Can anyone explain Masterwork Armour?

[Peter LaCara]

So there is no such thing as +2 Warplate or +4 Godplate?

This is making little sense to me.

Okay. All +1 to +3 plate armor is plate. All +4 and +5 armor is warplate. All +6 armor is godplate. There is no such thing as +6 warplate, and no such thing as +2 godplate. The improvements just happen automatically.

 

[Keenath]

The idea that magic materials and construction will always yield magic armor is a fluff justification to make sure that you can't have level 5 characters running around in Godplate +1 with a +14 to AC.

Right, and from a flavor perspective it's just that this material is either inherently magical or it can't exist without powerful magic binding it together.

I mean, most of this stuff is like "it's make out of astral matter" or "woven of starlight" or something. It's not just armor made out of Adamantine; it's actually made of things that don't normally exist.

 

[Harr]

Okay. All +1 to +3 plate armor is plate. All +4 and +5 armor is warplate. All +6 armor is godplate. There is no such thing as +6 warplate, and no such thing as +2 godplate. The improvements just happen automatically.

I don't believe this is correct, I THINK you can have +6 normal plate.

IAnother way to look at it is through the fluff. For example, say Godplate is not "godplate" just because of its construction, but because it has a spiritual link to the god Moradin himself. However, to maintain this link requires heavy amount of magic to be at work, at least a +6 equivalent of magic. As long as the godplate has a +6 equivalent of magic ast on it, the magic can serve as an anchor to maintain the link with the god. If the magic on the plate were ever to reduce to +5, it would not be enough to hold the anchor and would turn into just regular plate once again.

However, this doesn't mean that you can't take anormal plate you find lying on the street and just enchant it up to +6 on your own, with no link to the god. You would end up with plate +6.

 

[Surgoshan]

If you find a +6 plate, it's godplate. That's really all there is to it. Without the bump in masterwork quality, rangers and wizards would eventually have better AC than defenders, which would be uncool. It's a balance issue is all.

By the time you get to level 26, you could choose to make a normal suit of plate with a +6 enchantment... but why the hell would you?

 

[nute]

If you find a +6 plate, it's godplate. That's really all there is to it. Without the bump in masterwork quality, rangers and wizards would eventually have better AC than defenders, which would be uncool. It's a balance issue is all.

By the time you get to level 26, you could choose to make a normal suit of plate with a +6 enchantment... but why the hell would you?

From what I understand (and I do not have the books or a PDF available to me, just what's said here), I think it's almost as if godplate/warplate are treated like materials.

Imagine, if you will, "godplate"is steel hammered over a diamond from the Seven Heavens, and "warplate" is steel forged in a fire that was kindled with the bones of a primordial. You can only use these metals/procedures to create plate armor.

Plate armor of any type has a +8 AC because of the way it's made. Warplate gives a +11 because it's better designed. However, you need magic to hold it together, so it's got to have at least a +4 enhancement bonus, for a total of +11 (armor) and +4 (enhancement) = +15 AC for wearing Warplate, minimum.

There's no such thing as nonmagical warplate armor - you're forging it in a magical forge (or whatever fluff procedure it comes by to make it special) and so it cannot exist independently of magic. Even if it's just "+4 Warplate Armor", it's had some form of enhancement put on it.

 

[Harr]

If you find a +6 plate, it's godplate. That's really all there is to it. Without the bump in masterwork quality, rangers and wizards would eventually have better AC than defenders, which would be uncool. It's a balance issue is all.

By the time you get to level 26, you could choose to make a normal suit of plate with a +6 enchantment... but why the hell would you?

You're right, i was working under the mistaken assumption that yo ucould choose to enchant a plate say with 3 different +2 effects and end up with a +6. Seems that sort of thing isn't done any more.

So yeah, godplate is +6, +6 is godplate, end of story. Fluff can be adjusted and interpreted as desired

 

[Byronic]

Just by reading this thread a simple fluff reason occurs to me.

Normal plate simply cannot be +4. Magic simply doesn't exist that can make ordinary plate that good. If you want to make plate that good you have to make the ordinary material. So you make a Warplate because it can handle the bigger enchantments.

Why is there no Warplate without enchantments? Because the things bloody expensive to make, and it's cheaper to make plate +3 then a Warplate without enchantments. You might as well put a nice big enchantment on it if you're bothering to make the stuff.

And anyway, Godplate without at least a +6 enchantment on it? It's almost sacrilegious.

 

[Andur]

You can have regular plate or even warplate that has a +6 bonus, there is just no good reason to do so, you don't save anything on the cost, you don't get any "special" perks, it is basically worthless in RAW...

However, in a "build your own" type of world it works nicely, picture:

"You have been handed down your grandfathers Platemail armour, you have spent (30gp) money to have it altered to fit you perfectly."

After a few levels:

"Your (Ritual Caster buddy) enchanter has imbued the plate with the essence of the items you have provided, it wears a little lighter, protects a little better" (Simple Plate +2)

After a few more levels:

"Your Dwarven (ritual Caster Buddy) enchanter has reforged your plate with the knowledge of the Dwarves, it is stronger and more durable than before." (Dwarven Plate +4)

After a few more levels:

"Your God's (ritual caster buddy) enchanter has imbued the plate with some of His Divine Essence, it is hard as diamons and wears like a glove." (Exalted Plate +6)

There are differences between a regular +6 armour and a named +6 armour, both in abilities as well as level...

 

[Irda Ranger]

I can write fluff until the cows come home, I just want an official answer on the following:

What is the frakking AC of Godplate +6?? Is it 20 or 14? And can the person who answers that question point to a quote from mearls or a playtester?

The reason I ask is becasue "+6" is exactly the difference between 14 (the Godplate listed in the equipment chapter) and 8 (normal plate).

I find it a bit annoying that you're forced to upgrade your the armor you've been wearing since level 1 from Normal to MW-1 material, and then 10 levels later do it again to MW-2 materials. I mean, I like having the option, but what if you want to play the guy with the same trusty suit of chain his father forged him? I'd like the option to keep it, and I find it a bit annoying I'll have to house rule that.

 

[Surgoshan]

So you first get your father's trusty suit of chainmail reforged (forgemail +4). Then you get it infused with the power of the feywild (spiritmail).

And the AC of godmail is 20. Its base +14 and then +6 magical. Warplate is base +11 magical +4, so that should answer your question, see?