Chain Devil's Dancing Chains

[Shin Okada]

From SRD,

Dancing Chains (Su): A chain devil’s most awesome attack is its ability to control up to four chains within 20 feet as a standard action, making the chains dance or move as it wishes. In addition, a chain devil can increase these chains’ length by up to 15 feet and cause them to sprout razor-edged barbs. These chains attack as effectively as the devil itself. If a chain is in another creature’s possession, the creature can attempt a DC 15 Will save to break the chain devil’s power over that chain. If the save is successful, the kyton cannot attempt to control that particular chain again for 24 hours or until the chain leaves the creature’s possession. The save DC is Charisma-based.
A chain devil can climb chains it controls at its normal speed without making Climb checks.

As this ability specifically note about a chain in another creature's possession, I guess the devil can animate PCs' equipment. It seems obvious that Spiked Chain is controllable. But how about chain mail or chain shirt?

Shall I treat a suit of chain mail of chain shirt as "one chain"?

What will happen to the wearer of that "chain"? Does he simply lose AC bonus from the armor or should he suffer additional penalty?

 

[Physiker]

A Chain Shirt or Mail is made of several chains, so if at all the chain devil could only control some of them. But they are all woven together so the control of a few would not affect the wearer much.
I would lower the max Dex-Bonus by 1 or 2 per Chain controlled and raise the armor check penalty in the same way.
But I don't think that you could reduce the AC because the chain is just not able to be moved in a way the body of the defender could be hit more easily.

 

[Shin Okada]

A Chain Shirt or Mail is made of several chains, so if at all the chain devil could only control some of them. But they are all woven together so the control of a few would not affect the wearer much.

It seems to be a reasonable interepretation. So, maybe, a Chain Devil can control "four chains of a PC's Chain Shirt" and let them attack PCs, without causing other game statistic change?

That is simple enough and will not slow the game down much.

 

[Physiker]

I think that you can assume that.
But my players would kill me if I would do this to them
Well, of course in my group logic is more important than rules ...
And so I would keep in mind that the four chains which are now controlled by the chain devil are still fixed to other chains and not as free as normal chains.
So perhaps forget the BAB to the attack roll ?
On the other handside, the player can't dodge the attack so no Dex-mod to AC and of course no AC-Bonus from the chain mail, or shirt.

I think this both sides doesn't change to much. So for simplicity handel it as a normal attack.

 

[FEADIN]

Funny but I thnk "a chain" is not "a chainmail", they are different items.

 

[frankthedm]

As this ability specifically note about a chain in another creature's possession, I guess the devil can animate PCs' equipment. It seems obvious that Spiked Chain is controllable. But how about chain mail or chain shirt?

Shall I treat a suit of chain mail of chain shirt as "one chain"?

I say that is reasonable.

What will happen to the wearer of that "chain"? Does he simply lose AC bonus from the armor or should he suffer additional penalty?

Easiest way to do it is once each round the possessed chainmail attacks the wearer, rolling the attack and dealing damage as called for by the ability.

 

[Lendro_Furioso]

I like chain devils. They look creepy and scary. I never thought about having them control chainmail, though... I'll usually try to get the PC's to follow them to a warehouse/workshop so he has more chains and gets to use them for mobility.

I'm getting a very cinematic vision of chain links ripping themselves free of the armour, forming a proper chain to attack its wearer (by choking, maybe?). My PC's hate anything that messes up their gear, but I like the vision of it. The mechanics would be freaky, though. Maybe count it off as hastily donned armour?

Anyway, just a thought.

 

[Jhaelen]

A Chain Shirt or Mail is made of several chains, so if at all the chain devil could only control some of them. But they are all woven together so the control of a few would not affect the wearer much.
I would lower the max Dex-Bonus by 1 or 2 per Chain controlled and raise the armor check penalty in the same way.
But I don't think that you could reduce the AC because the chain is just not able to be moved in a way the body of the defender could be hit more easily.

Actually, a chain shirt/mail is NOT made of several chains. It's made of rings.

And regarding the OPs question: I don't think chain devils can do anything at all to chain shirts/mails with their ability. Neither can they do anything to chain lightning or daisy chains.

 

[cheshire_grin]

And a chain is just a row of linked rings; thus the effect is that chainmail is made up of multiple rows of interlinked chains. There is a reason it's called chainmail.

 

[Jhaelen]

And a chain is just a row of linked rings; thus the effect is that chainmail is made up of multiple rows of interlinked chains. There is a reason it's called chainmail.

Illuminate me: What is the reason they're called chainmails?

Even the wikipedia will inform you that chainmail is a misnomer. The rings form a mesh, not chains. Thus there's no way to animate them in any useful way.

Using the same reasoning a butterfly knife would be composed of butterflies and thus susceptible to a 'call butterfly' spell.