Ironwood

Ironwood transforms dead, harvested, or worked wood throughout its substance. The wood keeps its grain and buoyancy but gains every property of ironwood: greater DR, resistance to fire and rot, electrical insulation even while wet, and no Strength ceiling for bows. The spell cannot transform a plant creature or living tree.

Temporary Transformation

Cast as a Standard action (2 ticks), the spell affects one Medium or smaller wooden object, or an equivalent amount of raw material, for 1 hour per caster level. The object keeps its current form and M quality; the spell never improves its craftsmanship. Larger structures must be divided into sections and receive several castings at the GM's discretion.

This transformation remains magical. Dispel Magic can end it normally, returning the object to ordinary wood.

Crafting with Ironwood

A caster who knows Ironwood can incorporate it while crafting an object. The caster participates in the work and spends a level 2 slot for every significant day of the project. The GM prescribes the chance of success based on the wood, desired quality, workshop, time, and experience of both caster and artisan.

Final quality comes from crafting and can reach M5; knowing the spell guarantees neither a masterpiece nor success. A failure may leave ordinary wood, produce a lower quality, or waste material according to the consequences announced by the GM. Once the object is complete, the caster chooses how to stabilize it.

Free Maintenance

The caster can freely maintain one ironwood object per caster level, without spending gold or keeping a slot occupied. Distance does not matter. The transformation lasts while the caster lives, chooses to maintain it, and remains within this limit.

If the caster exceeds the limit, they choose which objects remain transformed. Every excess object immediately returns to wood unless stabilized with gold. The same choice occurs if the caster's caster level falls. Maintenance can end voluntarily at any time.

A Ranger at CL 4 can therefore maintain four ironwood bows. A fifth must receive a gold enchantment or return to wood.

A maintained object remains magical and can be dispelled normally, using the caster's current caster level to defend the transformation. A successful dispel restores its former material and immediately frees one place in the caster's limit.

Gold Enchantment

Instead of maintaining the object, the caster can bind Ironwood with gold under the magic item enchantment rules. Cost depends on the caster level placed in the object. This grants no additional effect: its M quality and ironwood properties remain those defined by the material rules.

The enchanted object persists regardless of its creator's life, distance, or current caster level. During its first five years, Dispel Magic can still disrupt or destroy the transformation under the normal rules for enchanted objects.

After five uninterrupted years under a gold enchantment, ironwood becomes permanent matter. It can no longer be dispelled and never returns to ordinary wood. Free maintenance never produces this maturation, even after five years; gold must bind the transformation for the entire period.