Armor Properties

Magic armor is a common but vital item. In general, it protects the wearer to a greater extent than nonmagical armor. Magic armor bonuses are enhancement bonuses, never rise above +5, and stack with regular armor bonuses (and with shield and magic shield enhancement bonuses). All magic armor is also masterwork armor, reducing armor check penalties by 1.
In addition to an enhancement bonus, armor may have special abilities, such as the ability to resist critical hits or to help the wearer hide. Special abilities count as additional bonuses for determining the market value of an item, but do not improve AC. A suit of armor cannot have an effective bonus (enhancement plus special ability bonus equivalents) higher than +10. A suit of armor with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
A suit of armor or a shield may be made of an unusual material. Roll d%: 01–95 indicates that the item is of a standard sort, and 96–100 indicates that it is made of a special substance such as adamantine or mithral (see Special Materials).
Armor is always created so that even if the type of armor comes with boots or gauntlets, these pieces can be switched for other magic boots or gauntlets.
Caster Level for Armor and Shields: The caster level of a magic shield or magic armor with a special ability is given in the item description. For an item with only an enhancement bonus, the caster level is three times the enhancement bonus. If an item has both an enhancement bonus and a special ability, the higher of the two caster level requirements must be met.
Shields: Shield enhancement bonuses stack with armor enhancement bonuses, so that a +1 heavy steel shield and +1 chainmail grant a total bonus of +9 to AC. Shield enhancement bonuses do not act as attack or damage bonuses when the shield is used in a bash. The bashing special ability, however, does grant a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls (see the special ability description). You could, in fact, build a shield that also acted as a magic weapon, but the cost of the enhancement bonus on attack rolls would need to be added into the cost of the shield and its enhancement bonus to AC. For example, a +1 buckler with +1 shield spikes would cost 3,475 gp (15 gp for the basic buckler, 150 to make it masterwork, 1,000 for the +1 bonus to AC, 10 gp for the spikes, 300 to make them masterwork, and 2,000 to make the spikes a +1 weapon).
As with armor, special abilities built into the shield add to the market value in the form of additions to the bonus of the shield, although they do not improve AC. A shield cannot have an effective bonus (enhancement plus special ability bonus equivalents) higher than +10. A shield with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.
Shield Hardness and Hit Points: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to a shield’s hardness and +10 to its hit points. For example, a +3 heavy steel shield has hardness 16 and 50 hp. (See Table 8–8, page 158 of the Player’s Handbook, for common shield hardness and hit points.)
Activation: Usually a character benefits from magic armor and shields in exactly the way a character benefits from nonmagical armor and shields—by wearing them. If armor or a shield has a special ability that the user needs to activate (such as with an animated shield), then the user usually needs to utter the command word (a standard action).
Armor for Unusual Creatures: The cost of armor for nonhumanoid creatures, as well as for creatures who are neither Small nor Medium, varies from the values given on Tables 7–3 and 7–4, as described in the Armor for Unusual Creatures sidebar on page 123 of the Player’s Handbook. The cost of the masterwork quality and any magical enhancement remains the same.

Armor and Shields Cost

Enhancement Base Price
+1 1,000gp
+2 4,000gp
+3 9,000gp
+4 16,000gp
+5 25,000gp
+6 36,000gp
+7 49,000gp
+8 64,000gp
+9 81,000gp
+10 100,000gp

Magic Armor and Shield Special Ability Descriptions
Most magic armor and shields only have enhancement bonuses. Such items can also have one or more of the special abilities detailed below. Armor or a shield with a special ability must have at least a +1 enhancement bonus.

Hardness and Hit Points: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness of a suit of armor or shield, and 10 to its hit points. Only the armor or shield’s actual enhancement bonus to Armor Class applies; special properties with an enhancement bonus equivalent for the purpose of determining market price don’t increase the hardness or hit points of armor or a shield.
Armor Subtypes: Some armor or shield entries have a subtype, either “synergy” or “relic,” in brackets following the entry’s name. A synergy item has a prerequisite, typically an existing special property already imbued into the armor to be enhanced. A relic item has special effectiveness for a character devoted to a particular deity.
Additional rules for creating and using these items appear in Chapter 6.

Magic Armor Special Abilities

Name Effect Cost Source
Agility +1 on Reflex saves +500 gp MIC
Stamina +1 on Fortitude saves +500 gp MIC
Blueshine Immune to acid damage and rust, +2 on Hide, metal armor only +1,500 gp MIC
Easy travel Carry medium load as light load, walk 10 hours a day with no Con check +1,500 gp MIC
Called Call armor to you on command +2,000 gp MIC
Commander +2 on Diplomacy, allies within 30 ft. gain +1 on Will saves and –5 on Hide +2,000 gp MIC
Glamered Can change to look like normal clothing, on command +2,700 gp DMG
Daylight Daylight for 30 minutes/day +3,000 gp MIC
Mindarmor 3/day gain +5 on Will saves against mind-affecting spells and abilities +3,000 gp MIC
Acidic Deals 2d4 points of acid damage/round on contact +1 bonus MIC
Anchoring +5 bonus on checks to resist being moved +1 bonus MIC
Anchoring, greaterS +10 bonus on checks to resist being moved +1 bonus MIC
Blurring 3/day blur for 5 rounds +1 bonus MIC
Death ward 1/day ignore death effect or negative energy effect +1 bonus MIC
Displacement 1/day displacement for 5 rounds +1 bonus MIC
Dragondodger Evasion ability against breath weapons, light armor only +1 bonus MIC
Ectoplasmic feedback 1d6 damage to incorporeal creatures +1 bonus MIC
Energy defenseS 3/day 1d6+10 energy damage to attacker +1 bonus MIC
Fortification, light 25% chance to negate criticals, sneak attacks +1 bonus DMG
Ghost ward Armor’s enhancement bonus applies against touch attacks +1 bonus MIC
Mobility Gain benefit of Mobility feat, light armor only +1 bonus MIC
Nimbleness Maximum Dex bonus 1 higher, armor check penalty 2 less +1 bonus MIC
Soulbound Stores up to 2 points of essentia for enhancement bonuses +1 bonus MIC
Styptic Stabilized if dying, resistance to blood-draining attacks +1 bonus MIC
Twilight Arcane spell failure chance reduced by 10% +1 bonus MIC
Balance +5 competence bonus on Balance +3,750 gp MIC
Shadow +5 on Hide +3,750 gp DMG
Silent moves +5 on Move Silently +3,750 gp DMG
Slick +5 on Escape Artist +3,750 gp DMG
Agility, improved +3 on Reflex saves +4,000 gp MIC
Buoyant +2 on Swim, no armor check penalty on Swim checks +4,000 gp MIC
Landing Ignore first 60 ft. of fall damage, always land on feet +4,000 gp MIC
Stamina, improved +3 on Fortitude saves +4,000 gp MIC
Quickness +5 ft. to land speed +5,000 gp MIC
Gilled Water-breathing wearer breathes and speaks freely in air +6,000 gp MIC
Linked 3/day telepathic bond with other linked item wearers for 1 hour +6,000 gp MIC
Speed 3/day haste for 1 round +6,000 gp MIC
Agility, greater +5 on Reflex saves +8,000 gp MIC
Healing 1/day healed of 2d8+5 damage +8,000 gp MIC
Stamina, greater +5 on Fortitude saves +8,000 gp MIC
Axeblock Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning or piercing +2 bonus MIC
Beastskin Armor effective in wild shape +2 bonus MIC
Blurring, greater As blur spell for 10 minutes, at will +2 bonus MIC
Energy immunity 1/day gain immunity to energy damage of choice for 1 minute +2 bonus MIC
Hammerblock Damage reduction 5/piercing or slashing +2 bonus MIC
Retaliation Deals damage when you are attacked +2 bonus MIC
Soulbound, greater Stores up to 4 points of essentia for enhancement bonuses +2 bonus MIC
Spearblock Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning or slashing +2 bonus MIC
Spell resistance (13) Spell resistance 13 +2 bonus DMG
Woodwalk 3/day tree stride for 1 round +9,000 gp MIC
Magic-eating Heal 1 point per spell level if you save against a spell +10,000 gp MIC
Balance, improved +10 competence bonus on Balance +11,250 gp MIC
Deepdweller Breathe and function in deep water, see twice as far underwater +12,000 gp MIC
Bane blind Imperceptible to specified creature type +15,000 gp MIC
Blinking 1/day blink +15,000 gp MIC
Fearsome 3/day panics creatures within 20 ft. for 1 round +15,000 gp MIC
Shadow, improved +10 on Hide +15,000 gp DMG
Silent moves, improved +10 on Move Silently +15,000 gp DMG
Slick, improved +10 on Escape Artist +15,000 gp DMG
Fortification, moderate 75% chance to negate critical hits, sneak attacks +3 bonus DMG
Ghost touch Effective against, can be used by incorporeal creatures +3 bonus DMG
Invulnerability DR 5/magic +3 bonus DMG
Roaring Reflects nonmagic projectiles, +4 on initiative +3 bonus MIC
Spell resistance (15) Spell resistance 15 +3 bonus DMG
Vanishing 2/day completely undetectable for up to 3 minutes +3 bonus MIC
Wild Bonuses apply while in wild shape +3 bonus DMG
Acid resistance Absorbs 10 points of acid damage per attack +18,000 gp DMG
Cold resistance Absorbs 10 points of cold damage per attack +18,000 gp DMG
Electricity resistance Absorbs 10 points of electricity damage per attack +18,000 gp DMG
Fire resistance Absorbs 10 points of fire damage per attack +18,000 gp DMG
Sonic resistance Absorbs 10 points of sonic damage per attack +18,000 gp DMG
Balance, greater +15 competence bonus on Balance +18,750 gp MIC
Aporter Transports you up to 800 ft. as dimension door +20,000 gp MIC
Healing, greater 2/day healed of 3d8+15 damage +24,000 gp MIC
Radiant Resistance 10 against all energy attacks; radiates light +4 bonus MIC
Menacing 3/day panics one creature within 30 ft. for 5 rounds +30,000 gp MIC
Shadow, greater +15 on Hide +33,750 gp DMG
Silent moves, greater +15 on Move Silently +33,750 gp DMG
Slick, greater +15 on Escape Artist +33,750 gp DMG
Fortification, heavy Always negates critical hits, sneak attacks +5 bonus DMG
Freedom Continual freedom of movement +5 bonus MIC
Spell resistance (19) Spell resistance 19 +5 bonus DMG
Masking Continual nondetection +40,000 gp MIC
Acid resistance, improved Absorbs 20 points of acid damage per attack +42,000 gp DMG
Cold resistance, improved Absorbs 20 points of cold damage per attack +42,000 gp DMG
Electricity resistance, improved Absorbs 20 points of electricity damage per attack +42,000 gp DMG
Fire resistance, improved Absorbs 20 points of fire damage per attack +42,000 gp DMG
Sonic resistance, improved Absorbs 20 points of sonic damage per attack +42,000 gp DMG
Etherealness 1/day can become ethereal +49,000 gp DMG
Undead controlling Control up to 26 HD of undead per day +49,000 gp DMG
Acid resistance, greater Absorbs 30 points of acid damage per attack +66,000 gp DMG
Cold resistance, greater Absorbs 30 points of cold damage per attack +66,000 gp DMG
Electricity resistance, greater Absorbs 30 points of electricity damage per attack +66,000 gp DMG
Fire resistance, greater Absorbs 30 points of fire damage per attack +66,000 gp DMG
Sonic resistance, greater Absorbs 30 points of sonic damage per attack +66,000 gp DMG
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