Adamantine vs. Incorporeality

[Tom Cashel]

Okay...so the (completely underpriced and unbalanced) exotic substance Adamantine grants a "+2 natural enhancement bonus" to weapons from which it is made. This bonus is effective even in an anti-magic field, and cuts right through a Stoneskin spell.

But does it count as a bonus where incorporeal undead are concerned, if the weapon has no "true" magical enhancement...only the enhancement from the substance? Opinions welcomed.

(Side note: It costs less to get a +2 bonus from adamantine than it does for a true +2 magic enhancement. So you can get keen adamantine weapons, thereby increasing the threat range, while paying a cut-rate for an enhancement bonus that is good in nearly all situations. For this reason, my in-game ruling was that the keen adamantine sword--that has no "true" magic bonus--would not affect the ghost.)

 

[Dave99]

First off, I wouldn't (won't) allow a magic ability (keen) unless from a spellcater to be placed on for all intensive purpose a master work weapon.

So no keen, Rare metal cost whatever the market will bear, so this varies from world to world, in mine it will cost you more for Adamantine then its magical counter part or at least as much.

Incorporeal, nope better at least cast magic weapon on it. If you need magic to hit, then magic it is, while being a better metal than steal for weapons adamantine isn't of itself magical.

 

[Lucius Foxhound]

I agree... common sense tells you that adamantine won't affect wraiths... (and an interesting point that you could not make it a keen weapon to start with...)

But by the RULES (and this is the rules forum, no?) there is no distinction between a "+2 natural enhancement bonus" and a "+2 enhancement bonus." So I think it would hit an incorporeal being.

Maybe 3.5 will fix this...

 

[LokiDR]

Acording to Destil in this other thread

By 3E rules according to the FAQ the natural enhancement bonus of adamant dosn't overcome DR.

The problem is that I can't find this in the main FAQ.

I have always been told that natural enhancement does not apply to DR. That would include gasous, incorporial, or etheral. You don't have magic. This is the way I have always played it, as it keeps Adamantine from being abused.

 

[kreynolds]

Okay...so the (completely underpriced and unbalanced) exotic substance Adamantine grants a "+2 natural enhancement bonus" to weapons from which it is made. This bonus is effective even in an anti-magic field, and cuts right through a Stoneskin spell.

Adamantine does not negate any form of DR except for DR that is specifically defeated by adamantine (i.e. 3.5).

But does it count as a bonus where incorporeal undead are concerned...

Good question. I don't believe it does, but I could very well be wrong on this.

So you can get keen adamantine weapons, thereby increasing the threat range, while paying a cut-rate for an enhancement bonus that is good in nearly all situations.

You would need to have your adamantine weapon upgraded with a minimum of a +1 magical enhancement though. The natural enhancement bonus of adamantine doesn't cut it.

 

[LokiDR]

and cuts right through a Stoneskin spell.

Mind explaining that statement. Stoneskin gives damage reduction 10/+5, which +2 enhancement won't cut through, magic or not.

 

[kreynolds]

The problem is that I can't find this in the main FAQ.

AFAIK, it isn't in there. I know I saw it in MMII, and I've seen it in a sage reply.

 

[LokiDR]

AFAIK, it isn't in there. I know I saw it in MMII, and I've seen it in a sage reply.

Ok. I have always seen this as a reference to FAQ. But the MMII is probably more "official".

 

[kreynolds]

Yeah, this topic goes round and round and round. It doesn't surprise me that it hasn't been addressed in the FAQ though. I don't really think the "adamantine can bypass DR" thing even _needs_ to be addressed in the FAQ, because as far as "official" is concerned, the DMG doesn't say that it can and the MMII specifically says that it can't.

With that said, however, since not everyone own's MMII, perhaps it should indeed be addressed in the FAQ.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Mind explaining that statement. Stoneskin gives damage reduction 10/+5, which +2 enhancement won't cut through, magic or not.

Correct. I was thinking of Stoneskin v3.5.

You would need to have your adamantine weapon upgraded with a minimum of a +1 magical enhancement though. The natural enhancement bonus of adamantine doesn't cut it.

Why? You have to have "+1" before you can have "keen"?