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View Full Version : (3.5) Every Girl Crazy 'Bout A Sharp Dressed Man



Deth Muncher
2009-07-01, 05:35 AM
You know, there's so much emphasis about skills and class features and multiple ability dependance on classes in D&D 3.5. Which is all well and good, because they're the nuts and bolts of the game, and of course people should care. But you know what doesn't see a lot of reference? Suits. No, not tuxedos. But specific suits of armor. I mean, sure, there's always the +5 Twilight Mithral Fullplate or whatever, but that's not what I mean. I mean, like, The Clockwork Armor. Or Kython Armor. So what I'd like to do here is sort of do an overview of the different specific armors, and list strengths and weaknesses, and how they fit with characters. Because the ULTIMATE purpose of this thread...is to make the ultimate Master of the Quickchange, who can don a different suit of armor for any occasion.

So, to start off, we've got The Clockwork Armor. It's from the WotC site, although the link escapes me (I'm sure someone will provide it later). Essentially, this armor is the D&D analogue of Iron Man's suit (complete with freezing problem). Crunch-wise, it gives you +4 to Str and Dex, +8 AC and +5' move. It also freezes when exposed to ice/ice spells, and needs to be exposed to a fire effect of equal damage to thaw. Also, it requires either a Spellcraft or Craft:Construct check to work properly, or you get negatives to Dex. And as an added negative, the armor itself is treated as an attackable item, meaning that it can be broken.

So okay, depending on the situation, The Clockwork Armor can be a great boon or a major hindrance. My personal view is that it should be used by a Warmage (CArc), given that they get proficiency up through Medium, thus needing but one feat, as well as being decently suited to combat. Combine the caster with a Runestaff (MIC) and suddenly, you ARE Iron Man - flying through the air, shooting lazorz Disintigrates at your foes, all the while able to plow into melee if need be.

Up next is the Kython Armor from BoVD. The kythons are, essentially, Tyranids from Warhammer 40k, or, if you're not familiar with that, the Aliens from the movie series of the same name. Nasty buggers who use biological weaponry to utterly decimate their foes. Which is, incedentally, what this armor turns you into. It's +3 fullplate, which in addition lets you use kython bio-weapons as if you were one, and gives you two claw attacks for a d8 each, and finally gives you a +10 on Disguise to look like an adult kython.

So why is this good? Well, Mr. Warmage can hulk-out via Tenser's Transformation and suddenly, they're emulating a real kython - a scary thing indeed. As well, bio-weapons are not to be overlooked. If you're in a campaign with kythons, they should be available to you (assuming you can kill the unholy things), and suddenly you've got access to poison, acid, a d10 sword, something akin to Tanglefoot Bags, or going in/corporeal once per round. This suit is a Minor Artifact for a reason.

Next up, we've got the Demon Armor. This was originally printed in Oriental Adventures, and had some added benefits for OA-specific things, but it was updated to be generic demon armor in the 3.5 DMG. It's +4 fullplate, with the added benefit of giving you two claw attacks at d10 each, with the added benefit of a free Contagion effect each time, albeit at DC14. Caveat: If you're not evil, you get a negative level for as long as you're wearing this.

This is pretty generic armor, and the fact that you need to evil to use it at full efficiency means that you've either got to be a bad guy, or use it in such short bursts that the negative level won't hurt you. (It goes away when the armor comes off.)

So how does the Warmage use these armors quickly and effectively? My thought, assuming this works via RAW, is as follows:

Step One: Warmage wears armor.
Step Two: Warmage casts Freedom of Movement (from where? Who knows right now.)
Step 3: Warmage slips out of armor.
Step 4: Each armor has a Contingent Shrink Item on it, with the trigger being "when the Warmage takes off the armor."
Step 5: Armor goes into Handy Haversack.
Step 6: Warmage grabs new armor in same round, via Quick Draw.
Step 7: Warmage speaks command word to dismiss Shrink Item.
Step 8: Warmage gets in new armor.
Step 9: ????
Step 10: Profit!!!

That's all I've got for now. More on the actual build later, but I'm thinking straight Warblade 20 will do. The only thing required is the Heavy Armor Proficiency feat, and some ranks in Spellcraft.

JeminiZero
2009-07-01, 05:49 AM
Actually, I think the easiest way involves:

1) Gain access to Astral Projection (from your own spells or from items)
2) Create a Demiplane with all the suits you want, and with a massively accelerated time triat, and timelessness. (You don't necessarily have to be able to cast Genesis, you could comission an NPC caster to create this for you).
3) Astral Project out in Suit A.
4) When you want to change suit dismiss astral projection
5) Change suit at your own leisure on the accelerated demiplane
6) Recast Astral Projection and Plane Shift/Greater Teleport back to where you were originally were.

Actually, if your astral form automatically has a copy of what your physical form is currently wearing, you don't even have to dismiss astral projection. Just have some servants on the demiplane who will change your suit for you. You will be naked for a fraction of a second though.

Coidzor
2009-07-01, 05:51 AM
bulk up the UMD check and he can emulate an evil alignment for the purposes of utilizing the demon armor.

Deth Muncher
2009-07-01, 05:53 AM
Actually, I think the easiest way involves:

1) Gain access to Astral Projection (from your own spells or from items)
2) Create a Demiplane with all the suits you want, and with a massively accelerated time triat, and timelessness. (You don't necessarily have to be able to cast Genesis, you could comission an NPC caster to create this for you).
3) Astral Project out in Suit A.
4) When you want to change suit dismiss astral projection
5) Change suit at your own leisure on the accelerated demiplane
6) Recast Astral Projection and Plane Shift/Greater Teleport back to where you were originally were.

Actually, if your astral form automatically has a copy of what your physical form is currently wearing, you don't even have to dismiss astral projection. Just have some servants on the demiplane who will change your suit for you. You will be naked for a fraction of a second though.

*blinkblink twitch* Gah...wow. Okay. That...agh. I should expect no less from the man who came up with the Emerald Legion.

But, I mean, isn't the whole demiplane thing kind of...ridiculous?

EDIT:
bulk up the UMD check and he can emulate an evil alignment for the purposes of utilizing the demon armor.

Oh. I totally did not even remember you could do that. Oh, the joys of fooling items.

Coidzor
2009-07-01, 06:02 AM
But, I mean, isn't the whole demiplane thing kind of...ridiculous?

EDIT:

Oh. I totally did not even remember you could do that. Oh, the joys of fooling items.

Demiplanes are usually a mixture of ridiculous and awesome. I can't imagine many situations where you'd want to be able to bring different sets of armor to bear, but it is a viable tactic. especially since at that level the party wizard would've made one anyway...

And I've been reading up on rogues and factotums to see where I went wrong with my fighter-rogue skillmonkey lately, so I've had a bit of UMD on the brain.:smallbiggrin:

kamikasei
2009-07-01, 06:12 AM
2) Create a Demiplane with all the suits you want, and with a massively accelerated time triat, and timelessness. (You don't necessarily have to be able to cast Genesis, you could comission an NPC caster to create this for you).

Unlimited Bling Works?

Kris Strife
2009-07-01, 06:17 AM
I believe that BoED has a 'redeemed' suit of Demon Armor with the same powers but lets you be good aligned and use it.

Doc Roc
2009-07-01, 06:38 AM
Runestaves require that the spell be on your list to function, and I am dubious as to if you can UMD them.



Wait.


Huh.


I wonder, can you UMD them?

Anyway, the contingent shrink is gonna get expensive fast, since craft contingent produces one-shot items. I think there may be a way around this, but I am dubious as to if a GM will allow one of the game's most powerful feats to become more powerful. Just sayin'. If it's good enough for Monty, 's good enough for me.

Finally, how are you obviating the fact that it can take over a minute to don most of these armors? Freedom of movement doesn't seem like it will suffice, by my reading.

Coidzor
2009-07-01, 06:44 AM
Hmm. Maybe some kind of custom item that allows one to shrink down to tiny and slip in and out of armor w/ the addition of the obligatory flight.

Vizen
2009-07-01, 06:46 AM
I like that song title reference.

I also like your idea... When I first got into D&D I was expecting emphasis to be on suits of armour but...I was disappointed.

JeminiZero
2009-07-01, 07:13 AM
*blinkblink twitch* Gah...wow. Okay. That...agh. I should expect no less from the man who came up with the Emerald Legion.

But, I mean, isn't the whole demiplane thing kind of...ridiculous?


In the long list of broken crap that a Wizard can do with a time accelerated demiplane (such as breeding 1000 generations of Emerald Legionnaires and then sending them out, while only 1 round has passed on the material plane :smallwink:), changing suits is comparatively tame.



Unlimited Bling Works?


Not nearly quite there yet. To achieve true UBW, you need tippyesque traps of "Create Snappy Suit" on the Demiplane as well. :smallbiggrin:

Killer Angel
2009-07-01, 07:28 AM
Actually, I think the easiest way involves:

1) Gain access to Astral Projection (from your own spells or from items)
2) Create a Demiplane with all the suits you want, and with a massively accelerated time triat, and timelessness. (You don't necessarily have to be able to cast Genesis, you could comission an NPC caster to create this for you).
3) Astral Project out in Suit A.
4) When you want to change suit dismiss astral projection
5) Change suit at your own leisure on the accelerated demiplane
6) Recast Astral Projection and Plane Shift/Greater Teleport back to where you were originally were.


Don't wanna know the complicated one.
...if only I think that, for my first 3rd lev. spell, I choose haste, and the meleer players blame me for not having pick fireball "cause they need fire support"...
Well, probably my group suits perfectly the idea that 3rd ed. designers have in mind, when they tested the system.

Cyrion
2009-07-01, 09:36 AM
Sounds like the armor version of the old Rod of Lordly Might. I would look at the possibility of making a custom item that includes the suits you already have. As a DM, I'd make you use both Craft Wondrous Item and Craft Magic Armor, Polymorph Any Object and maybe something like Major Creation. I'd also include some unforseen drawback didn't nerf a cool idea but that gave you a reason to think twice before abusing it.

Keld Denar
2009-07-01, 10:25 AM
Runestaves require that the spell be on your list to function, and I am dubious as to if you can UMD them.

I wonder, can you UMD them?

No. You can emulate the spellcasting feature, but you can't emulate having spell slots. If a high level rogue were to UMD a runestaff, the runestaff would see the rogue as a high level sorcerer who is out of spell slots/day. So, yea...no. Doesn't work.

Deth Muncher
2009-07-01, 11:04 AM
No. You can emulate the spellcasting feature, but you can't emulate having spell slots. If a high level rogue were to UMD a runestaff, the runestaff would see the rogue as a high level sorcerer who is out of spell slots/day. So, yea...no. Doesn't work.

Except that you don't have to, given that the Warmage entry specifically states it HAS spell slots. And it also says it can learn any spell on the Sorc/Wiz spell list.

EDIT: Just flipped through BoED, and saw no sanctified armor. This is not to say that a DM couldn't just retool it so that you need to be good, and it inflicts a ravage, and instead of looking like a demon you look like a deva or something.

Keld Denar
2009-07-01, 11:17 AM
Except that you don't have to, given that the Warmage entry specifically states it HAS spell slots. And it also says it can learn any spell on the Sorc/Wiz spell list.

Do what now? You need spell slots to use a Runestaff. You basically trade one of your spells for one of the ones the staff knows. If you don't have any spell lots, you can't use a Runestaff, UMD or no UMD. Since there is no way to emulate "having unused spell slots" with UMD, you can't use a Runestaff. You could use a regular Staff, since it comes with its own "spell slots" (aka, charges) and all you need to emulate is "spellcasting ability". Thats the difference between a Runestaff and a regular staff though.

UserClone
2009-07-01, 12:00 PM
Except that you don't have to, given that the Warmage entry specifically states it HAS spell slots. And it also says it can learn any spell on the Sorc/Wiz spell list.

EDIT: Just flipped through BoED, and saw no sanctified armor. This is not to say that a DM couldn't just retool it so that you need to be good, and it inflicts a ravage, and instead of looking like a demon you look like a deva or something.

Redeeming Evil Magic Items, p.119. The Table of contents is your friend.:smalltongue:

Animefunkmaster
2009-07-01, 12:15 PM
What you want is the armor enhancement, 'called' from magic item compendium.

If you aren't wearing armor and your armor (or shield) is on the same plane, it appears on you, if your wearing armor it appears next to you. Standard action, command word.

I had a Crusader/Evangelist who used the command word, 'it's morphin time!'

Person_Man
2009-07-01, 12:21 PM
Clockwork Armor link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a).

Also, BoVD and Oriental Adventures are 3.0, for those who care about such things.

Keld Denar
2009-07-01, 12:21 PM
What if you had multiple suits of called armor with the same command word? I know its a standard action to activate a command word item, but that might be interesting.

On second though, probably doesn't work. Otherwise you could get a whole bunch of wands of fireball with the same command word (BURNINATE), duct tape them together, and activate them all at once. That would be very expensive, but rather effective barring evasion or fire resistance...

lulz.

Deth Muncher
2009-07-01, 01:39 PM
Clockwork Armor link (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a).

Also, BoVD and Oriental Adventures are 3.0, for those who care about such things.

Quite so. On the upswing of that, though, the Demon Armor was updated to 3.5, since it's in the DMG. The original Oni Armor had other things on it that don't especially matter outside of an OA Game, like Taint and such.

EDIT:
What you want is the armor enhancement, 'called' from magic item compendium.

If you aren't wearing armor and your armor (or shield) is on the same plane, it appears on you, if your wearing armor it appears next to you. Standard action, command word.

I had a Crusader/Evangelist who used the command word, 'it's morphin time!'

And there we go. I knew there had to be some sort of enchantment like this. This makes everything easier, since they can have Called and Contingent: Shrink Item. I keep going back to Shrink Item, because I find it hilarious if someone were to look inside the Warmage's backpack and suddenly happen upon a bunch of what appear to be action figures.

EDIT 2 - Electric Bugaloo:
Do what now? You need spell slots to use a Runestaff. You basically trade one of your spells for one of the ones the staff knows. If you don't have any spell lots, you can't use a Runestaff, UMD or no UMD. Since there is no way to emulate "having unused spell slots" with UMD, you can't use a Runestaff. You could use a regular Staff, since it comes with its own "spell slots" (aka, charges) and all you need to emulate is "spellcasting ability". Thats the difference between a Runestaff and a regular staff though.

@_@ Okay, I think what just happened here is a case of good old fashioned miscommunication. The point is, we all agree that Runestaffs require spell slots to function, thus making them un-UMDable.

Agreed? Agreed.

robgrayert
2009-07-02, 09:49 AM
Subject to DM approval in 3.5:

3.0 tessellated armor (Arms and Equipment Guide):
"This curiosity usually appears to be an ornate, lacquered box containing hundreds of identical metallic shapes...When the command word is spoken, the shapes stream from the box and flow over the wearer's body, interlocking perfectly to create a single, smooth suit of +2 full plate. The armor is lighter and more flexible than normal full plate and is considered medium armor rather than heavy. 11,560gp"

It also creates a hypnotic pattern effect 1/day. We ruled that you can don or take it off as a full-round action. It's pricey, yes, but given a disposable chunk of gp in your pocket you could carry a few boxes of these around - each modified to your taste - and you can swap out armor within 2 rounds.