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Yahzi
2008-11-03, 08:45 PM
A Huge statue, permanently animated; with a few caster level tricks, an 11th cleric and an 11th wizard can make one for 1,500 XP. Make it out of iron and it's got DR 10; but it only has AC 13.

Can I put a Huge suit of Fullplate armor on it and increase it's AC to 21?

(It's not as good as an Iron golem, but it's a whole lot cheaper!)

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-11-03, 08:50 PM
Don't bother with AC. AC is very all-or-nothing in 3.x, and boosting it is way too expensive. A Cleric should be hitting that AC21 on about a 5 at that level, maybe sooner, not to mention what the full-BAB classes can put out, the touch-attackers who ignore armor, and the non-targeted effects. Scrap the armor and buy something else.

Egiam
2008-11-03, 08:55 PM
Is there a MM book that has Animated statues in it, or is this a homebrew creation?

The Glyphstone
2008-11-03, 08:59 PM
He's probably talking about an Animated Object, that looks like a statue.

Yahzi
2008-11-03, 09:10 PM
He's probably talking about an Animated Object, that looks like a statue.
Right, exactly.

Can you put armor on it?

Revanmal
2008-11-03, 09:12 PM
Right, exactly.

Can you put armor on it?

I'd rule that you could if you could find a suit of armor big enough to fit it.

Prometheus
2008-11-03, 09:26 PM
AC isn't a bad idea if you are trying to minimize power attack damage. As a statue, it would certainly be engaged in melee.

The question of whether you can put armor on it is probably up the DM.

mabriss lethe
2008-11-03, 09:33 PM
As a DM, I'd say sure, but the animated statue is treated as being non-proficient with the armor unless the armor itself is animated as a separate entity.

But that's just my off the cuff rule 0

Yahzi
2008-11-03, 09:38 PM
The question of whether you can put armor on it is probably up the DM.
Well, that's the problem... I'm the DM. :smallbiggrin:

On the one hand, you can clearly put armor on a skeleton or a zombie. On the other hand, you obviously can't put armor on an Iron Golem.

But an animated statue seems like a gray area. Obviously a shield should help, right? But how could an inch of armor plate matter on top of an iron statue? Could you argue the plate is hardened steel, instead of crude iron? Could you say anything that would stop your players from crying "Foul!" :smallbiggrin:

FMArthur
2008-11-03, 09:38 PM
If you animate the armor as a separate entity, they'd probably count as grappling, which is not what you want for AC.

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-11-03, 09:46 PM
If you read the Construct Type (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#constructType), it says they aren't proficient. That means the full-plate will impose -6 to AB. That said, they can probably wear armor, but each suit would cost 12,000 GP. Not good for WBL.

Yahzi
2008-11-03, 10:11 PM
they aren't proficient.
Ahh... I knew I was forgetting something. Thanks! That also explains why I can't give it a greatclub.

See, this is why I asked. You guys don't miss anything! :smallsmile:

Jothki
2008-11-03, 10:39 PM
Could you animate a set of fullplate armor and then put another set of fullplate armor on it to increase its AC?

Flickerdart
2008-11-03, 11:00 PM
Could you animate a set of fullplate armor and then put another set of fullplate armor on it to increase its AC?
Not proficient. Although...

Can you have a fighter wear two layers o specially fitted plate?

Irreverent Fool
2008-11-03, 11:13 PM
Well, that's the problem... I'm the DM. :smallbiggrin:

On the one hand, you can clearly put armor on a skeleton or a zombie. On the other hand, you obviously can't put armor on an Iron Golem.

But an animated statue seems like a gray area. Obviously a shield should help, right? But how could an inch of armor plate matter on top of an iron statue? Could you argue the plate is hardened steel, instead of crude iron? Could you say anything that would stop your players from crying "Foul!" :smallbiggrin:

I believe armor for a nonhumanoid has its cost increased by RAW, even if it is mostly humanoid in shape. Most heavy armors need to be custom fit (unless they are magical or you are just handwaving that). Large increases it further. I seriously would not bother, or if you're the DM, make it a custom monster and simply increase its AC. The DR should be plenty though.


Not proficient. Although...

Can you have a fighter wear two layers o specially fitted plate?

Sure, but those would both be armor bonuses so they wouldn't stack.
obnoxious
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Yahzi
2008-11-03, 11:59 PM
if you're the DM, make it a custom monster and simply increase its AC.
I only make monsters my players could make. Because eventually, they'll want to make them and use them against me. :smallbiggrin:


Sure, but those would both be armor bonuses so they wouldn't stack.
Good point!

Irreverent Fool
2008-11-04, 06:35 AM
I only make monsters my players could make. Because eventually, they'll want to make them and use them against me. :smallbiggrin:


Good point!

You're a DM after my own heart. As has been pointed out, assuming the statue is humanoid in shape, a simple suit of platemail just isn't worth it. The cost for a huge suit of non-magical, non-masterwork platemail is (huge is x4 the base price) 6,000g, and that's really not going to do much to stop this thing from being hit.

The second problem, as has also been pointed out, is that an animated object is not proficient with armor. The armor check penalty with end up applying to any attacks it makes, at which point the thing is a joke.

I am currently playing a character with craft construct and he makes a habit of outfitting his creations with masterwork studded leather armor and occasionally masterwork bucklers. Each of those only has a -1 armor check penalty which is lessened to 0 when made masterwork. In this case, the small AC boost is worth the cost since it comes with no real downside (and he can make the items himself cheaply).

If you can get your hands on a Dragon Magazine #341 (PDF is about five dollars on paizo.com and you can download it at many times as you like), it has listings of a few lesser golems which may suit your purposes. Barring that, there is also the Effigy Creature template in the Complete Arcane. I don't know if it'll suit your purposes, but an effigy troll could be disguised as a statue.

If you're already permanently animating statues, it's reasonable that such a thing has been buffed with a number of spells. Remember that characters can research spells other than those listed under permanency to be made permanent, subject to DM approval. There are plenty of magical ways to increase armor class (including increasing existing natural armor bonuses). Once you've done that, Scintillating Scales will help the thing not get murdered by touch attacks by converting its natural armor into a deflection bonus.

Personally, I'm fond of ironguard though (Spell Compendium).

But to answer the question in your original post simply: Yes you can, but it would suffer the penalties for lacking proficiency.
obnoxious
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Yahzi
2008-11-04, 08:12 PM
masterwork studded leather armor
Excellent idea. However, I can't justify making an iron statue harder to hit by cloaking it in leather... :smallbiggrin:


Scintillating Scales
I'm restricting myself to 3.0 Core. Well, with a few things from PHBII, like Mystic Surge.

I decided to enchant it as a +1 weapon. And I put a Permanent Symbol of Pain on the front of it. Plus, it has a 1st level wizard with a Wand of Fireballs hiding inside it. He directs it to move or attack certain targets, casts Protection from Good, Jump, and other spells on the thing. Currently it's disguised as an Iron Golem, which I hope will scare my players. It can't really challenge them: they're level 7, heavily optimized cheese (I don't restrict them to Core... just myself), although not that heavy since one of them is a VoP monk.

The whole thing can be made by an 11th wizard and an 11th cleric, with a few items (bead of karma, orange ioun stone). Which makes it cheap, and thus i can justify embedding 4 of them in my goblin army.

The real threat is the Ogre Mage. Flight & Invis at will should prove to be really tough for them, especially since they can neither fly nor see invisible things. :smallbiggrin:

Fizban
2008-11-05, 06:18 AM
Well, if you can't justify leather, can you justify more metal? Mithral Chain Shirt, +4 AC with no check penalty, only 1,100gp. Throw on a Mithral Large Shield for about the same and get an extra +2. Snag a cleric to cast Magic Vestments on or both after that. Since you're using an animated object instead of an actual golem, there's no problem throwing just about any buff on it (aside from mind affecting and stuff constructs are immune to). If you really wanted it to wield a weapon, you could give it a skillful one, which grants proficiency with itself (but that's not core anymore).