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1 year ago ::
Dec 30, 2011 - 10:17PM
#1
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Date Joined:
May 18, 2005
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Hello guys, my characters are lvl 2 and close to be 3. The mul paladin of the sun (who is gladiator too) wants a metal mordenkrad, which is in my point of view, very rare. So I'm wondering what value could I fix to non-magic metal weapon ?
Yes I could give him like that, but I'm asking you guys for your ideas. I know that metal weapons are very rare on Athas.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 31, 2011 - 7:12AM
#2
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Date Joined:
Sep 25, 2011
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In my campaign, I fixed the cost of iron at about 500gp/lb, and ruled that weapons and armor cost double the pure weight (so a 2lb dagger costs 1000gp). I know it's not a perfect system, but it works for now.
The rulebook suggests that a metal item should cost around the same as a +2 weapon of the same type. So 1,800gp?
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1 year ago ::
Dec 31, 2011 - 9:43AM
#3
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Date Joined:
May 18, 2005
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Yeah, do you know where in the book it says that ?
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1 year ago ::
Dec 31, 2011 - 9:53AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Sep 25, 2011
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Hm, not sure. I'll try to look later. The reason I deviated from that was because it meant that a 2-lb dagger costs as much as a 2-lb greatsword, and given the scarcity of metal, that seems crazy. (Also, depending on how you set your metal price...it could mean it's cheaper to buy a suit of plate mail--priced as a +2 item only--than buy an equal weight in raw iron).
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1 year ago ::
Dec 31, 2011 - 10:03AM
#5
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Date Joined:
Feb 24, 2010
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to show the rareity of metal I charge my players 100X book valuse for metal items-- that way a metal dagger costing 5g in book costs 500 ceramic in Dark Sun, but I do make metal none breakage rules and give it +2 bonus for being metal.
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1 year ago ::
Dec 31, 2011 - 10:35AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Sep 25, 2011
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Yeah, I use modified special rules for metal...basically I use the "heroic weapon breakage" rule (if you roll a 1, you can choose to roll again and risk destroying your weapon, even magical weapons), but for metal weapons, instead of destroying your weapon on a failed second roll, you simply drop it in your square (and can pick it up with a minor action next round). I didn't want to deal with keeping track of -1s, nor with players carrying around bundles of obsidian swords so they can keep smashing them, but still wanted to make metal advantageous. It's working pretty well so far--they really value their non-magical steel dagger because they basically get free re-rolls on a 1, but it comes up uncommonly enough it doesn't hugely impact balance.
I should probably post this modification in the non-metal weapon breakage thread.
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1 year ago ::
Jan 05, 2012 - 7:09AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Sep 20, 2010
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I have it that my players cannot buy metallic weapons. All they can do is bring broken or old metallic weapons to blacksmiths to create new items, which they still have to pay a lot for. The blacksmith they usually find rarely work with metal and if they aren't working on commissions from nobles or the Sorcerer-Kings will generally make exceptions in order to work with metal. Also taking a bit of metal in the process.
Ant Farm
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1 year ago ::
Jan 07, 2012 - 1:29AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Aug 10, 2008
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If your players can buy metal weapons on Athas you're missing the point of the setting. Steel must be seized violently and held on to desperately then wielded ruthlessly. No short-cuts allowed!
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1 year ago ::
Jan 08, 2012 - 2:21AM
#9
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A metal weapon on Athas at level 2? Yeah... no.
I'm running a Dark Sun game now at low levels, and my plan is to only give out metal weapons to represent magic weapons starting at least at +2. A metal mordenkrad is going to be something that low level players simply aren't going to encounter.
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1 year ago ::
Jan 08, 2012 - 7:33AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Sep 25, 2011
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When my players were pretty low-level, I replaced 1000gp of treasure they discovered with a plain steel dagger. They reacted just as I hoped: super-impressed and ultimately seeing it as a rare, valuable treasure item, planning to sell it when they had the opportunity. They have been using it in the meantime, though, and I think it's growing on them.
A DM really does have to emphasize metal's scarcity, so yeah, you kind of have to laugh in a player's face when he matter-of-factly tells you at level 2 that he wants a metal version of his chosen weapon. However, metal does exist on Athas, and it has a value, and people of wealth and power would carry metal weapons (and equip their guards with them). Remember, Tyr has an iron mine and uses it to make weapons for its common military, and sells iron to city-states like Urik who do the exact same thing. So realistically you can't just let them get to 7th level without having ever seen a metal weapon.
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