Buy me a coffeeMagic Items, Magic Armor
In general, magic armor protects the wearer to a greater extent than nonmagical armor.
Magic armor bonuses are enhancement bonuses, never rise above +5, and stack with regular armor bonuses (and with shield and magic shield enhancement bonuses). All magic armor is also masterwork armor, reducing armor check penalties by 1.
In addition to an enhancement bonus, armor may have special abilities. Special abilities usually count as additional bonuses for determining the market value of an item, but do not improve AC. A suit of armor cannot have an effective bonus (enhancement plus special ability bonus equivalents) higher than +10. A suit of armor with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
A suit of armor or a shield may be made of an unusual material. Roll d%: 01-95 indicates that the item is of a standard sort, and 96-100 indicates that it is made of a special material.
Armor is always created so that even if the type of armor comes with boots or gauntlets, these pieces can be switched for other magic boots or gauntlets.
| Armor and Shields | ||||
| Minor | Medium | Major | Item | Base Price |
| 01-60 | 01-05 | – | +1 shield | 1,000 gp |
| 61-80 | 06-10 | – | +1 armor | 1,000 gp |
| 81-85 | 11-20 | – | +2 shield | 4,000 gp |
| 86-87 | 21-30 | – | +2 armor | 4,000 gp |
| – | 31-40 | 01-08 | +3 shield | 9,000 gp |
| – | 41-50 | 09-16 | +3 armor | 9,000 gp |
| – | 51-55 | 17-27 | +4 shield | 16,000 gp |
| – | 56-57 | 28-38 | +4 armor | 16,000 gp |
| – | – | 39-49 | +5 shield | 25,000 gp |
| – | – | 50-57 | +5 armor | 25,000 gp |
| – | – | – | +6 armor/shield1 | 36,000 gp |
| – | – | – | +7 armor/shield1 | 49,000 gp |
| – | – | – | +8 | armor/shield1 64,000 gp |
| – | – | – | +9 | armor/shield1 81,000 gp |
| – | – | – | +10 | armor/shield1 100,000 gp |
| 88-89 | 58-60 | 58-60 | Specific armor2 | – |
| 90-91 | 61-63 | 61-63 | Specific shield3 | – |
| 92-100 | 64-100 | 64-100 | Special ability and roll again4 | – |
| 1 Armor and shields can’t actually have bonuses this high. Use these lines to determine price when special abilities are added in. |
| 2 Roll on Table: Specific Armors. |
| 3 Roll on Table: Specific Shields. |
| 4 Roll on Table: Armor Special Abilities or Table: Shield Special Abilities. |
| Random Armor Type | ||
| Light armor | ||
| d% | Armor | Armor Cost1 |
| 01 | Armored Kilt* | |
| 02 | Padded | +155 gp |
| 03 | Quilted Cloth | |
| 04 | Leather | +160 gp |
| 05 | Rosewood armor | |
| 06 | Gladiator armour | |
| 07 | Leaf armor | |
| 08 | Parade armor | |
| 09-16 | Studded leather | +175 gp |
| 17-18 | Wooden | |
| 19-32 | Chain shirt | +250 gp |
| 33-41 | Hide shirt | |
| 42 | Light hoplite armor* | |
| Medium armor | ||
| 43-44 | Armored Coat | |
| 45-46 | Hide | +165 gp |
| 47-48 | Heavy hoplite armor* | |
| 48-49 | Scale mail | +200 gp |
| 50-51 | Chainmail | +300 gp |
| 52-55 | Breastplate | +350 gp |
| 56-57 | Breastplate (agile) | |
| Heavy armor | ||
| 58 | Andabatae armor* | |
| 59-60 | Splint mail | +350 gp |
| 61-62 | Banded mail | +400 gp |
| 63-64 | Half-plate | +750 gp |
| 65 | Half-plate (agile) | |
| 66-100 | Full plate | +1,650 gp |
1 Add to enhancement bonus on Table: Armor and Shields to determine total market price.
All magic armor is masterwork armor (with an armor check penalty 1 less than normal).
| Random Shield Type | ||
| d% | Shield | Shield Cost1 |
| 01-08 | buckler | +165 gp |
| 09 | Madu, leather | |
| 10 | Madu, steel | |
| 11-15 | Shield, light wooden | +153 gp |
| 16-20 | Shield, light steel | +159 gp |
| 21-30 | Shield, heavy wooden | +157 gp |
| 31-95 | Shield, heavy steel | +170 gp |
| 96-100 | Shield, tower | +180 gp |
1 Add to enhancement bonus on Table: Armor and Shields to determine total market price. All magic shields are masterwork shields (with an armor check penalty 1 less than normal).
Caster Level for Armor and Shields; The caster level of a magic shield or magic armor with a special ability is given in the item description. For an item with only an enhancement bonus, the caster level is three times the enhancement bonus. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met.
Shields; Shield enhancement bonuses stack with armor enhancement bonuses. Shield enhancement bonuses do not act as attack or damage bonuses when the shield is used in a bash. The bashing special ability, however, does grant a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls (see the special ability description).
A shield could be built that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC.
As with armor, special abilities built into the shield add to the market value in the form of additions to the bonus of the shield, although they do not improve AC. A shield cannot have an effective bonus (enhancement plus special ability bonus equivalents) higher than +10. A shield with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
Shield Hardness and Hit Points: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to a shield’s hardness and +10 to its hit points.
Activation Usually a character benefits from magic armor and shields in exactly the way a character benefits from nonmagical armor and shields-by wearing them. If armor or a shield has a special ability that the user needs to activate then the user usually needs to utter the command word (a standard action).
Armor for Unusual Creatures The cost of armor for nonhumanoid creatures, as well as for creatures who are neither Small nor Medium, varies. The cost of the masterwork quality and any magical enhancement remains the same.
Magic Armor and Shield Special Ability Descriptions
Most magic armor and shields only have enhancement bonuses. Such items can also have one or more of the special abilities detailed below. Armor or a shield with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
1 Add to enhancement bonus on Table: Armor and Shields to determine total market price.
2 If you roll a special ability twice, only one counts. If you roll two versions of the same special ability, use the better.
1 Add to enhancement bonus on Table: Armor and Shields to determine total market price.
2 If you roll a special ability twice, only one counts. If you roll two versions of the same special ability, use the better.
Specific Magic Armor
The following specific suits of magic armor usually are pre-constructed with exactly the qualities described here.
| Specific magic armor | ||||
| Minor | Medium | Major | Specific magic armor | Market Price |
| 01-40 | 01-2o | – | Mithril Shirt | 1,100 gp |
| 41-50 | 21-25 | – | Celestial Argentum Breastplate | 2,100 gp |
| 51-65 | 26-35 | – | Dragonhide Plate | 3,300 gp |
| 66-80 | 40-45 | – | Statuesque Armor (Cursed) | 4000 gp |
| 81-100 | 46-55 | – | Elven Chain | 4,150 gp |
| – | 56-60 | – | Rhino Hide | 5,165 gp |
| – | 61-65 | – | Razor Armor | 5,600 gp |
| – | 66-70 | 01-05 | Sticky Armor | 6000 gp |
| – | 71-75 | 09-10 | Tinted Mail | 8000 gp |
| – | 76-80 | 11-15 | Adamantine Breastplate | 10,200 gp |
| – | 81-83 | 16-20 | Grim Defender | 11,350 gp |
| – | 84-85 | 21-25 | Fleshshifter Armor | 13,160 gp |
| – | 86-88 | 26-30 | Armor of the Dread Emperor | 14,650 gp |
| – | 89-90 | 31-35 | Dwarven Plate | 16,500 gp |
| – | 91-97 | 36-40 | Blade Resistant Armor | 18,000 gp |
| – | 98-100 | 41-45 | Banded Mail of Luck | 18,900 gp |
| – | – | 46-50 | Rusty Armor | 20,000 gp |
| – | – | 51-55 | Vassal Armor | 20,250 gp |
| 56-60 | Fiendish Full Plate | 20,650 gp | ||
| – | – | 61-65 | Celestial Armor | 22,400 gp |
| – | – | 66-70 | Plate Armor of the Deep | 24,650 gp |
| – | – | 71-75 | Fleet Armor | 25,000 gp |
| – | – | 76-8o | Breastplate of Command | 25,400 gp |
| – | – | 81-85 | Mithral Full Plate of Speed | 26,500 gp |
| – | – | 86-90 | Devilhusk Armor | 33,165 gp |
| – | – | 91-95 | Death Armor | 40,000 gp |
| – | – | 96-100 | Demon Armor | 52,260 gp |
Specific Shields
The following specific shields usually are preconstructed with exactly the qualities described here.
| Specific Shields | ||||
| Minor | Medium | Major | Specific Shield | Market Price |
| 01-30 | 01-20 | – | Darkwood Buckler | 205 gp |
| 31-50 | 21-30 | – | Darkwood Shield | 257 gp |
| 51-80 | 31-45 | – | Shield of Battle (Cursed) | 1,000 gp |
| 81-90 | 46-60 | – | Mithral Heavy Shield | 1,020 gp |
| 91-92 | 61-70 | 01-05 | Shield of Disguise | 1500 gp |
| 93-95 | 71-75 | 06-10 | Slippery Shield | 1500 gp |
| 96-100 | 76-85 | 11-20 | Caster’s Shield | 3,153 gp |
| – | 86-90 | 21-40 | Spined Shield | 5,580 gp |
| – | 91-95 | 41-60 | Lion’s Shield | 9,170 gp |
| – | 96-99 | 61-80 | Winged Shield | 17,257 gp |
| – | 100 | 81-90 | Asura Shield | 27,180 gp |
| – | – | 91-100 | Absorbing Shield | 50,170 gp |