Living breastplate

[Gransoley]

Magic of eberron present rules for buying symbionts, but the living breastplate is apparently an artifact (really wotc, really???).
Any RAW ways of permanently obtaining one? Some ideas I've seen for similar stuff are template like warbeasr or effigy creature on one hand and planar binding on the other. Except for specific warbeast abuse with a way to force feral rearing at lvl 1 like maybe DCS and the like, the rest are not applicable in this situation. Any idea?

[Vizzerdrix]

Would leadership work? Either just for the breastplate, or if hoop jumping is required, for a flumpfh companion to polymorph?

[ShurikVch]

Cast a Simulacrum (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/simulacrum.htm)?

[Malphegor]

I think from memory in my effigy notes on my old tablet I think I wrote down that you can use the Effigy template to make your own one due to how loose effigies are.

So it’s a robot construct version of it which is maybe a little cooler?

[Vizzerdrix]

I thought the ability to be worn was the sort of thing a critter lost when it was turned into an effigy.

[Crake]

Is there a reason you can't just craft a magical suit of intelligent armor? If you specifically want it to be "alive", you could use something like Moon-Ivy from AEG as the base armor, it's a wreath-like choker that grows into a close fitting body-suit every night and dies at the end of the day. +4 AC, +6 max dex, no ACP, 10% ASF, and only weighs 5lb. Seems like if you just enchant one of those (or use it as an item familiar to similar results) you'd have what is essentially a suit of living armor.

[Bonzai]

Only way officially would be to either slay or work out a deal with a Delkyr.

[Gruftzwerg]

a workaround:

Leadership to obtain a Warforged cohort. PRC him into a Tattooed Monk to get the Chameleon tattoo (Alter Self: h/class lvl duration; total tattoos/day use). Now he can turn into Animated Objects, e.g. animated masterwork armor. Let it enchant it from a crafter. If you want to be more cheesy, add a lvl of Warshaper to give it either "Tentacles" or Hydra's "Bites" attacks. Since the cohort lvls with your character, it will grow in its abilities (there are a few interesting tattoos to choose from) and the duration to be your armor will eventually cover the entire day.

And if you want to take the idea to the next lvl, have a look at my Iron Chef entry (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24938996&postcount=113). Its a warforged that can turn into a giant combat robot/suit for his teammates based on the Tattooed Monk.

[Gransoley]

Sorry for the late response but I'm somewhat busy, I'll go in order:
No, i don't care about a generic living armor, the point of this thread was not me wanting one but me feeling like the "artifact" tag on the living breastplate is utter pupu so i was curious if one can cheese that out.
Also going by pure optimization an intelligent item is not even close to a symbiont since the symbiont subtype gives "share spell" that gives many abuses one cannot do with the a normal intelligent magic item.
On another topic simulacrum does not solve the problem, at least in some campaign. Since you meed a part of the creature if i have access to one you've already solved the problem.
The monk one is cheesy but workable, I've used similar trick with true mindswitch and intelligent items but in a normal campaign it feels like it'd be horrible.
But still i appreciate all of the posts.

[Gruftzwerg]

Also going by pure optimization an intelligent item is not even close to a symbiont since the symbiont subtype gives "share spell" that gives many abuses one cannot do with the a normal intelligent magic item.

If it's Share Spell what you want, it can be obtained with a chain of abilities. I developed this combo for my Orochimaru build to adapt his Curse Mark into 3.5. He also abuses this for his own sword to turn it into a quasi intelligent item.

Ingredients:

- Simulacrum, better Ice Assassin (IA)
- Polymorph any Object (PaO)
- some kind of symbiont (I did go for a Ghostly Visage due to its special "Meld" ability)
- symbiotic template

1. Make an IA of yourself.
2. PaO the symbiont into a legal host creature (e.g. a medium humanoid) for the symbiotic template
3. PaO (or any other shapechange ability the IA has access to) the IA into a legal guest creature for the symbiotic template)
4. merge the two (symbiont + IA) via the symbiotic template

The duration of the symbionts PaO will soon come to an end, turning it back. The IA as host temporary phases out of existence (turns into the +1LA template for the host creature) and thus is not effected by PaO anymore. The final creature now has the Meld ability and Share Spell.

If you want to use it on an armor:
1. PaO the Armor into a creature
2. Meld your IA symbiont onto the armor

I would recommend a craftlock build for this, since it will get earlier access to the needed things. Further the build can provide the hosts with nice 24h duration buffs like Fell Flight.

If you like this kind of silliness, have a look at my Orochimaru builds Curse Mark and Sword of Kusanagi sections.

[ShurikVch]

On another topic simulacrum does not solve the problem, at least in some campaign. Since you meed a part of the creature if i have access to one you've already solved the problem.
Well, firstly: tiny bit of Living Breastplate have no gp cost - thus, should be in a component pouch

Secondly: even if that approach don't works - the "bit" is a component; Divine Agent's Godly Gift allow to "cast" domain spell as SLA, and Dweomerkeeper's Supernatural Spell - as Su; thus, no components needed

Finally, if neither of solutions works - you may try to just Gate a Living Breastplate in: it's a creature, and not even "unique creature" - thus, legal for the Gate spell

[Gransoley]

If it's Share Spell what you want, it can be obtained with a chain of abilities. I developed this combo for my Orochimaru build to adapt his Curse Mark into 3.5. He also abuses this for his own sword to turn it into a quasi intelligent item.

Ingredients:

- Simulacrum, better Ice Assassin (IA)
- Polymorph any Object (PaO)
- some kind of symbiont (I did go for a Ghostly Visage due to its special "Meld" ability)
- symbiotic template

1. Make an IA of yourself.
2. PaO the symbiont into a legal host creature (e.g. a medium humanoid) for the symbiotic template
3. PaO (or any other shapechange ability the IA has access to) the IA into a legal guest creature for the symbiotic template)
4. merge the two (symbiont + IA) via the symbiotic template

The duration of the symbionts PaO will soon come to an end, turning it back. The IA as host temporary phases out of existence (turns into the +1LA template for the host creature) and thus is not effected by PaO anymore. The final creature now has the Meld ability and Share Spell.

If you want to use it on an armor:
1. PaO the Armor into a creature
2. Meld your IA symbiont onto the armor

I would recommend a craftlock build for this, since it will get earlier access to the needed things. Further the build can provide the hosts with nice 24h duration buffs like Fell Flight.

If you like this kind of silliness, have a look at my Orochimaru builds Curse Mark and Sword of Kusanagi sections.
I'm sorry, again i didn't properly explained myself. I just want to know if there's any RAW way of obtaining that specific symbiont, not something similar, not someone polymorphed into it, that specific one.
On another not i'm not saying that i want the symbiont for share spell (since u can use the other ones there is no point in explicitely wanting the breastplate), but that a generic intelligent item is not the same nor does it accomplish the same purposes.
Now to your build: i had already had the chance to read through it sometime ago lurking in the forum and the build is nice, the combo is nice even though i tend to use true mindswitch into any intelligent item (since RAW intelligent items are considered creature, even though they don't have any HD, the combo is actually quite similar).
The big difference is that with one you end up with a symbiont, with the other with a magic items with all that follow.
Thanks for the response

[Gransoley]

Well, firstly: tiny bit of Living Breastplate have no gp cost - thus, should be in a component pouch

Secondly: even if that approach don't works - the "bit" is a component; Divine Agent's Godly Gift allow to "cast" domain spell as SLA, and Dweomerkeeper's Supernatural Spell - as Su; thus, no components needed

Finally, if neither of solutions works - you may try to just Gate a Living Breastplate in: it's a creature, and not even "unique creature" - thus, legal for the Gate spell

Yeah this is what i was thinking but since many table don't allow stuff like dweomer or phaerimm i hoped that would be an easier way, but i was completely forgetting about gate, i'm too tired recently.
A psionic tatoo of gate should be quite cheap plus with a capacitator it becomes somewhat reusable (1/17days)

[Malphegor]

a workaround:

Leadership to obtain a Warforged cohort. PRC him into a Tattooed Monk to get the Chameleon tattoo (Alter Self: h/class lvl duration; total tattoos/day use). Now he can turn into Animated Objects, e.g. animated masterwork armor. Let it enchant it from a crafter. If you want to be more cheesy, add a lvl of Warshaper to give it either "Tentacles" or Hydra's "Bites" attacks. Since the cohort lvls with your character, it will grow in its abilities (there are a few interesting tattoos to choose from) and the duration to be your armor will eventually cover the entire day.

And if you want to take the idea to the next lvl, have a look at my Iron Chef entry (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24938996&postcount=113). Its a warforged that can turn into a giant combat robot/suit for his teammates based on the Tattooed Monk.

This has actually blown my mind a little. For YEARS I’ve been thinking ‘how would I make an Iron Man suit’ and dabbled in constructs and effigies and custom designed gondsmen and even though I’ve considered a warforged urban druid to be a Transformer I never considered combining shapeshifting + warforged to BE the suit.

[Gransoley]

a workaround:

Leadership to obtain a Warforged cohort. PRC him into a Tattooed Monk to get the Chameleon tattoo (Alter Self: h/class lvl duration; total tattoos/day use). Now he can turn into Animated Objects, e.g. animated masterwork armor. Let it enchant it from a crafter. If you want to be more cheesy, add a lvl of Warshaper to give it either "Tentacles" or Hydra's "Bites" attacks. Since the cohort lvls with your character, it will grow in its abilities (there are a few interesting tattoos to choose from) and the duration to be your armor will eventually cover the entire day.

And if you want to take the idea to the next lvl, have a look at my Iron Chef entry (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24938996&postcount=113). Its a warforged that can turn into a giant combat robot/suit for his teammates based on the Tattooed Monk.

Again why not just true mindswitch?
Buy any generic intelligent item and a cohort/whatever you want the mind to be, I don't think i need to explain the astral seed mind switch trick but in short u use a combination of astral seed, true mindswitch, PaO and psychic surgery to give a new body to a character. The best thing with intelligent magic items is that since they are technically construct u have an intelligent construct that is considered an item but can still manifest psionic powers xD.
The cost in services is around 12k, but this allows you to have a full manifester at your service plus if u need him to also go and fight people it can use metamorphosis or even simpler any polymorph/alter self item or ability.

[Jack_Simth]

This has actually blown my mind a little. For YEARS I’ve been thinking ‘how would I make an Iron Man suit’ and dabbled in constructs and effigies and custom designed gondsmen and even though I’ve considered a warforged urban druid to be a Transformer I never considered combining shapeshifting + warforged to BE the suit.
Note that Pathfinder has Construct Armor (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/building-and-modifying-constructs/#Construct_Armor), which pretty much is an iron man suit. Between buff spells and those, a Cleric with Craft Construct could replicate most of the common abilities of Iron Man... including having spare suits.

There's also the Synthesist Summoner (https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/summoner/archetypes/paizo-summoner-archetypes/synthesist), which can very readily be fluffed that way.

[Gruftzwerg]

This has actually blown my mind a little. For YEARS I’ve been thinking ‘how would I make an Iron Man suit’ and dabbled in constructs and effigies and custom designed gondsmen and even though I’ve considered a warforged urban druid to be a Transformer I never considered combining shapeshifting + warforged to BE the suit.

Thx for the flowers ^^


Again why not just true mindswitch?
Buy any generic intelligent item and a cohort/whatever you want the mind to be, I don't think i need to explain the astral seed mind switch trick but in short u use a combination of astral seed, true mindswitch, PaO and psychic surgery to give a new body to a character. The best thing with intelligent magic items is that since they are technically construct u have an intelligent construct that is considered an item but can still manifest psionic powers xD.
The cost in services is around 12k, but this allows you to have a full manifester at your service plus if u need him to also go and fight people it can use metamorphosis or even simpler any polymorph/alter self item or ability.

k, sorry for the misunderstanding. I hope that I got this right now. Let me give it another shot:

Why not wish for the artifact?
Use a summoned creature with Wish as SLA to avoid possible side effects (due to an angry DM) and the increased XP costs for yourself. If it fails, try again until your DM gives up xD

[Gransoley]

Why would the DM ever be angry? If he allowed you to have a cohort either by leadership, undead leadership, thrallherd etc etc what does it matter if he is a sword or an armor or a goliath, it's going to do the same things regardless.
Sadly you can't give intelligent items level at least to my knowledge so i developed a decent build to do it with mindswitch. I know that it may sound cheesy, and maybe for some it's cheesy, but honestly if u have a cohort it makes no difference what's his body as long as he's fairly optimized

[Gruftzwerg]

Sadly you can't give intelligent items level at least to my knowledge so i developed a decent build to do it with mindswitch. I know that it may sound cheesy, and maybe for some it's cheesy, but honestly if u have a cohort it makes no difference what's his body as long as he's fairly optimized

If you want to slap class lvls ontop of a intelligent item there are some workarounds:

a) Symbiotic template + PAO
Abuse Polymorph any Object to change the intelligent item into a legal guest creature for the symbiotic template. The host creature now has the abilities of the guest for a mere +1LA cost. The host creature should be one that can advance by class. While the intelligent item doesn't really advance itself, it comes still close to that mechanically.

b) PAO + Ice Assassin
PAO only has a restriction that it can't turn non-magical item into magic items. It doesn't restrict you from turning creatures into (intelligent) magic items. This doesn't give the item any (magic item) abilities, it is just a (intelligent) magic item. Thus, use an Ice Assassin and turn it into an intelligent magical item. This option can't advance any further, but you can instantly slap the abiltities of the Ice Assassin onto your intelligent item. The symbiose remains even after PAO's duration wears off (since the guest technically vanishes out temporary).

[Gransoley]

If you want to slap class lvls ontop of a intelligent item there are some workarounds:

a) Symbiotic template + PAO
Abuse Polymorph any Object to change the intelligent item into a legal guest creature for the symbiotic template. The host creature now has the abilities of the guest for a mere +1LA cost. The host creature should be one that can advance by class. While the intelligent item doesn't really advance itself, it comes still close to that mechanically.

b) PAO + Ice Assassin
PAO only has a restriction that it can't turn non-magical item into magic items. It doesn't restrict you from turning creatures into (intelligent) magic items. This doesn't give the item any (magic item) abilities, it is just a (intelligent) magic item. Thus, use an Ice Assassin and turn it into an intelligent magical item. This option can't advance any further, but you can instantly slap the abiltities of the Ice Assassin onto your intelligent item. The symbiose remains even after PAO's duration wears off (since the guest technically vanishes out temporary).

Both of this works somewhat less well than the sandwich famous combo and they're both as cheesy, why would i use them?

[Vizzerdrix]

I feel that with all this talk of items and intelligence, Fiend of Possession should be thrown into the mix. It feels like it belongs here.

[Gransoley]

I feel that with all this talk of items and intelligence, Fiend of Possession should be thrown into the mix. It feels like it belongs here.

Oh yeah totally, that's another simple solution. I actually use it from time to time if i need to pull off the trick in less optimized campaign or simply non experienced DMs

[Vizzerdrix]

Oh yeah totally, that's another simple solution. I actually use it from time to time if i need to pull off the trick in less optimized campaign or simply non experienced DMs

I played a FoP in a game I wasn't going to be able to attend regularly. I left a list of things the party could and couldn't have me do as well as allowed them to call me once. It worked out rather well, all things considered.