A Kobolds Guide to Awesome Ores he purpose of this supplement is simple: it adds 20 new metals and ores that you can use to enhance and improve both basic non-magical weapons and also their magical variants. Each of the metals listed here can be used as weapon and armour variants in the same way as you would use something like the hellfire weapon variant or the Mithral armour variant. Each metal/ore has one trait associated with weapons made from them and also traits tied to armour. The cost of each metal is comparable with steel and is listed below each metal type. You can find the price for the original variant of a weapon or set of armour in the DMG. To get your new cost, simply multiply this value by the multiplier listed below each metal. For example, a standard steel shortsword will set you back 10 gp. The entry for obsidian states that weapons made from obsidian cost 8 times more than steel, meaning that an obsidian shortsword will cost you 80 gp. In regards to ranged weapons, the special metal and additional cost are applied to its ammunitions. So instead of the 1 gp you would pay for a quiver of basic flint-tipped arrows, it is increased to 8 gp for the same amount of obsidian-tipped arrows. Introducing Ragga Ragga, the ever-enthusiastic narrator for this supplement, is a middle-aged kobold who has spent his formative years bent over the anvil. While Ragga is a skilled smith, he’s not a great orator. So below each of his “vibrant” descriptions, you will find a simplified translation of what he was getting at. Bane Alloys On the final page of this supplement, you will find a table of bane alloys. These are metals blended with steel to create armour and weapons specifically effective against a specific type of creature, ranging from aberrations to undead. Table Of Contents Terrestrial Ores 3 Adamantine 3 Mithril 3 Obsidian 4 Bronze 4 Elemental Ores 5 Pyroclast (Fire Stone) 5 Breezeagate (Air Stone) 5 Cryoheart (Ice Stone) 6 Terravault (Earth Stone) 6 Off-World Ores 7 Moon Stone (Selunite/Leiralite) 7 Wild Vein 7 Bane Alloys 8 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2023 by Peter Leet and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
Terrestrial Ores Adamantine 5 times more expensive than steel Description Adamantine! Shiny black rock, it is. But not just any black – got a green glimmer in candlelight, or a purplewhite twinkle under magic light. Sometimes, it falls from the sky in meteorites, a surprise from above. Most times, though, we dig deep, real deep, beneath fiery volcanoes to bring it up. And listen here, intrepid explorers, if you find yourselves venturing to the elemental plane of air, keep your eyes peeled – abundant adamantine awaits on those floating earthmotes! Weapon Properties Adamantine melee weapons, oh yes! Special, they are, especially when it comes to breaking stuff. Swing that adamantine weapon at an object, and boom! Critical hit every time. Smash and bash, the adamantine way! Translation Any successful hit against an object or structure is considered a critical hit. Armour Properties Ah, behold the armour of might, reinforced with the unyielding adamantine! This suit, a fortress on your kobold frame, makes critical hits against you nothing more than ordinary hits. Tough as dragon scales, it is – turn those critical strikes into mere scratches, it shall! Translation Any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit. Mithril 5 times more expensive than steel Description Mithril, or Truemetal as the dwarves fancy it, a silvery black ore in its natural state, but oh, when the forge’s fire embraces it, turns into a glorious silvery blue metal. Seek it deep, deep down in the underdark, beneath towering mountain ranges. But heed this, brave miner: if mithril be your quarry, be prepared for a skirmish, for those stubborn dwarves and duergar aren’t too fond of us kobolds laying claim to it. A fight awaits those who seek the shimmering trinkets of Truemetal! Weapon Properties Mithril, the sparkly wonder-metal! Forge a weapon with it, and presto, it’s as light as a feather compared to other clunky metals. Not just light, mind you - it’s a whole category lighter! Heavy stuff turns kinda normal, normal stuff becomes almost floaty, and even the lightest gets all sneaky and finesse-like. Mithril, the crafty kobold’s choice, making weapons feel like you’re swinging a daydream! Translation Mithril weapons are one weight category lighter than their standard variant. Heavy becomes normal, and normal becomes light. Armour Properties A mithral chain shirt or breastplate, oh delightful fashion for a kobold! Slip it under your everyday clothes, like a sneaky secret. Now, here’s the real trick – no more pesky disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, and forget about needing brute strength to carry it. Mithral magic at work, making you as stealthy as a kobold in the shadows, with no clunky noises or heavy lifting to give you away! Translation Mithril armour doesn’t impose disadvantage on stealth checks, even if the normal variant would.
Obsidian 8 times more expensive than steel Description Obsidian, born from the fiery dance of magma meeting swift water, emerges as a jet-black, glassy marvel. Forge and cool it quick, and behold, it transforms into a substance as unyielding as steel. Seek it beneath the roaring volcanoes, where the earth’s heart pulses with molten fervor. But ah, the price of its prowess lies in its stubborn nature. Crafting it ain’t for the faint-hearted! Any kobold with antler horn tools can fashion a crude obsidian weapon, but beware – they tend to be delicate, shattering like fragile dreams at the slightest strain. Weapon Properties Oh, tricky obsidian! Tough to shape, it is, and ends up with an edge as wobbly as a kobold’s tail. But wait, that’s the charm! See, when you swing and hit with all your might, dealing max damage, this wonky blade goes the extra mile. It inflicts a bleed, a little bonus hurt, matching your crafty kobold proficiency. The poor target, they squirm with that extra ouch, enduring it at the end of their turns for rounds as many as your nimble kobold proficiency. Translation When you roll max damage on your hit, the weapon deals additional bleed damage equal to your proficiency bonus. The target takes this additional damage at the end of their turns for a number of rounds equal to your proficiency bonus. Armour Properties Dodging like a nimble kobold, you are! When you take that dodge action, and some clunky attack tries to thump, poke, or slice you with bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing might, fear not! Your keen dodging skills let you shave off some of that harm. Reduce the damage by a clever amount – precisely your wily proficiency bonus in hit points. Translation When you take the dodge action on your turn and are hit by an attack that deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage, you can reduce the damage taken by a number of hit points equal to your proficiency bonus Bronze Half as expensive as steel Description Bronze, oh the fuss with copper, tin, and all that chatter! But here’s the kicker – no need for fancy forging. Just heat it up good and proper, let it dance in the flames, then pour it into a mould. Tidy up the edges, and voila! You’ve birthed yourself a murder stick, a weapon of koboldly destruction. Weapon Properties Ah, bronze, not the heaviest hitter like that snooty steel, but oh, it’s got its tricks. Stick a bit of this bronze beauty in ‘em, and watch ‘em squirm! Not a fan of having it lodged inside, no siree. Poisonous, it is, like a little surprise from a mischievous kobold. They’ll be scrambling to yank it out, else the wound turns a lovely shade of green. Translation When using a bronze weapon or piece of bronze ammunition, you reduce the damage dice by one category. For example, a 1d8 would become a d6, a d6 would be a d4, and a d4 would simply take a -1 penalty to damage. If a thrown weapon or piece of ammunition remains inside the target, they take 1 poison damage at the end of each of their turns until it is removed. The target can remove one projectile as a bonus action. Armour Properties Bronze armour, a bit on the squishy side, it is. Dents pop up like mushrooms after rain, oh yes. But oh, the shine and glamour it brings! Every day, a kobold’s gotta give it some love, a bit of fixing up, a pat here and a tap there. Like tending to a finicky pet dragon, it is. Looks nice, but demands its daily dose of care. Translation Bronze armour has a break threshold equal to 10 times your proficiency bonus. Once it takes damage equal to the armour’s break threshold, it is considered broken, and you gain no benefits from wearing it. You can repair it with 1 hour of work using smith tools.
Elemental Ores Pyroclast (Fire Stone) 10 times more expensive than steel Description Pyroclast ore, found in fiery plane! Harvested from fossils of ancient fire primordials, still cradles their essence. Tricky to handle, needs special forge; its melting point way beyond average kobold’s reach. A fiery challenge for the crafty! Weapon Properties Pyroclast, perfect for a swing! Put some real oomph, and watch the weapon burst into flames, turning baddies into crispy critters. But mind you, don’t go using it on fellow kobolds – that’s just not cricket, downright unfair it is! Save the fiery dance for the foes, let them feel the heat! Translation If you beat the target’s AC by 5, and for every additional 5 after that, this weapon deals an additional 1d4 fire damage. For example, if the target has an AC of 14 and you roll a 19 on your attack, the weapon would deal 1d4 additional fire damage. If you beat a 24, the bonus would increase to 2d4. Armour Properties Pyroclast, a blessing against fiery folk! Stops their flames from toasting you, clever it is. And the best part, it sticks to the fire, making you feel all toasty for a good 10 minutes. Facing those fiery foes? Pyroclast’s got your back, keeping you cosy and safe! Translation You gain resistance to fire damage. Additionally, when you are hit by an attack that deals fire damage, wisps of flame surround your armour for up to 1 minute. If you are hit by a melee attack during this time, the attacking creature takes fire damage equal to your proficiency bonus. Breezeagate (Air Stone) 6 times more expensive than steel Description Breezegate, sly ore! Floats around in the airy plane, where everything’s sky. Takes ages, it does, forming as tiny rocks and stones have a grand bash-up. Oh, the colours, so many hues, like a kobold’s dream – if kobolds dreamed of stones, that is! Weapon Properties Ah, the bash and collide! Breezegate, it soaks up all that electric and lightning zing. Give it a good thwack, or shoot a fancy Breezegate arrow, and watch the baddies get all flustered. Movements go jerky-like, dance of confusion it is. Translation When you roll maximum damage with a Breezegate weapon or a piece of Breezegate ammunition, the target is unable to take reactions until the end of their next turn. Armour Properties Breezegate armour, oh the rush! Zooming with the speed of the airy plane, quick as a startled kobold. And when those pesky baddies try to shuffle you around, you stand firm, like a stubborn kobold saying, “No, not this one!” Translation You receive a +5 bonus to your walking speed, even while wearing heavy armour. Additionally, you become immune to effects that would force your movement, such as a warlock’s repelling Eldritch Blast
Cryoheart (Ice Stone) 7 times more expensive than steel Description Cyroheart, the fresh ore in town! Tricky to spot, looks like ice, but nope, it’s Cryoheart. Get it sizzling hot, and it goes all soft like steel. Tough as nails, mind you, with a keen edge waiting for you to carve. A little trip to the plane of ice, one of those quasi-planes, or whatever those surface folks jabber about, and there you find it. Weapon Properties Cryoheart weapons, the saviours of clumsy strikes! Missed your mark? No worries! The chilling blade freezes baddies on the spot, giving you another swing at ‘em. It’s like a little dance, I call it a “twofer,” two chances to make ‘em wish they never tangled with a clever kobold! Translation If you roll a 1 on the damage dice after hitting with a Cryoheart weapon, you can re-roll your attack. If the new attack hits, roll damage again, you must use the new damage roll. However, if you miss on the new attack roll, the target suffers no damage. Armour Properties Chilly armour cravings? Cryoheart armour’s your answer! Freezing baddies in their tracks, they can’t even get a sniff of a clever kobold. And if they dare try hitting you with cold tricks – forget about it! Cryoheart armour, the frosty fortress for a kobold untouchable! Translation Cryoheart armour grants you resistance to cold damage. Additionally, you emit an invisible 5ft aura around you, turning the surrounding area into difficult terrain for any creature that doesn’t have resistance to cold damage. This means that moving adjacent to you costs a creature 10ft of movement instead of 5ft. Terravault (Earth Stone) 8 times more expensive than steel Description Dig deep, and surprise! Hit a pocket from the plane of earth, popping up like a kobold’s prank. And there you find it, a pocket filled with Terravault. Blocky, square, and green – this ore, oh so soft and friendly to work with. But here’s the trick: quench it in seawater, and bam! Hard as a kobold’s determination. Us kobolds, we like ‘em hard, and Terravault delivers the goods! Weapon Properties Bash those baddies with Terravault weapons, and they’ll be doing the kobold stumble! Keeping their feet? Not a chance. Terravault, the maestro of follow-through weapons, makes ‘em dance to a kobold’s rhythm! Translation If you strike a creature that has less than half their max hit points remaining, they must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The DC for the saving throw is equal to the number rolled for the attack roll. Armour Properties Terravault armour, the savvy shield against hits! Baddies swing, but it’s like tickles, not the hard thuds. And those sneaky foes trying to sense your moves with their fancy sensors? Terravault steps up, equalizing your dance, making you a shadow they can’t see. Translation You gain a damage threshold equal to your proficiency bonus against attacks that deal bludgeoning damage. This means that you ignore a certain amount of points of damage equal to your proficiency bonus. Additionally, your movements can’t be tracked by creatures using tremorsense.
Off-World Ores Moon Stone (Selunite/Leiralite) 9 times more expensive than steel Description You gotta hop on up to the moon to snag some, folks down here call it selunite, while those moon dwellers insist on “lerialite.” Always with their fancy names, those moon people! Now, this rock, it’s a bit of a showoff. Pops and bangs, all sparkly and glittery. Moon folks claim it’s got the energy of stars trapped in it, but us kobold smiths, we know better, don’t we? Weapon Properties Selunite weapons, give it a good bash, and voila! It does this special trick, shattering a bit and dealing more damage than your regular swing. But here’s the rub – after that grand show, it doesn’t work as smooth. Gotta invest some time, patching it up and getting it back to its sparkling glory. Translation If you roll maximum damage after hitting with a Selunite weapon, you can roll an additional damage die (exploding dice). However, this quirk damages the weapon to the point where it can no longer be used. It can be repaired with the mending cantrip or as part of a short rest by a proficient character with smith tools. Armour Properties Moon rock armour, a chuckle indeed! Hit with radiant damage, but not all of it seeps through. Maybe those moon people have a point with their starry claims. And here’s the kicker – it’s a nighttime pal! Sparkly enough to give the lass wearing it a little peek in the dark. Translation You gain a damage threshold equal to your proficiency bonus against attacks that deal radiant damage. This means that you ignore a certain amount of points of damage equal to your proficiency bonus. Additionally, you gain darkvision with a range of 10 feet. Wild Vein 10 times more expensive than steel Description Wild Vein, the elusive space ore! A tricky find, lost in the void of darkness. They say it forms like a pearl in the regular sea, starting as a speck of dust and growing massive over thousands of years. Now, here’s the twist – not mined, but pulled from the helm of Spelljamming vessels. Weapon Properties A stint in wildspace means it soaked up radiant energy from the stars. And here’s the kicker – every bash, a little bit of that cosmic glow leaks out. A radiant surprise with every swing, making foes feel the touch of the stars with each thump! Translation A wild vein weapon deals an additional 2 points of radiant damage once per turn. Armour Properties Dark as wildspace itself, Wild Vein armour follows suit! It’s not just black, it’s like the very essence of darkness clings to it, hiding even the bits it doesn’t cover. Super handy for sneaking, a cloak of shadows that makes a kobold vanish like a shadow in the night. Translation You gain a +2 bonus to stealth checks made when you are in dim light or darkness. This bonus applies even if you are wearing heavy armour, which would normally impose disadvantage on stealth checks.
Bane Alloys Ah, alloys, the crafty mix with steel! Each one, a special billet, forming a brand new alloy. Now, here’s the kicker – these alloys, they dance the same way. Craft a weapon, and it becomes more effective against a certain type of creature. Forge it into armour, and voila! Resistance against that troublesome creature type. Check the table below, it’s the secret recipe for each creature type: Translation Each of the alloys below is created to tackle a specific type of creature (aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, and undead). Creatures of a certain type are considered vulnerable to attacks made with their proprietary alloys, while armour made from these alloys offers resistance to attacks made by these creatures. Creature Type Bane Ore Bane Alloy (combined with steel) Price Compared to Steal Aberrations Black Nether Netherite 10 times more expensive than steel Beasts Mercium Quick Steel Twice as expensive as steel Celestials Corpal Root Avernium 15 times more expensive than steel* Constructs Weave Void* Voidrack 4 times more expensive than steel Dragons Giant’s Teeth Jattelum 10 times more expensive than steel Elementals Rikki Rock Rikscour 6 times more expensive than steel Fey Zirconium Shadow Steel 12 times more expensive than steel Giants Dragon Scales Dracolite 5 times more expensive than steel Monstrosities Rosary Stone Celestium 6 times more expensive than steel Oozes Zinc Galvium* 7 times more expensive than steel Plants Wither Witherite Twice as expensive as steel Undead Poszium Sanctus Steel 10 times more expensive than steel Avernium’s inflated prices stem from the black market nature of this alloy. It is outlawed in many larger civilizations across multiple different worlds. Weave Void is a unique ore that is completely devoid of any kinetic potential. Because of this, weapons and armour made from Voidrack cannot be enchanted with any magical properties. Galvium is a non-corrosive metal that will not dissolve when it comes in contact with corrosive oozes, such as gelatinous cubes, regardless of whether it is magical or not. You may have noticed that humanoids are omitted from this list. This is due to the extreme variety of humanoid creatures across the multiverse. There isn’t one specific alloy that would serve to harm/protect against every single humanoid species.