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vartan
2010-04-08, 10:41 AM
Is there any armor that can transform from one type to another? I have a battlerager dwarven fighter PC that wears +1 Chain, but would rather be wearing +1 Plate when he gets into the thick of melee (even if it will suppress his class features). Would it be unbalancing to create a suit of armor that can change from +1 Chain to +1 Plate as an immediate reaction when the PC uses his second wind?

XiaoTie
2010-04-08, 10:59 AM
Such item actually exists...sort of. I'm away from my books right now, but on the Relics (or is it Artifacts) part of the DMG there is an armor that does pretty much what you just said.

Hal
2010-04-08, 11:06 AM
Is there any armor that can transform from one type to another? I have a battlerager dwarven fighter PC that wears +1 Chain, but would rather be wearing +1 Plate when he gets into the thick of melee (even if it will suppress his class features). Would it be unbalancing to create a suit of armor that can change from +1 Chain to +1 Plate as an immediate reaction when the PC uses his second wind?

You could go with Summoned Armor, which is an At-Will action (don't remember if it's minor or standard) to summon or dismiss it. Of course, this leaves you with the visual of a dwarf who strips himself naked and goes into a berserker rage, but hey, who am I to judge?

Mando Knight
2010-04-08, 11:33 AM
I don't even know why the player wants Plate. It's burning a feat to give up the Battlerager's endless tide of Temp HP for +2 AC. If he's worried about his AC, have him switch to a Battleaxe or Warhammer and give him a shield. If he's taken or is going to take Dwarven Weapon Training, you can switch him up to Waraxe and Craghammer instead.

1of3
2010-04-08, 12:18 PM
Would it be unbalancing to create a suit of armor that can change from +1 Chain to +1 Plate as an immediate reaction when the PC uses his second wind?

That would certainly be OK.

Note that "as an immediate reaction when the PC uses his second wind" is not possible. Characters usually take second wind during their own turn, but characters cannot take immediate actions during their own turn.

Anonomuss
2010-04-08, 03:16 PM
I don't even know why the player wants Plate. It's burning a feat to give up the Battlerager's endless tide of Temp HP for +2 AC. If he's worried about his AC, have him switch to a Battleaxe or Warhammer and give him a shield. If he's taken or is going to take Dwarven Weapon Training, you can switch him up to Waraxe and Craghammer instead.

A Battlerager fighter gets exactly the same amount of temporary hp regardless of armour, what armour they wear merely affects bonus damage.

I wouldn't say that having some armour that can change once per enounter as a free action when you use second wind should be no problem balance-wise. There is already summoned armour as mentioned, and the invulnerable coat of Arnd has a similar power.

Mando Knight
2010-04-08, 04:49 PM
A Battlerager fighter gets exactly the same amount of temporary hp regardless of armour, what armour they wear merely affects bonus damage.

Huh. So it does. I must have transposed the same line in my head every time I read the thing...

tcrudisi
2010-04-08, 04:59 PM
There is a weapon enchantment that can do this, so I don't think it's unreasonable to have an armor enchantment do it. The weapon enchantment is called Dynamic and it's from the Adventurer's Vault.

It has an encounter power, usable as a minor action: Change the weapon into a different weapon from any melee category (simple, military, or superior). This effect lasts until the end of the encounter, or until you end it as a minor action.

vartan
2010-04-08, 08:12 PM
Wow even I must have missed the fact that you can still get temp HP regardles of armor- I have another confession... I let Fighters have Plate prof for free... Don't hate me.

Well then he'll get a suit of Dynamic Chain and the switch will boost his AC and reduce his DPR without hindering his temp hp ability.

cssmythe3
2010-04-08, 08:50 PM
Just don't get this armor...

(last three panels):
http://goblins.keenspot.com/d/20081122.html
http://goblins.keenspot.com/d/20081129.html
http://goblins.keenspot.com/d/20081207.html

Ouch.