Benefits of Adamantine weapons? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Benefits of Adamantine weapons? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
PoweredBySoy
06-18-07, 08:06 PM Here is where I'm getting my knowledge of Adamantine:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialMaterials.htm#adamantine

As it is written, is the only benefit of paying +3000gp for an Adamantine weapon a greater ability to sunder?? That's more expensive than a magical +1 weapon. Hardly seems worth it. Are there any other unlisted benefits to using this material? If not, has anybody come up with a nice house rule?

Thanks.
Salla
06-18-07, 08:07 PM Golems typically have DR/adamantine. That's not too shabby a reason right there. ;)
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht
06-18-07, 08:09 PM Bonuses to sunder. Bonuses to avoid sundering. You don't have to worry about locks any longer. You can overcome DR/adamantine.
Spellfire_junkie
06-18-07, 08:22 PM Not to mention that an adamantine greatsword is like a can-opener for hewn-rock dungeon walls. Natural instant door creation item.
Qwicksilver
06-18-07, 08:29 PM Yeah sure can opener.... because this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20070126) is a great strategy...
SageBahamut
06-18-07, 08:33 PM It is for that reason that every single character of mine with enough gp for one carries an adamantine hacksaw. :D
drade
06-18-07, 08:37 PM Here of late my group has all kinds of problems with no Adamantine weapons with them, around lvl 10 a golem can be hell to pay if you don't have it. Oh and breaking doors are easier with it.
DrMorganes
06-18-07, 08:37 PM Yeah sure can opener.... because this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20070126) is a great strategy...

o.O

Gods and demons, I hope that was sarcasem, Qwicksilver. My players would face a serious ambush about the 3rd time they tried that...
PoweredBySoy
06-18-07, 08:43 PM The 3.0 DMG states that "any weapon more powerful than the type given after the slash" will also bypass a DR. Therefore, a +1 weapon would also bypass DR/Adamantine, correct?

Or was this changed in 3.5?
Dire_Rhino
06-18-07, 08:47 PM Or was this changed in 3.5?

Yes.
Kalarus
06-18-07, 09:01 PM The 3.0 DMG states that "any weapon more powerful than the type given after the slash" will also bypass a DR. Therefore, a +1 weapon would also bypass DR/Adamantine, correct?

Or was this changed in 3.5?

More specifically than just "yes", the hierarchy of DR types was entirely thrown out. You now need the proper type of weapon to bypass DR. All +1 and higher magic items are now just DR/magic.

Adamantine is so much fun though. My current character is the first one who ever had one, and it just solves many problems quickly and loudly :D

Only problem is you might alert the entire dungeon to your presence when you're bashing down a door, but that keeps things exciting. Having an enlarged dwarf with an adamantine spiked chain bursting through a thick door makes for a fairly scary picture.
snakeman830
06-18-07, 09:02 PM Funny. If any of my players tried that trick, they'd find a much harder wall than admantine can penetrate (substare, anyone?). That would be enough reason to have fun.

My question is: what's the purpose of Cold Iron? Overcoming Demons and Fey? fey rarely have the DR to truly matter and those demons that do, you need an additional quality (aka, good-aligned) to have it overcome. Plus, by those levels, you should have a shadowstriking/transmuting wepon.

Oh, and if you're wondering, Substare is mentioned once in the XPH in the artifacts section (Staff of Penumbra). It's described as being nearly indestructable (harder than admantine), but the secret to making it is long lost.

Personally, if someone had a substare weapon, I'd say it overcomes DR/admantine.
Kalarus
06-18-07, 09:14 PM Funny. If any of my players tried that trick, they'd find a much harder wall than admantine can penetrate (substare, anyone?). That would be enough reason to have fun.

My question is: what's the purpose of Cold Iron? Overcoming Demons and Fey? fey rarely have the DR to truly matter and those demons that do, you need an additional quality (aka, good-aligned) to have it overcome. Plus, by those levels, you should have a shadowstriking/transmuting wepon.

Oh, and if you're wondering, Substare is mentioned once in the XPH in the artifacts section (Staff of Penumbra). It's described as being nearly indestructable (harder than admantine), but the secret to making it is long lost.

Personally, if someone had a substare weapon, I'd say it overcomes DR/admantine.

It would legitimately raise a lot of eyebrows if, just because someone bought an adamantine weapon, suddenly a substance of which the creation process was lost suddenly starts popping up all over the world. If you want to cop out in that fashion just ban adamantine, it's easier and a lot more consistent.

Cold iron is as far as I know indeed only for fey and... demons or devils but I am not entirely sure. I always forget, one's silver and one's cold iron.

What does shadowstriking have to do with DR by the way? It only gives +5 reach and denies the target its dex bonus to AC for one attack.
snakeman830
06-18-07, 09:38 PM It wouldn't start popping up all over the world, just in one or two ancient dungeons.

Wall of Force is equally impenetrable by an admantine wepon.

Cold Iron is demons, silver is devils

And I can tell you've never looked in Tome of Magic. Shadowstriking is a +3 bonus weapon quality (can only be added to metal weapons) that overcomes any alignment or material based damage reduction. Very useful and I always try to get a shadowstriking weapon as early as I can. For some reason, this ability wasn't printed in Magic Item Compendiminium... (Heck, nothing from Tome of Magic was.)

I think you're thinking of the Shadowstrike weapon quality. An easy mistake.

Shadowstrike
Shadowstriking

Yup, I can see how you made the mistake.
AAB
06-18-07, 10:18 PM dammit, developers! think of some new names!
tui
06-18-07, 10:27 PM It's one thing to hack down doors when a quiet/subtle way isn't readily available... but hacking down walls indiscriminately is just asking for trouble. It wouldn't take much to dissuade players from that strategy, I wouldn't think. Maybe that wall in front of you is the only thing separating you from a huge underground lake. Or perhaps it would cause a cave-in.

If nothing less, adamantine is worth using for a weapon that you are going to invest a large portion of your wealth into. That way it is much harder for the DM to sunder it; if he pulls something off, you KNOW it was to get rid of your specific weapon, not just because it was "a good tactic" for the BBEG. :)
Fireclave
06-18-07, 11:09 PM It's one thing to hack down doors when a quiet/subtle way isn't readily available... but hacking down walls indiscriminately is just asking for trouble.

DM: You hear the sounds of the BBEG and his minions marching into dungeon. Apparently, they followed you and are now attempting to corner you into a fight.
Players: Sh*t
DM: Roll for spot please.
Players: *rolls*
DM: You all succeed. You can see the advance forces up the hall. About 400ft up the corridor.
Players: :eek:
Wizard: Close the door! CLOSE THE FRIGGIN' DOOR!
Fighter: We're on it. I'll grab this half. Rogue, you grab the other half. Cleric, you get the duct tape.
Wizard: :twitch: We're doomed...
Kalarus
06-19-07, 07:14 AM It wouldn't start popping up all over the world, just in one or two ancient dungeons.

Wall of Force is equally impenetrable by an admantine wepon.

Cold Iron is demons, silver is devils

And I can tell you've never looked in Tome of Magic. Shadowstriking is a +3 bonus weapon quality (can only be added to metal weapons) that overcomes any alignment or material based damage reduction. Very useful and I always try to get a shadowstriking weapon as early as I can. For some reason, this ability wasn't printed in Magic Item Compendiminium... (Heck, nothing from Tome of Magic was.)

I think you're thinking of the Shadowstrike weapon quality. An easy mistake.

Shadowstrike
Shadowstriking

Yup, I can see how you made the mistake.

I'll try to remember on the Demon/Devil DR, thanks ;)

I indeed do not own Tome of Magic, I did look at it, then put it back on the shelf. Shadowstriking would indeed be a useful enchantment. I suppose they left it out because of the Transmuting enchant which aims towards the same goals.
Mentar
06-19-07, 07:38 AM The main benefits of adamantine weapons is overcoming DR/adamantine.
The secondary benefit is overcoming hardness.

The real payoff is having the rogue purchase adamantine throwing daggers.

DM: "As you make your way down the alley shabbily dressed men block both exits and draw weapons demanding your money."
Rogue: "I use quickdraw and throw a dagger into each of them."
*rolls attacks and damage*
DM: *checks his notes* "The thugs look at the daggers in them and run, cross off two daggers from your sheet."
Rogue: "Ok" *sees he only has adamantine daggers* "Um, I chase after them."
DM: "Which one, there was one at each entrance, oh and they probably know the area a lot better then you, scratch 6004 gold if you want them replaced."
The_Shaman
06-19-07, 08:16 AM Well, it could work for a while, but ultimately I think the party will just be making life harder for itself. Anything on the other side of the door could prepare, and listen checks can come into play to make sure the broken door affects more than the next room. Remember how some BBEGs have a detailed entry on how they prepare for battle? Give them a prepared wizard or cleric (with a decent strategy to use their spells) and it might just teach them the importance of subtlety.
tarkin
06-19-07, 11:55 AM The magic word is SILENCE 15' radius.

But even without that, it makes for a wonderfull non-combat aid.

It can easily solve many puzzles, using the gordian knot solution.

Trust me, a knife that can go through stone is well worth the extra cash.
Dalthbar
06-19-07, 11:58 AM And it nullifies that obnoxious spell Stoneskin.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
PoweredBySoy 06-18-07, 08:06 PM	Here is where I'm getting my knowledge of Adamantine: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialMaterials.htm#adamantine As it is written, is the only benefit of paying +3000gp for an Adamantine weapon a greater ability to sunder?? That's more expensive than a magical +1 weapon. Hardly seems worth it. Are there any other unlisted benefits to using this material? If not, has anybody come up with a nice house rule? Thanks.
Salla 06-18-07, 08:07 PM	Golems typically have DR/adamantine. That's not too shabby a reason right there. ;)
Raymond_Luxury_Yacht 06-18-07, 08:09 PM	Bonuses to sunder. Bonuses to avoid sundering. You don't have to worry about locks any longer. You can overcome DR/adamantine.
Spellfire_junkie 06-18-07, 08:22 PM	Not to mention that an adamantine greatsword is like a can-opener for hewn-rock dungeon walls. Natural instant door creation item.
Qwicksilver 06-18-07, 08:29 PM	Yeah sure can opener.... because this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20070126) is a great strategy...
SageBahamut 06-18-07, 08:33 PM	It is for that reason that every single character of mine with enough gp for one carries an adamantine hacksaw. :D
drade 06-18-07, 08:37 PM	Here of late my group has all kinds of problems with no Adamantine weapons with them, around lvl 10 a golem can be hell to pay if you don't have it. Oh and breaking doors are easier with it.
DrMorganes 06-18-07, 08:37 PM	Yeah sure can opener.... because this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20070126) is a great strategy... o.O Gods and demons, I hope that was sarcasem, Qwicksilver. My players would face a serious ambush about the 3rd time they tried that...
PoweredBySoy 06-18-07, 08:43 PM	The 3.0 DMG states that "any weapon more powerful than the type given after the slash" will also bypass a DR. Therefore, a +1 weapon would also bypass DR/Adamantine, correct? Or was this changed in 3.5?
Dire_Rhino 06-18-07, 08:47 PM	Or was this changed in 3.5? Yes.
Kalarus 06-18-07, 09:01 PM	The 3.0 DMG states that "any weapon more powerful than the type given after the slash" will also bypass a DR. Therefore, a +1 weapon would also bypass DR/Adamantine, correct? Or was this changed in 3.5? More specifically than just "yes", the hierarchy of DR types was entirely thrown out. You now need the proper type of weapon to bypass DR. All +1 and higher magic items are now just DR/magic. Adamantine is so much fun though. My current character is the first one who ever had one, and it just solves many problems quickly and loudly :D Only problem is you might alert the entire dungeon to your presence when you're bashing down a door, but that keeps things exciting. Having an enlarged dwarf with an adamantine spiked chain bursting through a thick door makes for a fairly scary picture.
snakeman830 06-18-07, 09:02 PM	Funny. If any of my players tried that trick, they'd find a much harder wall than admantine can penetrate (substare, anyone?). That would be enough reason to have fun. My question is: what's the purpose of Cold Iron? Overcoming Demons and Fey? fey rarely have the DR to truly matter and those demons that do, you need an additional quality (aka, good-aligned) to have it overcome. Plus, by those levels, you should have a shadowstriking/transmuting wepon. Oh, and if you're wondering, Substare is mentioned once in the XPH in the artifacts section (Staff of Penumbra). It's described as being nearly indestructable (harder than admantine), but the secret to making it is long lost. Personally, if someone had a substare weapon, I'd say it overcomes DR/admantine.
Kalarus 06-18-07, 09:14 PM	Funny. If any of my players tried that trick, they'd find a much harder wall than admantine can penetrate (substare, anyone?). That would be enough reason to have fun. My question is: what's the purpose of Cold Iron? Overcoming Demons and Fey? fey rarely have the DR to truly matter and those demons that do, you need an additional quality (aka, good-aligned) to have it overcome. Plus, by those levels, you should have a shadowstriking/transmuting wepon. Oh, and if you're wondering, Substare is mentioned once in the XPH in the artifacts section (Staff of Penumbra). It's described as being nearly indestructable (harder than admantine), but the secret to making it is long lost. Personally, if someone had a substare weapon, I'd say it overcomes DR/admantine. It would legitimately raise a lot of eyebrows if, just because someone bought an adamantine weapon, suddenly a substance of which the creation process was lost suddenly starts popping up all over the world. If you want to cop out in that fashion just ban adamantine, it's easier and a lot more consistent. Cold iron is as far as I know indeed only for fey and... demons or devils but I am not entirely sure. I always forget, one's silver and one's cold iron. What does shadowstriking have to do with DR by the way? It only gives +5 reach and denies the target its dex bonus to AC for one attack.
snakeman830 06-18-07, 09:38 PM	It wouldn't start popping up all over the world, just in one or two ancient dungeons. Wall of Force is equally impenetrable by an admantine wepon. Cold Iron is demons, silver is devils And I can tell you've never looked in Tome of Magic. Shadowstriking is a +3 bonus weapon quality (can only be added to metal weapons) that overcomes any alignment or material based damage reduction. Very useful and I always try to get a shadowstriking weapon as early as I can. For some reason, this ability wasn't printed in Magic Item Compendiminium... (Heck, nothing from Tome of Magic was.) I think you're thinking of the Shadowstrike weapon quality. An easy mistake. Shadowstrike Shadowstriking Yup, I can see how you made the mistake.
AAB 06-18-07, 10:18 PM	dammit, developers! think of some new names!
tui 06-18-07, 10:27 PM	It's one thing to hack down doors when a quiet/subtle way isn't readily available... but hacking down walls indiscriminately is just asking for trouble. It wouldn't take much to dissuade players from that strategy, I wouldn't think. Maybe that wall in front of you is the only thing separating you from a huge underground lake. Or perhaps it would cause a cave-in. If nothing less, adamantine is worth using for a weapon that you are going to invest a large portion of your wealth into. That way it is much harder for the DM to sunder it; if he pulls something off, you KNOW it was to get rid of your specific weapon, not just because it was "a good tactic" for the BBEG. :)
Fireclave 06-18-07, 11:09 PM	It's one thing to hack down doors when a quiet/subtle way isn't readily available... but hacking down walls indiscriminately is just asking for trouble. DM: You hear the sounds of the BBEG and his minions marching into dungeon. Apparently, they followed you and are now attempting to corner you into a fight. Players: Sht DM: Roll for spot please. Players: rolls* DM: You all succeed. You can see the advance forces up the hall. About 400ft up the corridor. Players: :eek: Wizard: Close the door! CLOSE THE FRIGGIN' DOOR! Fighter: We're on it. I'll grab this half. Rogue, you grab the other half. Cleric, you get the duct tape. Wizard: :twitch: We're doomed...
Kalarus 06-19-07, 07:14 AM	It wouldn't start popping up all over the world, just in one or two ancient dungeons. Wall of Force is equally impenetrable by an admantine wepon. Cold Iron is demons, silver is devils And I can tell you've never looked in Tome of Magic. Shadowstriking is a +3 bonus weapon quality (can only be added to metal weapons) that overcomes any alignment or material based damage reduction. Very useful and I always try to get a shadowstriking weapon as early as I can. For some reason, this ability wasn't printed in Magic Item Compendiminium... (Heck, nothing from Tome of Magic was.) I think you're thinking of the Shadowstrike weapon quality. An easy mistake. Shadowstrike Shadowstriking Yup, I can see how you made the mistake. I'll try to remember on the Demon/Devil DR, thanks ;) I indeed do not own Tome of Magic, I did look at it, then put it back on the shelf. Shadowstriking would indeed be a useful enchantment. I suppose they left it out because of the Transmuting enchant which aims towards the same goals.
Mentar 06-19-07, 07:38 AM	The main benefits of adamantine weapons is overcoming DR/adamantine. The secondary benefit is overcoming hardness. The real payoff is having the rogue purchase adamantine throwing daggers. DM: "As you make your way down the alley shabbily dressed men block both exits and draw weapons demanding your money." Rogue: "I use quickdraw and throw a dagger into each of them." rolls attacks and damage DM: checks his notes "The thugs look at the daggers in them and run, cross off two daggers from your sheet." Rogue: "Ok" sees he only has adamantine daggers "Um, I chase after them." DM: "Which one, there was one at each entrance, oh and they probably know the area a lot better then you, scratch 6004 gold if you want them replaced."
The_Shaman 06-19-07, 08:16 AM	Well, it could work for a while, but ultimately I think the party will just be making life harder for itself. Anything on the other side of the door could prepare, and listen checks can come into play to make sure the broken door affects more than the next room. Remember how some BBEGs have a detailed entry on how they prepare for battle? Give them a prepared wizard or cleric (with a decent strategy to use their spells) and it might just teach them the importance of subtlety.
tarkin 06-19-07, 11:55 AM	The magic word is SILENCE 15' radius. But even without that, it makes for a wonderfull non-combat aid. It can easily solve many puzzles, using the gordian knot solution. Trust me, a knife that can go through stone is well worth the extra cash.
Dalthbar 06-19-07, 11:58 AM	And it nullifies that obnoxious spell Stoneskin.