Impervium and other lore

[Display Name]

01) Just to confirm, is impervium CoH's equivalent to adamantium?

02) Is there an equivalent to vibranium in CoH?

03) What about an equivalent to inertron?  I've always thought about inertron as an "element" and not a metal.  Like maybe a concrete or plastic type substance.  That was my impression from my limited Legion of Super Heroes encounters with it.  But Grok on X described it as a metal.  And even elaborated by saying that inertron is not necessarily as "indestructable" as adamantium.

[Snarky]

I am pretty sure all of these things are on the unobtainium part of the periodic table.  Depending on your dimension they may be arranged in different orders. 

[Captain Fabulous]

59 minutes ago, Display Name said:

01) Just to confirm, is impervium CoH's equivalent to adamantium?

02) Is there an equivalent to vibranium in CoH?

03) What about an equivalent to inertron?  I've always thought about inertron as an "element" and not a metal.  Like maybe a concrete or plastic type substance.  That was my impression from my limited Legion of Super Heroes encounters with it.  But Grok on X described it as a metal.  And even elaborated by saying that inertron is not necessarily as "indestructable" as adamantium.

Yes.

[ZemX]

Go neutronium or go home.

[Display Name]

So.  After consulting Grok on X with the question "Can you make up a word to substitute for "vibranium."

 

It’s a blend of "dynamic" (hinting at its energy-absorbing and adaptive qualities) and "steel" (nodding to its metallic strength). In a fictional context, dynasteel could be imagined as a rare, futuristic alloy that not only withstands massive force but also channels and redistributes kinetic energy—much like vibranium. Picture it forged in some cosmic crucible, glowing faintly when it absorbs a hit, versatile enough for armor, weapons, or tech. It’s got a punchy, sci-fi ring to it, distinct yet evocative of that vibranium vibe. Works?

Think harder

Explain dynasteel properties

Compare to mithril

 

Edit: "neutronium" sounds interesting.  But it's not a part of the official lore.  Sigh...

Edited Friday at 01:11 PM by Display Name

[Techwright]

14 hours ago, Display Name said:

01) Just to confirm, is impervium CoH's equivalent to adamantium?

02) Is there an equivalent to vibranium in CoH?

03) What about an equivalent to inertron?  I've always thought about inertron as an "element" and not a metal.  Like maybe a concrete or plastic type substance.  That was my impression from my limited Legion of Super Heroes encounters with it.  But Grok on X described it as a metal.  And even elaborated by saying that inertron is not necessarily as "indestructable" as adamantium.

 

Well, it is not a perfect 1 to 1, but Impervium's salvage description reads "The hardest metal in the known universe, impervium is virtually indestructible."  On the surface, this would be a "yes" to #01.   We don't really have a good description beyond that, unless it is embedded into the text of one of the mission stories, and I'm not the guy to quote those.  As to vibranium...hmmm...possibly enchanted impervium?  We're not really given a clear description of what the enchantment enhances, again, unless it is in one of the mission stories.  (Or the two novels, now that I think about it.)   So, possibly the enchantment might cause energy redirection, absorption, or metal flexibility without losing its indestructibility.

 

As to any other substance created for the game, I'm not sure they fleshed out the lore that far.  We do have a lot of curiosities and wacky McGuffins in the police radio/newspaper missions, but I can't recall any  that were elemental.  Most were technological or magical.

 

 

Edited Friday at 02:42 PM by Techwright
A minor grammatical adjustment

[tidge]

13 hours ago, Display Name said:

02) Is there an equivalent to vibranium in CoH?

03) What about an equivalent to inertron? 

 

Enjoy Enriche!

[shortguy on indom]

• WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE.... JUST TRY SAYING IT.

[DoctorDitko]

19 hours ago, Display Name said:

"neutronium" sounds interesting.  But it's not a part of the official lore.  Sigh..

Well, it's a material that theoretically exists in our SCRL universe.

(It's what neutron stars are supposed to have at their core, atoms crushed so hard that the protons and electrons combine and all that's left is a big ball of nearly-touching neutrons. Maybe with an "atmosphere" of quark soup.)

So I don't see why it wouldn't exist in-game.

 

 

Edited Friday at 09:35 PM by DoctorDitko
ocd

[BasiliskXVIII]

There's also Enchanted Impervium, which is a separate salvage drop. The exact reason it is enchanted and its properties are currently undefined, so as far as we know it could take the position of just about any fictional metal. Possibly multiples if there are different enchantments.

[Ulysses Dare]

A few other metals that canonically exist in CoH:
Etherium (arcane salvage): Soft as cloth, this woven metal shimmers with a strange glow. It is almost as though it comes from another world entirely.

Rikti Alloy (rare invention salvage): An alloy of Rikti metals, making for a lightweight, extremely durable, metal.

Ur-Metal (arcane salvage): This rare ore comes from mines in another dimension.

 

Orichalcum (arcane salvage) also exists in CoH but here it's a crystal rather than a metal.

[Techwright]

On 3/22/2025 at 2:55 PM, Ulysses Dare said:

A few other metals that canonically exist in CoH:
Etherium (arcane salvage): Soft as cloth, this woven metal shimmers with a strange glow. It is almost as though it comes from another world entirely.

Rikti Alloy (rare invention salvage): An alloy of Rikti metals, making for a lightweight, extremely durable, metal.

Ur-Metal (arcane salvage): This rare ore comes from mines in another dimension.

 

Orichalcum (arcane salvage) also exists in CoH but here it's a crystal rather than a metal.

 

It almost sounds like Etherium and Rikti Alloy were each derived from features (but not the entirety) of  Carbonadium, the flexible, durable Marvel metal of which Omega Red's cybernetic tentacles are composed.

 

 

[Latex]

Whatever Impervium is, it's not mentioned a single time in the 2004 lore bible, so it must of been added later, which is odd because that means it has zero foreshadowing and is likely just 'salvage description fluff' or maybe part of Praetorian lore.

[El D]

49 minutes ago, Latex said:

Whatever Impervium is, it's not mentioned a single time in the 2004 lore bible, so it must of been added later, which is odd because that means it has zero foreshadowing and is likely just 'salvage description fluff' or maybe part of Praetorian lore.

 

They probably added it in when they revamped the Rikti Crash Site into the Rikti War Zone and brought Vanguard into the game. 'How do we explain how this military force stands against the Rikti?' 'Fancy make-believe armor and weapons!' Tracks with Issue 9 introducing invention salvage and IOs then Issue 10 being the second Rikti invasion, too.

[Mopery]

On 3/20/2025 at 8:05 PM, ZemX said:

Go neutronium or go home.

I agree.

[twozerofoxtrot]

Just my take but when we try to 1 for 1 CoH lore to the lore of other established franchises to find equivalence, we diminish CoH's lore as a result.

 

Take it for what it is. Enjoy it. Get creative and make new things. That grows the lore, rather than subordinates it to something someone else wrote.

[High_Beam]

There is a passing reference to it in the 2013 AMA Lore

 

Spoiler

Q.) What was the backstory of Lady Grey? Of all the characters, she seems to be one of the most elusive in terms of giving away anything about herself. (Yoru-hime)
A.) I don’t care what the other writers say or wanted to do with the character, the original intent was that she was an advance agent of Battalion, seeded here in the 1800s. When Battalion arrived, she would have shut down all of Vanguard, leaving Earth defenseless against the invasion. This was hinted in the fact that Vanguard had seemingly limitless access to Impervium, and when Battalion first started showing up would be even more so decked out in the stuff. Vanguard was getting it from Battalion all along. (Matt)

 

2013 AMA Lore

 

Thus I consider it otherworldly.

Edited 12 hours ago by High_Beam