[Spell] Polymorph Metal

[Dranso]

I think it would be great addition for the game if transmuters had the ability to manipulate some metals. I don't think that mithril, adamantium or cold steel would be included in this. But I think it would be cool for them to be able to turn lead into gold, tin into steel and so on. If you fail at the spell something could happen like you turn the ingot into lead or disintegrate it.

The closest thing I could find in d20 srd is "polymorph any object" which is basically what the names states, turning anything into anything. I'm suggesting this idea with just the lesser metals and making it permanent.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorphAnyObject.htm

[Rhangalas]

It sounds cool, but I can already see this being used to bypass the need to have sufficient skills in mining to obtain them naturally and/or it being used to transmute iron into steel, thus bypassing the need/costs of smelting it.

Also, you can't logically adapt Polymorph Any Object to transmute any metal into precious metals...

This spell cannot create material of great intrinsic value, such as copper, silver, gems, silk, gold, platinum, mithral, or adamantine.

With that said, it would be nice to be able to do this to some degree, but a spell would be too powerful; you would be able to get gold/platinum for the precision forge with very little effort. Maybe work it into transmutational alchemy as new set of recipes. Instead of a smooth stone, you would be using an ingot.