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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Corvallis, OR
    Gender
    Male

    Default Uses for purple worm scales?

    Note: I'm the DM here. Mostly looking for inspiration.

    My party has defeated a purple worm (CR 15) and taken a chunk of scales. They now want armor made from them (by an NPC)--specifically breastplate/half-plate and a shield. The medium armor is for a hexblade (with some later fighter levels) who mostly melees; the shield is for a paladin who has a special ability to use shields offensively (bonus action 1d4+ stat bludgeoning damage, counts as weapon for smite).

    I could be boring and just say "+2"[1], but that's boring. I'm looking for fun, thematic ideas in the Very Rare range.

    [1] +2 armor is Very Rare, which is about right for a CR 15 creature. And I have a general understanding that +X items require exotic materials. The warlock is currently wearing a +1 breastplate made from bulette plating.
    Dawn of Hope: a 5e setting. http://wiki.admiralbenbo.org
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    5e Monster Data Sheet--vital statistics for all 693 MM, Volo's, and now MToF monsters: Updated!
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  2. - Top - End - #2
    Orc in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Dec 2020

    Default Re: Uses for purple worm scales?

    Quote Originally Posted by PhoenixPhyre View Post
    Note: I'm the DM here. Mostly looking for inspiration.

    My party has defeated a purple worm (CR 15) and taken a chunk of scales. They now want armor made from them (by an NPC)--specifically breastplate/half-plate and a shield. The medium armor is for a hexblade (with some later fighter levels) who mostly melees; the shield is for a paladin who has a special ability to use shields offensively (bonus action 1d4+ stat bludgeoning damage, counts as weapon for smite).

    I could be boring and just say "+2"[1], but that's boring. I'm looking for fun, thematic ideas in the Very Rare range.

    [1] +2 armor is Very Rare, which is about right for a CR 15 creature. And I have a general understanding that +X items require exotic materials. The warlock is currently wearing a +1 breastplate made from bulette plating.
    Well, I have a couple ideas.

    Wormhide Shield
    Shield, Rare
    While holding this shield you have a +1 bonus to your AC. Additionally, if you have an ability that allows you to use shields as weapons you gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls made with it.

    Armor of The Purple Worm
    Armor (Scale, Breastplate, Half Plate, Plate), Very Rare (requires attunement)
    Crafted from the hide and scales of a Purple Worm, this armor retains some of the essence of the monstrous creature it came from. While wearing and attuned to this armor, your AC, Strength score, and Constitution score increase by 1. Additionally, attuning to this armor has connected your mind to the remaining nervous tissue within the armor; you gain Tremorsense out to a range of 15 feet.

    If crafted by an incredibly skillful (or lucky) craftsman, the bonus given by these items are doubled and their rarities increases by one level.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    BardGuy

    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Uses for purple worm scales?

    I've never seen a purple worm
    And never hope to see one
    But I can tell you anyhow
    I'd rather see than be one.


    But seriously, folks, it seems that the idea here IS to in fact give the wearer some minor benefits that purple worms enjoy.

    The armor might give advantage on grapple checks.

    And the shield could do extra poison damage when used offensively.
    Last edited by Corey; 2021-09-18 at 02:44 AM.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    BlueKnightGuy

    Join Date
    Sep 2016

    Default Re: Uses for purple worm scales?

    Let's say, for the sake of making the armor cool, that the purple worm's scales are incredibly sensitive to vibration, and the conduct vibration around the worm's body in such a way that helps it pinpoint the direction of the vibration's source. Scale armor made by someone who understands purple worm physiology can preserve this trait, meaning that the wearer of the armor gains tremorsense out to 30 ft.

    No idea what to do with the shield though.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Troll in the Playground
     
    HalflingPirate

    Join Date
    Nov 2011

    Default Re: Uses for purple worm scales?

    What appears to be a purple cummerbund or girdle is a living fragment of a purple worm. It has been enspelled to offer a variety of levels of protection for the wearer, and it retains some of the abilities of the original worm.

    When first donned the cummerbund grants the wearer 15' tremorsense. No attacker may flank the wearer unless more than 15' away without first rolling a successful Move Silently check.

    As a move-equivalent action the wearer may command the cummerbund to grow into one of three armor types of light, (padded,) medium, (breastplate,) or heavy, (half-plate,) configurations. The armor is treated in all ways like the armor named in parenthesis, save that it is non-metallic and adds no additional weight to the character's encumberance total.

    While in any armor configuration the Tremorsense extends to 30'.

    The cummerbund may also completely encase the wearer, who then may move and attack like a miniature 6' long purple worm. The wearer may pass through crevices as small as one half inch by at least two feet, though this requires 1 round per foot of the character's height to complete. The underground movement ability of the purple worm is limited to 5'/minute in stony soil, 10'/minute in compacted clay or stony mixed soils, and 15'/minute in sand or topsoil. The worm shape cannot penetrate stone or metal, and since it moves by digging in front and compacting the material behind, it leaves no tunnel that can be used by others.

    A very slight chance exists that while in worm form the remnant of the purple worm's awareness becomes dominant and the new baby worm will expell the wearer wherever they happen to be to go on its way to grow into a full-sized worm again.
    (Treat this as a red herring, or a very easy will check, or even as an Ego check such as is used by intelligdnt weapons.)

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Goblin

    Join Date
    Mar 2019

    Default Re: Uses for purple worm scales?

    As good as metal armour with no negative effects and cannot be heated.
    Armor grants advantage when escaping grapples or moving through tight spaces.
    Advantage on saves versus acid attacks.
    Looks cool.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Breccia's Avatar

    Join Date
    Mar 2013

    Default Re: Uses for purple worm scales?

    "Wearer gets tremorsense 30ft". On top of whatever + you choose to give it.

    Tremorsense is a highly useful always-on magical feature.

    Quote Originally Posted by brian 333 View Post
    While in any armor configuration the Tremorsense extends to 30'.
    Ah, looks like I'm late to the party. Well, early bird gets the...something...
    Last edited by Breccia; 2021-09-24 at 08:06 AM.

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