Cold Iron + Adamantite weapons...what kind? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Cold Iron + Adamantite weapons...what kind? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
runestar
12-28-06, 05:37 AM In PGTF, it mentions a battleaxe with an interesting makeup. It is double headed, and each head is made of adamantite and cold iron respectively, thus allowing you to overcome either dr/cold iron or dr/adamantite using the same weapon.

When you consider that said book also contains specs for a glove allowing any weapon you wield to overcome dr/silver and dr/magic, and the sure-striking weapon property, which for +1, lets you overcome any alignment-based dr, this 3-part combination effectively allows you to overcome virtually any dr in the game, barring dr/-, of course. Thus working around the need to carry around backup weapons.

And so the purpose of this longwinded post is to find out what sort of weapons this unique treatment could be applied to? The PHB seems to have a sore lack of double-headed weapons. Greataxe is one possibility, but that seems about it. And I am more a greatsword kind of guy...:P

Any suggestions?:P
Tyler Do'Urden
12-28-06, 05:53 AM Given a fantasy setting with no real limits on construction and with this as a precident, you could easily make each edge of a greatsword out of a different material.
Harliquinn
12-28-06, 09:43 AM I don't think you could reasonably make a single blade out of two materials (it gets into the whole question of which side are you striking with, etc.). A Double-Headed Axe is a double weapon and both ends of that could be made of different materials and is enchanted separately (It is effectively two weapons attached at a handle). I would say any double weapon qualifies but each head has its own DR overcoming properties.
lint trap
12-28-06, 09:44 AM Well, if you're looking for a greatsword...

Take a cold-iron greatsword. Enchant it with the aformentioned Sure Striking, giving it any alignment to pierce DR. Enchant it with Truesilver (from Ghostwalk), which CAN be added to an existing item and makes it act as a silver weapon (sans the Alchemical Silver damage penalty). Then pick up a Ring of Adamantine Touch from BoED, so your melee weapons are treated as adamantine.

Or, save yourself some trouble and pick up a Shadow Striking Greatsword from Tome of Magic. It automatically emulates any material/alignment necessary to pierce DR.
wonlee76
12-28-06, 10:25 AM Or, save yourself some trouble and pick up a Shadow Striking Greatsword from Tome of Magic. It automatically emulates any material/alignment necessary to pierce DR.

I second this suggestion. If DR is that big of a concern for you, Shadow Striking is money well spent.

Other options include Metalline from the Underdark book which bypasses metal based DR. Metalline + Sure Striking end up having the same enhancement bonus as Shadow Striking now that I think about it.
Harliquinn
12-28-06, 11:01 AM Metalline doesn't automatically bypass metal based DR. It allows you to take a standard action to change the metal composition of your weapon to any other metal. This may in turn overcome DR but does cost an action and is one type at a time (Still a great +2 enhancement)
tarkin
12-28-06, 11:13 AM You might be interested in this weapon I created and posted here:
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=10156183
lint trap
12-28-06, 12:06 PM Metalline doesn't automatically bypass metal based DR. It allows you to take a standard action to change the metal composition of your weapon to any other metal. This may in turn overcome DR but does cost an action and is one type at a time (Still a great +2 enhancement)

I had forgetten about Metalline. It does have a slight disadvantage vs. Shadow Striking, because of the standard action. However, it does have the slight advantage of being able to change metal types out of combat. Shadow Striking only "emulates" the substance when it strikes the creature, so if you need an adamantine greatsword for a sunder attempt, you're SoL.
draconic_swine
12-28-06, 02:04 PM It's not double headed, but I don't see why you couldn't make half the spikes in a morningstar adamantine and the other half cold iron, thus leaving you weak against dr/- and dr/slashing only.
Harliquinn
12-28-06, 02:22 PM It's not double headed, but I don't see why you couldn't make half the spikes in a morningstar adamantine and the other half cold iron, thus leaving you weak against dr/- and dr/slashing only.

Because it's in the rules that way:

If you make a suit of armor or weapon out of more than one special material, you get the benefit of only the most prevalent material. However, you can build a double weapon with each head made of a different special material.

You of course could houserule differently, but some things don't really make sense from a game balance standpoint.
draconic_swine
12-28-06, 04:45 PM Oh, I know that the rules don't allow a weapon to be made from more than one special material, but if we're discussing a sword with edges made out of two different materials, then a morningstar with a mixture of spikes isn't out of the question. But yes, it's definitely a houserule, and one I most likely wouldn't allow in one of my games.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
runestar 12-28-06, 05:37 AM	In PGTF, it mentions a battleaxe with an interesting makeup. It is double headed, and each head is made of adamantite and cold iron respectively, thus allowing you to overcome either dr/cold iron or dr/adamantite using the same weapon. When you consider that said book also contains specs for a glove allowing any weapon you wield to overcome dr/silver and dr/magic, and the sure-striking weapon property, which for +1, lets you overcome any alignment-based dr, this 3-part combination effectively allows you to overcome virtually any dr in the game, barring dr/-, of course. Thus working around the need to carry around backup weapons. And so the purpose of this longwinded post is to find out what sort of weapons this unique treatment could be applied to? The PHB seems to have a sore lack of double-headed weapons. Greataxe is one possibility, but that seems about it. And I am more a greatsword kind of guy...:P Any suggestions?:P
Tyler Do'Urden 12-28-06, 05:53 AM	Given a fantasy setting with no real limits on construction and with this as a precident, you could easily make each edge of a greatsword out of a different material.
Harliquinn 12-28-06, 09:43 AM	I don't think you could reasonably make a single blade out of two materials (it gets into the whole question of which side are you striking with, etc.). A Double-Headed Axe is a double weapon and both ends of that could be made of different materials and is enchanted separately (It is effectively two weapons attached at a handle). I would say any double weapon qualifies but each head has its own DR overcoming properties.
lint trap 12-28-06, 09:44 AM	Well, if you're looking for a greatsword... Take a cold-iron greatsword. Enchant it with the aformentioned Sure Striking, giving it any alignment to pierce DR. Enchant it with Truesilver (from Ghostwalk), which CAN be added to an existing item and makes it act as a silver weapon (sans the Alchemical Silver damage penalty). Then pick up a Ring of Adamantine Touch from BoED, so your melee weapons are treated as adamantine. Or, save yourself some trouble and pick up a Shadow Striking Greatsword from Tome of Magic. It automatically emulates any material/alignment necessary to pierce DR.
wonlee76 12-28-06, 10:25 AM	Or, save yourself some trouble and pick up a Shadow Striking Greatsword from Tome of Magic. It automatically emulates any material/alignment necessary to pierce DR. I second this suggestion. If DR is that big of a concern for you, Shadow Striking is money well spent. Other options include Metalline from the Underdark book which bypasses metal based DR. Metalline + Sure Striking end up having the same enhancement bonus as Shadow Striking now that I think about it.
Harliquinn 12-28-06, 11:01 AM	Metalline doesn't automatically bypass metal based DR. It allows you to take a standard action to change the metal composition of your weapon to any other metal. This may in turn overcome DR but does cost an action and is one type at a time (Still a great +2 enhancement)
tarkin 12-28-06, 11:13 AM	You might be interested in this weapon I created and posted here: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=10156183
lint trap 12-28-06, 12:06 PM	Metalline doesn't automatically bypass metal based DR. It allows you to take a standard action to change the metal composition of your weapon to any other metal. This may in turn overcome DR but does cost an action and is one type at a time (Still a great +2 enhancement) I had forgetten about Metalline. It does have a slight disadvantage vs. Shadow Striking, because of the standard action. However, it does have the slight advantage of being able to change metal types out of combat. Shadow Striking only "emulates" the substance when it strikes the creature, so if you need an adamantine greatsword for a sunder attempt, you're SoL.
draconic_swine 12-28-06, 02:04 PM	It's not double headed, but I don't see why you couldn't make half the spikes in a morningstar adamantine and the other half cold iron, thus leaving you weak against dr/- and dr/slashing only.
Harliquinn 12-28-06, 02:22 PM	It's not double headed, but I don't see why you couldn't make half the spikes in a morningstar adamantine and the other half cold iron, thus leaving you weak against dr/- and dr/slashing only. Because it's in the rules that way: If you make a suit of armor or weapon out of more than one special material, you get the benefit of only the most prevalent material. However, you can build a double weapon with each head made of a different special material. You of course could houserule differently, but some things don't really make sense from a game balance standpoint.
draconic_swine 12-28-06, 04:45 PM	Oh, I know that the rules don't allow a weapon to be made from more than one special material, but if we're discussing a sword with edges made out of two different materials, then a morningstar with a mixture of spikes isn't out of the question. But yes, it's definitely a houserule, and one I most likely wouldn't allow in one of my games.