World Without Metal

[Knaight]

Conversations on metal.

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SA lacquered wooden scimitar deals 1D6 damage, it remains unchanged.
The same scimitar worked in iron deals 1d8 damage, it holds an edge better and is more effective against the predominantly wood/hide/chitin armor.
The same scimitar worked in ancient Damascus steel and lovingly folded and refolded using techniques passed down from master to apprentice since times immemorial would deal a full 1d10 damage.

You could probably do something similar with metal armor if your characters should be lucky enough to acquire some, probably by adding additional base AC or some kind of damage reduction.

Regarding Damascus steel it really isn't all that impressive in regards to function. Late Toledo steel was far better, and even steels in the same age as the height of Damascus were better in most of Europe. The difference is that Damascus is absolutely beautiful, and if something is a showpiece then it is critical.

Similarly, folding is very much a functional technique, but there are others just as effective that are pretty common, and needed to make weapon grade steel. A system of twisted and flattened bars of different compositions is common, and every bit as effective.

As far as mechanics go, I wouldn't increase damage, but instead allow higher grade weapons to ignore part of lower grade armor. An iron arrowhead is going to do some serious damage right through most armor, and has a better chance of punching through bronze than most everything else.

Glasswork

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A largely overlooked material in this thread so far is glass. Granted, it wasn't exactly common in the stone age, but if metal isn't at all possible to access then glass could easily see development. It has a reputation for fragility that isn't entirely earned -most modern glassware is easy enough to break, but most modern glassware has very thin glass.

The advantages of glass are obvious. It can be mass produced relatively easily, can be cast into shapes as well as blown, it is extremely durable to scratching and other forms of gradual damage considering ease of creation. This means that, in addition to being immensely useful for containers and potentially architecture (though that would require float glass, which requires a fair amount of metal in production tools) glass could be used in weapons. Arrow heads are the most obvious candidates for this, but tip covers for simple spears of the pointed stick variety are also possible, adding a somewhat useful edge and some options for a point that otherwise wouldn't function.

Glass also has potential use in coinage. Very thin disks are obviously out of the question, but thicker disks with a hole in the middle, spindle shapes, spheres with a hole through them, and other such designs could make it a functional currency with value denoted by shape. The bead like designs also allow strings of currency, as opposed to pouches of it, for the purpose of setting flavor.

Ceramics

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One would absolutely expect ceramics to see use, and pottery is a given. However, in the absence of easy access to metals more developed ceramics are almost inevitable. Among the potential uses are armor. Ceramic plates are used in modern day armor, and while these are extremely heavy and thick this is due to having to work against bullets. Arrows at the very least could be effectively blocked by ceramic plates, or possibly ceramic covered glass -this effectively allows the hardness and durability of glass, with the major drawbacks of small glass plates somewhat avoided, as ceramics tend not to shatter into a bunch of razors.

Note that what I'm picturing for ceramic plates is something small. Maybe 3 by 5 inches (a hair less than 8 by 13 centimeters), placed in what is for all intents and purposes a shut pocket, with a bunch of these placed around the body. It will have nothing on good metal mail, have small gaps that can be exploited, and need frequent replacement if heavier bludgeons ever get involved, but against arrows it would be immensely useful, and could even help against clubs and spears up until the same place gets hit twice. Sling bullets are going to be inconvenient though.

The main competition in regards to armor is wood, and wearing enough of it to help much is going to involve being weighed down heavily. As such wood forms the same obvious defense it did for millenniums , which is to say shields.

[Kudaku]

Conversations on metal.

The different metalcrafting terms I used was intended purely as fluff, I have no background or for that matter real knowledge of bladesmithing - it was meant more to give the reader some idea of what kind of quality system I envisioned - I'll happily leave the details to those with greater insight .

As far as mechanics go, I wouldn't increase damage, but instead allow higher grade weapons to ignore part of lower grade armor. An iron arrowhead is going to do some serious damage right through most armor, including

Near as I can tell you seem to cut off in mid-sentence, so it's slightly hard to get to grips with what you're trying to say here. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you suggest that higher grade weapons get some kind of attack bonus versus low-grade armor, if I'm wrong feel free to correct me .

The main reason I suggest increasing damage type is because I think the increased dice size would appeal to a larger group of players than a generic "+ to hit" or"+ to damage" bonus. This would also help make the weapons feel powerful in a "unique" way in a time when there are extremely many ways to get random bonuses on attack bonuses.

Furthermore it would also be easier to calculate as the bonus is fixed no matter what kind of armor your opponent is wearing (if he is wearing metal armor then the included damage resistance I suggested should balance the increased damage potential), leading to less potential modifiers at the gaming table and help streamline the game as a whole.

[Knaight]

The different metalcrafting terms I used was intended purely as fluff, I have no background or for that matter real knowledge of bladesmithing - it was meant more to give the reader some idea of what kind of quality system I envisioned - I'll happily leave the details to those with greater insight .

Near as I can tell you seem to cut off in mid-sentence, so it's slightly hard to get to grips with what you're trying to say here. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you suggest that higher grade weapons get some kind of attack bonus versus low-grade armor, if I'm wrong feel free to correct me .

No problem, you just brushed against a pet peeve. The quality system is certainly a good idea.

Yeah, that was the idea. Its similar to the technological scale idea in Fudge.