Functions of special materials
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In D&D 3.5e, armor, shields, and weapons could be made of special materials including mithral, adamantine, darkwood, alchemical silver, cold iron, and dragonhide. Each of these has a special property (e.g. mithral and darkwood weigh half as much as comparable metal or wood [respectively], and alchemical silver ignores the damage reduction of lycanthropes).
Are there any RAW in 5e that specify special materials that can be used for creating armor, shields, and weapons? If so, what are their special properties?
dnd-5e crafting special-materials
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
In D&D 3.5e, armor, shields, and weapons could be made of special materials including mithral, adamantine, darkwood, alchemical silver, cold iron, and dragonhide. Each of these has a special property (e.g. mithral and darkwood weigh half as much as comparable metal or wood [respectively], and alchemical silver ignores the damage reduction of lycanthropes).
Are there any RAW in 5e that specify special materials that can be used for creating armor, shields, and weapons? If so, what are their special properties?
dnd-5e crafting special-materials
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
2
Is there a reason you're asking for "RAW"?
– Mark Wells
Sep 4 at 4:32
4
By “RAW†do you just mean “not someone’s homebrewâ€�
– SevenSidedDie♦
Sep 4 at 5:31
2
I’m looking for official rules written in a published book.
– KSchank
Sep 4 at 13:46
add a comment |Â
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
up vote
9
down vote
favorite
In D&D 3.5e, armor, shields, and weapons could be made of special materials including mithral, adamantine, darkwood, alchemical silver, cold iron, and dragonhide. Each of these has a special property (e.g. mithral and darkwood weigh half as much as comparable metal or wood [respectively], and alchemical silver ignores the damage reduction of lycanthropes).
Are there any RAW in 5e that specify special materials that can be used for creating armor, shields, and weapons? If so, what are their special properties?
dnd-5e crafting special-materials
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
In D&D 3.5e, armor, shields, and weapons could be made of special materials including mithral, adamantine, darkwood, alchemical silver, cold iron, and dragonhide. Each of these has a special property (e.g. mithral and darkwood weigh half as much as comparable metal or wood [respectively], and alchemical silver ignores the damage reduction of lycanthropes).
Are there any RAW in 5e that specify special materials that can be used for creating armor, shields, and weapons? If so, what are their special properties?
dnd-5e crafting special-materials
dnd-5e crafting special-materials
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
edited Sep 4 at 5:30
SevenSidedDie♦
199k25632913
199k25632913
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
asked Sep 4 at 4:08
KSchank
896419
896419
2
Is there a reason you're asking for "RAW"?
– Mark Wells
Sep 4 at 4:32
4
By “RAW†do you just mean “not someone’s homebrewâ€�
– SevenSidedDie♦
Sep 4 at 5:31
2
I’m looking for official rules written in a published book.
– KSchank
Sep 4 at 13:46
add a comment |Â
2
Is there a reason you're asking for "RAW"?
– Mark Wells
Sep 4 at 4:32
4
By “RAW†do you just mean “not someone’s homebrewâ€�
– SevenSidedDie♦
Sep 4 at 5:31
2
I’m looking for official rules written in a published book.
– KSchank
Sep 4 at 13:46
2
2
Is there a reason you're asking for "RAW"?
– Mark Wells
Sep 4 at 4:32
Is there a reason you're asking for "RAW"?
– Mark Wells
Sep 4 at 4:32
4
4
By “RAW†do you just mean “not someone’s homebrewâ€�
– SevenSidedDie♦
Sep 4 at 5:31
By “RAW†do you just mean “not someone’s homebrewâ€�
– SevenSidedDie♦
Sep 4 at 5:31
2
2
I’m looking for official rules written in a published book.
– KSchank
Sep 4 at 13:46
I’m looking for official rules written in a published book.
– KSchank
Sep 4 at 13:46
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
14
down vote
accepted
In 5e RAW, there are no generic rules for the effects of crafting armor, shields or weapons from special materials, except the following two:
- Silvering a weapon or ammunition (PHB page 148): Good to bypass the immunity or resistance of some monsters to nonmnagical weapons.
- Adamantine weapons (XGtE page 78): Unusually effective when used to break objects; each hit to objects is considered critical.
The text in XGtE also seems to preclude any benefits from applying adamantine to armor or shields:
Adamantine is an ultrahard metal found in meteorites and extraordinary mineral veins. In addition to being used to craft adamantine armor, the metal is also used for weapons.
This text is important because adamantine armor is described in the DMG as a magic item on its own:
This suit of armor is reinforced with adamantine, one of the hardest substances in existence. While you're wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.
So we do not get any direct benefits from building an armor from adamantine, the benefits are only present when we craft a magical armor reinforced with adamantine. And those benefits will disappear for example when we are in an anti-magic field; as you can read in twitter posts by Jeremy Crawford dating back from 8 Nov 2017:
Adamantine armor is a magic item. It follows the rules for such items, including the text in antimagic field on magic items.
The same applies for mithral armor as well.
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
Is it worth adding dragonhide armor to this answer? It has a particular effect, as with adamantine armor.
– KorvinStarmast
Sep 4 at 12:24
You mean dragonscale mail?
– Darth Pseudonym
Sep 4 at 15:02
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Definitely rules for silvered weapons:
You can silver a single weapon or 10 pieces of ammunition for 100 gp. (PHB pg 148)
Additionally, there are specific magic items that are adamantium or mithral in the DMG (often with no additional enchantments), but I don't recall seeing any rules for making other weapons/armor/equipment of unusual materials.
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
1
Note that in addition to the DMG magic items, Xanathar's p. 78 also has rules on adamantine weapons: "Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is made of the metal or coated with it."
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:54
2
(And you are correct that adamantine armor and mithral armor are listed as separate magic items in the DMG; there are no official resources that combine those benefits with each other or with +X armor or armor of [element] resistance (etc.), though DMs could houserule/homebrew such armor if they wanted to use them in non-AL games.
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:57
If you includ XGtE in this answer it is prudent to include the caveat that other than the rules clarification section it is entirely optional material.
– Slagmoth
Sep 4 at 13:00
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
14
down vote
accepted
In 5e RAW, there are no generic rules for the effects of crafting armor, shields or weapons from special materials, except the following two:
- Silvering a weapon or ammunition (PHB page 148): Good to bypass the immunity or resistance of some monsters to nonmnagical weapons.
- Adamantine weapons (XGtE page 78): Unusually effective when used to break objects; each hit to objects is considered critical.
The text in XGtE also seems to preclude any benefits from applying adamantine to armor or shields:
Adamantine is an ultrahard metal found in meteorites and extraordinary mineral veins. In addition to being used to craft adamantine armor, the metal is also used for weapons.
This text is important because adamantine armor is described in the DMG as a magic item on its own:
This suit of armor is reinforced with adamantine, one of the hardest substances in existence. While you're wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.
So we do not get any direct benefits from building an armor from adamantine, the benefits are only present when we craft a magical armor reinforced with adamantine. And those benefits will disappear for example when we are in an anti-magic field; as you can read in twitter posts by Jeremy Crawford dating back from 8 Nov 2017:
Adamantine armor is a magic item. It follows the rules for such items, including the text in antimagic field on magic items.
The same applies for mithral armor as well.
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
Is it worth adding dragonhide armor to this answer? It has a particular effect, as with adamantine armor.
– KorvinStarmast
Sep 4 at 12:24
You mean dragonscale mail?
– Darth Pseudonym
Sep 4 at 15:02
add a comment |Â
up vote
14
down vote
accepted
In 5e RAW, there are no generic rules for the effects of crafting armor, shields or weapons from special materials, except the following two:
- Silvering a weapon or ammunition (PHB page 148): Good to bypass the immunity or resistance of some monsters to nonmnagical weapons.
- Adamantine weapons (XGtE page 78): Unusually effective when used to break objects; each hit to objects is considered critical.
The text in XGtE also seems to preclude any benefits from applying adamantine to armor or shields:
Adamantine is an ultrahard metal found in meteorites and extraordinary mineral veins. In addition to being used to craft adamantine armor, the metal is also used for weapons.
This text is important because adamantine armor is described in the DMG as a magic item on its own:
This suit of armor is reinforced with adamantine, one of the hardest substances in existence. While you're wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.
So we do not get any direct benefits from building an armor from adamantine, the benefits are only present when we craft a magical armor reinforced with adamantine. And those benefits will disappear for example when we are in an anti-magic field; as you can read in twitter posts by Jeremy Crawford dating back from 8 Nov 2017:
Adamantine armor is a magic item. It follows the rules for such items, including the text in antimagic field on magic items.
The same applies for mithral armor as well.
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
Is it worth adding dragonhide armor to this answer? It has a particular effect, as with adamantine armor.
– KorvinStarmast
Sep 4 at 12:24
You mean dragonscale mail?
– Darth Pseudonym
Sep 4 at 15:02
add a comment |Â
up vote
14
down vote
accepted
up vote
14
down vote
accepted
In 5e RAW, there are no generic rules for the effects of crafting armor, shields or weapons from special materials, except the following two:
- Silvering a weapon or ammunition (PHB page 148): Good to bypass the immunity or resistance of some monsters to nonmnagical weapons.
- Adamantine weapons (XGtE page 78): Unusually effective when used to break objects; each hit to objects is considered critical.
The text in XGtE also seems to preclude any benefits from applying adamantine to armor or shields:
Adamantine is an ultrahard metal found in meteorites and extraordinary mineral veins. In addition to being used to craft adamantine armor, the metal is also used for weapons.
This text is important because adamantine armor is described in the DMG as a magic item on its own:
This suit of armor is reinforced with adamantine, one of the hardest substances in existence. While you're wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.
So we do not get any direct benefits from building an armor from adamantine, the benefits are only present when we craft a magical armor reinforced with adamantine. And those benefits will disappear for example when we are in an anti-magic field; as you can read in twitter posts by Jeremy Crawford dating back from 8 Nov 2017:
Adamantine armor is a magic item. It follows the rules for such items, including the text in antimagic field on magic items.
The same applies for mithral armor as well.
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
In 5e RAW, there are no generic rules for the effects of crafting armor, shields or weapons from special materials, except the following two:
- Silvering a weapon or ammunition (PHB page 148): Good to bypass the immunity or resistance of some monsters to nonmnagical weapons.
- Adamantine weapons (XGtE page 78): Unusually effective when used to break objects; each hit to objects is considered critical.
The text in XGtE also seems to preclude any benefits from applying adamantine to armor or shields:
Adamantine is an ultrahard metal found in meteorites and extraordinary mineral veins. In addition to being used to craft adamantine armor, the metal is also used for weapons.
This text is important because adamantine armor is described in the DMG as a magic item on its own:
This suit of armor is reinforced with adamantine, one of the hardest substances in existence. While you're wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.
So we do not get any direct benefits from building an armor from adamantine, the benefits are only present when we craft a magical armor reinforced with adamantine. And those benefits will disappear for example when we are in an anti-magic field; as you can read in twitter posts by Jeremy Crawford dating back from 8 Nov 2017:
Adamantine armor is a magic item. It follows the rules for such items, including the text in antimagic field on magic items.
The same applies for mithral armor as well.
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
answered Sep 4 at 9:13
ZwiQ
7,07222154
7,07222154
Is it worth adding dragonhide armor to this answer? It has a particular effect, as with adamantine armor.
– KorvinStarmast
Sep 4 at 12:24
You mean dragonscale mail?
– Darth Pseudonym
Sep 4 at 15:02
add a comment |Â
Is it worth adding dragonhide armor to this answer? It has a particular effect, as with adamantine armor.
– KorvinStarmast
Sep 4 at 12:24
You mean dragonscale mail?
– Darth Pseudonym
Sep 4 at 15:02
Is it worth adding dragonhide armor to this answer? It has a particular effect, as with adamantine armor.
– KorvinStarmast
Sep 4 at 12:24
Is it worth adding dragonhide armor to this answer? It has a particular effect, as with adamantine armor.
– KorvinStarmast
Sep 4 at 12:24
You mean dragonscale mail?
– Darth Pseudonym
Sep 4 at 15:02
You mean dragonscale mail?
– Darth Pseudonym
Sep 4 at 15:02
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Definitely rules for silvered weapons:
You can silver a single weapon or 10 pieces of ammunition for 100 gp. (PHB pg 148)
Additionally, there are specific magic items that are adamantium or mithral in the DMG (often with no additional enchantments), but I don't recall seeing any rules for making other weapons/armor/equipment of unusual materials.
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
1
Note that in addition to the DMG magic items, Xanathar's p. 78 also has rules on adamantine weapons: "Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is made of the metal or coated with it."
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:54
2
(And you are correct that adamantine armor and mithral armor are listed as separate magic items in the DMG; there are no official resources that combine those benefits with each other or with +X armor or armor of [element] resistance (etc.), though DMs could houserule/homebrew such armor if they wanted to use them in non-AL games.
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:57
If you includ XGtE in this answer it is prudent to include the caveat that other than the rules clarification section it is entirely optional material.
– Slagmoth
Sep 4 at 13:00
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
Definitely rules for silvered weapons:
You can silver a single weapon or 10 pieces of ammunition for 100 gp. (PHB pg 148)
Additionally, there are specific magic items that are adamantium or mithral in the DMG (often with no additional enchantments), but I don't recall seeing any rules for making other weapons/armor/equipment of unusual materials.
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
1
Note that in addition to the DMG magic items, Xanathar's p. 78 also has rules on adamantine weapons: "Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is made of the metal or coated with it."
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:54
2
(And you are correct that adamantine armor and mithral armor are listed as separate magic items in the DMG; there are no official resources that combine those benefits with each other or with +X armor or armor of [element] resistance (etc.), though DMs could houserule/homebrew such armor if they wanted to use them in non-AL games.
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:57
If you includ XGtE in this answer it is prudent to include the caveat that other than the rules clarification section it is entirely optional material.
– Slagmoth
Sep 4 at 13:00
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
up vote
3
down vote
Definitely rules for silvered weapons:
You can silver a single weapon or 10 pieces of ammunition for 100 gp. (PHB pg 148)
Additionally, there are specific magic items that are adamantium or mithral in the DMG (often with no additional enchantments), but I don't recall seeing any rules for making other weapons/armor/equipment of unusual materials.
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
Definitely rules for silvered weapons:
You can silver a single weapon or 10 pieces of ammunition for 100 gp. (PHB pg 148)
Additionally, there are specific magic items that are adamantium or mithral in the DMG (often with no additional enchantments), but I don't recall seeing any rules for making other weapons/armor/equipment of unusual materials.
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
answered Sep 4 at 5:11
Poetically Psychotic
1038
1038
1
Note that in addition to the DMG magic items, Xanathar's p. 78 also has rules on adamantine weapons: "Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is made of the metal or coated with it."
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:54
2
(And you are correct that adamantine armor and mithral armor are listed as separate magic items in the DMG; there are no official resources that combine those benefits with each other or with +X armor or armor of [element] resistance (etc.), though DMs could houserule/homebrew such armor if they wanted to use them in non-AL games.
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:57
If you includ XGtE in this answer it is prudent to include the caveat that other than the rules clarification section it is entirely optional material.
– Slagmoth
Sep 4 at 13:00
add a comment |Â
1
Note that in addition to the DMG magic items, Xanathar's p. 78 also has rules on adamantine weapons: "Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is made of the metal or coated with it."
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:54
2
(And you are correct that adamantine armor and mithral armor are listed as separate magic items in the DMG; there are no official resources that combine those benefits with each other or with +X armor or armor of [element] resistance (etc.), though DMs could houserule/homebrew such armor if they wanted to use them in non-AL games.
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:57
If you includ XGtE in this answer it is prudent to include the caveat that other than the rules clarification section it is entirely optional material.
– Slagmoth
Sep 4 at 13:00
1
1
Note that in addition to the DMG magic items, Xanathar's p. 78 also has rules on adamantine weapons: "Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is made of the metal or coated with it."
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:54
Note that in addition to the DMG magic items, Xanathar's p. 78 also has rules on adamantine weapons: "Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. The adamantine version of a melee weapon or of ten pieces of ammunition costs 500 gp more than the normal version, whether the weapon or ammunition is made of the metal or coated with it."
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:54
2
2
(And you are correct that adamantine armor and mithral armor are listed as separate magic items in the DMG; there are no official resources that combine those benefits with each other or with +X armor or armor of [element] resistance (etc.), though DMs could houserule/homebrew such armor if they wanted to use them in non-AL games.
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:57
(And you are correct that adamantine armor and mithral armor are listed as separate magic items in the DMG; there are no official resources that combine those benefits with each other or with +X armor or armor of [element] resistance (etc.), though DMs could houserule/homebrew such armor if they wanted to use them in non-AL games.
– V2Blast
Sep 4 at 5:57
If you includ XGtE in this answer it is prudent to include the caveat that other than the rules clarification section it is entirely optional material.
– Slagmoth
Sep 4 at 13:00
If you includ XGtE in this answer it is prudent to include the caveat that other than the rules clarification section it is entirely optional material.
– Slagmoth
Sep 4 at 13:00
add a comment |Â
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2
Is there a reason you're asking for "RAW"?
– Mark Wells
Sep 4 at 4:32
4
By “RAW†do you just mean “not someone’s homebrewâ€�
– SevenSidedDie♦
Sep 4 at 5:31
2
I’m looking for official rules written in a published book.
– KSchank
Sep 4 at 13:46