Krang the Steel God & Quintessential Items

Steel screams when it's forged, it gasps when it's quenched. It creaks when it goes under load. Steel is alive, son.

Krang the Steel God, sometimes known as Krang of the Hammer or the Ever-Smith, is a minor demi-power, but an important one. Krang rules over the tensile strength of steel, the durability of iron, and the ability for those metals to hold an edge. Smiths and soldiers are his usual devotees, but many who rely on metal for their trade or survival will speak a brief prayer to Krang before using an item under his influence. Krang’s holy symbol is a piece of razor sharp steel or iron etched with unusual symbols that spell out the deity’s name in Smithik, the secret trade language of smiths. Krang is aligned with Wonder in the Old Pantheon.

Although Krang has no true priests (spell-casting ones that is), he does possesses a small group of fanatical smiths who are able to invoke the god’s power when crafting an item. This group is known as the Ferrumic. Each Ferrumic smith is a migrant crafter, travelling from settlement to settlement to trade, teach, and, most importantly, search for veins of hematite especially blessed by Krang, for it is these special strains of ore that they need to create the quintessential weapons and armor they are known for.

Quintessential Objects

Ferrumic smiths can create objects using the rare forms of iron ore infused with Krang’s essence. These items are known as quintessential pieces, being superior to even masterwork items. Each has a minor magical effect of limited duration, but is not a true magical item such as one enchanted by magic-users and elves. As such, quintessential objects cannot usually strike creatures only affected by magic item (but see below).

Quintessential objects enjoy the benefits of masterwork items (+1 to attack OR damage rolls in the case of weapons; movement rate improved by one step for armor). Additionally, there is a chance that a quintessential object gains a random magical ability during its creation process. This base chance is 20%. However, the smith can attempt to improve the chance of attracting Krang’s attentions to the crafting process by using rare or exotic substances during the item’s forging. Such materials are expensive and they require an additional expense on the part of either the smith or the one who commissioned the piece. For each additional 100 gp spent, the chance for the weapon developing a spontaneous quality is increased by 10%. The probability may never be increased above 80%, however, and the money is spent regardless of whether the object develops special qualities or not.

Krang is an enigmatic god and even the Ferrumic cannot predict what qualities he might bestow upon their work. If the check reveals that the object is imbued with a special quality, the referee should roll on the table below to determine what power the item possess. Note that each of these abilities can be invoked only a finite number of times, and that, like a wand; each use reduces the number of “charges” the item contains. Each quintessential item has 2d10 uses when first crafted. After all those uses are gone, the item is treated like a regular masterwork item. The object’s owner can attempt to have a Ferrumic smith re-consecrate the item, but such a service costs a flat 500 gp and has only a 50% chance of success. If this attempt fails, the item’s power can never be restored. If it successful, it regains 1d10+5 charges. A quintessential weapon can only be re-consecrated one time.

01-03: Item can throw magic missiles as if it were a 5th level magic-user (3 missiles per use)
04-06: Item unlocks a single, non-magical lock within 5’.
07-10: Item causes any single attack against the owner to be rerolled.
11-13: Item allows the owner to levitate for 1 round per use expended. Movement rate is 20’ per round.
14-17: Item allows the owner to reroll any failed check against fear. This is a reflexive power and requires no action on the part of the owner.
18-21: Item produces a small flame (candle-sized) up to 30’ away.
22-25: Item allows the owner to affect creatures normally only struck by magical weapons. This effect lasts for 1d4+1 rounds.
26-28: Item produces a shocking grasp effect when striking/struck by an opponent, doing d8+1 damage.
29-33: Item allows the owner to ignore the effects of a web spell or giant spider webs.
34-37: Item turns undead as a 2nd level cleric
38-41: Item detects poison within 15’ radius.
42-46: Item can produce light as the clerical spell (12 turn duration)
47-50: Item reduces any fire-based damage taken by half. If the damage allows for a saving throw and it is successful, only one-quarter damage (rounded down) is suffered.
51-53: Item has a 4 in 6 chance of detecting secret doors within 15’ radius.
54-57: Item negates the effects of a sleep spell on the owner only. This is a reflexive power and requires no action on the part of the owner. The owner is still included in the # of HD affected.
58-62: Item resists the effects of corrosive attacks from creatures such as rust monsters, green slime, grey ooze, etc. This is a reflexive power and requires no action on the part of the owner.
61-64: Item cloaks the owner in gloom, increasing his ability to surprise opponents to 3 in 6. The created shadows only affects owner and the surprise chance is cancelled if accompanied by others.
65-68: Item grants the owner a +1 bonus to any single saving throw.
69-73: Item creates water as a 1st level cleric.
74-76: Item allows the owner to blink for 3 rounds.
77-81: Item grants the owner infravision for 2d6 turns.
81-83: Item creates an arcane eye which lasts for 1 turn.
84-87: Item deflects non-magical missile attacks with a successful save vs. breath attacks.
88-91: Item grants the owner a boost of speed that allows him to automatically wins initiative for the next round. It has no other effect. The rest of the party must roll for initiative as normal.
92-95: Item allows the owner to read languages.
96-99: Item prevents the owner from losing his footing. This is a reflexive power and requires no action on the part of the owner.
00: Item becomes a true, permanent magical item of +1 power.

Cost of crafting a quintessential item

The base cost of materials and labor for a Ferrumic smith to create a quintessential item is the item’s normal cost plus 400 gold pieces. This allows for the base 20% chance of the item developing special powers. Additional funds may be spent to increase this percentage as noted above.

Crafting times

The time required to forge a quintessential item depends on its size and complexity. A quintessential weapon can be created in one week’s time. A quintessential shield requires 7+1d8 days to complete. It takes a full month to create a quintessential suit of armor.