Adamantine
Adamantine is the most common of the incredibly rare skymetals, and is known for its incredible hardness, strength, and ability to hold an edge.1 It is sometimes loosely known as Numerian steel, after the land where the largest known deposits are found (but see Glaucite below for a more accurate use of that term). Adamantine is not native to Golarion, but is brought to this world from outer space in the form of crashed spaceships (see Rain of Stars) or meteorites. It is so tough that it often survives the brutal entry through the atmosphere.2 The metal is magnetic.3
Crafting weapons and armor
- See also: Category:Adamantine armor and Category:Adamantine weapons
Weapons made of adamantine are incredibly hard and durable, and adamantine blades can cut through almost any material with ease. It can also be fashioned into incredibly dense, protective armor.4 Manipulating the metal requires special forges capable of reaching extreme temperatures due to its high melting point. The dwarves long-ago discovered that carbauxine gas could be collected and used for this purpose.5
The town of Torch in Numeria is also capable of easily working with adamantine and other skymetals. Indeed, the town is founded on its capability for metalworking and smithing, even though the strange purple flame in the town that is used for forging can be dangerously unstable.6
Glaucite
Glaucite is a dark and dull grey alloy of iron and adamantine and is pretty much what is meant when 'Numerian steel' is discussed rather than pure adamantine. It is used in the creation of spaceships, hence its relative abundance in Numeria where the spaceship Divinity crashed during the Rain of Stars. Abstracting the pure adamantine from glaucite is prohibitively expensive, so rarely performed. Glaucite is equivalent to steel for weapon and armour manufacture in its properties, but tremendously more difficult to fashion—three times more expensive to do so—and it weighs 50% more than steel: it is, therefore, rarely used for armour or weapons except for affectation. In addition to spaceships, glaucite is the material of choice for crafting robot frames.78
Historical uses
In the ancient Thassilonian Empire, adamantine was associated with transmutation magic, generosity, and greed, most likely because it was the most sought-after and valuable of the skymetals.9
References
- ↑ James L. Sutter. (2008). Into the Black. Children of the Void, p. 55. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-127-5
- ↑ Erik Mona et al. (2008). "The Inner Sea". Campaign Setting, p. 114. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-112-1
- ↑ Jason Bulmahn. (2010). Advanced Player's Guide, p. 181. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-246-3
- ↑ Jason Bulmahn et al. (2009). Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook (1E), p. 154. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-150-3
- ↑ Greg A. Vaughan. (2008). Riddleport: City of Cyphers. Shadow in the Sky, p. 52. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-115-2
- ↑ Adam Daigle and James Jacobs. (2014). Iron Gods Player's Guide, p. 11. Paizo Inc.
- ↑ Neil Spicer. (2014). Fires of Creation. Fires of Creation, p. 18. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-673-7
- ↑ James Jacobs and Russ Taylor. (2014). Technology Guide, p. 57. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-672-0
- ↑ James Jacobs. (2012). The Shattered Star. Shards of Sin, p. 70. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-452-8