Does the iron guard enchantment protect against other non-magical metal weapons? Bronze or copper for example. No, but Elminster has heard of other spells developed by various mages that protect against other metals or non-ferrous alloys. (He's personally familiar with none of them.)#Realmslore
— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 17, 2020
So steel counts (by virtue of it being mostly iron) but not say…an Adamantite blade?
— NateGraynor (@GeorgeOlduvai) June 17, 2020
1)
Yes, steel counts, because its metallic ingredient is iron. Adamantite is an ore (its own different metal), which can be smelted and mixed into an alloy, adamantine.
Ironguard works on ferrous-dominated (mostly iron) alloys. If you add iron to adamantine, it… 2)
…isn't adamantine anymore, and the iron-added mix is useless for anything except ornamental castings, because the iron makes it too brittle for use in tools or weapons (one hefty blow or impact/contact will shatter it into shards). So you would need to craft a…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 17, 2020
3)
…new spell, akin to ironguard, specifically for adamantine. Which is apparently very difficult to do, because various spellcasters of Toril and Oerth have been trying, for centuries, without success–but which IS theoretically possible. Elminster suggests that… 4)
…if you succeed, you keep very quiet about it, as the spellcasting world will beat a path to your door. And make demands, some of them, ah, "forcefully."#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) June 17, 2020