"Creating" Mithral and/or Deep Crystal

[Brace Cormaeril]

Does anyone on the bored know of a way to get Mithral or Deep Crystal without mining it out of the ground or buying it in a shop? I'm thinking along the lines of transmutation, or something?
Thanks for any input!

 

[javcs]

Use Polymorph Any Object on an amount of metal equal to the amount of mithral you want, or some extra, just in case.

Some DM's may not want you doing this wholesale, though.

 

[Arkhandus]

Play a high-level Shaper psion, 16th-level or higher (it's an 8th-level power), and use the True Creation power. Permanent, nonmagical, nonpsionic, completely normal items and materials are created, but it costs you 10 XP per 1 GP of value (at least in 3.0, dunno if it changed in 3.5). Probably best to use gradually over time (i.e. create a single plate for a suit of mithral full plate, hunt down a few slightly-tough monsters for XP, repeat until all pieces are made, then create the portions of mithral chainmail that bind the pieces together, and the suit of padding that goes within).

 

[Vuron]

Use Polymorph Any Object on an amount of metal equal to the amount of mithral you want, or some extra, just in case.

Some DM's may not want you doing this wholesale, though.

Nope Polymorph Any Object is a no go.

This spell cannot create material of great intrinsic value, such as copper, silver, gems, silk, gold, platinum, mithral, or adamantine.

Pretty much allowing transmutation effects to generate objects with great intrindic value would ruin the economy of any society as any sorcerer or wizard could just transform lead into gold all day long.

 

[Vuron]

Play a high-level Shaper psion, 16th-level or higher (it's an 8th-level power), and use the True Creation power. Permanent, nonmagical, nonpsionic, completely normal items and materials are created, but it costs you 10 XP per 1 GP of value (at least in 3.0, dunno if it changed in 3.5). Probably best to use gradually over time (i.e. create a single plate for a suit of mithral full plate, hunt down a few slightly-tough monsters for XP, repeat until all pieces are made, then create the portions of mithral chainmail that bind the pieces together, and the suit of padding that goes within).

True Creation is a 9th level shaper power and costs XP equal to 1/5 the base value of the object.

Assuming you are planning on enchanting the object yourself this means the mithral needed for a shield would be 200xp.

Needless to say for the most part purchasing mithral/ adamantine etc is a better trade-off than spellcasting for it

 

[wildstarsreach]

Play a high-level Shaper psion, 16th-level or higher (it's an 8th-level power), and use the True Creation power. Permanent, nonmagical, nonpsionic, completely normal items and materials are created, but it costs you 10 XP per 1 GP of value (at least in 3.0, dunno if it changed in 3.5). Probably best to use gradually over time (i.e. create a single plate for a suit of mithral full plate, hunt down a few slightly-tough monsters for XP, repeat until all pieces are made, then create the portions of mithral chainmail that bind the pieces together, and the suit of padding that goes within).

Thanks, I currently playing a Psiforged Shaper and that has given me some evil ideas.

 

[Machiavelli]

create a single plate for a suit of mithral full plate, hunt down a few slightly-tough monsters for XP, repeat until all pieces are made

Holy crap! That's a really terrible reason to kill things: "I need new armor"

Talk about meta-gaming...

 

[Arkhandus]

Hahahaha!

Yeah, I guess.

But hey, when you're a high-level psion and there are still orcs and red dragons and frost giants around, you're really just doing the world a service.

Besides, you can feel your energy being leeched away by the mighty powers you wield, and by that point you're experienced enough to know that destroying enemies has built up your power......so it's a likely conclusion. Also, your character basically knows what their spells/powers known can do, and what their basic limits or costs are (otherwise, how'd you cast a spell like resurrection as a cleric, for instance, if you had no idea that it required a lot of expensive diamonds? How would you know that your magic missile can reach far-off enemies but ray of frost cannot?). The psion would know upon awakening the True Creation power within him that it'll steal a bit of his energy if he creates something common (wood or stone, frex) and a whole lot if he creates something rare (mithral or diamonds, frex). At least in the 3.0 version; it seems that the 3.5 version is a bit higher-level and less expensive in terms of XP.

But hey; how many times do you think the campaign setting's high-level casters can get access to expensive material components, before they start to grow scarce? Eventually they won't be found except very very deep underground (at least for metals and gems), and you won't find many people willing to dig down that deep (especially after folks disappear en masse from breaching mind flayer conclaves, duergar delves, and drow caverns). Best to create your own rare components with True Creation, and make some money selling them while purging the world of high-level nasties (of course, this could lead you into facing an Advanced Great Wyrm Red Dragon or Paragon Mind Flayer or Gloom assassin......).

 

[javcs]

Nope Polymorph Any Object is a no go.



Pretty much allowing transmutation effects to generate objects with great intrindic value would ruin the economy of any society as any sorcerer or wizard could just transform lead into gold all day long.

True, however, in the the description of Mithral Golems and Adamantine Golems:
Mithral

Construction
A mithral golem’s body is sculpted from 8 1/2 tons of pure iron and is then polymorphed into mithral (using polymorph any object). A mithral golem costs 250,000 gold pieces to create, which includes 5,000 gp for the body. Assembling the body requires a successful Craft (armorsmithing) or Craft (weaponsmithing) check (DC 30). The creator must be 25th level, have the Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor feat, and be able to cast arcane spells. Completing the ritual drains 5,000 XP from the creator and requires geas/quest, haste, and wish.

Adamantine

Construction
An adamantine golem’s body is sculpted from 45,000 pounds of pure iron and is then polymorphed into adamantine (using polymorph any object). The golem costs 500,000 gold pieces to create, which includes 25,000 gp for the body. Assembling the body requires a successful Craft (armorsmithing) or Craft (weaponsmithing) check (DC 40). The creator must be 30th level, have the Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor feat, and be able to cast arcane spells. Completing the ritual drains 10,000 XP from the creator and requires crushing hand, geas/quest, and wish.

So there is precedent, of a sort.
You may well need vastly more of the iron than mithral you'll be creating, but . . .

 

[Brace Cormaeril]

It seems like the "special rituals" make this cost prohibitive...

An item that is "permanent" as per PolyAnyObject gets hit with a Dispel... is it dispelled?