D&D General Mithral v Silver

[77IM]

I treat mithril as silver with regards to damage reduction. As mentioned, mithril's basically Super-Silver.

As an aside, I allow druids to wear mithril armor and also alchemically silvered armor. Since silver is like a sacred moon-metal, and it can be worked at lower temperatures.

 

[Steampunkette]

So... let's talk Steel and Titanium and their relative properties!

Titanium is a "Light Metal" with just about 40% of the density of steel in it's solid form. Which is to say that it's crystalline structure is "Larger" and more "Empty" with the same amount of material. It's also -stronger- than steel in two specific ways.

Firstly, it has over a 50% elasticity modulus, where Steel's is somewhere around 15%. This means that if you try and stretch Steel to the breaking point it will only stretch up to 15% along it's tensile axis before breaking. Meanwhile titanium will stretch -much- longer before breaking.

Secondly: Titanium Oxide forms on the surface of titanium, whether exposed to water or oxygen, and is an incredibly hard surface.

But. This makes Titanium absolutely TERRIBLE for use as a basis of a sword.

See, steel's good because it doesn't easily deform, which Titanium does. Steel bends back into shape because it's elasticity is low, while a Titanium blade would just stay bent.

Further complicating matters, Titanium has a relatively low hardness (70) compared to steel (121). And while Titanium Oxide is particularly durable, the core is still a more brittle material.

What makes Titanium really useful is it's biomedical applications (it's nonreactive as an implant material) and it's elasticity under great stress (Fighter Jets and Spaceships need that).

But for a weapon or armor? It'd be abjectly terrible. Titanium is not Mithril. It's half as heavy and half as useful.

 

[Baron Opal II]

I think I remember True Silver coming up in D&D back in the 70's or early 80's. But no idea the source, canon, 3rd party, or Tolkien! Anyone know?

As for me, I hate material specific immunities and resistances. I find them cumbersome and annoying as a player. Lets see; my sword is silver, my mace is adamantine, my hammer is holy and then I have pair of daggers, one lawful and one anarchic! Now which weapon do I use when fighting an adamantine flaming skeletal Archer?

The Compleat Alchemist, by Bard Games, gave rules for and methods of creation the seven true metals.

True gold, silver, and copper allowed for easier enchantment. True iron was stronger, while true lead could be made into an anti-magical lacquer. I think there was a true platinum and sulfur as well.

 

[Umbran]

See, steel's good because it doesn't easily deform, which Titanium does. Steel bends back into shape because it's elasticity is low, while a Titanium blade would just stay bent.

Um, not quite. The elasticity modulus is defined how far you can deform the material without permanently changing its shape. It is a measure of how "springy" the material is. That's why some frames for eyeglasses are titanium - so that if, say, you get hit in the face with a volleyball, your glasses will bend and return to shape, rather than just break.

The problem with titanium weapons is then not that they bend and stay bent - they don't, they'll spring right back. The problem is that a weapon's ability to transfer energy to the target usually depends on it not deforming when you hit. If your weapon deforms, that usually means some of the force you are applying gets redirected to make the weapon slide past the target, generating more glancing blows than solid shots.

 

[Steampunkette]

Um, not quite. The elasticity modulus is defined how far you can deform the material without permanently changing its shape. It is a measure of how "springy" the material is. That's why some frames for eyeglasses are titanium - so that if, say, you get hit in the face with a volleyball, your glasses will bend and return to shape, rather than just break.

The problem with titanium weapons is then not that they bend and stay bent - they don't, they'll spring right back. The problem is that a weapon's ability to transfer energy to the target usually depends on it not deforming when you hit. If your weapon deforms, that usually means some of the force you are applying gets redirected to make the weapon slide past the target, generating more glancing blows than solid shots.

Ah! Thank you for the correction!

 

[LordEntrails]

If it matters, there is no one "steel". All steels are alloys (combinations of different elements including iron and carbon) So each steel alloy can have different properties, as well as how the alloy is heated (temper) will effect its elasticity. There is hard and brittle steel, and their is springy steel and their is (relatively) soft steel, plus more

Titanium is an element, so one could be talking pure Ti, but again, it is usually alloyed, plus temper always matters

 

[jasper]

Why? no real answer.

But, when 3x/PF came out I really liked the idea of going with the 'True Silver' title and letting it act like weaponized silver, too.

There a Marshal in Blue with a mask on asking about a stolen horse.

 

[Wolf72]

Totally missing the link there, but given my day so far ... par for the course.

 

[Savage Wombat]

Isn't "true silver" connected to how the word "mithril" is created in J.R.R.T.'s elvish dictionary? I remember "mith" meaning "grey".

 

[Rabulias]

Totally missing the link there, but given my day so far ... par for the course.

I think @jasper is alluding to the Lone Ranger, whose horse was named Silver.