Can a Warforged add Heavy Fortification to their armor?

[reveal]

A warforged, naturally, has Light Fortification as an (Ex) ability. Can a warforged add Heavy Fortification to itself and, if so, what's the cost? It's normally a +5 cost to add it to armor.

 

[Rystil Arden]

A warforged, naturally, has Light Fortification as an (Ex) ability. Can a warforged add Heavy Fortification to itself and, if so, what's the cost? It's normally a +5 cost to add it to armor.

Yup, the Warforged can absolutely add Heavy Fortification to itself. However, the cost is not reduced by a single gold piece (still a +5). If you have an Artificer to heal you, you may want to look into the feat that gives you total immunity to crits in exchange for being unaffected by clerical healing

 

[reveal]

Yup, the Warforged can absolutely add Heavy Fortification to itself. However, the cost is not reduced by a single gold piece (still a +5). If you have an Artificer to heal you, you may want to look into the feat that gives you total immunity to crits in exchange for being unaffected by clerical healing

Thanks. Any reason it's not reduced in cost? If I take regular armor from light to heavy, doesn't it get reduced?

 

[Rystil Arden]

Thanks. Any reason it's not reduced in cost? If I take regular armor from light to heavy, doesn't it get reduced?

Theoretically, with the 3.5 upgrade rules, the fact that you have Light Fortification isn't what makes the upgrade from Light Fortification magic armour to Heavy Fortification cost less (and you are correct that it does reduce the cost), but rather, it is simply the fact that you are allowed to subtract the price of the lesser item you use for the upgrade from the final cost--the same sort of price discount would hold for taking regular +1 Silent Moves plate mail to +1 Heavy Fortification plate mail. Since the Warforged body's Light Fort ability does not have a listed GP cost, it doesn't reduce the final price--but it also doesn't count as Light Fort for purposes of making enhancements more expensive to buy. It's Light Fort (Ex) because their bodies work that way, not because they have a Light Fort enhancement on their chassis (if they did, then if they wanted to enhance themselves to be +1, it would cost 3000 gold instead of 1000)

 

[Infiniti2000]

Thanks. Any reason it's not reduced in cost? If I take regular armor from light to heavy, doesn't it get reduced?

It wouldn't get reduced if the light were not a magical ability. Here's you're not modifying the light fortification, you're overlapping an enhancement on it. The mundane light fortification and magical heavy fortification don't stack.

I'm not sure what an artificer is, but maybe he can give you Heavy Fortification (Ex) of some sort that would be cheaper.

 

[reveal]

It's Light Fort (Ex) because their bodies work that way, not because they have a Light Fort enhancement on their chassis (if they did, then if they wanted to enhance themselves to be +1, it would cost 3000 gold instead of 1000)

Makes perfect sense to me. Thanks again!

 

[Infiniti2000]

the same sort of price discount would hold for taking regular +1 Silent Moves plate mail to +1 Heavy Fortification plate mail.

This is not true. You cannot do the above. The upgrade rules are for enhancement bonuses only. You can't swap out any +1 market modifier ability for a +2 market modifier ability at a reduced cost. In fact, there are no rules for removing a specific enhancement (unless you destroy the weapon and rebuild it with brand new magic, I suppose).

 

[Rystil Arden]

This is not true. You cannot do the above. The upgrade rules are for enhancement bonuses only. You can't swap out any +1 market modifier ability for a +2 market modifier ability at a reduced cost. In fact, there are no rules for removing a specific enhancement (unless you destroy the weapon and rebuild it with brand new magic, I suppose).

Oops--if that is the case, then you also can't upgrade Light Fortification armour to Heavy Fort then either. Either way, my main clarification about the Warforged still holds

 

[Infiniti2000]

Oops--if that is the case, then you also can't upgrade Light Fortification armour to Heavy Fort then either. Either way, my main clarification about the Warforged still holds

Pretty much, though quite honestly I allow similar abilities to be upgrade (e.g. minor fire resistance to major, light fort to heavy fort, etc.). At least I don't think that's a rule. Anyway, you certainly can't just swap out unalike abilities. The key here, however, is that the light fort is not a magical enhancement.

 

[Inigo Carmine]

It wouldn't get reduced if the light were not a magical ability. Here's you're not modifying the light fortification, you're overlapping an enhancement on it. The mundane light fortification and magical heavy fortification don't stack.

I look at it similarly. It's kind of the same way as the +1 enhancement bonus on a MW weapon is overtaken by (but not stacked with) the +x enhancment bonus to attack (and damage) of a +x weapon. The +x, while similar, replaces the MW quality without a reduction in cost.


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The good news is that, like a Magic Weapon is still masterwork, if the warforged with the Heavy Fortification magical armor enhancement ever enters an anti-magic field he will still retain the light fortification because it's an (ex) ability.