Materials Science

There are many unusual materials in both Denethix and the Anomalous Subsurface Environment.  Many of these impart near-magical properties to the objects made from them.

Protonium-Metal
Protonium-metal is well-known to those who live in Denethix and the surrounding towns, as its impressive properties mean that several artifacts of unknown purpose still remain in museums, fields, and junkyards.  This metal is a fusion of protons and anti-protons, suspended in a rigid baryon mesh.  The metal exists in a state that cannot be changed, and is thus entirely unbreakable, and cannot be worked in any way.

Protonium-metal cannot be bent, damaged, dissolved in acid, rusted, or otherwise corroded, and it is immune to disintegrate spells, anti-magic effects, and spheres of annihilation.  Only a wish may be used to alter protonium-metal, and even that will only affect a 1’ square area of the metal.  It cannot be breached via the use of teleport, dimension door, and passwall spells, as it exists in multiple dimensions.  It is also impossible to use ESP or telepathy on a creature wearing a protonium-metal helmet, and anything completely encased in the metal cannot be detected by any magical scrying.

The metal was only produced briefly deep in the Anomalous Subsurface Environment, using the Advanced Quantum Preon Collider.  The collider was found to generate lumps of protonium-metal, and methods were soon established to cause the metal to form in specific shapes.  One of the more common items manufactured in the security-conscious ASE were doors.  Furniture and other random items were also manufactured by the Collider team, as it was easier to fill a requisition by sending it to the affable engineers a few levels down, than to get approval from Accounting.

The rarest items forged in the crucible of the Collider were medieval weapons and armor, created mostly as whimsical wall decorations.  Such weapons effectively have magical bonues of +1 to +3, depending on how utilitarian or whimsical the particular weapon design is.  Protonium-metal armor and shields are always +3.  Blades of this metal never dull, and armor never dents or scratches.

In Denethix and the surrounding towns, pieces of protonium-metal can still be found.  There are large bits of scaffolding, massive shapeless lumps, and various abstract designs.  These pieces largely serve as eyesores, as the metal cannot be disposed of or re-purposed.

All protonium-metal radiates magic, if detected for.

Argonium
This white, reflective material is a form of plastic infused with protonium-metal dust.  It is incredibly stiff and impact-resistant.  This material is not as resilient as protonium-metal itself, but is lighter and easier to manufacture, as the dust can be mixed into the plastic resin and molded into arbitrary shapes.

Armor and shields made from argonium are effectively +1 magic items.  Argonium, like protonium-metal, radiates magic.

Disintegrate spells will only function on the surrounding plastic matrix, reducing argonium to piles of protonium-metal dust.  It does still block inter-dimensional travel, as the dust exists in all dimensions, but ESP and telepathy will penetrate an argonium helmet, and argonium containers will not prevent magical scrying.

“Sick Rock”
To a human or halfling, sick rock appears as a crumbly yellow rock.  To dwarves or elves, sick rock is a terrifying sight – it is a blinding nightmare of shifting gamma radiation.

Any creatures within 30’ must save vs. poison every full half hour they are exposed to the sick rock.  If they fail, they will succumb to a wasting disease, losing half their hit points (round up) per hour, until they die.  Neutralize poison will stop the wasting, but victims of the sick rock will not be able to be healed in any way (magical or natural) until a cure disease is cast upon them.

The effects of sick rock radiation are blocked by a 1” thick sheet of lead, or 10’ of stone.

All dwarves and elves instantly recognize sick rock, as they have been told stories of the “sick light” since they were children.