Armor made from Bulette hide?

[wolff96]

Re: Bulette Hide Armor

What's the advantage to this? People with no metalworking skill can produce banded armor when they would ordinarily be limited to hide.

There's one other benefit that includes it's own built-in niche market.

Druids can't wear armor of metal.

A suit of Bulette hide with whatever statistics will be a lot better than anything else that a druid could wear, and it's still HIDE armor.

 

[MythandLore]

Here is the house rule our group has been using for several months now.

Dragon-hide and "Other Creature-hide" Armors

The cost (value) of creature hide armor is equal to the adjusted natural armor bonus multiplied by 400gp, then add the Armor's (normal) cost in gold pieces multiplied by 2, and then multiply the total by 20; So a suit of "+5 Natural AC Great Wyrm Red Dragon-hide masterwork full-plate" would be worth 100,000gp.
+1 Natural AC is added to the Armor Bonus of a shield or suit of armor for every +7 (round down) natural armor of the original creature.

This bonus to the armor reflects the natural toughness of the hide of the creature it was made from this is not an enchantment or a natural armor bonus to the creature using it so it "stacks" with a spell's, item's, or creature's natural armor bonus.
So armor made of Ankheg hide would provide an additional +1 natural armor to a suit of armor made from it (an Ankheg has +9 natural/7=1.3 round down is +1)

A creature produces enough hide for a single suit of masterwork hide armor for a creature up to one size smaller than the creature.

By selecting only choice bits of hide, an armor smith can produce one suit of masterwork banded-mail for a creature up to two sizes smaller, or one suit of masterwork half-plate for a creature up to three times smaller, or one suit of masterwork breastplate or suit of masterwork full plate for a creature four times smaller.
A creature of large size or larger can also produce enough hide for a single masterwork buckler, masterwork large shield or masterwork small shield along with the armor (treat shields as medium sized hide armor for the purpose of making it out of "blended" hides).

A masterwork tower shield can be made from the entire hide of a large size or larger creature.

If a creature is to small to make armor with its single hide, it can be added to the hide of other creatures to make a single suit of "blended" armor, when making "blended" armor hides from two creatures of the same size as the size of the armor are needed to make a single suit of masterwork hide armor, four for a suit of masterwork banned-mail, eight for a suit of masterwork half-plate, sixteen for a masterwork breastplate or masterwork full plate.

Twice as many hides are needed to make a suit of armor for each size smaller the base creature is from the size of the armor being made.

So if your were making a suit of armor for a medium size human out of tiny creature hides you'd need four times the amount of hide you would use then if it was made out of medium sized creatures, so a suit of medium sized masterwork full plate would take sixty four tiny creature hides to make.

Blended armor can be made out of creatures of different sizes.
When making "blended" armor get the average Natural Armor of the creatures used to find the armor bonus.

So, if your using 3 creatures add the 3 creatures Natural Armor Bonus and divide by 3 (round down), then divide the "average" natural armor bonus by 7 to find the natural armor bonus to the armor being made.

 

[Wolf72]

Wolf's dragon and other armor

it's a bulette? a fantastic creature? ... yup so are dragons, and the best you get out them is a non-magic suit of MW armor.

anyway before this gets bumped into house rules here's some of my homegrown rules ...


DragonHide and other Special Armors:
Currently armor made from dragon hide has the following statistics:

table [here] lists size of dragon and the armor you can make from it. What I added in was Padded armor of the size of the dragon slain (a medium dragon can make a suit of padded armor) and the option to create bucklers [2.5 lbs, no ASF, no ACP... non-metallic, 1,165gp]

All Items made are MW. You can make an armor that is lower on the table. A gargantuan Dragon’s hide does not have to be made into a huge suit of hide armor, it can be made into Large or smaller suit if [the crafter] so wishes ... although it may be a waste of some material. Regardless, the rules only allow for one suit armor to be made [so make it worth it!]. *ej’s add-in, Bucklers made of dragon hide are MW, have no Arcane Spell Failure and weigh 2½ lb., they can gain no EXTRAS [they are worth 1,165gp].
But that’s it! Dragon Armor is supposed to be special so here are my available EXTRAS. Each EXTRA has it’s own cost in regards to time as well as a regular market value (guideline). Any and all EXTRAS must be chosen at the time of creation. Only one EXTRA per size category may be selected (tiny 1 EXTRA, colossal up to 7 EXTRAS) [up to DM and campaign whether it is based on the armor size or the dragon size]. Large Shields may have up to 2 EXTRAS, Small shields may have up to 1 EXTRA. [EXTRA’s = equipment bonuses]


 +1 AC : DC +2, creation cost +300sp. This may be stacked (DC & cc stack too). {+750gp ea time}
 Resistance 5: DC +4, creation cost +500sp. It becomes Resist. 5 of what ever type of resistance the dragon had (See table below). {1st +1,000gp, 2nd +2,000 (total 3k)}
 ½ weight: DC +3, creation cost +400sp. The armor weighs ½ standard. See mithral armor DMG 242-3). {+800gp}
 Damage Reduction 1: DC +4, creation cost +600sp. The armor gains DR 1. {+1,000gp}
 -2 Armor Check: DC +2, creation cost +300sp. This is in addition to MW, total armor check is reduced by 3. {+500gp}
 +1 Dex bonus: DC +2, creation cost +250sp. The max dex bonus is increased by 1. {+500gp}
 -15% ASF: DC +6, creation cost +750sp. The Arcane Spell Failure rate is decreased by 15%. {+2,000gp}

1. Wyverns and Fang Dragons (Monsters of Fearun) have no Resistances and may not take that EXTRA.
2. Deep and Silver Dragons have two types of resistances, both may be used (see stacking AC bonus)
3. Dragon Armor Resistances: Resistance 5 of appropriate type (table below)

table shows dragons and the types of resistances armor from their hide may be created with.
Cold Deep, Crystal, Topaz, White, Silver
Force Amethyst
Sonic Emerald
Electricity Song, Sapphire, Blue, Bronze, Shen Lung
Neg. Energy Shadow
Fire Deep, Red, Brass, Gold, Ibrandlin, Dragon Turtle, Lung Wang
Acid Brown, Black, Green, Copper, Silver

Other Armors! Armors made from hides of fantastic creatures have the benefit of not being made of metal. All are considered MW items (-1 chk penalty in addtion to listed EXTRAS).
 Ankheg ScaleMail: ½ weight (see above). DC 23, creation cost 1,066sp. [1,000gp]
 Bulette SplintMail or 2 large shields: +1 AC. DC 22, creation cost 1,466sp splint or 866sp ea shield. [1,100gp armor or 920gp ea shield]
 Behir ScaleMail: Electricity Resistance 5. DC 24, creation cost 1,166sp. [1,200gp]
 Gorgon ChainShirt: +1 AC. DC 22, creation cost 1,133sp. [1,000gp]
 Hydra Studded Leather: ½ weight & -15% ASF. DC 29, creation cost 2,033sp. [2,975gp]
 Remorhaz Splint Mail: Cold Resistance 5. DC 24, creation cost 1,166sp. [1,350gp]
 UmberHulk Hide: +1 max dex bonus. DC 22, creation cost 800sp. [665gp]
 WinterWolf Padded: Cold Resistance 5. DC 24, creation cost 1,016sp. [1,155gp]
 Frost Worm Hide: Cold Resistant 5. DC 24, creation cost 1,050sp. [1,165gp]
 Ibrandlin: As Gargantuan Dragon.
 Wyvern: As Huge Dragon.
 Dragon Turtle: As Huge Dragon.
 Melnibonean Dragon: As Huge Dragon.
 Purple Worm Breast Plate: +1 AC & DR 1. DC 26, creation cost 2,066sp. [2,100gp]
 Chitin Armor: from montrous vermin/insects: ½ weight; Scale, Breastplate, Half-plate, or shields.

Power Component: If enchanted for resistance (during or after construction) Dragon armors/Special Hide Armors count as the xp and material cost for its specific resistance (or both, Deep & Silver). This is not an EXTRA, but a property of all Dragon Armor/Special Hide Armor. These are all NON-metallic armors. DM’s option for Druidic use (I’d allow it, they still need the appropriate feat though).
[option, (heck, it’s all optional ... )] Additionally these armors require the use of an Achemist. The DC for the Alchemy work is the same as the DC for the Armorer. The alchemy work can be done during or after armor creation, but it can only be done once and then only immediately after the initial creation. If done concurrently the alchemy and smith work must be done by seperate crafters. Be sure to add in the additional money and time for additional creation cost. The price (not final, just the Extra Price) should be doubled (x2) as well.

 

[Altalazar]

For just plain armor, I'd make it some variation of Hide armor, as was indicated here.

My favorite thing to do with 'special' components is to let it decrease the gold/exp cost for making specially enchanted items related to the item. For instance, red dragon hide being used to make a shield of fire resistance. 'Power items' I think it is called.

I am not sure what a Bullete would be good for, however.

In any case, it makes a good trophy.

 

[Vaxalon]

I'd say it would be a fine component for light fortification.

 

[beta-ray]

Awww give the vul... I mean players a break. Give 'em SOMETHING exotic about it. Why not simply make it impervious to other bulettes?

That'll at least give them a bulette-proof vest.

Just wondering... if someone got a giant crab shell, would that provide any help?

 

[Vaxalon]

You are NOT going to heaven for that!

 

[Bran Blackbyrd]

That'll at least give them a bulette-proof vest.

Ouch. I mean that's... Damn...

Hehe, it's so bad I wish I'd thought of it first.

 

[Dieter]

Awww give the vul... I mean players a break. Give 'em SOMETHING exotic about it. Why not simply make it impervious to other bulettes?

That'll at least give them a bulette-proof vest.

Just wondering... if someone got a giant crab shell, would that provide any help?

I think we all saw that one coming. I hope you didn't spend too much time thinking up that one.