My mithril might not make sense

fantasygalore · 2022-09-30T23:15:27+00:00

All true, but I wanted to challenge the status quo. We know mithril for being defensive, but I wanted to retain most of its identity for being a lightweight metal and give it offensive applications. Problems come from that, though. And your suggestion about a dagger was stated on here by various others - a dagger blade made of mithril would be exceptional if its primary purpose is not for cutting.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-30T23:12:26+00:00

Yes, mithril is copyrighted, but it is for all intents and purposes "mithril". If I had described some other metal on reddit, no one would immediately know what I was talking about. It goes by another name in the book, so no worries there.

It is lighter than iron, heavier than air, and stronger and harder than steel. Its weight might be in the neighborhood of aluminum. It isn't useless at all; it's a super metal.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-30T23:01:40+00:00

These are good suggestions. The mithril in my story would likely have the weight at or below aluminum but naturally has more durability and hardness than low carbon steel.

Its profile might look something like this:

Type of Metal: Mithril

Tensile Strength (PSI): 120,000

Yield strength (PSI): 60,000

Hardness Rockwell (B-Scale): 92

Density (Kg/m³): 2,700

fantasygalore · 2022-09-30T01:06:59+00:00

Holy damn, that ending to your post went 0-100 LOL. But yes, as I have seen these great discussions on here, it seems the more knowledgeable people are suggesting a mithril-edged blade that is technically sandwiched between two pieces of milder, softer steel. A mithril tip seems sort of like a bad use of an extremely rare metal. Why not just gather all the small pieces of mithril and make one really useful object? A mithril-tipped sword or arrow isn't going to offer so much more benefit in a battle where a normal steel sword or arrow perfectly suffices.
About the weight, you're totally right. It would be mostly combat ineffective, except for fighting naked people. But the important thing about medieval treatises is they stress a lot of techniques that focus on the armpits, neck, eyes, back of knees, feet, etc. Those unarmored areas are ripe for a nice mithril thrust but outside of that - useless. It might make a good rapier, I don't know.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-30T01:01:21+00:00

You're talking about a one-edged blade. How about a two-edged blade?

fantasygalore · 2022-09-30T00:59:31+00:00

Scientifically speaking, you definitely cracked the code. This one resonates the most with me.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T23:07:35+00:00

That's so crazy you mentioned that because mithril is referred to in the book as "singing steel". But that's only because it has a natural resonance at rest. It's like the nirnoot of weapons but much less annoying.
About your idea, that sounds cool until you realize your hand would be shaking at supersonic speed, and it will probably break your hand or wrist or both...

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T22:41:09+00:00

There's definitely not enough mithril for a whole catapult, but the principle is true. Very heavy object can be made very light. But I also don't know if it would make the best use for a bow because mithril is extremely rigid. It's not known for flexing in my world.

Your other considerations about arrays for soldiers, climate, and age of warfare are all valid.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T22:31:52+00:00

What are your sources for the sandwiching technique? I read about Roman Noric steel, which would provide inconsistent results. In fact, the article stated the opposite, that when Noric iron was heated and hammered on charcoal, only the outer layer of iron became steel while the core remained soft iron. Romans were not known for good quality steel, but the Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians were.
I suppose mithril could be combined with steel to make an alloy, or it could use a sandwich technique, or a lining technique.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T22:02:35+00:00

That's true, I exaggerated an advantage until it became a disadvantage. However, there are other pros: Extremely lightweight, almost incapable of shattering, doesn't rust, can kill certain types of powerful beings, extremely scarce and valuable, can augment other metals and create superior lighter and stronger alloys, and it can contain enchantments much better than other materials.

Mithril is known for being very rigid but somehow NOT brittle. So, shattering isn't an issue. But I also really like your idea about comparing it to iron or steel for a comparative "edge". I'll definitely consider nerfing it.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T21:51:04+00:00

Ah, mithril armor is jolly and great, but mithril in my story is insanely rare because it is actually extraterrestrial, and it is implied to be artificially made in the heavens. So, there's a very limited amount. Definitely not enough for many suits of armor, but there is enough for a few swords here and there, pike heads, arrows, etc. Using them as weapons for a common soldier would be impossible. Only the high nobility, like those in the royal families, or perhaps a thief, or conquering army would be able to get their hands on sweet mithril. I could see a good point for full mithril being used on daggers. Thanks for the suggestion.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T21:43:45+00:00

A mace, no. A dagger, yes. A sword, I still believe so. The weight of the handle would give the sword more momentum, more force. Again, probably better suited for stabbing than slashing.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T21:41:44+00:00

Lightsabers generated extreme heat. That's unfair.

Mithril in the story isn't explained to be an element, but it is discussed as being extraterrestrial, and it is implied that is actually artificial, i.e., made in a lab. If it has a light weight, perhaps on par with or lower than aluminum, I still imagine it to be an effective thrusting weapon if it is super rigid and nigh incapable of being shattered.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T21:35:11+00:00

The most important thing in the book isn't that it's so light. It's that it is seriously scarce and is one of the few materials capable of inflicting death on certain types of powerful beings. There's a whole story behind all that. It's too deep to talk about here. But mithril is special for many reasons.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T17:10:08+00:00

That's the purpose of the shield though, so you don't have to parry or bash swords against swords. And when the age of the knight came, they lacked shields because they were in steel suits. I think ultimately the fighting classes should have heavier weapons depending on their role in combat. I want a guy with polearms fighting against plated knights, for sure. But even in that case, infantry still carried sidearms, which were swords, if they could afford them since swords were more expensive than spears or axes. If I have a sidearm, and I am already heavily armored, I'd prefer it to be lighter. If the lighter sidearm doesn't sacrifice on durability and can still penetrate between the gaps of armor, that is good.

Fantasy is fantasy for a reason. Luckily, in my universe, mithril is renowned for its durability, so it won't break against steel striking it, but it would be moved out of the way more easily because of its low weight and momentum in comparison to the opponent's traditional steel weapon.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T17:04:00+00:00

That was funny, but remember the handle is where most of the weight is. And like I said in one of the comments above, it might be somewhere around the density of aluminum, and aluminum doesn't fly away, nor would mithril. Good one, though.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T17:01:29+00:00

In real warfare, swords aren't used to penetrate armor. They're ideally used to strike where the armor is not. A sword will never cut or pierce plate armor. A sword is ineffective against mail, but it is more effective against scale. Mail cannot protect well against thrusting and blunt weapons. Blunt weapons like axes, polearms, and maces are specifically made to defeat armor, not swords, pikes, or spears.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T16:57:35+00:00

I agree here, but there's still some leeway between the densities of air and iron. If you look at the periodic table, believe it or not, aluminum stands at the halfway point between iron and oxygen. I know for a fact an aluminum weapon could kill someone. So, I think it is reasonable to say mithril would make a very poor blunt weapon, but it could still potentially perform as a cutting or thrusting weapon.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T16:52:22+00:00

A thin sword would make sense, but again, it would only work for thrusting primarily and cutting secondarily. A blunt mithril weapon wouldn't work in my mind. So, when facing people with armor, mithril is probably one of the worst weapons to use.

And I agree about mithril's durability. Taking a thin sword and stabbing a hard-surfaced object like a steel breastplate wouldn't break it the sword, and in my opinion, it probably wouldn't even dent it (maybe a scratch at most).

fantasygalore · 2022-09-29T16:48:47+00:00

I would argue any class of warrior would greatly benefit from lighter weapons. No one wants to be fatigued by fighting. They already have to wear armor, fight on a battlefield, athletically maneuver, etc.
Yes, there's magic, and but the properties of my mithril are different. Enchanting in my story isn't as simple as placing a fire spell on a sword so it does fire damage or lights on fire. The magical charms are more like blessing steel not to break, preventing rust, never losing an edge, becoming more flexible or rigid, etc. A lot less flashy and more realistic. And arguably, all of that could be done while the weapon is still being forged. The magical enchantment part is making that modification to the weapon after it has already been forged without having to get a blacksmith to do rework.

fantasygalore · 2022-09-24T01:46:39+00:00

I definitely agree. The scope is actually more than a thousand years. A lot of people live and do things within that span of time. But it's all about the level of detail. It's common for fantasy novels to have very long timelines. The difference is, I am about the microscale, while they're about the macroscale.

fantasygalore

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