AOKost
2017-07-05, 12:18 PM
With the introduction of Celestial Plate, I've wondered why "Celestial" can't be a property added to virtually any armor... Maybe it can only be added to a metal armor? So I've come up with a few variations of Celestial Armor. The second being a Mithral version, as neither Celestial Armor or Celestial Plate explicitly state that the armors are made of Mithral, we can assume they are made of Iron or Steel. Further you could add Thistledown Suite to any armor, reducing the arcane spell failure chance even further.
Light Celestial Armor
Aura faint transmutation [good]; CL 5th; Weight 5 lbs.; Price 22,000 gp
Description
This +3 chain shirt is so fine and light that it can be worn under normal clothing without betraying its presence. It has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +11, an armor check penalty of 0, and an arcane spell failure chance of 10%. It is considered light armor and allows the wearer to use fly on command (as the spell) once per day.
Construction Requirements
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fly, creator must be good; Cost 11,350 gp
Light Mithral Celestial Armor
Aura faint transmutation [good]; CL 3rd; Weight 2.5 lbs.; Price 24,900 gp
Description
This +3 chain shirt is so fine and light that it can be worn under normal clothing without betraying its presence. It has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +13, an armor check penalty of 0, and an arcane spell failure chance of 5%. It is considered light armor and allows the wearer to use fly on command (as the spell) once per day.
Construction Requirements
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fly, creator must be good; Cost 12,450 gp
Light Thistledown lined Mithral Celestial Armor
Aura faint transmutation [good]; CL 3rd; Weight 2.5 lbs.; Price 25,800 gp
Description
This +3 chain shirt is so fine and light that it can be worn under normal clothing without betraying its presence. It has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +12, an armor check penalty of 0, and an arcane spell failure chance of 0%. It is considered light armor and allows the wearer to use fly on command (as the spell) once per day.
Construction Requirements
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fly, creator must be good; Cost 12,900 gp
First of all, I pundit that Celestial is a template that can be added to virtually any armor. It grants a +3 enhancement bonus to the AC of armor, decreases the weight by half, increases the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by +5 for heavy armor based on Celestial Plate, +6 for medium armor based on Celestial Armor, and I posit that following the chain, +7 for light armor, reducing the spell failure chance by half, and the ability to cast fly as a 5th level caster for Celestial Armor, and 8th level caster for Celestial plate, and so following that line of thought (3 caster level difference between medium armor and heavy armor) I feel that any 'light' Celestian armor should have a 2nd level caster for their fly ability
Further templates could be added to increase base AC and Max Dex bonus, such as:
Devian, from Arcana Unearthed, p. 129: The Devian template seems to increase Max Dex by 1 – 4 depending on how heavy the armor is, reduce ACP by 1, reduce Arcane Spell Failure Chance by 5%, and reduce the weight by ~20% with an approximate cost multiplier of X3 that of a regular item. This template is extrapolated out using the information given.
Durable, from Arms and Armor v.3.5: An object must be built with durability as part of its design. This process adds a modest amount of material to the finished item, and thus increases the weight of the durable gear by an average of 10% over the weight of the original. While this is negligible in light equipment, it may be a consideration with heavier gear where encumbrance is a concern. As a general rule of thumb, items gain +10% to their hardness and +25% hit points (fractions rounded down) if constructed for durability. A light Armor costs twice as much, has +1 to it's Hardness and +5 HP.
Dwarven, from Advanced Gamemaster's Manual: Though no more functional than a typical item, something with the dwarven quality gains +1 hardness and +25% hit points (minimum of +1). Anything can be made dwarven, which has no affect on the object’s function — dwarven weapons do no more damage, and dwarven armor does not give any additional armor bonus. Only when an object is subjected to damage does its dwarven quality come into play.
Dwarven items cost twice the base cost of an object. The Craft DC for the dwarven quality is 20, and a separate Craft check is made for constructing this quality.
Dwarvencraft, from Races of Stone:A dwarvencraft item is stronger and harder than a comparable masterwork item. A dwarvencraft item’s hardness increases by 2, and it gains an additional 10 hit points. In addition, it gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws. All of these effects stack with the similar bonuses for magic items if the dwarvencraft item is made magical.
A dwarvencraft weapon costs 600 gp more than a standard weapon of its type. Dwarvencraft armor and shields cost 300 gp more than standard armor and shields.
Dwarven Forged, from [I]AEG - Source - Mercenaries: Benefits of Dwarven-forged Armor: Dwarven-forged armor provides an additional armor bonus of +2, and reduces the armor check penalty by -1. However, the percentage for arcane spell failure is increased by 10%. It requires a skill check to create a dwarven-forged version of some type of shield, light armor, medium armor, or heavy armor, you create the dwarven-forged component as if it were a separate item in addition to the standard item. The dwarven-forged component has its own price (900 gp) and DC (20). once both the standard component and the dwarven-forged component are completed, the item is finished. (Note: the price you pay for the dwarven-forged component is 1/3 of the given amount, just as it is for the price of the raw materials.) Dwarven-forged armor is considered masterwork armor for all other purposes.
Elven-forged, from AEG - Source - Mercenaries: Elven-forged armor increases the maximum dexterity bonus by +1, reduces the armor check penalty by -1, and reduces the chance for arcane spell failure by 10% to a minimum of 0%. It requires a skill check to create an elven-forged version of some type of light armor, medium armor, or heavy armor, you create the elven-forged component as if it were a separate item in addition to the standard item. The elven-forged component has its own price (600 gp) and DC (20). Once both the standard component and the elven-forged component are completed, the item is finished. (Note: the price you pay for the elven-forged component is 1/3 of the given amount, just as it is for the price of the raw materials.) Eleven-forged armor is considered masterwork armor for all other purposes.
Form-Fit, Ultimate Equipment Guide 1: An interesting and cheep modification that can be added to any Masterwork armor, costing 150gp, reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1, and reduces the time to don it by half.
Gloryborn, from Dungeon Master's Guide 2: The gloryborn template adds 150 gp to the other costs associated with creating a given suit of armor or shield, and provides a +1 to AC when the character charges that lasts till their next turn, but still takes the normal penalties for charging.
Hellforged, from Dungeon Master's Guide 2: The hellforged template adds 1,000 gp to the other costs associated with creating a given suit of armor. It reduces the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by 1, but increases Armor 1 when next to an ally, so give and take. It also reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1, increases Arcane Spell Failure by 5% and has an affinity for taking any of the Fortification armor abilities and thus reducing the cost of them... This template is very hit and miss in my opinion and one that I'd probably pass up in all honesty.
From The Book of Hallowed Might 2, there are quite a few templates that can be added, and some requiring a prestige class to add, but are still mundane templates, and there's a Masterpiece system that goes beyond Masterwork:
Flexible: This Masterpiece quality reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1 (150 gp), 2 (2,000 gp) and 3 (8,000 gp).
Protective: It grants a bonus to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. Cost: +1 bonus 500 gp; +2 bonus 2,000 gp; +3 bonus 4,500 gp; +4 bonus 8,000 gp; +5 bonus 12,500 gp.
Superior: Armor with this ability provides superior protection, though it comes at the cost of weight and bulk. The check penalty for a suit of armor with this trait increases by an amount equal to the enhancement bonus it provides.
In addition, it reduces its wearer’s speed by 5 feet if it provides a +1 or +2 enhancement bonus, and by 10 feet if it offers a bonus of +3 or higher. You cannot combine this feature with the flexible trait (above). Cost: +1 bonus 900 gp; +2 bonus 3,600 gp; +3 bonus 8,100 gp; +4 bonus 14,600 gp; +5 bonus 22,500 gp.
[I]Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42
Caster Armor: A suite of armor with this item quality reduces the chance of arcane spell failure by 5%, making it easier for a caster to wear without interrupting spellcasting.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor with an arcane spell failure chance.
Additional Cost: +400 gp (light), +800 gp (medium), +1,000 gp (heavy); +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Environmentally Designed: A suite of armor with this item quality provides a +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in either extreme heat or extreme cold (determined at the time the armor is created).
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor. (Note that it does not say that both costs can't be added in to be made interchangeable for the traveling adventurer...)
Additional Cost: +100 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Folded Metal: A weapon (or presumably any metal item) crafted with this item quality gains a +4 bonus to its Hardness.
Restrictions: May only be applied to metal weapons.
Additional Cost: +200 gp; +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Lightweight: The overall weight of a suit of armor with this item quality is reduced by 20%, or 1 pound, whichever is greater.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp (light and medium), +500 gp (heavy); +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Ornate: Ornate weapons and armor grant the owner a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy or Intimidate checks (chosen when the weapon or armor is crafted) when wielded or worn in an appropriate setting.
Restrictions: May be applied to any weapon or suit of armor.
Additional Cost: +400 gp (light), +500 gp (weapons), + 600 gp (medium and heavy); +5 to Craft DC of Masterwork component.
Reinforced: Armor with this item quality increases its armor bonus by +1, but weighs 10% more (minimum 2 pounds).
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +800 gp (light), +1,000 gp (medium), +1,200 gp (heavy); +10 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
This is what were here for primarily, and another to come shortly...
Resilient: Weapons and armors wit this item quality have 5 more hit points (regardless of the original material they were made from) than standard items of the same type.
Restrictions: May be applied to all weapons and armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Segmented: A suit of armor with this item quality increases its maximum Dexterity bonus by +1.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp (light and medium), +300 gp (heavy); +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
This is the other primary reason were here...
Vital Coverage: Any suite of armor with this item quality grants an additional +2 armor bonus against attacks made to confirm critical hits.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp (light), +400 gp (medium), +1,000 gp (heavy); +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Could possibly add in the armor enchantment from the Armor of the Hunt (Complete Warrior 134) to make the character immune to Fatigue and Exhaustion for a cool 10,900 gp or so...
Let us note that some of these templates don't have say that they can't be added multiple times, so you could increase an items hardness and HP even further...
So now let's talk about materials. For this part, I'm going to straight up bypass any materials that don't reduce the weight of the object. We've already stated that Steel is our base line for Celestial Armor and Plate, and that we could 'upgrade' to Mithral to increase the Max Dex bonus as well as gain some other nice benefits. Lets see what else we can find to add to this idea of light, and extreme Dexterity:
Aurorum, from Book of Exalted Deeds: I like this because of it's ability to self repair... no other reason, but I felt it should be shared because it never seems to get enough love. I'd love to see a golem made of it!
Beryllium, from Arms & Armor v.3.5: Beryllium armor confers fire and acid resistance/2 to its wearer and bestows a +1 circumstance bonus to saving throws against either energy form. Beryllium shields cost +1,500 gp, whereas light beryllium armor costs +2,000 gp, medium armor costs +3,500 gp and heavy armor runs +5,000 gp. Naturally, items crafted from this magnificent material are masterwork creations for the purposes of enchantment. Beryllium incredibly weighs one-tenth as much as steel, while it possesses a hardness of 15 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness. Note that this substance does not say that it makes equipment act as if it were a lighter category...
Blue Ice, from Frostburn: Blue ice armor is much lighter than normal armor, although it can be uncomfortable to wear for creatures not immune or resistant to cold. Only armor normally fashioned of metal can be made from blue ice. Most blue ice armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations, so that medium armor counts as light armor, and heavy armor counts as medium armor. Light armor remains light armor. Spell failure chances for arcane spells remains unchanged, with the exception of spells with the cold descriptor, which can be cast while wearing blue ice armor with no chance of spell failure. Maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 1, and armor check penalties are lessened by 2. If the creature wearing the armor is not resistant or immune to cold, he takes a – 1 penalty on Reflex saving throws and initiative checks from the general numbness caused by the armor. The Cold Endurance feat is enough to prevent this effect. Blue ice has 20 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. It costs 750 gp extra for light armor.
Silver Celestrum, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: Silver Celestrum has 15 hardness, and 40 hit points per inch of thickness, minimum one. Armor made of silver celestrum has a maximum Dexterity bonus +6 higher than normal, an armor check penalty –3 lower (to a minimum of 0), and arcane spell failure –15% lower (to a minimum of 0%), and it weighs half as much as normal armor. Light Armor made from Silver Celestrum costs 5,000 gold more than normal. Armor made of celestrum acts as one category lighter (light armor as no armor, medium armor as light armor, and so forth) and can appear to be two categories lighter (medium armor can be concealed under clothes and appear unarmored; heavy armor can be thin and light enough to conceal most of it, resulting in the appearance of light armor).
NOTE: I have never found any reference as to what it means for light armor to act as 'no armor', can other armor be worn over it? It is an intriguing idea that armor can act as two catagories lighter, such as medium armor being able to be concealed under clothes, and heavy acting as light...
Gold Celestrum, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: Gold celestrum has 45 hit points per inch and hardness 18. Armor made of gold celestrum has a maximum Dexterity bonus +8 higher than normal, an armor check penalty –4 lower (to a minimum of 0), and an arcane spell failure –20% lower (to a minimum of 0%), and it weighs a quarter as much as normal armor. Gold Celestrum Light Armor costs an additional 7,500 gp. Armor made of celestrum acts as one category lighter (light armor as no armor, medium armor as light armor, and so forth) and can appear to be two categories lighter (medium armor can be concealed under clothes and appear unarmored; heavy armor can be thin and light enough to conceal most of it, resulting in the appearance of light armor).
NOTE: I have never found any reference as to what it means for light armor to act as 'no armor', can other armor be worn over it? It is an intriguing idea that armor can act as two catagories lighter, such as medium armor being able to be concieled under clothes, and heavy acting as light...
Colored Metal, from Races of the Dragon: +10% extra cost of base item material. Make it any color or color-scheme you want Make prismatic chain shirts or chainmail or scale mail that...
Darksite, from Arms & Armor v3.5: Darkesite shields and armor retain their armor bonus against all light-based spells and effects directed specifically at the wearer, such as the spell searing light. Darkesite does not negate light-based area of effect spells or powers, although darkesite armor grants a +1 bonus to saving throws against such forms of attack. A small darkesite shield costs 600 gp, and a large shield forged from the metal costs 1,000 gp. Similarly light, medium, and heavy armors crafted from darkesite cost +1,500 gp, +2,750 gp and +4,000 gp respectively. Darkesite weighs one quarter as much as steel, but it only possesses a hardness of 5 and 15 hit points per inch of thickness.
Dragonsteel, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: It weighs 1/2 as much as steel, light armor grants DR of 2/-, has 25% Fortification, is considered one category lighter (I'm assuming this means that it can be worn under clothing without detection similar to mithral), but "light is still treated as light", Spell Failure Chance is reduced by 15%, the maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by +3 and the Armor Check Penalty is reduced by 4 to a minimum of 0. Dragonsteel has 30 Hardness, and 60 HP per inch of thickness. Light armor costs 50,000 gp more than normal.
Dream Silver, from Arms & Armor v.3.5: A pale greenish-gray metal, dream silver is lightweight, easy to forge, and effective against a large number of creatures that resist damage dealt by normal weapons. However, it is very rare and extremely valuable. Weapons made of dream silver penetrate damage reduction as if made of both cold iron and silver. Dream silver has 15 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Estimated cost for light armor: 2,500 gp, based on extra cost for one-handed weapons.
NOTE: I'm stretching this one a bit due to the fact that it does not specifically state that you can make armor out of it. It states that weapon can be made, and some weapons can be mighty complex. I post and pundit this as usable for armor because other than it being lighter than steel, it qualifies, even if no other aspect about it is altered from steel.
Entropium, from Arms And Equipment Guide (3.0): A suit of entropium armor actually shifts as its wearer moves, allowing incredible flexibility at the cost of increased weight. Light entropium armor is considered medium and weighs 2 pounds more than normal, medium armor is heavy and weighs 5 pounds more than normal, and heavy armor is simply more so, weighing 10 pounds more than normal. The armor check penalty of the armor increases by 2 for Strength-related skills (Climb and Jump) and decreases by 2 for Dexterity-related skills (Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently, Pick Pockets, and Tumble). The arcane spell failure chance decreases by 10% (to a minimum of 5%), and the maximum Dexterity bonus increases by +2. Entropium has a hardness of 15 and 40 hit points per inch of thickness. Light armor costs an additional 750 gp.
NOTE: this is an oddity due primarily in that it actually weighs more than normal, but not very much more. The Armor Check Penalty increase sucks, but the Dex related skills increase is nice. The increase to Max Dex is the key to this one, but the Arcane Spell Failure Chance reduction is a great boost! It's got a very interesting Hardness to HP ration too. Cheap!
Fayblade, from Arms & Armor v.3.5: Weapons made from this material provide a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and are 25% lighter in weight than normal. This material is generally not available for sale upon the Prime Material Plane, requiring a trip to the Lands of the Faerie to barter for it.
NOTE: This material does not have a price that I am aware of, and it only suggests use in weapons as it does not mention use in armors, but I don't see why it couldn't be used in them, even if they don't get any other bonuses than the weight reduction.
Glassteel, from Champions of Valor and Races of Faerun: Items made of glassteel weigh only half what they otherwise would. Glassteel armor counts as one armor category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Arcane spell failure chances for armors and shields made of glassteel are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are lessened by 3 (to a minimum of 0). Glassteel has hardness 20 and 40 hit points per inch of thickness. Light armor: +2,000 gp
Living Metal, from Magic of Faerun: I happen to love this metal and it's ability to repair itself when damaged. This living metal usually has a light gray-green color and has properties of natural repair and reshaping. It is favored in the construction of rings of regeneration. Over time, armor made of living metal naturally shapes itself to fit its wearer. After one tenday of regular wearing, increase the maximum Dexterity bonus by 1, reduce the armor check penalty by 1, and reduce the arcane spell failure chance by 5% for living metal armor. In addition, an item made of living metal naturally repairs damage to itself, healing 1 hit point per minute. It cannot repair itself if brought to 0 hit points or destroyed (such as through disintegration). Living metal weighs the same as steel, has hardness 12, and has 30 hit points per inch of thickness. Light armor costs 700 gp more than standard.
Mithral, from Dungeon Master's Guide (3.0 & 3.5), Core Rulebook, and Magic of Faerun just to name a few: Light armor costs 1,000 gp extra. Increases Max Dexterity Bonus by 2, reduces Armor Check Penalty by 2, reduces Arcane Spell Failure Chance by 10%, weighs 1/2 as much as steel, armors are treated as 1 category lighter, and has a hardness of 15, and 30 HP.
Orichalcum, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: Armor made from orichalcum grants DR to the wearer, has a –10% reduction in arcane spell failure (minimum of 0%), has a maximum Dexterity bonus increased by +2, has armor check penalties reduced by –3 (minimum 0), and counts as one class lighter for purposes of movement, encumbrance, and special abilities. Light armor made from orichalcum grants its wearer damage reduction of 1/– and still qualifies as light armor. Orichalcum has 40 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 20. Light armor costs an extra 10,000 gp.
Pearlsteel, from Stormwrack: Pearlsteel items weigh 25% less than their normal equivalents. Pearlsteel also slices more smoothly through the resistance that water presents. Pearlsteel costs an extra 500 gp for light armor and presumably has a hardness of 10, and 30 HP.
Susalian Chainweave, from Complete Warrior: Increases the cost of light armor by 28,000 gp. This quality gives the wearer damage reduction 3/piercing as long as the susalian chainweave armor is worn.
Thistledown Suite, from Races of Stone: Increases the cost of a suite of armor by 250 gp and Armor Check Penalty by 1, but does not increase the weight. Reduces the Arcane Spell Failure Chance by 5%.
Ysgardian Heartwire, from Arms and Equipment Guide (3.0) and Book of Exalted Deeds: Increases the cost of all metal armors it's applied to by 1,500 gp, and has the effect of increasing the wearer’s AC by +2 solely for purposes of the roll to confirm a critical hit. The heartwire is so fine and light that it does not increase the armor’s weight.
Now we take what we've brought together to form something truly monstrous... Anyone willing to take a crack at it? I'll go first:
Let’s just assume that each template, unless it specifically states otherwise, can only be added once and go from there.
Lets start off with the basics of what we're starting with:
Base Chain Shirt 100 gp +4 AC +4 Max Dex -4 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs (Presumably iron or steel)
Masterwork Base Chain Shirt an additional 150 gp, for a total of 250 gp, reducing the ACP by 1
Celestial is a template that can be added to virtually any armor. It grants a +3 enhancement bonus to the AC of armor, decreases the weight by half, increases the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by +7 for light armor, reducing the spell failure chance by half, and the ability to cast fly as a 2nd level caster, and costs 20,000 gp.
Gold Celestium, from Advanced: 45 hit points per inch and hardness 18. Armor made of gold celestrum has a maximum Dexterity bonus +8 higher than normal, an armor check penalty –4 lower (to a minimum of 0), and an arcane spell failure –20% lower (to a minimum of 0%), and it weighs a quarter as much as normal armor. Gold Celestrum Light Armor costs an additional 7,500 gp.
Devian, from Arcana Unearthed, base armor cost X3. Reduce weight by 20%, increase Max Dex by 1, reduce ACP by 1, reduce ASFC by 5%.
Dwarfcraft Component, from Races of Stone, +300 gp to base cost of item, +2 Hardness & 10 HP, and +2 bonus on all saving throws. All of these effects stack with the similar bonuses for magic items if the dwarvencraft item is made magical.
Dwarven-forged, from AEG – Source – Mercenaries: Dwarven-forged armor provides an additional armor bonus of +2, and reduces the armor check penalty by -1. However, the percentage for arcane spell failure is increased by 10%. The dwarven-forged component has its own price (900 gp)
Elven-forged, from AEG – Sourcee – Mercenaries: Elven-forged armor increases the maximum dexterity bonus by +1, reduces the armor check penalty by -1, and reduces the chance for arcane spell failure by 10% to a minimum of 0%. The elven-forged component has its own price (600 gp)
Form-fit, from Ultimate Equipment Guide: An interesting and cheep modification that can be added to any Masterwork armor, costing 150gp, reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1, and reduces the time to don it by half.
Gloryborn, from Dungeonmaster’s Guide 2: The gloryborn template adds 150 gp to the other costs associated with creating a given suit of armor or shield, and provides a +1 to AC when the character charges that lasts till their next turn, but still takes the normal penalties for charging.
Protective, from The Book of Hallowed Might 2: bonus to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. Cost: +1 bonus 500 gp; +2 bonus 2,000 gp; +3 bonus 4,500 gp; +4 bonus 8,000 gp; +5 bonus 12,500 gp.
Superior, from The Book of Hallowed Might 2: Armor with this ability provides superior protection, though it comes at the cost of weight and bulk. The check penalty for a suit of armor with this trait increases by an amount equal to the enhancement bonus it provides.
In addition, it reduces its wearer’s speed by 5 feet if it provides a +1 or +2 enhancement bonus, and by 10 feet if it offers a bonus of +3 or higher. You cannot combine this feature with the flexible trait (above). Cost: +1 bonus 900 gp; +2 bonus 3,600 gp; +3 bonus 8,100 gp; +4 bonus 14,600 gp; +5 bonus 22,500 gp.
Environmentally Designed, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: A suite of armor with this item quality provides a +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in either extreme heat or extreme cold (determined at the time the armor is created). +100 gp / environment.
Folded Metal, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: A weapon (or presumably any metal item) crafted with this item quality gains a +4 bonus to its Hardness. This costs 200 gp to any metal object made.
Lightweight, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: The overall weight of a suit of armor with this item quality is reduced by 20%, or 1 pound, whichever is greater. Lightweight costs an extra 200 gp to be incorporated into light armor.
Ornate, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Ornate weapons and armor grant the owner a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy or Intimidate checks (chosen when the weapon or armor is crafted) when wielded or worn in an appropriate setting. This modification costs 400 gp per modification to be added to light armor.
Reinforced, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Armor with this item quality increases its armor bonus by +1, but weighs 10% more (minimum 2 pounds). Light armor costs an additional 800 gp with this modification.
Resilient, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Armors with this item quality have 5 more hit points (regardless of the original material they were made from) than standard items of the same type. This costs an extra 200 gp.
Segmented, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: A suit of armor with this item quality increases its maximum Dexterity bonus by +1. Light armor costs an extra 200 gp with this modification.
Vital Coverage, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Any suite of armor with this item quality grants an additional +2 armor bonus against attacks made to confirm critical hits. Light armor with this modification costs an extra 200 gp.
Susalian Chainweave, from Complete Warrior: Increases the cost of light armor by 28,000 gp. This quality gives the wearer damage reduction 3/piercing as long as the susalian chainweave armor is worn.
Ysgardian Heartwire, from Arms and Equipment Guide (3.0) and Book of Exalted Deeds: Increases the cost of all metal armors it's applied to by 1,500 gp, and has the effect of increasing the wearer’s AC by +2 solely for purposes of the roll to confirm a critical hit. The heartwire is so fine and light that it does not increase the armor’s weight.
Uber light Celestial Armor order of template allocation:
Base Chain Shirt 100 gp +4 AC +4 Max Dex -4 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs
Masterwork Chain Shirt 250 gp +4 AC +4 Max Dex -3 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs
Superior, +5 Armor and -5 ACP and reduced speed by 10 ft, costs 22,500 gp
Superior Chain Shirt 22,750 gp +9 AC +4 Max Dex -8 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10
Dwarven-forged, +2 AC, reduce ACP by 1 to a minimum of 0, increase ASF by 10%, costs 900 gp
Superior Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 23,650 +11 AC +4 Max Dex -7 ACP 30% ASF 25 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10
Elf-forged, +2 Max Dex, reduce ACP by 1 to a minimum of 0, reduce ASF by 10%, costs 600 gp
Superior Elfven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 24,250 +11 AC +5 Max Dex -6 ACP 20% ASF 25 lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10
Form-fit, reduce ACP by 1, to a minimum of 0, reduce donning time by half, costs 150 gp
Superior Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 24,400 gp 11 AC +5 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time.
Reinforced, increases AC by 1, increases weight by 10% (minimum 2 lbs), costs 800 gp
Superior Reinforced Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,200 gp 12 AC +5 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time.
Segmented, increases Max Dex by 1, costs 200 gp
Superior Reinforced Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,400 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time.
Gloryborn, +1 AC on Charges, costs an extra 150 gp
Superior Reinforced Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,550 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges
Environmentally Designed, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in either extreme heat or extreme cold, costs +100 per environment, assuming they can be made interchangeable for the wandering adventurers.
Superior Reinforced Environmentally Designed Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,750 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold
Ornate, +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy or Intimidate, costs 400 gp per bonus
Superior Reinforced Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 26,550 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate
Gold Celestium, 18 hardness, 45 hp, +8 Max Dex bonus, ACP reduced by 4, ASF reduced by 20%, Weight reduced by ¾, reduces weight category of armor by 2, making light armor act as ‘no’ armor or maybe natural armor? And costs 7,500 gp more.
Superior Reinforced Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,050 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 6.875 Lbs Hardness 18 HP 45/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor.
Lightweight, reduce the weight of an object by 20% or 1 lb, whichever is more. Costs 200 gp extra.
Superior Reinforced Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,050 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 18 HP 45/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor.
Dwarfcraft, +300 gp to base cost of item, +2 Hardness & 10 HP, and +2 bonus on all saving throws.
Superior Reinforced Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Gold Dwarfcraft Celestium Chain Shirt 34,350 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 20 HP 55/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor,
Folded Metal, +4 Hardness, +200 gp
Superior Reinforced Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,350 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 55/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor
Resilient, +5 HP, +200 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,350 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor
Protective, +5 to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. +12,500 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 36,850 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +5 to AC vs confirm critical threat
Vital Coverage, +2 to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. +200 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 37,050 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +7 to AC vs confirm critical threat
Ysgardian Heartwire, +2 to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. +1,500 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 38,550 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat
Susilian Chainweave, DR 3/Piercing as long as the armor is worn, +28,000 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 66,550 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing
Celestial is a template that can be added to virtually any armor. It grants a +3 enhancement bonus to the AC of armor, decreases the weight by half, increases the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by +7 for light armor, reducing the spell failure chance by half, and the ability to cast fly as a 2nd level caster, and costs 20,000 gp.
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium light Celestial +3 Chain Shirt 86,550 gp 15 AC +21 Max Dex 0 ACP 0% ASF 2.75 Lbs Hardness 27 HP 63/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing, command Fly once per day as a 2nd level caster.
Devian: Base armor cost x 3 = +300 gp. +1 Max Dex Bonus, Reduced ACP by 1, Reduce ASFC by 5%, Reduce weight by 20%
Superior Reinforced Devian Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium light Celestial +3 Chain Shirt 86,850 gp 15 AC (18 with the +3... I forgot to add that in XD) +22 Max Dex 0 ACP 0% ASF 2.2 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing, command Fly once per day as a 2nd level caster.
End result, utterly unbelievable… If I’ve incorporated the templates wrong and thus gotten the price wrong, someone please tell me! Considering what you get, it's well worth the price!
What's everyone's opinion? What can you come up with?
EDIT: I forgot to add in the +3 to the AC from the Celestial property. I think I'll add the property Armor of the Hunt from Complete Warrior p. 134, though this does have some caviots... Primarily that Armor of the Hunt is a +2 enhancement and specifically states that it's placed on Mithral armor, but with the properties of Celestium, I don't see there being any problem since not only does Celestium contain similar properties to Mithral, but surpasses it in many ways, so I see little problem with adding it 2 of the properties of Armor of the Hunt to this armor. I'd suggests we start figuring it out by subtracting what we know or can assume. I'd suggest that the base for Armor of the Hunt is Elven Chainmail as it meets the prerequisite of being Mithral, and happens to be specifically crafted by the elves, from Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 220, costing 4,150 gp, and a +2 magical enhancement costs 4,000 gp, so that's 8,150 we can subtract from the cost of Armor of the Hunt, and we get 13,350 gp that we can then add to our theoretical armor for the benefits of Armor of the Hunt:
Superior Reinforced Devian Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium light Celestial +3 Chain Shirt of the unending 100,200 gp 15 AC (18 with the +3... I forgot to add that in XD) +22 Max Dex 0 ACP 0% ASF 2.2 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing, command Fly once per day as a 2nd level caster, and the wearer of this armor is immune to Fatigue and Exhaustion.
What does everyone think? Should I switch out the Superior trait for the Protective trait and improve the Critical Hit AC by 5 and reduce the cost by 10,000 gp while reducing the overall AC of the base armor by 5 but restoring the base land speed to the character wearing it?
Light Celestial Armor
Aura faint transmutation [good]; CL 5th; Weight 5 lbs.; Price 22,000 gp
Description
This +3 chain shirt is so fine and light that it can be worn under normal clothing without betraying its presence. It has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +11, an armor check penalty of 0, and an arcane spell failure chance of 10%. It is considered light armor and allows the wearer to use fly on command (as the spell) once per day.
Construction Requirements
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fly, creator must be good; Cost 11,350 gp
Light Mithral Celestial Armor
Aura faint transmutation [good]; CL 3rd; Weight 2.5 lbs.; Price 24,900 gp
Description
This +3 chain shirt is so fine and light that it can be worn under normal clothing without betraying its presence. It has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +13, an armor check penalty of 0, and an arcane spell failure chance of 5%. It is considered light armor and allows the wearer to use fly on command (as the spell) once per day.
Construction Requirements
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fly, creator must be good; Cost 12,450 gp
Light Thistledown lined Mithral Celestial Armor
Aura faint transmutation [good]; CL 3rd; Weight 2.5 lbs.; Price 25,800 gp
Description
This +3 chain shirt is so fine and light that it can be worn under normal clothing without betraying its presence. It has a maximum Dexterity bonus of +12, an armor check penalty of 0, and an arcane spell failure chance of 0%. It is considered light armor and allows the wearer to use fly on command (as the spell) once per day.
Construction Requirements
Craft Magic Arms and Armor, fly, creator must be good; Cost 12,900 gp
First of all, I pundit that Celestial is a template that can be added to virtually any armor. It grants a +3 enhancement bonus to the AC of armor, decreases the weight by half, increases the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by +5 for heavy armor based on Celestial Plate, +6 for medium armor based on Celestial Armor, and I posit that following the chain, +7 for light armor, reducing the spell failure chance by half, and the ability to cast fly as a 5th level caster for Celestial Armor, and 8th level caster for Celestial plate, and so following that line of thought (3 caster level difference between medium armor and heavy armor) I feel that any 'light' Celestian armor should have a 2nd level caster for their fly ability
Further templates could be added to increase base AC and Max Dex bonus, such as:
Devian, from Arcana Unearthed, p. 129: The Devian template seems to increase Max Dex by 1 – 4 depending on how heavy the armor is, reduce ACP by 1, reduce Arcane Spell Failure Chance by 5%, and reduce the weight by ~20% with an approximate cost multiplier of X3 that of a regular item. This template is extrapolated out using the information given.
Durable, from Arms and Armor v.3.5: An object must be built with durability as part of its design. This process adds a modest amount of material to the finished item, and thus increases the weight of the durable gear by an average of 10% over the weight of the original. While this is negligible in light equipment, it may be a consideration with heavier gear where encumbrance is a concern. As a general rule of thumb, items gain +10% to their hardness and +25% hit points (fractions rounded down) if constructed for durability. A light Armor costs twice as much, has +1 to it's Hardness and +5 HP.
Dwarven, from Advanced Gamemaster's Manual: Though no more functional than a typical item, something with the dwarven quality gains +1 hardness and +25% hit points (minimum of +1). Anything can be made dwarven, which has no affect on the object’s function — dwarven weapons do no more damage, and dwarven armor does not give any additional armor bonus. Only when an object is subjected to damage does its dwarven quality come into play.
Dwarven items cost twice the base cost of an object. The Craft DC for the dwarven quality is 20, and a separate Craft check is made for constructing this quality.
Dwarvencraft, from Races of Stone:A dwarvencraft item is stronger and harder than a comparable masterwork item. A dwarvencraft item’s hardness increases by 2, and it gains an additional 10 hit points. In addition, it gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws. All of these effects stack with the similar bonuses for magic items if the dwarvencraft item is made magical.
A dwarvencraft weapon costs 600 gp more than a standard weapon of its type. Dwarvencraft armor and shields cost 300 gp more than standard armor and shields.
Dwarven Forged, from [I]AEG - Source - Mercenaries: Benefits of Dwarven-forged Armor: Dwarven-forged armor provides an additional armor bonus of +2, and reduces the armor check penalty by -1. However, the percentage for arcane spell failure is increased by 10%. It requires a skill check to create a dwarven-forged version of some type of shield, light armor, medium armor, or heavy armor, you create the dwarven-forged component as if it were a separate item in addition to the standard item. The dwarven-forged component has its own price (900 gp) and DC (20). once both the standard component and the dwarven-forged component are completed, the item is finished. (Note: the price you pay for the dwarven-forged component is 1/3 of the given amount, just as it is for the price of the raw materials.) Dwarven-forged armor is considered masterwork armor for all other purposes.
Elven-forged, from AEG - Source - Mercenaries: Elven-forged armor increases the maximum dexterity bonus by +1, reduces the armor check penalty by -1, and reduces the chance for arcane spell failure by 10% to a minimum of 0%. It requires a skill check to create an elven-forged version of some type of light armor, medium armor, or heavy armor, you create the elven-forged component as if it were a separate item in addition to the standard item. The elven-forged component has its own price (600 gp) and DC (20). Once both the standard component and the elven-forged component are completed, the item is finished. (Note: the price you pay for the elven-forged component is 1/3 of the given amount, just as it is for the price of the raw materials.) Eleven-forged armor is considered masterwork armor for all other purposes.
Form-Fit, Ultimate Equipment Guide 1: An interesting and cheep modification that can be added to any Masterwork armor, costing 150gp, reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1, and reduces the time to don it by half.
Gloryborn, from Dungeon Master's Guide 2: The gloryborn template adds 150 gp to the other costs associated with creating a given suit of armor or shield, and provides a +1 to AC when the character charges that lasts till their next turn, but still takes the normal penalties for charging.
Hellforged, from Dungeon Master's Guide 2: The hellforged template adds 1,000 gp to the other costs associated with creating a given suit of armor. It reduces the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by 1, but increases Armor 1 when next to an ally, so give and take. It also reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1, increases Arcane Spell Failure by 5% and has an affinity for taking any of the Fortification armor abilities and thus reducing the cost of them... This template is very hit and miss in my opinion and one that I'd probably pass up in all honesty.
From The Book of Hallowed Might 2, there are quite a few templates that can be added, and some requiring a prestige class to add, but are still mundane templates, and there's a Masterpiece system that goes beyond Masterwork:
Flexible: This Masterpiece quality reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1 (150 gp), 2 (2,000 gp) and 3 (8,000 gp).
Protective: It grants a bonus to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. Cost: +1 bonus 500 gp; +2 bonus 2,000 gp; +3 bonus 4,500 gp; +4 bonus 8,000 gp; +5 bonus 12,500 gp.
Superior: Armor with this ability provides superior protection, though it comes at the cost of weight and bulk. The check penalty for a suit of armor with this trait increases by an amount equal to the enhancement bonus it provides.
In addition, it reduces its wearer’s speed by 5 feet if it provides a +1 or +2 enhancement bonus, and by 10 feet if it offers a bonus of +3 or higher. You cannot combine this feature with the flexible trait (above). Cost: +1 bonus 900 gp; +2 bonus 3,600 gp; +3 bonus 8,100 gp; +4 bonus 14,600 gp; +5 bonus 22,500 gp.
[I]Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42
Caster Armor: A suite of armor with this item quality reduces the chance of arcane spell failure by 5%, making it easier for a caster to wear without interrupting spellcasting.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor with an arcane spell failure chance.
Additional Cost: +400 gp (light), +800 gp (medium), +1,000 gp (heavy); +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Environmentally Designed: A suite of armor with this item quality provides a +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in either extreme heat or extreme cold (determined at the time the armor is created).
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor. (Note that it does not say that both costs can't be added in to be made interchangeable for the traveling adventurer...)
Additional Cost: +100 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Folded Metal: A weapon (or presumably any metal item) crafted with this item quality gains a +4 bonus to its Hardness.
Restrictions: May only be applied to metal weapons.
Additional Cost: +200 gp; +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Lightweight: The overall weight of a suit of armor with this item quality is reduced by 20%, or 1 pound, whichever is greater.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp (light and medium), +500 gp (heavy); +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Ornate: Ornate weapons and armor grant the owner a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy or Intimidate checks (chosen when the weapon or armor is crafted) when wielded or worn in an appropriate setting.
Restrictions: May be applied to any weapon or suit of armor.
Additional Cost: +400 gp (light), +500 gp (weapons), + 600 gp (medium and heavy); +5 to Craft DC of Masterwork component.
Reinforced: Armor with this item quality increases its armor bonus by +1, but weighs 10% more (minimum 2 pounds).
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +800 gp (light), +1,000 gp (medium), +1,200 gp (heavy); +10 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
This is what were here for primarily, and another to come shortly...
Resilient: Weapons and armors wit this item quality have 5 more hit points (regardless of the original material they were made from) than standard items of the same type.
Restrictions: May be applied to all weapons and armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Segmented: A suit of armor with this item quality increases its maximum Dexterity bonus by +1.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp (light and medium), +300 gp (heavy); +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
This is the other primary reason were here...
Vital Coverage: Any suite of armor with this item quality grants an additional +2 armor bonus against attacks made to confirm critical hits.
Restrictions: May only be applied to armor.
Additional Cost: +200 gp (light), +400 gp (medium), +1,000 gp (heavy); +7 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
Could possibly add in the armor enchantment from the Armor of the Hunt (Complete Warrior 134) to make the character immune to Fatigue and Exhaustion for a cool 10,900 gp or so...
Let us note that some of these templates don't have say that they can't be added multiple times, so you could increase an items hardness and HP even further...
So now let's talk about materials. For this part, I'm going to straight up bypass any materials that don't reduce the weight of the object. We've already stated that Steel is our base line for Celestial Armor and Plate, and that we could 'upgrade' to Mithral to increase the Max Dex bonus as well as gain some other nice benefits. Lets see what else we can find to add to this idea of light, and extreme Dexterity:
Aurorum, from Book of Exalted Deeds: I like this because of it's ability to self repair... no other reason, but I felt it should be shared because it never seems to get enough love. I'd love to see a golem made of it!
Beryllium, from Arms & Armor v.3.5: Beryllium armor confers fire and acid resistance/2 to its wearer and bestows a +1 circumstance bonus to saving throws against either energy form. Beryllium shields cost +1,500 gp, whereas light beryllium armor costs +2,000 gp, medium armor costs +3,500 gp and heavy armor runs +5,000 gp. Naturally, items crafted from this magnificent material are masterwork creations for the purposes of enchantment. Beryllium incredibly weighs one-tenth as much as steel, while it possesses a hardness of 15 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness. Note that this substance does not say that it makes equipment act as if it were a lighter category...
Blue Ice, from Frostburn: Blue ice armor is much lighter than normal armor, although it can be uncomfortable to wear for creatures not immune or resistant to cold. Only armor normally fashioned of metal can be made from blue ice. Most blue ice armors are one category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations, so that medium armor counts as light armor, and heavy armor counts as medium armor. Light armor remains light armor. Spell failure chances for arcane spells remains unchanged, with the exception of spells with the cold descriptor, which can be cast while wearing blue ice armor with no chance of spell failure. Maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 1, and armor check penalties are lessened by 2. If the creature wearing the armor is not resistant or immune to cold, he takes a – 1 penalty on Reflex saving throws and initiative checks from the general numbness caused by the armor. The Cold Endurance feat is enough to prevent this effect. Blue ice has 20 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. It costs 750 gp extra for light armor.
Silver Celestrum, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: Silver Celestrum has 15 hardness, and 40 hit points per inch of thickness, minimum one. Armor made of silver celestrum has a maximum Dexterity bonus +6 higher than normal, an armor check penalty –3 lower (to a minimum of 0), and arcane spell failure –15% lower (to a minimum of 0%), and it weighs half as much as normal armor. Light Armor made from Silver Celestrum costs 5,000 gold more than normal. Armor made of celestrum acts as one category lighter (light armor as no armor, medium armor as light armor, and so forth) and can appear to be two categories lighter (medium armor can be concealed under clothes and appear unarmored; heavy armor can be thin and light enough to conceal most of it, resulting in the appearance of light armor).
NOTE: I have never found any reference as to what it means for light armor to act as 'no armor', can other armor be worn over it? It is an intriguing idea that armor can act as two catagories lighter, such as medium armor being able to be concealed under clothes, and heavy acting as light...
Gold Celestrum, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: Gold celestrum has 45 hit points per inch and hardness 18. Armor made of gold celestrum has a maximum Dexterity bonus +8 higher than normal, an armor check penalty –4 lower (to a minimum of 0), and an arcane spell failure –20% lower (to a minimum of 0%), and it weighs a quarter as much as normal armor. Gold Celestrum Light Armor costs an additional 7,500 gp. Armor made of celestrum acts as one category lighter (light armor as no armor, medium armor as light armor, and so forth) and can appear to be two categories lighter (medium armor can be concealed under clothes and appear unarmored; heavy armor can be thin and light enough to conceal most of it, resulting in the appearance of light armor).
NOTE: I have never found any reference as to what it means for light armor to act as 'no armor', can other armor be worn over it? It is an intriguing idea that armor can act as two catagories lighter, such as medium armor being able to be concieled under clothes, and heavy acting as light...
Colored Metal, from Races of the Dragon: +10% extra cost of base item material. Make it any color or color-scheme you want Make prismatic chain shirts or chainmail or scale mail that...
Darksite, from Arms & Armor v3.5: Darkesite shields and armor retain their armor bonus against all light-based spells and effects directed specifically at the wearer, such as the spell searing light. Darkesite does not negate light-based area of effect spells or powers, although darkesite armor grants a +1 bonus to saving throws against such forms of attack. A small darkesite shield costs 600 gp, and a large shield forged from the metal costs 1,000 gp. Similarly light, medium, and heavy armors crafted from darkesite cost +1,500 gp, +2,750 gp and +4,000 gp respectively. Darkesite weighs one quarter as much as steel, but it only possesses a hardness of 5 and 15 hit points per inch of thickness.
Dragonsteel, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: It weighs 1/2 as much as steel, light armor grants DR of 2/-, has 25% Fortification, is considered one category lighter (I'm assuming this means that it can be worn under clothing without detection similar to mithral), but "light is still treated as light", Spell Failure Chance is reduced by 15%, the maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by +3 and the Armor Check Penalty is reduced by 4 to a minimum of 0. Dragonsteel has 30 Hardness, and 60 HP per inch of thickness. Light armor costs 50,000 gp more than normal.
Dream Silver, from Arms & Armor v.3.5: A pale greenish-gray metal, dream silver is lightweight, easy to forge, and effective against a large number of creatures that resist damage dealt by normal weapons. However, it is very rare and extremely valuable. Weapons made of dream silver penetrate damage reduction as if made of both cold iron and silver. Dream silver has 15 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 10. Estimated cost for light armor: 2,500 gp, based on extra cost for one-handed weapons.
NOTE: I'm stretching this one a bit due to the fact that it does not specifically state that you can make armor out of it. It states that weapon can be made, and some weapons can be mighty complex. I post and pundit this as usable for armor because other than it being lighter than steel, it qualifies, even if no other aspect about it is altered from steel.
Entropium, from Arms And Equipment Guide (3.0): A suit of entropium armor actually shifts as its wearer moves, allowing incredible flexibility at the cost of increased weight. Light entropium armor is considered medium and weighs 2 pounds more than normal, medium armor is heavy and weighs 5 pounds more than normal, and heavy armor is simply more so, weighing 10 pounds more than normal. The armor check penalty of the armor increases by 2 for Strength-related skills (Climb and Jump) and decreases by 2 for Dexterity-related skills (Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently, Pick Pockets, and Tumble). The arcane spell failure chance decreases by 10% (to a minimum of 5%), and the maximum Dexterity bonus increases by +2. Entropium has a hardness of 15 and 40 hit points per inch of thickness. Light armor costs an additional 750 gp.
NOTE: this is an oddity due primarily in that it actually weighs more than normal, but not very much more. The Armor Check Penalty increase sucks, but the Dex related skills increase is nice. The increase to Max Dex is the key to this one, but the Arcane Spell Failure Chance reduction is a great boost! It's got a very interesting Hardness to HP ration too. Cheap!
Fayblade, from Arms & Armor v.3.5: Weapons made from this material provide a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls and are 25% lighter in weight than normal. This material is generally not available for sale upon the Prime Material Plane, requiring a trip to the Lands of the Faerie to barter for it.
NOTE: This material does not have a price that I am aware of, and it only suggests use in weapons as it does not mention use in armors, but I don't see why it couldn't be used in them, even if they don't get any other bonuses than the weight reduction.
Glassteel, from Champions of Valor and Races of Faerun: Items made of glassteel weigh only half what they otherwise would. Glassteel armor counts as one armor category lighter than normal for purposes of movement and other limitations. Heavy armors are treated as medium, and medium armors are treated as light, but light armors are still treated as light. Arcane spell failure chances for armors and shields made of glassteel are decreased by 10%, maximum Dexterity bonus is increased by 2, and armor check penalties are lessened by 3 (to a minimum of 0). Glassteel has hardness 20 and 40 hit points per inch of thickness. Light armor: +2,000 gp
Living Metal, from Magic of Faerun: I happen to love this metal and it's ability to repair itself when damaged. This living metal usually has a light gray-green color and has properties of natural repair and reshaping. It is favored in the construction of rings of regeneration. Over time, armor made of living metal naturally shapes itself to fit its wearer. After one tenday of regular wearing, increase the maximum Dexterity bonus by 1, reduce the armor check penalty by 1, and reduce the arcane spell failure chance by 5% for living metal armor. In addition, an item made of living metal naturally repairs damage to itself, healing 1 hit point per minute. It cannot repair itself if brought to 0 hit points or destroyed (such as through disintegration). Living metal weighs the same as steel, has hardness 12, and has 30 hit points per inch of thickness. Light armor costs 700 gp more than standard.
Mithral, from Dungeon Master's Guide (3.0 & 3.5), Core Rulebook, and Magic of Faerun just to name a few: Light armor costs 1,000 gp extra. Increases Max Dexterity Bonus by 2, reduces Armor Check Penalty by 2, reduces Arcane Spell Failure Chance by 10%, weighs 1/2 as much as steel, armors are treated as 1 category lighter, and has a hardness of 15, and 30 HP.
Orichalcum, from Advanced Gamemaster's Guide: Armor made from orichalcum grants DR to the wearer, has a –10% reduction in arcane spell failure (minimum of 0%), has a maximum Dexterity bonus increased by +2, has armor check penalties reduced by –3 (minimum 0), and counts as one class lighter for purposes of movement, encumbrance, and special abilities. Light armor made from orichalcum grants its wearer damage reduction of 1/– and still qualifies as light armor. Orichalcum has 40 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 20. Light armor costs an extra 10,000 gp.
Pearlsteel, from Stormwrack: Pearlsteel items weigh 25% less than their normal equivalents. Pearlsteel also slices more smoothly through the resistance that water presents. Pearlsteel costs an extra 500 gp for light armor and presumably has a hardness of 10, and 30 HP.
Susalian Chainweave, from Complete Warrior: Increases the cost of light armor by 28,000 gp. This quality gives the wearer damage reduction 3/piercing as long as the susalian chainweave armor is worn.
Thistledown Suite, from Races of Stone: Increases the cost of a suite of armor by 250 gp and Armor Check Penalty by 1, but does not increase the weight. Reduces the Arcane Spell Failure Chance by 5%.
Ysgardian Heartwire, from Arms and Equipment Guide (3.0) and Book of Exalted Deeds: Increases the cost of all metal armors it's applied to by 1,500 gp, and has the effect of increasing the wearer’s AC by +2 solely for purposes of the roll to confirm a critical hit. The heartwire is so fine and light that it does not increase the armor’s weight.
Now we take what we've brought together to form something truly monstrous... Anyone willing to take a crack at it? I'll go first:
Let’s just assume that each template, unless it specifically states otherwise, can only be added once and go from there.
Lets start off with the basics of what we're starting with:
Base Chain Shirt 100 gp +4 AC +4 Max Dex -4 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs (Presumably iron or steel)
Masterwork Base Chain Shirt an additional 150 gp, for a total of 250 gp, reducing the ACP by 1
Celestial is a template that can be added to virtually any armor. It grants a +3 enhancement bonus to the AC of armor, decreases the weight by half, increases the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by +7 for light armor, reducing the spell failure chance by half, and the ability to cast fly as a 2nd level caster, and costs 20,000 gp.
Gold Celestium, from Advanced: 45 hit points per inch and hardness 18. Armor made of gold celestrum has a maximum Dexterity bonus +8 higher than normal, an armor check penalty –4 lower (to a minimum of 0), and an arcane spell failure –20% lower (to a minimum of 0%), and it weighs a quarter as much as normal armor. Gold Celestrum Light Armor costs an additional 7,500 gp.
Devian, from Arcana Unearthed, base armor cost X3. Reduce weight by 20%, increase Max Dex by 1, reduce ACP by 1, reduce ASFC by 5%.
Dwarfcraft Component, from Races of Stone, +300 gp to base cost of item, +2 Hardness & 10 HP, and +2 bonus on all saving throws. All of these effects stack with the similar bonuses for magic items if the dwarvencraft item is made magical.
Dwarven-forged, from AEG – Source – Mercenaries: Dwarven-forged armor provides an additional armor bonus of +2, and reduces the armor check penalty by -1. However, the percentage for arcane spell failure is increased by 10%. The dwarven-forged component has its own price (900 gp)
Elven-forged, from AEG – Sourcee – Mercenaries: Elven-forged armor increases the maximum dexterity bonus by +1, reduces the armor check penalty by -1, and reduces the chance for arcane spell failure by 10% to a minimum of 0%. The elven-forged component has its own price (600 gp)
Form-fit, from Ultimate Equipment Guide: An interesting and cheep modification that can be added to any Masterwork armor, costing 150gp, reduces the Armor Check Penalty by 1, and reduces the time to don it by half.
Gloryborn, from Dungeonmaster’s Guide 2: The gloryborn template adds 150 gp to the other costs associated with creating a given suit of armor or shield, and provides a +1 to AC when the character charges that lasts till their next turn, but still takes the normal penalties for charging.
Protective, from The Book of Hallowed Might 2: bonus to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. Cost: +1 bonus 500 gp; +2 bonus 2,000 gp; +3 bonus 4,500 gp; +4 bonus 8,000 gp; +5 bonus 12,500 gp.
Superior, from The Book of Hallowed Might 2: Armor with this ability provides superior protection, though it comes at the cost of weight and bulk. The check penalty for a suit of armor with this trait increases by an amount equal to the enhancement bonus it provides.
In addition, it reduces its wearer’s speed by 5 feet if it provides a +1 or +2 enhancement bonus, and by 10 feet if it offers a bonus of +3 or higher. You cannot combine this feature with the flexible trait (above). Cost: +1 bonus 900 gp; +2 bonus 3,600 gp; +3 bonus 8,100 gp; +4 bonus 14,600 gp; +5 bonus 22,500 gp.
Environmentally Designed, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: A suite of armor with this item quality provides a +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in either extreme heat or extreme cold (determined at the time the armor is created). +100 gp / environment.
Folded Metal, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: A weapon (or presumably any metal item) crafted with this item quality gains a +4 bonus to its Hardness. This costs 200 gp to any metal object made.
Lightweight, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: The overall weight of a suit of armor with this item quality is reduced by 20%, or 1 pound, whichever is greater. Lightweight costs an extra 200 gp to be incorporated into light armor.
Ornate, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Ornate weapons and armor grant the owner a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy or Intimidate checks (chosen when the weapon or armor is crafted) when wielded or worn in an appropriate setting. This modification costs 400 gp per modification to be added to light armor.
Reinforced, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Armor with this item quality increases its armor bonus by +1, but weighs 10% more (minimum 2 pounds). Light armor costs an additional 800 gp with this modification.
Resilient, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Armors with this item quality have 5 more hit points (regardless of the original material they were made from) than standard items of the same type. This costs an extra 200 gp.
Segmented, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: A suit of armor with this item quality increases its maximum Dexterity bonus by +1. Light armor costs an extra 200 gp with this modification.
Vital Coverage, from Dragon Magazine, pages 38 – 42: Any suite of armor with this item quality grants an additional +2 armor bonus against attacks made to confirm critical hits. Light armor with this modification costs an extra 200 gp.
Susalian Chainweave, from Complete Warrior: Increases the cost of light armor by 28,000 gp. This quality gives the wearer damage reduction 3/piercing as long as the susalian chainweave armor is worn.
Ysgardian Heartwire, from Arms and Equipment Guide (3.0) and Book of Exalted Deeds: Increases the cost of all metal armors it's applied to by 1,500 gp, and has the effect of increasing the wearer’s AC by +2 solely for purposes of the roll to confirm a critical hit. The heartwire is so fine and light that it does not increase the armor’s weight.
Uber light Celestial Armor order of template allocation:
Base Chain Shirt 100 gp +4 AC +4 Max Dex -4 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs
Masterwork Chain Shirt 250 gp +4 AC +4 Max Dex -3 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs
Superior, +5 Armor and -5 ACP and reduced speed by 10 ft, costs 22,500 gp
Superior Chain Shirt 22,750 gp +9 AC +4 Max Dex -8 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10
Dwarven-forged, +2 AC, reduce ACP by 1 to a minimum of 0, increase ASF by 10%, costs 900 gp
Superior Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 23,650 +11 AC +4 Max Dex -7 ACP 30% ASF 25 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10
Elf-forged, +2 Max Dex, reduce ACP by 1 to a minimum of 0, reduce ASF by 10%, costs 600 gp
Superior Elfven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 24,250 +11 AC +5 Max Dex -6 ACP 20% ASF 25 lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10
Form-fit, reduce ACP by 1, to a minimum of 0, reduce donning time by half, costs 150 gp
Superior Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 24,400 gp 11 AC +5 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 25 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time.
Reinforced, increases AC by 1, increases weight by 10% (minimum 2 lbs), costs 800 gp
Superior Reinforced Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,200 gp 12 AC +5 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time.
Segmented, increases Max Dex by 1, costs 200 gp
Superior Reinforced Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,400 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time.
Gloryborn, +1 AC on Charges, costs an extra 150 gp
Superior Reinforced Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,550 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges
Environmentally Designed, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in either extreme heat or extreme cold, costs +100 per environment, assuming they can be made interchangeable for the wandering adventurers.
Superior Reinforced Environmentally Designed Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 25,750 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold
Ornate, +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy or Intimidate, costs 400 gp per bonus
Superior Reinforced Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Chain Shirt 26,550 gp 12 AC +6 Max Dex -5 ACP 20% ASF 27.5 Lbs Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate
Gold Celestium, 18 hardness, 45 hp, +8 Max Dex bonus, ACP reduced by 4, ASF reduced by 20%, Weight reduced by ¾, reduces weight category of armor by 2, making light armor act as ‘no’ armor or maybe natural armor? And costs 7,500 gp more.
Superior Reinforced Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,050 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 6.875 Lbs Hardness 18 HP 45/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor.
Lightweight, reduce the weight of an object by 20% or 1 lb, whichever is more. Costs 200 gp extra.
Superior Reinforced Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,050 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 18 HP 45/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor.
Dwarfcraft, +300 gp to base cost of item, +2 Hardness & 10 HP, and +2 bonus on all saving throws.
Superior Reinforced Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Gold Dwarfcraft Celestium Chain Shirt 34,350 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 20 HP 55/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor,
Folded Metal, +4 Hardness, +200 gp
Superior Reinforced Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,350 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 55/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor
Resilient, +5 HP, +200 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 34,350 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor
Protective, +5 to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. +12,500 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 36,850 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +5 to AC vs confirm critical threat
Vital Coverage, +2 to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. +200 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 37,050 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +7 to AC vs confirm critical threat
Ysgardian Heartwire, +2 to Armor Class against checks to confirm a critical threat. This unnamed bonus stacks with competence, enhancement, and other modifiers. +1,500 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 38,550 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat
Susilian Chainweave, DR 3/Piercing as long as the armor is worn, +28,000 gp
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium Chain Shirt 66,550 gp 12 AC +14 Max Dex -1 ACP 0% ASF 5.5 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing
Celestial is a template that can be added to virtually any armor. It grants a +3 enhancement bonus to the AC of armor, decreases the weight by half, increases the Maximum Dexterity Bonus by +7 for light armor, reducing the spell failure chance by half, and the ability to cast fly as a 2nd level caster, and costs 20,000 gp.
Superior Reinforced Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium light Celestial +3 Chain Shirt 86,550 gp 15 AC +21 Max Dex 0 ACP 0% ASF 2.75 Lbs Hardness 27 HP 63/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing, command Fly once per day as a 2nd level caster.
Devian: Base armor cost x 3 = +300 gp. +1 Max Dex Bonus, Reduced ACP by 1, Reduce ASFC by 5%, Reduce weight by 20%
Superior Reinforced Devian Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium light Celestial +3 Chain Shirt 86,850 gp 15 AC (18 with the +3... I forgot to add that in XD) +22 Max Dex 0 ACP 0% ASF 2.2 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing, command Fly once per day as a 2nd level caster.
End result, utterly unbelievable… If I’ve incorporated the templates wrong and thus gotten the price wrong, someone please tell me! Considering what you get, it's well worth the price!
What's everyone's opinion? What can you come up with?
EDIT: I forgot to add in the +3 to the AC from the Celestial property. I think I'll add the property Armor of the Hunt from Complete Warrior p. 134, though this does have some caviots... Primarily that Armor of the Hunt is a +2 enhancement and specifically states that it's placed on Mithral armor, but with the properties of Celestium, I don't see there being any problem since not only does Celestium contain similar properties to Mithral, but surpasses it in many ways, so I see little problem with adding it 2 of the properties of Armor of the Hunt to this armor. I'd suggests we start figuring it out by subtracting what we know or can assume. I'd suggest that the base for Armor of the Hunt is Elven Chainmail as it meets the prerequisite of being Mithral, and happens to be specifically crafted by the elves, from Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 220, costing 4,150 gp, and a +2 magical enhancement costs 4,000 gp, so that's 8,150 we can subtract from the cost of Armor of the Hunt, and we get 13,350 gp that we can then add to our theoretical armor for the benefits of Armor of the Hunt:
Superior Reinforced Devian Resilient Protective Lightweight Environmentally Designed Ornate Gloryborn Segmented Form-fit Elven & Dwarven-forged Dwarfcraft Folded Gold Celestium light Celestial +3 Chain Shirt of the unending 100,200 gp 15 AC (18 with the +3... I forgot to add that in XD) +22 Max Dex 0 ACP 0% ASF 2.2 Lbs Hardness 24 HP 60/inch Special: Reduce Speed by 10, Don in ½ time, +1 AC on Charges, +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against harsh environmental conditions in extreme heat & extreme cold, Diplomacy & Intimidate, and on all saving throws, light armor acts as 2 categories lighter or as ‘no’ armor, +9 to AC vs confirm critical threat, DR 3/Piercing, command Fly once per day as a 2nd level caster, and the wearer of this armor is immune to Fatigue and Exhaustion.
What does everyone think? Should I switch out the Superior trait for the Protective trait and improve the Critical Hit AC by 5 and reduce the cost by 10,000 gp while reducing the overall AC of the base armor by 5 but restoring the base land speed to the character wearing it?