Living Armor (3.5e Race)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 11-14-19 Status: 光復香港，時代革命 Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Living Armor

Living armor are constructs that are empty hollow shells, animated by a bound spirits. Most were created as mindless guardians to guard ancient temples and castles long forgotten, and through the rigors of time their base animated spirit became aware of their situation and one day merely departed from their instructions to seek purpose. Sometimes, others find rare methods of transferring a soul into an armor and binding it to revive a dead creature, reincarnating them in a metal hollow shell. Regardless of the origins, the end result in an armor which moves on its own animated by ghostly energy within.

Personality

Living armors, be they awakened sentinels or bound reincarnated spirits, are often seen as having a weak ego and personality. The inability to express oneself beyond subtle deformations in the mask or face, the muted and dulled sensation of feeling, and the often disconnected natures of the spirits themselves all lead to a large, silent, brooding brute. At least, this is the stereotype. In truth living armors that are intelligent as these are rare creations indeed and each it an individual unto their own.

Physical Description

Living armors are quite literally hollow animated armors. Their innards glow with a ghostly light, and the interior of their breastplate possesses a blood marked rune that is thankfully able to weather most environments and water. It is this magic sigil which acts as their heart and soul, and without it they are merely a pile of metal chunks. As armor their designs vary wildly but even in their most base form they have an appearance not unlike lightly armored and stripped down full plate, fully covering in most of their form save for the glowing cracks where their spiritual energy is visible.

They are capable of moving their body parts around unnaturally, jiggling and clattering, and are even capable of opening up to allow a willing creature to don them. When worn, the creature within often glows with the same colored light which makes up the living armors spirit. Living armors only allow trusted creatures to wear them, as it is somewhat restrictive to its own being to do so, and creatures describe the sensation as "statically charged and haunting".

Relations

Living armors are rare creatures and have no inherent relations to any beings.

Alignment

Living armors can be of any alignment.

Lands

As unnatural and rare creatures, living armors do not have a land to call their own. If they appear anywhere "naturally" it would be the ruins of ancient kingdoms and castles from which they may have once served and recently awoken.

Religion

Living armors do not inherently possess a cultural religion.

Language

Living armors speak Common.

Names

Living armors are giving names by others, for there is often little reason to name them inherently. Some living armors, born from other creatures, may keep the names they had in their previous lives.

Racial Traits

• +2 Strength, - Constitution, -2 Charisma: Living armors are strong and devoid of any sort of biology. Their personalities are muted along with their feelings.
• Construct: Living armors are constructs brought to life by magic. 
• Medium: As a Medium creature, a living armor has no special bonuses or penalties due to its size.
• Living Armor base land speed is 20 feet. However, living armors can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations). 
• Darkvision: A living armor can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a living armor can function just fine with no light at all.
• Low-Light Vision: A living armor can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. 
• Armor Form (Ex): Living armors possess an inherent +4 armor bonus, with -1 armor check penalty, no maximum Dexterity modifier, and no arcane spell failure. They count as masterwork light armor and may be enhanced or have material properties added to it. They may also adapt normal armor and fuse it or strip it from their bodies over the course of 24 hours, obtaining the benefits of said armor but with the maximum Dex bonus increased by 1, its armor check penalty reduced by 2, and its arcane spell failure reduced by 5%. Its weight is halved for the purpose of carry capacity. Living armors may count as unarmored when beneficial. They count as being made of primarily metal for the purpose of interacting with spells and other effects.

Living armor are actually a form of armor, and count as whatever armor proficiency they are using for the purposes of being "worn". A creature of appropriate size may enter a willing living armor and benefit from their inherent armor bonus. While hosting a creature within them they have two standard (one from each) and one move action between themselves using whosevers move action they see fit. Attacks against a character wearing living armor transfer damage evenly between the living armor and its occupant. Area effects have the living armor and its occupant roll and take the better of the two rolls for both of them.

Wearing a living armor takes a full round action from the creature entering which provokes attacks of opportunity. The living armor may eject its host as a standard action. In the event of a conflict and the wearer is not ejected for whatever reason, opposed Strength rolls determine how the armor moves.

Living armor can be separated and dismembered, with their torso containing their main animating spirit. Living armor always knows which direction their wayward pieces are in, but no other information, and can reattach the broken piece by holding it to the stump for 1 round. They can even lose their head, but doing so renders them blind and deaf. 

• Binding Rune (Ex): Living armor have a binding rune within their base armor that holds their mind and soul, and as a result they are incapable of having their soul removed, displaced, or stolen without first destroying this rune. While living armors are immune to critical hits, if the armor is rendered helpless their binding rune can be damaged or erased as a coup de grace action as if it were a normal living creature. In addition the binding rune means they are not inherently immune to mind-affecting effects or morale bonuses and penalties.

As long as the binding rune exists, the living armor may be raised and resurrected as any normal living creature. If the rune was erased or destroyed, its binding rune can be retraced with a DC 20 Knowledge Arcana or Spellcraft check in a ritual that takes 24 hours, 500 gp in reagents, and requires the rune to be marked in blood. Afterward, they can be revived normally. 

• Construct Traits: As constructs, living armors are immune to ability damage and drain (but see Reinforced Plating), death effects, disease, energy drain, exhaustion, fatigue, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep, and stunning. They are also immune to critical hits, sneak attacks, and non-lethal damage. They are not immune to mind-affecting effects. They are capable of self maintenance and can restore damage by resting as if they were a living creature, but are also subject to Fortitude saves beyond what works on objects or what is harmless. If brought below 0 hp they are rendered inert and stable, but die at -10 as normal. They do not gain bonus hit points based on size and instead can reinforce their plating to obtain bonus hit points. As they are immune to positive and negative energy, they must be restored through the use of effects such as the repair^SpC series of spells. Living armors do not breathe, eat, or sleep. 
• Martial Training (Ex): Living armors are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all armors (light, medium, and heavy), and shields (but not tower shields). If they would gain proficiency in these weapon categories they benefit from Weapon Focus with those weapons, and already have benefits for binding armor to their bodies (see armor form). 
• Racial Hit Dice: A living armor begins with three levels of Construct which provide 3d10 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +2, and they may choose one saving throw to have good progression (one at +3, two at +1). Its racial hit dice count as stacking with one of its other class levels it takes for the purpose of level based scaling (such as the caster level of a wizard) but it does not grant any class features, spell slots, or similar abilities. A living armor 3/wizard 2 would only have 1st level spells, but be at caster level 5th. 
• Racial Skills: A living armors levels give it skill points equal to 6 × (4 + Int modifier). Its may select any six skills as class skills. 
• Racial Feats: A living armors levels give it two feats. 
• Reinforced Plating (Ex): While living armors lack a constitution score, they can obtain bonuses to their hit points through purchasing reinforcements to their plating. It functions as an effective Constitution score for the purposes of Fortitude saves and hit points, and costs 2000 gp x the modifier bonus squared, to a maximum of +10. For example, a +4 reinforced plating bonus would cost 2000 x 16 = 32,000 gp. The Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat functions on this as if it were an enhanced armor or weapon. Living armor can take ability penalties, damage, or drain to their reinforced plating as if it were Constitution and restore it in the same manner. 
• Slam (Ex): Living armors have a feral strike (slam) that deals 1d10 bludgeoning with 19-20/x2 critical. They may add material or enhancement properties to this slam separate from their armor.
• Automatic Languages: Common
• Bonus Languages: Any (except secret languages)
• Favored Class: Fighter
• Level Adjustment: +0
• Effective Character Level: 3

Vital Statistics

Table: Living Armor Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
0 years	+1	+1d4	+2d4

Table: Living Armor Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
N/A years	N/A years	N/A years	+Unlimited years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Living Armor Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	6' 0"	+1d10	100 lb.	× (1d6) lb.
Female	5' 10"	+1d10	90 lb.	× (1d6) lb.

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