# What is the point of glass steel?



## Question (Sep 12, 2006)

I believe its in an FR book somewhere. Its basically a significantly more costly version of mithral(i think it has the exact same mods), that is transparent(wait if you make a full plate out of this doesnt that mean they can see through it?), and has better hardness(i think).


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## frankthedm (Sep 12, 2006)

In 2e it just looked cool.  8th level spell, turn some  glass into a weapon or armor. 

In 3e, that wasn't enough


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## Prism (Sep 12, 2006)

It gives the benefits of mithril and adamantine armour wrapped into one. The source is races of faerun which is 3e and in this edition adamantine gave an enchant bonus between +1 and +3. In 3.5 I would change this to DR like the current version of adamantine. Oh, and like Frankthedm said - it looks cool


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## Rackhir (Sep 12, 2006)

There was a Lary Niven's story where a mage used a glass dagger in water to hide the weapon from scrying, since it was essentially invisible in the water. I think the name of it was in fact "What good is a Glass Dagger?"


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## Raven Crowking (Sep 12, 2006)

1st Ed PHB said:
			
		

> *Glassteel* (Alteration)
> 
> Level:  8
> Range:  Touch
> ...





Found on Page 90, under _MAGIC-USER SPELLS (8TH LEVEL)_


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## Question (Sep 12, 2006)

Okay i am looking at the version in champions of valor.

Its basically mithral with hardness 20 and 40 hp per point of thickness. Light armor +2k, med armor +6k, heavy armor +12k.


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## Kae'Yoss (Sep 12, 2006)

Question said:
			
		

> I believe its in an FR book somewhere. Its basically a significantly more costly version of mithral(i think it has the exact same mods), that is transparent(wait if you make a full plate out of this doesnt that mean they can see through it?), and has better hardness(i think).




How can it have the exact same mods if it's harder?

In 3.0, glassteel was Adamantine and Mithral all in one. In 3.5, it is indeed like mithral, but with a higher hardness. If I remember correctly, the hardness is 20, meaning you can't just sunder it with an adamantine weapon. 

A lot of it is just style.


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## Prism (Sep 12, 2006)

Question said:
			
		

> Okay i am looking at the version in champions of valor.
> 
> Its basically mithral with hardness 20 and 40 hp per point of thickness. Light armor +2k, med armor +6k, heavy armor +12k.




Ah right, didn't know it had been updated. Old version was +25k for heavy armour. So its mithril that looks cool. Might mechanically be worth it for an anti sunder shield


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## Question (Sep 12, 2006)

Shield, yea maybe......it would be most useful on a weapon(as thats the main thing that gets sundered), but you usually want silver or cold iron on that.


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## moritheil (Sep 13, 2006)

A glassteel item cannot be subject to rusting grasp.  I would think that would be the obvious benefit.  Also, spells like chill metal and heat metal wouldn't affect it.


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## starwed (Sep 13, 2006)

I guess glassteel armor wouldn't allow the bonus that some psionic energy powers grant vs. metal armor.

Can druids use it?


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## D.Shaffer (Sep 13, 2006)

It also comes as a nice suprise to those pesky adventurers who like crashing through windows.   

It has plenty of utility beyond just weapons and armor, even if it's not immediately obvious.


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## moritheil (Sep 13, 2006)

It has plenty of utility _because_ it's not immediately obvious!


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## aregorn1 (Oct 30, 2011)

*One use I put it to*

There is one use that a mad mage put this spell to in his citadel. He created a maze out of glass then cast the spell on all the walls, after this he used a spell of his own creation to make the walls impervious to any type of stain. yes it was a little cruel to spring on them but it was fun. They could see all the treasure and the monsters there but it was hard to  tell when they were able to get to it. I was also funny to see the monsters run at them, and the party would prepare for the fight only to have the beast run into a wall. Then after a few time of this they would get complacent  only to find that there was not a wall.  yes it was great. 
It can also be a money maker for the mage with the ability to use it. a fancy high dollar inn might want the spell cast on all its crystal.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 30, 2011)

Lets see...
Virtually unbreakable potion flasks
Virtually unbreakable lenses (glasses, spyglasses, etc.)
Virtually unbreakable windows
Arms & armor not susceptible to rusting, most acids, heat metal spells...and extremely fashionable, to boot.
Arms & armor that are difficult to see in wet/snowy/icy conditions (ever find glasssteel caltrops in the river with your feet?)
Shields that let you maintain LoS
Expands the list of arms & armor usable by Druids


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## kitcik (Oct 31, 2011)

I hear it's useful in necromancy...


thread necromancy.


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## cignus_pfaccari (Oct 31, 2011)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Lets see...
> Virtually unbreakable potion flasks
> Virtually unbreakable lenses (glasses, spyglasses, etc.)
> Virtually unbreakable windows
> ...




Looks cool, too, especially if you make some sort of Holy sword with it.

Brad


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## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 31, 2011)

To stimulate your mind on the uses of this stuff, look in a good art glass store/gallery- or online- and see what there is.

Because the niftiest thing is about glass is you can shape it in ways and at temperatures you can't do with steel.  And then you use magic to make it as hard?  Bonus!

Think about Warforged that are partially translucent.  Isn't that kind of creepy?


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## StreamOfTheSky (Oct 31, 2011)

A suit of glass steel full plate + wand of endure elements = adventure as a nudist, but be better protected from hot/col weather and arrows and sword strikes than most "modest" people.


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## NEXxREX (Oct 31, 2011)

thank you for posting this. i was considering going for Mithral armor so i could have increased AC in light armor, but its to damn shiny and ill just got robbed :/. i even considered "painting over it with like a lacquer type paint. bit this is gonna be a lot better cause its not only harder and has more hit points but when the paint gets scratched it wont shine 

but now i have to take points in glassblowing so i can make what ever i want.


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## PureGoldx58 (Oct 31, 2011)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> To stimulate your mind on the uses of this stuff, look in a good art glass store/gallery- or online- and see what there is.
> 
> Because the niftiest thing is about glass is you can shape it in ways and at temperatures you can't do with steel.  And then you use magic to make it as hard?  Bonus!
> 
> Think about Warforged that are partially translucent.  Isn't that kind of creepy?




I am stealing this for my campaign. (can't xp you, whyyyyyy?)


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## was (Oct 31, 2011)

glass steel weapons are nifty..shields too..


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## Jackinthegreen (Oct 31, 2011)

I'm reminded of Scotty going on about transparent aluminum in one of the Star Trek movies.  Good stuff there.


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## aregorn1 (Nov 1, 2011)

Jackinthegreen said:


> I'm reminded of Scotty going on about transparent aluminum in one of the Star Trek movies.  Good stuff there.



OMG I didn't think of that connection. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Great thought. LOL


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## domino (Nov 1, 2011)

It's incredibly easy to work with glass compared to steel.  It's just sand, really.  Melts at a much lower point than steel.  Can be shaped over a regular campfire if you're willing to wait a while.  Making a smooth orb or container out of steel is much MUCH harder than glass.  How about a tower shield you can see through?  An optical lens that will almost never scratch?  Glass that dents but doesn't shatter?  Make a large glass bulb with glass spikes on it, steel it up, and watch as light boats get torn to shreds by practically invisible floating caltrops.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 1, 2011)

A set of crystal drinkware that cannot be broken.  (Handy if the Ms. is a "thrower"...and you like playing with the chambermaid...)


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## domino (Nov 1, 2011)

Only useful if the Mrs. is a poor aim.  If she's got a good aim, I'd rather the glassware be what breaks, than my skull.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 1, 2011)

domino said:


> Only useful if the Mrs. is a poor aim.  If she's got a good aim, I'd rather the glassware be what breaks, than my skull.




Stitches are less expensive than hand-blown crystal...especially masterwork stuff that was a wedding gift from the Emirate of Flumpfistan.


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## NEXxREX (Nov 1, 2011)

ok quick question about the glass steel, how would you go about making it??? in the book champions of valor it says you need extensive knowledge of glassblowing and metalworking, cause i want my one character to be able to make his own armor out of it.

and a second question would you be able to make it like obsidian cause obsidian is volcanic glass. and if that is possible would you be able to make other colors?? that would add many more possibilities to the flavor factor.

plus glassteel with an obsidian look would be good for an evil bosses armor.


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## domino (Nov 1, 2011)

One interesting thing is that obsidian can be made sharper than steel.  The brittleness means that it can be cracked, to incredible sharpness.  Then, glassteel it up, and you have a blade as tough as steel, but much sharper.  At least for a little while, before it must be honed and resharpened.

And given that you can make glass in any color, I see no reason that you can't make glassteel out of the same glass.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 1, 2011)

Obsidian should be fair game, IMHO...as should be things like fulgarite (sand fused by lightning) or leftovers from meteor strikes.


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## aregorn1 (Nov 1, 2011)

*Possible Use's expanding.*

I can see many people asking about how to cast the spell and how to use it, once you get into this realm you should ask your DM what he thinks. Far be it for me to intrude on how he wants to run his game.  I guess you could call me an old school player, LOL, I like falling back on a statement made by Gary Gygax. He sad that he used the books as reference guidelines, then tossed them out the window. Always remember that the DM is (G.O.D.) Game Operations Director. If you start digging into technicalities of something, the fun can start to disappear. What I do, is tell the players to tell me their ideas on something or their interpretation of a rule before the game starts and I will make the final ruling.  (off topic example from one of my games; elves have a high resistance to sleep and charm spells, correct? Tell me, should that apply if a God casts a sleep spell on the party? NOTE: party is about level 4). In other words if you want to make something, make it or design it then run it past your DM. If your the DM, LOL go ahead an do it. The idea of the game is to have fun, not write a thesis. LMAO


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## Rodger1001 (Nov 1, 2011)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Lets see...
> 
> Virtually unbreakable potion flasks
> Virtually unbreakable lenses (glasses, spyglasses, etc.)
> ...




Excellent insight on #1-3, & 5, especially #1, in my humble opinion.  But I have another use.  In my campaigns I have critical hit and fumble rules for losing an eye, with closed-face helms and great helms negating hits taking out an eye.  But the problem with these two types of helms is they cause penalties to spot checks (3rd Ed.).  Voila, use a Glass-steel visor and suffer no spot check penalties.

With regard to windows, I have long thought that fortifications where magic is available would use Glass-steel windows.  Anyway, that's my humble opinion.


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## NEXxREX (Nov 2, 2011)

Glassteel-Made by the avariels and sun elves in an alchemical process requiring extensive knowledge of both metallurgy and glassblowing, glassteel combines strength beyond iron with the transparency of glass. It mostly finds use as a building material in fantastic castles, but it can also be fashioned into weapons and armor (although glassteel armor is much more costly to craft than even the most ornate blade). Glassteel is stronger and lighter than iron and completely transparent, lacking the greenish tint of common glass. Items made of glassteel weigh only half what they otherwise would. Items not primarily made of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of glassteel. (A breastplate can be made of glassteel, but hide armor cannot.) Glassteel armor counts as one armor category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Arcane spell failure chances for armors and shields made of glassteel are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are lessened by 3 (to a minimum of 0). Glassteel has hardness 20 and 40 hit points per inch of thickness. Weapons and armor fashioned from glassteel are treated as masterwork items with regard to creation times, but the masterwork quality does not affect the enhancement bonus of weapons nor the armor check penalty of armor. Item Cost Modifier: light armor +2,000 gp, medium armor +6,000 gp, heavy armor +12,000 gp, shield +2,000 gp, weapon +500 gp, other items +100 gp/lb. This description updates and supersedes previous descriptions of glassteel.


quoted from champions of valor word for word. its actually an alchemical process not magic......


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 2, 2011)

*Skaldril's Scintilating Scales*

This is a suit of scale mail constructed entirely of glass scales tempered by the magic of glassteel.  Each scale has been crafted to look like the tip of a peacock's feather, so the entire suit is a riot of color.

However, beyond the stylish protection the suit offers, it also grants a +2 to Diplomacy checks, and allows the wearer to cast Hypnotic Pattern 5/day as if he were a 6th level Sorcerer, using the wearer's Charisma score as the casting stat.

Special: Battle Sorcerers and Bards treat this armor as if it were light armor.


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## Gray Lensman (Nov 2, 2011)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> *Skaldril's Scintilating Scales*
> 
> This is a suit of scale mail constructed entirely of glass scales tempered by the magic of glassteel. Each scale has been crafted to look like the tip of a peacock's feather, so the entire suit is a riot of color.
> 
> ...




Got a source or did you make it up?  If So, consider it stolen


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 3, 2011)

Just made it up, feel free to yoink.


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