When weapons are subjected to a general danger—the flames of a fireball, the icy chill of a cold ray, or the smashing blow of a giant's boulder—the roll to hit and hit points do not apply. Instead, the following Item Saving Throw table is used. This saving throw represents an item's general ability to withstand the effects of the attack. It is rolled just like a normal saving throw (see "Combat").

The item saving throw should be used only when the item is not being carried by a character or when a character fails his saving throw against the same attack. A character who successfully saves against the blast of a fireball spell need not make separate saving throws for his potions. The character who failed the same save failed to protect himself adequately and must therefore check for his potions (and probably his scrolls, too).

Not all items need make a save in every instance. It is perfectly reasonable to ignore the save for a character's sword and armor in the same fireball situation described above, since there is so little chance that these will be affected.

Furthermore, magical items are more resistant to damage, gaining bonuses to the saving throw. Items with a plus (a sword +1, for example) gain that plus as a bonus to the die roll. If the item possesses additional special abilities, it should have an extra plus for each of these. Magical items with no stated pluses should gain a bonus relative to their power. A potion would have a +1 while a miscellaneous magical item could have a +5 or +6. Further, if the saving throw is versus an attack the device was designed to counter (e.g., extreme cold vs. a ring of warmth), an additional bonus of +2 is allowed.

Table 29: Item Saving Throws Item Acid Crushing Blow Disintegration Fall Magical Fire Normal Fire Cold Lightning Electricity Bone or Ivory 11 16 19 6 9 3 2 8 2 Cloth 12 — 19 — 16 13 2 18 2 Glass 5 20 19 14 7 4 6 17 2 Leather 10 3 19 2 6 4 3 13 2 Metal 13 7 17 3 6 2 2 12 2 Oils* 16** — 19 — 19 17 5 19 16 Paper, etc. 16 7 19 — 19 19 2 19 2 Potions* 15** — 19 — 17 4 13 18 15 Pottery 4 18 19 11 3 2 4 2 2 Rock, crystal 3 17 18 8 3 2 2 14 2 Rope 12 2 19 — 10 6 2 12 2 Wood, thick 8 10 19 2 7 5 2 9 2 Wood, thin 9 13 19 2 11 9 2 10 2 * This save does not include the container, only the liquid contents. ** Of course, even though the save is made, the item is probably hopelessly mixed with the acid.
Attack Forms
Acid attacks (Acid) assume there is either a sizeable quantity of acid or that contact with the acid is prolonged. Crushing Blows (Cr. Blow) include strikes by the clubs of creatures of giant size or greater. Blows by normal people on small, fragile objects also fall into this category. A normal human could not do a crushing blow on a rope, which isn't very fragile, but could certainly do so on a potion flask. Breakable items hurled against hard surfaces—bottles thrown against walls, for example—also use the crushing blow column. Disintegration (Dis.) applies only to the magical effects of the spell or spell-like ability. Falls (Fall) must be greater than five feet. If the surface is hard, the listed saving throw is used. If the surface is soft, give a +5 bonus to the saving throw. For every five feet fallen beyond the first, apply a -1 penalty to the saving throw.	Magical fires (Mag. Fire) include fireballs, dragon-breath, and any sizeable body of flame created by a spell or spell-like effect. Extraordinarily hot normal fires, such as the lava from a volcano, should also use this saving throw. Normal fires (Nor. Fire) include campfires, candle flames, and bonfires. Obviously, the item must be in the flame for a sufficient time to be affected. Cold (Cold) covers any intense, abnormal, or magical cold. If the temperature change is gradual, a +2 bonus is applied to the saving throw. Lightning bolt (Light.) applies to attacks by the spell or spell-like power of the same name. Electrical (Elec.) is for those electrical attacks that do not carry the wallop of the lightning bolt. Electric eels and magical traps fall into this category.