[RPG] Does all adamantine gear deteriorate in sunlight

dnd-5eequipmentspecial-materials

Adamantine armour/weapons made by the drow are said to degrade if exposed to sunlight, but does this apply to gear crafted from adamantine by other races as well?

Best Answer

No, sunlight-sensitive gear is a Drow-specific thing, not a general property of adamantine

(OOC -- what do Drow make their gear from? PVC with no UV-resistance modifiers? :P)

The applicable entries are p. 142 of the DMG for Drow-made gear:

Drow. The item is half the normal weight. It is black and inscribed with spiders and webs in honor of Lolth. It might function poorly, or disintegrate, if exposed to sunlight for 1 minute or more.

and p. 150 for Adamantine Armor:

Adamantine Armor

Armor (medium or heavy, but not hide), uncommon

This suit of armor is reinforced with adamantine, one of the hardest substances in existence. While you're wearing it, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.

Note that the description of the latter says nothing about who made it, or whether it's sunlight-sensitive or not, so it's rather safe to assume it's not sunlight sensitive by default. Double-check with your DM, of course, though!