Re: steel

[Wright Frazier <khelek@ns1.cioe.com>]

Obsidian was chiped, not ground sharpened like a metal weapon.

This if there must be a bonus to differentiate steel from its cohort metals,
then it SHOULD be in a bonus to hit.  It holds its edge longer, its edge is
not turned and ruined by hitting that dragon in the leg.  It holds up
and allows for better penetration against better armors.  
If you give a bonus to damage because steel holds a better edge, then why
don't you get a bonus to damage by using a lead cored mace as opposed to a
solid iron one?  Lead weighs more and when you are tryin to break, the
fools bones, all the momentum you can get is a good thing.

Regardless, I don't like matieral bonuses to hit and damage for weapons.  I don't 
like being able to buy a +1 sword or a +2 sword.  There is a VERY noticiable
different between iron and steel armor however, and the increased protectiveness
of the armours, as well as the increased cost, should be noticable.
Steel mail would be much harder to make than iron mail.  Steel is harder to draw out
into wire than iron.  That means more time/more cost.  Same for steel plates being
hammered out and articulated.  Iron's just easier to work with, and so should
be cheaper for armour.

In an upcoming big letter(hehe), I'll outline my proposal for steel armour and
weapon costs.

Wright

A
> Just what does "steel" mean in Jearnian terms, because I am getting
> confused.  Just because iron has carbon in it doesn't make it steel.  The
> term blacksmithing comes from the linseed oil that the blacksmiths but on
> the outside of the material, and this carburizes the surface or "hardens".
> This is by no means steel as we know it.  And this and the pig fat thing
> do have direct effects on the sharpness of a sword.  It is the same
> process that is used on gears to make them more machinable and have a
> longer life.  I think that this advantage, with the proper check, should
> give an extra damage.  Those nasty Mayans had swords made of obsidian, and
> they were sharper than scalpels.  I have applied this principle in
> adventures before, the only disadvantage is that the swords shattered on
> Spanard armor.  I don't like the extra to hit, but only because it doesn't
> seem correct with a sharp edge impacting a steel sheet.  
> 
> As a parting comment, steel as a material really only revolutionized
> weapons in terms of capability.  Foils, katanas, and flexible and fast
> weapons were possible from better materials.  I think the impact of steel
> is overrated.
> 
> Jevan F.
> 
>