How would you make armor using mundane crystal? Also FF7 question

[eyebreaker7]

Mundane Crystal
Mundane crystal can be used in place of metal in weapons or armor, using a special forging process. The fortified crystal possesses the properties of a similar masterwork steel weapon or armor, except for visual appearance.

Weapons and armor made of mundane crystal cost the same amount to make as their masterwork counterparts. Any item could potentially be made with mundane crystal. Because mundane crystal armor is considered to be made out of metal, druids cannot wear it.

Mundane crystal properly forged has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and a hardness of 8.

How exactly is the armor made? Is it completely made out of the crystal or just pieces here and there?
If it's NOT completely crystal, what kinds of armor can you make with it?
If it IS completely made out of crystals then why does it say it's "considered to be made out of metal" so druids can't wear it? Is it metal or crystal?


My main question about the armor is I'd like to make some armor with crystals in it like they have in Final Fantasy 7. Would this just involve making armor normally with places for the crystals? I'm guessing it would be like making/upgrading a magic item when you add another/more crystals?
Maybe some bracers or a belt or greaves or a helm? Different stuff with obviously a different number of crystals it can hold depending what it is. I'm not talking about making an Infinity Gauntlet here. lol. Just 1 maybe 2 crystals/gems to act as the materia in the gloves, greaves, belt, or helm (nothing crazy like a helm of brilliance).

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Mundane Crystal
Mundane crystal can be used in place of metal in weapons or armor, using a special forging process. The fortified crystal possesses the properties of a similar masterwork steel weapon or armor, except for visual appearance.

Weapons and armor made of mundane crystal cost the same amount to make as their masterwork counterparts. Any item could potentially be made with mundane crystal. Because mundane crystal armor is considered to be made out of metal, druids cannot wear it.

Mundane crystal properly forged has 25 hit points per inch of thickness and a hardness of 8.

How exactly is the armor made? Is it completely made out of the crystal or just pieces here and there?I imagine it's made almost entirely from crystal, with leather, crystal-carved links, or some other flexible material for joints, and with leather and cotton or wool for an underlayer.

And either each piece is carved out of crystal by hand, or it's fabricated (as the spell) or (since it's in the XPH) psionic fabricate.


If it's NOT completely crystal, what kinds of armor can you make with it?
If it IS completely made out of crystals then why does it say it's "considered to be made out of metal" so druids can't wear it? Is it metal or crystal?Anything made mostly of metal -- that is, anything but leather, studded leather, twistcloth, and similar. And anything that would otherwise be made from metal is crystal, instead.

BTW, crystal plate mail is really pretty.

It's apparently considered to be metal, then druids can't wear it unless they have an ACF, PrC ability, feat, etc that allows them to. I mean, I'd consider it to be stone, myself, but whatever; I didn't make the rules.


My main question about the armor is I'd like to make some armor with crystals in it like they have in Final Fantasy 7. Would this just involve making armor normally with places for the crystals? I'm guessing it would be like making/upgrading a magic item when you add another/more crystals?

Maybe some bracers or a belt or greaves or a helm? Different stuff with obviously a different number of crystals it can hold depending what it is. I'm not talking about making an Infinity Gauntlet here. lol. Just 1 maybe 2 crystals/gems to act as the materia in the gloves, greaves, belt, or helm (nothing crazy like a helm of brilliance).How about using weapon and armor crystals from the Magic Item Compendium? Note that the magic item stacking rules (also in the MIC) allow you to stack multiple crystal abilities onto one crystal.

Also, there's the ioun blade weapon in the Arms & Equipment Guide that allows you to slide ioun stones into it. Either use the MIC's item stacking rules to add the ioun blade property to another weapon, or give it sizing and morphing to turn it into whatever other weapons you want.

Also. (https://www.finalfantasyd20.com/)

[RSGA]

It's not given more explanation than a special forging process, although given the book and the connection to psionics stuff, the simplest reason to use would be to say that the magical process that gave the crystal the physics of steel also gave it the metaphysics of steel. This is why it can rust and why it can trigger a druid's vows. Also how much the armor is made of crystal would depend on what kind of armor you were making of the stuff, but is generally going to be lots of the armor.

As for how it's made, you'd take the specially treated crystal, which has properties of steel now, and use it like steel in creating the armor you were going to make. If you want to do FF7 materia, use weapon and armor crystals which are different and in the Magic Item Compendium. If you want to do specifically Diamond/Crystal Plate (I forget the term used in FF7 or if it has both) then it's just a special appearance on Elec Resist armor and doesn't even have to be made of special material crystal. Although I would suggest looking into Magic of Incarnum and allowing a more expensive version to adapt the Phoenix Belt if you want to get even closer.