Craft mithral weapons question...

[poilbrun]

In the description of mithral, here's what's being said : "Weapons or armor fashioned from mithral are treated as MW items with regard to creation times". What does it mean exactly? The question is arising in one of my games where the dwarf wants to craft a mithral full plate...

Also, the armor check penalty is 3 lower because of mithral. If he makes his mithral full plate masterwork (lowering the armor check penalty by 1 again), do the two bonus stack (as they are, I believe, unnamed) or not?

Thanks

 

[EverSoar]

What it refers to, is the time it takes to make the item. Same time as a masterwork item.

 

[Henrix]

It also says "but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons or the armor check penalty of armor."

 

[poilbrun]

What it refers to, is the time it takes to make the item. Same time as a masterwork item.

So, as if the mithral part only costed 150gp as afr as creation time is concerned, right? (for armor ; 300 gp for weapons)

 

[poilbrun]

It also says "but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons or the armor check penalty of armor."

But you could put the MW quality on top of a mithral armor or weapon, or not?

 

[CRGreathouse]

But you could put the MW quality on top of a mithral armor or weapon, or not?

No, it's already effectively mw.

 

[theoremtank]

I had long debates about getting this clarified a long time ago and it evenutally got officially clarified.

You essentially cannot make a non-masterwork mithral weapon or suit of armor. All mithral weapons and armor ARE masterwork.
(So if you sucessfully create a suit of mithral armor, it is a masterwork suit of armor.)

Mithral armors, as stated in the DMG, have thier armor check penalty reduced by 3. Since the armor is already masterwork, there is no additional reduction. This was an official ruling.

Now, what kind of bonuses mithral weapons get (if any at all) is a whole new debate...

 

[Taluron]

According to the DnD FAQ bonuses for mithral and masterwork DO stack. Unfortunately that piece of info is, while plainly written, accidentaly hidden. Page 71 , second column, first full question, about dastana and chahar-aina. Last sentence of answer: "The reduction for mithral and masterwork stacks."

[edit:wrong page number]

 

[poilbrun]

According to the DnD FAQ bonuses for mithral and masterwork DO stack. Unfortunately that piece of info is, while plainly written, accidentaly hidden. Page 71 , second column, first full question, about dastana and chahar-aina. Last sentence of answer: "The reduction for mithral and masterwork stacks."

[edit:wrong page number]

Thanks a lot, at least now I have an official ruling!

Now if anyone could clearly explain me what they mean by "treated as MW items with regard to creation times", I'd be the happiest guy on earth... or maybe not, but really happy nonetheless

 

[Taluron]

That means that it takes an amount of time equivalent to making a masterwork item to craft an item from mithral whether the mithral item is masterwork or not. It takes longer to work with mithral than it does with iron. The only thing I've not been able to figure out is whether making a masterwork, mithral item would take twice as long but I'm thinking it would.