Clockwork Armor Confusion

[Alleine]

This doesn't really feel like a question with a simple answer so I'm posting it here instead of the Simple Q&A thread.

Is the Clockwork Armor actually armor? By that I mean for the purposes of proficiency and class features/movement modes that are altered by armor types.

Clockwork Armor doesn't seem to act much like normal armor unless a creature isn't proficient with it. Even then, it only calls out the nonproficiency penalty as affecting skills as opposed to skills and attack rolls. While it does require Craft Magical Arms and Armor to make and gives an armor bonus it still doesn't sound like an armor. It says that people with heavy armor proficiency can use it "effectively" it doesn't necessarily mean that you're proficient with it and that it's heavy armor.

Aside from that, how would making it out of special materials affect it? Would mithral lower the proficiency needed to Medium? Can it even be made out of special materials? What about riverine, which logically should negate the entire paragraph where the armor can be attacked directly? Can it be enchanted like normal armor? Argh!

It is written so poorly

[Loki Eremes]

This doesn't really feel like a question with a simple answer so I'm posting it here instead of the Simple Q&A thread.

Clockwork Armor doesn't seem to act much like normal armor unless a creature isn't proficient with it. Even then, it only calls out the nonproficiency penalty as affecting skills as opposed to skills and attack rolls. While it does require Craft Magical Arms and Armor and gives an armor bonus it still doesn't sound like an armor. It says that people with heavy armor proficiency can use it "effectively" it doesn't necessarily mean that you're proficient with it and that it's heavy armor.

Aside from that, how would making it out of special materials affect it? Would mithral lower the proficiency needed to Medium? Can it even be made out of special materials? What about riverine, which logically should negate the entire paragraph where the armor can be attacked directly? Can it be enchanted like normal armor? Argh!

It is written so poorly

1- You dont need Craft Magical Arms and Armor to use it, only to make it.

2- I dont think it can be made from another material, not by RAW. "A suit of clockwork armor is extremely well machined and made of mithral and adamantine plates". Ask your DM if he allows you change them somehow.

3- You do need Craft skill tough. But i think you can have another person to do it for you. "...Setting these controls properly requires a successful Craft (construct) check or Spellcraft check... Success allows a Medium-size creature of any Strength to use the armor effectively, as long as they have Armor Proficiency (heavy)..."

4- It doesnt say anywhere about DEX mod limit nor about the type of armor. So welcome to full Dex Mods to AC land. (although i consider it a fullplate...)

[Crossblade]

Aside from that, how would making it out of special materials affect it? Would mithral lower the proficiency needed to Medium? Can it even be made out of special materials?

Appearance
A suit of clockwork armor is extremely well machined and made of mithral and adamantine plates.

It's already made out of mithral, so that negates that question. As for being made out of other metals, since it specifies 2 types of metals, I'd say no personally, since it seems rather specific. But that's just me.

Edit: Blah, ninja'ed and one upped.

[Alleine]

1- You dont need Craft Magical Arms and Armor to use it, only to make it.

2- I dont think it can be made from another material, not by RAW. "A suit of clockwork armor is extremely well machined and made of mithral and adamantine plates". Ask your DM if he allows you change them somehow.

3- You do need Craft skill tough. But i think you can have another person to do it for you. "...Setting these controls properly requires a successful Craft (construct) check or Spellcraft check... Success allows a Medium-size creature of any Strength to use the armor effectively, as long as they have Armor Proficiency (heavy)..."

4- It doesnt say anywhere about DEX mod limit nor about the type of armor. So welcome to full Dex Mods to AC land. (although i consider it a fullplate...)

1. oops, that's what I meant. Sorta implies that it's magical armor.

2. Ah, missed that.

3. Yeah, I figured you could have someone do it for you and you'd be set for life.

4. Which is one of the things that makes me feel like it isn't armor.

Edit: Edited the the OP for more clarity.

[Loki Eremes]

4. Which is one of the things that makes me feel like it isn't armor.

The thing is other armors are big and heavy, and thats the reason they take your dexterity to a limit. This one is not the exception, but as it support much of his own weight, it leaves you the opportunity to move more freely.

Think about it as Ironman's armor

[Mystic Muse]

Another interesting things I noticed, it doesn't mention an arcane spell failure chance or skill check penalty except under non-proficiency.

So, it's plate, without Arcane spell failure chance or a skill check penalty?