Dragon Forged Weapons (Lesser Magic Weapons):

Using the finest grades of raw iron, the Kobold blade smith Morkim carefully prepared to make a very special sword. It was said that the forge ran in the blood of Kobolds just as much as the Dwarves and were just behind Dwarves in their skill as blade smiths.

While both Dwarven and Kobold smiths knew the secret of making crucible steel, only comparatively few human smiths knew the secret. Morkim had heard that Dwarves used magic to make quality steel before the devastation of the war between them and the elves but that the arts had been lost. Some human blade smiths also purchased steel ingots from either Dwarven or Kobold smiths. Otherwise, most human forged blades contained impurities and were far weaker and brittle than those made by true masters of the forge.

If all went well, this sword would even be better than most forged by most Dwarves or Kobolds. One might call the blade magical. Called a “Dragon Forged Sword,” instead of measuring in just the right amount of charcoal to make the steel just the right hardness, he measured in dragon dust. Worth a small fortune, one had to trade eight pounds of gold for a single ounce of dragon dust but it was worth it.

Made from dragon bone, the bones had to be carefully dried and powered in the perfect manner or they would be useless both for alchemists and what he was forging. As a result, dragon dust was far more expensive than the bone it came from. Luckily, he had to use far less than an ounce in the forging of the blade.

Just before sealing the lid of the clay crucible with more clay, Morkim put a bit of sand in so that the impurities would bond with the sand and float to the top of the crucible. Once carefully sealed, the Kobold put the crucible inside the oven and began sealing the oven.

Many hours weary later with the other Kobolds of the tribe taking turns at the bellows, Morkim cracked open the forge and pulled out the crucible. Shattering the crucible, he was rewarded with a glowing ingot. Putting the ingot on the forge, he set hammer to the metal. He was rewarded with the fact that almost no sparks flew from the metal, indicating that he had manage to get a pure steel ingot.

It would take many more days of work to make the new sword but when done the weapon would be near indestructible and would inflict greater damage than any normal blade.

The art of making crucible steel is well known in the Palladium world both by Dwarven and Kobold smiths. Once, before the war between the Elves and Dwarves, Dwarves used magic to make high quality steel but that art has largely been lost. As well, there are a number of human smiths who also know the secret. Other human weapon smiths purchase steel ingots in which to forge weapons from. The finest blades are made from this crucible steel.

In most cases, just a little bit of charcoal is added to make it carbon steel, around half a percent or so by weight. However, instead of charcoal, dragon dust can be added. Of course dragon dust costs a fortune which means it is rarely done but allows a non alchemist to forge a magic weapon. Interestingly, Dwarves are less likely to use this process than Kobolds because many consider it is a form of magic. In addition, Earth and Fire Warlocks can also use the spell of “Forge Metal” to create these enchanted weapons.

Enchanted weapons made by this process inflict greater damage than normal weapons do as well as being incredibly strong although not truly indestructible. The dragon dust also seems to inhibit corrosion so the blades do not appreciable rust either although will corrode eventually if not properly cared for. Although less common than Dragon dust, Demon or Deevil bone dust can also be used to make these weapons. Some suggest than Angel Dust can be used as well. As weapons made by this process are considered enchanted weapons, they are effective against targets which are otherwise impervious to normal weapons.

Even though this process allows a non alchemist to make magic weapons, magic weapons made by this process are still less common than conventional enchanted weapons. One of the exceptions to this are enchanted arrows which arrows made by this process cost only about one hundred and twenty five to one hundred and fifty gold each. While still expensive, they are a fraction of the cost of enchanted arrows made by alchemist or arrows made using dragon bone shafts. For some reason however, weapons made by this process cannot be further enchanted by an alchemist.

Dragon Forged shields are also available although usually limited to bucklers due to price and are even rarer than weapons. Such shields are three time stronger than normal shields and only blows specifically meant to damage the shield will potentially inflict any damage. Normal weapons will inflict no damage in most cases against Dragon Forged shields. Even then, the weapons only inflict ten percent of the weapon’s normal damage against the shield. Such shields can have quality bonuses in a similar manner to weapons as well.

Theoretically enchanted armors can be made by this same process but are prohibitively expensive. The armors would be able to withstand twice normal damage before being destroyed and would have one greater armor rating. Even though less dragon dust is required by weight for the armor compared to weapons, about one third of a percent, a suit of plate and chain armor made by this method would cost around seventy thousand gold. In comparison, a suit of enchanted plate and chain armor with similar properties would cost about twenty thousand gold. While they cannot be further enchanted by normal alchemists magic, they can be enchanted using wards in a similar fashion to Ward Scored armors with such enchantments as being weightless. Unlike normal Ward Scored armor, they cannot be repaired by normal means however but instead would have to be repaired with material made by the same fashion as the original armor or by magic.

Weapon Damage:

Smaller Weapons (Short Spears, Daggers, Arrowheads, and the like): Normal weapon damage +2.

Larger Weapons (Axes, Polearms, Long Spears, Swords, and the like): Normal weapon damage +1D6.

Weapon damage does not include quality bonuses from Dwarven or Kobold weapon smiths with can further increase weapon damage.

Weapon Strength:

Maximum weapon damage x10.

Weapon Cost:

(Normal Weapon Cost x costs for quality bonuses if any) + (Weight of metal of weapon in ounces x .005 x 25,000)

While Dragon Dust costs 20,000 gold per ounce, weapon smiths do need to make a profit.

With weapons such as spears and pole arms, an attempt has been made to try to list the weight of the head of the actual weapon. To convert pounds to ounces, simply multiply by 16.

Example:

Morkim the Kobold decides to make a Bastard Sword of maximum quality.

Damage:

Normal Bastard Sword damage is 2D6+2.

Assuming, maximum Kobold quality, bonuses are +3 to damage and +1 to strike and parry.

As a “Dragon Forged” weapon, it would inflict 1D6 damage greater than a normal Bastard Sword.

Total damage for a maximum quality “Dragon Forged Sword” would be 3D6+5.

Damage Capacity:

Maximum Damage is 23 and the weapon could withstand 230 points in a single blow before breaking.

Cost:

(50 gold [Bastard Sword Cost] x 13 [1200% cost increase for quality] + (72 ounces [4.5 pounds] x .005 x 25,000)

(650 gold)+(9000 gold) = 9,650 gold total.

Partial List of Approximate Weight of Weapon Heads:

Arrowheads - 0.5 (Bodkin Point) to 1 ounce (Broadhead) [Best to use 1 ounce when calculating cost per arrow].

Battle Axe head - 2.5 lbs / 40 ounces.

Halberd Head - 3.5 lbs / 56 ounces.

Spear Head - 1 lb / 16 ounces.

“Dragon Forged” Buckler:

This assumes a shield with no additional bonuses for quality and uses a weight of 3 lbs. Multiply the base cost (95 gold) for any quality bonuses.

Damage: 2D4+2.

S.D.C.: 210 (Three times normal damage). Only attacks meant to damage the shield inflict any damage and normal weapons inflict no damage. In addition, weapons only inflict 10% normal damage to the shield.

Cost: 6,095 gold (95 + 48 x .005 x 25,000).

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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