Brysten Glass (3.5e Equipment)

Brysten Glass
Summary::Weapons are not typically made of glass due to its fragility unless somehow alchemically or magically treated, yet brysten glass focusing on increasing its damage instead of its durability. This results in a powerful weapon but one which is in constant danger of breaking.

Brysten glass is a semi-opaque glass which is often colored and stained for decorative purposes. A close up look reveals a complex spiderweb of silver lines crisscrossing its interior which helps sharpen edges and channel concussive impacts to the business edge of the weapon. However as more and more of the weapon wears away the structural integrity fails catastrophically, releasing all of its power all at once. This complex spiderweb is also the source of the weapon's biggest weakness: once forged it cannot be repaired except by the most powerful of magic (either miracle or wish). For this reason many do not enhance brysten glass items and instead choose to employ temporary enhancements and oils.

Brysten glass weapons can be made into any weapon normally forged from steel. They deal damage as a weapon two size categories larger than it actually is. They come with 100 "charges" which depletes by 1 every time a successful attack is made, and when they lose all charges the weapon breaks. If they break during an attack, this attack is an automatic critical hit. Sunder attempts against the weapon deal damage against its charges rather than its hit points, effectively giving brysten glass weapons 100 hp. Augmentations (such as dwarvencraft or hardening) do not alter this amount, though they may alter hardness. Shields are treated as weapons for the purpose of this material.

Brysten glass armor is not often used. It is effective against energy attacks, granting 1 point of energy resistance (acid, cold, electricity, and fire) for every 1 AC it has and has 100 charges, losing 1 charge for every attack which deals damage regardless of the type of damage. On running out of charges it explodes into a cloud of glass dust which negates all acid, cold, electric, and fire damage in the creature's square for 1 round. The cloud is not dense enough to provide any concealment. As with weapons, augmentations do not alter the amount of charges it possesses.

Brysten glass needs special preparation so all weapons and armor made from it are always of masterwork quality; the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below. Thus, brysten glass weapons and ammunition have a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls for being masterwork (this does not stack with the rising enhancement bonus).

Brysten glass has hardness 4, and an irrelevant number of hit points as all damage is redirected into the number of charges it possesses. Brysten glass takes quarter damage from acid, cold, electricity, and fire, half damage from force, and full damage from sonic attacks.