Armor made from Tarrasque carapace [Archive] - Wizards Community

Armor made from Tarrasque carapace [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
JulesLetters
11-02-06, 01:05 PM I'd like to know just what wearing this armor would entail.

Before someone challenges the idea itself, note that parts detached from the Tarrasque dies and decays normally. That means the carapace can go under the same process of making armor that any other flesh can (be it of animals, dragons, or other creatures).

Obviously, the armor would be nigh-invaluable, but disregarding the time it would take to craft something of such high quality (think large skill boosts + psifabricate), what kind of effects can be expected? The basic armor stats would be the same, but what about the ability to reflect magic? It's an extraordinary ability, and as noted in the text, a quality of the carapace itself, not the Tarrasque.

Sooo... Magic reflection. Some ideas I've come up with:
1) % reflection: Arcane Spell Failure Chance minus thirty?
2) % reflection: (10 - max Dex bonus) * 10 ?
3) Maybe the effect still damages the wearer, but also the caster?
4) The armor becomes damaged after each spell that rebounds, so armor HP would actually be put into use?

2, 3, and 4 together feel like the best fit to me, but I'm hoping for as much input on this as possible. Thanks in advance!
Llathos
11-02-06, 01:08 PM I'll be the first to put out the totally useless, unimaginative, and combative statement:

"It's just an animal and it's special abilities are not in it's skin. Making armor from the creature will just make standard non magical Hide armor."

There, that's out of the way.

Now, with that BS stated, you can continue the actually creative and fun solution brainstorming...
Mitchell
11-02-06, 11:37 PM If I were going to allow/use this, I would probably go this way.
The full carapace has a 30% chance of reflecting any of the mentioned spells. Using that as a base, I figure it like this.
Light armor=15%
Medium armor=20%
Heavy armor=25%

Special materials, such as adamantine, use the armor type alone to figure out the DR, so I would use the same to figure out the reflection ability. I wouldn't throw anything else into the mix, as that would just complicate things.
Use dragonhide as a guide to determine exactly what/how many types of armor can be made, and if you are able to make a shield, I would give you 5% reflection that would stack with that of your armor type.
Archangel62
11-03-06, 03:13 AM Well, one idea that I use in my games is that creatures with innate magical abilities have a sort of affinity for certain abilities. What this means is that a displacer beast hide makes it 25% cheaper to create cloaks of displacement because the magic is already in the beast itself.

As for the Tarrasque, I'd give it affinity for Fortification, spell resistance, and maybe a constant saving throw against dying and death affects?
Rhomphaia
11-03-06, 03:57 AM (Not intending to derail the thread but this is a cool idea)

maybe an armor like this is the reason why the damned thing always comes back after being killed? The person wearing the armor gets an invulnerability complex and and due to the magic inherent in the armor and the processes to create it, transforms into another tarrasque over the course of years.

Now wouldn't that make for a great villain?
Iry
11-03-06, 03:59 AM Just for giggles, you know that the Tarrasque can be tied down and his carapace infinitely harvested by intrepid craftsmen. I could easily imagine a King Kong style adventure spawning from such a situation.
Rhomphaia
11-03-06, 04:02 AM So that's why it disappears for years at a time, and is so ****** off when it does show up.
DracoPhoenix
11-03-06, 07:34 AM How about some sort of permanent fear effect - if you saw a guy walking down the street wearing a tarrasque hide, and appears none the worse for getting it, wouldn't you be more than a little cautious around him?
wonlee76
11-03-06, 11:30 AM Loko up the 2nd edition Tarrasque. It had descriptions in the monster entry of what you could make out of the Tarrasque's hide.

Unfortunately my recollection is that it wasn't too great such as spell reflection/turning or anything like that. Just really high end armor things like +5 shields or +5 Full Plate. In 2nd edition this was great because crafting magical items were a pain in a butt to do.
Archangel62
11-03-06, 01:02 PM Loko up the 2nd edition Tarrasque. It had descriptions in the monster entry of what you could make out of the Tarrasque's hide.

Unfortunately my recollection is that it wasn't too great such as spell reflection/turning or anything like that. Just really high end armor things like +5 shields or +5 Full Plate. In 2nd edition this was great because crafting magical items were a pain in a butt to do.

Well the crafting mechanics were mostly DM fiat from what I remember.
Necropolitan
11-03-06, 01:08 PM So that's why it disappears for years at a time, and is so ****** off when it does show up.

Nah, that, is from Hemmorroids.

Can you imagine sleeping for 50 years with THAT sort of crap growing out of your ass?

The Tarrasque doesn't eat cause he's hungry; he's Comfort-Feeding over depression cause his little abberatation tail is hurtin'; and it makes him self-concious.

He doesn't need to be killed; all he needs is some Preperation H.
Garonak
11-03-06, 01:29 PM From the AD&D second edition Montrous Manual:
"Legend says that a great treasure can be extracted from the tarrasque's carapace.
The upper portion, treated with acid and then heated in a furnace, is thought to yield gems (10d10 diamonds of 1,000 gp base value each). The underbelly material, mixed with the creature's blood and adamantite, is said to produce a metal that can be forged by master dwarven blacksmiths into 1d4 shields of +5 enchantment. It takes two years to manufacture each shield, and the dwarves aren't likely to do it for free."

Of course the system was a bit different back then so... But give the armor/shield some special abilities would be reasonable... Hey, you just killed the Tarrasque, you should get something material for it.
Optimator
11-03-06, 01:31 PM Gross.
Rhomphaia
11-03-06, 06:45 PM Nah, that, is from Hemmorroids.

Can you imagine sleeping for 50 years with THAT sort of crap growing out of your ass?

The Tarrasque doesn't eat cause he's hungry; he's Comfort-Feeding over depression cause his little abberatation tail is hurtin'; and it makes him self-concious.

He doesn't need to be killed; all he needs is some Preperation H.
Near-epic hemmorroids...my lord.

Then again, we really should shut up. The last thing we want is to give WotC ideas for MMV.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JulesLetters 11-02-06, 01:05 PM	I'd like to know just what wearing this armor would entail. Before someone challenges the idea itself, note that parts detached from the Tarrasque dies and decays normally. That means the carapace can go under the same process of making armor that any other flesh can (be it of animals, dragons, or other creatures). Obviously, the armor would be nigh-invaluable, but disregarding the time it would take to craft something of such high quality (think large skill boosts + psifabricate), what kind of effects can be expected? The basic armor stats would be the same, but what about the ability to reflect magic? It's an extraordinary ability, and as noted in the text, a quality of the carapace itself, not the Tarrasque. Sooo... Magic reflection. Some ideas I've come up with: 1) % reflection: Arcane Spell Failure Chance minus thirty? 2) % reflection: (10 - max Dex bonus) * 10 ? 3) Maybe the effect still damages the wearer, but also the caster? 4) The armor becomes damaged after each spell that rebounds, so armor HP would actually be put into use? 2, 3, and 4 together feel like the best fit to me, but I'm hoping for as much input on this as possible. Thanks in advance!
Llathos 11-02-06, 01:08 PM	I'll be the first to put out the totally useless, unimaginative, and combative statement: "It's just an animal and it's special abilities are not in it's skin. Making armor from the creature will just make standard non magical Hide armor." There, that's out of the way. Now, with that BS stated, you can continue the actually creative and fun solution brainstorming...
Mitchell 11-02-06, 11:37 PM	If I were going to allow/use this, I would probably go this way. The full carapace has a 30% chance of reflecting any of the mentioned spells. Using that as a base, I figure it like this. Light armor=15% Medium armor=20% Heavy armor=25% Special materials, such as adamantine, use the armor type alone to figure out the DR, so I would use the same to figure out the reflection ability. I wouldn't throw anything else into the mix, as that would just complicate things. Use dragonhide as a guide to determine exactly what/how many types of armor can be made, and if you are able to make a shield, I would give you 5% reflection that would stack with that of your armor type.
Archangel62 11-03-06, 03:13 AM	Well, one idea that I use in my games is that creatures with innate magical abilities have a sort of affinity for certain abilities. What this means is that a displacer beast hide makes it 25% cheaper to create cloaks of displacement because the magic is already in the beast itself. As for the Tarrasque, I'd give it affinity for Fortification, spell resistance, and maybe a constant saving throw against dying and death affects?
Rhomphaia 11-03-06, 03:57 AM	(Not intending to derail the thread but this is a cool idea) maybe an armor like this is the reason why the damned thing always comes back after being killed? The person wearing the armor gets an invulnerability complex and and due to the magic inherent in the armor and the processes to create it, transforms into another tarrasque over the course of years. Now wouldn't that make for a great villain?
Iry 11-03-06, 03:59 AM	Just for giggles, you know that the Tarrasque can be tied down and his carapace infinitely harvested by intrepid craftsmen. I could easily imagine a King Kong style adventure spawning from such a situation.
Rhomphaia 11-03-06, 04:02 AM	So that's why it disappears for years at a time, and is so ****** off when it does show up.
DracoPhoenix 11-03-06, 07:34 AM	How about some sort of permanent fear effect - if you saw a guy walking down the street wearing a tarrasque hide, and appears none the worse for getting it, wouldn't you be more than a little cautious around him?
wonlee76 11-03-06, 11:30 AM	Loko up the 2nd edition Tarrasque. It had descriptions in the monster entry of what you could make out of the Tarrasque's hide. Unfortunately my recollection is that it wasn't too great such as spell reflection/turning or anything like that. Just really high end armor things like +5 shields or +5 Full Plate. In 2nd edition this was great because crafting magical items were a pain in a butt to do.
Archangel62 11-03-06, 01:02 PM	Loko up the 2nd edition Tarrasque. It had descriptions in the monster entry of what you could make out of the Tarrasque's hide. Unfortunately my recollection is that it wasn't too great such as spell reflection/turning or anything like that. Just really high end armor things like +5 shields or +5 Full Plate. In 2nd edition this was great because crafting magical items were a pain in a butt to do. Well the crafting mechanics were mostly DM fiat from what I remember.
Necropolitan 11-03-06, 01:08 PM	So that's why it disappears for years at a time, and is so ****** off when it does show up. Nah, that, is from Hemmorroids. Can you imagine sleeping for 50 years with THAT sort of crap growing out of your ass? The Tarrasque doesn't eat cause he's hungry; he's Comfort-Feeding over depression cause his little abberatation tail is hurtin'; and it makes him self-concious. He doesn't need to be killed; all he needs is some Preperation H.
Garonak 11-03-06, 01:29 PM	From the AD&D second edition Montrous Manual: "Legend says that a great treasure can be extracted from the tarrasque's carapace. The upper portion, treated with acid and then heated in a furnace, is thought to yield gems (10d10 diamonds of 1,000 gp base value each). The underbelly material, mixed with the creature's blood and adamantite, is said to produce a metal that can be forged by master dwarven blacksmiths into 1d4 shields of +5 enchantment. It takes two years to manufacture each shield, and the dwarves aren't likely to do it for free." Of course the system was a bit different back then so... But give the armor/shield some special abilities would be reasonable... Hey, you just killed the Tarrasque, you should get something material for it.
Optimator 11-03-06, 01:31 PM	Gross.
Rhomphaia 11-03-06, 06:45 PM	Nah, that, is from Hemmorroids. Can you imagine sleeping for 50 years with THAT sort of crap growing out of your ass? The Tarrasque doesn't eat cause he's hungry; he's Comfort-Feeding over depression cause his little abberatation tail is hurtin'; and it makes him self-concious. He doesn't need to be killed; all he needs is some Preperation H. Near-epic hemmorroids...my lord. Then again, we really should shut up. The last thing we want is to give WotC ideas for MMV.