Q: Armor of dragon skin

[Wolf72]

I think you just treat it as masterwork ...

 

[Darklone]

Per the rules, as anyone else said: MW.

If you want to give some small bonuses due to the material, I'd think about Endure Elements(cold) and perhaps a +2 to saves against energy drain...

 

[Tomiro]

Thanks you all for your impressions!

The point with little resistance (cold, fire,...) or a +4 bonus to the save, is a good way, I think! Thanks again!

 

[Geoff Watson]

IMHO, the energy resistance ability for armour is overpriced; so if the armour is made from dragonhide, they cost +1 for the appropriate energy resistance instead of +3.

Geoff.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Anything else is the DM allowing some munchkin.

There is no "some munchkin", either you are munchkin or you aren't. And as it stands, a little resistance (5, maybe 10) against a single energy type isn't even much powergaming, especially since he's willing to pay for it.

As for the pay, maybe treat it as a special material, just like adamantine or mithral, with similar market price modifiers and progressive effekts:
Light armor: Energy Resistance 5; Market Price Modifier +2000 gp
Medium: 10; +5000 gp
Heavy: 15; +10000gp

Providing the special material will half the price you have to pay, the rest being normal materials like leather or metal, and the wages for the smith.

And they'll have to keep earning it even after they have the armor, cause, if they run into another dragon of that type, they'll be dealin' w/ a VERY pissed-off dragon, that just might be older than the last one.

That's to true: in a game I play in, the party druid had an armor made of dragon scales (It was some sort of quest item: green dragon scales, gave him acid resistance. We didn't encounter that much acid, but on those few occasions, it was OK.) Later, we stumbled into the lair of an old blue dragon (we thought it was the hideout of a sorcerer, but that one turned out to be eaten by the current inhabitant). We were lucky, though, for he didn't want to kill us, we "just" had to pay for our lives and our information with magic items.
Anyway, he asked the druid whether that's dragon scales he's wearing, and he answered: "That? No, that's crocodile". We were very lucky that day, for the dragon ate that story. Instead of us....

 

[Vincent Blackwater]

Dragon Armor

I actually like the idea of dragon armor that grant a bonus to resistance of the dragon hide being used. I remember playing Dragon Lance a LONG time ago and that's how they had their dragon armor set up. I was disappointed when I saw the new rules making dragonscale armor virtually lame IMO. But that's the great thing about being a DM you can add, take away, alter any rule you chose that suits your world.

I really don't care for people who suggest it can't/shouldn't be done simply because it's not in the "rules". I'm not one of those dms that throw all the rules out the window, but I am one of those dm's that like to add interesting specifics to the game.

 

[Andion Isurand]

On pages 116 to 118 of the Draconomicon

They have armors, shields and cloaks with dragoncraft components that grant no more than 5 energy resistance as an extraordinary ability. Dragoncraft armor also counts as one category lighter and reduces check penalties by 2.

If your armor is an assortment of dragonscales, then I'd say its resistances would have to be divided down from a total value of 5 resistance.

But since mutlitple items of this kind that grant the same energy resistance dont stack...

You are better off with a suit of armor from one type of dragon, a shield from another, and a dragonhide mantle of yet another for three types of resistance at 5 each.