5.5e / 2024 · 5e / 2014 · Pathfinder 1E · D&D 3.5e

Demon Armor

Demon Armor is cursed fiendish armour whose 5e and 3.x versions share imagery but not mechanics. Use the complete section for the campaign edition rather than mixing the claw attacks, curse or spell effects between systems.

Explore: Magic Armour & Shields · Demons · Contagion · Restoration

At a Glance

Item	Demon Armor
Theme	Powerful cursed armour with clawed gauntlets and fiendish drawbacks
5e identity	Very Rare cursed armour, +1 AC, Abyssal, enhanced claw attacks, weakness against demons
3.x identity	+4 full plate, contagion claws, negative level for nonevil wearers
Best use	Treasure that creates a decision rather than a simple upgrade

D&D 5.5e / 2024
D&D 5e / 2014
Pathfinder 1e
D&D 3.5e

5.5e / 2024

Demon Armor is Very Rare armour requiring Attunement and can be any Light, Medium or Heavy armour. While wearing it, the character gains +1 Armor Class and knows Abyssal. Its clawed gauntlets allow Unarmed Strikes to deal 1d8 Slashing damage instead of their normal Bludgeoning damage, with a +1 bonus to the attack and damage rolls.

Curse: once donned, the armour cannot be doffed until the wearer is targeted by Remove Curse or similar magic. The wearer has Disadvantage on attack rolls against demons and on saving throws against their spells and special abilities.

5e / 2014

Demon Armor is Very Rare Plate requiring attunement. It grants +1 AC and allows the wearer to understand and speak Abyssal. The clawed gauntlets turn hand-based unarmed strikes into magical attacks dealing 1d8 slashing damage with +1 to attack and damage rolls.

Curse: the armour cannot be removed without remove curse or similar magic. While wearing it, the character has disadvantage on attack rolls against demons and on saving throws against their spells and special abilities.

Pathfinder 1E

Price: 52,260 gp · Aura: strong necromancy [evil] · CL: 13th · Weight: 50 lb.

This is +4 full plate with clawed gauntlets. The claws deal 1d10 damage, strike as +1 weapons and can afflict a struck target as though affected by contagion; a DC 14 Fortitude save negates that disease effect.

A nonevil wearer gains one negative level while the armour is worn. The negative level disappears when the armour is removed and cannot be removed while the armour remains worn.

Construction: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, contagion; construction cost 26,955 gp.

D&D 3.5e

Price: 52,260 gp · Aura: strong necromancy [evil] · CL: 13th.

The armour is +4 full plate. Its built-in claws deal 1d10 damage, act as +1 weapons and can carry the effect of contagion on a normal melee hit; the target can resist with the listed Fortitude save.

Any nonevil wearer suffers one negative level while the armour is worn. It vanishes when the armour is removed, never becomes permanent level loss and cannot be removed by restoration while the armour remains worn.

Construction: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, contagion; 3.5e construction cost 26,130 gp plus 2,090 XP.

Why Demon Armor Is Dangerous

Demon Armor offers enough raw power to tempt a character into accepting a serious liability. That tension is the point of the item. In 5e, the curse is especially sharp because the wearer becomes worse at fighting the very creatures most strongly associated with the armour. In the 3.x systems, a nonevil wearer pays through a negative level while the suit remains worn.

It works best when the curse is treated as part of the item’s identity rather than as a footnote to the AC bonus.

Run It at the Table

5.5e / 2024: the armour can be Light, Medium or Heavy. That is a meaningful change from 2014 Plate-only Demon Armor.
5e / 2014: keep the Plate base, +1 AC, Abyssal and claw attack together with the curse.
Curse: once the armour is worn, removing it requires Remove Curse or comparable magic. Do not let the wearer casually doff it whenever the demon-fighting penalty becomes inconvenient.
3.x: the claws and contagion effect use the listed edition mechanics, and the negative level applies to nonevil wearers while the armour remains worn.

Adventure Pressure

Demon Armor is more interesting when acquiring it creates a problem. A defeated cult champion may leave behind a suit too useful to ignore. A commander may need it for one battle even though the enemy includes demons. A collector may want the armour intact, while a temple insists it be destroyed.

The suit also creates strong identification scenes: learning that the armour is cursed should matter before a character commits to wearing it, especially if the group has limited access to curse-breaking magic.