Silver Weapons

[Agnostic Paladin]

One of my fellow players is planning to start crafting some masterwork weapons for the party when we finish the forge of fury (actually, just two - a spiked chain for me and a greatsword for our Ginsu fighter).

Now, we're perfectly clear on how he goes about doing that. The problem (for me, since I'm the one the DM looks to as to how the rules work) is that he wants to silver them. Since the only thing I can find in the books is silver daggers (at ten times normal cost) and silver arrows (at twenty times normal cost), I'm thinking that the ruling's going to have to be ad hoc. I'm planning to suggest that the DM have the weapon cost be five time normal (not the masterwork component - just the weapon itself). I'm also considering suggesting that the silvering be a third Craft check (in the same way that the MW is a second check)

Comments? Ideas? Helpful pointers to the rules (or sage advice) that's got this covered?

 

[Caliban]

I haven't seen any hard and fast rule, but 10x cost for a weapon and 20x cost for ammunition sounds like a good rule of thumb.

I do know that seems to be the guideline they used on a silvered masterwork battleaxe I received in an RPGA module. The axe was listed with a worth of 400 gp, which after subtracting 300 gp for masterwork leaves 100 gp, which is 10x the cost of a normal battleaxe.

 

['o Skoteinos]

MoF has a section about exotic materials, including silver. This make the whole weapon out of silver, instead of just giving it a silver cover.

Stats for (magically treated) silver weapon:

Cost +1000 GP.
It is masterwork
Hardness 10, 30 HP/inch
Can damage with DR x/silver
Deals +1 damage to creatures with DR x/silver
Can make weapons from silver whose strikingpoint or surface is not primarily metal (longspear and longsword are ok, club is not)
Weapon weights as much as steel version

 

[Agnostic Paladin]

The main reason that I plan to suggest x5 rather than the x10 of a dagger is that I'm figuring that a good portion of the cost is fairly fixed and that the cost of the silver is the lesser component. Basically, there's got to be a reason that a fine arrowhead is 20 times and a tiny dagger is only 10 times.

I'm pretty sure he's not talking about making the weapon out of pure silver - besides, he doesn't have any magical ability so he wouldn't be able to do the "magically treated" part. He's just a Tymoran who wants the weapons to be really shiny.

 

[CRGreathouse]

10x sounds like a reasonable cost; a mw silvered longsword would then cost 450 gp. +700 gp for pure silver isn't what you want, I agree; plus, it's a little silly.

 

[Hypersmurf]

He's just a Tymoran who wants the weapons to be really shiny.

In that case, my good man, I direct you to the 1st Edition Sourcebook Unearthed Arcana, page 46, the Cantrips section.

Polish and Shine, for all your mirror-bright finish needs!

Ah, First Edition Cantrips. Is there nothing they can't do?

-Hyp.

 

[eXodus]

now this brings up a question from me.

in the game i am dming the party is closing on with a duel with a thieves guild that is made up of a den of wererats.

scary, huh.

well our heroes will be needing some silver weapons to combat the scourge. will they need something coated in silver as agnostic paladin is suggesting or something completely made of silver?

 

[CRGreathouse]

in the game i am dming the party is closing on with a duel with a thieves guild that is made up of a den of wererats.

scary, huh.

well our heroes will be needing some silver weapons to combat the scourge. will they need something coated in silver as agnostic paladin is suggesting or something completely made of silver?

Silver-coated would be sufficient. Pure silver isn't good for weapons, except in Faerûn.

 

[Hypersmurf]

well our heroes will be needing some silver weapons to combat the scourge. will they need something coated in silver as agnostic paladin is suggesting or something completely made of silver?

Note that the weapons in the PHB - designed specifically for things like lycanthropes - are "arrow (or bullet or bolt), silvered" and "dagger, silvered".

Rather than "arrow, silver" and "dagger, silver".

-Hyp.

 

[eXodus]

hypersmurf and crgreathouse:

thank you both for the answers. that helps me out a lot.

hmmmm. now do the heroes have the needed funds to get silvered weapons?

sounds like another quest in and of itself.

thank you gentlemen......