Item Levels and Precious Materials

Every piece of equipment in PF2e has an item level that indicates its power and availability.

Item Levels: Items range from level 0 (basic adventuring gear) to level 20 (legendary artifacts). A character should generally have access to items up to their level +1 from shops, and occasionally higher from treasure. The Treasure by Level tables in the GM guidelines specify expected wealth per level.

Purchasing Items: Settlements have a typical item level they stock. A small town might only carry items up to level 3, while a major city stocks up to level 10+. Higher-level items require special commissions, crafting, or adventuring.

Precious Materials: Special materials can be used to forge weapons and armor, granting unique properties:

• Cold Iron: Bypasses weaknesses of fey and some fiends. Available at low-grade (level 2) through high-grade (level 16).
• Silver: Bypasses weaknesses of devils, vampires, and lycanthropes. Available at standard and high grades.
• Adamantine: Bypasses hardness on objects (excellent for breaking doors and walls). Incredibly hard.
• Darkwood: Lighter weight, reducing Bulk. Used for shields and wooden items.
• Mithral: Lighter metal armor — reduces armor check penalty and Speed penalty.
• Orichalcum: Extremely rare; grants quickened when worn (armor) or extra effects on crit (weapons).

Material Grades: Precious materials come in low-grade, standard-grade, and high-grade versions. Higher grades improve Hardness, HP, and Broken Threshold, and are available at higher levels.

Crafting with Materials: Requires the material as a raw ingredient (costs extra gold), appropriate Crafting proficiency, and formulas for items of that material.