Gold Inlay [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Gold Inlay [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Taithalonos
02-28-07, 12:20 AM If you inlay your breastplate with gold, does it weaken your armor class?

Gold is weaker than steel, so...:thinks:
bitter thorn
02-28-07, 12:26 AM IIRC, the amount of gold used is limited enough not to seriously compromise the armors structural integrity. Although I suspect it would add a bit of weight. I would think most gold inlaid armor would be ceremonial in nature, but I'm sure that there are exceptions.
dragonheart
02-28-07, 09:50 PM realistically it is unlikely to be inlay - gilded or "goldwashed" (gold foil/leaf placed on or in the figures created by either chiseling or etching) would work as well and be much cheaper. still the amount of gold used even for inlay would probably be extremely minimal and shouldn't add weight or weaken the armour significantly. If you feel you jsut have to do something strength wise to the armour to represent the inlay channels then take of 1-3 hp from the total strength of the armour.
BrennonGoldeye
02-28-07, 10:07 PM If you inlay your breastplate with gold, does it weaken your armor class?

Gold is weaker than steel, so...:thinks:

Not with a minor spell. Makes it sparkly. I'll do it gratis.:)

P.S. Woohoo I'm on all 5 forums as the last poster! :dancin:
Max the Immortal
03-02-07, 11:44 PM Magic of Faerun has rules for making weapons and armor out of alchemically hardened gold and platinum. They're as strong as steel, but heavier. I'd rule that alchemically treated gold inlay would not weaken a steel suit of armor. In fact, it may be a necessary component of magically enhanced armor. For the sake of simplicity, I'd have it have no impact on the armor's functionality, and no effect on the price of magical armor (as it would be part of the cost of the enhancement bonus). Gold-adorned non-magical would more, and anyone who could afford it may as well have it enhanced as long as he's paying for the inlay.

Gold leaf or magic-powered electroplating would cost very little, and could be part of the cost of the masterwork component of masterwork armor.
dragonheart
03-04-07, 05:58 PM those rules are for making it completely of softer materials and then specially treating the material. for something like decorative inlay the amount of insision into the steel and the amount of gold used is so small that there is no loss of strength or addition of weight to the sheild. its just a brightly decorated steel shioeld with all its normal hardness/ HP etc. of course the only shields that yoru goign to be doing this to (in all likelyhood) are already masterwork so that has to be taken into account.
_SIN_
03-10-07, 12:26 PM I do believe it'd be a different ballgame if say, you wanted scalemail made using gold or platinum coins for the scale...
Whisper_Swiftblade
03-11-07, 01:33 AM people are saying make the gold stronger, but I think that is doing things backwards. Just use a permanant presdidigitation (or simular color changeing spell) to change the color of the steel (or whatever) gold.
dragonheart
03-12-07, 09:51 PM I do believe it'd be a different ballgame if say, you wanted scalemail made using gold or platinum coins for the scale...

yes if you were going to make the entire set of armour from something soft and dense you would need magic to strengthen it and to lighten its weight/encumberance. However that is not the issue here - the issue is would the small amount of etching/chiseling/carving of the armour needed to provide a place to inlay gold into weaken the armour so much that you would need to do something to restore its strength. Given the amount of etching and chiseling done to proofed show armour (this stuff is truely masterwork if anything is) and the amount of such work that is either inlayed or gilded(/gold leafed) the obvious answer is no it has no real effect on the strength or integrety of the armour and all the magical solutions suggested are, while intertaining and imaginitive, considerably more expensive than simply inlaying/gilding and are also considerably more costly and so unless the primary reason for using magic is "conspicious consumption" (ie doing to show you can afford to do it) unlikely and unneeded.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Taithalonos 02-28-07, 12:20 AM	If you inlay your breastplate with gold, does it weaken your armor class? Gold is weaker than steel, so...:thinks:
bitter thorn 02-28-07, 12:26 AM	IIRC, the amount of gold used is limited enough not to seriously compromise the armors structural integrity. Although I suspect it would add a bit of weight. I would think most gold inlaid armor would be ceremonial in nature, but I'm sure that there are exceptions.
dragonheart 02-28-07, 09:50 PM	realistically it is unlikely to be inlay - gilded or "goldwashed" (gold foil/leaf placed on or in the figures created by either chiseling or etching) would work as well and be much cheaper. still the amount of gold used even for inlay would probably be extremely minimal and shouldn't add weight or weaken the armour significantly. If you feel you jsut have to do something strength wise to the armour to represent the inlay channels then take of 1-3 hp from the total strength of the armour.
BrennonGoldeye 02-28-07, 10:07 PM	If you inlay your breastplate with gold, does it weaken your armor class? Gold is weaker than steel, so...:thinks: Not with a minor spell. Makes it sparkly. I'll do it gratis.:) P.S. Woohoo I'm on all 5 forums as the last poster! :dancin:
Max the Immortal 03-02-07, 11:44 PM	Magic of Faerun has rules for making weapons and armor out of alchemically hardened gold and platinum. They're as strong as steel, but heavier. I'd rule that alchemically treated gold inlay would not weaken a steel suit of armor. In fact, it may be a necessary component of magically enhanced armor. For the sake of simplicity, I'd have it have no impact on the armor's functionality, and no effect on the price of magical armor (as it would be part of the cost of the enhancement bonus). Gold-adorned non-magical would more, and anyone who could afford it may as well have it enhanced as long as he's paying for the inlay. Gold leaf or magic-powered electroplating would cost very little, and could be part of the cost of the masterwork component of masterwork armor.
dragonheart 03-04-07, 05:58 PM	those rules are for making it completely of softer materials and then specially treating the material. for something like decorative inlay the amount of insision into the steel and the amount of gold used is so small that there is no loss of strength or addition of weight to the sheild. its just a brightly decorated steel shioeld with all its normal hardness/ HP etc. of course the only shields that yoru goign to be doing this to (in all likelyhood) are already masterwork so that has to be taken into account.
_SIN_ 03-10-07, 12:26 PM	I do believe it'd be a different ballgame if say, you wanted scalemail made using gold or platinum coins for the scale...
Whisper_Swiftblade 03-11-07, 01:33 AM	people are saying make the gold stronger, but I think that is doing things backwards. Just use a permanant presdidigitation (or simular color changeing spell) to change the color of the steel (or whatever) gold.
dragonheart 03-12-07, 09:51 PM	I do believe it'd be a different ballgame if say, you wanted scalemail made using gold or platinum coins for the scale... yes if you were going to make the entire set of armour from something soft and dense you would need magic to strengthen it and to lighten its weight/encumberance. However that is not the issue here - the issue is would the small amount of etching/chiseling/carving of the armour needed to provide a place to inlay gold into weaken the armour so much that you would need to do something to restore its strength. Given the amount of etching and chiseling done to proofed show armour (this stuff is truely masterwork if anything is) and the amount of such work that is either inlayed or gilded(/gold leafed) the obvious answer is no it has no real effect on the strength or integrety of the armour and all the magical solutions suggested are, while intertaining and imaginitive, considerably more expensive than simply inlaying/gilding and are also considerably more costly and so unless the primary reason for using magic is "conspicious consumption" (ie doing to show you can afford to do it) unlikely and unneeded.