material sacrificed during trials.
M4 may need a master workshop, weeks or months of work, and specialized assistants. M5 can become a life's work, require a lost technique, or depend on exceptional circumstances. The GM can declare the project impossible until those conditions are met.
On failure, the GM chooses a consequence proportionate to the announced risk: no progress, lower quality, additional delay, a correctable flaw, or loss of some materials. An ordinary repair restores function, but only an artisan capable of the object's quality can guarantee preservation of every bonus.
Iron
Iron is common, easy to work, and simple to repair. An iron weapon deals the normal damage for its shape. Medium iron armor has 2 physical DR before quality and enchantment.
Ordinary iron can reach M3. Iron objects beyond this limit rely on exceptional ore, treatment, or technique and are considered separately by the GM. Iron oxidizes more readily than steel and endures long campaigns poorly without maintenance, but remains the metal of armies, villages, and field repairs.
Steel
Steel holds an edge longer, withstands repeated impacts better, and permits much more precise work. A steel weapon also deals the normal damage for its shape; its advantage lies in durability and the qualities a master can achieve. Medium steel armor has 4 physical DR before quality and enchantment. M1 heavy steel armor therefore has 8 physical DR.
Steel can reach M5. At equal shape and quality, a steel object costs about twice as much as its iron equivalent. This remains a benchmark: where ore and blast furnaces are plentiful, the artisan's work may matter far more than the metal difference.
Ordinary Wood
Wood makes bows, staffs, clubs, hafts, shields, and plate or lamellar armor. The GM decides which weapon shapes suit the material. An appropriate wooden weapon deals normal damage for its shape.
| Property | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light Armor | DR 1 |
| Medium Armor | DR 2 |
| Heavy Armor | DR 4 |
| Maximum Quality | M3 |
| Buoyancy | Wood floats and makes recovery from water easier |
| Insulation | When dry, halves remaining electrical damage |
Insulation requires armor, a shield, or cover made primarily from wood. A simple wooden handle does not protect its wielder. Apply all DR first, then halve the remaining electrical damage and round down. Soaked wood loses this property until dry.
Ordinary wood grants no DR against fire. Sustained exposure can ignite or warp it and destroy its quality; the GM considers intensity, duration, and whether the object can be extinguished or repaired.
Ironwood
Ironwood is wood transformed by magic. It retains its grain and buoyancy but becomes as hard as metal, rotproof, and impossible to ignite with ordinary fire. The magic sustaining this transformation can still be dispelled until it permanently settles into the material.
| Property | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light Armor | DR 2 |
| Medium Armor | DR 4 |
| Heavy Armor | DR 8 |
| Maximum Quality | M5 |
| Ironwood Bow | Uses the wielder's full Strength without a cap |
| Insulation | Halves remaining electrical damage even when wet |
| Resilience | Does not burn or rot and still floats |
Ironwood retains shapes compatible with wood: bows, staffs, clubs, hafts, shields, and lamellar armor. Ironwood describes how to create and maintain it, and how the transformation becomes permanent. The artisan's skill, tools, and project determine its M quality.
Leather and Reinforced Cloth
Leather, fur, padded layers, and woven fibers make armor that is easiest to wear discreetly. They can also produce a sling, whip, or other appropriate flexible weapon, dealing normal damage for its shape.
| Property | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light Armor | DR 1 |
| Medium Armor | DR 2 |
| Heavy Armor | Impossible with ordinary materials |
| Maximum Quality | M3 |
| Insulation | When dry, halves remaining electrical damage |
Light leather or cloth armor receives all ordinary benefits of its category: it can be hidden, worn while resting, and does not hinder movement. Medium armor made from many layers remains hotter, thicker, and unfavorable for swimming. Soaked material loses insulation until dry. Cloth can burn and leather can char; like wood, their DR does not apply against fire.
Hide, fur, membrane, or silk harvested from a remarkable creature can exceed these limits and receive an effect chosen by the GM, like the bone, horn, and shell below. Dragonhide armor or monstrous silk is not treated as ordinary leather or cloth.
Bone, Horn, and Shell
Long bones become spikes, clubs, or hafts; horns make short blades and composite bows; shells and broad bone plates make shields or armor. Common animal material uses these values:
| Property | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light Armor | DR 1 |
| Medium Armor | DR 2 |
| Heavy Armor | DR 4 if the creature provides sufficient plates |
| Maximum Quality | M3 |
The harvested creature can completely change the result. The GM may increase DR, permit M4 or M5, and give the object one effect inspired by the creature: elemental resistance from dragon armor, protection against petrification from a basilisk, abnormal repair from troll hide, or a similar property. The GM considers the creature's age and power, the harvested part and its condition, available quantity, and the artisan's skill.
The harvested pieces must be preserved, cleaned, cut, and assembled with the crafting prescribed chance check. Failure may lose the desired property without destroying all the material.
Composite Objects
For an object made from several materials, use the part that performs the task. For an attack, the material that actually delivers the blow—blade, point, mass, or projectile—determines damage and penetration. For armor, shields, or cover, the material forming most of the protective surface determines DR and resistances. A wooden handle does not insulate a steel sword, while an adamantine arrowhead is sufficient because it strikes the target.
Mithril
Mithril is a light, silvery metal that guides its wearer through movement. A warrior in mithril armor can move faster than an unarmored person, as though the metal reacts to danger first.
| Property | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light Armor | 4 physical DR and +5 Reflex |
| Medium Armor | 8 physical DR and +5 Reflex |
| Heavy Armor | 16 physical DR, +5 Reflex, and critical reduction |
| Mithril Weapon | +5 Reflex when attacking or parrying with it |
| Mithril Shield | +5 Reflex when parrying with it |
| Poison Resistance | Armor or a significant protective piece grants +3 on Fortitude Saves against poison |
| Stacking | Mithril bonuses do not stack with one another on the same roll but stack with enchantments |
Mithril armor ignores the Speed and dodge reductions of its category, then grants its own +5 Reflex. Heavy mithril armor remains a complete shell: it cannot be concealed beneath clothing, still takes time to equip, and retains unfavorable circumstances from its bulk when swimming, squeezing through spaces, or sleeping.
The Purifying Metal. Pure mithril destroys physical poisons that touch it. A dose placed on the metal is neutralized even when amplified by Poison: when the substance carrying the magic disappears, the amplification collapses with it.
This purification provides the following protection:
- parrying with a mithril weapon or shield destroys poison applied to the opposing weapon;
- a poisoned weapon striking mithril armor loses its dose before poisoning the wearer, even when damage passes through DR;
- a mask or helmet designed to pass inhaled air over mithril neutralizes poison before it reaches the lungs.
Ordinary mithril armor does not purify an entire cloud by itself; vapor can circulate around it. The wearer still gains +3 on the Fortitude Save. Mithril does not remove poison already inside the body, restore lost HP or attributes, or neutralize disease, acid, or curses.
Purifying Water. A pure mithril object placed in a waterskin, pitcher, or cauldron neutralizes poison in about one minute. Armor or a helmet left in a poisoned well can make the water drinkable, but a large volume takes more time. The GM considers poison quantity, water volume and circulation, and the mass and exposed surface of mithril.
Fed Mithril. Mithril does more than destroy poison: it draws strength from it. When mithril armor absorbs a true toxic dose, directly or through a protective piece in the same set, its surface tightens, fine scratches vanish, and its veins brighten. It gains +5 physical DR until the next true rest. Several poisons do not stack this bonus. A trace or heavily diluted toxin is insufficient; armor immersed in a genuinely poisoned well is always fed.
Acclimated Mithril. Years of exposure or an exceptional toxic event can make this reinforcement permanent. Acclimated armor gains +5 physical DR regardless of category: medium armor rises from 8 to 13. A new poison can still feed it for a temporary 5 additional DR, reaching 18 in this example. Equipment normally acclimates only once. Further acclimation requires an artifact or exceptional history established by the GM.
Mithril in the World. The largest known veins lie in Kaz'Baba, the dwarven realm of mithril. Its smiths do not merely speak of smelting it; they say they cultivate it. Some pieces rest in toxic pools between two stages of forging. The water emerges clean and the metal denser. Ancient armor can carry the memory of poisons lost for generations.
Mithril is also political. Askenon controls its extraction, while Cerberus controls much of its enchantment. Gold and mithril cross the sea in one direction, while potions, enchantments, and war beasts travel in the other. The metal has already changed history: during the war against Vlad Varanov, the dwarves supplied the mages of Cerberus with enough mithril for three suits of armor.
Jumping into the Wine. At a reception, Portin dropped his mithril beard pencil into a barrel of costly wine. The metal began neutralizing the alcohol, and he jumped in to retrieve it. The wine was ruined anyway. Dwarves now say “jump into the wine” when an attempt to repair a mistake makes it worse; merchants have carried the expression across the sea.
Adamantine
Adamantine is a black metal that reflects almost no light. Its density defies an object's proportions: a sword weighs like a siege ram, armor like a fortress gate. It is incredibly heavy, dense, and hard.
| Property | Effect |
|---|---|
| Light Armor | 8 DR; minimum +10 Strength |
| Medium Armor | 16 DR; minimum +15 Strength |
| Heavy Armor | 32 DR; minimum +20 Strength |
| Small or One-Handed Weapon | minimum +10 Strength; doubles damage dice |
| Two-Handed Weapon | minimum +15 Strength; doubles damage dice |
| Shield | minimum +15 Strength |
| Light Penetration | a light weapon or projectile ignores 8 DR |
| Medium Penetration | a one-handed weapon ignores 16 DR |
| Very Heavy Penetration | a two-handed weapon ignores 32 DR |
| Quality | can reach M5; quality bonuses stack normally |
Extreme Mass. The wielder's current Strength must meet the listed minimum. A creature below it can move the object with levers, a cart, or help, but cannot attack or parry properly with the weapon. Armor can be placed on such a creature but immobilizes it enough to make combat impossible. Dexterity never replaces Strength for this requirement; once met, Dexterity can replace Strength for damage when the weapon and technique normally permit it.
Ingots themselves require rails, cranes, and crews. Discovering a vein is not enough to steal it; the ore must still be removed from the mountain.
Weight in the Impact. An adamantine weapon retains its length, reach, number of hands, and threat range but rolls twice its damage dice: 1d8 becomes 2d8. Apply this after changes from the size of the weapon or wielder.
Its mass also adds fixed damage according to use:
| Category | Examples | Added Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Dagger, knife, arrowhead, bolt, light projectile | +5 |
| Medium | Sword, mace, axe, or other one-handed weapon | +10 |
| Very Heavy | Greatsword, greataxe, maul, pike, or other two-handed weapon | +20 |
Strength, quality, and enchantment bonuses add after dice and mass. All fixed bonuses follow the critical multiplier normally. An M3 adamantine longsword therefore deals 2d8 + 10 + 4 + attribute before other effects. An adamantine arrowhead gives the entire attack doubled dice, the +5 bonus, and penetration even when the bow uses another material.
Piercing Matter. When an adamantine weapon or projectile applies DR, it ignores 8, 16, or 32 points according to the mass category in the damage table: light, medium, or very heavy. Apply this to total DR down to a minimum of 0, without distinguishing physical armor, natural shell, cover, or magical protection. A target with 20 physical DR and 24 magical DR has 44 total DR; it applies 36 against an adamantine arrow, 28 against a sword, and 12 against a maul.
Near-Absolute Hardness. Ordinary weapons, falls, common tools, and mundane acid normally cannot break or permanently deform true adamantine. High-level magic, an epic creature, or another adamantine object can still damage it. Working or repairing it requires a forge, tools, and technique capable of overcoming that hardness.
Adamantine Vigil. In light, adamantine remains matte black. When no outside light reaches its surface, its edges and veins emit a cold white glow. Its own light does not end this state.
| Exposed Adamantine | Illuminated Radius |
|---|---|
| Fragment, rivet, or small tool | 5 ft |
| Weapon or shield | 15 ft |
| Armor | 30 ft |
| Large structure | Based on size, at the GM's discretion |
Creatures inside the vigil's radius see normally. Darkness returns immediately when the adamantine moves away. Completely covering the metal blocks its light, allowing the wielder to hide it deliberately.
The glow neither harms nor automatically blinds drow; it simply removes their advantage from fighting in darkness. Adamantine grants no special resistance to lightning or electrical damage.
Adamantine in the World. Dwarves mine it for weapons and armor, but also for mining tools, counterweights, fortress anchors, vault doors, and siege projectiles. Adamantine rivets mark their most valuable tunnels: an extinguished lamp does not doom the miners, and a drow incursion cannot turn those galleries into absolute darkness.
A vein sometimes reveals itself simply. Prospectors extinguish their lanterns and wait. If white lines appear in the black rock, they have found adamantine. They must then find a way to move it.
Chapter Summary
- Weapon shape gives damage dice, critical multiplier, and handling. Material, quality, and enchantment modify those values.
- Firearms add no Strength or Dexterity to damage. Each shot uses one loaded charge; reloading uses general actions. Their quality table gives damage and penetration.
- Armor category determines physical coverage and movement restrictions. Add quality after the coverage factor, then add magical DR.
- M1 to M5 gives ordinary weapons +0 to +8 damage and armor +0 to +4 physical DR.
- Wood, leather, and cloth insulate against electricity when dry. Ironwood also insulates when wet. Ordinary wood, leather, and cloth provide no DR against fire.
- Mithril improves Reflex, neutralizes poison on contact, and gains DR when fed poison.
- Adamantine requires Strength, doubles weapon dice, adds damage, and ignores DR. In darkness, it emits light.
- Crafting begins with a chosen shape, material, and quality. The GM prescribes the chance of success and the consequences of failure.
- Targeting carried equipment in combat costs one attack and one Action Board slot, resolved with a prescribed chance roll.
- Alchemical projectiles use a 1-tick general action. Their item entries give effects and Saves.