Duskwood

This species of tree grows widely all over Faerûn, and is named for the eerie appearance of its tightly growing groves. Smooth, with small branches at the top of 60-foot trunks, duskwood trees have black bark and smoky gray wood that is as tough as iron.

Any steel or mostly steel weapon (such as a sword or a mace) made from duskwood is considered a masterwork item and weighs only half as much as a normal steel item of that type. Weapons not normally made of steel or only partially of steel (such as a club or a battleaxe) either cannot be made from duskwood or do not gain any special benefit or penalty from being made of duskwood.

Duskwood doesn't work well as armor; it can't be shaped into rings like steel, and overlapping plates don't flex well. (Even the wood shape spell can't create the level of detail needed.) However, duskwood breastplates are possible, with the following statistics: armor bonus +5, maximum Dex bonus +4, armor check penalty -2, arcane spell failure 20%. A duskwood breastplate is treated as light armor for the purposes of movement and other limitations.

Duskwood weighs half as much as steel, has hardness 10, and has 30 hit points per inch of thickness.

Market-Price Modifier: Weapon +1,500 gp; breastplate +3,000 gp.