Iron and Steel

[Troll Lord]

So I finished up the equipment section...or think I did, there is one thing I want to add, and noted a section about steel and iron and it occurred to me that common every day weapons you buy in the Players Handbook are made of iron, but expert weapons are those made of steel?

I kind of like this, it settles a long standing point about what an expert weapon is, fuses the iron/steel concept with the role playing experience and allows me as a CK an even greater reason to break player's common weapons and armor.

Thoughts?

Steve
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[serleran]

I think it would make fey creatures much more afraid if the common weapon is made of iron. It would help rationalize why they do not just "appear" in places where common folk gather, because they would be more readily harmed or injured... at least, according to legend and myth.

Would not the iron gear weigh a great deal more and take much longer to forge, unless we're not talking cold-forged iron...

I'd think the common weaponry is probably not even iron, or, if it is, an iron ore; also, if mining is accounted for, there would be a lot of additional materials, like arsenic and the like that would become much more readily available.

It is true that mass production of steel did not happen for some time, and that it was a very expensive component before then, so you have real-world history working for you.
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[mgtremaine]

meh.. I generally consider most of the equipment listed as steel of varying quality. We know that the Japanese got the basic technology from the Koreans and probably the Chinese in the 6th Century A.D. I'm not to up on the history of it but I guess the Vikings were able to produce cast iron and had advanced smithing techniques that were very good at drawing out the impurities in the metal. Which makes me tend to error the side of having steel be common for a culture that has magic and other advanced learning.

Now quality of the steel that is a different ball game. I specifically label some of the items in my game as Argothian Steel to make the players note that this was forged by the Dwarven Smith in Argoth and is therefore top notch.

Just my 2 copper pieces on it, obviously you're the man with CKG guide to you follow the route you need to.
-Mike

[Treebore]

Yeah, I have it be "steel", but only barely. Meaning it still has a high carbon content. "Expert" weapon makers take the time to burn out much more of the carbon, making the metal far less "brittle" and therefore also hold a sharper edge for longer periods of time.

If you want to go the non magical route for weapons and armor just use titanium, mithril and adamantium alloys as your explanation for the higher pluses.

Titanium/steel alloys would be +2, Mithril/titanium/steel alloy would be +3, Adamantium/Mithril/Steel alloy would be +4, and Adamantium/Steel would be +5.

Then to make those pluses magical, it must be enchanted. When that basic enchantment is put upon it then that is when additional magics, such as treasure detecting, teleporting, vorpal, feather edging, healing, etc... is also put upon the weapon. Once the magic is sealed within, nothing more can be done to it.

I also have another highly magical metal required for making metal items (weapons, armor, rings, amulets, etc...) hold the magic, and I call it Gygaxium, for obvious reasons.

I think Gary has a similar metal in one of the "World" books you guys at TLG did with him. I also have another highly magical metal named Aliceum that I use.
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[dachda]

Per Wikipedia:

Quote:
Around the 10th century, the use of properly quenched hardened and tempered steel started to become much more common than in previous periods.

Quote:
Wootz steel which is also known as Damascus steel was a unique and highly prized steel developed on the Indian subcontinent as early as the 5th century BCE.

So seems like steel for weapons would be very common in a fantasy world based on the late middle-age period.
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[Lord Dynel]

dachda wrote:
Per Wikipedia:




So seems like steel for weapons would be very common in a fantasy world based on the late middle-age period.

Agreed. I always assumed the weapons in the PHB were made of steel (the metal ones, anyway ).
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[Go0gleplex]

Yup. Steel for common weapons and armor, though as mentioned above, the quality of steel would be the more questionable issue. There was a great deal of difference between regular english steel, damascus steel, and toledo steel as a generalized example. The latter two being highly prized and much more expensive than what was commonly produced for their strength, but also for how well they kept an edge and how more flexible the steel was (less brittle) also as mentioned.

It also means that characters would need to specifically procure cold forged iron to combat fey and other nasties susceptible to it at additional expense...should they not have access to magical weapons.
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[TheMetal1]

Another +1 on all the weapons in the C&C Players Handbook being steel. Never really had any kind of issue with it. The way I delineate is that Expert weapons to me are finally crafted. I dont normally give out any kind of bonus for an expert weapon either. Keeps it simple, if its magical I add a + (or a -).

I would turn to the M&T book as a guideline though. It shows that Mithral grants a +5 and Adamantine grants a +4, and Darkwood is half the weight. I suppose adding Steel as +1, then having a +2 for new type of ore and a another ore for +3 ore might work to fill in the gap that is lingering in the rules. Treebores Titanium and Gygaxium are good suggestions.

Overall though, I dont think it is really necessary.
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[Omote]

If you are going with the standard medieval look and feel to the C&C game, it most certainly has to be steel for the weapons and armor. As mentioned above, even in the 8-16th centuries there were varying levels of steel quality. Hell even in the 20th century steel was produced with varying quality (Titanic anybody )Perhaps the answer to your question is in regards to these different levels of steel quality.

~O
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[Sir Osis of Liver]

I've always assumed steel as well. Iron and cold iron were special exceptions. For masterwork weapons, higher grade steel combined with more skilled craftsmanship (and custom fitting for armor) are assumed. Good topic, though.

[Troll Lord]

Actually Robert's post killed this idea. As cool as it sounds to integrate the mythology of iron and fey the game's present mechanics aren't built for everyone to have an iron sword but rather a steel one as some monsters are only affect by iron and that is their special attribute that wouldn't be special if everyone carried iron.

Note that I wrote that sentence without or very little punctuation.

Steve
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[Fiffergrund]

If Conan's father can forge steel nice enough to make Thulsa Doom want to steal it, then I vote steel by default.
Besides, try making chainmail out of iron.
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