Mystical Properties of Materials

[Tywyll]

I am working on a campaign in which the main player race are Sidhe-like elves. As such, Iron, or True-Iron is a very special and dangerous metal. It is not only bane to the Elves, but also to magic itself.

Now, in most cases, how to handle this is clear... the elves have suitable disads based around Iron and I am thinking that a lot of spells will have a -1/4 limitation "Not versus Iron" (like forcefileds and things can be cut by iron, but a wall of real stone couldn't).

But that made me think about items fashioned from Iron itself. Obviously I will control the amount of iron that makes it into the game and into PC hands (the few humans and dwarves around) but should Iron be a Power Advantage (purely for figuring rough power level... as a Heroic game, PCs won't pay points for their gear per normal)? Or should the limitations be inherent in the power Iron opposes (making the power cheaper)?

[Blue Jogger]

I feel that, given a choice, the advantage (Iron) is used +1/2 because iron is so incredible rare, it is rare like Armor Pieceing is rare.

If spells that are not affected by iron are rare, then they get a rare Advantage, +1/4 Unaffected by Iron. This reflects that they are Hardened to iron.

If spells that are affected by iron are rare, (only these spells), then you go the opposite way and say that's a -1/4, Lim: "Not vs. Iron"

[Curufea]

If it affects all PCs equally - it shouldn't be an advantage or a limitation - just part of the genre. (much like common skills).

However - if there is a possibiliity a PC's strengths of powers won't be affected by iron, that should be an advantage.

[Captain Obvious]

I would say that it should be a Limitation on the spells in question, assuming you're working in a standard (Iron Age or later) fantasy setting.

If you have a Bronze Age type setting, where iron weapons are the cutting edge (no pun intended) of technology (or one where iron is rare like Athas), then it should be an advantage on the weapon itself. It was during this transition from Bronze Age to Iron Age that iron picked up this property, when a blacksmith was considered a wizard because of the ultra-powerful weapons he made....

[Markdoc]

I agree it should be a limitation on the spells/powers.

You might like to see how I handled this at:

http://www.geocities.com/markdoc.geo/Gaming_stuff/Grimoire/magic_systems.htm#On%20Stranger%20Tides

Although obviously not all the limitations will apply to what you want.

cheers, Mark