[3.5+PF]Power armor?

[fire_insideout]

Does anyone know of a good source for power armor in 3.5 or PF? Homebrew allowed as this is going to be part of a setting (Alternate earth w. Fantasy and Sci-Fi elements run in a blender.) that I'm making.

What I'm looking for is power armor like Spartan/WH40K Space Marine/Starship troopers (Book)/Starcraft things, ranging from basic armour to the more powerful, tech heavy things that are close to being capable of fighting on their own.

Currently I'm considering writing it myself, but since I'm not the best I'd be nice to have some ideas to start off with.

Thank you.

[Red Fel]

Funny story. This question (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?379094-Power-Armor-Mechsuits-in-3-P) has been (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?354919-Best-way-to-make-power-armor) asked a lot (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?392691-No-idea-how-to-build-this). You might consider hopping over to browse one of those threads for answers. At least one of them contains a link to a truly fantastic homebrew on this forum. (I think they're all defunct, though, so no necro.)

[fire_insideout]

Thanks, I'd browsed through most of those threads already, but one got me a link to a somewhat interesting D&D Wiki brew, and I'm also checking out d20 Future thanks to it.

I suspect that the 'brew that you are referring to is Person_man's Iron Man class, which is one that I've used a lot in the past and really like, but this time I'd like to have the armor separated from the class of the PC's.

If d20F doesn't have what I'm looking for I'm probably going to have to write my own stuff.

[DMVerdandi]

Pathfinder made a set in their technology guide. It's not that bad. A lot of the other armors are REALLY cool though, and aren't necessarily "artifacts".

You can find it on the Pathfinder srd.

[Almarck]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/technological-equipment/technological-artifacts < Somewhere in the link above, as "Power Armor"

To add, the Pathfinder powered armor is specifically an artifact suit with a ton of features and capabilities that are specific to Tech Guide such as medlances (basically, potion bottles that are automatically "drunk" when you want the), as well as a great deal of augmentation and buffs that set it appart +8 Enhancement bonus to Strength. Sadly as an artifact and has no price outside of GM intervention.

[atemu1234]

Thanks, I'd browsed through most of those threads already, but one got me a link to a somewhat interesting D&D Wiki brew, and I'm also checking out d20 Future thanks to it.

I suspect that the 'brew that you are referring to is Person_man's Iron Man class, which is one that I've used a lot in the past and really like, but this time I'd like to have the armor separated from the class of the PC's.

If d20F doesn't have what I'm looking for I'm probably going to have to write my own stuff.

Yeah, I was going to suggest d20 future or d20 future tech. Apart from that, I'm clueless.

[Username.]

Does anyone know of a good source for power armor in 3.5 or PF?

Aegis. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/aegis) One of the best classes in d20, considering flexibility, theme, and need (e.g., d20 does not have many simple, solid, effective, front-line combatant classes).

Armored Blade. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/soulknife/archetypes/dreamscarred-press/armored-blade) N.B.: Soulknives in PF are not unredeemably bad.

Clockwork armor. (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a)

Incarnum.

[Jack_Simth]

It's a 35,000 gp upgrade (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateMagic/magic/buildingAndModifyingConstructs.html#construct-armor) to any construct of the same size as the wearer in Pathfinder, provided that it's the wearer that makes it.

[Jeraa]

Anything you want to do with power armor can most likely be done with the existing magic item creation rules. At its most basic, power armor can be represented as a suit of armor enchanted to boost the wearers strength (like a Belt of Giant Strength, but as part of the armor itself and not a seperate item).

[LibraryOgre]

Gnome Synthesis Summoner.

Blatheringblatherskite!

[Tvtyrant]

See if you can use the final fantasy d20 mech rules. Basically they are acaled up versions of the clockwork armor.

[fire_insideout]

Thank you everyone! I am most likely going to steal a bunch of the ideas presented here and combine them into something that fits with the setting that I'm planning.

One day I'll have to try out the Aegis class as well, it looks interesting.

[Fizban]

You want Power Armor? Get yourself some Power of Cybernetics (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=8693.0). This guy took the basic idea from Magic of Incarnum (multiple constant/at-will abilities sharing the same energy pool) and then re-wrote the whole thing to 1: not suck, and 2: be cybernetics. Drawn primarily from Metroid and Warhammer. If you just want armor to put on existing characters it probably won't suffice (though you could take some Cybernetic feats and use the energy to power your armor instead, it's just not efficient at all), but if you want a sourcebook you can base a party on I will not stop pushing this 'cause it's great. And just like incarnum, cybernetics is ridiculously multiclass friendly if you just want to pick up a few abilities. Dreadnaught in particular will let you juice up your armor and pick up some class features in the first few levels without losing BAB the same way you'd use Barbarian 1-2+Extra Rage feat.

If you just want a regenerating energy shield, here's a thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?69384-Rejuvenating-Shield-Armor-%28PEACH%29) from a while ago pricing that as a simple armor enhancement like any other. It's short so you can read all the comments and decide for yourself what the price should be.

Edit: moving the noes I posted below up here so they're more visible:

Take an existing construct or statblock or whatever you want, it's going to effectively be a mount. Choose armor level: light, medium, heavy, or complete.

Light gives +4 cover to AC as you sit halfway sunk into it, can move seperate from your actions, and does not restrict your actions any more than a mount would. You have to make a skill check to guide it while taking other actions, and can use it's attacks in place of your own.

Medium is like light but requires you to strap in and gives an armor bonus of +4 to +8, with penalties and don/doff time similar to armor.

Heavy gives you improved cover (+8 AC/evasion+) but replaces most of your actions with those of the construct and prevents you from spellcasting unless you open the armor and give up your defenses. The operator cannot wear any armor heavier than light, and said armor's magic and AC bonuses are overlapped and negated by those of the construct armor while it is closed.

Complete gives you total cover, rendering you almost impossible to affect without destroying the construct, but also preventing you from using almost anything but the construct's own abilities.

The first three types of ride armor (light-heavy) can all be enchanted as armor with the usual benefits (increasing the cover instead of armor bonus as appropriate). Complete construct armor however has no separate "armor" bits, as it carries the rider within. All types are treated as separate creatures and can be affected by spells and make use of magic items as normal (though with no ability to speak or think they cannot activate command items), and the rider can wield and activate manipulation items through them with no penalty (using the construct's ability scores, BAB, and so on).

Feats may include: negate attack (as Mounted Combat, light/med only), full proficiency (use your BAB and feats through the armor so it's better at attacking, heavy/comp only), specialization (gain some kind of bonuses), magical bond (share/transfer magic, could also be an ACF), and qualifying for feats with armor stats but you can only use the feat when in/on the armor

Price modifiers: even though light and medium types can attack at the same time as you, they still require a rider to move around so the cost could be neutral. Maybe charge some for the AC bonus, but I wouldn't add more than 5k because the initial idea was to be relatively cheap. At most a light ridearmor might add 32k for a +4 untyped bonus, but heavier armors effectively just take up your armor slot and fullplate is only 1,500, while charging someone +32k for a mount that can be killed separately is pretty mean.

[Username.]

Gnome Synthesis Summoner.

Blatheringblatherskite!

N.B.: Kenku might be a better approximation than Gnome.


If you just want a regenerating energy shield. . .

The Vigor/Share Pain/Psicrystal combo is exactly this. One level of Pathwalker (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/psychic-warrior/archetypes/dreamscarred-press/pathwalker-psychic-warrior-archetype) would grant infinite Vigor and Psicrystal eligibility and the Vigor power. One level of Shadow Sun Ninja would grant infinite out-of-combat base HP healing. The Meditant (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/classes/psychic-warrior/archetypes/dreamscarred-press/meditant) archetype helps qualify you for Shadow Sun Ninja. This material crosses back and forth between WotC and PF, but PF makes for the bulk of the combination.

[Fizban]

The Vigor/Share Pain/Psicrystal combo is exactly this. . .One level of Shadow Sun Ninja would grant infinite out-of-combat base HP healing.
Or Minor Shapeshift like I mentioned in that thread, or Touch of Healing or Draconic Aura (Vigor) for out of combat healing, or the Restoration Matrix module, or dip Servant Soul and take Strengthened Connection to scale Hans's healing wand, etc. But none of those builds have anything to do with armor, power armor, or regenerating energy shields, and they use just as much homebrew.

Rejuvenating Barrier, Lesser
Price: +2 bonus
Property: Armor
Activation: --
A suit of armor with this property glows yellow and hums when activated. The armor provides a number of temporary hit points equal to the your hit dice. These temporary hit points are only lost from attacks, spells, or falls that would damage you. These temporary hit points are restored at a rate of 1 point per round, beginning 3 rounds after you have not taken any damage. These temporary hit points stack with any other temporary hit points you may have.
Prerequisites: Craft Arms and Armor, vigor

Rejuvenating Barrier
Price: +4 bonus
Property: Armor
Activation: --
A suit of armor with this property glows yellow and hums when activated. The armor provides a number of temporary hit points equal to twice your hit dice. These temporary hit points are only lost from attacks, spells, or falls that would damage you. These temporary hit points are restored at a rate of 2 points per round, beginning 3 rounds after you have not taken any damage. These temporary hit points stack with any other temporary hit points you may have.
Prerequisites: Craft Arms and Armor, vigor
is a regenerating energy shield you can put on any armor, in combination with the usual built in str/dex/con/whatever boosts you find appropriate for a magitech power armor suit. (I altered the name but can't for the life of me format the spoiler tag how I want).

Speaking of which, I don't think anyone's mentioned Magitech Templar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?176276-3-5-Magitech-Templar-Iron-Man) yet (that's the bookmark I have, no idea if there's a newer version. It's magitech Iron Man, good if you don't want options without a whole sourcebook.

[Username.]

. . .But none of those builds have anything to do with armor, power armor, or regenerating energy shields, and they use just as much homebrew.

Both of these things are explicitly not true.

Psychic Warrior and Aegis synergize shockingly well and can support one another into prestige classes, as can Soulknife -- in fact, all three combined allow for significant PrC exploration. All of them can summon one kind of glowing armor or another, and two of them can customize said armor. All of them can easily gain Vigor/Share Pain -- Psywar and Soulknife most easily -- without dips or breaks in theme. None of them are homebrew whatsoever. Shadow Sun Ninja* is Tome of Battle and the rest are in Psionics Unleashed/Augmented/Expanded.

Indeed, one of the Aegis Archetypes (in Psionics Augmented) has you wearing a suit of crystal armor that docks with your (Artificial Intelligence) Psicrystal. You are literally wearing a suit of intelligent computer armor.

Further:


Or Minor Shapeshift like I mentioned in that thread, or Touch of Healing or Draconic Aura (Vigor) for out of combat healing, or the Restoration Matrix module, or dip Servant Soul and take Strengthened Connection to scale Hans's healing wand, etc.

None of those methods look like powered armor or otherwise fit the theme.

None of those methods are infinite, nor do they scale as well or as cheaply, nor are they as effective as Vigor, and, unlike most of those, Vigor is a a justifiable cast both in- and out-of-combat. (At an effective 10 thp/ml, potentially for free, it is, with a modicum of investment, an order of magnitude more effective than any of those other methods.) Also, Vigor manifests as a physical shield, which means it is literally a big barrier of energy on your character.) Again, it is absolutely not (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/vigor.htm) homebrew (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/v/vigor), and the combo itself is older than some of the people posting on this board.

Homebrew is completely unecessary to achieve this theme, generally speaking. Official sources may not be enough to approximate the OP's desires, in which case homebrew is a good answer, but it is not generally necessary.

*SSN is obviously the most significant thematic outlier in need of reflavoring. But note that with the Pathwalker archetype, Biofeedback (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/b/biofeedback) (and other healing Powers such as Natural Healing (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/psionics-unleashed/psionic-powers/n/natural-healing)) is potentially free and, because the free mechanism has in-combat justification, is one of the few heals, along with SSN, which can be done at combat speed without tactical stupidity. Thus, SSN isn't even needed. It's nice, though.

[Fizban]

Psychic Warrior and Aegis synergize shockingly well
You made no mention of Aegis in that post, though it is an awesome class.

None of them are homebrew. . . None of those methods look like powered armor or otherwise fit the theme.
After playing and following the game long enough, it becomes apparent that every bit of material written is just as fallible as any other. Just because Pathfinder is published doesn't make it any more reliable than WotC or homebrew material (and much of the content on d20pfsrd notes that it was made by even further 3rd parties), and the base 3.5 rules were written by people who by definition made it up themselves. Ergo, everything is homebrew :smalltongue: But that's for a different thread. As for not being power armor: neither are those you suggested, so I compared them to simpler non-armor related options.

None of those methods are infinite, nor do they scale as well or as cheaply, nor are they as effective as Vigor, and, unlike most of those, Vigor is a a justifiable cast both in- and out-of-combat. (At an effective 10 thp/ml, potentially for free, it is, with a modicum of investment, an order of magnitude more effective than any of those other methods.)
I specifically picked those methods because they are all infinite (though the touch and aura only go to 1/2 max hp). Minor Shapeshift and Touch of Healing are both reserve feats (from WotC even), useable indefinitely as long as you keep a spell uncast, Draconic Aura (Vigor) is from a Dragon Shaman dip or possibly a feat (also WotC), the Restoration Matrix module is from Power of Cybernetics (which is better made than the book it was based on, and I've used both), useable at-will, and if you look up the Servant Soul on our hombrew board you'll find that the healing wand can be re-created every 5 minutes. I chose these because it seemed you were focusing on the infinite healing angle.

On the other hand, the (pathfinder) Psychic Warrior's free manifesting of path powers is also explicitly un-augmented, so it's only 5hp for free, and you have to constantly re-focus to refresh it. That's two standard actions which is not combat speed, and it's not any more armor related than the above. It's only superior if you continue in manifesting classes so you can get more hp out of vigor, in which case it's not an easy dip. I've got no problem with Vigor itself mind you (and it's the best source of temporary hp bar none), I just don't think a psywar/psicrystal/share pain/vigor combo is in any way the easiest or best method of getting a regenerating shield, even if you can do 5hp vigor for free. There is no easier solution possible than making a simple armor ability like the one I linked/spoilered/suggested above.

Also, Vigor manifests as a physical shield, which means it is literally a big barrier of energy on your character.
Uh, no. The only visible effect is the material display of the power, which is the target or area is briefly slicked with a translucent, shimmering substance. The glistening substance evaporates after 1 round (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicPowersOverview.htm#material), and can be suppressed with a concentration check. This is not literally a big barrier of energy, though I would not be suprised if the illustrations chose to depict it as such.


Homebrew is completely unecessary to achieve this theme, generally speaking. Official sources may not be enough to approximate the OP's desires, in which case homebrew is a good answer, but it is not generally necessary.
Specific combo builds are completely unecessary to achieve this theme, generally speaking. Published sources from different groups may be combined to approximate the OP's desires, but it is far easier to simply homebrew an armor ability, or if needed look to a full class or system that another 'brewer has already designed exactly to meet that purpose.

And speaking of the OP's desires, there's actually no mention of regenerating shield systems at all up there, I only brought it up because he mentioned Spartan armor and Halo's got regenerating shields (the other settings might but I'm not as familiar with them). We're supposed to be looking for tech based walking tanks. Jack Smith already got the easiest answer above with the Pathfinder construct armor link, though it's vague enough once you try to actually use it you'll still need to decide most of the effects yourself. I stick by my suggestions of Power of Cybernetics (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=8693.0) or Magitech Templar (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=8693.0) for making characters based on power armor. The Warcraft RPG books had a pretty nice steam armor ruleset (in the 2nd edition where they converted it all to WoW terms), but it basically just boils down to "armor bonus, set movement speed, armor loses hp before you and breaks when it runs out," so I wouldn't recommend trying to get a whole book just for that. Or here's some notes from my brainstorming a while ago, inspired by Megaman X/Final Fantasy VI:


Take an existing construct or statblock or whatever you want, it's going to effectively be a mount. Choose armor level: light, medium, heavy, or complete.

Light gives +4 cover to AC as you sit halfway sunk into it, can move seperate from your actions, and does not restrict your actions any more than a mount would. You have to make a skill check to guide it while taking other actions, and can use it's attacks in place of your own.

Medium is like light but requires you to strap in and gives an armor bonus of +4 to +8, with penalties and don/doff time similar to armor.

Heavy gives you improved cover (+8 AC/evasion+) but replaces most of your actions with those of the construct and prevents you from spellcasting unless you open the armor and give up your defenses. The operator cannot wear any armor heavier than light, and said armor's magic and AC bonuses are overlapped and negated by those of the construct armor while it is closed.

Complete gives you total cover, rendering you almost impossible to affect without destroying the construct, but also preventing you from using almost anything but the construct's own abilities.

The first three types of ride armor (light-heavy) can all be enchanted as armor with the usual benefits (increasing the cover instead of armor bonus as appropriate). Complete construct armor however has no separate "armor" bits, as it carries the rider within. All types are treated as separate creatures and can be affected by spells and make use of magic items as normal (though with no ability to speak or think they cannot activate command items), and the rider can wield and activate manipulation items through them with no penalty (using the construct's ability scores, BAB, and so on).

Feats may include: negate attack (as Mounted Combat, light/med only), full proficiency (use your BAB and feats through the armor so it's better at attacking, heavy/comp only), specialization (gain some kind of bonuses), magical bond (share/transfer magic, could also be an ACF), and qualifying for feats with armor stats but you can only use the feat when in/on the armor

Price modifiers: even though light and medium types can attack at the same time as you, they still require a rider to move around so the cost could be neutral. Maybe charge some for the AC bonus, but I wouldn't add more than 5k because the initial idea was to be relatively cheap. At most a light ridearmor might add 32k for a +4 untyped bonus, but heavier armors effectively just take up your armor slot and fullplate is only 1,500, while charging someone +32k for a mount that can be killed separately is pretty mean.
Don't forget there's no reason you can't use multiple types of power armor. Even within a single military in the setting there could be multiple R&D projects running a the same time, so one character is a Dreadnaught from PoC, another has a suit of Clockwork Armor from his starting wealth, the third decides to capture an enemy's suit of Ridearmor, and the fourth quietly puts Rejuvenating Barrier on his basic mithral chain shirt. Unless of course you want it to be a very restricted thing, which I suppose is find but sad face :smallfrown:

[CerealKiller8]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?176276-3-5-Magitech-Templar-Iron-Man

The best homebrew version of that I can think of off hand. Used it once a few years back.
Rather fun.

[Username.]

You made no mention of Aegis in that post, though it is an awesome class.

After playing and following the game long enough, it becomes apparent that every bit of material written is just as fallible as any other. Just because Pathfinder is published doesn't make it any more reliable than WotC or homebrew material (and much of the content on d20pfsrd notes that it was made by even further 3rd parties), and the base 3.5 rules were written by people who by definition made it up themselves. Ergo, everything is homebrew

That's a doughy pantload. Please don't backtrack that way: even on the internet, this is a waste of time. You said something that wasn't true and you know it. If you don't have the integrity to admit it, you should at least move on and leave it be. The players of 3x/PF do not consider the material made by WotC, paizo, or even 3pp sources to be homebrew, and redefining the term because you made an error on the internet is simply disrespectful. Homebrew status has nothing to do with quality.


But that's for a different thread. As for not being power armor: neither are those you suggested, so I compared them to simpler non-armor related options.

Again incorrect. If your character is built with powered armor being the theme, the character's powers are powered armor as much as a Witch's spells are the wrath of a mysterious malign patron.

I concede that the reserve feats can be infinite, but they also require you to hold a spell slot of a significant level and require you to reach around mid-level, none of which are requirements of the Vigor/Share Pain combo. The reserve feats and the like also generally all require your character to not choose powered armor options since they will generally demand full-casting. They also suck, as mentioned before. They don't look right, they don't feel right, and they're mechanically weak. They aren't an energy shield and they aren't associated with powered armor.


Psychic Warrior's free manifesting of path powers is also explicitly un-augmented, so it's only 5hp for free

This is also wrong. The pp-free manifesting is derived from the Pathwalker ability. You are reading the wrong thing. The Pathwalker's ability can most certainly be used with full augmentation, and it's not limited to path powers. Further, it is necessarily done in combat to restore maneuvers. Also, if you're a Pathwalker, you get maneuvers, and you can choose maneuvers that fit the powered armor theme. So that's a thing.


It's only superior if you continue in manifesting classes so you can get more hp out of vigor, in which case it's not an easy dip.

Again, you err: you're not dipping Psychic Warrior, you're dipping Aegis. You don't need much Aegis to get it going. You can use magic items to get more customization points, and feats and prestige classes to continue progressing Aegis, Soulknife, and Psychic Warrior, with emphasis on Psychic Warrior. And you can use traits, if allowed, and items like the Wilder's Clasp (which offers even more free pp) to maintain manifester level, and/or dip Wilder. Thus, you'll have a Manifester Level of at least full HD, a smaller number of powers than normal (bad), a suite of customizable powered armor options (good) a familiar that's better than most familiars (psicrystal; good), effectively around double the HP of any comparable tank (very good), excellent AC (very good), regenerating health and temp hp (very good), the ability to regen health at combat speed as a tactically valid choice (very rare), and far more flexibility than most beatsticks. If you're a white guy who doesn't dump Cha, you'll be mistaken on the street for Tony Stark.

Vigor and Share Pain are low-level. They are cheap. With a Wilder dip or a Wilder Clasp, they are both free; with Pathwalker alone, the more expensive one is. They are both pre-combat, long-term buffs (Vigor lasts minutes but is free/Share Pain is not free w/o Wilder but lasts hours) and even if you don't Wilder it up, the combo still may not even cost you Power Points if you use items to restore the Share Pain costs. Psicrystal restoration is tricky; Dreamscarred dropped the ball by not clarifying it, but the general consensus is a lost psicrystal can be replaced in a day. And if that's too long, one can still get a psionic power to repair it -- again, as a low-level power.

This is a cheap set of effects that requires few character levels, few feats, very little or no equipment (though equipment boosts these abilities dramatically) and hits the thematic sweet spot with near perfection. It's a little more crystal-ly than one might like, but it's the literal expression of the OP's wishes, even if it isn't hitting the particulars (which the OP didn't express). And, oh, it's likely the best defensive tank/hp sink in d20 that isn't summon.


Uh, no. The only visible effect is the material display of the power, which is the target or area is briefly slicked with a translucent, shimmering substance. The glistening substance evaporates after 1 round (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicPowersOverview.htm#material), and can be suppressed with a concentration check. This is not literally a big barrier of energy, though I would not be suprised if the illustrations chose to depict it as such.

a) The power display of Vigor is Material (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicPowersOverview.htm#material), which grants the following appearance:

The subject or the area is briefly slicked with a translucent, shimmering substance. The glistening substance evaporates after 1 round regardless of the power’s duration. Sophisticated psions recognize the material as ectoplasmic seepage from the Astral Plane; this substance is completely inert.

(This description is also in the xph, as well as in Psionics Unleashed on p. 60.)

There is also an olfactory display: set that to be ozone, like with an electronic apparatus being turned on, and you're good to go.

This is good enough for an energy shield, but one not need stop there.

b) On p. 126 of Psionics Expanded, power displays are, well, expanded. Long story short: you can choose to have entire themes of power displays set for your PC. This explicitly grants the player reflavoring options. If the DM is fine with you wearing powered armor, he or she will be fine with you making your powers flavored as powered armor. So, within PF, if you want your energy shield to glow, it's gonna glow.


Published sources from different groups may be combined to approximate the OP's desires, but it is far easier to simply homebrew an armor ability. . .

The whole thing is PF psionics. It's one to three books from the same publisher. You can do it with one. You can do it with none and just the SRD. Everything described in this post, with the exception of Displays, is online right now, and displays are so inconsequential that any DM who'd let you homebrew would let you change displays without batting an eye. It may be better to homebrew the powered armor if the OP's concept turns out to be far removed from the powered armor that published sources provide, but there is zero evidence that it is currently simpler.

Constructs are problematic because their power level is all over the place and because they aren't immediately "techie." I like them as an answer for conceptual reasons, but superintelligent crystals get you closer to computers than golems. Further, summoning your armor from nowhere is literally in powered armor theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M678PVOf5F0). You can even say "Power On" when you use your abilities and nobody will look at you funny.

The point is is that every single power -- every single one -- you use when you're an Aegis can be set to fit the theme within existing published d20 rules. You can use a hundred different abilities and they are all automagically powered armor abilities, right in the ruleset. Using a construct is spiffy, and utterly powerful, but requires unpublished reflavoring up the wazoo, fairly high level, and is one titanic balance problem after another. Using character levels is far less likely to tailspin the game's balance. On top of that there is NO rules support for using construct-as-a-battlesuit, so you're going to end up homebrewing there. (Though, to be honest, mounted combat is literally unplayable-as-written in both 3x and PF, so if someone in the game is on a horse, you're already committed to exploring "intertwined" character issues.( And the Warcraft RPG's rules are nigh-universally terrible: homebrew would be superior.

Notably, an Aegis can manifest his or her armor as any armor type desired: light, medium, or heavy. And can do this on the fly, changing customizable powers as the situation needs. . . just like slotting a different equipment loadout on a powersuit. Because that's what the Aegis is doing.

And you need no extra rules or homebrew to do all of that.

[Fizban]

That's a doughy pantload. Please don't backtrack that way: even on the internet, this is a waste of time. You said something that wasn't true and you know it. If you don't have the integrity to admit it, you should at least move on and leave it be. The players of 3x/PF do not consider the material made by WotC, paizo, or even 3pp sources to be homebrew, and redefining the term because you made an error on the internet is simply disrespectful. Homebrew status has nothing to do with quality.
I assure you I was not backtracking in the slightest, nor was I attempting to correct some "error", so I will similarly ask you to please not question my integrity :smallannoyed:. I believe what you meant to say was the majority of players, because obviously I don't fit your assumption. I am a 3.x player and when the Pathfinder rules came out I found them no better than hombrew fixes I'd been reading on these boards for years. I decided to be a bit snarky about it sure, but when you initially responded to my linking a simple hombrew magic item by citing no less than six character based build elements, I was a bit offended. You reacted strongly as well so I explained by point of view and even threw in a smiley to try and keep it light, and here we are :smallamused:
If we agree that publishing has nothing to do with quality (mirroring your statement that homebrew status has nothing to do with quality), then the only advantage of published material is that everyone has access to it, making it a shared point of reference. . . but this is the internet, and any homebrew material here is also fully accessable to anyone. As soon as you move from char-op to an actual group, there's no reason to stick with published books.

If your character is built with powered armor being the theme, the character's powers are powered armor. . . [reserve feats] aren't an energy shield and they aren't associated with powered armor.
Are you really trying to tell me my refluffing is less valid than yours? :smalleek: Here's a power armor build that even transforms: He has nanobot armor that fits in his pocket, a main energy buffer he can refresh every round for free, an emergency shield can can spend reserve power on, and can switch to flight or perfect defense modes but those restrict his actions and mess with the shield generators (and of course any manner of fancy tech weapons). Surprise! It's a Spell Shield Battle Sorcerer with Least or Lesser Dragonshape, Trollshape, Minor Shapeshift, and Skin of Ectoplasmic Armor, but I decided his theme was power armor so everything is power armor! This is no less valid than the psionic build. And as for mechanically weak, well that Pathwalker's unlimited free max-power manifesting skews a little overpowered if you ask me.

Pathfinder, visual manifestations
Somehow I didn't think to read the maneuver recovery section in order to find a way to cast powers for free :smallsigh:. Conratulations, you've caught me in my lack of pathfinder-fu. I already agreed that vigor is the best source of temporary hp, and obviously if you can cast it at full level for free then as long as you keep up the manifester level it will be the best tanking ability, and if you refluff everything into power armor then it can be power armor (So the build is Aegis 1/Psywar X? Guess it sucks if you wanted to be a different class and wear power armor then). You've quoted my own link back at me before using it again yourself (which makes me think you didn't check it), and then common sense refluffing advice that they happened to print in a book. If you truly believe I'm some sort of anti-Pathfinder holdout (I'm not) then it doesn't make much sense to try and convince me by quoting Pathfinder books that tell me things I already know :smallconfused:. But let's go back to the OP:

Does anyone know of a good source for power armor in 3.5 or PF? Homebrew allowed as this is going to be part of a setting (Alternate earth w. Fantasy and Sci-Fi elements run in a blender.) that I'm making.

What I'm looking for is power armor like Spartan/WH40K Space Marine/Starship troopers (Book)/Starcraft things, ranging from basic armour to the more powerful, tech heavy things that are close to being capable of fighting on their own.
He didn't give many particulars, but let's take a look. He's making a setting and hombrew is an acceptable solution, which to my eyes means that refluffing character builds is specifically not what he is going for. Refluffed builds are most commonly used to represent something not originally in the setting with existing mechanics because writing new mechanics would be troublesome, but here power armor is being built into the setting from the start. Based on the examples given, he wants heavy power armor that is potentially mass-produce-able and is worn and used like equipment, or in DnD terms requires nothing more than proficiency. Unless you can compress your build down to a single feat with no prerequisites it's not going to beat a homebrew solution, or one of the other suggestions above such as Clockwork Armor. None of the examples given has the armor appearing out of nowhere (I'm not aware of any edge cases), so psionics fluffed as power armor are literally the opposite of the best fit. The power armors in those settings are bulky, capable of being broken, and representative of serious military industry, not a 1st level class feature that pops out of thin air and changes it's abilities every day.

It may be better to homebrew the powered armor if the OP's concept turns out to be far removed from the powered armor that published sources provide, but there is zero evidence that it is currently simpler.
I believe we are using different definitions of the term "simple" here. I am using a rough combination of text/page references/sourcebooks, how much digging it takes to work and how easy it is to use. Your solution requires referencing multiple pages and understanding the interaction of all the abilities therein, allowing mistakes like how I missed the recovery/free manifesting mechanic. My regenerating barrier link required referencing approximately one paragraph on one page dedicated to that ability, making it almost impossible to mess up. Similarly the Clockwork Armor is all on a single page. My ridearmor notes fit on a single page. Simplicity isn't the only factor in choosing what to use, but you cannot deny that piecing together even a short build is more complex than the one paragraph I suggested for regenerating energy shields.
Furthermore, I get the feeling most people tend to expect classes to do what they do. The extra mental cost of having to rewrite the abilites in your head every time you use them is enough that some people will find it easier to learn a whole new system rather than refluff an existing one, so using Magitech Templar or Power of Cybernetics instead of forcing a refluff will make things more simple for them. People have said for years that psionics is more balanced than magic, yet still allow wizards and clerics because it's easier than forcing all players to refluff psionics or re-write the spell system (MT and PoC are already written!).

On top of that there is NO rules support for using construct-as-a-battlesuit, so you're going to end up homebrewing there.
Again, I feel that you are not reading the thread:

It's a 35,000 gp upgrade (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/ultimateMagic/magic/buildingAndModifyingConstructs.html#construct-armor) to any construct of the same size as the wearer in Pathfinder, provided that it's the wearer that makes it.
A pathfinder rule for using constructs as battlesuits. It's not functional in my opinion, which is why I would rather use homebrew, but there is absolutely published rule support for using a construct as a battlesuit. And regarding the Warcraft RPG rules, well they're not perfectly balanced but they try. I suggested the steam armor rules because they're actually pretty well done (especially considering how little space was given), and they took the time to rewrite spell lists to hobble the casters a bit. Many of the class features swing between overpowered and useless just like any other material.

[Thurbane]

This article has some rules for powered armor in 3.X: Future Tech Meets Fantasy (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20061020a)

[Submortimer]

In the 3.5 ELH, Golem Armor. You put it on, you essentially become an iron golem. Only thing missing is jump jets.
Edit: Link for the lazy (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Golem_Armor)

[unseenmage]

The third party DragonMech campaign setting has some just awful rules for mecha/battlesuits. But the gameworld is really cool.

Simplest solution I've found is to just cast the Minor Survitor (SS) or Animate Objects spells on a suit of armor and command it to 'power down' when one desires it be dormant.

[Fizban]

Simplest solution I've found is to just cast the Minor Survitor (SS)
Wait, what SS is that? Savage Species? Naw, that wouldn't be in Savage Species. . . holy crap how have I not known about this spell!? Bit of a shame it grants intelligence but at least it shows that someone out there thought sor/wiz should actually be able to animate objects.

[SinsI]

My solution for a homebrew Power Armor is converting any normal Heavy Armor into Powered one by an addition of a custom Mana Engine. It allows to perpetually refresh duration of a number of spells cast into it (you can also activate them by inserting a spell scroll or a wand into special slot inside it) and costs 1000 gold * spell level ^2 for each spell it can support.

This allows Powered Armor to be extremely flexible and to never lose its edge.

[unseenmage]

Wait, what SS is that? Savage Species? Naw, that wouldn't be in Savage Species. . . holy crap how have I not known about this spell!? Bit of a shame it grants intelligence but at least it shows that someone out there thought sor/wiz should actually be able to animate objects.

The Int score can be sidestepped by hitting the thing with the Greater Humanoid Essence (RoE) spell to make it a Humanoid and taking away its immunity to mind affecting spells then hitting it with some mind control.

Neat thing is that its type changing back to Construct doesn't remove whatever spells effects you dropped on it while it was a Humanoid because if that were the case then the greater Humanoid Essence spell itself would cease to function when it changed the creature's type in the first place. Applying Mineralize Warrior (Un) gives you a cool underground power armor and IIRC enslaves it for a "year and a day".

[Fizban]

Oh it's not difficulty of control, it's free will in the first place. Unless I'm building someone specifically evil I prefer good guys, so it's a bit problematic when the only way to easily create mindless controlled minions for an arcanist is Animate Dead, or teching into Craft Construct and expensive effigies. I'd houserule basic elementals down to int 2 (and throw in the animal's "can't be more than 2" clause to block rolled stats) if I wanted to include elemental binding as main setting element, since as written all of Eberron is practicing slavery (Golems and many other constructs have the same problem, leaving Effigies as the only reliable option there).

Hmm, do we have a way of converting an existing construct into a mech? Now I want to use a druid's Animate Sand (which creates a huge blob of Awakened animated sand) and then wear it. Already possible if you have 9 or more points of DR and immunity to suffocation, allowing you to ride safely within it's engulfing attack, but that's expensive.