Platemail Of Partnership
by Scott MooreThe following magic item was created for the purpose of combining two below-average Halfling PCs in my long-running Mystara campaign. Both characters had managed to survive to reach third level, but were not much of an asset to the party due to low ability scores. Rather than add a brand new third level PC and discard the other characters and their established history, the following item created an in-game excuse for "creating" a single, improved character, much better suited for the party, while preserving the experience and knowledge of the original characters.
Platemail of Partnership functions as regular platemail (AC 3) with no magical bonuses. Detect magic will not indicate its magical nature. When the wearer encounters another character that shares the same race, gender, class, level, and at least one ability score, the two beings are permanently merged into one being, with the shared knowledge and experiences of both original characters. This effect cannot be dispelled, except via a wish. After the merger, the platemail disappears and reappears at some other far away location. Each time the armour shows up at a new location, it is capable of changing its size. The armour is capable of appearing in any size appropriate for any of the common humanoid races. Statistics for the new combined character are:
- XP for both characters are added (typically increasing the resultant character by 1 level).
- The higher individual ability scores are used.
- Use average hit points without Constitution modifiers. Apply the resultant character's Constitution modifier after the average hit points are calculated.
- General skills lost (if applicable) are the ones most recently gained. Those skills that are lost should be the next ones selected when the resultant character gains the number of levels or XP required to select another general skill.
- Duplicate possessions (including magical and mundane items, as well as any carried wealth) disappear (keeping the resultant character from essentially doubling their hoard).
- Age, height, and weight are averaged.
- Comeliness, without Charisma modifiers, is averaged. The resultant character's new Charisma modifier is then applied. This is meant to indicate a combination of both previous characters' physical features present in the resultant character.
- If the original characters' alignment was the same, this becomes the alignment of the resultant character. Otherwise, the resultant character's alignment is neutral.
Options
- Rather than always appearing as a suit of platemail, the item may appear as any type of armour or shield.
- The levels of
the two original characters need not be the same. You can choose to add the starting characters' XP together,
average the starting characters' levels (possibly with a +1 level adjustment),
or use the higher of the two starting characters' levels (again, possibly with
a +1 level adjustment).