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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 4667817" data-attributes="member: 2629">I really wish they'd do a clarifying article on armor, but until they do, this is the way I run masterwork armor into my game based upon the wording in the books:1.) PHB, Pg 212: "Certain kinds of armor are made according to arcane and esoteric methods that involve weaving magic into the substance of the armor."  According to this language, the masterwork nature is included in the armor when the masterwork armor is made.  2.) PHB, Pg 212: "These masterwork armors never appear except as magic armor (see page 227), and even then only at the highest levels (16th level and above)."This statement says that masterwork does not appear below the minimum level listed for the masterowrk bonus, but it does not say that the armor appearing as 16th level or above armor MUST be masterwork armor. Balance issues push us towards that conclusion, but the absolute game rules do not as they are written. Although this book lists a minimum level for the armors of 16, the AV seems to expand that by having masterowrk armors of +2 or +3 minimum enhancement bonus instead of +4 - meaning that masterwork armors can be found on level 7 and above items.3.) PHB, Pg 212 "The cost of masterwork armor is included in the cost of the magic armor."Although you're paying for the masterwork aspect when you pay for magic armor, you do not necessarily get the masterwork aspect. It is something optional.4.) AV I, Pg 6 "For example, +4 crysteel mail armor costs 45,000 gp - the same as nonmasterwork  +4 chain armor."This reinforces that all armor of +4 or above does not need to be mastework. 5.) AV I, Pg 6 "Thus, an adventurer of higher level is generally better off shopping for masterwork armors than the armors he or she used at lower levels."This also reinforces that you can have the masterwork aspect made into armor, but does nothing to indicate that non-masterwork armors can be upgraded into masterwork armors. --------When I add all of this up, I get the following answers to my armor questions:1.) When armor is found, it *may* possess any masterwork properties, at the DM's discretion, suitable for the enhancement bonus of the armor. For balance reasons, DMs are generally better off selecting masterwork properties equaling the enhancement bonus of the armor. This also makes sense from an RPG perspective as the person making the armor can 'max out' the benefits of the armor for no additional cost by selecting the best masterwork options available.2.) When armor is made, it may possess any masterwork properties suitable for the enhancement bonus of the armor, at the discretion of the creator. 3.) When the Transfer Enchantment ritual (AV I, pg 199) is used to transfer enchantments, it does nothing to change the type of armor. If you move a +6 enchantment to a suit of normal platemail, you have +6 normal platemail. 4.) There are no rules that allow the Transfer Enchantment ritual to move lower level enhancements to equal or higher level armor.5.) If I find a suit of level 24 +5 Soulwarding Chainmail, and I want to use Move Enchantment to put it on plate, I'd need to provide the armor to move it onto. The best option would be a suit of legion plate armor, as the soulwarding chainmail is +5 and the legion plate is minimum enhancement +5 and is better than all of the minimum enhancement +4 (or below) armors. I can either provide legion plate armor of level 21 to 23 that I have found, have a suit of legion armor made (which will cost me 225,000), or settle on having that +5 transfered to a lesser suit of armor.In my games, all armor of +2 or above is masterwork unless I have a dang good reason to make it non-masterwork. One situation that could occur that would result in enhancement bonuses being placed on items with lower minimum enhancement bonuses would involve armor that was previously captured. Let's say that a brave knight in powerful level 26 +6 magic godplate armor died in a dungeon. An evil ritual using creature took the armor and decided to transfer the enhancement to the armor of his chief assassin, a githyanki gish wearing normal chainmail armor. That armor would increase to +6 bonus, but would not become masterwork.</blockquote>

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