What is this Armor?

[elvengunner69]

So in our current campaign I stumbled across some hopefully cool armor that is kind of ivy that molds around the body and if someone tries to grapple you it sticks thorns/spikes into the thing trying the grapple.

Does anyone know what this is?

I'm trying to stat it out and not sure of some of the other properties

[HunterOfJello]

If your DM won't tell you, then you should try to figure it out in-game. Asking us about it is kinda messed up. :smallfrown:

[elvengunner69]

If your DM won't tell you, then you should try to figure it out in-game. Asking us about it is kinda messed up. :smallfrown:

Oh right - sorry.

He actually gave me all the stats - I'm trying to stat my character on Heroforge and wasn't sure if there was a special material it was made from and if anyone had heard of this armor. I know what it can and can't do I'm just wondering what some of the specifics beyond the numbers are. Heroforge does a lot of the math for you is why vs me doing.

If this is messed up please delete it from the universe. Thanks.

[Malak'ai]

Some kind of Bondleaf or Moon Ivy armour with some enchantment perhaps?
What armour type is it? Light, Medium or Heavy?

[Mithril Leaf]

Some kind of Bondleaf or Moon Ivy armour with some enchantment perhaps?
What armour type is it? Light, Medium or Heavy?

Bond leaf with shield "thorns" is my best guess. It's what I'm currently wearing for my absurdly high Dex psion (I got a skin of proteus). Both of these are in A&EG on page 15.

[Kelb_Panthera]

If you've still got a max dex bonus and arcane spell failure chance then you might just be wearing a normal suit of leather armor, with armor spikes, made out of the leafweave special material from RoW.

[Darrin]

So in our current campaign I stumbled across some hopefully cool armor that is kind of ivy that molds around the body and if someone tries to grapple you it sticks thorns/spikes into the thing trying the grapple.


Moon Ivy is from the Arms & Equipment Guide. It's... a very, very strange type of armor. You put on a wreathlike choker at night, and it grows around your body. It says it "dies at the end of every day", but gives absolutely no specific (or even moderately useful) information on when exactly that happens. Nor does it say how long it takes to grow (8 hours? 8 rounds?). The price is also horrendously expensive... 16000 GP, but provides the same bonus as a chain shirt. However, there are three upgrades: Poison Ivy (poison attack when grappling), Explosive Spores (triggers nausea effect when hit by a bludgeoning weapon), and Pheremones (bonus to Cha-based checks).

It looks like this concept was reworked in Stormwrack, which has a suit of Living Coral armor for the same price and uses a medallion rather than a choker (but still doesn't identify the proper body slot). An attempt was made to clarify the growing/dying process, which now starts at sunrise and ends at sundown, and now it takes 2 hours. Unfortunately, the text doesn't specify if the 2 hours is for growing or dying, and it doesn't describe its properties while growing (i.e., do you get half the armor bonus after 1 hour?). The coral also dies in darkness, and continues to live in extended light, but the text doesn't describe what type of darkness/light is required. Does 1 round exposed to a darkness spell (shadowy darkness) trigger the dying process? Is a torch or candle enough to keep it growing? There's also only one upgrade option: Stinging Polyps, which is similar to the Poison Ivy, but causes paralysis instead.

(Neither of these is really worth the bother... for 16000 GP, you could buy much better armor.)

As far as the thorns go... that sounds somewhat like a Burnoose of 1000 Thorns (3000 GP, MIC) or a Cloak of Quills (2500 GP, MIC). The Burnoose is pretty lame, though... 1/day, you can activate it as a swift action, and for 5 rounds any creature that strikes you with a natural weapon or grapples takes 1d6 damage. The Cloak of Quills is cheaper and slightly more useful: free action to activate, and can be used 5/day.

Hamatula Barbs (+2 enhancement, Planar Handbook) can also be added to any armor, and they do 1d8 damage against anyone hitting you with a handheld or natural weapon, but they don't appear to work on grapples. If you need something to work in a grapple, Gnashing (+1 enhancement, Champions of Ruin) or Acidic (+1 enhancement, MIC) is probably a better way to go.

[Slipperychicken]

So what are the stats, exactly? That would be a big help.