ICE materials

The official GemStone IV encyclopedia.
Revision as of 19:32, 20 September 2017 by INIQUITY (talk | contribs) (add mithril)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The metals and woods of GemStone III mostly had I.C.E. Age analogs in Rolemaster, M.E.R.P., or Shadow World specifically. However, these sometimes had differences in detail with the modern lore, such as whether it was an alloy or other historical contexts. The Rolemaster "Bonus" has the same meaning as our modern materials enchant bonus, and "Resistance" is warding bonus while ST/BF = ST/DU. The listed conversion value is 20 silver pieces for 1 gold piece in the Shadow World Master Atlas 3rd Ed. (page 57), but there is no need for a high degree of consistency between it and the Rolemaster books.

Metals

The word "metals" is used loosely. This includes special minerals, crystals, and volcanic glasses, but leaves out generic real-world materials such as obsidian. There are some SHIFT verb terms that do not exist in the I.C.E. source books, and it is unclear if some of these ever actually existed in the game. This list also does not include I.C.E. materials that never existed in GemStone.

Arinyark

Modern: Ahnver

Arinyark is a luminous bluish-green mineral that absorbs raw Essence radiation. It is extremely difficult to make into weapons and armors, and with armor it would typically be a laminate on something else to act as a mana battery. There is no modern lore for this material, though "ahnver" does exist in the game. It was one of the words that was changed but was not included in the SHIFT verb. If a confined space were subjected to a large enough concentration of arinyark, it would have the effect of severely dampening the local flows of essence, imposing steep penalties (say 90%) on Essence realm spells.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: -5
Resistance: +30
ST/BF: ?
Cost Multiplier: 1000x
RM Value: 200 gold/ounce
SW Value: 200 silver/ounce
Game Details
Rolemaster: Arinyark stores essence radiation like a battery which can then be tapped to renew power points (mana). When coating a full suit of armor with arinyark, it provides +30 to Essence realm resistance rolls (warding) or applies -30 to elemental attacks such as bolts. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1992); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 15)
Shadow World: Same as Rolemaster. Arinyark is an ingredient of the alloy Xenium. (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas, 2nd Edition (1992); Chapter 1.3: Special Elements, page 17) In the Third Edition it is a "metallic element" and those modifiers are +/-50 rather than +/-30. There is a silver-blue metal called Taurith near arinyark deposits which is extremely easy for imbedding Essence realm spells. (2001, page 58)
I.C.E. Age: Arinyark strips are used as a lighting method in the old part of the Crypt of The Graveyard, likely symbolic of The Unlife because it devours the Essence. The extension with the torches is unrelated to the original story. This might have been inspired by the arinyark pillared Great Hall of an Unlife mummy king in the Egyptian themed "Kingdom of the Desert Jewel" source book (1989), which was located on the Bay of Throk in the western continent of Gethyra. The design of the Graveyard is influenced by the Egyptian death religion, and the invoking phrase used to be "Kadaena Throk Farok" rather than "Shadow bind my soul." The deeper part of the necropolis is lit with luminescent fungus.

Black Alloy

Modern: Black alloy

It is an alloy of iron, titanium, and "meteoric metals." It ranges from steel grey to black in color, and does not require special forging equipment. For this reason the "meteoric metal" component presumably does not refer to star iron. While it is not all that uncommon in Rolemaster, it is extremely rare in modern GemStone IV. It was included along with white alloy on a late 1990s table before the modern metals lore was written, along with the lower carbon low and high steel, but its properties were left undefined. In the modern game it is most notably used for ShadowDeath weapons and vambraces.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +20
Resistance: +10
ST/BF: ?
Cost Multiplier: 500x
RM Value: 100 gold/ounce
SW Value: ?
Game Details
Rolemaster: As described above. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1992); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 15) In the Treasure Companion (1996) it asserts that "black alloys" are "very hard" and incredibly difficult to forge because of their very high carbon content, and that they contain either nickel or molbydenum, but with large fractions of tungsten and vanadium. (Treasure Companion Chapter 3.4.2: Carbon Steel; pages 26, 38)
Shadow World: It is called "Krelin" after its creator, the Iylari smith Krelij who fashioned the dragonhelms with the Dragonlord Oran Jatar, the brother of the famous artificer Tethior who invented white alloy. It is a non-magical alloy of iron, carbon, and other materials. Dull grey. +50 BF ("breakage factor"). (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas, 3rd Edition (2001); Chapter 5.4: Special Weapon Alloys, page 57)
I.C.E. Age: The I.C.E. Age of GemStone III ended prior to the publication of Treasure Companion and the Third Edition of the Shadow World Master Atlas.

Black Eog

Modern: Black ora

Black eog is an unholy metal that inhibits light magic in the same way that white eog does for dark magic. Mechanically, most if not all player spells in GemStone III were technically "light" magic (even if they were violent) in that they used what we call "mana", so this anti-magical property is significantly weaker in the game than in Shadow World. Modernly there is "pure" and "impure" black ora, but in the I.C.E. Age context all ora weapons are alloys. Black eog does not have the mana regeneration and wisdom bonuses of pure black ora, or the spirit regeneration penalty, though this would not be inconsistent. In Shadow World the price per ingot of white and black ora is the same, they are exceptionally rare. In the modern metals lore black ora is much more rare than white ora and they are both pure forms.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +30
Resistance: +30
ST/BF: +15/+30?
Cost Multiplier: 10,000x
RM Value: 2,000? gold/ounce
SW Value: 5,000 silver/ounce
Game Details
Rolemaster: Black eog is only mentioned as a color variation of normal dully silver-grey eog, which is described as an Elven magical alloy made from mithril, titanium ("durang"), and other unknown materials. It is not described as having special properties of its own as a color variation. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1992); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 15) In the Treasure Companion (1996) eog is only described in its gray form as "true steel" or "true iron." (Treasure Companion Chapter 3.5.3: Enchanted Substances, page 27)
Shadow World: Eog varieties are pure metals in Shadow World, but the weapons are always alloys because it is brittle. Black and white eog have anti-magical properties, unlike ordinary eog. Black eog is unholy in that it can inhibit or even nullify ordinary magic, as opposed to the Dark Essence realms where the power originates in sources such the Unlife or dark gods. In a room covered in 1 inch panels of black eog, most ordinary magic users would not be able to cast spells, but they would still have their power points (unlike kregora which actually drains them.) (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas, 3rd Edition (2001); Chapter 5.4: Magical Materials & Alloys, page 58)
I.C.E. Age: Black eog is an unholy metal which uses the game's curse mechanics. There were black eog signet rings that supposedly augmented Council of Light powers in the past, which is surely based on the signet rings of the Priests Arnak. The Spider Temple originally inhibited some of the spell-casting of (light) Channeling users. When it opened spells such as Unstun did not work inside the building. White ora is naturally sanctified in the hands of a cleric, while black ora is naturally cursed. These properties are not mentioned in Shadow World. In general the Eog variants in Rolemaster and Shadow World are more powerful and valuable than the Ora that exists in GemStone.

Boernerine

Modern: Zorchar

Boernerine is an elemental metal from Rolemaster, allegedly made from smelting light elementals with earth spirits. It is unclear if the lightning flare originated in the source books.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: "Boernerine" allegedly is made from smelting light elementals with earth spirits, creating items with perpetual magical radiance, though which Rolemaster book this is asserted is not pinned down yet. (This is a syncretic list mixing metals from numerous game systems.) "Boernine" is steel or iron that is sufficiently corrupted with elemental light, becoming a shiny black metal that is a better mirror than silver. (Source: Fire & Ice - The Elemental Companion (2002); Chapter 10.0: Elemental Item Enchant, page 101) Corruption gains electricity criticals. (page 104)
Shadow World: There do not appear to be any metals corresponding to the properties of "boernerine" in the Shadow World source books. There is a metal called "electrium" which can be easily imbedded with elemental spells, creating something effectively equivalent to zorchar and all of the others. However, this was not mentioned in early enough sources, and other materials can be imbedded. It would be like using Magic Item Creation (420) on a sword instead of Elemental Blade (411). (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas 3rd Edition (2001); Chapter 5.4: Magical Materials & Alloys, page 58) The ease of imbedding property is not specific to elemental spells. It is a very expensive magical alloy of gold, silver, and iron. 10,000 silver/ounce.
I.C.E. Age: The drake falchion is one of the oldest item drops in the treasure system. It is unclear when exactly feras items first existed as crumbly electric flares instead of flames, and it is unclear to what extent the non-crumbly boernerine ever actually existed or if zorchar was first introduced later.

Catoetine

Modern: Coraesine

Catoetine is allegedly the "heat-based counterpart of Eog", which is not nearly as effective at holding spells. Its property is speeding things up, such as making a weapon swing faster or more often. This double strike property exists today with coraesine weapons, though its properties were left unstated on a table of materials properties from the late 1990s. It is unclear if the air flare or backlash hazard properties have a Rolemaster origin. It is treated as an elemental metal of fire in the later Elemental Companion book, though is seemingly not mentioned in Shadow World.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: "Catoetine" allegedly is a heat-based counterpart to Eog, presumably referring to the need to subject Eog to intense cold before working it with heat. The Rolemaster source for this has not been pinned down yet. "Catoentine" is steel or iron that is sufficiently corrupted by elemental fire, though this creates heat and fire criticals with enough corruption. (Source: Fire & Ice - The Elemental Companion (2002); Chapter 10.0: Elemental Item Enchant, page 101 & 105)
Shadow World: There do not appear to be any Elven metals resembling the properties of coraesine. The association of the metal with Elves, particularly the Faendryl in the modern lore, was probably invented for modern GemStone. There is no reason to suspect it is a Dyari metal.
I.C.E. Age: Catoetine presumably had the double strike abilities of coraesine, and the air flares may have been fit onto it in the absence of solid lore justification. This issue requires finding the original source material.

Dwarven Steel

Modern: Invar

It is unclear which steel variety should refer to "dwarven steel." White alloy is the Dwarven "adacer" in the Treasures of Middle Earth book, which is likely too potent. Low steel or enclantine ("enchanted iron") from Shadow World are closer to the bonus of invar, but are not markedly Dwarven in any way. It is likely supposed to be an iron and carbon alloy with a relatively significant amount of carbon, possibly with trace amounts of something more valuable to Dwaves, the most logical candidate being mithril. Invar is a processed metal in the modern lore but it is a dwarven secret.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +5
Resistance: +5
ST/BF: ?
Cost Multiplier: 10x
RM Value: 2 gold/ounce
SW Value: ?
Game Details
Rolemaster: The "Enchanted Iron" is refined and magically worked, giving the stat bonuses on the right. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1992); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 15) "Adacer" is Dwarven "white alloy" made with coal and titanium (Source: Treasures of Middle Earth), which is a separate entry on the archaic materials table along with low and high steel, and likely too potent to be the basis of invar.
Shadow World: Enclatine is a magically worked "Enchanted Iron" with only a +5 bonus, as opposed to the non-magical "low steel" with the same bonus. However, Enclatine has +50 BF, the breakage factor. Invar does not seem to be that strong.
I.C.E. Age: Dwarven steel may be a descriptor with a minor bonus that was formalized. There is no obvious reason why the term had to be changed.

Elrodnite

Modern: Rhimar

Elrodnite is allegedly a cousin of Eog that is not as magically potent or as good at holding spells. It resembles zinc and is perpetually surrounded by cold mist. This is usually used defensively with gear designed to obscure the location of the wearer. There is mention of making wands of frost, but seemingly nothing about cold flares.

There was another material named Illinar that was a rare enchanted form of ice that inflicted cold criticals in weapon and golem forms, but the earliest reference to it seems to be after the I.C.E. Age ended. The Treasure Companion (p. 27, 110) was 1996 or possibly even 2000, and the Construct Companion (p.47) for golems was 2003. The actual page numbers for Treasure Companion references on this page are actually from the 2000 printing. Rhimar is a metal, not magical ice. In contrast the Elemental Companion (2002) treats "megrail" instead as the cold flaring metal.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: "Elrodnite" is apparently a cold aligned cousin of Eog from some Rolemaster book yet to be determined. However, the Elemental Companion treats "megrail" as its ice elemental metal with cold criticals after sufficient corruption, instead of mcgrail being darkness oriented. (Source: Fire & Ice - The Elemental Companion (2002); Chapter 10.0: Elemental Item Enchant, page 101 & 105) There is another rare enchanted "true ice" material called Illinar. (Source: Treasure Companion; Chapter 3.5.1: Enchanted Substances, page 27) Its bonus is +20, which is more powerful than rhimar, and there is a sample "staff of illinar" item which describes inflicting an "additional cold critical."
Shadow World: There do not appear to be any metals corresponding to the properties of "elrodnite" in the Shadow World source books. There is a metal called "electrium" which can be easily imbedded with elemental spells, creating something effectively equivalent to rhimar and all of the others. However, this was not mentioned in early enough sources, and other materials can be imbedded. It would be like using Magic Item Creation (420) on a sword instead of Elemental Blade (411). (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas 3rd Edition (2001); Chapter 5.4: Magical Materials & Alloys, page 58) The ease of imbedding property is not specific to elemental spells. It is a very expensive magical alloy of gold, silver, and iron. 10,000 silver/ounce.
I.C.E. Age: The drake falchion is one of the oldest item drops in the treasure system. It is unclear when exactly feras items first existed as crumbly electric flares instead of flames, and it is unclear to what extent the non-crumbly elrodnite ever actually existed or if rhimar was first introduced later.

Eog

Modern: Ora

Common Eog is an extremely hard but brittle metal that is incredibly rare, and only becomes used for weapons and armor in alloy forms. It is a dull silvery-grey in appearance, but comes in other forms, including blue and red. White and black eog are somewhat anti-magical in that that they locally inhibit the flows of essence. When used in combination they would act similar to kregora, though not to the same severity and without power draining. (Including significant amounts of arinyark would come closer.) Eog is more powerful and rare in Rolemaster and Shadow World than ora is in GemStone.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +30
Resistance: +30
ST/BF: +15/+30
Cost Multiplier: 10,000x
RM Value: 2,000 gold/ounce
SW Value: 2,000 silver/ounce
Game Details
Rolemaster: Eog is described as an Elven magical alloy made from mithril, titanium ("durang" for "dark iron"), and other unknown materials. The color variations other than common grey are red, blue, white, and black, but Rolemaster does not specify any special properties for these varieties. Eog is unusual in that it has to be forged with intense cold like laen, but then further subjected to intense heat, such as with the essence of elementals. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1992); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 15) In the Treasure Companion (1996) eog is only described in its gray form as "true steel/iron." (Treasure Companion Chapter 3.5.3: Enchanted Substances, page 27)
Shadow World: Eog varieties are pure metals in Shadow World, but the weapons are always alloys because it is brittle. Black and white eog have anti-magical properties, unlike ordinary eog. Black eog is unholy in that it can inhibit or even nullify ordinary magic, as opposed to the Dark Essence realms where the power originates in sources such the Unlife or dark gods. In a room covered in 1 inch panels of black eog, most ordinary magic users would not be able to cast spells, but they would still have their power points (unlike kregora which actually drains them.) (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas, 3rd Edition (2001); Chapter 5.4: Magical Materials & Alloys, page 58) The same would be true in reverse for white eog and Dark Essence users, including unholy creatures such as the undead. Common Eog is also called Grey Eog.
I.C.E. Age: Black and white eog existed as metals in the I.C.E. Age. Their cursed and sanctified properties are specific to GemStone.

Fabrinine

Modern: Drakar

Fabrinine is allegedly a bonding weapon metal where all of the elements are perfectly in balance, and it binds with the soul of the first person to wield it. It dies with this wielder, but the bond provides protection from "death magic" and critical blows. This is completely different from the nature of Drakar, and presumably these were not the properties fabrinine was given in GemStone.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: Fabrinine is allegedly the "metal of mortality" with all of the primary elements perfectly in balance, some Rolemaster source book yet to be determined. "Cotaentine" in contrast is the fire element corrupted metal with fire criticals in the Elemental Companion. (Source: Fire & Ice - The Elemental Companion (2002); Chapter 10.0: Elemental Item Enchant, page 101 & 105)
Shadow World: There do not appear to be any metals corresponding to the properties of "fabrinine" in the Shadow World source books. There is a metal called "electrium" which can be easily imbedded with elemental spells, creating something effectively equivalent to drakar and all of the others. However, this was not mentioned in early enough sources, and other materials can be imbedded. It would be like using Magic Item Creation (420) on a sword instead of Elemental Blade (411). (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas 3rd Edition (2001); Chapter 5.4: Magical Materials & Alloys, page 58) The ease of imbedding property is not specific to elemental spells. It is a very expensive magical alloy of gold, silver, and iron. 10,000 silver/ounce.
I.C.E. Age: The drake falchion is one of the oldest item drops in the treasure system, and they are not crumbly in the first place. It is unclear to what extent fabrinine ever actually existed in the I.C.E. Age, effectively just a +5 version of drake, or if drakar was first introduced later.

Galvorn

Modern: Golvern

Galvorn is an alloy with unspecified color in Rolemaster made from "meteoric iron" and other substances known only to a few smithing guilds. It is extremely malleable but puncture and cut resistant. When forged with "specific elements" it becomes the hardest material known to exist. It is only worked in extremely hot forges. In the I.C.E. Middle Earth system its color is implied to be black, but in GemStone it is now defined to look gold or red-gold. Galvorn has a higher enchantment bonus in Rolemaster than golvern does in GemStone, where it is considered dwarven, but they are both extremely hard metals.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +40
Resistance: +40
ST/BF: +24/+99
Cost Multiplier: 90,000x
RM Value: 18,000 gold/ounce
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: In Rolemaster galvorn is an extremely rare alloy that is the hardest material known to exist when forged with the right elements. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1990); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 15) In the M.E.R.P. system it is called "Shining Black" with the same properties and is the rarest metal, with only two smiths possibly having rediscovered how to make it. (Source: Treasures of Middle Earth; Chapter 6.3: Metals, page 130) Breakage statistics are given in Character Law/Campaign Law, Chapter 7.3.6 (Catalog #1300).
Shadow World: It is not mentioned in the Shadow World Master Atlas, though an NPC item of galvorn exists in The Iron Wind source book (1983, page 42).
I.C.E. Age: Galvorn existed in the I.C.E. Age and had the highest breakage factor statistic with an ST/BF of +24/+99, identical to the modern ST/DU values of +24/+99. Golvern is implied to be a pure metal. There is no implied relationship with Dwaves in the I.C.E. sources.

Inniculmoid

Modern: Gornar

While gornar shakes uncontrollably creating the risk of inflicting an impact critical, inniculmoid is allegedly an elemental metal that both generates and harmlessly absorbs tremendous "concussion blasts." It is the "metal of force" and hard to make because there are no "spirits of force." Gornar in contrast is a pure metal. Gornar is notably rumored to be the remnants of a powerful earth elemental. Inniculmoid is primarily used to make tools such as hammers and anvils, though a few shields supposedly exist, and it is wasted on swords. This implies it is an absorber unlike gornar.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: Inniculmoid allegedly is from some Rolemaster source book yet to be determined. In the Elemental Companion the earth element corrupted metal is "Davistone", a silvery metal very similar in appearance to mithril, which inflicts crushing criticals through gravitational forces. (Source: Fire & Ice - The Elemental Companion (2002); Chapter 10.0: Elemental Item Enchant, page 101 & 103) In contrast, the other source lists Davistone as an elemental metal, but with the power of breaking through barriers. Weapons will sunder armor and wall spells, armor will allow you to walk through.
Shadow World: There do not appear to be any metals corresponding to the properties of "inniculmoid" in the Shadow World source books. There is a metal called "electrium" which can be easily imbedded with elemental spells, creating something effectively equivalent to gornar and all of the others. However, this was not mentioned in early enough sources, and other materials can be imbedded. It would be like using Magic Item Creation (420) on a sword instead of Elemental Blade (411). (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas 3rd Edition (2001); Chapter 5.4: Magical Materials & Alloys, page 58) The ease of imbedding property is not specific to elemental spells. It is a very expensive magical alloy of gold, silver, and iron. 10,000 silver/ounce.
I.C.E. Age: The drake falchion is one of the oldest item drops in the treasure system. It is unclear when exactly feras items first existed as crumbly electric flares instead of flames, and it is unclear to what extent the non-crumbly inniculmoid ever actually existed or if gornar was first introduced later.

Iorake

Modern: Eonake

Iorake was named after the Shadow World deity Iorak, who is the Eonak of modern GemStone religion. It is a unique metal to the game that does not exist in the Shadow World source books, nor does it exist in more general Rolemaster books. It is inherently sanctified in weapon form. It is quite strong and difficult to break while being lighter than steel. It is unclear if it was a Dwarven metal.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +20
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: +20/+55
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: Iorake does not exist in the Rolemaster source books. It is based on a deity of the Shadow World setting, but was apparently invented for GemStone III. There does not seem to be anything with analogous properties. The importance of the undead is greatly exaggerated in GemStone for historical development reasons, so there is little need for an inherently holy metal, and arguably some sound world system reasons to be against it.
Shadow World: The metal is named after Iorak, the Lord of Orhan of artificing. It is not mentioned in the Shadow World source books. White eog (ora) itself is not mentioned as being holy for undead purposes, so there is no basis for iorake. Eonake happens to be white now, possibly consistent with prior use.
I.C.E. Age: Iorake weapons existed in the I.C.E. Age, they are holy and harm the undead. Some of these notably have descriptions of glowing, while the modern lore says it "holds a perfect shine when polished." There were custom iorake claidhmores made by the Hobbit merchant Effefavelopa.

Ithilnaur

Modern: Vaalorn

Ithilnaur is an Elven metal also known as "moon-fire", which is supposed to be incredibly hard and keeps a "superbly keen edge." It is an alloy of mithril, titanium, and other metals forged under extreme heat, with the appearance of pure silver. Weapons of Ithilnaur are refolded dozens of times, forming "extremely strong laminates." In the late 1990s materials table "vaalorn" had a bonus of only +18, but remained an Elven metal. In the modern documentation it was explicitly attributed to the Vaalor elves. It is no longer silver in color, and it is not an alloy. The Vaalor secret is in the ability to dye it.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +20
Resistance: +20
ST/BF: ?
Cost Multiplier: 1,000x
RM Value: 200 gold/ounce
SW Value: ?
Game Details
Rolemaster: The description of Ithilnaur above is from the Alchemy Companion, Chapter 2.2.7 page 16. In the Middle Earth setting it is also used by the Dwarves of Moria for armaments. (Source: Treasures of Middle Earth; Chapter 6.3: Metals, page 130)
Shadow World: Ithilnaur does not appear to be used the Shadow World setting.
I.C.E. Age: It is unclear to what extent Ithilnaur actually existed in the I.C.E. Age. Its enchantment bonus is slightly weaker than it would be in Rolemaster, and its breakage factor is probably higher there than its modern ST/DU statistics given its original lore and alloy components.

Ithloss

Modern: Imflass

Ithloss is a light golden colored enchanted alloy that was made by the Lords of Essaence in the First Era of the Shadow World history. It is extremely lightweight and flexible, making superior armor. It would also add +20 again Elemental attack spells. In practice the metal was not worth much because the knowledge of how to work it is extinct. The only items made of ithloss should be ancient artifacts of the Essence Lords. In the late 1990s materials table its bonus was only +12, but was the lightest of the armament metals. In the modern documentation it is instead a pure metal that is silver in color.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: ?
Resistance: ?
ST/BF: +20/+40
Cost Multiplier: ?
RM Value: ?
SW Value: 2,000 silver/ounce
Game Details
Rolemaster: Ithloss appears to be unique to the Shadow World setting. It is not mentioned in the other Rolemaster source books, seemingly first appearing in the Shadow World Master Atlas. It is not mentioned as a metal in the Middle Earth treasures book.
Shadow World: The property of providing +20 against Elemental attacks appears to have been introduced in the Third Edition of the Master Atlas. Its primary value is providing strong but very lightweight armor. Xenium would be lighter in principle, but it is not supposed to be used that way. Armor of ithloss is supposed to have "almost unequalled" value because of its weight and flexibility properties combined with its rarity.
I.C.E. Age: The restriction on ithloss being a lost secret did not seem to apply in GemStone. There is an ithloss claidhmore that weighs only 7 lbs. It is much more common and unremarkable in GemStone than it would be in an ordinary Shadow World setting.

Keron

Modern: Kelyn

Keron is a "black alloy" that differs from actual "black alloy." It is a shiny metal that when polished looks like it is wet or oily, and it does not corrode and should be treated as enchanted. In Rolemaster its bonus of +10 is inferior to the +20 of "black alloy", while in Shadow World they both have +20, but black alloy has a breakage factor of +50 while the BF of keron is +200. In GemStone the bonus is +10, but on the late 1990s materials table it was listed as +15, and the metals documentation says it is +5. Its ST/DU is remarkably high like in Shadow World, and it is no longer an alloy. While "matte black" is a listed color form for it, it allows variations of "mottled red" and "dark green", and it cannot be dyed. The official documentation says it has the enchantment of mithril but this does not seem to be true in reality.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +10
Resistance: +10
ST/BF: ?
Cost Multiplier: 300x
RM Value: 60 gold/ounce
SW Value: 2000 silver/ounce
Game Details
Rolemaster: In Rolemaster, Keron is a "black alloy" that is slightly inferior to "Black Alloy" proper, but it is not subject to corrosion. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1990); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 15-16)
Shadow World: Keron and Black Alloy have the same enchantment bonus, but keron has a significantly superior breakage factor. So-called "Black Alloy" (Krelin) is a non-magical alloy, while Keron is treated as being enchanted. (Source: Shadow World Master Atlas, 3rd Ed. (2001); Chapter 5.4: Special Weapon Alloys, page 57-58) The general description and the point that it should be treated as enchanted goes back to the first edition (1990), and is the same as the Rolemaster Alchemy Companion.
I.C.E. Age: Keron has the bonus of the Alchemy Companion, and there were keron items in the I.C.E. Age. The adjusted numbers in Shadow World where it has the same bonus as "black alloy" was not until after the I.C.E. Age of GemStone III.

Kregora

Modern: Krodera

Kregora is the most powerful of the anti-Essaence metals, such as white and black Eog which locally inhibit the flows of essence, providing an absurdly high warding bonus. It is an extremely rare alloy made from mithril, gold, uranium, and other materials. It is supposed to be useless for weapons because it is extremely ductile and malleable, but even a mesh or netting of kregora is enough to render powerful magical items dormant. Its magic suppression powers are equally effective across all realms, and it will drain the power points (mana) of those around it. Highly specialized, non-magical tools are required to work kregora, and it is golden in color. Krodera is instead colored silver with a +25 bonus (as opposed to the -10 penalty), is not an alloy (being found beneath craters), and used to make weapons but not armor (unless significantly diluted.) The official documentation says its natural bonus is only that of mithril. Its ST/DU is much higher than it would be in Rolemaster, where it is not durable at all.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: -10
Resistance: +500
ST/BF: ?
Cost Multiplier: 100,000x
RM Value: 20,000 gold/ounce
SW Value: 20,000 silver/ounce
Game Details
Rolemaster: Kregora is not useful for making weapons in the Rolemaster source books, it would be used defensively or for utility in its magic suppression and draining power. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1990); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 16) In the Treasures of Middle Earth book it asserts the metal is also useless for jewelry because oxidizes quickly into a yellow patina color (page 130). Its true function is in lining surfaces with wires, netting, or mesh to prevent spells from passing through them, possibly on armor like arinyark.
Shadow World: Kregora is essentially identical to the way it is described in Rolemaster, except it is also described as being golden colored.
I.C.E. Age: Kregora effectively nullifies the existence of magic, whereas krodera nullifies but also reflects spells like light off a pond. While a pure krodera weapon will nullify spells cast at or from its wielder, pure krodera armor will turn the spell back inward on the caster. Kregora armor in contrast, and arguably more consistently with the world system, would prevent the spell from being cast at all. Krodera does not seem to drain mana. It is unclear how many kregora items existed in the game or their exact properties, though there was a sheath made that imprisoned the demon blade at one point. This was a legendary scimitar with a slayer demon embedded in it that fed on spirit.

Laen

Modern: Mein / Glaes

Laen is an almost indestructible volcanic glass that is very rarely naturally colored. Its strength is attributed to its "long crystal lattice structure", which is paradoxical because glass by definition is a non-crystalline amorphous solid lacking long range periodicity. Regardless, laen has an inverted thermodynamic profile, becoming stronger and more rigid with heat. It is only softened by subjecting it to extreme cold temperatures using magical furnaces. This does not seem to be true of glaes, which also comes in other colors, including rainbow glaes. It is supposed to occur rarely in nature.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +25
Resistance: +30
ST/BF: +24/+65
Cost Multiplier: 5,000x
RM Value: 1,000 gold/ounce
SW Value: 1,000 - 10,000 silver/ounce
Game Details
Rolemaster: It is the "smokey" variety of laen that is cold forged, where the other main variety is white laen. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1990); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 16) White laen instead can only be forged under extreme heat, but this variety cannot be tinted. White laen is the strongest, red laen is the hardest to forge because it is fire resistant, green laen is somewhat anti-magical resisting spell imbeds, blue laen resists cold, and silver laen is relatively easy to enchant. (Source: Creatures & Treasures II; Chapter 15.0, page 67) Laen is also known as "true glass", and presumably is brittle when hit hard enough.
Shadow World: Shadow World does not mention that it is only the smokey variety of laen that requires intense cold to become softened and malleable for forging. It is considered an enchanted glass in both Rolemaster and Shadow World.
I.C.E. Age: Teras Isle was built out of the older Uman Isle project, and one of the things preserved in it was the island had vast deposits of laen. While the mein golems of Darkstone Castle explode, the soul golems of Teras Isle are made of glaes, and mein/glaes are the same material. Laen Golems are not described with that property in the Construct Companion (p.47), instead getting augmented or immunity properties according to the laen color variety. The bonus of the material is only +15. Laen weapons exist.

Lore

Modern: Laje

Lore is a lockpick material that is seemingly unique to GemStone III. This might be similar to "dwarven steel" in the sense of possibly having been an adjective that was formalized into its own metal. There is no "Lore" material in Shadow World or Rolemaster. "Lore lockpicks" were sold in Larton's backroom, and were actually made out of mithril. They cost 3,000 silver at a minimum.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: There is no "Lore" material in the Rolemaster source books.
Shadow World: There is no "Lore" material in the Shadow World source books.
I.C.E. Age: In the very early history of the game there were lockpicks with adjectives of "crude", "common", "good", and "professional." In Larton's backroom there was something called a "lore lockpick", which at the time was the best available material for it. It was actually made of mithril, not its own kind of metal. Lore was apparently turned into its own metal name, but there is no obvious reason for it to have been changed to "laje".

Lysaughton

Modern: Urnon

Lysaughton is allegedly a white colored chaos metal, though its colors and shape fluctuate chaotically. Supposedly no mortal knows how to "make" this metal, the "primary source" of it is some demon realm. This is presumably the lore basis behind making the name into Urnon, which is now treated as a pure metal found in this world. Forgets for reworking bits of lysaughton supposedly are fueled with uncontrolled magic, broken wands and gemstones, and the dung of demons and shapeshifters. It is essentially the acid flare metal in GemStone, it is unclear if any more exotic properties existed.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: Lysaughton is allegedly a metal of chaos that is made primarily on some demonic plane of existence, according to a Rolemaster book yet to be determined. This does not say anything about acid flares. "Neurolite" is allegedly supposed to be the strongly corrosive metal.
Shadow World: There is no "Lysaughton" material in the Shadow World source books.
I.C.E. Age: There were presumably items of lysaughton because not only did the word exist, but there was even an interim word "lyshalvaon" before it was turned into "urnon". The properties of the metal are similarly unclear, though even old urnon weapons at the very least are acid flares. In the late 1990s materials table urnon was slated to be an extremely rare "chaos" metal with a +20 enchantment, and now urnon weapons typically have chaotically fluctuating bonuses. It was given a fairly high ST/DU when breakage was possibly returning prior to the GSIV conversion.

Mcgrail

Modern: Urglaes

Mcgrail is allegedly an utterly black metal that throws off shadows, where weapons of it will hide the wielder in darkness and armor allows you to vanish into the shadows and emerge from different shadows. Similar effects have been implemented modernly for pure black ora and ShadowDeath weapons, except the former inflicts wounds on those touching it and the latter thirsts for blood. Urglaes is inherently cursed and its powers will sometimes be directed back at the wielder. Pure black ora is also cursed and touching it will inflict damage on the wielder from shadows.

Mcgrail can only be forged from ore and well water that has never seen light, as well as the distilled essence of shadow creatures, and fire from things that are inherently black. This is much like the way thew bark trees are made modernly. Urglaes is supposed to be a pure metal. The idea of inflicting unexplained mutations on the body of the forger does not come from mcgrail.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: Unknown
Resistance: Unknown
ST/BF: Unknown
Cost Multiplier: Unknown
RM Value: Unknown
SW Value: Unknown
Game Details
Rolemaster: Mcgrail is allegedly a metal of darkness according to a Rolemaster book yet to be determined. Oddly enough, "megrail" is treated instead as an ice element corrupted metal, inflicting ice flares. (Source: Fire & Ice - The Elemental Companion (2002); Chapter 10.0: Elemental Item Enchant, page 101 & 105) Since it was clustered with flaring metals in the game, it is unclear if mcgrail is supposed to inflict darkness flares.
Shadow World: There is no "Mcgrail" material in the Shadow World source books.
I.C.E. Age: It is unclear to what extent mcgrail existed in the I.C.E. Age, and its interim name of urglaes was before laen itself was changed to glaes (possibly being mein rhymes with laen but glaes looks like glass.) Urglaes was included clustered together with the other flaring / elemental metals on the late 1990s materials table. Its strength is significantly weaker than glaes, and it is unclear if there is now supposed to be a relation between them. The fact that urglaes provides a stronger defensive bonus than its offensive enchant is possibly a vestige of the original mcgrail lore where its darkness is primarily helpful for hiding the wielder. The special properties of urglaes do not seem to be stated, or how the stated ones differ from pure black ora.

Mithglin

Modern: Mithglin

Mithglin is an alloy of mithril, platinum, titanium, and other materials, sometimes gold to make it more workable. It is used for weapons and jewelry, "prized for its shining hue." It is forged with high temperatures and hard labor, which is still true in its modern documentation. In contrast, modernly it is an alloy of mithril and vultite (shaalk), intended to make an alloy with superior strength and durability to them. Its bonus is only +15 in GemStone whereas it is +20 in Rolemaster, and it is dark colored instead of silvery. In Rolemaster mithglin is significantly less valuable than pure mithril.

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +20
Resistance: +10
ST/BF: ?
Cost Multiplier: 375x
RM Value: 75 gold/ounce
SW Value: ?
Game Details
Rolemaster: In the Middle Earth system mithglin is used to make more durable jewelry than gold or silver ("mal" and "celeb"), but is less prized than mithril itself. When mithglin is made using gold, the result is "white gold" made of the mithglin alloy constituents, being more corrosion resistant. (Source: Treasures of Middle Earth; Chapter 6.3: Metals, page 131) Mithril itself is a term borrowed from Tolkien and absorbed into Rolemaster. The description above is from the Alchemy Companion. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1990); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 16)
Shadow World: Mithglin and mithril do not seem to exist in the Shadow World setting.
I.C.E. Age: Mithglin is odd in that it has the same name and roughly the same properties as it does in the I.C.E. source books, appearing on the late 1990s materials table (as a weapon but not an armor metal) but not in the SHIFT verb. It is unclear if mithglin existed in the I.C.E. Age. The weight modifier for mithglin is 110% while mithril is only 90%. This is curious for the modern lore because vultite is actually 80%.

Mithril

Modern: Mithril

Mithril is a pure metal that is highly prized by Dwarves for its value in making unique enchanted alloys. It is malleable and silver-white, but unlike silver it does not tarnish. In the modern documentation it is a dull grey or has bluish hue, and is mostly a Dwarven metal, prized for weapon and armor due to being "extremely dense" (though its weight modifier is actually 90%). In contrast to Rolemaster its enchantment bonus is only +5 in GemStone, and it is treated as slightly anti-magical to the extent that mana cannot penetrate containers of mithril, though this is attributed to its "magical stability."

Rolemaster Statistics
Bonus: +20
Resistance: +20
ST/BF: +20/+40
Cost Multiplier: 2,000x
RM Value: 400 gold/ounce
SW Value: ?
Game Details
Rolemaster: In the Middle Earth system mithril is the most prized metal of the Dwarves, where the ones of Moria accidentally released the Balrog digging for it. It is called "true silver", and the source of many wondrous alloys. There is a single vein of mithril through Middle Earth. (Source: Treasures of Middle Earth; Chapter 6.3: Metals, page 131) Mithril itself is a term borrowed from Tolkien and absorbed into Rolemaster. The description above is from the Alchemy Companion. (Source: Alchemy Companion (1990); Chapter 2.2.7: Enchanted Materials, page 16)
Shadow World: Mithglin and mithril do not seem to exist in the Shadow World setting. Interestingly, metals such as Eog and Kregora are described as being used in alloyed form, but the components where mithril would be named are suppressed.
I.C.E. Age: Mithril has the same name now as it did in the I.C.E. Age, as the word comes from Tolkien so did not need to be changed. It is a constituent metal of the alloys eog, ithilnaur, kregora, mithglin, and possibly "dwarven steel" and the elemental metals that are "cousins of eog." "Lore" was originally just mithril. Mithglin is more valuable than mithril in GemStone, but the other way around in I.C.E. sources.

External Links

Retrieved from "https://gswiki.play.net/index.php?title=ICE_materials&oldid=97464"