D&D 5E Goodman Games Next Crowdfunding Project: Terror of the Underdeep

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But you've (again) failed to answer the obvious question at the heart of the issue:

How do you define "pure" electrum, as called for in the adventure's plot?

There is no such thing.

 

[Oryzarius]

And we all know that "a wizard did it" is often merely an excuse for authorial laziness.

That said, I do find a later piece of the adventure sample that acknowledges that electrum is an alloy. So perhaps the mysterious figure behind the adventure requires a specific ratio of gold to silver in his/her/its electrum ingots for their magical/alchemical purpose. I suppose we have to wait for the complete adventure (or, hopefully, the background introduction at the beginning of the book) to know.

 

[darjr]

I dint know if it’s relevant to this use of electrum but I thought it was interesting that oxides can come in mixed metal oxides.

List Common Oxide Minerals - 911Metallurgist

Oxide minerals can be listed as compounds of oxygen with metals. A list of the common oxide minerals with the spinel structure, together with their

www.911metallurgist.com

 

[darjr]

Oh! And Electrum does appear in nature. I didn’t know that.

Note: I was behind in the thread.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And we all know that "a wizard did it" is often merely an excuse for authorial laziness.

I think authors and readers don't always agree on how rigorous the "science" of a fantasy world should be. Almost none of any ttrpg world makes any sense in terms of physics alone, to say nothing of biology or even chemistry.

If you are having giants stomping around -- which simply doesn't make any sense, looking as humanoid as they do in the art -- the Goodman Games loose setting of Aerth already doesn't make any sense from a scientific standpoint. I don't find it to be a problem if they handwave the idea of electrum being "pure" in that environment.

 

[jerryrice4949]

Kinda bummed this is B&W. Grew up in 1st and 2nd edition and I don’t mind the OARs reprinted as they were but after doing the Dunegon Denizens in color this seems like a weird choice. Pretty pricey for black and white to me.

 

[Oryzarius]

If you are having giants stomping around -- which simply doesn't make any sense, looking as humanoid as they do in the art -- the Goodman Games loose setting of Aerth already doesn't make any sense from a scientific standpoint. I don't find it to be a problem if they handwave the idea of electrum being "pure" in that environment.

That's a fair point, but to me handwaving can come in both the "appropriate" and "lazy" varieties.

Giants are a part of myth and literature. Ignoring even basic physics like square-cube relationships makes sense for the sake of the story... although it's generally even more fun if you lampshade the issue occasionally by describing how giants move differently from humans, instead of like rejected extras from Attack of the 50-Foot Woman.

But then there are "lazy" examples of handwaving. How many sci-fi TV series get rotational gravity on space stations totally wrong, just because the writers couldn't be bothered, not because it opens up any narrative tropes?

Deciding that "electrum" in my RPG universe is a pure metal that just happens to have the same name as a terrestrial alloy would be like deciding that "wet" in my RPG universe describes an abudance of dust-storms. It generates linguistic and practical confusion rather than serving any sort of legitimate purpose towards story or world-building.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Would you rather have Goodman Games...

Hire a metalogylist to consult them about metal types?

Or

Three more art pieces??

 

[Oryzarius]

Who needs a metallurgist? You could just know, from general education; I've known what electrum is since 1e days, when I had to look it up in the encyclopedia.

Or, in modern times, you could undertake the immense effort of, say, consulting Wikipedia for thirty seconds.

 

[Riley]

The periodic table is a myth. Pure electrum seems just as plausible as mithril, adamantium, Khyber crystals, dragonshards, and platinum.

After decades of electrum’s exclusive use as treasure chest packing material, I’m thrilled someone’s finally found a better use for the stuff!