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Armored and Dangerous

February 26th, 2015

Joshua Zaback

Magic Market Archive

                As sexy as magic weapons are, magic armor is at least as important in defining your character. Sure, some might argue that getting a bunch of spells cast upon you and tweaking your AC with Dex-boosting items and various rings and amulets is actually more practical than having a powerful magic armor, but those characters end up giving up magic item slots that could be used for fun and profit. Even if your AC isn’t as high as some min/maxed, no-armor-wearing guy who’s eating up all the party’s spell slots to obtain mega AC, you can still use a wand of mirror image to stay alive and enjoy the fun effects of these sweet armors.

 

BLURRING BREASTPLATE
Aura faint illusion; CL 3rd
Slot armor; Price 9,350 gp; Weight 30 lbs.
Construction Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, blur; Cost 4,850 gp

                This excellent quality breastplate is made from a metal composite which makes it into a swirl of colors that seem to move when they catch the light. The wearer of this suit of +1 breastplate can act as though affected by the spell blur for up to 1 minute a day. This time need not be spent consecutively and can be split up in 1-round increments. Choosing to activate or deactivate the blur ability is a free action. While the wearer is affected by this armor’s blur effect, his movement speed is increased by 10 feet. Additionally, if the wearer makes a charge attack while affected by this armor’s blur effect, the target of that attack is considered to be flat-footed.

                Some of the blurring breastplate’s special abilities count as an enhancement bonus, and it is considered a +2 breastplate for the purposes of further enchanting.

 

PLATE OF THE DEEP GUARD
Aura faint transmutation; CL 3rd 
Slot none; Price 3,750 gp; Weight 50 lbs.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, alter self; Cost 2,250 gp

                This dull grey plate is fastened with great care to a suit of fine, polished steel chain, and when worn, the smaller plates which make up the armor move to brace the wearer’s arms. This +1 half-plate is valued by the heavily armored fighters who dwell in deep, dark places. The plate of the deep guard negates any penalty to attack caused by wielding a shield (including a tower shield) because of the way it reinforces your shield arm.

 

SNAKESKIN
Aura moderate varied; CL 9th
Slot armor; Price 22,160 gp; Weight 15 lbs.
Construction Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, beast shape III, charm monster, dominate animal, hypnotism; Cost 11,160 gp

                This suit of leather armor is made from the cured hides of various snakes that have been sewn together, and is supernaturally tough and durable. This +2 leather armor has power over snakes and grants its wearer a number of snake-themed magical powers. The wearer can transform himself into a constrictor snake or a tiny viper. Each of these transformations can be used once per day, and the transformation works as the spell beast shape III with the following exceptions: the transformations last for 1 minute only; the wearer can still speak normally (but cannot cast spells with verbal component) while changed into a snake in this way; and the saving throw DC for the tiny viper’s poison attack is equal to 10 + the armor’s enhancement bonus + the wearer’s Constitution modifier (typically 12 + the wearer’s Constitution).

                In addition to granting the ability to transform into a snake, the armor allows the wearer to command snakes and snake-like creatures, allowing him to use dominate animal  (DC 16) or charm monster (DC 15) as a spell-like ability on any snake or snake-like creature (including any serpentine creatures of types other than animal, at the GM’s discretion). This ability is useable at will. Finally, the wearer can produce a hypnotic effect with the capacity to mesmerize any living creature. As a standard action, the wearer can lock eyes with a single living creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Will save (DC 13) or become fascinated. The wearer retains the use of these abilities while transformed into a snake, and if he uses these abilities while so transformed, the saving throw DC for the spell-like abilities and the mesmerizing ability are equal to 10 + the armor’s enhancement bonus + the wearer’s Charisma modifier.

                None of this armor's extra abilities are considered an enhancement bonus, and it is treated as a suit of +2 leather armor for the purposes of further enchanting.