Special Materials in Phoenicia

There are a number of special materials that showed up in Phoenicia, besides Mithril, Adamantine, Darkwood and all the rest; there are a couple of special materials that are found in Phoenicia and the vicinity.

Ferroplasm

Mined from secret locations in the Astral Plane, this malleable metal holds its shape only in the hands of a psionic being. When an item forged with ferroplasm is unattended or held by a nonpsionic creature, it melts and temporarily loses all special powers. But when wielded by a psionic creature, such an item immediately springs back into its true shape and regains all abilities. In its proper form, a ferroplasm item glows with a violet light (illuminating a 10-foot-radius), unless the item’s owner mentally quenches it. In an area where psionic powers do not function, it collapses as if in the hands of a nonpsionic creature.

Ferroplasm adds to the quality of a weapon or suit of armor based on how much of the material is used. Weapons fashioned from ferroplasm have a natural enhancement bonus to attack and damage. Armor fashioned from ferroplasm has a natural enhancement bonus to AC. These bonuses do not stack with other enhancement bonuses. Weapons or armor fashioned from ferroplasm are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times, but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons or the armor check penalty of armor.

Ferroplasm has hardness 20 and 40 hit points per inch of thickness when in its true form, and a hardness of 5 and 10 hit points per inch of thickness when soft.

Glyss

The the method of crafting glyss came with a traveler.   The glass is made by infusing the liquid glass with copper vapors.  The result is a glass that is a brittle translucent material.  In the hands of a warrior without psionic talent the material would shatter.  However, in the hands of a person with psionic talent, the material becomes hard as jade.  Though simple to craft, the majority of the stuff is found in Phoenicia and it's sister cities -- Syracuse and Sybaris.  Glyss glaziers can make a tidy profit from creating this material for psionic weapon and armorsmiths to work into suitable equipment.

How Glyss works is that it provides additional deflection bonuses when worn by a person with psionic talent.  By gaining and maintaining his psychic focus he gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC.  However, glyss armor and shields interfere with each other if worn by the same person.  Glyss crafted into bladed weapons have half the weight.  A person with psionic talents when maintaining his psionic focus gains a bonus with his Glyss weapon equaling a +1 bonus.

Weapons or armor crafted from glyss are treated with masterwork items with regard to creation times,  but the quality of the masterwork does not provide an enhancement bonus. 

Crafting Glyss

To create enough glyss for a suit of armor, a shield, or a weapon does require raw materials (sand, certain chemicals, and raw copper) equal to the value to one third the market price modifier for the item to be made. 

Creating the glyss requires one day per 1,000 gp of the final market price modifier as detailed in the table above, and a successful craft: Alchemy check (DC 20).  If the check is successful, then the alchemist or glazier has made the necessary amount of glyss.

---------------------------

OGL Section 15:
The Quintessential Warrior. copyright 2002 Mongoose Publishing.  Author Sam Witt.