I recently ran into a problem in the DL campaign i've been DMing. Basically, the mage in the party is going to be gaining a magical robe very soon(once he completes his Test of High Sorcery). My problem is whether or not he will be able to don his new magical robe over his current mithral chain shirt.
The only rule I've found on this is in the DMG3.5 on pg 214 under "Magic Items on the Body". It says that one robe or suit of armor can be fitted over a vestment or shirt. This would seem to solve the problem except that the rules here are in the context of avoiding stacking "magical" items onto one part of the body. He won't be wearing more than one magical item on his torso(his new robe). To further complicate things, he has been wearing the mundane robe that comes with a scholar's outfit over his mithral shirt since the beginning of the campaign. He insists that no outfit should interfere with ability to wear armor(especially light armor). And if he can wear his scholar's robe over his chain then he can wear any magical robe over his chain.
With the open-endedness of 3rd edition this could cause problems, like my fighter in plate armor wanting to wear a robe(it might look silly, but my d20's couldn't care less what I look like). And since this is a DL campaign we want our wizards to be able represent their orders without forfeiting the freedom of choice 3rd edition has provided for D&D.
Any thoughts or solutions?
Now if he is wearing a magical robe over a set of non magical armor such as any armor that is made from a special material and that has no magical "enhancements" on it then there should be no problem. However should he get the armor magically "enhanced" and still wear the robe then the enhancements would not take. It is just like he can wear 10 rings, 20 if you want to count toes, but only 2 will work properly. You could even come up with some backfires due to trying to combine the two magical energies together.
Does the robe match his eyes? Does he have last year's mithral shirt, or the new Spring/Summer style? Will it go with his boots? Oh my God: Mauve and creme do not go together. Ever.
Maybe something in magenta with a rhinestone belt. No, maybe a jade belt with a figuirine of wondrous fashion sense tucked into the belt (but on the outside of the robe).
Rooks, everyone knows rhinestones and jade were so pre-cataclysm. Sounds like someone needs queer eye for the mage guy!
Ohmygod ohmygod! Crap! You're right. Totally my bad.
Go with something in draconian hide leather and emeralds.
Is the mage going to be a warmage>
No, he's a standard blackrobe wizard. The robe I plan on giving him will probably have +2 AC(deflection) and cast "glittering robe"(absorbs 1d8 damage plus 1 hp per level) 2/day.
No, he's a standard blackrobe wizard. The robe I plan on giving him will probably have +2 AC(deflection) and cast "glittering robe"(absorbs 1d8 damage plus 1 hp per level) 2/day.
If the mithral chain shirt isn't magical then the bonuses would stack. The chain shirt gives a +4 armour bonus and the robe gives a +2 deflection bonus so the character would get +6 to his AC. Now, if the armour was magical as well I'm not sure if you'd have to choose one or the other.
In the first case you could chose to gain the benefits of the robe or the shirt, in the latter case you would always get the bonuses granted by the shirt.
No, he's a standard blackrobe wizard. The robe I plan on giving him will probably have +2 AC(deflection) and cast "glittering robe"(absorbs 1d8 damage plus 1 hp per level) 2/day.
That doesnt sound like a bad item to have.
For instance trying to wear a Ring of Protection +1, with a ring of Wizardry (I), and a Ring of sustenance. In this scenario all three could not possibley work at the same time as they are all active constantly. The DMG does not state how the two active rings are determined (I believe this is left in the hands of the DM for game play purposes).
Now if the person is wearing 10 rings, and they all must be activiated (by command word or other) then it would really not matter much as most "Activated" rings only last for a few rounds or minutes and such.
Now on to the Robe and Armor question.
The DMG state that you cannot benefit from the magical abilities of a set of Armor and a robe at the same time.
So if your are wearing a set of +2 Chain Mail and Robe the gives you a +3 to AC, you would still get the +5 that the chain mail normally gives and the +3 from the Robes.
Now this is wear it get really interesting. If you are wearing a ring of natural armor +1, and a Ring of protection +1 (deflection bonus) they both stack. Why, is it because they are both rings or is it because the bonuses are of two different types? You cannot benefit from two rings of protection +1 in where the bonuses are both deflection bonuses, so why is there such a difference with armor?
My take (and opinion I might add) is this: If you are wearing a set of of armor that has an enhancement bonus of +whatever, and you are wearing a robe that gives you a bonus to armor class that is a non-enhancement bonus (such as deflection, natural armor, etc...) then they stack. If the bonuses however are of the same type (or non-declared as to what type it is, default enhancement) then they do not stack and you get the benefit of the higher bonus.
Personally I do not see why a player cannot benefit from wearing as many rings as he can fit on his person provided they do not conflict with each other or overlap in their magic.
Personally I do not see why a player cannot benefit from wearing as many rings as he can fit on his person provided they do not conflict with each other or overlap in their magic.
There seems to be too many different bonus types though. Taking advantage would be too easy.
+2 Ring of Prot.(Deflect), +2 Ring of Prot.(Luck), +2 Ring of Prot.(Insight), +2 Ring of Prot.(Sacred), +2 Ring of Prot.(Natural Armor), +2 Mithral Full Plate(+8 Armor, +2 Enhancement)
To craft these would cost...
4,000 gp / 5,000 gp / 5,000 gp / 5,000 gp / 5,000 gp / 5,500gp respectively
For a total of 29,500 gp and 2,080 XP. This is actually a rather paltry sum(especially spread out over a couple levels) for what you get(AC 30 before Dex, Size, Shield, etc.) given that the parties mage would be at least Lev 12 before he could forge these rings and armor. You could probably boost the enchantments to +3 and still be able to afford them, giving you AC 36. Only the absolute biggest, baddest CR 12 creatures would have anywhere close to a 50% chance to hit.
On the math though you would only get an AC of 20 before Dex, Size, Shield and only a 26 AC (with bonuses of +3) before Dex Size, Shield.
But hey that is going by the explaination of the rules.
Do you realize that with the rules the way they are I can make a magic item for 1,000 Gp that will cure 1 Hp per round with the Craft Wondrous Item and the Cure Minor spell. You would never really need a healer again. But hey that is the way the rules are setup. :D :D :D
I'd like to see the 2nd Ed Encyclopedia Magica converted to 3rd Ed
With creation rules as they are, 5th Ed will be out by the time they complete the project. :D10(base)
+2(deflect)
+2(luck)
+2(insight)
+2(sacred)
+2(natural armor)
+8(armor)
+2(enhancment)
= AC 30
In the Dungeon Master's Guide item creation rules, it also states that DMs should review each magic item that is brought up for creation by their players. If something seems too cheap (being able to use Cure Minor Wounds as a standard action, any number of times per day, for 9000gp), they need to apply a little thing called "DM Fiat"; same thing with a 'Vest of Mage Armor' that would cost around 1,800gp.
You have to learn to make judgement calls. A 'Vest of Mage Armor' is effectively a +4 Vest, which would cost a whole crap-ton more than 1,800gp.
More to the point, how is this silly mage dealing with the Arcane Spell Failure of his chain shirt? That'd get rather annoying, I'd think.
-TRRW
Unlike some I can admit when I am wrong. Although it don't happen often, unless you ask my wife. :D :D :D :D :D RedRobed, "Mage Armor" (and any other spell that grants bonus to AC, Ability Adjustment, Skill adjustment, Save bonus, Spell Resistance or Attack) quallifies as a different "effect" as it grants a bonus to AC and is therefore not considered a continuous effect item if it is constant. If it was command word activated, spell trigger or spell completion then the effect would be different.
What I would like to see (listen up head-honchos) is a book devoted entirely to the creation of Magic Item and magical theory that explains how magic interweaves with itself. We have a book that explains the different templates and subtypes that monster can have. Let's make up a book that contains magical thought and theory and a whole butt-load of magic items, like the old Magic Encyclopedia.
More to the point, how is this silly mage dealing with the Arcane Spell Failure of his chain shirt? That'd get rather annoying, I'd think.
It's made from mithral. So it's only 10% spell failure. He's chosen to deal with it and so far it really hasn't been much of a problem for him.
I thought it said in the book that they could not becauses the gods of magic would not allow it (They did alow dagers in memory of some guy i can't remember).
But hey things have gotten very screwy since the second cataclism (age of mortals) so i gess that that rule may have been droped or when Dragon lance was converted to 3.0/3.5
In memory of Magius.
Wizards have always been capable of carrying more than just dagger, it was just frowned upon and lokked down on. The WoHS are just arrogant and do not realize that sometimes a sword is better suited to the job than magic. Of course they should realize in that there is a t least one test that cannot be solved by magic alone required when Wizards take the big test. And I actually think he was just referring to Armor rather than ARMS. :D