Blood red metal, what would you make it?

[Dagger75]

Or the metal could have been mined and smelted in a distant land. The swords color could be a clue as to were the cult was from, or who is supporting them.

Or you could give them a bonus +1 damage to celestials. Doesn't go through DR or act as a magic against them just irritating. The demons made there weapons so the celestials wouldn't use there own weapons against them.

 

[Voadam]

Planescape had Tanar'ri red steel --- the equivalent of the green steel of Baator. The two sides in the Blood War had millennia to find, mine, or create metals toxic to their enemies. The ragtag armies of the Abyss would be equipped with weapons cut from the stuff, which had at least the ability to harm devils (baatezu) regardless of their resistances. I seem to recall that it showed up again in one of the 3E/3.5 books...

As well, there's the Legacy Leech from the Savage Coast setting --- a demon banished to the Prime Material. It assumes the form of red-steel weapons. Check its stats on the Vaults of Pandius site.

I think Lord of the Iron Fortress had Baatorian Green Steel, I'll check it out when I get home.

 

[Sejs]

Ancient demon cult, eh?


How about the steel in those weapons was mixed with some of the blood of the cult's patron, the blood and the instructions on how to use it given as a sign of his favor. The blood-steel, as a result, has its deep, rich crimson color, it never corrodes (whether naturally, or by rusting attacks), and is considdered evil for the purposes of overcoming DR. Helps explain why the weapons are all intact after all this time, gives 'em a little bit of oomph without having to all be magical, and gives 'em an ability that makes sense given their origin that also doesn't really boost the PCs all that much.

 

[howandwhy99]

demon bones? (or devil bones)

the remains of a retriever?

 

[painandgreed]

I'd just make it something evil. Normal steel turned red due to the rituals that were preformed on it. The only way to destory it will be to carry it to a foundry and have it smelted back down to iron ingots.

 

[Eremite]

Another option is to make it nephelium (clear iron introduced by Bruce Cordell [IIRC] in 2E's Gates of Firestorm Peak and again in 3E's Sunless Citadel) and have it stained red with blood, iron flakes (or whatever), red gemstones etc....

 

[Carnifex]

If it's an old demon cult, sounds like it would most likely be tanar'ri red steel.

What's the module, what edition? That might help with the answer?

 

[rumblehed]

Savage Coast

Sounds like a superb opportunity to make use of some of that old Savage Coast material, much of which you still might be able to download for free. If I recall rightly, the greater the distance from the Savage Coast, the greater the dimishment of power in the Red Steel. By the time your party discovers the stuff, could be nothing more than curiously colored ordinary weaponry. Might provide a nice hook, though.

 

[Tessarael]

Here are my notes on Red Steel from the 3.5E D&D adapted Mystara campaign that I'm in:

"Some of the local watch are equipped with armour of a distinct reddish hue, made from depleted cinnabryl, known as Red Steel. Cinnabryl is depleted as it protects against the red curse. Red steel is half the weight of steel and stronger than steel. It can be purchased in Slagovich. The cost of red steel is 20x normal steel, with a cost of 2sp/ounce. Red steel can be enchanted. Red steel requires special tools and skills to work it. Red steel weapons count as magic for hitting things (i.e. bypasses DR/magic). Red steel armor reduces the armor check penalty by 2 and the maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, but the
armor category doesn't change. Red armor and weapons cost 10x the normal amount. Red steel has the same hardness and HP as mithral: hardness 15, 30 hit points/inch of thickness."

 

[tarchon]

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