Allowing Mithral to bypass DR/silver? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Allowing Mithral to bypass DR/silver? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
masterofmayhem
09-03-04, 07:47 PM (Hopefully) Quite simple. Would it be balanced to allow mithral to bypass DR/silver?
Sildatorak
09-03-04, 09:12 PM No! It would be horribly broken to let mithril weapons bypass DR/silver because they don't take a -1 to damage like silver weapons.

At 500 gp/pound for weapons, mithril could do something more than just weigh less and still be balanced.
masterofmayhem
09-03-04, 09:18 PM :heehee OK, I get it . . .
Fixxxer
09-03-04, 09:30 PM Is it broken? No, not mechanically. However, given how 3.5 handles DR, I'd be extremely loathe to allow such a thing in my game. Back in 3.0, DR silver was basically a cheap, wasted way of jacking up a monster's CR, since any magical weapon beat DR silver. Now, not even a +6 keen, vorpal spiked chain of rippity death will bypass DR/Silver unless it happens to be made out of silver.
Starmage21
09-03-04, 09:49 PM so allowing weapons made of mithral to bypass it is ok in my opinion. It gives it a real value compared to armor made of mithral. I always thought mithral was some kind of metallurgical nightmare that included an alloy of steel and silver.
Vanigo
09-03-04, 09:55 PM Is it broken? No, not mechanically. However, given how 3.5 handles DR, I'd be extremely loathe to allow such a thing in my game. Back in 3.0, DR silver was basically a cheap, wasted way of jacking up a monster's CR, since any magical weapon beat DR silver. Now, not even a +6 keen, vorpal spiked chain of rippity death will bypass DR/Silver unless it happens to be made out of silver. On the other hand, mithril weapons are even less common than silver ones, and although this would change if mithril beat DR/silver, the only real difference would be +1 damage, and that's not going to be much of an issue one way or the other.

Heh. DR 1/silver.
Someone
09-04-04, 12:33 AM I'm of two opinions on this one. (so what's new?)

On the one hand, mithral is sometimes refered to a mithral silver- basicly, its a way to make stuff out of silver that doesn't suck.

But on the other hand, its still listed as different material. And DR is no longer "trumped" by a better DR bypassing improvement. You can't use an adamantine dagger to bypass DR/silver.

In any event, you could have a monster with DR/mithral... That'll throw 'em a curveball...
Starmage21
09-04-04, 01:10 AM hrmmmm DR/Mithral hehe, my 30th PCs would have some trouble dealing with that in a Mithral golem >:-)
Sensei Gith
09-04-04, 11:47 AM I don't see why. Mithral weapons don't need a point when mithral armor is so in-demand. But then, I don't see why not either.
primemover003
09-04-04, 03:38 PM It seems Adamantine is for weapons, Mithril is for armor... A Mithril weapon is no better than steel for damage dealing, just taking damage.
gradea
09-04-04, 04:22 PM i dont see why not, in terms of game impact i dont believe it will make a huge diffrence either way, if you have the money to blow, then be my guest
Someone
09-05-04, 02:35 AM Yeah, where are the 3e rules for making a suit of full gold plate. Incredibly heavy, terribly poor armor bonus, but, damn, you looked like a million bucks.
Willie the Duck
09-05-04, 02:35 AM On the other hand, mithril weapons are even less common than silver ones, and although this would change if mithril beat DR/silver, the only real difference would be +1 damage, and that's not going to be much of an issue one way or the other.

The main difference is that it makes dr/silver no better than the others. As it stands, dr/adamantine isn't that cool because most humanoids of high level are going to get adamantine weapons whenever possible and magic them up the ying-yang. People are less likely to have a really powerful cold iron weapon because it isn't nearly invincible and costs more to enchant (although most will have a back-up masterwork CI sword or somesuch). Very few people are going to bother with a powerful magical silver weapon, because the only people you will want to use it on (given the lower damage), are creatures with dr/silver. This is a small, but significant advantage that the silver vulnerable have over other drs. Taking that away lowers their power a bit.

I would suggest a different strategy: There are three types of dr: Adamantine, cold iron, and silver/mithral, but neither cold iron, adamantine or mithral have special abilities beyond their ability to bypass dr. Thus no particular dr is more or less advantageous, just different.
Sildatorak
09-05-04, 04:48 AM I would suggest a different strategy: There are three types of dr: Adamantine, cold iron, and silver/mithral, but neither cold iron, adamantine or mithral have special abilities beyond their ability to bypass dr. Thus no particular dr is more or less advantageous, just different.

You'll need to change the prices on them to make it worth getting anything other than cold iron and silver.
King_Bulba
09-05-04, 05:27 AM I always thought mithril was a more refined silver. I have heard it called true silver before and all... but that hasnt come up in my campaign seeing that my char is poor atm so havent asked my DM on his opinion.
Ghaldrake
09-05-04, 05:43 AM IMO i think DR/silver should be taken only as that, even if you beleive mitrhil is a pure form of silver.

The impurities of silver might be the damaging elements to creatures such as lychans.
masterofmayhem
09-05-04, 01:07 PM I always thought mithril was a more refined silver. I have heard it called true silver before and all... but that hasnt come up in my campaign seeing that my char is poor atm so havent asked my DM on his opinion.
I believe mithral was refered to as "true silver" in Tolkien's works.

Anyway, my reasoning behind this was to stop everyone and their uncle from taking adamantine weapons by giving them another good choice in what they could take. As it stands, few people would take mithral over adamantine for a weapon unless they're doing it for character reasons (especially considering how much more a mithral greataxe costs than an adamantine greataxe).
Thelon Fairblade
09-08-04, 10:08 AM IMC, I did that (mithril = "silver" for bypassing DR). Any shmoe can get a silver dagger for 30 gp, and suffer the -1 damage; a wealthy adventurer can get a mithril dagger for 500, just to avoid the -1 (and get a +1 to hit, from masterwork). Where's the problem?

And when you find those ancient elven weapons that are mithril, well now there is a reason to keep them instead of immediately melting them down for armor.

IMC, the bard has a mithril rapier for that reason (now enchanted to +1, so it can harm vampires); the rogue has a mithril greatsword (one level of ranger grants MArtial Weapons, and the sword is humanbane). (Coincidentally, at 10th level, no one in the party has an adamantine weapon!)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
masterofmayhem 09-03-04, 07:47 PM	(Hopefully) Quite simple. Would it be balanced to allow mithral to bypass DR/silver?
Sildatorak 09-03-04, 09:12 PM	No! It would be horribly broken to let mithril weapons bypass DR/silver because they don't take a -1 to damage like silver weapons. At 500 gp/pound for weapons, mithril could do something more than just weigh less and still be balanced.
masterofmayhem 09-03-04, 09:18 PM	:heehee OK, I get it . . .
Fixxxer 09-03-04, 09:30 PM	Is it broken? No, not mechanically. However, given how 3.5 handles DR, I'd be extremely loathe to allow such a thing in my game. Back in 3.0, DR silver was basically a cheap, wasted way of jacking up a monster's CR, since any magical weapon beat DR silver. Now, not even a +6 keen, vorpal spiked chain of rippity death will bypass DR/Silver unless it happens to be made out of silver.
Starmage21 09-03-04, 09:49 PM	so allowing weapons made of mithral to bypass it is ok in my opinion. It gives it a real value compared to armor made of mithral. I always thought mithral was some kind of metallurgical nightmare that included an alloy of steel and silver.
Vanigo 09-03-04, 09:55 PM	Is it broken? No, not mechanically. However, given how 3.5 handles DR, I'd be extremely loathe to allow such a thing in my game. Back in 3.0, DR silver was basically a cheap, wasted way of jacking up a monster's CR, since any magical weapon beat DR silver. Now, not even a +6 keen, vorpal spiked chain of rippity death will bypass DR/Silver unless it happens to be made out of silver. On the other hand, mithril weapons are even less common than silver ones, and although this would change if mithril beat DR/silver, the only real difference would be +1 damage, and that's not going to be much of an issue one way or the other. Heh. DR 1/silver.
Someone 09-04-04, 12:33 AM	I'm of two opinions on this one. (so what's new?) On the one hand, mithral is sometimes refered to a mithral silver- basicly, its a way to make stuff out of silver that doesn't suck. But on the other hand, its still listed as different material. And DR is no longer "trumped" by a better DR bypassing improvement. You can't use an adamantine dagger to bypass DR/silver. In any event, you could have a monster with DR/mithral... That'll throw 'em a curveball...
Starmage21 09-04-04, 01:10 AM	hrmmmm DR/Mithral hehe, my 30th PCs would have some trouble dealing with that in a Mithral golem >:-)
Sensei Gith 09-04-04, 11:47 AM	I don't see why. Mithral weapons don't need a point when mithral armor is so in-demand. But then, I don't see why not either.
primemover003 09-04-04, 03:38 PM	It seems Adamantine is for weapons, Mithril is for armor... A Mithril weapon is no better than steel for damage dealing, just taking damage.
gradea 09-04-04, 04:22 PM	i dont see why not, in terms of game impact i dont believe it will make a huge diffrence either way, if you have the money to blow, then be my guest
Someone 09-05-04, 02:35 AM	Yeah, where are the 3e rules for making a suit of full gold plate. Incredibly heavy, terribly poor armor bonus, but, damn, you looked like a million bucks.
Willie the Duck 09-05-04, 02:35 AM	On the other hand, mithril weapons are even less common than silver ones, and although this would change if mithril beat DR/silver, the only real difference would be +1 damage, and that's not going to be much of an issue one way or the other. The main difference is that it makes dr/silver no better than the others. As it stands, dr/adamantine isn't that cool because most humanoids of high level are going to get adamantine weapons whenever possible and magic them up the ying-yang. People are less likely to have a really powerful cold iron weapon because it isn't nearly invincible and costs more to enchant (although most will have a back-up masterwork CI sword or somesuch). Very few people are going to bother with a powerful magical silver weapon, because the only people you will want to use it on (given the lower damage), are creatures with dr/silver. This is a small, but significant advantage that the silver vulnerable have over other drs. Taking that away lowers their power a bit. I would suggest a different strategy: There are three types of dr: Adamantine, cold iron, and silver/mithral, but neither cold iron, adamantine or mithral have special abilities beyond their ability to bypass dr. Thus no particular dr is more or less advantageous, just different.
Sildatorak 09-05-04, 04:48 AM	I would suggest a different strategy: There are three types of dr: Adamantine, cold iron, and silver/mithral, but neither cold iron, adamantine or mithral have special abilities beyond their ability to bypass dr. Thus no particular dr is more or less advantageous, just different. You'll need to change the prices on them to make it worth getting anything other than cold iron and silver.
King_Bulba 09-05-04, 05:27 AM	I always thought mithril was a more refined silver. I have heard it called true silver before and all... but that hasnt come up in my campaign seeing that my char is poor atm so havent asked my DM on his opinion.
Ghaldrake 09-05-04, 05:43 AM	IMO i think DR/silver should be taken only as that, even if you beleive mitrhil is a pure form of silver. The impurities of silver might be the damaging elements to creatures such as lychans.
masterofmayhem 09-05-04, 01:07 PM	I always thought mithril was a more refined silver. I have heard it called true silver before and all... but that hasnt come up in my campaign seeing that my char is poor atm so havent asked my DM on his opinion. I believe mithral was refered to as "true silver" in Tolkien's works. Anyway, my reasoning behind this was to stop everyone and their uncle from taking adamantine weapons by giving them another good choice in what they could take. As it stands, few people would take mithral over adamantine for a weapon unless they're doing it for character reasons (especially considering how much more a mithral greataxe costs than an adamantine greataxe).
Thelon Fairblade 09-08-04, 10:08 AM	IMC, I did that (mithril = "silver" for bypassing DR). Any shmoe can get a silver dagger for 30 gp, and suffer the -1 damage; a wealthy adventurer can get a mithril dagger for 500, just to avoid the -1 (and get a +1 to hit, from masterwork). Where's the problem? And when you find those ancient elven weapons that are mithril, well now there is a reason to keep them instead of immediately melting them down for armor. IMC, the bard has a mithril rapier for that reason (now enchanted to +1, so it can harm vampires); the rogue has a mithril greatsword (one level of ranger grants MArtial Weapons, and the sword is humanbane). (Coincidentally, at 10th level, no one in the party has an adamantine weapon!)