The_Universe
First Post
This struck me as a bit odd. I can understand that bronze weapons might have a penalty vs. iron or steel weapons and armor....but against other bronze, wouldn't it just even out?Olgar Shiverstone said:
Limitations of Bronze
- Thread starter Michael Morris
- Start date
Voadam
Legend
I like the rules from one of the Avalanche historical books (I forget if it was atlantis or heliopolis) that had bronze age weapons doing the same damage but weakened on either hardness or hit points so they are easier to sunder. Simple to implement, does not affect game balance for weapon vs spell power, and provides a little incremental benefit to iron age over bronze age.
I also made great use of arsenic bronze as ancient weapons from a demon cult in a game after googling the term.
I also made great use of arsenic bronze as ancient weapons from a demon cult in a game after googling the term.
Mark Plemmons
Explorer
Here's some "preview" info from Goods and Gear: the Ultimate Adventurer's Guide. I say "preview" since the book is already available. Of course, you may disagree with the metal statistics, but at least they're there. 
On Tellene, bone, stone and wooden weapons are primarily wielded by primitives and savage jungle tribes, such as those in the Obakasek and Vohven Jungle. Where wood is rare, such as in the Elos and Khydoban deserts, bone, stone and bronze often takes its place. Most Dejy and Fhokki tribes and nomads also use bronze, along with iron and stone.
In other lands, the use of bronze weapons is now more of affectation or tradition, having been surpassed by iron and steel. Steel weapons are most predominent in Brandobia, the current and former Kalamaran Empire, Svimohzia and Zoa. Where there is less knowledge or mastery of steel-making, iron is the most common metal for forging weapons.
For weapons that make use of metal blades or other damage inflicting surfaces, the selection of materials other than iron can affect various aspects of the weapon properties as shown in Table 2-13: Weapon Material Modifiers. For example, a heavy (iron) mace deals 1d8 damage and weighs 12 pounds. However, a heavy (bronze) mace would deal 1d8-1 damage, though its weight would not change. Crafting a normally wooden item with bronze would raise its bonuses and double its weight. A standard bird’s head (wood) club does 1d6 damage and weighs 3 pounds, but a bird’s head (bronze) club deals 1d6+1 damage and weighs 6 pounds.
The weapons listed in Chapter Two: Weapons already have these numbers factored in based on their listed material – the player or DM does not need to apply these additional bonuses or penalties to these standard weapons. Only apply the modifiers seen on Table 2-13: Weapon Material Modifiers if the players craft, find or purchase an unusual weapon. (Note that if a weapon description does not specify what it is made of, it can generally be assumed to be iron.)
Table 2-13: Weapon Material Modifiers [modified layout for web post]
Wood, bone, horn or stone: Damage -2, Attack -2, Weight x 1/2
Bronze: Damage -1, Attack -1, Weight +/-0
Iron: Damage +/-0, Attack +/-0, Weight +/-0
Steel: Damage +1, Attack +/-0, Weight +/-0
Bronze armors were commonly used for some time in Tellene’s history, as the Dejy of the Elos and Khydoban worked in bronze 1000 years before the arrival of the other humans on the main continent. While the knowledge of effectively crafting iron and steel was long known by the elves and dwarves, bronze was state of the art in human development.
In an area where copper is plentiful relative to iron, such as the Elos and Khydoban deserts, one would expect to find more items crafted of bronze. Although bronze armor and shields are generally known to be inferior to similar iron or steel designs, such armors are only half the price of iron ones.
Making armor out of bronze results in a -1 penalty to AC below the values listed for standard iron armor in Table 3-1: Armor. The armor types for which bronze versions are available include: banded mail, backplate, breastplate, chain shirt, chainmail, frontplate, full plate, half-plate, scale mail and splint mail. For information on crafting armor, see page 71 of the D&D Player’s Handbook. The DC associated with crafting bronze armor is 9 + the AC bonus. Bronze shields are equivalent to iron shields of the same size, though they can only take 1d4 hits before becoming unusable.
This supplement also has info on iron and steel, adamantine, darkwood, dragonhide, mithral and monsterhide armors. Plus bartering, marketplace swindles, taxation and trade, over 600 ranged and melee weapons, as well as weapon accessories, details, pricing and statistics for over 100 hirelings and mercenaries, information on slaves and companions, hundreds of mundane items and tools, and much much more....
On Tellene, bone, stone and wooden weapons are primarily wielded by primitives and savage jungle tribes, such as those in the Obakasek and Vohven Jungle. Where wood is rare, such as in the Elos and Khydoban deserts, bone, stone and bronze often takes its place. Most Dejy and Fhokki tribes and nomads also use bronze, along with iron and stone.
In other lands, the use of bronze weapons is now more of affectation or tradition, having been surpassed by iron and steel. Steel weapons are most predominent in Brandobia, the current and former Kalamaran Empire, Svimohzia and Zoa. Where there is less knowledge or mastery of steel-making, iron is the most common metal for forging weapons.
For weapons that make use of metal blades or other damage inflicting surfaces, the selection of materials other than iron can affect various aspects of the weapon properties as shown in Table 2-13: Weapon Material Modifiers. For example, a heavy (iron) mace deals 1d8 damage and weighs 12 pounds. However, a heavy (bronze) mace would deal 1d8-1 damage, though its weight would not change. Crafting a normally wooden item with bronze would raise its bonuses and double its weight. A standard bird’s head (wood) club does 1d6 damage and weighs 3 pounds, but a bird’s head (bronze) club deals 1d6+1 damage and weighs 6 pounds.
The weapons listed in Chapter Two: Weapons already have these numbers factored in based on their listed material – the player or DM does not need to apply these additional bonuses or penalties to these standard weapons. Only apply the modifiers seen on Table 2-13: Weapon Material Modifiers if the players craft, find or purchase an unusual weapon. (Note that if a weapon description does not specify what it is made of, it can generally be assumed to be iron.)
Table 2-13: Weapon Material Modifiers [modified layout for web post]
Wood, bone, horn or stone: Damage -2, Attack -2, Weight x 1/2
Bronze: Damage -1, Attack -1, Weight +/-0
Iron: Damage +/-0, Attack +/-0, Weight +/-0
Steel: Damage +1, Attack +/-0, Weight +/-0
Bronze armors were commonly used for some time in Tellene’s history, as the Dejy of the Elos and Khydoban worked in bronze 1000 years before the arrival of the other humans on the main continent. While the knowledge of effectively crafting iron and steel was long known by the elves and dwarves, bronze was state of the art in human development.
In an area where copper is plentiful relative to iron, such as the Elos and Khydoban deserts, one would expect to find more items crafted of bronze. Although bronze armor and shields are generally known to be inferior to similar iron or steel designs, such armors are only half the price of iron ones.
Making armor out of bronze results in a -1 penalty to AC below the values listed for standard iron armor in Table 3-1: Armor. The armor types for which bronze versions are available include: banded mail, backplate, breastplate, chain shirt, chainmail, frontplate, full plate, half-plate, scale mail and splint mail. For information on crafting armor, see page 71 of the D&D Player’s Handbook. The DC associated with crafting bronze armor is 9 + the AC bonus. Bronze shields are equivalent to iron shields of the same size, though they can only take 1d4 hits before becoming unusable.
This supplement also has info on iron and steel, adamantine, darkwood, dragonhide, mithral and monsterhide armors. Plus bartering, marketplace swindles, taxation and trade, over 600 ranged and melee weapons, as well as weapon accessories, details, pricing and statistics for over 100 hirelings and mercenaries, information on slaves and companions, hundreds of mundane items and tools, and much much more....
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