Alchemical Silver

[arnon]

I'm having an argument with a friend about Alchemical Silver, and i'd like some help from the sages around here...

His claim is that is can be applied to a weapon (kinda like a template), so he can take his +3 rapier and pay 90 gp and consider it from then on to be alchemicaly silvered. I argue that it is a special material and the weapon needs to be forged as an alchemicaly silvered weapon and then magic should be applied to it.

Thanks,
arnon

 

[Legildur]

I always read the The Item Cost Modifier for Special Materials applies during construction of the item, not at some later point. It's like asking to take a steel shield and then make it mithral at a later date or to make a mundane weapon masterwork.

However, the opening sentence in the DMG (p284) is interesting "a complex process involving metallurgy and alchemy can bond silver to a weapon made of steel ...".

This implies past tense, i.e. that the alchemical silver can be applied after construction of the steel weapon.

However, for a mere 90gp cost, how does your friend's solution then compare to silversheen, which provides the alchemical silver properties to a weapon for 1 hour at a cost of 250gp?

It seems to suggest that the alchemcial silvering process cannot be applied after the construction of the weapon.

 

[Shin Okada]

While descriptive text of Alchemical Silver is suggesting that is a kind of coating or plating, it may not automatically means that "a weapon made of steel" used for Alchemical Silver coating is an ordinary steel weapon.

Such a "core" weapon can be slightly different from a steel weapon which meant to be used as it is. It may be thinner than usual steel weapon. Or it's surface are prepared for accepting additional silver surface (like chemical etching).

By RAW Alchemical Silver is classified as a special material and thus you can make an alchemical weapon only when making a base weapon before applying any magical property.

 

[Dragonwriter]

A weapon made from a special material must be made, not upgraded. Each of those special materials in the DMG are there to add that cost to the weapon itself, on top of the base price. You can have a +3 silver rapier, but it was always silver from the start, rather than someone choosing to alchemically alter it.

Really, I prefer not to carry several weapons, so I just use silversheen. It can get expensive, but I don't like carrying extra blades and such, just for one material.

 

[Darklone]

Really, I prefer not to carry several weapons, so I just use silversheen. It can get expensive, but I don't like carrying extra blades and such, just for one material.

I do like Ehlonnas golfbag: Every weapon you can think of made from every material you need

 

[Runestar]

Wasn't there a pair of gloves somewhere which let your weapons be treated as magic silver for overcoming dr?

Player's guide to faerun has this funny battleaxe where half of its axe-head is made of cold iron, and the other half out of adamantine, letting you overcome either dr with the same weapon (simply by using the appropriate side against a particular foe).

This would take care of metallic dr...

 

[Shin Okada]

Wasn't there a pair of gloves somewhere which let your weapons be treated as magic silver for overcoming dr?

Gauntlets of Weaponry Arcane (MIC P.104)

There also be Ring of Adamantine Touch (MIC P.121)

So, with those two items and a weapon made of cold iron (or abyssal blood iron), you can overcome all the three types of DR/metal.

You still need Byeshk if you are playing in Eberron, though.