Robes for Mages.

[ArtAndor]

Hello! I have recently been playing around with different mage builds and theory crafting, but after a while I came around to a halt.

The halt in question is, well... Terrible choises of robes for spellcasters. Are there any nice robes to get that are not custom crafted/created?

Edit: Talking about both Early (1-10), mid (11-15) and late (16+) games.

[Eladrinblade]

Robes of the archmagi are nice. The +2 vs spell resistance is unique and stacks with spell penetration.

[Troacctid]

Hard to beat greater vestments of power for the robe slot. At-will dimension door and true seeing is pretty bonkers.

Outside of that, I'd just get magic armor. Pick something without arcane spell failure, like padded leafweave armor, and stack on armor enhancements like charming, soulfire, ethereal, and energy drain.

[tiercel]

Tome of Magic has the shroud of night (p.157), which is basically a ring of protection +2 for your vest slot (so not quite the same as a robe slot), which for +2000gp above the ring’s price also casts basically self-only displacement 1/day as well as immediate-action 1-round DR 1/day.

To get back to the robe/armor slot, there is thistledown padded armor (Races of the Wild), which gives +1 armor and +2 Hide in shadowy/dark areas, and perhaps more importantly, is a base for stacking armor qualities and augment crystals (and at 0 ACP and ASF, you aren’t caring about nonproficiency). Alternatively, there is ever-popular +1 twilight mithral shirt (or feycraft/githcraft from DMG II), if you want to invest more gold in armor AC while again having a base for armor qualities and augment crystals.

[Fizban]

How about spontaneous Summon Monster at any level you can cast 3/day? Robe of Mysterious Conjuration (MiC) says "screw you" to every Sorcerer who ever wasted spells known on it. Vest of the Master Evoker is the same price, and has no business being a vest (for that matter, "vests" barely even exist in the DMG. . . ). A Shroud of Scales is close to a robe- you'll find that DR 5/magic works against a lot more monsters than you might realize, and immune to dragonfear is pretty handy when a successful save is still -2 on everything from Shaken. But of course if that DR isn't useful in your game it's a waste of money.

For actual low level robes, there's basically nothing. Magical robes are generally envisioned as serious magic items. There is the Robe of Bones, which is hilariously far cheaper than the Robe of Useful Items (both DMG), despite the "useful items" being a bunch of stuff you could put in a cheaper extradimensional bag aside from a tiny chance of some wacky legacy abilities. Bones has 12 undead pre-created and stored, lacking control, but who ever let that stop them? There's also the Steadying Robe from Complete Mage, which lets you ignore all those silly checks for casting while riding a widly galloping horse or sailing through a hurricane for less than half what you'd pay for even a +5 bonus. And lessee. . . ah, there's the Lords' Robe in Waterdeep which are basically a continuous generic disguise that's only beat by True Seeing, as long as you cover your face.

The Robe of Stars gets some flack, but the ability to just standard action to the Astral Plane whenever you want is a pretty strong escape clause (though overpriced if you've no way out besides finding a color pool). Robe of the Archmagi can be extra handy if you're not allowed endlessly customized items, since it naturally covers multiple things that normally go in other slots, freeing up your bracer and cloak in addition to the SR related benefits- and SR 18 only sounds bad until you run into SLA spamming trash mob groups.

Robe of Eyes is sadly not as good as one might hope. While in the video games it usually gives constant True Seeing, in 3.5 it just gives you greater darkvision, limited see invisibility, uncanny dodge, and +10 on two likely cross-class skills. Not nothing by any means, but also likely not worth 120,000 even without the drawbacks.

[Melcar]

Robe of Eyes spring to mind...

So does the Vest of the Arch Magi!

[ArtAndor]

Thanks for all the replies!

Have to admit, it is abit underwhelming seeing how little options there are for robes.

[Melcar]

Thanks for all the replies!

Have to admit, it is abit underwhelming seeing how little options there are for robes.

Indeed... Check out staves... not a whole lot of great options either!

[shaikujin]

Thanks for all the replies!

Have to admit, it is abit underwhelming seeing how little options there are for robes.

Can you clarify what kind of options you are referring to? Just different types of robes? Or specifically those that give AC?

Also, what would you consider customized? Is a +1 chainmail considered customized? Is upgrading a +1 chainmail to +2 customized?

There are a lot of uncustomised statted robes in 3.5. Do you have MIC?

Also, besides those, MIC also have rules to allow robes to grant AC. Similar to adding standard +1 enhancement to armor (but more expensive).

[Malphegor]

Yeah I personally prefer custom robes using some of the item creation rules in various books. Slap a spell on dem robes, give it some funky design, spend a small fortune, bam, a nilbog's your uncle

I like the Robe of Eyes just because it's super creepy and I love the roleplaying feature of having magical ability to see all around you because you bought the 360noscopeEyeball-Robes from the Magik Mart.

You can't shield your eyes from gaze attacks though with it, but meh. eyeball coaaaat

[Fizban]

Robes are one of the better places to aim for creating properly unique items, since that seems to be what most existing robes are: big continuous or at-will aping of higher level spells, AC and/or resistance bonus combined with something rare or unique, or storing improbable things. Oriental Adventures has the Kimono of Storing, but it's based on the 3.0 price for the Gauntlet of Storing, which was multipled by about 5x in the 3.5 update. A Handy Haversack or Belt of Hidden Pouches effect would be fine for a significantly more functional "adventuring mage" robe - and if you demand precedent, Waterdeep shows up again: Laeral's Robes are another one of the common Forgotten Realms High Level Character Items (items customized for NPCs with unlimited budget the way players automatically do when allowed), combining a useful robe, a maxed out static defensive bonus, and a Handy Haversack effect for good measure.

A robe with "deep pockets" should use the normal price, as extradimensional storage doesn't have slot limitations. One with a Haversack effect is more convenient in not having to wear a separate pack that can be easily lost, so no price reduction for non-slotted into slotted, and it should keep the same three obvious pouches which are obviously magical in their increased capacity. A Hidden Pouches effect actually has a bit of a problem, in that the natural place for the pouches is inside the robe, but the belt does specifically state that the ten pouches are visible and can be pickpocketed (hidden refers to the other 20 magically accessed spaces). Since a robe with inside pockets you frequently access must be able to flap around a bit, and a belt could simply be covered by more clothing, I'd say the robe version can have the same (weirdly explicit) mechanical vulnerability unless you tie it shut (leaving the pouches inaccessible). The Robe of Hidden Pouches can be reversible too, so if you need to keep warm you can flip it so the pouches are on the outside and then properly tie it shut- that's just basic clothing functionality.

Once you've got an extradimensional storage robe, you can add armor bonus to it later (I'd find adding storage to a basic +1 AC robe odd). Note that adding a different function like Mysterious Conjuration will incur price increases, the usual x1.5 for all functions besides the most expensive one, and that while resistance bonuses are found on some robes they still incur a x1.5 modifier for non-standard slot (and possibly a further x1.5 if armor is already on there). Also consider the sidebar from Arms and Equipment Guide, which explicitly allows Bracers of Armor to include abilities off the armor tables, and since robes of armor are the same item in what is actually the magical armor slot in the first place, you can poach any armor abilities you want once you've put a +1 enhancement on there, if you're allergic to non-spell armor bonuses. That easily opens up stuff like energy resistance and various skill bonuses, cheaper temporary miss chances or energy immunity, speed bonus, greater temporary speed bonus via haste, and fear effects, just with DMG/MiC. You could also make a case that Robes of Armor should qualify for Augment Crystals, but I'd probably rule against that 'cause it just starts sounding greedy.

Another obvious effect is environmental solutions- there are a bunch of items with varying areas of Endure Elements with various prices, and the whole "monks and scholars wear robes" thing comes from those castles and monasteries getting coooold. So a Robe of Travel instead of the usual Cloak of Travel (from Magic of Faerun) might be appropriate (I'd say the robe loses the magically enforced rain protection though). There's also Shiftweave, the hilarious "pay 500gp for magically convenient outfits" which could just as easily be robe. Or you could try to think of some more minor casterly effects that don't currently exist and price them, like the Steadying Robe.

And finally, there are plenty of low level "check out this magic user right here!" effects that aren't really in item form. Daily uses of Unseen Servant, Mount, or other convenience spells also strike me as eminently appropriate for a "low-level mage robe."

Point is, there's no reason to not just make something up. The primary advantage of tabletop to a computer game is that you aren't stuck with what's programmed in, because it's people playing with people. So name what you want and make it happen. Even moreso if you're just theorycrafting- that's where most people give themselves license to make up the lowest conceivable RAW price they can. The only reason I'd see to need explicitly printed robes is as a seed for theorizing at what level/wealth/campaign situation you'd need a character to be in order to dramatically find X powerful magical robe as a complete item. That's more of a DM problem though (figuring out when and how to set things up so you can have cool item placement which jives well with your players and combat expectations instead of incremental custom items which are easier and more predictable).

Also, besides those, MIC also have rules to allow robes to grant AC. Similar to adding standard +1 enhancement to armor (but more expensive).
Dunno where you're getting a price increase from. Bracers of Armor have always used the same formula, the table in MiC uses the same prices, and it lists arms and body as the appropriate slots.

[shaikujin]

Dunno where you're getting a price increase from. Bracers of Armor have always used the same formula, the table in MiC uses the same prices, and it lists arms and body as the appropriate slots.

I was comparing this to enchanting actual armor.

[Fizban]

Yeah. Robes that grant AC bonus are the same exact price as Bracers of Armor that grant AC bonus, which are the same exact price as armor with enhanced AC bonus. They're all bonus^2*1,000gp. There is no "but more expensive," it's the same price.

Unless you're referring to the idea that you could only add an armor bonus to a robe with an existing non-armor ability, combined with how armor is cheaper than even the cheapest existing magic robe. Pretty sure that's not what you're saying, but that's still only partly true since the Robe of Steadying is less than full plate, so it's not more expensive than all armors. Even before something like a Shiftweave Robe or bottoming out the formulas with a +1 skill bonus or a 1/day 0th level cl 1 spell, both of which are basically the same as masterwork armor (assuming the DM approves). Of course it'd be nice if they'd bothered to just print Robes of Armor (they've got a "Harness" of Armor even), but again the idea for most of the run seems to clearly have been that robes are big flashy specific items rather than a flat bonus, for style.

[shaikujin]

You are right, I remembered wrong.

[ArtAndor]

Can you clarify what kind of options you are referring to? Just different types of robes? Or specifically those that give AC?

Also, what would you consider customized? Is a +1 chainmail considered customized? Is upgrading a +1 chainmail to +2 customized?

There are a lot of uncustomised statted robes in 3.5. Do you have MIC?

Also, besides those, MIC also have rules to allow robes to grant AC. Similar to adding standard +1 enhancement to armor (but more expensive).

What I meant is actual "Robes", not chainmails or other types of armor.

To be fair, I have not checked out MIC in a while and I am doing so currently as it was mentioned earlier today.

As for the upgrading - I was looking primarily for robes already in books and comparison, maybe some ideas for NPCs and Bad Guys, hence why I want to use non-upgraded effects so the players may learn to recognise equipment when they see it.

[ExLibrisMortis]

A kimono of storing is pretty nice (Oriental Adventures). Only 4400 gp, two free-action-retrieval storage spaces holding up to twenty pounds each. Explicitly stores items in stasis, so lit lanterns and primed grenades are a-okay.

[Calthropstu]

If PF material is on the table, I suggest robes of arcane heritage for getting those key bloodline abilities sooner.

[Fuzzy McCoy]

Robe of the vagabond (complete champion) is a decent low level option. Though it is listed as a vest, it has no business being in that slot.

[Deadline]

There's Dyrr’s Impervious Vestment from Complete Arcane, a robe that confers a +9 Armor bonus to AC, and lets you drop a Blade Barrier once per day that you can freely pass through.

[denthor]

Once had custom set of black robes, six needles touch attack for regeneration once per day.

Each needle did 1 point per round until removed dc 15 heal check. Very good at low levels.