Ourtinite

[Tentacle Therapist]

Simple and clean. This is for the general concept, and basic ideas for this system. If it gets accepted I will write up all the nuances.

“Ourtinite” Is a metal with strange properties. It can absorb elementally charged mana, and gain the properties of that element. It can only absorb raw elemental mana, so it doesn’t do anything against spells, and doesn’t work with Life Energy or the like. These limitations mean that it can only be charged by elementals, specifically elemental beings that are attacking the metal.

It can be charged only once, if the charging stops, it can never re-initiate, and ceases being able to absorb mana. If it charges too much, it becomes very VERY much like the element it is emulating, (too much fire mana would turn the blade into a pool of magma, too much earth and it turns to stone as an example).

Because it can only be charged in the presence of elementals, and no one in their right mind would go into a den of them unprotected, any items to be charged are made alongside a full suit of platemail for the protection of the person venturing into the elemental den.

The metal is can only be mined, in relatively small amounts, in a secluded mountain in the wilds. Making a full suit of platemail, and any other items that the person who is wearing it can carry (which isn’t a whole lot, this stuff is heavy) takes anywhere from 8 months, to two years. This can be attributed to the rarity of the metal, and the massive labor required.

Because of the great amount of time that must be invested, and the great amount of risk involved (for the person that has to charge it) Charged armor is usually only sold to those with enough monetary backing to purchase a village, (since you really have to pay for 8 months to two years of labor for an entire village).

Each piece of equipment made of “Ourtinite” is unique to the batch in which it was charged, and varies ever so slightly from fluctuations in power from the elementals, and so each piece of equipment tends to have unique effects. The metal is equivalent to steel in hardness, but about half as conductive.

The Village of Ourton, named after the man that first mined and forged the ore that is the namesake of the town, consists of about 300 miners, 100 blacksmiths, and about 300 others with skills necessary to keeping the rest fed and clothed. Knowledge of the smithing processes involved in creating “Ourtinite” weapons and armor, where to mine it, and where to find elemental dens, are all closely guarded secrets of the villagers, who would rather die than reveal it.

There, a system, and a village. Normal people aren’t likely to have this stuff, neither are players unless they are filthy rich, stole it, or took it from someone who stole it.

[CromTheConqueror]

I really like the concept and the bit about it being very rare. I have a few questions though.

1. Is this the only way players can get access to elementally enchanted weapons/armor/items?

2. As much as I like it being rare I just don't understand how a newly-resurrected society of any form could afford the current cost needed for the metals development and forging. Is this simply a way of stating that the modern-era depends nearly fully upon Pre-Fall enchanted metals?

[Tentacle Therapist]

1.) Why would it be? when you yourself pushed to have everything not have any effect on anything else? This is just a magic-free way of getting magical-like things.

2.) I don't see how the fall would have anything to do with this industry. At all.

It is magical items, that don't need a mage to make. That are rare, because of the difficulty to make.

[Admin]

I like everything about the concept, and it is nifty that a group would exist with those skills and capabilities. I'm really interested in the nuances that you'll write later.

@#2 of Crom: It may not be a newly-resurrected society. There are cases, such as the Conclave, where monopolies could form the equivalent of a small city state and defend themselves by using their monopolies in various ways.

I accept it, though I'd still really like to see the rest of it.

[DCGFTW]

Few Questions.

1. Are it's properties only adaptable after it's been alloyed, or does it retain all of its properties all the way through?

2. What kind of stone would it turn into if it was hit by too much earth?

Knowing all the base effects would be helpful for anyone who wanted to use this.

[Tentacle Therapist]

1.) It is never actually "alloyed" because it isn't mixed with anything else. If you mean does it have to be MADE into something before it will take any elements, no, it doesnt, but that presents a few problems.
1.a.) Carting around raw metal isn't the most easy of tasks, let alone into a place full of pissed elementals.
1.b.) Becoming charged fundamentally changes the way the material would hammer, heat, smelt, or if it even would. No two batches of charged material are the same, and so each would require different techniques to work with. By the time you figured out how to work with that batch of charged metal, you would have ruined it. (Or died.)

2.) It might not even turn into stone! Each batch is so fundamentally different, that even damaging levels of charging will never be the same. Number of elementals present, their individual strength, distance, and other such things would all turn into un-repeatable factors.
2.a.) What this means from an RP standpoint, is that with a little common sense, implementation of a "Power Ceiling" by the council (I.E. Agree on an individual basis, when someone decides to include this in a character, what is, and is not "too powerful".) One can add any number of cosmetic effects, and simple mechanical effects to otherwise mundane and boring objects. A suit of armor, charged with water, that always feels slightly damp, and tries to keep it's own temperature around a certain point? Sure. A sword that glows faintly in the dark? Alright. A mace with the weight of a rock, but the hardness of metal? Ok. The options are near endless, barred only by the properties of any given element, the creativity of the owner, and the rulings of the council.

[Admin]

More agreeing to everything. I assume that although each batch is fundamentally different, they have enough common ground that an industry can be made out of production despite the differences.

Also, what about the Elementals' side to all of this? Why would they so willingly offer up their power to charge the material? Is this something you plan to develop later?

[CromTheConqueror]

As I understood it they were basically being forced to charge the material right?

[Tentacle Therapist]

They aren't being forced to do anything. Someone dresses up in Full-Plate, made of Soak Stone, Carries along whatever other bits need to be charged (or that he can carry). And traipses into an elemental den. The elementals, seeing that they have an intruder, attack. The Soak Stone gets charged.

After a certain amount of time, assuming the armor wasn't made poorly and the occupant hasn't died, he makes due haste to leave the place, full of beings of pure energy that are trying to kill him. When he gets back, that armor, and everything he was carrying is charged from the elementals.

[CromTheConqueror]

Well that is an...interesting way of getting enchanted armor, I'll say that much.

Also, can we get this to an approved forum now considering we all obviously like it?

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