Post/Author/DateTime	Post
katarl 04-07-07, 03:45 PM	Bonecraft armour is a combination of ribcages, small bones and cartilage, all fused together with necromantic magic into a very macabre suit of armour. Its something that i've been working on for combat-based dread necromancers, but any non-goodly combatant could wear and use it, though its benefits are only truly realised when the necromancer who made it (or at least animated it) wears it. Unanimated Full Bonecraft armour [Exotic] Heavy armour +6 armour bonus +1 max dex -6 check 35% spell failure hardness 6, 16hp To create bonecraft armour, you cannot simply make a craft check, it requires significant magical skill to form, or it would be unuseable, as the bone is not nearly pliable enough to create any substantial armour (see a+e guide to see normal bone armour). You need to either use fabricate, and make a craft (boneworking) check, dc 20, or the 4th level hollowfaust spell (scarred lands) bone construct with the same check to create the armour shown above. There are three qualities of armour, as shown, with their requirements: Normal- 4 normal medium skeletons Superior- 4 medium skeletons of at least 14 str each (in life) and each no more than a week old (from point of death) Masterwork- 4 medium skeletons of at least 18 str each (in life) and each no more than a day old (") Preservative magic can be used. Superior bonecraft armour grants an extra +1 armour bonus, while masterwork bonecraft armour grants a +2 armour bonus. Thus a masterwork full bonecraft armour would grant a +8 armour bonus. Then, you can animate the armour, which requires all the normal procedures and costs of animation. Necromancers usually use animate dead for this. Normal- 1 hd- str 13- 25gp onyx Superior- 2 hd- str 14, -50gp onyx Masterwork- 4hd- str 18- 100gp onyx An animate armour must be worn by the necromancer who animated it, or else its control be transferred from the original necromancer to the new owner, usually rebuke undead or command undead. Trying to cast command or control undead on a mindless undead usually instantly works, and will on an unattended suit, but a worn one allows a will save from the wearer to save vs the effects. If a person wears an animated suit not owned by him, he must continually make grapple attempts against the armour (the armour has 1/2 hd + str mod grapple bonus). Four successive grapple or escape artist checks passed allows the wearer to escape the armour, as does dealing damage to it enough to 'kill' it. Wearing a responsive animated suit has numerous advantages, firstly, you may use the suits strength score instead of your own for any purposes. Secondly, you gain the suits pool of hp (d12 per hd) as temporary hp. If this temporary hp falls to zero, the suit is no longer animate and you lose the animate advantages (but you're still wearing the armour, which must be sundered to be destroyed). You keep all the benefits and penalties of wearing the bonecraft armour in any case (speed, check penalties, armour bonuses). The following class features/feats grant the following benefits to animate bonecraft you create (not just wear). Corpsecrafter- +4 str, +2 hp/hd Nimble Bones- one category lighter, -10% spell failure, -2 check Destructive Retribution- as feat (use with caution unless undead yourself!) Hardened Flesh- +2 armour bonus (+8/+9/+10) Turn resistance- as feat Deadly Chill- add +1d6 to damage Undead Master- +4 str (doesn't stack) one category lighter (stacks with nb) -10% spell failure, -2 check, +2 max dex, +2 hp/hd (stacks with cc) And any feats that you see in my sig below. I'm interested in anything that i've missed, thoughts about the armour and general queries. Please do Examine and Critique Honestly. PAQ (possibly asked questioned) Masterwork and Superior skeletons are from scarred lands Hollowfaust. There is no 'cost' for the armour, other than the skeletons, and the animation cost. To buy it on the open market would cost at least 280gp for skeletal construct casting and 4 skeletons, with at least an additional 175gp for animating. Animate bonecraft armour are treated as normal skeletons if not worn. It takes as much time to get into and out of this armour as fullplate. Animated armour counts as 'assistance'. The animated armour cannot attack on its own if worn, nor can it 'aid another' or have any actions. A suit not being controlled is actively murderous. A suit controlled by a someone who isn't trying to kill the wearer simply stands inert, they instantly pass their grapple attempts, so it takes 4 rounds to get out without damaging the armour. Owning animate armour like this is an evil act, if casting animate dead is in your setting. Owning non-animate armour is not inherently evil. It is not currently possible to wear a suit larger or smaller than you are. You cannot enchant the animate armour, you can with the inanimate armour, but it will be suppressed while animate. You can 'heal' this armour's temporary hp with negative energy, but not hp lost from sunder while not animate. You can't 'masterwork' the inanimate armour, it is already assumed to be masterwork.
Fencerboy 04-07-07, 11:13 PM	well I haven't got time to PEACH this right now, but I'll try tomorrow. I like the idea, so I'll :bump:
antsterr 04-08-07, 08:02 AM	The idea of wearing human bones about your body is gross but pretty cool for the really creap bad guys. I like it. A new kind of meat shield for a caster to hide behind :D
katarl 04-08-07, 08:50 AM	I've been thinking it over, and have made a few modifications. The armour no longer functions when not worn, and you need to have all the pieces of the armour worn to use it properly. I've also drawn up some examples for testing, and found that its useful for a combat orientated dread necro, but only if he creates it with both undead mastery and nimble bones, or one of the two with battle caster feat. Its generally best for clerics with low str and con scores.
katarl 04-09-07, 07:47 AM	bump.