Od Studios -- Fantasy Metals
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Fantasy Metals -- by sector24, 2007-07-09 |
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One of the prominent features of fantasy based games is the use of rare magical metals to supplement the metals that exist in the real world. The standard metal types used in most games are:
Copper - Harder than a stick or a rock, but the softest metal used in gaming. Copper is actually a poor metal for weapons and armor, as it can't hold an edge well and doesn't offer enough protection for the weight.
Bronze - Bronze is an alloy of 60% copper and 40% tin, so it is not a naturally occuring metal. It is a huge step up from pure copper in strength and durability, and was widely used by all western bronze age cultures until about the 4th century BC when it was replaced by iron.
Iron - Pure iron is actually softer than bronze, but iron is very rarely pure. It is often laced with impurities that strengthen its structure. Nickel, tungsten, manganese, chromium, and many other trace metals can strengthen iron and alter its properties, but none are more common than carbon. When a block of iron contains carbon, we call it steel.
Steel - Usually the best non-fantasy metal in any game, steel is actually just iron with the ideal carbon content (.07%) to maximize hardness. The earliest steel production dates back to 500 BC, but it wasn't until the late 18th century that the difference between iron and steel was scientifically quantified as being associated with distinct levels of carbon mixed with iron.
You can read more about historic metals used in weapon and armorsmithing here. Fantasy metals are always better in some way to normal metals. They are either stronger, harder, or lighter than the strongest normal metal, and are usually rare and valuable. As such, these metals are only available to the richest nobles and the strongest adventurers.
Mithril
Mithril is a type of super metal in the Lord of the Rings books. It is purported to be very easy to work, as strong as steel, and incredibly light. The humans call it "truesilver" because it looks like silver but it never tarnishes. No one knows for sure whether Tolkien was inspired by a metal that actually exists in nature, such as Aluminum or Titanium, or whether the metal is completely fictitious.
With such limited information as to what mithril is, it is very easy for games to just turn mithril into a better version of steel. Most RPGs use mithril as one of their magical metals. World of Warcraft uses both mithril and truesilver as separate metals, even though in Tolkien's world they are two names for the same thing.
Tolkien does a very good job of making mithril a super metal, not only because of its properties but also due to its rarity. The state of things in the Middle Earth's Third Age were extremely dire as far as mithril is concerned. The last source of mithril in the known world was in Moria, which was overrun by goblins and a balrog, killing the dwarven inhabitants. Previously, mithril was worth 10x that of gold, but without new sources of mithril, the metal became truly priceless and the only way to make new mithril equipment was to melt down existing weapons and armor and reforge them.
Tolkien set up mithril as a material of peerless quality and exceeding rarity. This makes Frodo's mithril chain shirt an item worthy of a hero. It saved his life on more than one occasion, and it was estimated to be worth more than the whole of the shire.
Adamant
Adamant is used in many fantasy worlds as a metal of impossible strength, able to cut through other metals with ease. Some games refer to it as adamantine, adamantite or adamantium. The term originally comes from the Greek word for diamond, and is described in Greek texts as a stone or mineral of impenetrable hardness.
Once again with so little factual information available, it's very easy for games to use adamant as a fantasy metal. The most popular form is of course Wolverine's adamantium claws, but it is also used in Warhammer and in plenty of other games.
This metal is often considered to be head and shoulders above even the finest steel. Just as a steel sword could cut through a copper one, so could the adamant sword cut through steel. Such weapons and armor make the wearer virtually invincible, except against another person using the same weapons and armor. In this way, any character with adamant is a truly powerful force.
Orichalcum
Also known as Orihalcon in some games, this metal is portrayed in many different ways. Some games treat Orichalcum as a "booster" to an existing item to increase its stats. Others require you to combine Orichalcum with another metal (such as steel or mithril) to make an even more powerful object. It is generally not a stand-alone metal like the other magical metals.
Orichalcum is mentioned in Greek texts and translates roughly as "mountain copper". No one knows exactly what it is, and there are many interesting theories. Greek texts note that it is considered extremely valuable, almost as valuable as gold. It is a reddish color and shines like brass or gold. It only existed in a few select mines and the substance was completely mined out. Another text describes Orichalcum as being obtained during the smelting of copper and another metal.
Our best modern guess is that Orichalcum is an alloy of gold and copper. This would account for the red color and lustrous appearance, and the rarity that caused the mines to dry up. There are plenty of other theories, but the true nature of Orichalcum is lost to the sands of time. While this is unfortunate for historians, it's great for video games.
In games, Orichalcum is usually very rare and very powerful. What it does exactly differs from game to game, but its usually something valuable to the player and worthy of the rarity assigned by the game.
Damascus Steel
Unlike the previous metals, it is known for certain that damascus steel actually exists. However, no one knows how it is made, and no one has been able to reproduce it. Weapons made from damascus steel are said to have legendary sharpness and durability, capable of cutting through solid rock or even another sword. The mythology around damascus steel probably began during the crusades, when European knights first fought against Saracen warriors. Usually encountering a completely alien fighting style leads to amazing stories and exaggerated abilities, and this is the most likely cause for the reverence of damascus steel.
There are a few theories about the origin of the term, the most likely being the city of Damascus in Syria. This was a major trading hub between Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and consequently the West. As such, Damascus had access to the finest weapons in the known world, and the ability to learn the secrets of their construction.
As discussed earlier, steel is just iron with an ideal carbon content. Different qualities of steel are obtained through trace elements and other impurities in the metal that give it unique properties. The secret to damascus steel is in the impurities, and when the mine that produced the metal dried up, so did the damascus steel.
Many have claimed to have reproduced damascus steel, but no one has been credited with such a feat. Modern chemical analysis can determine the composition of existing blades, but that doesn't explain damascus steel because there is a mythology surrounding the metal that can't be analyzed with a spectrometer. I would go as far as to say that it is not possible to recreate damascus steel, because it's not a metal as much as it is a myth surrounding a metal. This is perfect for a video game, because it restricts the access of superior weapons to those capable of obtaining them. To take a special steel and forge it in a secret way to make a more powerful sword is something that only a powerful character could have.
Conclusion
Successful video games personify the game character as an extension of the player. If you feel like your character is yourself, you are more apt to continue playing to get that next level, or find a new item to boost your character's power. This is where magical items come in. When you've bought the finest steel that the shopkeeper has to offer, the only thing left to do is craft even more powerful weapons or defeat monsters and plunder their treasure horde.
The idea is that you want something in the game to be so rare and special that only a few people can get it. Any nobleman born into a wealthy house can afford a suit of steel armor. Yawn. But a Mithril Sword of Demonslaying requires you to go into the Valley of Fire and defeat the Flame Elemental guarding the Dark Forge. Let's see a pampered upper crust dandy do that with his store bought suit of armor.
Magical items are reserved for heroes powerful enough to obtain them, and as such they should not be available to NPCs and low level players. Fantasy metals are one way to create the hierarchy of magical items over normal items and when properly implemented serve to increase the enjoyment of your game.
Leave the author a comment:
Yoda -- 2007-08-05
Nerd | comicbookguy -- 2007-11-02
yeah, nerd | Treewick -- 2007-12-29
I like the information you posted on this site. I'm sort of an author, and I have found this to be very helpful. Thank you. | Patrik -- 2009-04-17
Excactly what I was looking for. Thank you for this great article, which inspired me for my list of materials to the onlinegame I'm developing. I always enjoy the work of intelligent authors.
Yoda's comment made me laugh. | Dave -- 2009-05-17
I love how the first 2 guys commenting are named Yoda, and comicbookguy,yoda is a starwars geek. and comic is just a douche. You both search for this site so you're obviously nerds too if the author of this is one. Grow up. |
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(4.80, 5 votes)
