Mage Robes

[EricNoah]

Some of the magic armor qualities would be really neat to have on a wizard or other arcane caster. I was thinking of developing a kind of "light armor" that doesn't actually provide an armor bonus but could accept a limited amount of armor-enhancing magic.

I was thinking something along the lines of...

Light armor
always "Masterwork"
+0 armor bonus
Max Dex 0 or +1 (they're cumbersome; and I don't think I want this to be the "best choice" for rogues and other nimble types)
-2 check penalty (even after "masterwork" -- maybe higher? -- could use some input here)
0% arcane failure

And then set a limit of, say, +4 virtual bonus max (and also maybe set a gp limit since some powers are measured in gp and not virtual plusses -- not sure though -- I was thinking 36,000 would be good because you could apply no more than two of those 18,000 gp choices). You could apply actual armor bonuses up to +4, or not have any armor bonus and take up to +4 worth of other abilities. Then I would list which ones in particular would work with this type of armor (some wouldn't make sense -- fortification for instance).

So a wizard could buy a +2 mage robe of spell resistance (13), a total of +4 in bonuses, for about 16,000 gp plus whatever the cost of the robe.

Other possibilities -- maybe have a "built in" spell component pouch, and maybe a couple of "wand sheathes" so a wand user can draw a wand while moving (much as one can draw a weapon while moving).

On a semi-related note, I was thinking about having bracers in my campaign offer a shield bonus (not a force shield like the shield spell, but used as an actual shield -- like little bucklers or something) instead of an armor bonus. Again, no bonus for the base item, but could be enchanted to add +1 to +4 worth of bonuses or powers from the shield list.

 

[Machiavelli]

This sounds really very cool, except for the Dexterity cap. Somehow I can't imagine a set of robes being so poorly tailored and fitted (ESPECIALLY masterwork robes) that thay are almost as encumbering as a set of full-plate or half-plate armor. Typically, light armor has a Dex cap of +4-8. I'd personally stick with +4, as that is on par with leather armor: a not-too-stiff, full-body suit.

I'd go with a maximum of 18,000gp-worth of special armor abilities. That opens up the possibility of one elemental resistance, or one "improved" version of lesser enhancements like "Slick" or "Silent moves".

I like the component pouches and wand sheathes. For those alone this would be a worthwhile purchase.

 

[Rystil Arden]

As per Arms and Equipment Guide, you can already put special armour enhancements on a Bracers of Armour if you have Craft Wondrous as well as Craft Arms and Armour. And since the Robe chakra slot can hold any sort of enchantment without a cost modifier, this allows you to create robes with armour powers already by the rules

 

[Bront]

Indeed, check out the Robe of the Archmagi, It does almost exactly what you're describing and more (and oddly enough, can be used by anyone, though not to full effect).

Robes are free for alls. (Much like cloaks and shirts).

 

[El Jeraldo]

Originally posted by Machiavelli

This sounds really very cool, except for the Dexterity cap.

I'm with Machiavelli on this that dex cap is bad because when you first create a arcane spell caster one of the first things you do is put a let over high ability score into your dex to try and not die cause you only have 4 hp. so these robes are cool but essentially saying that if I got luck and got to put a 16-18 in my dex why would I use your robe because it just denied me my natural (and free of charge) dex bonus to ac and made me replace it with an equivalent (really expensive) armor ac bonus.

Here is my idea. if this is truly magical armor you could make the magicalness of its abilities only activate for someone with arcane spell casting abilities (or a certain # of levels of an arcane spell casting class to try and discourage rouges form multi-classing only one level of sorcerer just to min max their character) and give it all the above said statistics and the +6-8 max dex bonus. For any one else this would just be a robe with a couple of pockets.

How does that work for you?

-El Jeraldo

 

[anton1066]

What?

Um....why all the limitations? Why make robes the worst armor in the game? A wizard can already make mithril twighlight chainshirt, why should this be such a better option then robes. I like the idea of a wizard wearing robes, but with all these rules i would never choose that option from a Rollplaying POV.


Just make them cost 300gp, have no armor check penalty, no max dex, and the same limits for enchantment as any other type of armor. I would even think about giving a bonus to arcane casters wearing them.

 

[the Jester]

I'm with Anton. I don't think these robes should have a max dex bonus or an armor check penalty, as they aren't armor at all; they just hold a few properties similar to those of certain magical armor.

 

[Land Outcast]

mithril twighlight chainshirt?

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Even if the RAW allows it, bracers of armor should never be able to have other abilities. Well I suppose if you know that your game will never go epic, it would be fine. (If this is true of your game, read no further)

Once the game gets to epic levels, bracers of armor start to outstrip other armors in raw bonus, making it tempting for for 40th level fighters to sport bracers rather than full plate. Allowing bracers to have other abilities would make regular armor totally obsolete. Rather than ban mages from kool armor special abilities (because what mage wouldn't like to have Greater Fortification?), my solution is to ban Bracers of Armor and Rings of Force Shield; instead I allow Bracers of Shielding (+1 to +5) and Robes of Armor (+1 to +5) that can both have regular armor/shield abilities. It allows arcane casters to have better AC but also at greater cost.

 

[Remathilis]

Huh, I used these starts:

Mage Robe
Cost 1 Gp
Armor Bonus: +0
Max Dex: NA
Armor Check: 0
Spell Fail: 0%
Weight: 3lbs
Speed: 30 (med)/20 (small)

Then, they are used like armor (enchanted, given special abilities, etc).