Thaumium
Thaumium is a form of metal capable of being forged by Willworkers.
First Edition
Along with the grey lead Apeiron (the Imperial form of matter, not the shades of same name from Stygia), Thaumium is an arcane metal made by masters of the Matter Arcanum through a combination of perfected gold (orichalcum), silver (lunargent) and mercury (hermium). It is capable of storing Mana, emitting a faint glow in the process, and when properly charged, Thaumium protects its wearer against hostile magic. Because of this, it is highly prized, but can also draw the unwanted attention of rival willworkers that covet such power. [citation needed]
Second Edition
One of a number of forms of Perfected alloys, this material is forged from an alloy of orichalcum, lunargent, and hermium.
Forge Thaumium (Matter ••••)
Practice: Patterning
Primary Factor: Duration
Cost: 1 Mana
Suggested Rote Skills: Crafts, Occult, Survival
The object created by this spell is Durability 1 and can hold one point of Mana, which it spends to shield against magic. Potency may be allocated, one for one, to increasing Durability or Mana capacity. For purposes of the spell’s Scale factor, the alloy has the same Size as the three component metals combined.
As long as a thaumium item has Mana stored in it, it protects its wielder from Supernal magic. Any spell cast at the wielder provokes a Clash of Wills, unless the wielder chooses to allow the spell. The dice pool for the Clash of Wills is equal to the item’s creator’s Gnosis + Matter at the time of casting this spell. Whenever used to Clash, the object expends 1 Mana. Mages can refill the item’s Mana supply using the Prime spell “Channel Mana.” (Mage, p. 168.)
+2 Reach: The spell’s effect is Lasting but relies on the constituent metals remaining Perfected. If any of them revert to mundane form, the alloy will collapse into its separate ingredients.
Add Any Other Arcanum ••: The thaumium object can protect against other kinds of magic, provided they fall under the Arcanum’s purview. For example, Death can protect against ghostly Numina and Manifestations.
References
- MTAw: Signs of Sorcery, p. 62