Questions about Armor Spikes...

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) If your armor is made of a special (metallic) material, are the spikes perforce the same material? (I've always assumed the answer is no.)

1a) If so, do you add the construction cost of the special material for the armor and the spikes? (I have always assumed the answer is no unless they are 2 different materials.)

2) Do you have to have a weapon enchantment of +1 or better on them to further enchant them, or is their placement on enchanted armor satisfy that criterion? (I've not run into this as a DM, but as a player, I always assumed you needed a +1 weapon enchantment above & beyond the enchantments on the armor.)

3) Is "Dancing" a useless enchantment for Armor Spikes or do you let them detatch and do their thing? (Its never come up for me...but I've been thinking about it.)

3a) If its useless, would you consider adding 100gp (or any amount of gp) to the base cost of making the spikes into magic weapons in order to have them be detachable (screw-ons) so that they can be Dancing weapons?

3b) If Dancing works (for whatever reason), is it just one spike or all of them as a group? (It could matter if, while Dancing, the armor-wearer is grappled.)

3c) If Dancing works, could you further enchant them into becoming some form of ranged weapon- perhaps with the Ranged enchantment? (I assume the answer is no.)

 

[blargney the second]

Omg, dancing armor spikes is an awesome idea! Otto's irresistible dance of forced intrusion. *lol*

 

[SteelDraco]

Armor spikes are a weapon, and are treated as separate from the armor for purposes of materials, enchanting, proficiency, and such. You have to add the masterwork property to them, and enchant them apart from the armor. I'd write it up as, say, +4 Adamantine Full Plate (+2 Keen Adamantine Armor Spikes). They just happen to be attached to the armor. They can't be detached or disarmed, but they're still a distinct weapon from the armor.

As to Dancing... never thought about it, but I can't see any real reason not to allow it. It's certainly an interesting idea. I can see a swarm of dagger-looking spikes detaching from armor and wandering around, killing on their own.

The only quibble is going to be about sundering. I'm not sure how I'd deal with that for a set of armor spikes anyway - can you sunder them, distinct from the armor itself? How does that work?

 

[DogBackward]

And now, someone will contribute something that actually... well, actually contributes something.

Edit: Sorry SteelDraco, that wasn't directed at you. And armor spikes would "stick out" from the armor enough that I'd say it's just as easy to sunder them as something else. Maybe with a -2 penalty if I'm feeling strict.

1) If your armor is made of a special (metallic) material, are the spikes perforce the same material? (I've always assumed the answer is no.)

I don't think this is addressed in RAW anywhere, but I'd say yes. The only place it really matters in most games is Adamantine, and that's not that big a deal. If you really wanna start rubbing yourself up against that wall to ignore the hardness, be my guest...

Anyway, I'd rule that it is the same material, unless you specifically make it something different.

1a) If so, do you add the construction cost of the special material for the armor and the spikes? (I have always assumed the answer is no unless they are 2 different materials.)

I'd say yes, if only to keep things from getting out of hand.

2) Do you have to have a weapon enchantment of +1 or better on them to further enchant them, or is their placement on enchanted armor satisfy that criterion? (I've not run into this as a DM, but as a player, I always assumed you needed a +1 weapon enchantment above & beyond the enchantments on the armor.)

Yes, armor spikes are enchanted as weapons entirely seperately from the armor. Unless you pay that 2000g, even if your armor is Epic +25, your spikes are just Masterwork.

3) Is "Dancing" a useless enchantment for Armor Spikes or do you let them detatch and do their thing? (Its never come up for me...but I've been thinking about it.)

Technically, you could add the enchantment, and I wouldn't have any problems with allowing your spikes to animate and attack. A swarm of armor spikes rushing toward the enemy is kinda cool, actually.

3a) If its useless, would you consider adding 100gp (or any amount of gp) to the base cost of making the spikes into magic weapons in order to have them be detachable (screw-ons) so that they can be Dancing weapons?

Don't think you'd need it, but that sounds like an interesting idea anyway. Grab a couple of different sets of armor spikes of different materials. I'd say it takes ten minutes to change them, at least, but it could still b handy.

3b) If Dancing works (for whatever reason), is it just one spike or all of them as a group? (It could matter if, while Dancing, the armor-wearer is grappled.)

I'd say they all come off, otherwise you could, for example, animate all of the spikes individually, and still have a few left on the armor for grapples. Plus, like I said, the swarm of spikes detaching from your armor is just awesome.

3c) If Dancing works, could you further enchant them into becoming some form of ranged weapon- perhaps with the Ranged enchantment? (I assume the answer is no.)

Again, I don't see why not. You'd have to have them be Returning or something if you wanted to make it really work, and you'd probably have to actually detach them by hand to chuck 'em at the enemy.

Keep in mind that all this stuff (except no. 2) isn't actually covered by any real rules, so it's all just my take on the situation.

 

[frankthedm]

As to Dancing... never thought about it, but I can't see any real reason not to allow it.

How about the fact that the spikes are bonded to the armor ?

Armor can't be the target of a sunder attempt.

 

[Darklone]

How about the fact that the spikes are bonded to the armor ?

Armor can't be the target of a sunder attempt.

One might argue it's similar to the PsiPower Graft Weapon (or perhaps similar name) where the weapon melds with the arm/body.

Just wanted to mention: Scarred lands had in 3.0 already a chainmail with 4 chains... that were effectively dancing weapons.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Bonus Round (does not supplant replying to the initial barrage of questions):

If you were allowing Armor Spikes to Dance, etc., would you enchant each one as a seperate weapon if you wanted them to be able to seperate things?

Imagine the Porcupine Samurai doing the equivalent of "Fly, my pretties, FLY!!" with different spikes taking on different targets...a FRPG equivalent to those scenes from Big Mecha Anime series when they launch a barrage of rockets...

 

[Darklone]

That chainmail with dangling chains is in the MIC as well.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Mic?

 

[blargney the second]

Magic Item Compendium. I think the item in question is called Kyton Armor, IIRC.