Player Core
Chapter 6: Equipment
Precious Ammunition & Weapons
Source Player Core pg. 278
Most projectiles use ammunition primarily composed of a variety of materials ranging from copper and lead to steel and plastic. Projectile weapons can also use ammunition created using precious materials that can add additional benefits, such as bypassing specific resistances of enemies or adding new traits to your attacks. Weapons can also be constructed using precious materials for 10 times the price of a piece of projectile ammunition plus an extra price for the bulk of the weapon. Grenades and missiles that deal physical damage can be crafted using precious materials at three times the price. The benefits of precious material conferred to attacks apply only to ammunition, melee, and thrown weapons that deal physical damage. A melee weapon that can deal different types of damage, such as the phase cutlass, only applies the benefits of the precious material when the weapon deals physical damage. An item can be made with no more than one precious material, and only an expert in Crafting can create it. Some rare materials require master or even legendary proficiency.
A material's Price depends on how hard it is to work, its scarcity, and its purity; most items made with precious materials use an alloy, blend, or coating rather than using the material in its purest form. The three grades of purity for precious materials are low grade, standard grade, and high grade. Regardless of a precious material's purity, an item made from it gains the full effects of the precious material, but creating higher-level items and more powerful magic runes with precious material requires greater purity.
Some precious materials are available only at certain grades. For instance, adamantine can't be low grade, and orichalcum must be high grade. Items made of materials with a lower grade than expected for the item's level, or of a higher grade than necessary, will mention the precious material's grade.
A material's Price depends on how hard it is to work, its scarcity, and its purity; most items made with precious materials use an alloy, blend, or coating rather than using the material in its purest form. The three grades of purity for precious materials are low grade, standard grade, and high grade. Regardless of a precious material's purity, an item made from it gains the full effects of the precious material, but creating higher-level items and more powerful magic runes with precious material requires greater purity.
Some precious materials are available only at certain grades. For instance, adamantine can't be low grade, and orichalcum must be high grade. Items made of materials with a lower grade than expected for the item's level, or of a higher grade than necessary, will mention the precious material's grade.