Random Magic Item: Golem Vest

[XeviatTranion]

Really random idea just popped up (did it after working on a wp/vp thread where I ended up figuring out how powerful a fireball it would take to melt an iron door).

Anyway, the item is simple: Golem Vest.

This iron vest seems too heavy to wear comfortably, but upon donning it the wearer finds it fuse fluidly to their body. The wearer's consititution is set to -, granting them immunity to critical hits, sneak attacks, and any effects which require fortitude saves (unless those effects can target items). The wearer also gains X/Adamantine DR, where X is equal to their previous Constitution score. The wearer also gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, but a -4 enhancement penalty to Dexterity.

Ideas?

[Cheiromancer]

Can it be removed easily, or is it a kind of cursed item? As a campaign/plot issue, what happens if someone who is very old puts it on- do they still die of old age? Does it affect a character's appearance?

Does it affect a character's spellcasting ability? I'm thinking that it might be undesirable for fighter types (because of the drop in hit points; DR helps in melee, but not vs fireballs or dragon breath) but that wizards and sorcerers might like it. Especially if they had a Con penalty.

It would be very expensive; the DR and the fortification abilities are worth a lot, and immunity to effects that affect fortitude saves is really valuable. Does it give protection to ability damage/drain? Or energy drain? Does it change the character's type to construct? Do they still benefit from cure spells?

I wonder if the DR might be too high. Maybe 5+Con modifier would be better than Con score. I.e. half of what you originally suggest.

[Cabral]

So it's a permanent Iron Body?

[domino]

What would you price that at/expect the character to be levelwise to get it?

Because that's a DARNED powerful item. I can easily see it giving people DR 25 or so.

[XeviatTranion]

I had no idea of what cost it could have. I think it would make the person look metallic, and it would protect against those drains and damages. Basically you get the construct features but not the type.

And it did end up being similar to iron body, but with a few differences (DR = Con being the biggest).

The loss of hit points is going to be bigger the higher your con is. One thing that's been odd to me; golem DR is x/adamantine, but it's suposed to represent hardness. Hardness protects against energy, but dr x/adamantine doesn't?

[Cabral]

Well, if you don't price it as continual Iron Body, consider that +1 leather armor with Invulnerbility (DR 5/magic) and Heavy Fortification (100% Critical hit and sneak attack negation) would cost 81,000 gp having an effective +9 armor bonus (+1 enhancment, +3 Invulnerbility, +5 heavy Fortification). This barely scratches the surface of what you want the vest to do and is near epic in pricing (just needs a +2 effective modifier to push it over).

Pricing it as a continuous Iron Body gets you 8 x 15 x 2000 gp x2 (1 min/lvl duration) x1.5 (improper item affinity) = 720,000 gp ... solidly in the epic item creation category.

As it should be since your version (as opposed to the leather armor version above) allows monks to still use their fast movement, AC bonus and other class abilities and allows arcane casters to cast without spell failure. In addition, every point of DR is effectively a +1 on concentration checks to keep casting a spell when the DR applies. (you get hit by an attack of opportunity for 30 pts of damage but have 15 pts of DR, so the DC of the concentration checks drops by 15.)