Seeking Ideas for Character who Have Salvaged Animated Armor

[aco175]

I would go with something that the player finds cool for the PC. I like the idea of donning armor since it is cool and never comes up in my game anyways. You make the PC wait until you get the armor to the city, or to a magic place in the dungeon to actually give the reward. I tend to not give out +1 plate armor, but would give it something like advantage on saves from dragon breath or 1/day turn a critical to normal hit.

 

[LordEntrails]

I would go with something that the player finds cool for the PC.

That's the intent, but... it's going to be a surprise for the players. So I want to come up with something cool, not game changing (their AC's are already really high for level 5), but memorable.

I'm thinking of starting off letting them know something is up by making their armor start to squeak. The two sets of armor will actually be talking to each other, but the party won't know that yet. Then I might do something like have one of them jump in the way of an attack on the dwarven cleric (depending upon what I determine the armor's purpose and personalities to be.)

Definitely something with other constructs, like it won't let them attack other constructs unless injured first.

I like the quick on/off trait, but that really won't come into play in this campaign so its easier to ignore.

Maybe if in conflict with the sentience it might even do a mild heat metal on itself to get the wearer out of the armor.

 

[Hawk Diesel]

I like the idea that it can don or doff itself. In the past when my PCs defeated an animtes armor, I reduced the strength requirement to use it and I think I gave +1 to attack and damage with unarmed strikes to represent the armor still having some essence of assisting movement.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I had a paladin in Ravenloft recover a suit of animated armor. They'd captured it without damaging it, so since they used identify I let them command it. Primarily, this meant that if the paladin were to go down in combat, they could theoretically get him back up by having the armor activate and keep fighting.
For some reason, the party never tried this tactic.