How difficult is obsidian to find? Will we have to be dedicated miners in order to find it with any regularity? So far I've spent quite a lot of time in an area I'm certain obsidian is present in because someone else had uncovered veins and left them there before, but I have found nothing but gas leaks and cave ins.
Will there ever be other ways of discovering obsidian, or will it be mining only? For instance, can we find pieces out on the ground rather than in mines, since lava flows out of the ground, obsidian could be found out on the surface, maybe near rivers? I'm not really a geologist, so maybe someone else can chime in. I could swear I've read about the Native Americans finding it along riverbeds and using it to craft their tools.
Obsidian rarity
Obsidian rarity
Last edited by Skjotur on Sat Jul 28, 2012 10:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy.
-Hamlin Garland
-Hamlin Garland
I know nothing about geology that the internet hasn't told me. That said, I don't want it to be difficult to get materials to make arrowheads. I'm open to alternative materials and/or ways to get those materials if anybody wants to make suggestions.
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[OOC - Candy Mountain, Spearhead]: usually when they're snarky, it's Rithiel
[OOC - Candy Mountain, Spearhead]: usually when they're snarky, it's Rithiel
I double checked the challenge and rarity settings on obsidian and they are reasonably low compared to other materials. Especially the rarity settings. However if you have 0 mining or very low mining you will struggle to find any.
I'd encourage you to get your mining up a bit. I imagine it would be a bit more rare to find obsidian out in the open unless there was open volcanic activity around somewhere. (Which could be a rather interesting idea for a hunting area...)
I'd encourage you to get your mining up a bit. I imagine it would be a bit more rare to find obsidian out in the open unless there was open volcanic activity around somewhere. (Which could be a rather interesting idea for a hunting area...)
No longer GMing for CLOK.
Flint, and possibly obsidian, could be foraged in river valleys (like Stone Canyon):
Similarly, they could also be found on beaches where the water has eroded away the surrounding rock and left flint nodules.http://www.quartzpage.de/flint.html wrote:At steep slopes in river valleys like that of the Canadian River that runs through the Alibates National Monument and feeds the neighboring Lake Meredith, the dolomite layer gets cut and dolomite boulders tumble down the slopes of older reddish rocks, as shown in the photo shot at Diamond Point made at the National Monument. Nodules of colorful flint slowly weather out of the dolomite and can be collected from the ground, but the flint has also been actively mined by the Indians in quarries worked into the dolomite.
Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy.
-Hamlin Garland
-Hamlin Garland
On this note I have a question about how mining works. For instance, in one room I see:
Am I close, or completely off?
Let's say I was hoping to get some amethyst. I notice that iron is in there three times. So my guess is that I only have a 1 in 6 chance, randomized, to even try for the topaz, and even then, I will have to overcome the rarity check, correct? This would mean that areas with several different types of minerals are less desirable if you're going for something specific, creating an additional artificial rarity.a chunk of iron-ore
a chunk of iron-ore
a chunk of iron-ore
a small chunk of crude amethyst
a small chunk of crude topaz
a small lump of black coal
Am I close, or completely off?
Last edited by Skjotur on Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy.
-Hamlin Garland
-Hamlin Garland
-
KianTheArcher
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The rarity of obsidian would depend on the geology of Arad. It'd only, realistically, be found in certain areas of the continent, and that would depend on the tectonic activity (I believe) of the areas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian#Occurrence
Looking at that list, with the exception of a few of the locations, most of the obsidian is found in areas that are highly active in terms of tectonic/volcanic activity. So, most likely found on active margins.
What that means is essentially, it's likely that obsidian would be found in areas prone to groundquakes/volcanic eruptions, in which there is a high amount of granite (obsidian is composed of felsic lava, and felsic lava is mostly composed of lighter coloured elements like silicon, oxygen, potassium, stuff like that, and granite is a felsic rock)
So basically, you ought to pick an area of Arad you think would be very active, with a particularly large amount of granite, rhyolite, pumice, etc.. A good example of an active margin would be the West Coast of the United States, and essentially active margins are areas where two plates are pushing against one another, so very mountainous areas are ideal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian#Occurrence
Looking at that list, with the exception of a few of the locations, most of the obsidian is found in areas that are highly active in terms of tectonic/volcanic activity. So, most likely found on active margins.
What that means is essentially, it's likely that obsidian would be found in areas prone to groundquakes/volcanic eruptions, in which there is a high amount of granite (obsidian is composed of felsic lava, and felsic lava is mostly composed of lighter coloured elements like silicon, oxygen, potassium, stuff like that, and granite is a felsic rock)
So basically, you ought to pick an area of Arad you think would be very active, with a particularly large amount of granite, rhyolite, pumice, etc.. A good example of an active margin would be the West Coast of the United States, and essentially active margins are areas where two plates are pushing against one another, so very mountainous areas are ideal.
Morgoth, I cried
All hope is gone but I swear revenge
Hear my oath
I will take part in your damned fate
All hope is gone but I swear revenge
Hear my oath
I will take part in your damned fate
It sounds like the Spine Mountains is one of these areas, which the Stone Canyon is a part of. Obsidian can be mined there, and the Hyra wield obsidian-tipped spears.
It's also not indicated in the salamander tunnels themselves, but there's an entrance to them that is described as a fissure in the ground that's emitting warm steam. Whether that's from the salamanders themselves (they breathe fire) or an indication of volcanic activity somewhere down there I can't tell. It seems like an ideal spot though.
It's also not indicated in the salamander tunnels themselves, but there's an entrance to them that is described as a fissure in the ground that's emitting warm steam. Whether that's from the salamanders themselves (they breathe fire) or an indication of volcanic activity somewhere down there I can't tell. It seems like an ideal spot though.
Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy.
-Hamlin Garland
-Hamlin Garland
There are also lava pits below a certain Outpost, as someone reminded me, so that's evidence of volcanic activity below the Spine Mountains.
Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy.
-Hamlin Garland
-Hamlin Garland
[quote=Skjotur]Let's say I was hoping to get some amethyst. I notice that iron is in there three times. So my guess is that I only have a 1 in 6 chance, randomized, to even try for the topaz, and even then, I will have to overcome the rarity check, correct? This would mean that areas with several different types of minerals are less desirable if you're going for something specific, creating an additional artificial rarity.
Am I close, or completely off?[/quote]
You're not far off.
For each swing of the pickaxe, several things occur:
- A material in the room is selected at random.
So, for your example, Topaz would have had a 1/5 shot at being selected.
- You must pass a rarity check. Simply a random roll, not based on skill. Pure luck.
- You must pass a challenge rating check. Based on mining skill vs. the challenge rating.
If you pass both the challenge and rarity checks you find a vein.
Am I close, or completely off?[/quote]
You're not far off.
For each swing of the pickaxe, several things occur:
- A material in the room is selected at random.
So, for your example, Topaz would have had a 1/5 shot at being selected.
- You must pass a rarity check. Simply a random roll, not based on skill. Pure luck.
- You must pass a challenge rating check. Based on mining skill vs. the challenge rating.
If you pass both the challenge and rarity checks you find a vein.
No longer GMing for CLOK.