Object Hardness
"Hardness isn't just how tough a thing is—it's how loudly it laughs when the world tries to break it."
——Master Veora Stonewright, elder mason of High Bastion
Objects vary in Hardness, a measure of how much physical punishment the material—and the maker's craftsmanship—can absorb before it starts to break down. A Dwarven-forged steel helm is tougher than a pine buckler; a Mithral blade is tougher still. Enchantments, masterwork techniques, or special properties can raise (or occasionally lower) an item's Hardness.
Hardness is the primary defense against Riven: Each point of Hardness cancels one point of Riven that the item would otherwise gain (see Damaging Objects).
Hardness of Materials
| Hardness | Example Materials |
|---|---|
| 0 | Woven cloth†, Paper†, Soft Leather† |
| 1 | Glass, Soft Leather† |
| 2 | Ice, Bone, Hard Leather†, Gold, Lead |
| 3 | Silver, Electrum, Tin, Horn/Chitin, Soft Wood (Pine, Cedar, Bamboo, Woven Sticks, Reeds) |
| 4 | Copper, Brick, Clay, Soft Stone (Sandstone, Basalt, Obsidian, Limestone) |
| 5 | Orichalcum, Brass, Hard Woods (Oak, Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Ash, Orange) |
| 6 | Bronze, Quartz, Common gemstones |
| 7 | Hard Stones (Granite, Marble) |
| 8 | Hard Metals (Steel, Iron) |
| 12 | Mithral |
| 15 | Adamantine |
| Infinite Hardness | Some items have Infinite Hardness and cannot be destroyed by physical means. |
| †Not affected by Bludgeoning attacks | |
Properties that Modify Hardness
| Property | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Masterwork | +1 Hardness |
| Magic Items | Add the Rank of the Magic Item to its hardness. This already includes the bonus for Masterwork items. |
| Thick Materials | +1 Hardness |
| Thin Materials | -1 Hardness |
| Very thin or Fragile | -2 Hardness |
| Delicate | -3 Hardness |