The acid from an acid ice flow is much in demand by chemists in order to make inorganic solvent. It is worth $200 a liter. This article will talk about collecting this acid, and the problems that adventurers may meet.

Glaciers are formed two ways. The first method is common on our Earth and is caused by the build up of snow. As the mass of the snow increases, the lower layers are crushed into ice. Under pressure the ice flows, grinding up soil and rocks as it progresses away from the source of its snow (typically the top of mountains ). As the ice melts rivers may flow under the ice, leaving caves and tunnels that may or not be flooded with cold water.

The second method for forming a glacier is by the eruption of a cold volcano. Deep in the Earth there are pockets of cold acid that are normally trapped far from all life. Sometimes a growing pocket of cold will find faults and cracks in the rocks leading to the surface. Then the cold solution of ices, gasses, and rock crystals held in the cold acid (all this is called the cryice) can expand and erupt. When the cryice reaches the surface the gasses leave solution, many of the rock crystals precipitate out into vast masses of strange minerals, the ices form a glacier and the acid reacts with the air and earth and is soon neutralized. Of course this form of glacier often is covered with normal snow and ice. As the glacier moves away from the center of the eruption, the glacier warms and some of the strange ices melt or evaporate, leaving pockets and chambers. These are very dangerous as there are collapses and ice falls. Often there are tunnels and caverns in the ice that are filled with unbreathable gasses.

Lastly, there are strange creatures that can only live at these temperatures, or in these atmospheres. They are without exception, unhappy with all attempts to warm and ventilate the glacier to reach the heart of cold (the vent where the coldest part of the cryice eruption exists).

We will examine a typical cold eruption.

Starting deep in the earth, the massive weight of the rocks above put tremendous pressure on a cryice pocket. (The exact origin of cryice is poorly understood, but thought to be involved with a meta-stable form of chaos. Alternately, it may be an existence sink, that most easily passes heat and the essences of stone.) The pressure allows the cold acid to dissolve far more rock than it normally would be able to. As the cryice pocket grows it may break into cracks or hollows in the earth.

The cryice will expand and fill these tunnels, lowering the pressure on the cryice. When under less pressure, the cryice can hold fewer gasses and minerals in solution, thus unusual rocks and minerals can precipitate out. Even as some hard to dissolve minerals are being precipitated out, others that are easier to dissolve will go into solution into the cryice. Thus the cryice will move and concentrate mineral deposits. Later in this article, a more detailed discussion of these minerals will be given.

As the cold acid dissolves the rocks around it, it may eventually find a way to reach the surface (often thru an easy to dissolve lava plug in an old volcano). Thru almost microscopic cracks in the rock the cryice is forced out of the earth, starting a cold eruption.

Now when a fluid (including gasses) expands it cools, thus the already cold cryice gets colder and colder as it leaves the ground. The center of the eruption is called the heart of cold.

The heart of cold will be growing and dying at the same time. As the acid dissolves more rocks (more difficult for it to do at low pressures) the cracks expand and the cryice flows more quickly. This lowers the pressure further and makes it even harder to dissolve rock. Therefore, the rate at which the hole opens decreases. If the rock is very weak, easy to dissolve, or both, (for example, if the original eruption was ash with little lava) the pressure may blow the top off the heart of cold and a fountain of cryice will roar into the air raining acid, ice, and rock back to the ground. The rock will be chunks of crystals of popcorn size. The cryice will almost instantly be exhausted in this form of eruption. However if the eruption does not explosively exhaust the cryice, the eruption can go on for years. Thus scholars suspect that the cryice can some how replenish itself if it is vented slowly.

Should the pressure not blow the top, then the easy to dissolve minerals will gradually be removed from around the tiny vents. Very hard to dissolve crystals will form in the vent (because the pressure is lower and they are the first to come out of solution). These crystals will collect and start to plug the heart of cold, thus the vent will get smaller and smaller. As the vent gets smaller, the pressure will increase and the rate that the minerals is deposited will decrease. Occasionally a vent will become completely blocked with these new minerals and it is said to have 'frozen' shut.

There may be several different hearts of cold, servicing one cryice pocket. These may have several mountains between them, or clustered in a tight valley group. As one heart of cold 'freezes' shut (is blocked by stone) the pressure at the others will go up and rate that they 'freeze' shut will slow. The increasing pressure will also increase the rate that the old rock can be dissolved by the cold acid, thus, any given cold eruption will have relatively stable number of hearts of cold, tho their locations may slowly change.

At a heart of cold the temperature may be from -40 to -218 degrees celsius, although a normal temperature would be -150 degrees. Note that while 'accurate' temperatures are given in this article, people find it difficult to measure temperatures below -40 degrees.

The gasses released by the cryice have a variety of names. They are: Acidgen, Cyromanagen, Culxgen, Explogen, Eyeburner, Green Gas, Red Lips and Stale Air.

This gas is produced when the cold acid reacts with rocks. It makes you feel energetic and alive. In extremely high concentrations it can burn your lungs. If you breath it for long periods of time, you can hold your breath for 2 or even 3 times longer than normal. In an atmosphere rich in Acidgen you recover fatigue damage at 2 to 3 times quicker than normal. Fires burn very well in this gas.

This gas is colorless, and evaporates from the cryice when it is a turquoise fluid at moderately cold temperatures. Many magical creatures live in this gas. Wizards when breathing sufficient concentrations of this gas need spend only 1/2 or even 1/3 normal ST cost to power spells. If this gas approaches about -30 degrees, it rapidly degrades. If acidgen and warming cyromanagen mix the room will get very hot, and the properties of the cyromanagen will be instantly lost.

This is often mixed with other gasses. It causes metals to rust quicker, building up brittle, dark colored deposits. Often it irritates the lungs. Fortunately, it is never found below -40 degrees C. This gas is never found far from an acid ice flow.

This seems to be colorless, and odorless, but at some eruptions it is always found with a bad smell. If a flame reaches this gas, there is an explosion, that usually kills every one, then collapses the glacier on them. In sufficient concentrations it can suffocate.

Often accompanied with mists this gas has a distinctive biting odor. Even with your eyes closed it will irritate them and make them burn and water. Eyeburner is awful to breathe & can burn your lungs.

This horrible green-yellow gas burns the lungs. When it is very cold (at least -170 degrees) it sometimes it is a deeper green and will burn the skin and what ever it touches. It never lasts long.

This colorless, odorless, gas makes people feel warm and sleepy. Their lips and other places where the blood is close to the surface turns red. People die of suffocation.

Looks and smells like normal air, but you can't get your breath. Sometimes a different form of stale air (-80 degrees) will makes you gasp for breath (even tho you can breathe it) and gives you terrible head-aches. This gas has a wide variety of sublimation temperatures is believed to depend upon the concentration of cyromanagen. Roughly, the more cyromanagen there is, the colder the sublimation temperature.

As the ice sublimes, it will leave 'rotten ice' which is to say water ice weakened with many small bubbles and cracks. Rotten ice can easily be tunneled (typically normal tunneling rate * 20) but will release a lot of the above gasses. Also, cave ins are common, with the miner freezing before he can be dug out. Note that normal ice has an armor of -2 and rotten ice has armor of zero or -1 points per hit.

More rarely, chambers and tunnels will be left thru the water ice. All cold volcanic eruptions will have a chamber about each heart of cold. Unless it has been drained ( which occasionally can happen naturally ) it will be filled with cryice. This cryice will be forced thru cracks or will flow down tunnels. Cracks in the ice may carry the gasses away to the surface, or (in areas of deep snow) the gasses will travel down into the tunnels.

In cold eruptions that have gone on for a long time (several years) the colder tunnels often become inhabited by strange, cold, creatures. They often use magic, and many have been known to live on the demon or mist planes.

Some of the creatures that have been found in or around a cold eruption are: Cokack, Cold Mists, Crysgrass, Frosters, Giant Beavers, Giant Fanged Bounders, Giant Moose, Halektites, Hothess, Mandrakes, Ny-Cassis, Polar Bears, Puk Roars, Slink Shadows, Snow Serpents, Stalking Soul Sippers (rare), Timber Wolves & Zack-Siss.

One to two hexes in size. Animated by hate and magic. These soft multi-segmented creatures, use water ice to form their skeletons and support tissue. These creatures will take 1 dice of damage / turn if the temperature around them reaches 0 degrees AND they take triple damage from fire. They some how use magic to heal them selves but can't use it except in areas colder than -30 degrees.

From the mist planes. This icy mist is strongly attracted to fires. It absorbs heat from all objects it touches. Metal armor, shields, stone, iron, steel flesh spells, and Weapon/Armor Enchantments do not protect against its attacks, tho armor values of furs or clothes do protect. It can be hurt by Death Spells, and is killed by being entombed with an Ice Tomb or hit with a Dissolve Enchantment. A Destroy Creation, Remove Thrown Spell, and Advanced Destroy Creation do: 1,1,& 2 hits to it respectively.

From the demon planes. This bright crystalline 'grass' can be mistaken for crystals deposited by the cryice. A silicon life form it attacks by wrapping around its victims and casting a 1 to 4 ST Death Spell on the victim. Each turn a strand of grass dies, but eventually the patch is fertilized. Requires a 3vsAdjST to break away from a tangle of Crysgrass.

Part of Ny-Cassis' ecology. These creatures are a colony of almost microscopic insects, and a symbiotic vine like animal. The vine grows like a spider web over the insides of tunnels. The vine lives off differences in temperatures between its outside and the inner temperature. The insects move fluids and starchy foods inside the vine creature. These webs are often found in relatively warm corridors ( 0 to -30 degrees ) leading back to large nodes in the coldest caves. The main effects of Frosters are: they hide themselves under a thick layer of frost, they are dangerous to step on (fluids coat the boots and often lead to frost bite), they stabilize tunnels and rooms in rotten ice, and lastly they tend to stabilize the temperature of the caves at around -30 degrees.

Exactly like in Treasure of the Silver Dragon.

Like the ones in Treasure of the Silver Dragon except they are fatter, and bigger, and they do one extra point of damage. Note: these creatures are so dangerous, I give an 18 E.P. dangerousness bonus for the person that knocks one over the 50% damage mark, and make sure I watch the G. Fanged Bounder's moral.

Exactly like in Treasure of the Silver Dragon.

A silicon life form looking like a branching tree half a meter in size. It uses psionics to control hemoglobin life. Controlled life will impale itself on Halektite so it can feed on the blood. It may mentally attack once / turn, and feed on up to 3 people at once (with the cold of its body doing additional damage ).

Once the victim is impaled, it drains 1 ST of blood / turn. The Halektite will attack people in its line of sight mentally with a X:X-2 vs IQ to take control of the person. If it fails its roll, and a player fails his as well, that player can move no more than 2 hexes per turn towards the Halektite, and is inhibited from attacking. He must roll a 1 or 2 on a die to attack.

A magical small mammal. See economic notes.

As detailed in Security Station. Ice colored. Rarely, they have taken the shape of icicles hanging from the roof.

This is a distant relative to the Cokack. It is 4 to 14 hexes in size and has a thick armor of ice, that resists heat. They are magic users, and use a variety of cold magics. Should Ny-Cassis become established, deep exploration of acid ice flows usually cease. They are believed to hatch from mineral like eggs, deposited by the cryice. A Ny-Cassis adult will (teleport ?) bring in many creatures from its ecology. Fire does double damage, and temperatures above 0 degrees will do 1 pt of damage / min / 10 degrees over zero. Ny-Cassis have little in the way of vital organs outside of their brains.

Like a regular bear but larger, stronger, and more aggressive.

These are watch dogs of the Ny-Cassis. They are very vulnerable to heat (like the Cokack) and pull their rear body behind them. Thus they are slow turning, 1 MA for each 60 degree change of facing. The wounds they cause always become infected.

These small creatures can not be directly seen, as they disappear into the blind spot of the eye (a magical defence). Only those creatures that are one hex behind the edge of your character's vision can be seen. Attacking these creatures is at -6 DX (you can't see them) and an additional -2 DX (small and fast moving).

From Fritz Leiber's stories. These snakes are furred and hot blooded. They are very aggressive as they must often eat to offset their high heat loss. If food is not available they will hibernate under a crust of snow until food comes by. They will then berserk and attack as they are often weak with starvation.

(See my Stalking Soul Sipper expansion.) Extremely rare, lives in warmer parts of the glacier. If one does become established, it will try to hunt out all life in the warmer regions surrounding the glacier.

Just like regular wolves, but 50% larger and stronger.

These flying albino horrors project fear with their strange screams. They are 1 hex creatures and thus are at -4 DX to hit or be hit with physical attacks.

They are extremely vulnerable to fire taking triple damage from its hits. They are not summoned in areas that are above zero degrees.

If they have a roof at least 6 meters above them they may dive for double damage. The attack by penetrating armor with their chest (?) spike. Should this spike penetrate, it will do 1d-1 damage per turn until it is removed do to the cold. (The heat will quickly kill the Zack-Siss but the Ny-Cassis will often maintain the body knowing it continues to harm the victim.) Drawing out the spike does 2d-3 damage unless it is done by a physicker.

The fear is a magical attack requiring a 2vsBv (Bravery) or roll on the panic table (See Inept Adept #2). Clerics and those the clerics are adjacent to get a +2 to this roll.

They often are magically summoned by a Ny-Cassis.

There are two different effects of cold on humans in this game system. Hypothermia and Frost Bite. Each will be treated separately.

Hypothermia is the dropping of the body core temperature below 37 degrees. It is known by sleepiness, fatigue and lassitude. A figure that is hypothermic will take fatigue damage until they fall unconscious. Then they will take 1 point of real damage per 10 minutes until they die.

Frost Bite is caused when sections of flesh are cooled below zero degrees. Ice crystal destroy skin and flesh, resulting in a wound very much like a deep burn. Frost bite is measured in normal damage.

Human are warm blooded, which means that they use physiological reactions such as shivering, and slowing the flow of blood to the skin in order to maintain a constant body core temperature. As your body temperature drops you feel tired, and soon fall unconscious. Soon body processes will stop. However revival is possible for a long period providing the body core does not have time to freeze solid (ice crystals will make a mash out of internal organs ).

Reviving a hypothermia victim requires that he be warmed with in 1/2 an hour of death (1 hour if magical aid such as healing potions are used) and a physicker makes a X+3 vsIQ where X is the number of 5 minute periods since the figures death. Each healing potion reduces this roll by one die providing the roll does not go below 3vsIQ. A master physicker may roll one less die.

Notes: a common error is to warm the whole body in hypothermia cases. Only the torso should be warmed, other wise the limbs that are filled with very cold blood will release the cold into the body core resulting in shock or death. Also, a hypothermia victim requires rest and careful medical monitoring for at least a week after recovering. Hypothermia cases often have complications involving internal organs. Violent action is very dangerous even for people that have recovered during this one week period.

Normal Cold Damage is measured by fatigue hits until the person falls unconscious and then is measured by real hits. Providing the figure did not fall unconscious, cold damage can be recovered by 15 minutes of rest in a warm environment. Once the figure has taken real hits from cold damage, the fatigue hits are be regained much more slowly, 1 point per hour of warm rest.

Clothing is rated in degrees Celsius that it can adds to the effective local temperature. Typical ratings of winter cloths are from +20 to +40 degrees.

As well as the simple cold there are wind chill ratings, any wind will blow the warmer air around the figure away, speeding heat loss. Wind chill factors can go down to extremely cold temperatures with -80 degrees being typical windy winter temperatures.

One form of primitive protection is to layer clothing. Generally if the clothing can fit over each other it may add additional protection by trapping still air ( a very good insulator ) around the body. Each additional layer of clothes will protect for an extra +5 to +10 degrees. Note this may change very rapidly if the clothes get wet, few materials remain warm when wet or icy. After the first 2 layers of clothes, the GM should assess large DX penalties for people so covered. The clothes may also end up being worth 3 or more points of armor.

In very cold air a way must be found to warm the air being breathed. Typically this is done by breathing in air that has been under the clothes and warmed by the body. The stale air can be breathed out to the external environment.

Because the moist air that a person breaths out will condense to form ice, the best cold suits will have eye protectors that are not breathed into. They normally should have a 'warm rock' spell cast on them to keep the eyes from freezing.

A moderately active body can remain safe indefinitely at 10 degrees with no protection. Each 10 degrees below this will cause one point of fatigue damage per 15 minutes.

Someone that is actively exercising gets +20 degrees (for a couple minutes, then they must rest or take fatigue damage).

Someone that is asleep need an additional 10 degrees protection.

A final note, unless some care is taken in the design of the clothes, any activity will cause the body to overheat and sweat. This is dangerous as the moisture will degrade the insulation of most materials. Eskimo clothing has flaps that can quickly be opened and is designed that rapid movement will cause breaks to appear in the clothing layers.

Frost Bite can destroy fingers, toes, or larger body appendages. This damage is given by the GM depending on how ill prepared the players are and how cold the environment is. A frost bitten appendage may be saved by bathing in warm water, snipping away dead tissue and fighting infections. Tissue or skin grafts may be necessary.

Because toes and fingers have poor blood circulation, and have a high surface area to volume ratio, they are very vulnerable to frost bite. If toes and fingers are lost, the player loses points from his DX or Maximum DX.

• Lose one pt from MaxDX / finger, & one from DX for outer two fingers (the pinky and ring finger) per hand.
• Lose two pt.s from DX / thumb.
• Lose 1/2 a pt from MaxDX per toe. If you lose all toes get an additional -1 DX.
• Lastly if a person missing lots of fingers tries to do a task depending on manual dexterity, assess a big penalty, or simply disallow the action, these adjustments are the bodies' over all DX adjustments.

Generally, frost bite is calculated after you come in from the cold. (Treat it as if some of the fatigue damage from the cold has become more serious.) There are a few cases where frost bite damage is calculated at once. High enough wind chill factors, below -50 degrees will freeze skin almost instantly. Still air is a poor conductor of heat so your skin can be warmed by your body core almost as fast as it loses the heat, but if you touch a solid object or liquid at -40 or more degrees C, you may take 2-3 or even more points of damage at once.

In the tunnels of a glacier, as you approach the heart of cold, the only part of you that you is touching anything conductive, will likely be your boots. It is very important that extraordinary precautions are taken. If a cave in of some ice at -30 degrees or more should occur, anyone buried in it will likely be instantly killed. The ice will melt or sublime in a great cloud of fog, with the figure taking 3 dice of damage or more / turn of frost bite.

A low tech solution to help prevent frost bite is to rub the dust formed from crushing stone beetle's shells on your skin. Often the entire face, hands and feet are smeared with this dust to make them more resistant to cold. Enough dust to protect one person costs $30. The dust is sticky enough that it will trap tiny air pockets, but the game effect is minor, (it is mainly a psychological benefit).

The largest demand for materials from a glacier is of course the cold acid. Chemists require large amounts of it and it is worth $200 per liter. The cold acid will dissolve practically anything, but carbon compounds are unusually resistant, especially if it is collected before the cyromanagen has all left solution. For the cold acid to be shipped and stored with out refrigeration, it must be collected at temperatures below -50 degrees, while still rich with cyromanagen, and stored in wine skin like bags that have been magically enchanted to resist the acid.

The cheap alchemical potion called cold resistance was designed for collecting cold acid. Multiple Warm Wood spells must be cast on all foot wear to avoid frost bite. With out these precautions, collecting cold acid is much more dangerous.

Strange minerals precipitate out of the cryice around each Heart of Cold. These minerals are brittle and will break loose, and be moved by the ices towards warmer areas of the glacier. There is of course strong incentives to go a little farther in than the next guy, to get first chance at these nuggets. Copper, and silver nuggets are common, with gold and other metals also occasionally being found. Tzarite, and other gems have been produced. It is told, that a 350 gram nugget of Mithril was found once, but this is probably untrue as mithril has never been found naturally on the surface of the earth.

If a group of people have constructed a monopoly, and limit access to the glacier, then they will gain the metals cheaply and safely as they are deposited as scree at the foot of the glacier. Most gem stones will be destroyed by the grinding processes within the glacier however.

A full description of several metals can be found below.

The Ny-Cassis' ecology is valuable in of itself. About a century ago the wizard Falthorn 'to Remm investigated the Ny-Cassis. He developed a number of magic items that use organs from their bodies. The Ny-Cassis' blood is a viscous oily substance that distributes a variety of free radicals. These compounds react with glacial slowness at their natural temperatures. The Ny-Cassis' cells have catalysts that allow them to burn the free radicals (Note, at temperatures below negative 75 degrees, the Ny-Cassis and all related creatures are at -1 DX and -2 Speed (DX super script). To move this goo, the Ny-Cassis have multiple hearts. They inject free radicals into the blood thru many spleen like organs distributed thru out their body. These organs (called Nyk glands) are worth $200 each. There are about 50 of these glands per hex of Ny-Cassis (or related creature). If taken from the creature while fresh, and stored in pure alcohol they may be kept at warm temperatures indefinitely.

Other creatures in the same ecology do not manipulate magic as well so their equivalent glands are worth from 3/4 to 2/3 of this price.

The gas Cyromanagen can give times 2 to 3 power to wizards. Therefore wizards have been known to mount expeditions into an erupting cold volcano, to do experiments, test the water ice that appears in masses from the cryice, or even build a laboratory or home in the glacier (with pressure doors and pumps to keep the Cyromanagen and Acidgen separate). Wizards generally are the least predictable in their expeditions, having searched for literally anything. There is something of a competition to see who can be the first to get the glory to reach a heart of cold and write an essay on the subject.

Lastly, a burrowing creature called a Hothess lives around the -35 to -55 degree range. It uses magic to warm itself. It lives in holes in the ice and scree the glacier rests on. Its fur is extraordinarily warm and beautiful, worth about $100 for one tiny pelt. Lastly, around its internal cavity is a clear membrane that feels like a strange wet, electric silk. This is much in demand for sexual finery. It takes a 3vsDX at -6 DX to remove this membrane intact. The intact membrane is worth $500 / hothess. If cut it looses most of its durability and is worth only $40 / creature.

The notes are the same as pg 28-29 of Advanced Wizard except as noted below.

B This note may be added to Thrown Spell type items, such as Freeze, Stone Flesh, Sleep, etc. The basic form of the spell works on a one hex figure. To increase to 3 hexes takes three times as many wizards and triples the cost. Multiply by the # of hexes.

N - Notes w/ae - Weapon / Armor Enchantment

mk - make cg - Create Gem

wk - week lmic - Lesser Magic Item Creation

ingdts - ingredients gmic - Greater Magic Item Creation

req - required cma - Create Magical Artifact

gl - gland ci - common ingredients

Acid Sack. Allows you to carry cold acid with out the sack being dissolved. Each sack has an expected life time of about 10 years of being filled with acid (forever if empty). Profit of wizard with Weapon / Armor Enchantment is $120 / week. Note that the same item can be made with out a Nyk gland, but it costs 4 times as much.

Cold Gem. Made with the (IQ 16) spell Create Gem. Profit is $ 125 / week. When shattered, warmth in an area of 1 Mh is sucked away. This does 3 dice of cold (fatigue) damage to everyone in the area. Very warmly dressed figures will have additional armor. Note that figures may have protection vs magical cold damage.

Mana Burst. Also made with Create Gem spell. This is like a one shot Power Stone. When thrown against a figure it gives that person a 12 ST aid spell (and then shatters). If broken in a hex with more than one figure, with out hitting any particular figure, the aid is split evenly between all figures in that hex. Only one Mana Burst can go off in a hex/turn, any others are wasted.

Orb of Hiding. This item looks like a crystal ball. Its radius of effect is 10 meters (your Mh and 2 extra Mh radius). Any attempts to magically spy on this area is very difficult. Whether by Trance, Astral Projection, Proxy, Seeing thru a creation's eyes, etc, any attempt to gain info from the Orb's area requires a 6vsIQ. Even if the roll is made, a fog like confusion will prevent all but the most general knowledge from leaving the area. Each doubling of the item increases the radius by 10 meters.

Reverse Magic. This reverses all spells cast on the figure onto the casting wizard. If you cast a spell on yourself, you may do so freely at no extra cost. obstacles cast into you hex will land where intended except the hex actually on you. That hex will appear on the casting wizard. Cost 1 ST / turn to use. (Note, The Reverse Missile item is so powerful for $ 5000, that I play it that it costs 1 ST at that price.)

Boomerang of Ice. This spell may be cast on a boomerang or any large thrown item, that masses 1 or more kilograms. When it strikes a surface it will freeze into a 1 hex Ice Tomb spell. The ice is permanent until the person that thru the boomerang touches the ice.

Each doubling of the spell increases the radius by one hex. (Note the item almost always is made with a Mh area of effect for $12000.)

Mana Wrack. This item will twist and disturb any spell cast in or into its area of effect. All spells cost triple and a roll of a 15+ becomes an automatic miss (Thus increasing the chance of a catastrophic spell failure). The base radius of effect is your Mh and all adjacent Mh. Each doubling of the spell adds a Mh to the radius.

Freezing Weapon. Exactly like a flaming weapon except bits of frost and mist spit and fall from the weapon. Does +2 hits if the weapon normally does one die or less damage, +3 hits if the wep does 1d+1 to 2 dice, and 1d+1 if the weapon does more than 2 dice damage.

Cloak of Warmth. Puts a Temperature Wall spell on some one, except it won't protect you from heat, cold only. You may lift safely items that are at absolute zero. This costs 1 ST / turn to use. Usually this item is made at times 10 cost so it will be self powering.

As mentioned in the main text, minerals are selectively concentrated and moved by the cryice. This process and others like it are called 'differentiation'. There are three main areas where mineral deposits are formed:

Deep under the ground, the cryice will break into tiny cracks. These cracks may have enough volume to form regions of less (tho still high) pressure, and substances that are very hard to keep dissolved will precipitate out. Thus the cryice will move and concentrate minerals that it is unable to bring up to the surface. These minerals will form narrow veins in other rocks. These are called 'deep deposits'.

As the cryice moves towards the surface, the pressure on it steadily decreases. Thus minerals that are moderately hard to keep in solution will precipitate out. These are called 'vent deposits'.

The most commonly known deposits are at the heart of cold, where all remaining minerals are deposited. These are called 'surface deposits'.

Vent deposits and deep deposits can be found in the cryice vents, or in deep cracks or chambers in the ground. The two merge into each other and the distinction is not really clear. At the surface 'vent deposit' type minerals can occasionally be found. However it is a firm rule that deep deposits are never found on the surface and surface deposits are never found deep in the earth. For surface deposits to be formed, the cryice must have access to pressures approaching 1 atmosphere.

Deep deposits include the following minerals: Nycryolite, Mithril, Raftilite, Wolframite, Platinum.

Vent deposits include the following minerals: Wolframite, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Copper, Tin, Mercury and Irukite can be found. Note that many of these metals, can only be found in their metallic form in this way.

Surface deposits include everything else, especially much ordinary rock. The most valuable are: Gold, Silver, Tin & Copper.

Nycryolite

Nycryolite is a mysterious dark metal that is very soft to the touch (even softer than pure gold). You can literally dent its surface with the pressure of a finger. It is very heavy, having a density close to that of gold (its density is 18.55 grams per cubic centimeter). (Tho shiny like most metals, it oxidizes in air to form a black culx on the surface. The culx, protects the remaining Nycryolite from further attacks and this rust is actually tougher than the metal it protects. The rust is almost infinitely thin and forms very quickly, and natural deposits of Nycryolite are often in the form of a black powder. Nycryolite melts at a moderate heat of 1102 degrees celsius (slightly higher than gold) which will drive off the culx.

It is a metal that is easily affected by magic. In the past, wizards would often alloy very small amounts of it in metallic magic items in order to make them more easy to enchant. (This would reduce the enchanting time by 10 to 20%.) However this use for the metal became less popular when it was discovered that the metal would continue to absorb magic from the environment and the items would slowly mutate. In particular they became attuned to the people that used them for a long time, and only people they 'knew' could use the full power of the item. This significantly reduced the resale value of the items, and Nycryolite alloying of magic items fell out of favor.

There was a further reason Nycryolite fell from favor. By enchanting it with spells that held spirits and souls, it became associated with evil enchantments involving the dead. The use of the metal was banned (or at least closely monitored) by the wizard schools and few law abiding wizards experimented with it after that. Unlawful wizards continued to experiment with it and created many evil items. Thus the metal has a unholy reputation.

If a wizard wishes to alloy Nycryolite to make magic items easier to enchant, one part Nycryolite to 1,000 parts of normal metal makes the magic item 20% quicker to enchant. A 1 to 10,000 ratio makes it 10% quicker to enchant. Less Nycryolite than that does not speed up the enchanting process significantly, but the magic item mutating ability is retained.

Evil magic items were made with much higher proportions of Nycryolite. They may have 1% to 50% Nycryolite in them. (This alloying was mainly to make the metal harder, and less easily destroyed.)

The price of Nycryolite varies widely and there is no organized trade in it. However the price will normally fall between $500 to $5,000 per gram.

Mithril is described in detail in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Called 'True Silver' it costs $ 1,000 per gram, but weapons made from it mass only one half what iron weapons of the same type would. It is a magical metal that is closely allied with moon and star light and many spells using Mithril are activated by these type of light. Elves in particular delight in Mithril and make many magic items with it.

Raftilite is a green metal that when pure is quite brittle. However when alloyed with other metals it can make them harder and more likely to break other weapons. It normally costs $ 150 to $ 250 per gram.

The metal has the magical property of allowing free passage of spirits between domains. Any weapon with Riftilite in it can not have the Bind Spirit or Hold Spirits enchantments cast on it for the spirits will soon escape. If a weapon with Raftilite parries or strikes a weapon with a Bind Spirit enchantment on it, the spirit rolls 3vsIQ. If it gets an automatic success (a 5 or less) it breaks free from the weapon and will normally attack the user of the Bind Spirit magic item.

In the past, Magic Mirrors have been made with Raftilite that allow the user to communicate with dead spirits. Enchanted hoops of Raftilite were passed over people, which allowed their souls to break free from their bodies and go on Spirit Quests. Magical Periscopes were made that allowed people to spy into other dimensions. Items such as these normally need at least 1 kg of metal.

Some churches have declared Raftilite to be an evil substance and have stockpiled the material.

Wolframite is a dark metal that is very difficult if not impossible to work. However it is very strong and light and Dwarves in magical furnaces have been able to melt (at about 3,425 degrees C) it and do some experiments with it. Its density is 19.35 g / cm3. It has not yet be made pure by melting its ores because almost any container holding the ore will melt (at least partially) before the ore does. Most races will not buy this metal at any price, but Dwarves have been known to purchase nuggets of the metal from $ 1 to $ 10 per gram from other races as curiosities. (Dwarves sell the metal amongst themselves for $ 50 to $ 75 per gram.) In ancient times, Dwarves believe that extremely fine quality weapons were made of alloys of this metal, but the secrets of how to do this have been lost.

The nuggets of the metal formed by the cryice have this 'magical' property: they are very close to being physically indestructible (inorganic solvent, universal solvent & the Open Tunnel spell being exceptions of course). Thus any enchantments cast on the nuggets will be protected by the toughness of the metal. For this reason Dwarves sometimes make talismans or amulets with Wolframite.

Platinum is a heavy (density of 21.45 g / cm3) silvery metal. It is much harder to work than silver an cultures with poor metal working do not particularly value it (indeed they often discard the 'fake silver'). However metallurgically sophisticated races realize the usefulness of the metal and normally value it at 10 times that of gold.

Platinum does not have any special magical properties, however it is very useful as a catalyst for chemical reaction. Dwarven Alchemists also use it in quantity and are always buying the substance.

These metals are the standard monetary metals in most worlds. They have the following melting points: 1065, 962 & 1085 degrees celsius. They have the following densities: 19.31, 10.5 & 8.94 g/cm3. A standard coin masses 10 grams so that the values of these metals are $1, $0.1 and $0.01 per gram. (Note that gold is more common in TFT worlds than our own, thus its lower value relative to silver.)

Tin varies widely in value. In cultures with poor metallurgy it is very important because in is the rarest metal needed to make the alloy of Bronze. When iron technology improves enough to make low quality steels, it loses value (but is still used for pots and the like). It melts at the extremely low temperature of 232 degrees and is alloyed with lead to make solder. Its price is $1 / g in Bronze age cultures and $0.05 / g in later cultures.

Mercury is a metal best known for being a liquid at room temperature. It is dense (13.55 g/cm3) and much in demand by alchemists for various formulas. It is worth $ 0.5 / g.

Magically it has a variety of properties. No enchantment will last in it so long as it is a liquid (it freezes at -38.8 degrees celsius). Additionally it can be used by Alchemist Adepts to turn lead into gold (and thus make huge profits).

Irukite is a metal with a very high melting point (2445 degrees!) and high density (22.7 g/cm3). It is very strong. Even the dwarves are unable to work it. It is not normally found in the metallic form (and it is impossible to make the metal from its ores) thus there is no normal trade in the metal. However nuggets of the metal have been found associated with cold eruptions and Dwarves have purchased these nuggets for $1 to $10 per gram. Dwarves have formed these nuggets into talismans (as described in Wolframite above).

Though it is not commonly known, the metal seems to interfere with psionics in some way, and people gain a +3 IQ for resisting such attacks for each 1 kg of the metal they have on their person.

The orkish hero / demigod, Pickslake, is said to have had plate armor completely formed of this substance.

This spell makes 1 m cubed of rock or other inorganic material much less conductive of heat. The material will conduct heat at half its normal rate. This spell may be recast on an item up to 5 times, each additional casting costs twice as much.

If this spell is cast on your armor, you take 1/2 damage from magical heat or cold damage. Depending on how well the armor covers you, the game master may allow the armor to stop extra hits of normal heat or cold damage.

As a rule of thumb, consider each of these items to conduct heat half as quickly as the one before it: Superconductors, Metal, Rock, Gypsum, Polyester, Styrafoam, Still Air, Vacuum.

This spell lasts 30 days or until the item it is cast on is damaged by 50% or more of its hits. By increasing the cost of the spell 3 times, it may be made to last about one decade.

One hex may be removed with a Remove Thrown Spell. A Dissolve Enchantment will remove all connected Warm Rock spells.

The base cost of this spell is 1 ST.

This spell may be cast on logs or other flammable materials. It makes the material burn more efficiently. It gives off almost no lite, except for a deep red glow. Almost all energy is produced as heat. The material will burn producing almost no ash and smoke, burning into CO2 and H2O as completely as possible. The material will produce about 3 times as much heat as normal.

Only one Fire Hot can be cast on some items. Cost is 3 ST per 10 kg of material. Lasts until burnt, but loses slightly in efficiencies if not burnt with in a month.

This is a missile spell that does 1d-1 damage / ST. You may put a maximum of 5 ST into the spell. It does double damage against fire and heat based creatures. As its damage is primarily cold, very well insulated people will have extra armor, as GM decrees. It can do knock back like a Magic Fist. It does 1cm / hit tunnelling.

This will make organic materials about twice as insulative as normal, affecting about one cubic meter of materials. This spell may be recast on the same object up to 5 times, each time, costing twice as much.

If this spell is cast on your armor, you stop half of all magical heat or cold damage (ie, fires, sleet storms). At GM's option it may stop additional hits of sudden non-magical heat or cold damage.

If this spell is cast on your clothing, each time it is re-cast it increases the clothings temperature rating by 10 degrees C.

As a rule of thumb, consider each of these materials twice as insulative as the one before: Organic Superconductors, Gargoyle Skin, Wood, Cloth, Goose Down, Hothess Fur, Vacuum.

This spell will last for about seven days or until the item is damaged by more than 50% of its total hits. For 3 times its regular cost the spell can be made to last for one year. Note that since organic materials are more difficult to enchant, this accounts for the higher IQ & shorter durations than the Warm Rock spell. One hex of the spell can be removed with a Remove Thrown Spells, and all connected hexes can be removed with a Dissolve Enchantment. The base cost of this spell is 1 ST.

This creates a meter long centipede like creature. Its attributes are ST 24, DX 10, IQ 9, MA 14. Like a snake, it is -3 adj DX to hit. Its icy armor stops 5 hits. It bites for 2+1 damage. (Do to its extremely cold temperature, if it bites a creature of human warmth it does double damage, and takes 2d itself). If it engages a creature of human temperature in HTH it does frost bite damage. It does a base 2 dice damage, but clothing will help slightly.

The Nthizz is damaged by heat. Fires do triple damage. It takes one point of damage each turn (after armor) per 10 degrees over -40 degrees C. If it is in HTH combat with some one of human temperatures it takes 5 points of damage (after armor) each turn. It costs 2 ST to cast and 1 ST / turn to maintain.

This missile spell affects every one in its path and all figures in the hexes adjacent to its path as well. There is no Roll To Hit or Miss, simply make a roll to see if the spell comes off, then all figures in the area affected take damage. Dodging figures may roll one less die, should they choose to jump or dive out of the way.

To jump out of the way (you remain standing) requires a 5vsDX if you are in the center of the line, or a 3vsDX if you are at the edge. To dive out of the way (you fall prone) requires a 4vsDX if in the center of the line, or a 2vsDX if you are on the edge.

The range of the spell is equal to 10 meters times the ST put into the spell. Every one in the area takes 1d-1 damage per ST put into the spell with fire and heat based creatures taking double. You may put in a maximum of (your IQ/3 round down) strength points into this spell.

Summons a very cold flying wedge that can project fear with their strange screams. They are 1 hex creatures and thus are at -4 to hit or be hit with physical attacks. They are extreemly vunerable to fire taking triple damage from its hits. They take 1 hit a turn / 10 degrees above -40 degees C.

If they have at least 7 meters altitude they may dive for double damage. They attack by penitrating armor with their chest (?) spike. Should this spike penitrate, it will do 1d-1 damage per turn until it is removed due to the cold. Drawing out the spike does 2d-3 damage unless it is done by a physicker.

The fear is a magical attack requiring a 2vsBv or roll on the panic table (See Inept Adept #2). Clerics and those the clerics are touching get a +2 to this roll.

A Zack-Siss has these attributes: ST 20, DX 12 +6, IQ 6, MA 16 (flying MA). Does 1d+2 damage or 1d-1 in HTH. No armor. Costs 2 ST plus 1 ST / turn to maintain.

Entombs a victim in a solid Mh of ice, standing 3.3 m tall. Victim does not die but in 2 minutes will fall unconscious and go into suspended animation. If cast on a person with a Spell Shield their hex will remain free of ice. This ice can not be melted or shattered.

A Destroy Creation will destroy 1 hex of ice, Advanced Destroy Creation will remove a Mh, and a Dissove Enchantment will remove all connected hexes.

This spell will last 1 hour. Cost 6 ST. For 18 ST the duration may be specified by the casting wizard, up to infinite duration.

This spell will instantly put out all magical fires within its area of effect. Normal fires are not affected.

Its is centered around any hex within a Mh of the caster.

The spells radius of effect is a mega hex per ST put into it. It lasts for 12 turns. The spell can be maintained for another 12 turns for one half ( round up ) of the original cost to cast. Base cost is 1 ST.

A figure with this spell, has an invisible barrier around it that automatically speeds or slows heat transfers to keep that figure at what ever temperature it finds comfortable. Any thing you touch at a very high or low temperature, will feel slippery and be very easy to drop, -4 adjDX using it should you have to manipulate it.

You do not take temperature damage even if forced to eat something very hot or very cold, or if you are hit by such an object. This spell costs 6 ST to cast + 1 ST / minute to maintain.

The spells that say ' Ny-Cassis ' are know only by the Ny-Cassis. It is not impossible for a human (or any other warm race) wizard to learn them. With sufficient study Illusions could be made of the created creatures. (Of course after seeing them fight for only a few seconds, you could make a Phantasmal of them.)

The Ny-Cassis will be unwilling to teach humans any spells, but with sufficent effort the spells could be recreated from scratch.

The Ice Tomb, and Temperature Wall spell were modeled after the Ny-Cassis spells. If your campaign has not run into these creatures yet, you may wish to leave these spells for your players to experience and copy.

If a spell has a prequisite ( Preq ) then you must know the earlier spell before you may start to learn the spell. However, all prequisites are known with out memory cost if you know the more advanced version.

If a spell has a corequisite ( Coreq ) then you must know the corequisite spell in order to use the spell. This corequisite spell is not included in the spell and must be learned seperately with a different memory point.

If the GM wishes to introduce Nycryolite into the campaign the following guidelines are given.

After it is made, a Nycryolite item (Nycr. item here after) will behave normally for about 1 year. The first user will become attuned to the item and will notice nothing untoward. However, the Nycr. item can at any time (at the G.M.'s whim) gain (or lose) magical powers. These are often triggered by significant events in the user's life.

The G.M. should secretly keep track of the powers gained by a Nycr. item and what caused them. The power will gradually gain in strength over a period of several months, so the player may not know what event caused what power.

An important quirk of these powers (or power losses) is that if a new user gains the item, these new powers are latent and can not be used. However if the new owner has personal growth like the previous owner, the power will immeadiately start working (or stop working).

Powers are actually only lost relatively rarely. They may mutate into something simular, or gain a limitation that the current user does not fullfil.

Nycr. items will grow and change as the user develops. This is a way of giving powerful magical artifacts to beginning players with out having the campaign becoming unballanced. (Since we picked up this magic sword, everybody is after us. The thing is, it is only +2 damage. What is up?)